Santa said my Holiday Bonus is coming today. Can't wait to see what it is....

Well. Santa was right. My boss here at VSL got me a Jellies of the Month subscription. It was a bit of a let down. So I grabbed the company credit card and headed out to do a bit of impromptu shopping. You know, just something simple and nice for myself. After all, I do all the work around here.

My biggest decision was whether to get green or black. So I had the clerk pull both versions out of their packaging and put them on the counter so I could stand there and compare. The minutes ticked by. My sales person shifted his weight from one foot to the other. And back again. The clock in the back office ticked loudly. The sun moved across the sky. And the harder I looked the harder the choice became. I was deadlocked. 

Then a guy named Noel walked over and casually glanced at both and said, laconically, "You'll get tired of the green one pretty quick." 

That little push was enough to get me off dead center. I went with black and I couldn't be happier. I'm just not sure my boss is going to be happy when he gets that credit card bill at the end of the month...

I decided to give and receive my year end bonus today so I could enjoy it and also have a measure of gratitude for just how well the year has worked out for me and my family. So I quickly wrapped it, surprised myself, unwrapped it and was struck by my boss's generosity. What a swell guy...

I took it out on a hot (over 80° f) December afternoon and put it through its paces. 

Oh...I forgot to tell you what I got myself from the CEO of VSL... It's a brand spanking new jet black Leica Q2. It won out over the "Reporter" version which saved me a whopping $200 and change. Don't ask. It was too much...

Here's a photo: 

Delighted that this camera and my other full frame Leicas

all take the same kind of/model battery. Yay! finally.

Is it everything the bloggers and reviewers say? I don't have a clue. I walked around and photographed a couple of buildings, some signage and a few urban landscapes. Nothing litmus-test-y. The camera handles well. The EVF looks great and the menu is pretty much exactly like the menu in my SL2. What's not to like? I'm sure I'll have lots more to say if I take it on the road with me and shoot a couple thousand frames so let's plan on that. I might need to do a roadtrip anyway to escape my boss's displeasure at my raiding of the corporate coffers. But I'm pretty sure the CFO will smooth it all over....she's really sweet.

 

full frame.

35mm crop.

50mm crop.

50mm crop.

full frame. 28mm

cropped as 50mm.

My boss took the credit card back and threatened to freeze it inside a solid block of 

carbonite. I'll call his bluff because I know carbonite only exists in 

Star Wars movies.

I'm pretty much done with commercial work for the rest of the year.

You'll be thrilled to know that because you will intuit that I'll have 

much more time to write about swimming....

Go Santa!!!

For those that don't get the joke: I am self-employed. I have no employees. My boss is me. I can't really fire myself because as Buckeroo Bonzai famously said, "Wherever you go, there you are."

Looks like I'll always be working for the man in one sense or another.

Finally, aren't you glad I didn't drag out this camera buying decision in a long series of agonizing posts? Really. This time it was just a quick Bandaid (tm) pull.

Breaking up is hard to do.

 "It's not the clients you keep that make your business successful. It's the clients you fire." And, "The quicker you fire them the better." 

Today I thought I'd write about something topical to my business. And offer some perspective about the way I handle clients who've become less fun or less well aligned with the way I work. 

Many years ago I was asked to donate my photographic services for a charitable organization. Each year I would show up and photograph their fundraising gala at a posh hotel and make prints to send out to donors. And during the year we might have a quick "cattle call" headshot session and make portraits of 5 to 10 people who were hired into the organization. Not a big time commitment, for sure, but I felt good about doing the work because I really liked the goals of the organization and the founder was/is a good friend. 

But people move on and organizations grow. 

At some point all of the people I started with on the adventure left to either continue the work elsewhere (new national office) or to pursue other interests. 

Now, the people I started this adventure with had no clear titles and no experience with photography and its potential. They left the working methodologies to me and counted on me to know what to shoot and how to shoot it. I worked autonomously. And I'm always fine with that. In fact, I prefer it for this kind of work.

As the organization grew and my friends peeled off a corporate structure of sorts evolved. Heads of finance were hired. Specialists in various legal fields were hired. A new director replaced the interim director. And, more cogent to my experiences, a new marketing director was hired. It was a person half my age and possessed of absolutely zero experience commissioning or using photography. But they liked the idea of control. And they slowly but surely started to exert control over how I practiced my photography and had a growing list of parameters that they thought I should follow. 

At some point they decided the organization had grown large enough to actually pay a small amount for each project or event I photographed for them. And, I think the sub-conscious logic of paying for a service comes with an assumption of control. In other words, if you pay someone they move from donor status to vendor status and vendor status comes with guidelines and demands. Interestingly, payment was never something I had requested. I was happy to donate my services as long as I was having fun/satisfaction.

Still, the time commitment was minimal; a couple days a year, and I still liked the intentions and the successes of this non-profit organization. But I increasingly felt that the marketing director and I operated with a underlying current of ever growing friction. Their email became more minimal and terse. Their "oversight" more micro-management than collaboration. Their expectations started to diverge from the way I like to work. And I'll be the first to admit, I am headstrong and liked my way of doing things. 

At some point a relationship like that doesn't work for either party. I sent an email and asked if we could "clear the air." This evolved into an hour and fifteen minute telephone conversation which started with acrimony and defensiveness on the client side but ended up being collegial and gracious by the end. I explained what was causing me frustration and they did the same on their end. Eventually we both came to understand that the progression from autonomous teammate donor to vendor status was at the heart of the issue. My suggestion was that the marketing person would be happier working with someone more aligned to their needs. Someone young and enthusiastic who could benefit from the exposure the association might bring (and I reminded them that with their next photographer it would be nice and appropriate to give them photo credits anywhere they could). Someone who could grow with the non-profit and also grow their working relationship with the marketing person and vice versa.

By the end of the call (NOT a Zoom call !!!) we both agreed that it would be in the best interests of both parties if we ended our vendor/boss relationship and moved on. I converted back into an actual donor (yes, I still contribute financially to the charity, as I have for 20+ years) but I would no longer photograph for them. 

I thought I'd be a bit let down to relinquish the account but my original contributions were originally meant to help my friends get the non-profit off the ground and become successful --- and we did that. My allegiance in one regard (the social aspect) was to the first crew. The people with the big vision and not to the successive functionaries. The people I would sit around with and have a celebratory glass of wine  after a successful project. Since I had no real social relationship to the current management team there were no moments of regret or feelings of loss. Just a feeling of completion. A closing of a circle.

The organization is growing. My photos helped. But it had been obvious to me that the photos they've needed for the last five or so years have only required entry level skills and could be handled by someone entering the field and didn't require the ego and the expertise of someone with decades of experience and a calcified way of working. 

The comparison was stark last week as I finished up a contract for an international client's next project. A project with much complexity and a budget bigger than a new car; and in the same day was asked to come over on a specific day at a specific time to shoot one headshot against a very specific background for a fee that might finance a good lunch. 

There is always ego involved even when I know there should not be. I really don't think the marketing director at the non-profit knew or knows anything about my background. They just "inherited" me from previous management and I was the path of least resistance. They had no idea about my teaching, advertising or writing background. My roster of clients. My investment in my work. But maybe a client doesn't need to know all that.  They just knew to call and I would show up. No one was wrong here. Just different ways of communicating and working. Perhaps a generational disconnection. And a little lack of curiosity. Maybe on both sides.

The nice thing for everyone in a situation like this is we all get a clean break. They get to explore new options and try new vendors. They'll find someone who will work well in their system. 

On the other hand I get to remove a source of friction and concentrate on more profitable and fun stuff; or more swimming. As my partner would say, it's yet another step towards downsizing and doing my own projects instead. I think she means transitioning out of commercial work...

Hopefully the industry always wins because we've opened up an opportunity for a new person to evolve as a commercial photographer. We've educated our former "client" in a respectful but information filled manner and we've established with them an understanding of fair compensation for the new photographer along with respect for giving photo credit and working with an understanding of copyright laws. 

We parted the call as friends and allies. Both committed to the organization's success.  That's the best one can hope for. 

Finally, although I used the word "fire" just under the photo at top it's not really accurate. I should say instead, "resigned." It's more accurate. At some point things come to an end and a lot of us have a tendency to hang on to what we know. Fear of the future? Fear of loss? Or just another notch in the personal loss of relevance? Or all three?

"Know when to fold em." 

 

VSL blog reader, K.B. Dixon's review of Laura Wilson's book of writers' portraits.

 https://www.orartswatch.org/the-writers-portraits-by-laura-wilson/

K.B. Dixon's stuff is always fun to read!

And my fave from the show: 

Photos by Laura Wilson. At the Ransom Center.

Spending the afternoon relaxing with a camera and a lens. B&W. And one color.

Packing up for the last shoot of the year and wistfully thinking about donuts. And vacation.

 I say that tomorrow's shoot will be the last one of the year but it never really happens that way. People get panicky when they realize that they haven't spent their budgets for the year and crazy things happen. I'd really like to get everything wrapped up this week and just take a month or so of solid downtime. I'd spend a good part of the time in the pool and on the trails but I'd also like to spend more time in some of Texas' great state parks. Or on some sort of photographic field trip to someplace interesting. Someplace I've never been to before.

But first there is tomorrow. It's going to be an unusual day. One of the advertising/P.R. agencies I enjoy working with is using the occasion of an "all hands meeting" and their holiday party to multi-task with their favorite photographer. A catch-all for the end of the year. 

I can't get Tim Horton's donuts tomorrow morning so I'll settle for some Pumpkin Spice waffles and some really good coffee at home. Then it'll be time to load up the car and get moving. There's not too much gear to pack and carry; just enough to get a bunch of mini-jobs done during the course of the day. It's kind of crazy to realize the sheer amount of packing and unpacking I've done over the last ten days to two weeks. And since every job is a bit different so is the daily load out.

When I arrive at my client's H.Q. the first thing I'll do is set up a white seamless background and some lights in their small video studio. It's upstairs and I'm kind of lazy so I'm bringing small lights. Less to carry up and down the stairway. I'll be setting up to photograph 10 to 15 headshots that will join about 25 previous headshots on the company website. We've been photographing the people against white and dropping in well considered backgrounds we've shot around downtown. The small range of backgrounds provides the overall continuity. 

I'm planning on bouncing two Godox AD200Pro electronic flashes off the ceiling and adding a small reflector near the camera to bounce light into people's faces. These lights are so much smaller and lighter than my traditional monolights and faster to set up and use as well. I'm scheduled to shoot the portraits from 11:30 till 12:30 or 12:45 and then we strike that set and haul the two lights outside to set up for a group shot of 40-45 people right at 1:00 p.m. 

Those are the two set-ups I'm sure about and the rest is up in the air. I know we have a bunch of speakers who will be addressing the group in an adjacent conference space and I'm sure we'll get photos of them. There's an awards ceremony and a dinner as well, and then a party afterwards. The portraits and the group shot are the key things I've got to get right and the rest is catch as catch can.  aka: optional.

I'm currently charging batteries for three different on camera-style flashes. One is the Godox V1 which is dedicated for Olympus and Panasonic interfaces (but not current Leicas!!!). One is the Godox TT685 which is also O/P dedicated and then there is a tiny Godox TT350 which is also set up for O and P. All three work well with the Panasonic S5 so that will be my primary camera for the day. These flashes are all intended to enable me to light all the non-setup social photography that happens after the group shot. But only used one at a time...

Interesting that when I look through my tool bag of on-camera flashes every single one of them is a Godox model. Even my 400 watt second monolights (not accompanying us tomorrow) come from the same company. I've accrued this stuff over the years and the sad truth of it is I keep coming back to this brand because the camera maker's branded flashes are less reliable. And are too feature laden. At least that's what I've found in practice. 

There are three lenses being packed for the S5 system. The 24-105mm S Panasonic lens is my all arounder. 

It's lightweight relative to the Leica 24-90mm and has more effective image stabilization; especially when used in tandem with the S5's in-body stabilization. It covers a great range of focal lengths as well. Next up I have the Sigma 35mm f2.0  Contemporary which has worked well for me when using flash in dimly lit rooms. The extra aperture capability makes it easier for the camera to focus and nowadays I am not above turning on the AF-Assist lights as well. The final lens is the Sigma 65mm f2.0 just because I'm currently infatuated with it and want to use it for everything --- even when I know I shouldn't. 

Since the Leicas don't work in TTL or Auto with my collection of flashes I chose an interesting sub-system as a back up for my long day on location instead. I'm bringing along my trusty Panasonic G9 paired with the Panasonic/Leica 12-60mm zoom and, just for kicks, the Olympus 150mm  75mm f1.8. 

I might use the latter lens if I'm called on to make photos of a speaker at a far off podium...

Except for the fact that the two cameras don't share lenses the G9 is a good choice because the menus are so familiar to me. The flashes work exactly the same across the two systems. And, finally, because both cameras can use exactly that same batteries, which are plentiful around here. That alone is a source of great joy for me!

Also, I've logged 20 to 30 thousand shots with G9 cameras and trust them 100%. 

All the cameras, lenses and batteries go in an Airport Essentials backpack. All of the flash gear goes in a Gitzo photo backpack and the light stands and background gear get stuffed into a stand bag. The goal is to be able to carry all three containers up and down stairs and between the two locations which are located about 200 yards apart, by myself. That should be enough exercise for tomorrow, right? 

There's not much stress surrounding this particular shoot. The agency, from the owner down to the production people, is filled with old friends, collaborators and congenial clients. There's not much here to stress about. Group shots tend to fall together on their own and we've logged hundreds and hundreds of portrait shoots for this firm. We know and they know what to expect and they also know there's not much here we couldn't reshoot if we had to....

But I don't want to get cocky so I'm bringing back-ups for everything and going through the checklists as I pack. Doing the job by the numbers. Checkmarks required. I'm even tossing two SD cards in each camera and setting them up for redundant backup. I might even shoot in the raw format!

So, by the end of the shoot I will have photographed over the course of the last week: multiple attorneys at various locations in their downtown offices, about 20 accountants in environmental portraits around their offices, one oral surgeon whose name I had to "embroider" onto his white doctor's coat via PhotoShop, several intricate piece of cutting edge medical gear, four models doing medical lifestyle stuff, and a couple of portraits in the studio for friends.

And I will have spent far too much time sitting in front of the computer trying to wring the best looking images I could make out of the best shots from thousands of files. And not nearly enough time walking aimlessly downtown with some odd camera. 

And, with that in mind I'll end this post, grab a Sigma fp, put a 50mm lens on the front and go out to shoot some random black and white images of downtown Austin as it gets ready, in its own way, to celebrate the holidays.

Wish me luck. 

Quasi-Landscapes. From a corporate photographic adventure at The Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach. --- the coffee was decent too!

 

I sometimes laugh at how seriously most of my photographer friends and I take the gear. We're always so quick to move on from old stuff to new stuff. Almost like we're running marathons and switching from running in hiking boots to running in progressively better and light shoes. Too bad it doesn't really work out that way. Maybe it's even more like moving up from a Porsche to a Lamborghini in an attempt to get through commuter traffic fast... when, perhaps, a nice economy car makes the difference when everyone is going forward at 12 miles per hour....

When I recently came across a small collection of images I took in my free time at a project location I reflexively searched for the file info to see what camera and lens I used. Not a Leica. Not a Hasselblad. Not even a full frame camera. Nope. It was a Nikon D7100 and the early 24-200mm VR zoom lens. Yeah. I was a bit surprised too. 

But there it is. I guess this just adds to the idea that being in the right place at the right time is much more important than having the latest and most spectacular gear in your hands. These images are pretty much right out of the camera. Minor exposure tweaking not withstanding. 

Can't imagine they'd be any better if taken with a camera that's twelve years newer. Sometimes we might want to stop and look at what our gear (and we) were capable of doing back in the "dark ages" of digital photography. It might slow down the frantic research to find the next great thing. 

And I'm so glad you asked about swim practice this morning...

A nice, gray day. A smattering of splattering rain on and off during the swim. No lightning or thunder but fun gusts of chilly wind. Reminds a swimmer to stay low and streamlined in the water. 

Warm water and cold air mean the insides of one's goggles tend to fog up quickly. The cure? Lick the insides of the lenses before putting them on. It's a temporary fix but it beats not being able to see where you are going.....

Spit. who knew?

Landscape attempt. Vancouver. Stanley Park.

 

40mm f1.4 Voigtlander lens. Panasonic S5 camera. 

Every once in a while I try my hand at a landscape photo.

I think this one actually works...