How much do you want to sell....

I have had accounts in the past that have tried to photograph their own products and often ended up with a drop in sales. Consumers today are more sophisticated than they were even 5 years ago. The quality of of an image often signals to them the quality of a product they may be receiving as a finished item from a provider. In nine times out of ten this is a solid fact.

                                A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS !

In the image below the point can be driven home. This is a typical image from a "just want a pitcher
for the web" client. They bought their camera at a store that promised them they could produce images that could compete with "the professionals". Obviously there is a lesson or two the clerk was unaware of in producing a "professional image".

                                              The following is a professional image.

The milling on the bolts is highlighted as well as the stock listing on the head of the bolt. The soft shadows "ground" the items and they are displayed in a manor that highlights their quality. Producing images such as this isn't "rocket science" but with the techniques of the true professional an image will be delivered that will help "sell a product". If you're a producer of a product line or service do yourself a favor and search out the "Professional photographer" and don't rely on the words of the box store salesman. You'll be glad you did.

Dodged the bullet............

I can't tell you how lucky we were on our trip coming back from Stanford a month ago today. We were at Yosemite and the surrounding areas on our way back. As we were leaving Utah we witnessed one of the fires that, at that time, was encompassing 3,000 acres. It proceeded to grow to over 30,000 acres in the following weeks.  Looking at the map on Good Morning America this morning it is almost as if the fires followed our route. Mass evacuations of towns and tourist locations is taking place and I can't imagine the pain the fires are causing. Of course the forests will grow back but generations of trees will be lost and how the towns inhabitants will survive is the looming question.
Tourism is the economic mainstay of the areas being hit and that industry will surely be affected. To
add to my personal pain considering the situation, I inadvertently trashed all images from the trip with the exception of some that I had been editing. Duhhhhhh.......buy me books and all I do is eat the pages.............

Texas traveling again.....

As many of you know I'm sort of a car guy. Had a bunch of them, sports cars, classic cars, a hot rod,
German cars, Fords, Chevys, Pontiacs. Buicks, and English challenges. It only takes an interesting car to get my attention. Once again, traveling out to California, going through New Mexico I had to stop. Nestled off the road I thought I saw a 1951 Chevy pick-up. Brakes on, we slide off the road to the shoulder. I grab my camera for a closer look. Got Rocks, as it turned out was a 1950's series International Pick-up. In that period the "look" of the pick ups all were wadded together and spit out with most of them being almost identical but with different grills, head lights, or hoods. Perhaps my best loved vehicle was "The Video Van, the tongue in cheek name Bondo gave my 1951 Chevy Van.
This vehicle has become my most lasting memory as far as my cars go. Frank Saferight gave it a spectacular paint job of dark metallic brown with black fenders and running boards. Three on the tree, baby moons with chrome rings, and an inline six. Hog heaven. Of course there are several stories about the building o the car, finding parts, blah blah blah.....You may hear them some day. I just find it ironic that someone would leave a truck or car out on the road that could have so many possibilities.

                                       I guess this is the iconic Rock, don't Roll..........

Leaning Tower....

On the last trip we passed through Texas and I noticed a landmark I had never seen. It could even be on par with the attractions through Nevada and other Western stated proclaiming " We have the worlds largest collection of Baby Rattlers !" So you stop the car, go inside a building that is covered on the outside with paintings of snakes, pay them a buck or so and approach a large container which is usually in a corner. Arriving at said box you look down and you see not one or two but hundreds of baby rattles. Realizing that you have been totally had and trying to gather as much composure as you can, you say "WOW", and backtrack to the door, get  in your car and leave. Quietly saying "never again....."

The town could start the billboard campaign several hundred miles away, Newly discovered....The Leaning Tower....and it could go on for miles. Don't Miss It....Texas's Leaning Tower...A Sight You Can't Imagine !! You know what P.T. Barnum said.......

                                                                                                                                                     

                                                 Beware of snakes and leaning towers...

Printhouse print cost...

I just spoke with Robbie Holmes, the C.E.O.,  of Printhouse and the print cost complete with shipping for just the print it's self would be $ 22.00 dollars and they do take credit card payments.
Remember you must become a follower to my blog to receive the file. Email me your email address to get the file and so I can check to see that you are also a follower.

The deal........

I have had many many loyal viewers over the years and I would like to offer to you a gift from me to you. As I mentioned in my blog several times I had an assignment to photograph graffiti for a designer in Oklahoma City. I got a lot of images that I really liked and he bought several and placed them in the Sigma Nu house at Oklahoma University.

I have a file which I would like to give to you, and have a print made for yourself. The finished size is 17 x 11.3 inches which is full frame from the camera. This image, framed and matted would retail for $ 600.00. My suggestion for the mat would be an acid free white with three inch boarders on the top and sides with a 3 1/2 inch border on the bottom. Of course this gives you a size that demands a custom frame but it's well worth it. It's a great look.

If you would like the file please email me at mspeermorgan@netscape.net giving me your email address. Also please sign onto my blog as a follower. After both requests are finished I will send you the file with a print release for one print. Although the file is free, you will be responsible for the actual print charges. I have recommended a source for the printing below. Feel free to forward this email to any of your friends that may be interested in the offer and have them follow the instructions to get a print from me.

I have made arrangements with Print House, one of the premier inkjet printing locations in the U.S. to handle the Fine Art printing of my images. I highly recommend that you use them for the printing of my images. We have a long standing relationship and their work is top drawer. Their email is;

www.printhousefineart.com.

They have printed this image for me before and they have really hit the mark. I am also working on a source for the matting and framing at a discount. Of course there will be shipping charges whether the image is framed or not. That will be included in the final print cost I'm sure.

By becoming a follower you are automatically notified of all new postings by me so it will help you keep currant with what is happening in my photographic world. I will keep this offer up for two weeks to see if there is any interest. I will have more options as the year progresses that will be exclusive to my followers. These offerings will be in photographic technical answers to some questions we all face photographically to possibly more print files.

This is basically a test and if it works there is much more to come. Thanks for becoming a follower.

A quick note...and a favor to ask...

I am launching a new campaign to convert Viewers to Followers. The reason I am doing this is to be able to offer information to my Followers exclusively concerning the various photographic methods I use to complete the images you see on my blog. As a bonus I am offering an original file of a print I captured several months ago along with information on where to get it printed and what paper to ask for. Included will be a release for you to make one print for your own use. The instructions will be offered tomorrow and will be very explicit in the information I will need from you. I have never made such an offer before and it should be interesting to see if it works. Follow up tomorrow and lets see how it works.....

63,000 views are soon to be passed...

I'm at the 62,800 point on the view chart and with this weeks postings 65,000 could be hit by next  week. I have a seminar this morning to watch on marketing then editing some images for me to post towards the end of the week. A wrap-up of a 6 month project is in line for Friday then another weekend. I love my job....Watch for some new images tomorrow or at least by Friday.

FIRE !!!

While wandering we became curious because of the strange looking clouds ahead of us. We were traveling through southern Utah on our way home and the clouds just didn't look right. After living in Missouri and Oklahoma you become attuned to the sky and weather. Although I've never been through a tornado I seem to have been surrounded by them growing up. They would crop up in the summer and really raise hell on the communities they struck. The temperature drops, humidity rises, the clouds turn a grey green yellow color and birds seem to take off. It's not a good feeling.But these clouds were somehow different. The higher ones were whispy and below them there was a ball of white which was getting bigger. We couldn't figure it out. Karen was the first to speculate that we were approaching a fire. Didn't seem right to me and we continued to drive. After twenty to thirty miles it became evident that it was a fire and as we passed it I took a shot to document it for my blog.

The weather started to turn also the further east we got. Storm clouds were on the horizon and cars approaching us had their headlights on...a few had water peeling off their cars. We pulled into a gas station to see if anyone had heard anything about what was ahead and as we were standing there a trucker rode in from the east. I walked to his cab and asked him about the ride into the truck stop and he said that it was the worst wind he had ever encountered and his 90,000 pound truck was being tossed around the road. The water was pouring in sheets. He was ready to stop for a while.

We stuck around for awhile and the storm did pass and we resumed out trip. After a 19 hour drive we arrived home to hear that the forest fire we saw was at 5,000 acres and have since it heard that its is out of control and covers 30,000 acres and has consumed residences and approaching several towns.
I just don't know how that type of fire could be fought with any effectiveness. The news also said that it was accidentally started by a man using a propane torch to burn weeds on his property. Huge lapse of good sense. I've just started to edit images form the trip and I will display them as I get them done. Business is very good so please realize that business is always first. Images on the way as time allows.

Happy Fourth of July by the way....