Images by John 'K'
Life as seen through my lens…
Category Archives: Hobbies
Excellent Customer Service – B&H Photo Video Pro Audio…
Posted by on March 24, 2011
Homework time, originally uploaded by Images by John ‘K’.
If you’re looking for a supplier of photographic equipment with excellent customer service, buy from B&H Photo Video Pro Audio.
I purchased a new D7000 from them a little over 2 weeks ago. After doing some testing I noticed it had a rather prominent dust spec on the sensor that was showing up on certain types of shot. They have a 15 day return policy and I was just outside that, but they offered a return/replacement (which might take up to 2 weeks).
When I said about being without my camera for that time they offered a “buy a new one and get a refund on the old one” deal where I could hang on to the old one until the new one arrived, then ship the old one back for a refund (they would cover all shipping so no overall net cost to me).
Because that would have meant an extra temporary charge of $1500 to my credit card I asked about other alternatives. They said I could get the sensor cleaned professionally at a local repairer and then send them the bill for a refund/credit.
Chances are the dust is there through something I did in the first 2 weeks of ownership but that they’d do this for a customer speaks volumes to their customer service attitude. I’ve been buying stuff from them for at least 4 years and will be continuing for as long as I can!
The joy of collaboration
Posted by on March 6, 2011
This past week has reminded me what a joy it is to collaborate with creative endeavors. It started with a simple favor for a friend, where I helped restore the original colors on a photo taken of some awesome fabric-work, and I then worked with the fabric artist to insert one of my full moon photos into the piece.
… and then over the weekend I was asked by a local art gallery to photograph a visiting artist as he worked on an exhibition piece. At one point he seemed to be wondering how to proceed with the piece, and so I offered a suggestion. We discussed the relative aesthetics of my suggestion for a while, and then he started to paint it in, seeing how it would look, knowing that if he didn’t like it he could alter the work to something different.
The more he painted and the more the image took shape, the more he and I liked what was emerging on the canvas. It was amazing to watch this artist take the idea and turn it into something visual in a way you just can’t do with light and pixels. Knowing that he’d taken my ideas and used them in the final piece makes a connection to the work that is very personal for me.
The Artist Hines can be found at http://www.theartisthines.com, and the studio (Studio Seven Arts) where I occasionally shoot events for them (and where some of my images are also on sale) can be found at http://www.studiosevenarts.com. Both are also on Facebook.
Going green in B&W: Dealing with an inspirational blockage
Posted by on March 2, 2011
If you’ve been following my work, you’ll know that I love to shoot nature. Flowers, the animals in our back yard, the sights we see around us while hiking, and so on… but every now and again I look at the beauty around me and see nothing that I feel the urge to shoot. It’s like I’ve seen it all already – why do I want to shoot it again.
Get me in one of those moments, add in a busy work schedule, and sprinkle liberally with some family “fun” and you have a recipe for a photographer’s block.
I hit one of these earlier this week – I couldn’t think of anything worthy of picking up my camera for, and for someone who has in the past made a point of shooting something every day no matter what, it was a strange feeling to have.
So last night I was sat at my desk, looking up at the ceiling as I tried to compose some thoughts for a presentation I was writing for work, and there above me was this CFL bulb. I looked at the shape and uniform light and suddenly felt the urge to try and capture it. I fired off a few hand-held shots, pulled them into Photoshop, had a play, and this was the end result.
The moral of this little ramble is… if you have hit a block and are lacking inspiration, look at something you wouldn’t normally shoot and just experiment.
Added flare
Posted by on January 21, 2011
If you’ve taken a look at my photographic work you’ll know that I’m not a massive fan of heavy post-processing or digital manipulation. Every now and again though a subject cries out to me for a little ‘enhancement’.
Usually it’s adding an ‘old’ feel to a shot of something that looks like it would have belonged in a photograph from bygone days. Occasionally it’s a conversion to black and white (I always shoot in color), but every now and again I want to add a little artistic touch to a shot.
I have a bit of a fixation with trying to get nice clear and detailed photographs of the moon using nothing more than the lens on my camera (since Christmas that’s usually a 28-300mm Nikon zoom – fantastic lens!) and while I usually get shots I’m happy with, sometimes things don’t go quite according to plan. I had such a shot a few days ago, so rather than waste it I was looking for a way I could add a little something to it and come up with something that’d be interesting to look at. I flipped through some of the filter options in Photoshop Elements, and finally came across the Lens Flare filter. I had a little play and liked what I saw, so used it.
Since then I’ve added a little lens flare to a version of each moon shot I’ve taken, and the more I do it the more I like the effect – it looks really cool on a shot of a full or nearly full moon.
The moral of all of this – don’t be afraid to try out new things with your shots – you might like what you end up with!
Published!
Posted by on January 8, 2011
As an amateur photographer who takes pictures for enjoyment, there is nothing that helps maintain an interest in the hobby more than words of praise and encouragement from people who see and appreciate and enjoy your images.
Well actually that’s not entirely true. What really strokes my ego and makes me want to keep taking pictures and sharing them with the world is the chance that someone will see one of my shots and want to use it in a cool and unusual way, and if it happens to be in support of a cause or organization that fits with my beliefs that’s even better.
I never take photos with the intent of trying to get them published – I take them for my enjoyment, and I like to share them with others in the hope that they might enjoy them too. The fact that someone has seen a picture of mine and has wanted to use it is really the icing on the cake for me, and I’ll happily support anyone who wants to use a shot of mine if they are kind enough to ask. I don’t want money (although it would be nice!) – all I ask for is photographer’s credit, and if the work is to be printed, I ask for a copy of the finished piece to add to a slowly growing collection of such works.
The latest shot to join the collection in the form of an open-out brochure is this panorama that I stitched from some shots I took while hiking on Mount Diablo in California in 2009. The image was seen on Flickr by someone looking to put together a brochure about some of the wildlife seen in the Mount Diablo State Park that would be given out to park visitors. As we are frequent users of the park and have had more enjoyment from the park than the entrance fee pays for, I was more than happy to donate this image to be used by them.
They asked about 4 months ago and we went through all the formalities for me to give my consent soon after, and I had all but forgotten about this, until a copy of the finished brochure arrived in the mail today accompanied by a very nice “thank you” letter. The brochure is now available from the summit visitors center in Mount Diablo State Park, is titled “Common Mammals of Mount Diablo State Park”, and features the work of a number of talented photographers who have given images for use by the authors.
It’s occasional rewards like this that truly make me want to keep shooting.
Images by John 'K' 