Long Overdue Post

It's been quite awhile since my last blog post. It just hasn't been a priority. But I thought now would be a good time to share because it was 3 years ago yesterday that California put in place the ridiculous covid-19 mandates. Remember those requirements for vaccinations, masks and social distancing? Nearly every small business was impacted in a negative way. Roughly 3 million Californians lost their jobs due to shutdown orders, and tens of thousands of small businesses (at least 700,000 nationwide) shut their doors permanently. Healthcare professionals and mainstream media told us that "when you get vaccinated, the virus stops with you", a false claim since the vax does not stop transmission of the virus. Nevertheless, people were forced to choose between their job or a jab. I believe Americans learned from those draconian mandates and will not let it happen again. Anyway, 2 years ago I decided to semi-retire and focus on personal photography projects, while still accepting assignments that I'm interested in doing. My real passion over the past several years has been street photography, and I will continue to pursue that genre as a creative outlet. 

Magazine Cover!

 I had the opportunity to photograph a Huntington Hospital RNC (Terri Smith) for the cover of this month's Working Nurse Magazine. If you are in the healthcare industry and need photographs for a website or social media, let me know. 

Pushing forward

Here we are, nearly 1-1/2 years after the initial lockdown, and things have not returned to normal. But there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel, right? As many of us push forward with our businesses, we'll need to generate work to keep us moving in the right direction. Maybe some of you need to update your website or social media with a new headshot. I would love to work with you!

And then the work stopped

It didn't take long for the coronavirus situation to put a stranglehold on business-as-usual in the United States. In order to "flatten the curve" of the outbreak, all kinds of events and gatherings have been canceled across the country (and around the world). Needless to say, this has a huge impact on photographers, along with all kinds of other independent contractors and vendors. Most of my photo shoots between now and June have disappeared. As citizens, we are asked to shelter in place, avoid human contact, and keep our hands clean. Social distancing has become part of our daily vocabulary. Face masks are the new normal. Take care, and I hope that we all come out of this healthy and strong at the end of this pandemic.

Camera Tryout

So, it's been nearly a year since I've blogged and it was about my use of the Fuji X100T for street photography. I've continued to enjoy that little camera and it led me to tryout the new Fuji X-T3 with a 35mm f2 lens (50mm equivalent on full frame cameras). The lighter weight mirrorless systems have had my attention for a few years, so I rented the X-T3 to put it through a workout over Memorial Day weekend. I won't go into all the details and specs because there's plenty of that info available elsewhere. The initial reaction I had with Fuji X series cameras is that they are throwbacks to the old film cameras with all of the external knobs & controls, which I love. In fact, the first day I shot with the X-T3, someone asked me, "Are you shooting film?" I was really impressed with the camera design and a multitude of customizable options to set up the camera just the way I want it. The image quality is excellent, and I did side-by-side comparison tests with my pro DSLR. Whether or not I add the camera to my gear arsenal as another tool, or completely switch over to a full Fuji system remains to be seen. But it will definitely involve some serious consideration.

Street Photography

Over the past year, I've really enjoyed squeezing in a little time from my normal workload to do some street photography as a creative outlet. I bought a Fuji X100T specifically for that purpose, allowing me to leave the larger & heavier Nikon gear behind. The small and unobtrusive rangefinder-style of the X100T is perfect for shooting on the streets of Los Angeles. View more of my images on Instagram @cgshoots

Shooting RAW

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted something to my blog. 
I did see something interesting at the DPReview site, though. It's about the dynamic range available in your RAW files. If you've been shooting exclusively JPEG, you are missing out on an enormous amount of latitude you have in adjusting highlights and shadows that you simply do not have in a JPEG file. Does it mean you should always shoot RAW? Not necessarily. But if you have a pro style DSLR or mirrorless system that is capable of capturing both RAW and JPEG simultaneously, that's the best route. It's the way I've been shooting for many years.
https://www.dpreview.com/articles/9895055303/this-eclipse-photo-shows-crazy-dynamic-range-of-today-s-image-sensors