Website Update!

Hola folks!

I'm pleased to announce that I've just completed the first of several updates to my website.

www.jamesfarrally.com

I completely revamped the "Uncle Sam's Archive" portfolio. I used Adobe's Lightroom to retool some of the existing images and also added quite a few new ones to the mix. Personally, as far as post-production quality and image selection is concerned, I think the new gallery is a lot better than the older ones. Now all I need to do is fine tune the presentation order and this one will be done... at least for now! I'm so obsessive about my photography that I'm sure I'll want to "improve" these same images again in another year or so. In a world where your tools are continuously being upgraded, it's easy to get caught up constantly reworking old projects instead of letting go and moving on to something new!

Speaking of upgraded tools, Adobe has just released Lightroom 2.0, which can be purchased directly from their website for $299 ($99 to upgrade from version 1.4.1). So naturally, I now have to start all over again with my navy gallery and rework all the images I just uploaded... Naaaht! (Say it like Borat)

All jokes aside, the new version does look like a pretty sweet upgrade with some nice improvements over the first one. I'm especially interested in the ability to make localized adjustments, think Burning & Dodging.


Another interesting new feature is the ability to work with images archived across multiple drives/discs without the need to load what ever device they happen to be stored on.

Very cool stuff indeed!
More info available here.

But I digress; so, now that I've updated the Navy gallery on my site, which one should I start on next...

Lifestyle?

or Trash?

Okay, so maybe I don't actually have a whole portfolio of "trash" shots, but I do have a pretty extensive collection of neglected, uninhabited, and ignored spaces in my archive. The pictures from my Salton Sea trip come to mind. I'm also considering galleries for my Portraits, Music, and Personal work as well as a possible travel portfolio. I'm torn because I don't want to put too many galleries on the site, but I have a lot of images in a wide variety of areas that I'd like to show.

Ugh, decisions, decisions... Thoughts or opinions anyone?

Studio Strobe Pricing is Ridiculous!

Seriously!

In case you're wondering what the hell I'm ranting about, let me fill you in...

I just bought a set of monolights from Calumet. They're incredibly cheap, but they feel pretty solid, have a decent set of features, and use a reflector mount that fits accessories from one of the top strobe manufacturers in the world, Elinchrom.

The two kits I bought.
Not exactly Profotos, but it's hard to beat that price!

I purchased two separate kits, 1 kit with two 400ws lights and 1 kit with two 200ws lights, for a total of 1200ws of lighting split between 4 heads. I got all four lights with light stands and four 45" umbrellas for less than $1000, which is a steal by studio lighting standards. The lights have their issues and are definitely a little under powered for some professional work, but they cost me less than a grand! Besides, if I book a big job, I'll most likely be using rental gear anyway, in which case, these little lights would make pretty decent backups to some quality rental gear. Despite their lesser qualities, these guys are perfect for more relaxed, low pressure, portfolio shoots and small space location work. Think headshots in some ones apartment, house, or office.

These lights use an Elinchrom mount for accessories like reflectors, speedrings (for softboxes), grids and beauty dishes. Elinchrom is a manufacturer of some top quality lighting gear, which is both a blessing (great light modifiers) and a curse (they're very expensive). So, I've been pricing some of the above mentioned accessories to see how much my $1000 light kit will set me back for some good modifiers.

The Elinchrom Octa Light Bank, $1100... Daaaamn!
That's more than I paid for all 4 lights with stands and umbrellas.

During my research into the world of studio lighting, what amazed me most, was how expensive some of these items are. I mean, how can anyone justify paying $1100 dollars for an octagonal shaped softbox? I know that it creates really nice light, but $1100... really? It's just a big, fancy, reflective umbrella with a diffusion silk in front of it! I also find it hard to justify paying $250 for a decent 'regular' softbox; it's just a bunch of reflective fabric, some wire frame, and a translucent silk! (a tent for my lights to go camping, how quaint) $250 for a medium box is pretty rough, but $1100 dollars for the same thing except bigger and shaped like a stop sign... come on, it's ridiculous! As an independent business owner, I appreciate the need to add in the costs of R&D, marketing and a host of other administrative duties that most people can't or don't undersand about running a profitable business, but $1100 for a big octabox is pretty ridiculous no matter how well it's made. I can justify the "some" of the high cost of premium lights, but is it really necessary to gouge us consumers with the smaller, lower production cost items?

Since Calumet was nice enough to design a light that doesn't allow 7" grids to be used when the modeling light is in place, my only real option for a grid set costs about $200. Damn you Calumet, whyyyyyy!!!

$155 for a big pan; but oh how nice the light is...

Really, a metal ring with a few screws costs that much?
Luckily, since speedrings are pretty common items, there are a few low cost options for obtaining one.

Actually, I bet most of these companies make more 'profit' on softboxes and umbrellas than they do on their lights. Fortunately, I may have found a decent replacement for the octa-bank in question. I'll be sure to post more info once I'm sure that the supplier is reputable and the equipment is of decent quality.

I know that there's some truth to the phrase, "you get what you pay for." However, just because something is expensive, doesn't guarantee that it's high quality and even if it is, that doesn't mean that there aren't better 'values' out there. When I deal with potential clients who question my rates, I try to point out the 'value' I bring to the equation. I consider the same thing when buying photography equipment; value, not just price! In the end the only thing that really matters is what works for you and your specific style of creating images and what you 'value' when looking for equipment.

Happy 4th to Ya!

Nuttin' but love for the homeland!

This image is from a shoot I did a few weeks back. Ironically, I was shooting a portrait of very chill fellow by the name of Joe, a co-owner of a very pimp photo-business that involves a conceptual photobooth and instant uploads to their website. These guys have, by far, the coolest event photography idea I've ever seen! Their images are truly memorable and the settings are always loads of fun to step into. Check out more of their work at www.politeinpublic.com and checkout the news section to see if they'll be in your area anytime soon.

Cheers mates! I hope your weekend is as relaxing as mine.

I've lost my damn mind!

So, here we are at damn near $5 a gallon and I'm buying a brand new Jeep... I really must be insane!

At least that's what I thought while first considering my desire to buy a Jeep. But, after further review, I'm not so sure my decision was as incredibly ridiculous as I'd first thought. You see, I don't do a great deal of driving, but when I do drive it's usually for work. This means, that whenever I'm not booked on a job I keep all of my trips within walking distance or I combine the whole day's errands into a single trip. When I am booked on a job, the gas I spend getting to and from work is covered by the fact that I'm actually making money on that particular trip. I'll admit, there are times when I drive for pleasure, but these times usually involve some form of outdoor activity, which makes having a Jeep both fun and very useful at the same time. The reality is that I need a car that can handle a small group of people and the associated camping gear just as well as it handles a few c-stands, tripods, and a variety of lighting equipment.

While searching for an excuse to 'not' buy my Jeep, I looked at the average MPG for several vehicles that fit the previously mentioned criteria and most of them fell into the same fuel efficiency range as the Jeep. A few were slightly better, but a surprising number of them were considerably worse! In fact, I was pretty shocked at how bad most of the vehicles were, especially from the American auto makers. Why do I have to settle for some dinky little compact to get decent gas mileage? I know that SUVs will never get the gas mileage a prius can, but shouldn't they both be much higher by now? It seems a little funny to me that it's only taken a few years to bring hybrid technology to the market after nearly 30 years of very little change in fuel economy. Hmmm.

But I digress, now where was I? Oh yeah, I was in the middle of rationalizing why I bought a brand new SUV in these times of economic strife and consumer excess.

Well, to be frank, I just wanted one. I mean, if you're keeping score, there hasn't been a huge knock in the price of Jeeps lately; well, not the wranglers anyway. The dealers don't need to discount them too much because the people who buy Jeeps are usually only slightly concerned with how they're going to fuel there rides. These cars are so "rugged" and simple that most people who don't specifically want one will be turned off by how "manual" they are. Hence, people who buy Jeeps are usually at least as interested in the associated lifestyle as they are in the vehicle itself.

Now all I need are some bigger tires... No, I'm not trying to compensate. No really, I swear!

13 miles on the odometer.
And that's after a 2 mile test drive and the 5 miles home from the dealership!

The most expensive armrest I've ever purchased. Mom would be so proud!

I didn't buy a Jeep to look cool around town at $4.69 a gallon; I bought it because I like to go hiking, camping, and on the occasional trail-ride. It just so happens that the same characteristics that make it an awesome 4x4 are also helpful when I need to schlep a bunch of gear across town to a studio or out to the desert for a location shoot.

Now I'm Topless!

It's about 7:30 am on a Thursday morning and I'm on my way to Long Beach, California for a car shoot at Southbay Studios. I'm about a mile from the my exit on the 710 freeway and about 30 seconds past my last sip of tasty "go-juice" (coffee) cruising in the second lane from the left. All of a sudden, theres a loud crunch and my car bounces up and jerks left and the next thing I see is the concrete median coming towards me at about 60 mph! Some jackass has just swerved into me. And, judging by the way my car hopped when he hit me, he swerved pretty hard.

Well, as you've probably figured out by now, I didn't hit the fast approaching median. Instead me and the guy who hit me, we'll call him "El Senior", were both able to avoid any further collisions and quickly make our way to the shoulder without incident. It's a good thing too, because I don't think I'd be writing this right now if I'd hit that concrete divider, or if another car had come up on my left when my car jumped into the fast lane. Fortunately, both "El Senior" and I walked away from our little fender-bender without a scratch. Our rides, however, did not fare so well. I believe "El Senior's" Land Cruiser had a broken axle and some minor damage to the front driver's side fender and bumper. As for my old Rodeo, she was jacked up like so...

My baby's mangled fender. Nowadays when she turns left, the inner cover of the wheel well rubs the tire and makes a beautiful music for anyone within earshot to enjoy. Good times, no?

"El Senior's" handiwork on the running board and front fender.

Thanks to the damage at the lower back end of the fender, any passengers must now enter my truck "Dukes of Hazard" style. Fun for the whole family!

As you can probably see from the photos, my truck has seen better days. So, when my insurance company told me that they'd like to total my car because it was worth less than the cost of fixing it, I reluctantly agreed.

Once I accepted the reality that it was finally time to get a new car, I went online to do a little research. What I found, was that there were actually companies out there crazy enough to lend me money... and lots of it! Ha ha ha, the fools!

Well, after pricing a few Jags, a Viper, and looking into a new '08 Ferarri, I decided that none of these cars were good enough to meet my rigorous standards. Finally, I found my perfect fit: A 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4x4. Topless, fun to play with in sand, mud, or snow; what more could a guy ask for? And she's a real looker too!

Compared to my beaten, old Rodeo she is anyway.

So, I'm now the proud owner of a another planet killing, gas guzzling SUV. But this one's a Jeep, so it's okay!

I don't know who this cheeseball thinks he is, but if he doesn't stop groping my new Jeep, I'll be forced to slap him repeatedly about the head and face until he lets go.

I'd like to thank: my mom, for her love and support over the years; my little sisters, for being such complete goofballs that I can't help but giggle like a teenage school girl everytime I see them; my wonderful nephews, for being too young to understand what the hell I'm talking about; and a very special thanks to "El Senior", without whom, my dream of owning a convertable planet killing SUV wouldn't have been possible. Thanks "El Senior", I'll be sure to drive topless in your honor from now on!

P.S. more pics of the new Jeep and thoughts on the SUV planet killer topic in the next post.