January 12, 2013

Business | Contacting Me!!

We were made aware this week of an issue with our email. If you sent me an email and haven’t got a response, it’s because I haven’t gotten it…. and if you’re execting an email me and haven’t received it, check your spam 🙁 I think google may have updated their settings, and now emails aren’t working right. Please add info@jjhortonphotography.com to your address book. Please feel free to contact me via my facebook page, or by calling me. I’m very sorry for this frustration, when I found out last night it was happening, I was so mad!  
June 21, 2012

Bronica | Take 2

Over the last month or so, we’ve run a few more rolls through the Bronica 🙂 I can’t explain how much fun this camera is…. it’s kinda like having a silly disposable camera, that takes great photos, and you can reuse it over and over. The time between mailing off the film and waiting is kinda like the weeks before Christmas, you know something fun is coming but you aren’t quite sure what. Side Note 1: I think everyone who is or wants to be a photographer should shoot a little film every now and then, even if it’s not something you regularly use with clients…. I truly think it forces you to be more precise with your shots, which carrys over to the digital world. I can safely say that before I started shooting film (again) I could easily shoot 2 entire 8 GB cards, sometimes more at a wedding. Now, if I am the primary photographer, I’ll shoot 1 8 GB and maybe 1/3 of another. Saves me card space and culling time later!! WIN. Side Note 2: I think every pro photographer should listen to this guys’s podcasts. He puts them out once a week, and he focuses on making money. Which can sound really crass, but trust me…. he’s smart, successful and knows his stuff. He did a podcast with Kat Braman last week to chat about film, its place in the photography market, and the profitability of it…. It was really interesting to hear them agree & disagree on lots of topics.  Since I don’t shoot much film at this point, and rarely turn it over to clients, I don’t really think about the cost of it. ( 1 roll of 120 film costs roughly $5 to buy, and then it’s $18 to have developed and scanned by RPL …. and that’s just for 15 shots). Can you imagine spending $1k or more on every wedding you shoot? Think about that and multiply it by the number of weddings you shoot. Wowza. Talk about a serious profitability killer. But… I get it. Film is pretty 🙂 It’s that feeling of Christmas when I get an email letting me know my scans are ready for download. If you’re in the market for medium format camera, this one ROCKSMYSOCKS. I was really unsure about it, since it was a brand name I was familiar with, but with reassurance from Jon & Seth, I dove in. The little 75mm lens is so sharp!!! I was really hesitant to use a 100% manual focus camera, but the split-focus screen is like magic, making it very easy to get your shot in focus. I paid $250 for my entire kit (camera body, lens, grip, magazine back) at Biggs Camera in Charlotte. On to the fun stuff 🙂   *All are Fuji 400H
June 19, 2012

Yard Sale!

Since shooting almost 3 years professionally, we’ve acquired gear that we thought we’d get tons of use from…. but turns out, it’s just collecting dust in my office. That’s not to say these things don’t work great, because they do…. we just don’t get enough use from them to justify keeping them. So, we’re unloading our stuff at low prices for some lucky buyers! 1. Nikkor 20mm 2.8 I bought this lens after selling our 14-24mm…. that was a huge lens that took up a giant spot in my camera bag, and when finding this awesome tiny 20mm, I knew it was time to switch. We’ve since carried it to every wedding…. but we’ve only taken a handful of shots with it, so it’s time for it to find a new, better home 🙂 It came from ebay, but I sent it to Nikon for servicing last year. $450 picked up or $460 shipped. 2. Lastolite EzBox 24″x24″ I bought 2 of these when I first started shooting…. and I’ve used one of them twice…. I’ve already sold one, but have another one up for grabs! It folds up flat, or can be twisted like a reflector to fit inside the carrying bag it comes with. It’s also double diffused…. meaning it has 2 panels that fit inside the box. The one that’s linked is the closest one I could find to mine (the one shown is the smaller version!). It comes with the speedlight attachment. I love that it takes the same set of lights that I use everywhere else, so I didn’t have to buy studio lights.  Take this & the speedlight & get a 10% discount! $225 picked up or $235 shipped. 3. LumiQuest LTP Softbox I bought this after seeing Ryan Brenizer’s review of it. It’s so small that it fits right in your laptop bag! But after only using it once… it needs a new home too. Note: you’ll need to pick up velcro to attach it to your flash, I used the velcro that came with it on one of my lights already.   $33 picked up or $38 shipped. SOLD! 4. Nikon SB28 Speedlight I managed to go on a speedlight buying frenzy sometime last spring, and picked this one up at KEH. I got this guy, tested it…. and then put it in the safe. It’s NEVER been used :-/ It’s a fantastic, inexpensive light to stick on a stand at receptions, or for the beginner who just wants a cheap flash to bounce light. $110 picked up or $120 shipped.   Payment can be made at pickup with cash, check or credit card. If you need an item shipped, a check can be mailed to me, or you can provide your credit card info for me to run manually.   email me with any questions or to purchase any items at info@jjhortonphotography.com  
June 4, 2012

Goals | June 2012

May just flew by…. we’re full on into Summer, and I love it! The pool is open and I’ve already started working on my tan 🙂 May goals went pretty well… 1. Photograph, edit & blog Ashley & Justin’s wedding DONE & Delivered! 2. Enjoy Memorial Day weekend with no shoots or obligations! Yay!! 3. Do some family sessions Yes! I might even blog a few 🙂 4. Complete album orders Finished one. 5. Finalize the beach house plan 🙂 DONE! 6. Start narrowing down builders (we have one we like, but want to do more research) Still just like the one, anyone have recommendations?   Now for June…. 1. Finish 2 album orders 2. Blog some family shots 3. Shoot 3 weddings & blog at least 1 4. Shoot Alex’s senior pics (can’t wait, I love Sr. sessions!) 5. Do some paperwork in the office (wompwomp) 6. Continue doing work on the beach house… plans done, we’re in the process of getting quotes…. which is really scary. 7. Pay estimated taxes…. ugh. 8. Sell some gear we don’t use (stay tuned for that post next!!)   A few instagrams from May…. I’ve been living on Sudafed thanks to allergies, I finally got myself a pair of Jack Rogers!, We got and have used our new Bronica! I finally got around to making some camera straps last night…. they’re simple straps that attach to the cameras using thick key rings.  (I’d seen this tutorial, and decided to make my own) I never adjust my straps (I always just throw them over my shoulder and never around my neck) so I had no reason to buy fancy adjustment things…. I really love the material too, I picked it up at Mary Jo’s recently and wanted to make a pillow out of it…. but I haven’t got around to that yet. It’s a blue and white ikat print and I love it! One is on our Bronica & the other is for our Minolta. None of our film cameras have come with straps, and shooting both digital & film simultaneously can be a big pain when one camera has a strap & one doesn’t! Jeremy seems to think the pattern looks like leopard print…. trying to explain it’s not is pretty useless 🙂
January 12, 2013

Business | Contacting Me!!

We were made aware this week of an issue with our email. If you sent me an email and haven’t got a response, it’s because I haven’t gotten it…. and if you’re execting an email me and haven’t received it, check your spam 🙁 I think google may have updated their settings, and now emails aren’t working right. Please add info@jjhortonphotography.com to your address book. Please feel free to contact me via my facebook page, or by calling me. I’m very sorry for this frustration, when I found out last night it was happening, I was so mad!  
June 21, 2012

Bronica | Take 2

Over the last month or so, we’ve run a few more rolls through the Bronica 🙂 I can’t explain how much fun this camera is…. it’s kinda like having a silly disposable camera, that takes great photos, and you can reuse it over and over. The time between mailing off the film and waiting is kinda like the weeks before Christmas, you know something fun is coming but you aren’t quite sure what. Side Note 1: I think everyone who is or wants to be a photographer should shoot a little film every now and then, even if it’s not something you regularly use with clients…. I truly think it forces you to be more precise with your shots, which carrys over to the digital world. I can safely say that before I started shooting film (again) I could easily shoot 2 entire 8 GB cards, sometimes more at a wedding. Now, if I am the primary photographer, I’ll shoot 1 8 GB and maybe 1/3 of another. Saves me card space and culling time later!! WIN. Side Note 2: I think every pro photographer should listen to this guys’s podcasts. He puts them out once a week, and he focuses on making money. Which can sound really crass, but trust me…. he’s smart, successful and knows his stuff. He did a podcast with Kat Braman last week to chat about film, its place in the photography market, and the profitability of it…. It was really interesting to hear them agree & disagree on lots of topics.  Since I don’t shoot much film at this point, and rarely turn it over to clients, I don’t really think about the cost of it. ( 1 roll of 120 film costs roughly $5 to buy, and then it’s $18 to have developed and scanned by RPL …. and that’s just for 15 shots). Can you imagine spending $1k or more on every wedding you shoot? Think about that and multiply it by the number of weddings you shoot. Wowza. Talk about a serious profitability killer. But… I get it. Film is pretty 🙂 It’s that feeling of Christmas when I get an email letting me know my scans are ready for download. If you’re in the market for medium format camera, this one ROCKSMYSOCKS. I was really unsure about it, since it was a brand name I was familiar with, but with reassurance from Jon & Seth, I dove in. The little 75mm lens is so sharp!!! I was really hesitant to use a 100% manual focus camera, but the split-focus screen is like magic, making it very easy to get your shot in focus. I paid $250 for my entire kit (camera body, lens, grip, magazine back) at Biggs Camera in Charlotte. On to the fun stuff 🙂   *All are Fuji 400H
June 19, 2012

Yard Sale!

Since shooting almost 3 years professionally, we’ve acquired gear that we thought we’d get tons of use from…. but turns out, it’s just collecting dust in my office. That’s not to say these things don’t work great, because they do…. we just don’t get enough use from them to justify keeping them. So, we’re unloading our stuff at low prices for some lucky buyers! 1. Nikkor 20mm 2.8 I bought this lens after selling our 14-24mm…. that was a huge lens that took up a giant spot in my camera bag, and when finding this awesome tiny 20mm, I knew it was time to switch. We’ve since carried it to every wedding…. but we’ve only taken a handful of shots with it, so it’s time for it to find a new, better home 🙂 It came from ebay, but I sent it to Nikon for servicing last year. $450 picked up or $460 shipped. 2. Lastolite EzBox 24″x24″ I bought 2 of these when I first started shooting…. and I’ve used one of them twice…. I’ve already sold one, but have another one up for grabs! It folds up flat, or can be twisted like a reflector to fit inside the carrying bag it comes with. It’s also double diffused…. meaning it has 2 panels that fit inside the box. The one that’s linked is the closest one I could find to mine (the one shown is the smaller version!). It comes with the speedlight attachment. I love that it takes the same set of lights that I use everywhere else, so I didn’t have to buy studio lights.  Take this & the speedlight & get a 10% discount! $225 picked up or $235 shipped. 3. LumiQuest LTP Softbox I bought this after seeing Ryan Brenizer’s review of it. It’s so small that it fits right in your laptop bag! But after only using it once… it needs a new home too. Note: you’ll need to pick up velcro to attach it to your flash, I used the velcro that came with it on one of my lights already.   $33 picked up or $38 shipped. SOLD! 4. Nikon SB28 Speedlight I managed to go on a speedlight buying frenzy sometime last spring, and picked this one up at KEH. I got this guy, tested it…. and then put it in the safe. It’s NEVER been used :-/ It’s a fantastic, inexpensive light to stick on a stand at receptions, or for the beginner who just wants a cheap flash to bounce light. $110 picked up or $120 shipped.   Payment can be made at pickup with cash, check or credit card. If you need an item shipped, a check can be mailed to me, or you can provide your credit card info for me to run manually.   email me with any questions or to purchase any items at info@jjhortonphotography.com  
June 4, 2012

Goals | June 2012

May just flew by…. we’re full on into Summer, and I love it! The pool is open and I’ve already started working on my tan 🙂 May goals went pretty well… 1. Photograph, edit & blog Ashley & Justin’s wedding DONE & Delivered! 2. Enjoy Memorial Day weekend with no shoots or obligations! Yay!! 3. Do some family sessions Yes! I might even blog a few 🙂 4. Complete album orders Finished one. 5. Finalize the beach house plan 🙂 DONE! 6. Start narrowing down builders (we have one we like, but want to do more research) Still just like the one, anyone have recommendations?   Now for June…. 1. Finish 2 album orders 2. Blog some family shots 3. Shoot 3 weddings & blog at least 1 4. Shoot Alex’s senior pics (can’t wait, I love Sr. sessions!) 5. Do some paperwork in the office (wompwomp) 6. Continue doing work on the beach house… plans done, we’re in the process of getting quotes…. which is really scary. 7. Pay estimated taxes…. ugh. 8. Sell some gear we don’t use (stay tuned for that post next!!)   A few instagrams from May…. I’ve been living on Sudafed thanks to allergies, I finally got myself a pair of Jack Rogers!, We got and have used our new Bronica! I finally got around to making some camera straps last night…. they’re simple straps that attach to the cameras using thick key rings.  (I’d seen this tutorial, and decided to make my own) I never adjust my straps (I always just throw them over my shoulder and never around my neck) so I had no reason to buy fancy adjustment things…. I really love the material too, I picked it up at Mary Jo’s recently and wanted to make a pillow out of it…. but I haven’t got around to that yet. It’s a blue and white ikat print and I love it! One is on our Bronica & the other is for our Minolta. None of our film cameras have come with straps, and shooting both digital & film simultaneously can be a big pain when one camera has a strap & one doesn’t! Jeremy seems to think the pattern looks like leopard print…. trying to explain it’s not is pretty useless 🙂