Death of a camera

With the dreaded ‘Error 99’ flashing with each press of the shutter ... I have come to grips that my beloved Canon 40D has hit the proverbial dust and must now be put out to pasteur.

‘Error 99’ ... for those who may not be familiar with it ... is Canon’s blanket troubleshooting code for ‘any number of electrical things that can be happening to stop your shutter from releasing.’ The only way to take a picture once this message appears is to turn off the power, turn it back on, press the shutter, then repeat ... not exactly good for long-term shooting!

It isn’t new to me that Canon has a weak and feeble shutter. My first digital SLR, the Canon 10D, died the same way during a night shoot at the fairgrounds. My next encounter was with this same Canon 40D just shy after its 1st birthday. This time, however, I had the shutter replaced. A simple process, really, the new shutter only cost $25 ... and a mere $250 to replace it! So, with my Canon 40D shouting this error to me again with practically every press of the shutter ... I must make some decisions.

Note: Now, before you run off and take your ‘error 99’ camera to be fixed, you may want to try re-installing and cleaning off all of the electrical connections ... battery, lens, and even the memory card.

My faithful friend is 2 1/2 years old ... not bad for a camera but when your business is photography, it may be time for an upgrade. Canon has introduced a fine line of cameras to choose from including options that were beyond my reach with the 40D ... namely HD video recording. How cool would it be to have the capability to shoot video through a plethora of fabulous lenses ... not to mention the advantages quick video tutorials will be for our photography classes. I’m excited just thinking about it!

So, I have my eyes set on the new Canon 7D ... bypassing the natural 50D upgrade for the video capabilities. And keeping in mind, that she will have all of the features that are important to me ... full manual control of creative options (white balance, contrast, saturation, hue and in-camera black & white filter choices) and the same fabulous CMOS sensor I fell in love with in my 40D. And really ... that’s all I need.

And while it is exciting -- the prospect of a new camera -- it comes with bittersweet feelings. My Canon 40D was a faithful friend ... one that I could depend on. I knew how to maneuver through her ... every button, every creative choice ... like an extension of myself. I could count on the exact addition of light, tone and color with each spin of the dial. She and I have experienced a lot together.

We’ve traveled to Maui and photographed the secluded rain forest of Hana to the majestic volcano-top of Haleakala; we’ve traveled to Denver and caught the elk running in packs through the quiet snow-filled mountains; we’ve traveled to San Francisco -- blocking our way through Chinatown, the Wharf and Golden Gate Park. Together we’ve traveled to Santa Monica, Catalina, Palomar Mountain, Julian and spent countless hours photographing practically every square inch of San Diego.

She was the camera who offered up prize-winning photos, sat patiently in my hands while learning new techniques, and it was she who saw me through our first book contract from beginning to end (as well as our second, third and even fourth).

And while the prospect of a new camera is very exciting ... I can’t help but feel a sense of sadness for a partnership gone by. I remember every image with fondness and every experience with gratitude. Rest in peace Canon 40D ... thank you my loyal friend.

It began as a simple photograph

The box of plants and flowers I was sitting next to just begged to be photographed. Hues of purple and green blowing gently in the breeze, blended into a sea of blur in my mind’s eye. Instantly I knew, close up and personal would be the way to go.

You see, that’s how it usually starts for me – a simple idea.





Out came my macro lens and as I tested several angles I began to fit each graphic element together like a well-designed puzzle. Once the pieces were in place, the feeling crept up on me.

The image at hand was too red for the breezy purple and green hues I was initially attracted to ...

... so I lowered my white balance to bring out the cooler side of my image.

However, I still wasn’t completely satisfied. So, I bumped up my contrast and saturation a bit for more definition and a slightly bolder punch of color … and my message was born.

The journey is the fun part -- manipulating internal camera controls, fine-tuning feeling into a two-dimensional image, creating a world that only exists to me … leaving a path of pride, filled with every choice I made.

What began as a simple photograph turned into so much more. And it wasn’t so much about the mastery of the internal controls I tweaked to get the image … but about the insistence I had in creating the message I envisioned.

What began as a simple photograph turned into a labor of love.

2010: The Year of Writing

I have always wanted to write a book.

Last year, this desire began to twirl into reality as we completed three book projects on flash photography for our publisher, Amherst Media. This past year was filled with new deadlines, photo shoots, revisions, guidelines, contracts ... and, of course, some writing. But, with everything happening so quickly (like our two-book deadline in December) I didn't have the luxury of paying proper homage to what we were doing ... we were so busy doing that I didn't make note of what was being done.

I was writing a book.

We are now excitedly awaiting the release of our first book, Off-Camera Flash: Creative Techniques for Digital Photographers April 1st. Our next two books, Multiple Flash Photography and Just One Flash will be released later this year.

It's an exciting time for us. But, let's take a step back for a moment.

When I said that I have always wanted to write a book I should let you in on the little fact that I have also always envisioned this book to be a novel ... full-on mainstream, relationship-based romance novel to be exact. So, this photography book thing kind of threw me a bit in the realm of my 'dream' and how I've always viewed myself. And yet I have learned a lot.

I have learned that writing a book is different than writing for a newspaper; and writing about photography is different than writing about romance ... though not much. When writing about something that you feel passionate about, you can't help but let a little romance leak through.

It's funny where a path will lead you if you allow it to. Being flexible about dreams brings about so many more opportunities and introduces new goals you may not know exist. For example, I have always wanted to have four kids. Well, I had three (Holly, Ryan and Jacob), but when I remarried I gained two more (Tara and Alexis) and now I have five — bonus!

We are now looking at a new book deal, Off-Camera Flash for the Macro Artist and that is extremely exciting. Shooting in the close-up world speaks to the very heart of my photographic passions. Writing about it can't help but be a fulfilling experience.

And now I'm paying attention.

So to mark the occasion, I have declared 2010 to be the Year of Writing.

Cloud of Flowers

My first image to ever receive any outside acknowledgment was titled Cloud of Flowers. I remember taking the photograph as if it were yesterday. We were teaching a photography class in Balboa Park and as the students were sent off to the rose garden to practice their newly learned skills ... I went with them.

I was drawn to these beautifully over-blossomed clusters of white roses. How cool they looked against the blue sky with its own clusters of billowing white clouds. So, with a quick twist of my polarizer to deepen the already intense blue sky, I positioned myself to align the flowers with my chosen background. A quick series of rapid-fire shots later and I looked at the images on my camera's monitor.

"Oh! I made a picture!"

Yes, at first glance I knew something had turned out right. Though I don't think I fully understood at the time exactly what that 'something' was.

I decided to enter the image into the San Diego Fair Photo Competition with nine other photographs I took that year. A few supportive people around me were concerned, not because they felt my photographs were bad, but because I was still somewhat new in my photography journey. They didn't want my impulsive, unabashed enthusiasm to be squelched by a staunch, set-in-his-ways judge who may not have my best interest at heart.

I understood that ... and chose to put myself out there anyway.

I needed to put myself out there. I needed to make a proclamation to the world, "See, I'm a photographer!" And I needed an event to mark this declaration ... probably more for myself than for anyone else.

Putting yourself out there is hard, it's a gamble. You run the risk of someone not liking what you have worked so hard for, what you hold so personal and dear. It would be so much easier to hide with my images tucked safely inside my computer, to be viewed only by myself and a few carefully chosen friends. But, I find this far more disabling. Never trying, never pushing, never presenting yourself as you really are leads to regret and you run the risk of living in the 'I wonder what would have happened if ...' world.

When I looked at the juried results, I found three of my submitted 10 were chosen to hang at the fair that year ... with Cloud of Flowers earning a 4th place ribbon.

Pride is a strong emotion filled with accomplishment, acceptance and completion. It can be given to you by other people or, more importantly, developed by yourself ... which I have learned to do. Through every failure, new approaches are born, new techniques conceived, new ideas entertained ... and so we grow.

As I look at the image now, technically it's okay (the lighting is fine, I used a polarizer) nothing really too spectacular ... except that it took a cloud of flowers to discover my pride.

The Journey Begins

On the dawn of this new year (and decade), I am reflective where my life has been in the past 10 years and where it's leading me to in the coming years. I am not any different than anyone else ... the past 10 years have been filled with joy, sadness, accomplishments, failures, successes, loss, pride, fear, love and triumphs. In a nutshell, I think anyone of us can say the same. But, the difference lies in the roads we travel and how each journey transforms who we are.

There are many journeys I have embarked on over the years and many others I have completed, but for the sake of this blog ... it's my photographic journey that will be my focus.


Having been interested in photography my entire life, it was no stretch when my co-worker and friend announced she was going to take a photography class ... I was signing up with her. We chose a course through the Adult Education system and landed in a basic photography class with a teacher whose name neither of us could pronounce. Little did I know I would later have a lot of practice pronouncing this same name.

Rod Deutschmann spoke about photography with such passion and drive, it would have been impossible to not be affected. And affected I was ... at a time when I needed something to believe in, Rod handed me a 'you can do it' card and gave me permission to experiment, to fail and then to create ... three experiences I have grown to crave, for it is in these experiences that expressionism is born. And it is through expressionism that I have found a way to present myself to the world.

Thus began my journey with a wonderful man (whose name I still am not sure I'm pronouncing right), not just into photography ... but in exploring less-traveled pathways and uncovering opportunities just waiting to be taken.

And as I look ahead, I'm sure that the road will be filled with more joy, sadness, accomplishments, failures, successes, loss, pride, fear, love and triumphs ... as it always is. But, it is in this journey ... and who I will be traveling it with ... that will make all the difference in the world.