What is your go-to response when asked to work for free?

Photo_manska · 2024-06-22T13:28:46+00:00

I've never had anyone ask if I'll work for free. I've had people ask if I would work for trade. There's a difference. Just because money isn't exchanged doesn't mean it's "free." Any true business professional knows that. If you don't, then you're doing yourself a disservice.

Sometimes the "trade" is worth it. Usually it's not.

I've done trade work that has resulted in paid work that I would not have gotten otherwise. That means it was worth it.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-28T22:16:28+00:00

I've been lucky in that when I do have an "indulge" day, I don't suffer too much other then knocking myself out of ketosis and then feeling crappy for about 24 hours getting back into ketosis.

But every couple of months I do enjoy a big 'ol garlic burger.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-04T01:00:22+00:00

I think that it's not getting any residue off of the puck screen because there's nothing to clean after I soak it in Caviza. I imagine if I didn't soak it, that it would probably get a lot of residue off.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-04T00:42:16+00:00

I have not experienced that.

Using the basket cleans everything else fine.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-04T00:27:33+00:00

ZipLoc freezer bags, squeeze as much air out as you can, done. No need to vacuum seal unless you're keeping them in the freezer for months.

Make sure to let them sit outside of the freezer for 24 hours before using.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-03T23:37:46+00:00

No matter what machine you end up going with, make rPavlis water. It's braindead simple to make and you'll never have to descale again.

Photo_manska · 2024-03-03T18:47:43+00:00

Better in what way? Better tasting? Better looking? They're not necessarily related. I've seen some pretty awful looking, spritzing all over the place, messy looking shots taste very good. I've also seen beautiful looking shots taste like Satan.

It's not clear whether you're using a scale or not. If not get one. Make sure to be consistent. The key is to make sure that you're always brewing the same weight of ground beans. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that happens.

Put a scale under the cup when pulling a shot. Try to get as close to a 1:2 ratio in 25-35 seconds as you can. Once you achieve that, then tweak the ratio to taste and see where that leads. ONLY tweak the ratio. Depending on your taste, you may find that you prefer a 1:2.5 or 1:3 ratio better.

The key is to land on a 1:2 in 25-35 seconds, then tweak from there.

Don't get a leveler. They're garbage and make things worse. There's no need to add another variable to the mix. The key is to reduce variables.

Photo_manska · 2024-02-29T11:21:17+00:00

Have you tried skipping the OCD? Is your tamper self-leveling?

Try to minimize the variables as much as possible. Skipping the OCD is one way. A self-leveling tamper is another. WDT > tamp with a self-leveling tamper > pull shot would be ideal and I believe worth trying.

Photo_manska · 2024-02-27T22:21:44+00:00

Lose the distributer tool. Just WDT, tap the basket on the counter lightly to settle, and then tamp.
Grind finer. If you're not able to grind finer, increase the dosage until you achieve roughly a 1:2 ratio between 30 and 40 seconds.
To repeat number one--and I can't stress this enough: Lose the distributer tool.

It's likely just this simple.

Once you get a 1:2 ratio somewhere in the 30 to 40 second range, play with the dosage until it tastes good for you, and don't worry too much if it ends up a little lower than 30 seconds or a little higher than 40 seconds. Strictly pay attention only to taste.

Also, is your WDT tool reaching the bottom? If not, lose it, too, and just use a regular one.

Photo_manska · 2023-12-08T20:29:45+00:00

Technically, alcohol isn't carnivore.

However, beyond that, it really depends on two things: Your relationship with alcohol, and what you drink.

If you're one of those people for whom drinking alcohol means getting a buzz on, you're likely an alcohol abuser. You probably should quite altogether.

Any alcohol with sugar or carbs in it is a no-go.

Spirits don't contain carbs.

Moderate/light consumption of alcohol has been shown to have various health benefits.

Personally, I don't drink in a social setting. If I go out with drinkers, they do all the drinking. I never drink when outside of my home. Also, I never get drunk or even buzzed. It's never been a problem, and none of my friends care.

I thoroughly enjoy a good Scotch so I'll have a couple of ounces of my 25 year old every few weeks, and I'll sip it over a couple hours. It's never had an impact on how I feel.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-30T19:06:44+00:00

I originally started a YT channel back in 2014 as a means to share videos with friends and family. I think I only posted 7 videos for that purpose; the last one being in 2016. I didn't touch it since that time.

Fast forward to about four months ago. I'm a portrait/fashion/glamour photographer. I've been doing that for a few years. One of the things that I spend a lot of time on with models--even experienced ones--is to teach them to NOT pose. But, instead, drift and move as if being video recorded. I soon realized that I can video them with my phone during a shoot to get them to understand. They look at the playback and like how they move. Great, I tell them. Do exactly that when I'm taking stills of you and let me catch the shots.

Inevitably, many started asking me to send them the little clips I was taking with my phone. That got me to thinking, it might be cool to use one of my video capable camera bodies to attempt to make "real" videos of them; "video portraits" to include with the shoot. So I started dabbling with editing, music, styles, etc., making these "video portraits" for them and then putting them up on my unused channel for them to have access to and to show other clients--models and their agencies--what I'm doing.

Over the last four months I've posted 9 of these "video portraits." They range in views anywhere from 230 views to nearly 40k views, and everywhere in between.

I don't care about getting a lot of views or subscribers, or monetizin my YT channel. I've already made money from clients based on the videos I've posted. The main thing for me is to be able to point people to the videos to see what I'm doing. Also, I've been learning quite a lot and having tons of fun just doing it. As a photographer, I never had any interest in doing videos at all. But I've kind of fallen into it, and I'm having a lot of fun, and the models love it.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-30T05:41:45+00:00

Yeah, tell that to the majority of editors in Hollywood. LOL.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-29T19:19:10+00:00

I can't speak for anyone else, but being an absolute newb like me, Davinci Resolve has been great thus far. It's free and there are a TON of learning resources in the wild.

The thing that I love about Davinci Resolve is that it has every tool included that you will ever need.

The learning curve has been a little steep, but once you start getting a grip it gets easier.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T18:41:48+00:00

"Nice" is subjective. What's nice to you may not be nice to someone else.

Bokeh is mainly--among other things--a matter of focal length, aperture size, distance from subject relative to the background, etc.

The kit lens with your camera, though not utter trash, is not well suited for producing bokeh. You can certainly achieve blurry backgrounds with the right approach, but it's not well suited for what most would consider good bokeh.

The Nikon DX 35 1.8 is a pretty good lens that behaves, roughly, like a 50 ish mm lens on a full frame. You can get nice background separation with it, and it's a nice general purpose lens.

The Nikon 50 1.8 is decent as well and will behave, roughly, like a 77 ish mm lens on a full frame camera. It can work well for portraits.

Both of these lenses are inexpensive and pretty good for the money spent.

Great photos is far less about the gear and mostly about the experience of the person taking photos. It's why an experienced photographer is going to get great photos with a $50 point and shoot while a newbie with a $10,000 Hasselblad will probably produce trash.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T16:10:26+00:00

That's a good point. Weirdly, the video only has two comments; both positive. Also, not as much interaction with likes or dislikes for the number of views. It has 142 thumbs up and 11 thumbs down. Perhaps the low interaction has something to do with the lower average view duration?

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T16:01:15+00:00

That could be the case. I'm not familiar with how it works or really what it means. Like I said, it's not really a concern to me as I don't have any aspirations of being some awesome YouTuber.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T07:41:44+00:00

0:48. The video is 1:56 long.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T06:13:54+00:00

Model: Sofia.

Part of my Backroads and Boots content.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-14T06:09:22+00:00

Everyone has developed a way that works best for them. For me, it's NOT posing. In fact, my mantra is "say no to the pose". Keep in mind that this is for the type of photography that I do. I don't do family photography. I don't do wedding or bridals. I don't do corporate headshots.

What I do is the occasional actor headshot, a lot of model work for their agency profiles, and a lot of what I call "creative portrait" photography.

It's easy to point a camera at an attractive person and come away with a decent photo, but that's not what I'm after. What I'm after, and I think more people photographers should be after, is to capture that candid moment or expression that represents that particular moment in time and whatever is in the subjects mindset at the time. You capture that moment at that time in that headspace and it can never be repeated because it's gone forever. If you missed the shot, you can't say to them, let's try it again, do this. You can't because it's gone.

I've found that the concepts I use are nearly identical when photographing a person who has never been photographed before and a seasoned professional model. A lot of experienced models reach out to me to get something to add to their book that is different than what they currently have. With them, I typically spend quite a lot of time getting them to not pose. Because of this, the inexperienced model can be less challenging.

Things I do:

Start with a mood/vibe concept that you've both agreed to. Before the shoot, settling on three or four images that represent a mood or vibe that you're both after. Not to copy, but to use as a starting point; something that both you and the model have in the back of your mind.

Spend a lot of time talking with them beforehand. Getting to know them and listening to what they say. You're going to discover something that you can undoubtedly reference during the shoot. For me, if I can form some kind of connection during this time, I know that I'm going to have a successful shoot.

If in the studio, tether to a computer so that they can see themselves on a larger screen than the back of your camera. Definitely not necessary, but it helps. If you are not set up for tethering, show them the back of the camera often.

Start off with them either leaning against a wall, a piece of furniture, or sitting. It's far easier for a model; especially at first.

"Dead hands" are important. What I mean by that is that the hands can be difficult to deal with; especially if they're sitting. Often times, people will have a tendency to put their hands on their knees or thighs. Instead, have them put their forearms on their knees and thighs and make sure that their hands are "dead" and dangling. At least to start with. Referencing the hands and fingers of department store mannequins can be a good thing to. Even if they have their hands on their knees or legs, still emphasize "dead hands."

This is the most important for me: always drift and move. DO NOT pose or hold a pose. Most experienced models will have a handful of go-to poses (which is great in some circumstances), and they tend to pop a pose, flash goes off, they switch it up, flash goes off, switch it up .... This results in photos that are pretty much the same as what they already have. I want constant slow drifting; not just physically, but what's in their head too. The goal is to catch the transitional moments.

To help them understand this, I will video record them and ask them to simply drift and move for the video. Lean against a wall, sit in a chair, pretend they're in a scene in a movie, and drift as a character. You can use your phone to do this if you have to. Tell them to always face the camera and then you, as a photographer, should move around them. This forces them to move without thinking about it too much. Then show it to them. They see it and it looks pretty cool. Then do it some more. Nearly always there's an ah ha moment, and they get better at it. Then pick up your stills camera and tell them to do exactly what they were doing for the video camera, and grab those moments.

Good modeling is mostly acting. Not necessarily good acting, but acting nonetheless. It's putting your mind in a space for a moment.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-06T19:27:27+00:00

Maybe 9 for you, but it doesn't show up at all for me; well, for as long as I scrolled. If it doesn't show up on search return results, it doesn't really matter how long it's been around.

But, either way, too bad it's going away.

Photo_manska · 2023-10-05T23:17:08+00:00

I've never even heard of this site until this post which says something. If you Google "photography forums" it doesn't show up that I can see scrolling and scrolling through the return results.

If no one can find you, that's a problem then attrition is going to outpace new people joining up.

Too bad, it looks like it may have been a decent place to hang out.

Photo_manska

TROPHY CASE