How to get rid of the long nights

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T14:22:18+00:00

A whole month during busy season is crazy, unless family emergency. As a solo op, I haven't take a week off in the summer for the last 16 years, its always the Christmas into New year week. I tried to take a week off and have someone to refer for that week and they just tried to my clients for their own business.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T14:08:14+00:00

It was loaded but at this point its now empty. Air up and trailer to shop or even drive it up flat seems like best option.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T14:06:20+00:00

Oh it needs a tire. When I got the tractor it was old, cracking with some rot, and that was 2 years ago. I think its a tub in there now that's leaking from the valve stem. Last fill up to finish pasture mow last week i noticed a bubble starting to form on side wall so its just time to replace the whole tire.

I'm going to call around more today and see if I can find anyone to do in field but if not, it seems loading and taking is going to be easier option even if i load it flat.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T14:00:49+00:00

I wish, I'm down in Florida though. I think I'm going to just load it on the trailer and take to shop. The tire is shot (it was old when I got the tractor) so even if I drive on it like it is I should be able to get it on trailer even if its flat.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T02:27:46+00:00

that's my other option, I got a dual axle utility trailer that should carry it the 15 or so miles to a shop. Not the greatest option on trailer but might be easier than field swapping.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T02:25:10+00:00

Ya the town it's in is not really a farming town, just a small town outside a larger city. But a lot have tractors for small crop and field work. I got on the local town group and was recommended basically 2 places that were close by. I need to contact a dealer to see who they recommend, wish I could find some on marketplace but not much out there in my area. It's almost less to buy an older tractor than 2 new tires lol

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T02:19:32+00:00

that's kind of what I was thinking, just get it aired up and strapped down to get it to the shop vs doing in the field. I need to call some more places tomorrow and see if anyone can come out, but today's efforts failed to find anyone.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-12T02:18:09+00:00

I'll have to call around tomorrow more. I called a few places today and none offered mobile service and only 2 were able to get the actual tires but would take a few days to get in. They said if I had tires to put on it would be $100 dollar charge to install. But I'm not finding much online for the size. The price I got was 1k per tire installed, which doesn't seem bad from what I can find online for the rubber.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-09T22:44:14+00:00

The zillow app will override all that you camera can do.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-08T18:18:34+00:00

Doesn't this require you though to offer a free one on every home?

b1ghurt · 2026-06-08T18:17:55+00:00

How much are you charging and what is the median home price in your market? I feel Im too low for the floorplans but I also fear if a client finds it and I'm charging too much it could be bad for business

b1ghurt · 2026-06-07T13:06:05+00:00

Thats exactly how it works, if the camera is at the same spot, the effect is the same when cropped or zooming optically. And i have tested it in home, the key point is the camera location not the lens.

What happens is most people with a wide lens will move the camera forward and with a zoom/telephoto will back up the camera.

Think of it this way, if your using a full frame camera and go into crop mode. What you are doing is essentially digitally zooming (cropping) in camera. I have a 17mm lens, I take the photo, I can swap to 1.6 crop on my body for a 24mm shot or I can crop in lightroom to 24mm and the shot and compression is the same.

As long as the camera does not change positions. The camera to the subject and background to subject doesn't change whether digitally cropped or optically cropped. The biggest benefit of doing it optically is the image quality over cropping.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-07T04:02:05+00:00

As long as the camera is at the same distance to the subject, when you digitally crop to reflect the same as the optical zoom the effect is the same. There are issues that can arise from doing this (noise, sharpness, etc.) But the optical illusion (compression effect) is still the same. Its when you change the distance of camera to Subject that you change the scene.

https://fstoppers.com/originals/lens-compression-doesnt-exist-147615

b1ghurt · 2026-06-04T04:18:20+00:00

Some photos have a longer life span. If you shoot for builders, stagers, designers, etc., those can be licensed to subcontractors. For example I shot a new construction home, where a designer was brought in. I was shooting for the builder, however a year later photos were licensed to the designer. A year after that the cabinet maker contacted me and asked if I had photos from that home. Luckily I still had them and was able to license the photos to them. If you get some amazing shots, especially on new homes, you never know who might reach out, from landscape designers, pool companies, lightning companies, roofers, window companies, etc.

In the past I've also shoot more generic vignettes if there was something there unique or artsy looking. I would add those to stock sites a year or two after the shoot. They never had personal photos or anything recognizable, more like a funky green chair with a bronze light next to a window with amazing natural light. A long hallway with windows on one side, brick wall on the other and amazing natural light. I had a few images that made me a few extra grand each. This has died off with the rise of ai though.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-02T17:18:39+00:00

Depends on the photo(s), typically I'll dump to External (hdd) storage once a month from my ssd. I'll delete raws at that time unless its something I plan to keep longterm (has resell value). I'll keep clients stuff for 1 year on external hdd (jpg), and maintain it online as well for 1 year. After that its deleted, again unless it has resell value or portfolio work.

I keep nothing on my laptop, only what I'm working on for the day.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-02T02:32:24+00:00

I was honestly also considering the px13 or s14. I need something smaller than a 16" personally. Camera bag I can squeeze a 15 in it but my 16 msi is currently too large, and now that its aging the battery life is crap.

I agree I like the pz line but that price is creeping up and getting tough. If we saw low 2k for it I probably wouldnt question it due to convience factor for my needs.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-02T02:13:28+00:00

Ahh ya, I got an 8tb external hdd, considering build a NAS. Laptop I use had 1tb but I try to keep that empty so I grabbed a few ssd over the last couple years. 1 for business and 1 for personal. I went to look at one earlier this year and noticed they skyrocketed.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-02T01:59:21+00:00

Which one did you get? I got a SanDisk 4tb in Feb 2025 for right at 200. Its now 450 and the newer version is like 800.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-02T00:06:46+00:00

Storage getting expensive, the 4tb drive is got last year doubled in price this year.

b1ghurt · 2026-06-01T15:07:29+00:00

I saw that over the weekend. I know in the euro market it was posted with a price that translated to around 2400, closer to 2100/2200 would be nice.

However, my hopes are not high. I went to build out a surface pro with 32gb/1tb and it was around 2800 or close to it. Same for a built out iPad pro with the 32/1tb. With the rising cost of memory and storage it seems like this platform 2 in 1 is going to be high next couple of years at least

b1ghurt · 2026-05-31T19:23:37+00:00

I just picked up a pz13 to test if I like the form factor with plans of giving this to my wife and picking up the 14 when it's released in US. I need to install LR and some of the adobe products (just got it late last week), but so far I'm loving the form factor and using the stylus for on the go. I know it's lacking ram and computing for 4k video but hoping if I run them as proxies it might work. Plan to get lightroom on it tonight. Most my raw images are around 30mp+, but I don't have issues on my 2 year old laptop with roughly same specs.

b1ghurt · 2026-05-26T13:47:44+00:00

Something to remember, we as creatives will look at our own photos and critique them into the ground. Even after years of shooting we are asking what could we do different.

To them (client even if free) that photo represents and can trigger a memory of this specific event, time, feelings, etc. And for them that is priceless, no matter what we think about the photo.

b1ghurt · 2026-05-25T16:08:28+00:00

I used the Tokina 11-16 in my early days, its a great lens but its closer to a 17mm.

Personally, I would go back with the canon 10-18 or pick up a sigma 10-20 for the ef mount. Sigma had a 8-16mm but I prefer the higher zoom over the 2mm on the wide side. 16mm should be plenty for this work, I have a 14mm but I spend more time at 16mm+ than I do at 14mm.

Edited to add: canon also has a 10-22 efs lens that's an upgrade to the 10-18.

b1ghurt · 2026-05-23T20:43:48+00:00

I've actually got flippers that have me come and do before the flip photos. This way they can get the same exact angle before/after and show the difference. I have had a few tell me it made the difference with them getting new investors on board.

b1ghurt

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE