On The Fly Photography

A Penny for Your Picture

Skippy — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:10:02 +0000

A Penny for Your Picture
2010 Northern Colorado Professional Photographers Model Shootout

http://www.meetup.com/nocophoto/

Edit: It was just pointed out to me that I don’t have the date of the event on here. That’s because I am brain dead. This is why I take pictures. :) The event is happening on 11 September, Saturday. Also – please read the comments below this post for all information. Updates will be posted there. If you have an online portfolio and I haven’t linked to it from this page either send me the link or post it yourself as a comment.

Northern Colorado Professional Photographers (NoCoProPhoto) is putting on their second model shootout this year. This one will be going down at Penny Flats located at 204 Maple Street in Fort Collins. We will have access to two vacant units and are working on getting access to the currently unused business spaces downstairs. It’s going to be a fantastic blank pallet for us to paint upon.

Figuratively that is. Please do not bring any paint.

Also allow me to specify that you will not be getting a penny for any pictures. This gig is trade all the way around. Edit: To be totally clear – no one is being paid for this gig. That includes models. This is a trade gig only. Just had to make that a bit more clear.

Here is the timeline as it stands. More details will be posted as they are ironed out.

0930: Skippy and a few other key players arrive to begin organizing
1030: photographers, designers, make-up and hair start to arrive and set up
1100-1200: models arrive
1300-1800: shooting, shooting and more shooting
1800-1900: drinks and eats on site, cool down, more shooting if you like
1900-2000: walking tour of Old Town FoCo (bring models and cameras if you like) or you can keep shooting
2000-0200: After party, location TBA.

Photographers:

You can sign up for the event at this link:

http://www.meetup.com/nocophoto/calendar/14524757/

Cost for photographers is $20. Cash. At the door. All proceeds go towards supporting the event and providing food and beverages for those attending.

Photographers who will be attending include:

Capturesque Photography

Kustomcrafted Artworks

Northern Colorado Photography

On The Fly Photography

Models:

If you are a model or if you want to be a model or if you don’t know if you want to be a model but you got the urge to stand in front of a camera and look hot then you need to be here.

You will have to sign a model release form so the photographers, designers, make-up artists and hair stylist can use your pictures for their ports. You will also have the rights to use the images in your port.

Important note: Models, if you are 17 or younger we will need the signature of a parent or guardian on the model release form. Either bring your approved parental/guarding unit with you or have them sign the release and bring it with you. I’ll have the model release posted here for download soon.

The intention is to have hair stylist, make-up artists and wardrobe/fashion people on hand with their bags of tricks. We don’t really know for sure who is gonna show and how many are gonna show and how many tricks each person will have in their bag. Thus it’s not a bad idea for you to bring some stunning outfits, make-up and a hair brush.

Edit: the model release for is available for you to download and view. Copies will be available on site.

http://www.204eastsouth.com/NoCoProPhoto/NoCoProPhoto_ModelForm.doc

http://www.204eastsouth.com/NoCoProPhoto/NoCoProPhoto_ModelForm.pdf

Your arrival time is 1100 please.

You can RSVP on facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/A Penny for Your Picture

or by sending an email to SkippyOTF at gmail dot com

Hair Stylist, Make-up Artists, Fashion & Wardrobe Designers, Creative Directors:

We need you. We want you. We love you. Please bring your magic and come play with us. Network. Get pictures. Practice your craft.

Your arrival time is 1030 please.

You can RSVP on facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/A Penny for Your Picture

or by sending an email to SkippyOTF at gmail dot com?

Zazzle = Fail

Skippy — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:49:34 +0000

Zazzle.com is a web-based printing on demand company. By this time you should be familiar with the concept so I’m not going to explain it. I like their interface for making clothing as you can create on product and let the customer customize it. I like the quality of their printing for my photographs. I like their prices, especially when they have sales. For printing photos Zazzle’s prices are competitive with local photo printers.

What I don’t like is their stupidity and desire to censor.

My first encounter with Zazzle censorship came over a political issue. They didn’t approve of my politically opinionated product so they killed it. Truthfully, I was okay with that. On one hand I have “freedom of speech” but then so does Zazzle. They have the freedom to not use their equipment and employees to produce products which they find “offensive”.

I don’t want anyone showing up and forcing me to produce photographs which I find offensive. I can’t expect Zazzle to produce things they find offensive. Obviously Zazzle and I have different opinions about what is offensive but I can live with that. This is how freedom, real freedom, works. I am free to create “offensive” content and Zazzle is free to not reproduce that content. I don’t like their decision but it’s their decision to make.

Furthermore other printing on demand companies produce this product with no problem. It’s not a crisis.

My second encounter with Zazzle censorship came courtesy of Volkswagen. I published a series of 13 images taken in my Grandfather’s junkyard. On of them had a Volkswagen Bug in it. You can see the image below.

Volkswagon owns the light bouncing off this automobile.

Damned if Volkswagen didn’t contact Zazzle and request them to censor the product. Apparently Volkswagen owns the light which bounces off their automobiles. What is really funny is that hippies who hate corporations and censorship drive VW Bugs.

Zazzle, knowing who has better lawyers between myself and Volkswagen, censored the image. Ya know this is sad, but I can live with it. I was a little pissed-off but I got over it. I can see Zazzle’s position in this situation. Furthermore other printing on demand companies produce this product with no problem.

Now we come to the third encounter. The one that has me pissed-off-fucking-steaming.

I uploading some images from my last fashion shoot to have some posters printed. Here are the images.

Yes, On The Fly Photography and these models are amazing.

Yes, my models are hotter than your models.

I received an email from Zazzle:

Thank you for your recent Zazzle order (Order 131-84477848-6735738) from Zazzle.com. We have received your order and are looking forward to printing it for you as quickly as possible, but we have a quick question! We’d like to be very careful.

We having trouble approving your Zazzle design titled “mss-x4-01 & mss-x4-02″ In order to assist us, would you please reply to this email with honest responses to the following question(s):

1. What is the source of this image? Where did you find it?
2. Who is the subject of this photo? Is this a close friend or relative?
3. Is this person a celebrity, politician or other famous person?
4. Do you have permission to use this image?

Thank you very much for your assistance. Your answers to these questions will help us to review your order and get your product to you as quickly as possible!

Best Regards,
Content Management Team
Zazzle.com, Inc.

So I sent a response. I even controlled myself. Mostly. Here is the email I sent back.

1. My camera. I found “it” there after I took the pictures.
2. They are models.
3. No.
4. Yes

Here is the response I wanted to send.

If I sent “dishonest” responses you wouldn’t know that because in order to know dishonest from honest you would have to have prior knowledge of what the honest responses would be. I suggest a logic class at the nearest college. If you had such prior knowledge you wouldn’t have to send this email requesting information from me.

1. Please learn the difference between singular and plural. There are multiple images here, thus people who can speak and write English at least half-ass correctly would reference “them”. This source of this image is the sun. Light comes from the sun, hits an object and bounces off. It passes thru my camera lens and is recorded as digital information by the camera. I then post process the digital information in Adobe Lightroom 3.0 which is a slow POS and crashes often. However since Adobe got their $100 from me they don’t really care. Then I upload the digital information to your servers at which point you send me an annoying email like this because Volkswagen owns your asses. That’s where I “found” “it”.

2. They are called girls. Maybe you have never seen one except for on Star Trek. No we are not related. No we are not “close friends” a phrase which is nebulous to sufficient extent that I could say we are close friends and the answer would be no less valid. Again, this subject of your excuses for sentences should be plural not singular.

3. If “this person” (I don’t know, maybe they all look alike to someone who has only seen a girl on Star Trek) were a celebrity or famous person . . . you would fucking recognize them. That’s pretty damn much the definition of “celebrity” and “famous”. If you are famous or a celebrity then people know who you are. As to the question of are they politicians. I could do so much with this I’m not even going to touch it.

4. Yes I fucking have permission. You can check with Volkswagen if you like. They are my photographs. I hold the copyright and can use them. I also have a model release but you will notice the posters are not posted for public sale. I’m printing them for my personal use. Thus the fact that I am the copyright holder is sufficient. If in the future you are going to require proof of model release you need to make that known and set up a method for handling that process at the time the image is uploaded.

So you can see how nice I was.

Now some of you are saying “Skippy, don’t be such as asshole. This is a form letter (email) that’s why the nouns are singular not plural.” Nice try. If you are communicating with your customers – especially when dealing with problems – via form letters then that is a fail. A big fail.

The next day I got this email. That’s when Zazzle achieved fail status beyond all doubt.

We are sorry, but we are unable to process your Zazzle.com order 131-84477848-6735738 due to a conflict with one or more of our acceptable content guidelines.
Your entire order has been cancelled; all of the items in your order will not be shipped.
A refund for the full amount of your order has been issued to your credit card/PayPal account. We apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience this may have caused.
For these reasons, we were unable to process your original order:

Title: MSS-x4-02
Product Link: 228306329362061941
Result: Not Approved
Content Issues:
— The source, subject matter, or ownership of the design cannot be verified at this time. We attempted to contact you via email but unfortunately we were not able to reach you to verify your design.

Title: MSS-x4-01
Product Link: 228664012243909036
Result: Not Approved
Content Issues:
— The source, subject matter, or ownership of the design cannot be verified at this time. We attempted to contact you via email but unfortunately we were not able to reach you to verify your design.

They canceled my order because “We attempted to contact you via email but unfortunately we were not able to reach you to verify your design.” Really asshole? Did you try READING YOUR FUCKING EMAIL! Or were you too busy servicing (you know what I’m talking about) Volkswagen and watching Star Trek in order to see what a girl looks like? Maybe my ability to use singular and plural noun forms appropriately confused you?

Note it’s not because my response tagged me as an asshole. I am an asshole. Not because my response was too vague. It might be considered too vague in spite of them asking yes/no questions. No. Zazzle’s form letter claims I didn’t contact them at all.

Also note they were unable to “verify your design”. Really? The “design” is right in front of you. What they mean is they were unable to verify my legal right to authorize reproduction of the images. However when you are linguistically challenged close enough is apparently close enough.

This is just about as lame as it gets. But hey . . . someone else will print them for me.

Great Minds Think Alike.

Skippy — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:29:56 +0000

Today I went by Perou’s web site to see what his stuff looks like and get some inspiration. Perou is a very well known fashion photographer who is almost as good as I am. Fashion photography by Perou.

I found this image.

Image copyright Perou :: http://www.perou.co.uk

Hey, didn’t I take that picture? Well, one like it anyhow.

My Beloved: The Young Lovers by Skippy

Just goes to show great minds do think alike.

Lost and Found

Skippy — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:13:07 +0000

I recently lost two things important to me.

One of them was my hat. The green fishing hat is (was?) famous. More famous than I am at least. I had that hat for years. I don’t even remember where I got it from. And I know that many people were wondering “Why the hell doesn’t Skippy wash that hat. It’s got sweat stains on it.” Yes, I know it has stains. I did wash it. They didn’t come out. That’s how long I’d had the hat.

I was riding my bike and tucked the hat under the budgie cord on my cargo rack. Additionally I took a path I don’t normally take and it was a bumpy ride. A few miles later I realized I had lost the hat.

It was a sad day.

I considered going back to look for it. But it was hot. I was tired. And I thought about it. Maybe it was time for a change. I could get a new fishing hat. Little did I know . . .

. . . I’ll get back to that later.

That very same day I lost something else. My best friend. She asked a question. I answered honestly and desired to talk about things. She cried. She didn’t talk any more. She left. All done.

It was a sad day.

I considered going back for her. Emotions were hot. The path was bumpy She would have none of it. And I thought about it. Maybe it was time for a change. I could get a new best friend. Little did I know . . .

. . . I’ll get back to that later.

Right after these losses I started to find things.

I found an opportunity to photography and video weddings. I don’t know nothing ’bout photoing & videoing weddings so I get to learn something new.

I found another photography client. Just stumbled upon the opportunity while walking down a trail.

I found another photographer whom I just adore. I totally have a photographer-crush on her. That’s like a man-crush (which incidentally I’ve never had one of those) only on a photographer (regardless of gender). In fact – no joke at all – she just now (I mean right now) emailed me. Oh am I turning red and flustered. I want to shoot with her so much! Oh my god! *Squeal like a little girl.*

Okay. Regaining composure now.

And suddenly I feel inspired again to do things instead of feeling trapped by trappings. That’s as opposed to trappings that don’t trap right? That’s not to say my hat and my best friend were trapping me but as with all patterns they do make grooves and one can get stuck in a groove. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Those of you who have seen me shake my groove thing know just how awesome it is. Oh yea. Take photos and write home about it.

You have to have a hat. It keeps the sun out of your eyes. At least if it’s working right. You have to have a best friend. She keeps the bullshit out of your life. At least if she’s working right.

You lose something. You find something. Reminds me of the song Lost And Found by The Kinks. I love that song. The best version is on their live album The Road. I highly suggest you get a copy of that album.

And now . . . It is later.

Replacing a best friend is easy and hard at the same time.

It’s easy because there are 6 billion people (give or take) on the planet Earth. I don’t know for sure how many are on the other planets but since I don’t have a TARDIS they don’t count. (Oh and no, the new Doctor Who is not awesome. The new Doctor Who sucks balls. Please shut up about it.) Odds are I can find someone else out there cool enuf and funny enuf and happy enuf to make me smile, give me hugs and listen to my bitching.

It’s hard because when you trust someone and try to include her in your life a history is quickly built up. Inside jokes. Shared experiences. Starting to use each others lingo and phrases. There’s an overlap of mind, experience and attitude that quickly permeates deep inside. True story. Letting go of that and knowing that it will never be expanded upon is hard to do.

The fishing hat . . . much more difficult. Apparently my standards for hats are higher than my standards for best friends. Skippy needs your help. Yes you. Right there. You.

Does anyone know where I can find a super cool fishing hat like the one I use to have? If so please let me know. I’m feeling naked without it.

And anyone who sees me naked will never be my best friend.

And it will be a sad day.

No related posts.

Let’s just call crap “crap”. Adobe Lightroom 3.0

Skippy — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:40:19 +0000

I purchased the new Adobe Lighroom 3.0 soon after it was released. This confirms it. I am stupid.

What’s wrong with Lightroom 3.0? It’s not the features. The features are just fine. It’s the fact that the software is buggy as all get up, runs slow, has amazingly poor memory management and quite simply doesn’t work sometimes.

1. When moving files from one folder to another in the library module I always get the following error for one of the files I’m trying to move when I move multiple files.

There was an error copying files to the destination you selected. The following files could not be copied:

File could not be moved to the selected destination. (1)

filname.dng

Yup, every time. Once I hit “OK” (and no it’s not ok) I can then move the file individually with no problem.

2. Would I like to send an error report to Microsoft? Apparently I would. In fact I love sending error reports. I start Lightroom 3 and very first thing my computer wants to know if I want to send an error report to Microsoft. Lightroom 3 crashes upon start up about 30% of the time.

3. Lightroom 3 is slow. Oh my is it slow. I’m running an i7 with 3G of RAM and Lightroom 3 just putters along. On one of the forums I look at now and then someone tried to blame Lightroom’s slow performance on Windows 7. “It’s a new operating system” was the reason given. Few people hate Microsoft and Windows as much as I do, but let’s not blame this on Windows. Additionally, I’m running Windows XP. That is not a new operating system.

Lightroom 3 doesn’t run well on Windows 7, because it’s a new operating system. Lightroom 3 doesn’t run well on Windows XP, probably because it’s an old operating system. Question is – exactly what operating system was Lightroom 3 designed to run on? If Adobe could hire someone who knows how to program it could run on Linux and there would be no issue.

4. No, the file can be found. No, there is plenty of memory available. And don’t you dare ask me “What background programs are you running?” None. This is not my first day with a computer.

When exporting files Lightroom 3 frequently either runs out of memory or can’t find the files. If I close and restart this has always fixed the problem of not being able to find a file. Most of the time it fixes the memory errors, but not always. At least twice I’ve had to actually restart the computer to fix this.

And no, I’m not running any background programs. Give it a rest.

5. The only feature related problem I have with Lightroom 3.0 is the grain function in the “effects” sections of the develop module. I don’t know if anyone at Adobe has ever seen film grain before but I have. This doesn’t look like film grain to me. It just looks like crap.

The Develop module should be called the Maybe You’ll Develop Something Today Or Maybe You’ll Just Get Pissed Off module.

1. When moving to the next photo it takes forever for the “loading” message to go away. Okay, yes, “forever” is a relative term. Usually 6 to 12 seconds.

2. I got the “an unknown error has occurred” on the second image I attempted to edit with Lightroom 3. That’s when I knew things were only gonna get worse.

3. Sometimes when I zoom in on an image all I get is black. The image vanishes. Usually restarting Lightroom will fix this but sometimes I have to restart the computer.

4. Sometimes I’ll move sliders to change the image and the lag time between moving the slider and seeing the result can be as much as 20 seconds.

I’m pretty sure all of these are symptoms of poor memory management – which follows from poor coding.

On the good side?

1. You can now export slideshows as mp4 movies. With sound. That just makes my day. Plus you can select your audio track, select the crossfade speed you want and then have Lighroom adjust the display time for the photos so it matches the length of the audio track. This is something I really like.

2. The new lens correction function is something I use all the time. What is really great is the fact that it has profiles for the common lenses already set up. Since the EXIF data of the image tells Lightroom which lens you used all ya have to do is check the box to use lens correction and the correct profile is automatically selected.

3. Lightroom 3.0 and Lightroom 2.x can coexist on the same computer. Good thing since sometimes I need to actually be able to process photos instead of send error reports.

4. Lightroom 3.0 lets you back-up and optimize your catalog when you close Lightroom instead of asking to do a back-up when you open Lightroom as it did in the 2.x versions.

I’m sure there are more good things, but it’s hard to find them when I have to keep restarting the program to get any work done.

Mama Said Shoot! Press Release

Skippy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:22:34 +0000

On The Fly Photography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Skippy

Email: SkippyOTF at gmail dot com

Website: http://204EastSouth.com

“MAMA SAID SHOOT!”

An local event showcasing the artistry of Fort Collins fashion designers

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO – 21 July, 2010: Mama Said Sew and On The Fly Photography are combining forces to promote local fashion on Sunday July 25^th with Mama Said Shoot! – a fashion photo shoot turned spectator event. It will exclusively feature fashion designers from the Fort Collins area. Designers will be on site with their creations to oversee the shoot and spend time getting to know their local community.

Where and When

Mama Said Shoot! will be held at Mama Said Sew in downtown Fort Collins, also known as Fort Collins’ creation station and fabric depot. The event is open to the public to observe the inner-workings of a fashion shoot, interact with the designers and browse the store. Mama Said Sew opens at 10:00 am and the photo shoot starts at 11:00am. The event wraps up by 5:00pm.

Local Businesses Support Local Fashion

Mama Said Shoot! is supported by a number of local businesses. Tuana Hair Design of Fort Collins will be styling the models and most model talent will be provided by nxt|MODEL located in Denver. Make-up and creative directing are courtesy of Goldie Mae Productions based in Evergreen. Food and munchies will be provided by the Fort Collins Food Co-op.

Skippy of On The Fly Photography collaborated with in Mama Said Sew owner Angela Gray to develop the Mama Said Shoot! public fashion shoot in order to draw attention to local clothing designers. “Creative fashion isn’t something that happens only in New York and Paris. I believe the clothing designs originating here in Fort Collins are just as interesting and more relevant to us than those of the East Coast and Europe,” said Skippy. “Mama Said Sew provides the perfect location for the shoot and supports Angela in her effort to bring out the inherent creativity in everyone.”

Mama Said Sew: http://www.MamaSaidSew.com

Tuana Hair Design: http://www.tuanahairdesign.com

nxt|MODEL: http://www.nxtmodel.com/

Goldie Mae Productions: http://goldiemaeproductions.com/

Fort Collins Food Co-op: http://www.ftcfoodcoop.com/

# # #

Mama Said Shoot!

Skippy — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:14:31 +0000

This Sunday, July 25th, Mama Said Shoot! is taking place.

On The Fly Photography and Mama Said Sew are putting on a fashion shoot which is open to the public.

Come by the store, watch the models and crew in action, talk with the designers, grab some munchies, find something you wanna take home or sign up for one of the classes Mama Said Sew offers to stimulate your creative brain.

It’s happening at Mama Said Sew in downtown Fort Collins:
121 E Mountain Ave
970-493-0623
www.Mamasaidsew.com

The shoot begins at 11:00 am and will be wrapping up around 5:00 pm.

See ya there!

Get your freelance on.

Skippy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:58:25 +0000

Freelance camp is coming to Fort Collins.

Are you a freelancer?

Might you become a freelancer?

If so this just might be for you.

http://freelancecampfc.eventbrite.com/

Enuf said. Either you get it – and need it – or you don’t.

And life keeps on going . . .

Skippy — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:42:39 +0000

Some ides and thoughts bouncing around in my head.

Who decided there would only be 24 hours in a day? This is not enough time for me to get it all done.

How do people make it thru life and own a business when they are too clueless to know that the tone of your voice when you answer the phone has an influence on how people respond to you?

You have hear this one before – or at least you should have – If you don’t have a plan for your life someone else will have a plan for your life.

I haven’t twittered in days. Not the sexual twitter, the twitter.com twitter. Get your mind out of the gutter.

“Contagious” by Scott Sigler is maybe the best podiobook I’ve listened to yet.

Damn I love coffee.

I have yet again got to the point where I have about 3000 photos to deal with. I’m always so far behind when it comes to post processing.

I need a sexy model to wear a swanky red dress.

I also found a great location for photography this morning while I was running.

I hate rules.

Lightroom 3 has terrible memory management and crashes often.

Windows 7 is pretty sad as well.

My new mini-computer is cool. It’s an Asus Eee PC.

I need to go be productive now . . .

Mama Said Shoot!

Skippy — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:10:36 +0000

Mama Said Shoot!

Mama Said Sew (http://mamasaidsew.com/) and On The Fly Photography (http://204EastSouth.com) are teaming up for Mama Said Shoot! A fashion shoot featuring local fashion designers. Sunday, July 25th in Old Town Fort Collins. The shoot will be open to the public as they browse the store and watch the happenings. A rocking good time will be had by all.

Details as of this time:

Date: 25 July 2010, Sunday.

Call time at the salon, 0830.
Hair styling and make-up will be done at the salon.
Tuana Hair Design, 818 South College Ave, Fort Collins
All models: please bring the base/foundation you use.
Make-up will be natural, no wild stuff.

Make-up by Sarah Clark
http://sarahclarkmua.com/

Principal Creative Director will be Julie Gallahue
http://goldiemaeproductions.com/

Call time at location for shoot, 1030.
Location is Mama Said Sew, Old Town Fort Collins, 121 East Mountain Ave.

Shoot will end between 1700 and 1800.

——————-

I’m still looking for two additional models. We will require 5 to 7 models.

We will be shooting clothing designed and made by local fashion designers. It’s all original work by amazing talent from the Northern Colorado area.

At this time I do not know if we will need male models or only female models. I will let any men interested in this shoot as soon as I know anything.

Hair will be styled by Tuana Hair Salon. Models will be expected to be at Tuana 2 hours prior to the start of the shoot for hair and make-up.

I am likely going to bring in a second shooter. We will be able to have one scene going inside the store (Mama Said Sew) and a second scene going outside the store and in the surround Old Town Plaza.

This is a trade gig. No one, including me, is getting paid or making money. I will make sure all designers and models get images and they will have rights to use those images in portfolios and on websites to promote themselves and their fashion designs.

We will be shooting in public. The store will be open while the shoot is occurring. If you are not comfortable with an audience this might not be for you.

If you are a designer or model wishing to participate please contact me as soon as possible. SkippyOTF at gmail dot com is the email address.