Myerson Photo Blog

I’m proud to say that Myerson Photo is now a member of the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce. We’ve been to a few functions so far, and it has been a real treat getting to know some of the other member businesses. Events are plentiful and well-attended, so this seems like a vibrant business community to become a part of. I’m hopeful that there will be some things that Myerson Photo can do to help grow the businesses of the other members. There are businesses in all fields - woodworking, business coaches, mortgage lenders, insurance agents, colon hydrotherapy, you name it - so there will be lots of ways that I should be able to help out. Some want professional headshots, some want product shots, and many want event photography.

If you are looking for virtually any kind of business in Northern Pima County, I heartily recommend checking out the business directory at the-chamber.com. The excellent businesses in there represent a great way to spend locally and support your community.

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking to an enthusiastic audience this morning. They were bright, eager, interested and easily amused. And all of them were born on this side of Y2K.

I was speaking, of course, to the older elementary class at Casas Ninos Montessori this morning. They’ve been doing lessons around the subject of photography, and asked me if I could bring some equipment and talk for a little while about what I do and how I do it.

It was a lot of fun. We talked about different light sources that photographers can use (Flashlights? Sure! The moon? Why not!), about light modifiers, about shutter speeds and aperture sizes, and a whole lot more. The kids were really into it, which made it a real pleasure for me. I even set up some lights and let the students take turns taking pictures of each other.

Next week, I’ve got another speaking engagement lined up as well. I’ll be presenting my talk on photography composition  to the Sunflower Photography Club, a hobbyist photographer club located not far from here in Oro Valley. That should be fun as well. I’ve given the composition presentation a few times to various photo groups and it’s generally well received.

I’m heading off to Utah tomorrow night for a few days of shooting with some great models and gorgeous locations. I’ve been looking forward to this shoot for months, so I’m thrilled it’s finally upon us. I promise to get some images online as soon as possible. Before then, of course, I still have to formalize my sketches into a shot list, prepare my gear, charge up my batteries, and pack.

One of the things I love best about Tucson is the fact that a short walk at lunchtime has such beautiful scenery. Yesterday the sun was shining, it was nice and warm, and Honeybee Canyon Park in Oro Valley was calling my name. I spent about 35 minutes in the park (and canyon that shares its name). I got a few nice images, I met a guy and his 4-year-old daughter out for a walk, I saw an owl nesting. Not a bad way to spend a lunch hour. I’ll probably go back one day next week at lunch as well.

If you’re in the area and want to hike and shoot around midday one day next week, please feel free to shoot me an email.

At our last Photo Meetup meeting, member Jim brought up a great point, and it’s one I think bears repeating here. The discussion was about various resources for photography gear research. I mentioned that on more than one occasion I’ve spent time at Greg’s Camera here in Tucson, but money at B&H. It’s hard not to… the guys at Greg’s have the smarts, but the guys at B&H have the discounts.

Jim made the point that people who do what I’ve done will ultimately spell the demise for small retailers like Greg’s. I know Jim wasn’t picking on me personally (or at least I hope not… right Jim? Right?), but I certainly have taken his point to heart.

Our photo meetup group, and the other camera clubs in and around Tucson, represent a good size batch of local photographers. If we’re not championing the cause of local support, who will? It would be a real shame to lose the few remaining camera stores we have in Tucson. Photographers need gear, local photography stores need customers. It’s a win-win, but only if we choose to make it so.

I plan to buy another speedlight or two this year (maybe even this month). Without having done the research yet, I’m willing to bet that I’d save about $40 buying at B&H. As a NAPP member, there’s no shipping charge at B&H, so it’s not like that becomes a pricing factor. So the question is whether I feel I get $40 worth of benefit by buying locally.

I’d have to say that I do.

I’ve taken advantage of their advice and expertise, which is worth something. But more than that, I just plain like having them around. They’re close to home, they’re available when I need them (like that day before a big family portrait shoot when I needed a new lens or that time I desperately needed a sensor cleaning kit), and most importantly, they were patient with me when I didn’t have a clue what I needed back in the beginning.

It’s great to spend time in your local camera store, but it’s even better to spend some money there too.

Though the weather in Tucson is now turning pretty nice (today was 84 and sunny), it was only a few weeks ago that we had snow on our mountains and sub-freezing temperatures here in the valley.

Hey Tucson photography friends! Good news, not to be missed. David Hobby (yes, this David Hobby) will be in Phoenix in March for one of his fantastic Strobist seminars.

Details about the seminar can be found here. In keeping with the Strobist’s philosophy of doing more with less, the seminar is very reasonably priced. David says he will have some equipment available for attendees to check out, “petting-zoo” style. The seminar is going to cover some theory, some practice, some ideas, and some fun. In David’s own words:

With these seminars, my goal is threefold: To refine your approach to creating light, to fill you with as many ideas as possible in a day’s time and to have fun doing it. We’ll start with a roadmap for the day, which I will do my best to keep us on. But each session will take on somewhat of a life of its own. Which is a good thing.

David will run two sessions - one on Saturday and an identical seminar on Sunday. I’m registered for the Saturday session. Let me know in email or my blog comments if you’ll be headed up either of those days.

A few downtown Tucson textures from my recent hunt:

Once again, these textures were found in the Stone and Franklin area of Downtown Tucson, in the few minutes I had to kill before the most recent Tucson Photo Meetup. As luck would have it, I was in that area just as two trains were passing. I snapped a couple of shots of the passing Union Pacific locomotives, but nothing really astounding came of it. Still, it was cool to be there just in time to see that.

The biggest business news in Tucson of late is that Oro Valley-based biotech firm Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., has agreed to a tender offer from Swiss giant Roche. The result of this $3.4 billion buyout is that Ventana will become a part of the large Roche family of companies.

Recently, the CEO of Roche, as well as the CEO of the various business units that will house the new acquisition, were in town for a “town hall” meeting on the campus of Ventana Medical Systems. I was asked to shoot some images from this event for use in promotional materials, websites, and newsletters for the two organizations.

I shot the event with a Canon 5D, and a light set up that consisted of an umbrellad strobe (Alien Bees AB800)  and a Canon 480EX speedlight. The speedlight was synched via Pocket Wizards, and the strobe fired via optical slave. I had the speedlight mounted on a camera tripod, which made repositioning a snap. I had it aimed at the podium to serve as a rim light or backlight (depending on my vantage point), or I could pivot the tripod head to bounce the speedlight off the nearby wall to provide a larger, softer fill.

My goal in the light set up was to provide maximum flexibility with a minimum of effort. At first, I doubted my decision to go with a speedlight and a strobe, thinking that two speedlights, synched via PW and mounted on tripods, would be more flexible. That may be true, but in the end I think the set up I chose worked better - I had great coverage from the fixed strobe, and its recycle time and “always on” capabilities were huge factors. The strobe was high up on a lightstand basically in the center of the audience, and I wouldn’t have been able to adjust it or reset it if needed. A two-speedlight set up would have been more flexible, but at the cost of more time spent managing the lights. When shooting without an assistant, anything that can relieve me of a job is a welcome addition.

Philly photographer extraordinaire Andrea Gingerich often posts the results of her Center City texture hunting expeditions on her blog. I’m often jealous of the wealth of great gritty urban textures she has within blocks of her studio.

Before this past weekend’s Tucson Photo Meetup, I had a few minutes to kill in the downtown Tucson area, so I thought I’d post a few of the urban textures I managed to find as well.