Myerson Photo Blog

Cloudy Catalina Mountains

Early morning shot of Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains, shot from the entrance to Catalina State Park.

It was time once again today for a ribbon cutting ceremony from the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce. This time, it was the grand opening of Oro Valley’s newest Walmart, on Tangerine near Oracle. The whole shopping center looks like it’s going to be a great shopping destination for the city, with a Dick’s Sporting Goods, a cinema, and of course, the Walmart.

The ribbon cutting was a bigger event than we usually see here in Oro Valley, with the CDO marching band and cheerleaders on hand, presentations of charitable donations from Walmart to various organizations, and Mayor Loomis providing a few words to the crowd.

Many times as a photographer, it’s easy to fall into your own pattern of working. Lighting setups, posing, props, and subject matter can all become stale if they are repeated without variation. As photographers we need to find that balance of exploring and utilizing what we know and where our strengths lie and the opposing force of cannibalizing and rehashing what’s worked in the past.

For me, and for many other photographers, the answer to that comes from photography groups. Whether live and in-person, or virtual and online, photography groups give us the exposure to other shooters, and with it the exposure to other experiences, aesthetics, techniques, and concepts.

Some groups I’ve been involved in include:

• The Tucson Photography Meetup
  I helped found this group a year or so ago. It’s a great bunch of local photographers, mostly amateur and semi-pro, with an ever-changing roster, and a wonderful core group. Though I’ve stepped down as group leader, and have had to scale back my involvement, the group has continued strongly. Monthly meetings consist of photo challenges, short seminars, networking opportunities, news and kudos, and more. If you’re in Tucson and enjoy photography, this is a good option for you.
• Flickr Groups
  There are groups on Flickr for virtually any photographic interest. I’m currently involved with the Strobist Flickr group, a Lightsource Flickr group, and two food photography Flickr groups (though I’ve never actually done any formal food photography). The great thing about Flickr is the variety of groups available to join. If you’re into macro insect photography, fashion photography, automotive, sports, Lomo, or practically any other area of specialty, you’ll find a group or two to join.
• iStockphoto
  Though iStock doesn’t technically have groups to join, there are several opportunities within the realm of iStockery to experience the benefits of groups. There are monthly photo challenges, there are informal challenges among Creative Network members, and most importantly, there are iStockalypses and minilypses. These get-togethers usually happen over a weekend, and within a calendar year the odds are good of there being one within striking distance of your home. This year, for instance, I went to a minilypse in southern Utah, and there’ll be another one in Bullhead City, AZ later in the year. The minilypses are awesome for meeting other iStockers (as well as the odd inspector or admin), for sharing ideas, for working together with other photographers for problem solving, and more.
• Informal Group Shoots
  From time to time, I’ll set up a stock photography shoot, and invite some other photographer friends to join me. We can split the costs associated with the shoot, we can assist each other (it’s always nice to have a “voice-activated reflector stand”) and we can help each other think of ways to use lights, to pose subjects, and more.

Many photographers find working with a group to be uncomfortable, limiting, or distracting, but if you view groups as a way to cross-pollinate ideas and to learn and share, they can represent a great opportunity to grow as a photographer.

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.