Happy New Year 2013

Just a short note to wish everyone a Happy and Safe New Year.  Hard to believe that 2012 is about to become history.  I have been making plans (New Year's Resolution?) to re-start and re-invent my photography business and still have some more planning - the final touches.

I have been doing photography (as a hobby, and as a profession) for over 45 years (got my first camera at age 7).  I took a break when I opened a vitamin/health food store and studied nutrition.  Have gone back to doing lots of photography for the past several years, and have been taking many courses (webinars) through CreativeLIVE, which is a great place to learn about photography (weddings, product, boudoir, fashion, photo editing, and more), business, and more.

I will be doing what I call "Beauty Portraits," which can be anything from glamour, boudoir, bathing suit, and lingerie, to being dressed like those you see at the Oscars.  It will be to reveal your inner and outer beauty, your personality, and to show in your images what makes you who you are.  One of the goals is to perhaps show you a side of yourself that you didn't know existed, and to give you more confidence in yourself by seeing how beautiful you really are.

To see some of my past work, please visit my website at tony-belmont-photography.com.  Thanks, and again, have a wonderful, safe, and Happy New Year.

End of the World (Again), Photography, & Health

NOTE:  This post was started several days ago; however, before I could finish it, my computer crashed (virus, software conflict, ...?).  Had to format disk and reinstall and restore everything.

According to the Mayan calendar, this will happen on December 21, 2012.  But from what I have  read, there is another Mayan calendar that goes far into the future.  This is about the fifth end of the world I remember being forecast since I've been around.  I'm still here taking photos and plan to do much more in the future.  As well as eating healthy, exercising, and taking supplements - I've mentioned in prior posts why health is so important for photography (and every other thing in life).

With New Year's Day in just over two weeks (now just over a week), I'm making plans for returning to a lot more photography for the coming year.  I will be doing Beauty Portraits with the following guarantee:  If for any reason you don't get the results you had wanted when you hired me, you don't have to accept the results nor pay a penny for them.  Even if they are the best images of you ever taken by anyone, or if they could hang in a top art gallery, if they are not what you wanted, there is no obligation to accept them.  But if you would like, and we both feel that we can get what you wanted, I will be happy to re-shoot with you after discussing what you wanted different, and do this at no charge with the same guarantee.  Perhaps you can find a photo in a magazine of how you would like to look.  Sometimes we can start with that, and then make changes that will look more like what you want.

What is Beauty Portraiture?  It can include any of the following:  boudoir, glamour, bikini, lingerie, perhaps and evening gown, and can be sensual, sexy, and of course beautiful - but whatever you want, they will make you look the most beautiful of your life.  How you choose to dress is your choice.  Every shot will be done tastefully, artistically, and the best ones will be post processed to even look better.  They can be taken to make you feel better about yourself, to attract the man of your dreams, or to give to him as a very special gift.

Because excellent health is so important to getting the best photos, here is a link you definitely should read:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/22/healthcare-system.aspx?e_cid=20121222_DNL_art_2

Once your pictures are taken, then we can go over them and discuss how you would like the final images to look (there are almost infinite possibilities, from Black & White to different tones, full color, sharp or soft, grainy or not, etc.).  If you really love a photo, but you would have liked a different expression, there is software that can even change your expression.

To see much more about this type of photography, you can check this site:  http://christameola.com/

The following photo was taken several years ago.  She and her loved ones will now always have the memory of how wonderful she looked on this day.

What is a PROFESSIONAL Digital Camera and Lens

I've read many different articles about this subject, as well as having made my own observations, and my thoughts may be different than yours.  I think right now DSLR cameras are considered prosumer (also known as entry level), semi-professional, and professional.  The same can be said for the lenses you use.  For me to decide what is professional, I would base it on the results I get.  What I plan on doing with the image would determine how many megapixels I would need.  The larger the size, the more pixels.  

Years ago, I made a 24x30 print from a Canon 10D 6 megapixel image, and it was sharp, even when looking at it from about 9 inches away.  The following photos were shot with a Canon 10D, 40D, and 7D, with Canon 17-55mm lens, 50mm lens, and 18-135mm kit lens.  Various f-stops and focal lengths were used (on the zoom lenses).  If you look at ratings on the cameras and lenses, I think the 7D would be semiprofessional, and the other two rated lower.  But, can you tell which photos were shot with which combination?  If you were my client, would you really care which camera/lens combination I used, or would you care about the final result?

The bottom 6 photos are of the photographer doing self portraits.  Click on the images to see them in a larger size - they are still smaller than the originals for the purpose of posting here.

For me, it is not the camera or lens that is PROFESSIONAL, it is the photographer.  The best camera in the world isn't going to take a great photo without a great photographer.  And conversely, a great photographer will take great pictures with almost any camera.

Now, the better DSLR cameras may last longer, be more weather proof, and have a higher pixel count, perhaps more options, etc., but only with the right photographer will it take great photos.

Cropping, Resizing, Adjusting Photos

Before I get into the title, wanted to say that I hope you all had a happy and safe Thanksgiving, a good Black Friday, and have fun on Cyber Monday.

I was looking through an old hard drive and had forgotten I had taken some surfing photos with my Panasonic FZ30, set to about 400mm with the zoom.  Decided to see what I could do with it in Lightroom.  The results are below.

The above one is the original out of the camera.

Adjusted in Lightroom 3.6.

And, of course, cropped - not sure if you can see some facial detail in this one, as it was reduced in size for this post, but was visible in the original size.  With all the photo editing programs available, there are many more things you can do with your images, such as changing facial expressions, making them into watercolor, look like an oil painting, and on and on.  Take people out of a photo, or add them to it.  And you can fix those old family photos that have been torn, scratched, faded, etc., and return them to new or close to it.

Hope you enjoy the season.

Thanksgiving, Twinkies, and Ebay, and more

First, want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  Looks like it will be one without Twinkies - so just a little healthier than it might otherwise have been - YAY.  But did anyone check out Ebay prices for Twinkies?  Yikes - a few listings for a box of Twinkies for $10,000 - no, that's not a typo.

Today is "Breakfast with the Beatles" day on KLOS in Los Angeles, and they are just now playing "In My Life," which is one of my favorites.

But to continue - well, I am a beach person, had been a skater down at Venice Beach, so thought I would post some old photos of that time - I now play paddle tennis instead of the skating.  And still shoot lots of beach photos, as one never knows what one might see at Venice Beach!

Will be adding more Venice Photos as time goes by, as well as other newer things.  Have a great week.

Backgrounds & Locations for Photography

When you are planning a photo session, have you ever thought about what background would look best for you?  Or what location you would like?  There are infinite possibilities.  Because it may be difficult for you to picture what you would look like in a particular location or with a specific background, a good idea is for you to look through magazines, the internet, etc., for something that you think you would like (whether a pose, background, location, lighting, etc.), and then we can try to find and something similar, using that as only a starting point.  Why only a starting point?  Because you probably would not want the same thing as someone else may have - you want these pictures to be unique, to be you.

It is possible during post production to change a background, or to change the color of what you're wearing, and even to the face from one shot onto the body from another shot (assuming they are similar enough).  However, that would require a lot of work in post production and cost quite a bit more, so we try not to do that.  Some examples are below.  The first one was of Sidney Poitier at Kennedy Airport in 1970 - I couldn't ask him to move to an empty area, and all the other people were distracting, so many years later, I scanned the photo, and eliminated the other people.  The second photo is of Wilt Chamberlain - I didn't like that background, so changed it completely.

In this second photo of Mr. Poitier, notice, too, that the wall has been straightened.

Well, you can get some idea of what can be done with a photo.  In future posts, you will see some of the other options, and there are many.  Photos can be made to look like watercolors, oil paintings, you can look thinner (or heavier), happy or sad, sexy, or prim and proper, and much more - all from the same original photo.  That said, I prefer to do the absolute minimum in post processing.  I much prefer capturing you and your personality just as you are at the moment the shutter clicks.  I believe that whatever post processing is done afterwards, it is the moment the shutter release is pushed that will make or break the photo (I believe some have called that "the decisive moment,"  and I would agree).

Please Vote YES on Prop 37 in CA

Why should you vote yes on 37?  Here is one reason (for a more detailed story, just click the link in blue below - first lifetime feeding study):

All the safety studies submitted to approve GMO seeds were only short term. The world's first lifetime feeding study discovered that rats fed a diet containing 11 percent GE corn developed massive breast tumors, kidney and liver damage and other serious health problems in the 13th month of life. The average life span of a rat is about two years. Again, this was the FIRST study to evaluate the health effects of a GE-containing diet over the course of a lifetime. This despite the fact that the first GE crops were introduced into the US food supply in the mid-90's!

The fact of the matter is that the long-term health effects and safety of these crops have never actually been properly evaluated or affirmed prior to being approved for widespread planting. This information is absolutely critical for American families raising young children. Yet at present, they have no way of avoiding foods that contain GE ingredients, should they wish to do so.

To put the findings of this animal feeding study into human perspective, if the average lifespan of a person is 80 years, these health problems would start rearing their ugly head somewhere during the 43rd year of life, provided your diet contained just over 10 percent GE foods and you began eating them in early childhood.

Well, guess what?

Any child in the US who eats processed foods on a regular basis consumes at least 10 percent GE ingredients. The actual percentage is in fact likely to be FAR higher than that. According to a shocking report released by the Environmental Working Group on October 15, Americans are eating their weight and more in genetically engineered food every year—an average of 193 pounds of GE foods annually!

"'What's shocking is that Americans are eating so much genetically engineered food, yet there have been zero long-term studies done by the federal government or industry to determine if its consumption could pose a risk health,' said Renee Sharp, lead author of the report and the director of EWG's California office. 'If you were planning on eating your body weight of anything in a year or feeding that much food to your family, wouldn't you first want to know if long-term government studies and monitoring have shown it is safe?'"

Remember when they (the companies that produce the products) told us cigarette smoking was safe?  Then, after many years of use, people started getting sick - and after many years, we finally knew why.  My father was one of them.  He had been a heavy smoker for around 30 years, and although he quit in his early 50's, he still got lung cancer in his mid 70's.  They also told us DDT was safe - we know how that ended, too.  Now they tell us GMO foods are safe - but as  first lifetime feeding study shows, there are some major concerns.  Unlike cigarettes, which foods contain GMO's are currently hidden from your view.  Only organic food is GMO free.

This is why I hope you'll vote yes on 37.  Thanks!

Halloween 2012 West Hollywood, End of DLST, Prop 37

I went to the West Hollywood, CA Halloween Carnaval last night - took too many photos to post them all here, so am including just some of my favorites on this blog, and the rest you can see on Google +.  I will be providing a link to that as soon as I post them there.

 Lady in Red (mostly)

Lots of characters there - police, devils, catwomen, ghouls, monsters, and more.  But the pictures can speak for themselves.  Click on them to see larger size.

Don't forget, Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday morning at 2 a.m. - an extra hour of sleep (or partying), but it's going to get dark so early!!!!!!

Vote YES on prop 37 in CA - the ads asking you to vote no are misleading, and false.  The same companies that are against it were responsible for DDT and Agent Orange.  They told us not to worry about those.  By asking us to eat GMO foods, we are part of their experiment - long term results unknown.  Best thing you can do is go to Google, search for "GMO food," and see what comes up.  The ads tell you farmers are for GMO's, but search for "GMO food India Suicide," and you'll see the deception by those who produce GMO's.  Please do your research and due diligence on this one.  Your health and the health of your loved ones may well depend on what happens with this proposition.

Thanks, and have a great week.  Many interesting times ahead.

Photography and GMO's (Prop 37)

Normally I don't discuss propositions, as most of them are difficult to decide who is right and what the proposition will do.  However, I have made an exception for Prop 37 as it affects everyone who eats in California, and the nation (which, of course, is everyone).  I do not want to eat foods containing GMO's.  And if you value your health, you don't want those foods either.  Voting yes on prop 37 will let you me know which foods those are.  The ads against prop 37 are extremely misleading.  The latest one had a Dr. Sherry Franklin as the speaker, and she says there is nothing wrong with GMO's.  All the latest studies show the opposite (see my prior post and go to the links in it).  I can only speculate as to why she would say she is against prop 37 - perhaps money for the ad or from the corporations who produce the GMO's for her research, or perhaps she hasn't done her research on GMO's, or ?????????

Right now the only way to avoid GMO's is to find out which foods contain it through online sites, avoid processed foods as they are likely to have GMO's, or try to eat only organic foods which cannot contain GMO's (at least not directly).  Voting yes on 37 will make it a lot easier to know what you're eating.

Eating GMO food is like being part of an experiment or drug study, with an unknown outcome for your future.  By the time the outcome is known (much like DDT's outcome) the damage done could be catastrophic.
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This weekend, there is a women's paddle tennis tournament at Venice Beach, CA.  I will be doing some of the photography for them and will post pictures here (if all goes well) later in the weekend, much like the one below.  Have a great weekend, and a safe one.

Back to GMO's and Prop 37 in CA

About the "No on 37" ads - if you check the sponsors listed, they are all the ones involved in producing or selling products that contain GMO foods.  The ads say prop 37 is not logical; however, what isn't logical is why anyone would not want to know what is in the food they are eating.  And what isn't logical is if, as those companies claim, it does no harm, then why are they against labeling GMO's in food?  Everyone would be happy to eat them.  Unfortunately, GMO foods have been linked to many health problems - allergies, tumors, infertility, and more.

Keep in mind, too, that the companies making GMO foods are the same ones who made DDT and Agent Orange, claiming that they would be harmless.

Will it hurt the farmers who grow GMO foods?  Read this article about what has happened (and is happening) in India as a result of GMO crops:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/03/gmo-crops-affect-farmers.aspx

Vote YES on Proposition 37 as though your life depended on it (who knows, at some point in time, it may).

Every time I hear those misleading no on 37 ads, I feel I have to do my best to counter them in some way.  To protect our health, we really need to know what foods we put in our body.

PS - if you do not live in CA, but know people who do, please pass this on to them.

TGIF and Space Shuttle Endeavour

Happy Friday everyone.  This morning I was working on my computer, and kept hearing about the Space Shuttle Endeavour being parked in Westchester, about 4 miles from where I am.  I figured parking would be impossible as it was reported there were large crowds going over to take a look, so decided to ride my bicycle over to go see it and shoot some pictures.  Below are some of the ones I shot.  Hope you enjoy.

Elections and GMO's and Paddle Tennis

Elections are just about a month away.  Who should you vote for?  Whoever you think will do the best job, and that is all I will say about that.  There are enough other places where you can read in depth analyses of the candidates, some of which may be true and some may not.  Good luck to us all.

But Prop 37 (for California) I do offer an opinion on.  Vote YES (and please tell everyone you know to also vote yes, and give them the link below, and ask them to pass it on, too)...if you want to know what you are eating.  Rather than list all the possible dangers of GMO foods here, just click on this link to go to Google search for the dangers of GMO's.  Then you'll know why you MUST vote yes:  https://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=gmo+food+dangers&oq=GMO+food&gs_l=hp.1.2.0l10.2298.4724.0.17657.8.6.0.2.2.0.151.730.1j5.6.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.WUR9UUatmZ4

Remember that prop 37 just requires foods to be labeled as GMO if they contain GMO ingredients.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  I'll be out at the paddle tennis courts at Venice Beach, either playing or taking pictures, or both.  Here are a few from last week:

What to look for in a Photographer

What should you look for in a photographer?  Because I photograph people, this post answers the question as related to portraits, headshots, and the like.  Before I get into my thoughts on this, I want to very briefly talk about one very important subject unrelated to photography.  And that is GMO food labeling and foods. If you want to know if you are eating GMO food, vote YES on Prop 37 in California.  GMO foods have been linked to a number of health issues and problems, from tumors to infertility.  Give yourself the option of whether you want to buy or eat these foods by mandatory labeling of them as GMO, then you will be able to avoid them should you choose to.  Now on to photography.

So, what should you look for in a photographer, or do when searching for one?
1.  Someone you can get along with and relate to, and who will treat you like a million bucks!  My feeling is that if someone hires me to photograph them, they are hiring me to photograph them as they wish to be photographed.  They will always have the final say in all photographic decisions.  I will do everything possible to fulfill they desires.  I will offer suggestions when needed in order to get the best image of them that is possible.

2.  If, after doing the above, I have been unable to meet or exceed their expectations, I will offer a re-shoot, if they are okay with that, or give them a complete refund of any money paid to me for the photography.  This includes any time I have spent on post-processing or any other work I've done relating to the current session.

3.  Check out their previous work, either through an online site or in person.

4.  Always try to meet in person to schedule your appointment, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.  The more you know and the better you know the photographer, the better pictures you will get.

5.  Is the photographer willing to reschedule for you if you are not feeling well the day of the shoot?  This is important because you want to feel your absolute best during the session.  I would actually insist on rescheduling if you are feeling less than your best.

6.  Although price may be important, it should be low on the list of what to look for.  If you were to pay $75 with no guarantee, and got terrible photos (bad lighting, bad pose, not sharp, etc), you just threw away $75. But if you paid $500 and got a photo that you that captured not only your looks (and they looked beautiful), but also your personality, that would be a priceless heirloom.  And if you weren't happy even if it did all these things, you received a complete refund - well, you can't compare the two.

7.  Photographer must be professional - by this I mean on time, open about everything you ask, know what he or she is doing, shows the client total respect - you'll know by how they act.  Should give you exactly what you want, and offer suggestions based on this.  Make sure you tell your photographer anything you would not be comfortable with.  If he disagrees, say good bye.

8.  I feel like a photographer should make your session fun and enjoyable, and I think you should find a photographer who does this.

Saturday Odds and Ends

About Prop 37, which requires foods that contain GMO's (genetically modified food) to be labelled as containing GMO.  If you want to know what you're eating, then vote YES.   I always want to know what I am eating.  Always.

Whatever you do in life, you always want to eliminate as many variables as possible.  In photography, that means you need to know about exposure, composition, lighting, your camera's settings, and to learn everything you can to get prefect exposures.  The other variable, of course, is your subject, especially when your subject is another person.  You need to know the exact instant when to press the shutter release to capture that expression that is there for that one instant.  Eliminate the variables and get control, and you will get great photos.

Eliminate the variables in your diet, know what you are eating, and eat well, and you will be healthier than if you did not do that.

Now for some recent photos - the first set was of the worlds strongest man competition held at Venice Beach, CA.

And the following are from my current favorite sport to play, shot at Venice Beach, CA, also - always something happening there.  As always, click on the photos to see larger size.

That's all for now - have a great weekend.

Flu Season? Immunizations? Drugs?

As we head into flu season, there are things you should know about getting the flu shot - please read the following article:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/26/flu-vaccine-exposed.aspx
I once got a flu shot, and was sick for the following two days.  I never took one again, and knowing what I know now, I wouldn't get one if they paid me (which is pretty unlikely, LOL).

What about other immunizations and drugs?  Do your research, make sure you know what you would be taking, possible side effects, get second and third opinions, and find out if there is a natural alternative that might work as well, or better.  Better yet, maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well (which means staying away from sugar, artificial sweeteners or anything else artificial, GMO foods, etc.), exercising properly, eliminating as much stress as possible, taking the proper supplements, not smoking or drinking in excess, eliminating soft drinks, etc.  Once I did these things, I stopped getting the flu, and almost no more viruses of any kind (one in the last 5 years, although it might have been food poisoning).

One surprising thing that I found out (besides my health improving by doing the above) - when I cut out all junk food, the good food started tasting better.  I started my road to health with a book that was recommended to me by a friend, call "Health Secrets of the Hunza."

I took the above photo when I was 11 years old, on a school field trip to LaAnna, PA.  It was taken with the Daci small metal box camera which used 120 or 220 film, and which was made in Germany.

Always remember, before you do anything, do your research.  It is your life, your health, your happiness, and your money.  The time you spend educating yourself about it will pay you back many times over.

BMX at Venice Beach Today

Shot some photos of the BMX competition today at Venice Beach.  Pretty amazing what they can do on bikes and skateboards.

As always, click on the photo to see it larger (at least I think that is how it works, LOL).
The first four photos were exposed for the sky, using the cameras aperture priority mode.  Then onto Lightroom to lighten up the riders (flyers).  The one drawback with the FZ30 by Panasonic is the noise levels in shadows, which you can see in the full size image.  The bottom two photos were shot in manual mode, exposed for the riders - much less noise in the riders, but the sky is pretty blown out.  To get the best of both worlds, if I had shot in raw with my Canon, then processed as 3 or 4 different exposures and used HDR, could have compensated for the extreme contrast levels.  One day I will have to experiment with that.

These last 3 shots were just a few others I shot yesterday and today.

Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend.

TGIF

Another week has gone by, another week closer to elections.  In California, perhaps the most important thing on your ballot is prop 37 - the initiative to require GMO (genetically modified foods) to be labeled as such.  If you value your health, and the health of your children, then you must vote yes on 37.

I heard on the news last night that allergy season is in full force, and really bad this season.  I used to have very bad allergies this time of year, to the point that I was wheezing and couldn't sleep.  But no more - thankfully I did some research , improved my diet, and took some supplements.  The main one that worked for me for my allergies was originally cysteine (which smells like rotten eggs), an amino acid that contains sulfur, and now MSM which doesn't have that rotten egg smell :)

Unlike drugs, no side effects, but it did take several weeks to take full effect.  Of course, if you are taking any drugs or have any health conditions, consult your health practitioner (hopefully one who knows about nutrition and supplements).  Over the years, I have added and subtracted many other supplements until I found what seems to work best for me.  Everyone is different, so what has worked for me may not work for you.  But whether you trade stocks, are a photographer, or have a health condition, do your due diligence (aka research) to find what works best.

Speaking of photography - I've recently been comparing the new Canon 6D, 7D, 5D MKII, Nikon D600 and D700.  And I've reached the following conclusion - with the best lenses, any of these should be able to do what you need a camera to do.  With that said, the only other thing to do is look at specific details.  And if you are really picky, rent each one for a short time and do some shots and see what you like.  I was thinking of upgrading from my Canon 40D, but then realized it gives me beautiful photos (with a little help from me, LOL), and perhaps a new lens would be better - the Canon 24-105 f4 L IS EF USM.  Have read nothing but excellent reviews about this one.

Volleyball at Santa Monica Beach photo - taken with Panasonic FZ30:

And this one was taken outside of the IFC Awards at Santa Monica Beach this past February (or was it March?) - signing autographs (who is this?):

Have a fun and safe weekend!

Here's To Your Health

Once again, it was a toss up as to what I would write about - health or photography.  Well, photography doesn't affect health (although it allows you to see how great you looked when in good health, and perhaps the difference if you are no longer in good health).  But health will definitely affect how you look in your photos.  Not to mention poor health affects every facet of your life.  I try to do whatever I can to educate you about health - to do that, you must understand the difference between good health and bad health.  You can't do that by relying on the evening news for your education.  So this is mostly about health, although I've included some of my latest photos at the bottom of this post.

Lately, the news has been extremely misleading.  It has been reporting that many things that are good for you really aren't (when, in fact, they are).  I'm talking here not about drugs, but about organic food, fish oil, vitamins, and other supplements.  They quote studies (or, more correctly, parts of studies that will catch the most attention so you will watch the news), many of which are funded by drug companies, and which are flawed.  They may use synthetic vitamins (as they did in studies with Vitamin A and E), or amounts that would not be expected to do anything, or use people in the studies whose other health habits are unknown, or whose vitamin intake can't be verified, etc.  In one of the latest reported studies, on fish oil, one study they quoted showed it had no effect on heart health.  Hundreds of other studies have showed good results for heart health.  The questions you need answers to:  what fish oil did they use (cheap, contaminated, what kind of fish, was it heated during processing, was it fresh or perhaps rancid, etc.)?  What was the diet of the subjects?  Did they have preexisting heart problems or in poor heart health prior to the study?

The point is, almost any study can be performed in a such a way as to show almost any result.  So you have to look at all the past studies on the topic, and come to your own conclusions.  One site that has excellent references and up to date info is Dr. Mercola's (his products on his site are a bit expensive, so I don't personally order from there):  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/18/flu-shot-increases-flu-illness.aspx?e_cid=20120918_DNL_art_1  Explore his site and sign up for his newsletter - you'll learn a lot about your health and what to do to regain it or keep it.

Another excellent site is http://orthomolecular.org/

Here is a true story, that at first you may wonder why I put it here, but think about it for a minute.
My mother, brother, and a friend of my brother's went fishing. My brother's
friend was a fishing expert, and told my mother she was doing
everything wrong. My mother was the only one who caught fish that day
- 3 of them. Instead of learning what she did, he attributed it to luck.
I'm sure the same happens with your photography (or your health?). Instead of others
learning from what you've done, they say, "that can't work."

I've had doctors tell me the same about vitamins and supplements (they don't work, but if you want to spend your money....) .  And ask me almost nothing about my diet.  When I was growing up, if something was going around (cold, flu, bronchitis, etc), I caught it.  At least 4 times a year.  Plus I had an ulcer in my mid 20's, dandruff, and on and on.  At 30 I was diagnosed with "nervous stomach" at Kaiser.  The remedy the doctors told me was to stay out of stressful situations.  And that was when I realized I had to find answers on my own.  And I did.  A healthy diet WITHOUT sugar, fructose, artificial anything, no preservatives.  And then I also added supplements.  Now I have been sick just once in the past 5 years, and about 2 years since the last time I caught anything (it might have been food poisoning, even though I'm pretty careful).

One major difference between supplements and drugs - supplements extremely rarely have any side effects, and many times they are actually good side effects - i.e. something else gets better other than what you were taking it for.  One thing you may want to do - find a health practitioner who is an expert in vitamins and supplements, and diet - such as Dr. Mercola.  And do your research, due diligence, or whatever you want to call it - and get educated about your health - no less than the time you spend on your photography.

Now for my latest photos - taken Sep 14, 2012 at Venice Beach of a Dr. Bronners display that was set up near Windward Circle (BTW - Dr Bronners liquid soap it great - I use the Lavender to wash and shave with and it works great - not sure which product they used in these photos).

Hope you enjoyed the articles and the photos.  Have a great week.