Back to Photography Today

With Halloween just around the corner (already!!!????), thought I would start posting some photos of past Halloweens.  Hope you enjoy.

Perhaps the best part of Halloween is that everyone is out having lots of fun, being friendly, and totally enjoying themselves.  And I don't think I met anyone who didn't want his/her photo recorded.

Health Statistics and Health Care Reform

I know - this is supposed to be a photography blog, and will be most of the time.  However, as I posted in the past, the state of your health (and I don't mean NY or CA or some other state) will determine, to some extent, the results you get in a photo session, or even if you will be around to have a photo session, not to mention the quality of your everyday life.

Health care reform (aka Obamacare, but should have really been called Insurance Reform or Mandatory Insurance - but probably would not have passed with those names, LOL) would have been something a bit different.  What should it have included?  Education about nutrition, exercise, and supplements (these things you can do on your own, as I did), reigning in health care costs, lessening of environmental toxins, eliminating the use of those drugs that are not needed (DON'T ask your doctor if a drug ad drug is right for you - drug ads are illegal in almost all countries for a reason)  including the over-use of antibiotics, etc.  Obamacare does have some good provisions - like the part about pre-existing conditions.  But does anyone know what else is covered in the 1,000 pages?

Health Care Reform should have been aimed at changing the following statistics (I'm just reporting the highlights - the full article can be read here:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/05/us-health-care-system.aspx?e_cid=20131005Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131005Z1):

Americans spend twice as much on health care per capita than any other country in the world; in fact, according to a series of studies by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co, the US spends more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined: Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain, and Australia.

Other astounding statistics include:

• The US spends more than 17 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare1
• If the US health care system was a country, it would be the 6th largest economy on the entire planet2
• While the US makes up only five percent of the world’s population, Americans consume over 50 percent of all the world’s pharmaceutical drugs
• Overall, Americans also pay 50 percent more than other countries for identical drugs, as a result of laws and regulations preventing the US government from reining in drug prices like other nations do

Despite all of this spending and pill-popping, the US ranks dead last in terms of quality of care among industrialized countries, and Americans are far sicker and live shorter lives than people in other nations.

In 2000, the Institutes of Medicine reported that medical errors were the eighth leading cause of death in the US, killing between 44,000 and 98,000 people each year. This was followed by a 2003 article aptly titled "Death by Medicine", authored in two parts by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, which described in excruciating detail how the modern conventional American medical system has bumbled its way into becoming the leading cause of death and injury in the United States, claiming the lives of nearly 784,000 people annually!

In 2010, two additional reports published in New England Journal of Medicine9 and the Journal of General Internal Medicine10 respectively, showed just how little things have changed since 2003. For example:

• Out of 62 million death certificates dated between 1976-2006, almost a quarter-million deaths were coded as having occurred in a hospital setting due to medication errors.
• An estimated 450,000 preventable medication-related adverse events occur in the US every year.

Will Obamacare change the above statistics?  Or will it add to them?

Always Carry a Camera (Phone?)

I've been pretty much taking a camera with me wherever I go - you never know what you might see.  Or what, or who, you might want to photograph, as the following illustrates.

Two very nice hitchhikers I picked up while driving from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara in the late 1970's. They were so nice, had to take their picture - who knew that one day it would end up on FB, or a blog, LOL? In fact, who, back then, could have imagined the internet?

When this photo was shot, there was no way to share it with more than just a few people.  You photographed something, got your film processed and had prints made, and that was pretty much it, unless you could get it published somewhere.  Now, here it is for anyone who stops by to see.

The following image was a bit more planned, at the beach in Malibu:

Sun slightly off to the side and behind, reflector in front.  Simple lighting with beautiful results.  

Taking Time to Relax

The following photo is the area where a young lady was relaxing in Century City, in the main courtyard.

Below is a closer up photo of her.  This is a fictional (or perhaps not) account of the what might have lead up to this image.

It was a warm sunny day and she had been hard at work all morning.  She needed some time to enjoy what little window of opportunity she had to enjoy this day and get in some relaxation, not caring who might see her (including any photographers).  It was time to just enjoy and recharge and get ready for the rest of the afternoon.

It doesn't take much time to take a relaxation break, whatever you do, but it does make a giant difference in how you'll feel and what you will accomplish, whether having an extended photo session, driving while on vacation, or whatever else you may be doing.

Another Way to Have Fun...and a Few Words About Scanning

Assuming you don't get seasick, going for a boat ride is always enjoyable, as long as safety concerns are taken care of.  The following was shot on a small boat off Venice Beach, California, sometime in the early 1980's with a Nikon film camera, then scanned.

If you have old slides or negatives, or photographic prints, it may be a good idea to scan them, as I found out - many of my old slides either faded or color shifted, or both.  This is the result:

This was originally shot sometime in the mid 1970's.  No scanned until around 2003 or so.  Digital files never fade or color shift - unless they are edited as .jpg files.  However, this can be avoided in a few ways, either using nondestructive editing, or editing a copy.

Hope you've enjoyed today's post.

Today is a Good Day for.....

Visiting Venice Beach during this beautiful Fall weather.  Here are two young ladies from Rhode Island who were doing just that:

A good day for photography - well, every day is good for that.  I always bring my beach camera when I go to Venice Beach - you never know what you might see, or who.  Some days there are film crews, paddle tennis tournaments, body building and fitness contests, dare devils, etc.

For some it was a difficult day because of the government shutdown.  But knowing these things will happen from time to time, it pays to plan ahead and prepare for them, so you can enjoy yourself no matter what happens.  As that old saying goes, don't worry, be happy.

Ten Ways to be Happy....and Photographic Portraits

I came across the chart below on Facebook - 10 scientific ways to be happy.  There are more (such as a healthy diet and the correct supplements for you), but this will at least get you started.  Think of this not just as how to enjoy life more, but also how to get your perfect portrait, glamour/boudoir photos, or any other photos in which you are included.

Some who visit here may wonder about the content when they see posts about health, life, and more, because it is a photography blog.  All these other subjects will do one thing for you (well, many things, but speaking of photographically) - help you look your best.  Looking your best is one component of your final image.

Other important aspects include such things as lighting (natural or indoor), posing, post-processing, how well you related to your photographer, etc.  These will be topics for future posts.  Meanwhile, stay healthy and happy and enjoy all that you do.