Greetings,

Another Wednesday, another Museletter. Good thing love showing off, huh? Have I ever mentioned I have a master’s degree in “Show and Tell”? Another one of those degrees that should come with a few classes in other skills that make money.

Before heading off to the dunes with Elley and Dan, I did a shoot with Violet; today's video is a small part of that shoot. Again, I’ve included some finished images in the video to see what was happening during the capture.

I’m often amazed at the difference between how bland it looks when I’m shooting and what the finished images look like. The models certainly give me looks and curves that make beautiful images. I couldn’t do it without that to start with. I do have a bit of a zen mindset during the actual shooting, where I’m hyper-concentrating on the lights and what changes I can make to capture this or that look. I can almost feel the pressure release then we break for another look. Almost like when your ears pop coming down in altitude.

I had to spend some time this week with a vacuum in the studio, cleaning sand out of pretty much everything. Camera bags, light bags, etc. I was surprised that nothing seemed to stick to the camera. It sure is getting a lot of wear marks on it. Someone has been using it a lot since it was new in 2019. I’m building up a slightly different setup for portable use, and I’ll have to try it out here soon at a close location to make sure I know what I’ll be getting. It involved a more robust flash bulb setup, so I have already purchased extra batteries. It will take some grinding and sanding to get the mount to work, but it should work well.

Speaking of sand.

I’ve decided that pup tents and porta-potties are for other people. Not a 70-year-old. Yes, a phrase that comes out of my mouth often is, "I’m too old for that shit.” So, Linda and I did some research and have ordered a nice trailer. It should be here by summer, and it’ll be great to get away (we already have reservations for a week at the north rim of the Grand Canyon) and, of course, shoots. If the dunes become an annual thing, and I hope it does, the next trip will be in style.

We ordered an R-Pod model 190 for those who might be curious. I’ve wanted something new for years. Ever since we sold our tiny Basecamp. But the pandemic made the prices skyrocket for a while. I knew, as things cooled off, there would be an overstock of RV lots, and they would come back down to being simply overpriced instead of mind-bogglingly so. So that will be exciting to round out our fall season of life with some comfort as we travel.

Stay open-minded and curious, my friends!

Dave

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