Greetings,

What a week!! Kileen and her daughter Andi, came and spent Friday through Sunday morning with us at Bonita Creek. We shot for what had to be 7 hours from noon to sunset. About 1400 images were taken as well as some nice behind the scenes videos. I’m going to make some instructional videos (thanks Andi!) about planning and running a shoot with the videos as well as include bits of them in the editing training sessions where we might be working on a particular shot. I think it would be nice to see the image from concept, to lighting, to the shot, and then the edit. A unique approach maybe?

There is something new I’ve been doing while planning shoots. I’m not spending as much time looking at inspirational images like I used to. Sure, they still trigger some good ideas. I’m just creating bullet pointed ideas with whatever details to remind me of anything unique. Like fog or sunset. And as we shoot we go down the list. The idea being to get that one wonderful shot in each set. It sure worked for Kileen’s shoot. When someone travels across state lines for 6 hours I want to make their trip as productive as possible of course. We nailed them all, expect the cowboy chaps. We were just to exhausted to keep going. Can’t do chaps with a tired butt.

On Monday Linda and I switched nests and came down the hill to hang out here in Chandler for most of the winter. If it starts getting snowy up there we’ll pack up the dark hot cocoa and run back up and see if we can get snowed in. We enjoyed our second long summer up there. Up to the pandemic we hadn’t spent more than a month at a time up there. So, it was a change of life and one that will be permanent, well for what life we have left in us anyhow. But the truck was FULL of things we think we just can’t live without, and 3 angel wings. So, it really wasn’t all that much and all in one trip.

I just added yet another Yeti Blue microphone to my gear. Colby and I have plans to create something kinda’ new and different. It will be called “Wide Open”. It will be a fun and, hopefully, interesting and ongoing project with as many episodes as we can get away with. I’m going to leave it at that and let you all guess what it’s going to be about. How good could it be with two old farts producing it? But, we’ll have two awesome microphones now, so hey!!

Well, my 69th birthday is on Monday. I have zero clue how that happened. I thought there would be more effort to make it to this vintage. I guess looking both ways and not sticking forks in wall sockets are about it. There are old photographers, and bold photographers, but there aren’t any old, bold photographers. Hell, I let the models do the bold shit, I just take a picture of it. But, I can still get up off the floor on my own, and wakeup before I go pee at night instead of the other way around, so I am okay for another tire rotation I guess.

Linda and I got our booster Moderna shots yesterday. Where were those tiny needles when I was in grade school getting all those vaccinations? It was like having a nail shoved in your arm. Now it’s painless. Well, until the next morning when my arm feels like it’s going to fall off. But, we have no other side effects, so we are good to go. Hell, I take 7 forms of self prescribed vitamins and minerals each morning and between that and wearing a mask in public places I haven’t had so much as a cold in almost 2 years. I’m good with that.

And next week Linda and I are headed to California for the week. Visiting good friends in Santa Ynez and then down to visit my daughter and her family…and of course she’s treating me to a day in Disneyland. Worry not, there will be a Museletter on Wednesday.

Nothing new on the geek front. I’m helping Elley and Dan set up a remote way to control their pool heater on their AirB&Bs with their phones. That’s fun, and pretty much done. And the radio noise here in the valley is horrendous, so my remote station at Bonita is nice to have. I still don’t have that much time to play on the radios when I have so much editing and training and napping going on.

Ad: On the 20th of November, I’m doing a group class with 6 photographers and Elley as the model. It’s all about lighting and then some editing over Zoom. That should be great fun for all. And she’s going to book up the following day in the studio for 1on1 shoots with photographers. So if you don’t need a class (21st), here’s your change to work with a real pro. And if you’d like to take the class, click the link.

Book the class here

Enjoy the art!

Until next week, enjoy!!! And stay safe.

Dave

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New images…and some classics

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