Familia Photo

Family Photography: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Building a Business on Relationships by Christie Mumm

Going beyond how to capture memorable family photos, this examination spotlights the special touches and relationship-building skills that turn subjects from clients into friends. The author’s signature techniques for generating repeat business are shared, revealing how to remain a family’s constant photographer for years—from maternity portraits and baby photos to wedding images and senior snapshots. Specific suggestions are featured, including reaching out through social networking sites, blogging, and hosting special parties and events. Offering a comprehensive approach to building a successful portrait business, this handbook demonstrates how relationships with subjects are just as important as the pictures created for them.

About the Author

Christie Mumm is a wedding and portrait photographer and the owner of JLM Creative Photography. She lives in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Reviews

“[Family Photography] is full of great insight and ideas for how to incorporate a lasting family portrait business. Many photographer’s claim to have relationships with their clients, but Christie’s ideas really support how to nuture a relationship and become a photographer clients will naturally rave about as if they were all friends. She offers great behind the scenes tips to capturing natural light portraits, in her studio, in a clients home, and outdoors. For those just starting out, this is a great book to gain tips and tricks on not only planning, posing and styling a shoot, but what to do long after the session is completed. In time, I hope to gain the comfort of exploring newborn photography and will hold on to this book as a reference for when I do. There are ideas here that I would have never thought of when working with newborns and I now have a clue as to how those adorable poses are executed! She touches on the conversations to have with clients before their shoot and tips on how to interact during the shoot (especially with children) to make sure the client and the photographer are doing the best they can for the best results. I enjoyed her tips on how she builds a relationship that lasts over lifetimes beginning with expecting a child. Overall, a great book for those interested in pursuing family photography.”

Cables To Go started in 1984 in the back room of a small Dayton, Ohio computer store with three guys, $3000 in startup capital, and a vision of quickly delivering custom-made cables at a good price. After 25 years, their popularity keeps growing as they’ve become a leading manufacturer and distributor of computer cables and connectivity solutions. Cables to Go products are available directly to consumers and resellers, and also through key distributors such as Amazon.com.

What They Do

Cables to Go efficiently produces high-quality cable, focusing upon computer and electronic connectivity products. They’ve become the leading experts in the electronic cable field and they only use the finest components and the latest construction technologies to optimize cable performance and ensure compliance to industry specifications for each cable and its designated application. When you choose Cables to Go, you receive the highest quality connectivity products, a LIFETIME WARRANTY on all their cables, plus FREE TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

With the rise of cell phones that contain not just cameras, but high-resolution cameras, the age of the stand-alone digital camera may be numbered

In the early days of digital cameras during the first half of the first decade of the new millennium from 2001 to 2006, digital cameras were growing in popularity, going down in price, and up in average pixel size. I can remember spending $225 for a 2 megapixel, Kodak point-and-shoot camera in 2002 and $150 for the same type of camera by Sony with 4 megapixels in 2005. I bought my first Digital SLR in 2006, a Canon EOS Rebel XTI, which had 10 megapixels for $1000. Today, for $150 you can get a 14 Megapixel point-and-shoot camera from Olympus and for a $1000 you can get a Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR with 18 Megapixels. All of that means that for point and shoot cameras, the cost per megapixel has dropped roughly from $100 per megapixel in 2002 to $10 a megapixel in 2011 – a ten-fold decrease in cost, which is an order of magnitude. DSLR’s cost per megapixel was about $100 per megapixel in 2006 and has dropped to about $50 per megapixel in 2011 – a 50% decrease over 5 years. By the way, a megapixel is a million pixels.
(more…)

Extend a USB signal up to 150 feet using Cat5 between Superbooster USB wall plates

Conquer USB length limitations and place your USB devices where you want them with the USB “SuperBooster Wall Plate” from Cables To Go. This wall plate solution extends the distance of a USB device to a host computer up to 150ft so you can place your USB projector, camera, printer, or any other USB device exactly where you want it! The USB SuperBooster Wall Plate is powerful yet simple, with no drivers to install or special software required. It is compatible with any computer that supports USB. This plug-and-play device consists of a transmitter unit and receiver unit incorporated into two, single gang Decora-compatible wall plates. The transmitter/receiver pair is connected via standard cat5, cat5E, or cat6 UTP cable, allowing for easy in-wall installation. This provides a clean, finished installation that is important for homes, classrooms, offices and any other facility where you don’t want unsightly visible cables lying around. Use pre-terminated network cables or pull unterminated cable and use the tool-less IDC RJ45 connectors (included). The USB SuperBooster Wall Plate is also a self-powered device, so no external power source is required. (more…)

Kensington 2nd Generation KeyFolio Bluetooth Keyboard Accessory Case for Apple iPad 2 2nd Generation WiFi / 3G Model 16GB, 32GB, 64GB NEWEST MODEL & for Apple iPad 1 OLDER ORGINAL MODEL (Black)

The Kensington KeyFolio not only protects your iPad when on the road but also provides a handy wireless Bluetooth keyboard and handsfree stand when you reach your destination. The rubberized keys were specially designed to cushion your iPad screen from bumps and scratches when the folio is closed. The magnet-free case ensures uninterrupted operation of the iPad’s digital compass.

The material Kensington makes it out of is good quality. My issue with it like the first generation is stability. As the video shows it has some issues with stability and some other points which I felt were of concern. If you tap on the screen normally, it can fall down. The cutouts for the camera are not perfect because the iPad moves around a little bit in the case. There is also no cutout for the speaker on the Kensington model. This might be an issue while listening to music or watching a movie. I found the Menotek one to be better than the Kensington one because of the cut outs for the rear camera and speaker. The case was also more stable with the Menotek one. It did not fall down even when tapping the screen very hard.

Apple Universal Dock

The Apple Universal Dock offers easy access to a USB port for charging and syncing your iPod or iPhone or for connecting to a TV or speakers. It includes the Apple Remote for easy control from across the room.

The Apple Universal Dock allows for component video (the lowest spec video I bother with), stereo audio, remote control, and can charge my iPod.

Apple MC953ZM/A Digital AV Adapter ZML

Put your slides, movies, photos, and everything else that fills your iPad 2 screen on an even bigger screen – your HDTV. The Apple Digital AV Adapter mirrors exactly what you see on iPad 2 so that everyone in the room can enjoy it on your widescreen TV, video projection screen, or other HDMI-compatible display. The Apple Digital AV Adapter also supports HD video out for iPad, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th generation). So you can watch your slideshows and movies on the big screen in HD.

Though released with the iPad 2, this adapter will, in fact, pipe both video and audio out of an iPad 1 and an iPhone 4 through HDMI without any problem as long as the app you wish to view supports it. The Netflix app works beautifully over AT&T 3G connections on both the iPad and iPhone 4, but I wished to have a way to use the service at older family member’s houses who do not have Internet of any sort. I had read most of the reviews here on Amazon and done some other digging around, but no one was very clear as to what this adapter could and could not do on older hardware.

iPad 2 – You get true “mirroring” performance. This essentially means that whatever you see and hear from the iPad 2 on screen gets put through the HDMI connection, including the home screen icons, sound effects, etc. This is what the adapter was created for.

iPad 1 – When plugged in, you do not get to see anything on the TV screen, but the TV will recognize that it is receiving an HDMI signal. It will simply be blank. The iPad 1 screen will behave normally until you open an app that is compatible with video/audio out and that’s when the magic starts. In the Netflix app, which is the only one I’ve tested so far, you still get the menus and whatnot on the iPad 1 screen as always, but as soon as you start playing streaming video, the iPad 1 screen displays a red screen with the Netflix logo. All the video and sound gets piped through the HDMI output to the TV.

iPhone 4 – It all works essentially the same as on an iPad 1, which makes perfect sense given the similarities in hardware. I did notice much worse compression artifact errors, though, when output to TV. My guess is that the video signal being streamed to the iPhone 4 is scaled down to fit the small screen, where such artifacting would be less noticeable, and that this small-screen version does not scale well to a 42″ HDTV. Though both sound and video were output just fine, the quality of the video left much to be desired. In fact, I would describe the video as essentially unwatchable.

The adapter itself has two ports, one HDMI female port and one standard female iPod connector port. This permits you to power/charge the iPad or iPhone while simultaneously outputting video and audio. Not included, of course, is an HDMI cable. I would suggest you get at least a 3′ cable, possibly a 6′ cable, with which to connect to the TV or projector since you’ll have to account for needing to physically manipulate the touch screen to start up video output. Build quality is typical Apple, which is to say excellent.

Apple iPad Keyboard Dock – Keyboard – English

Apple iPad Keyboard Dock – MC533LLA. Easy Access To A Dock Connector Port For Syncing Or Charging. Hold Your iPad At The Perfect Angle To Compose Email And Notes Or To Watch Your Favorite Videos Or Photo Slideshows. Anodized Aluminum Keyboard Enclosure With Low-Profile Keys. White With Aluminum Finish.

This keyboard is awesome! It’s not wireless – it works as a dock, which means your iPad charges while connected to it. Apple keyboards don’t have backspace buttons AND a delete button (the delete button is used in place of the backspace button on a PC). The dock makes the iPad stand completely vertical and there is no way to tilt it so if you’re used to being able to tilt a screen for added comfort, you’re not able to do that with this keyboard. It takes a bit of getting used to and you have to use the iPad’s original USB cable to connect it.

Apple AA NiMH Battery Charger

The first battery charger designed by Apple, the Apple Battery Charger sets a new industry standard for quick, wise energy usage. That’s because the Apple Battery Charger has one of the lowest standby power usage values–or “vampire draw”–of any similar charger on the market. Standby power is the energy that most chargers continue to draw after their batteries are fully charged. In contrast to most chargers, the Apple Battery Charger senses when its batteries are done charging and automatically reduces the amount of power it needs. This intelligent power management system makes the charger one of the most energy-efficient rechargeable battery solutions ever.

Each Apple Battery Charger comes with six high-performance AA NiMH batteries: two for your keyboard, two for your mouse or trackpad, and two for charging. Unlike many other reusable batteries, these batteries have an incredibly long service life–up to 10 years–meaning you can finally break the cycle of buying and disposing toxic, single-use alkaline batteries. The batteries that come with the Apple Battery Charger kit also have an extraordinarily low self-discharge rate. Even after a year of sitting in a drawer, they still retain 80 percent of their original charge, so you’ll always have backup power when you need it. And although the charger is built for six batteries, it can also recharge one or two batteries at a time, including AA NiMH batteries from other companies, too.
It’s a Beautiful Fit

The Apple Battery Charger is as well designed on the outside as it is on the inside. The charger boasts a sleek, compact shape, so you can plug it in between tangles of desk wires or pack it neatly in your computer bag when you travel. And like Apple power adapters, the Apple Battery Charger is designed with a removable AC plug, so you can replace it with plugs that fit different outlets around the world. Ideal for energy-conscious computer users of all stripes, the Apple Battery Charger comes with a wall charger and six rechargeable AA NiMH batteries.

Apple Composite (RCA) AV Cable

Easily connect your iPod to the composite video inputs on a TV and watch your video podcasts, TV shows, and movies on the big screen. The cable also features audio and USB connectors, and a USB Power Adapter is included. Compatible with iPhone 4; iPhone 3GS; iPhone 3G; iPhone; iPod touch 4th generation; iPod touch 3rd generation; iPod touch 2nd generation; iPod touch 1st generation; iPod classic 120GB 160GB (2009); iPod classic 160GB (2007); iPod classic 80GB; iPod nano 6th generation; iPod nano 5th generation (video camera); iPod nano 4th generation (video); iPod nano 3rd generation (video); iPod 5th generation (video); iPod 4th generation (color display) 40GB 60GB; iPad.

Works with the iPhone 3GS with the 3.0 software. It plugs into the yellow/red/white (RCA composite) ports on your TV, and has a USB port for power. It also works great with the iPod Touch 2G with 2.2 firmware.