#DayofCaring 2014

August 26, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of shooting again for Bismarck's MSA United Way. You may have seen that I also got to work with them for their Annual Campaign Video. If you haven't, you can read about that experience here!

On Wednesday, August 13th 2014, MSA United Way hosted their annual #DayofCaring. This year was one of the best turn outs that they have had. Over 800 people of Bismarck and Mandan gathered together to better our communities to help complete more than 40 projects! Some of these projects included fixing, cleaning, organizing, and building for local organizations.

The day started early at Century High School in Bismarck. Volunteers and team leaders started to show up at 7:30 am, inside the gymnasium. Volunteers were greeted with a breakfast of fresh doughnuts from Bearscat Bakehouse and watermelon from Cash Wise. (I have to say, I am not usually one for doughnuts, but Bearscat's were fantastic!)

After getting everyone fed, registered for their projects and a short presentation by the Board of MSA United Way, the volunteers headed out to their project locations spread across Bismarck and Mandan, and as far north as Wilton, east as Menoken.

With the distance between locations, came quite a challenge to shoot as many of the 40+ locations as I could! You can see more of the photos from each location in the Behind the Scenes Gallery.

Being able to see the efforts of so many people from North Dakota, all for one cause is truly inspiring. I look forward to the next time that I work with a non-profit like MSA United Way, to help share what it is that they, and others do day in and day out within our local communities.

Currently, I am looking into working with some non-profits overseas for the opportunity to do some documentary work - cross your fingers for me! Be sure to check back for the latest updates!

Prints: Price vrs. Value

July 22, 2014

As you know, there are tons of photographers out there. In my opinion, some new or part-time (and some full-time pros) will just shoot your photo regardless of quality, shove it through some third party software to "enhance" the pictures, burn them to a CD/DVD and sell them and the printing rights over to their clients to do whatever they wish with them.

This might sound like a great option for some clients out there. You may feel like you can get a better deal on prints from some online printer or local Walmart. If you are one of those that would be perfectly happy with this, let me plant a thought in your brain - Your intent in hiring a photographer for $200 - $3000+, to shoot pictures of you, your family, an event/wedding, etc, was to capture a moment in time that is special to you, that you want to last. Forever.

Don't you want your pictures to look the BEST they can? Assuming your Photographer does take pride in their work (as many do), ASK what lab/service they use to PRINT those photos!

These are some serious questions that you should be asking yourself AND your potential Photographer! Say you get your images on a CD, and you get them printed at your local Walmart/Target or maybe a cheap online printer. You might not notice the color shift or lack of sharpness. You might have your “mommy goggles” on and think that picture of your child is the best picture ever. And when your friends see that picture, they’re going to tell you,

“OMG! I love it! "Joe Smith" Photography did such a good job!”

You know what they’re saying inside?

“Ew, why is it green? Who took that picture? I hope she didn’t pay for that.”

And do you know who ends up looking bad? The Photographer. Not to mention, your prints just lost that photographer future business.

I'm not about to let anything like this happen. I care. I take a lot of time to shoot, edit, and process images to show my style and quality. I take pride in my pictures, and I stand behind my work. When clients come to me for their photos, it’s because they want special images and high quality prints and wall art, and I intend to deliver exactly that.

As for the actual prints themselves, not all printers are the same. Not all 8×10′s are created equal. Some of you gasp at the cost of prints by a custom photographer. You know Walmart charges $2 for an 8×10, so how in the world can "Joe Smith" Photography charge $40?! But let me give you this answer: Quality

This blog isn’t about the extreme expense that goes into running a legitimate tax-paying business and offering personalized service to you, or the amount of time and skill that goes into creating your images, far beyond the one hour you see the photographer shooting. Believe me, there’s a lot more that goes into it than you see during your shoot.

Professional photographers use professional print labs. I don’t mean the camera store at the mall with pricier prints than the drugstore. Wolfe Camera is a good consumer printer to use for your vacation photos, but it is not a professional print lab. Professional labs offer higher quality photo paper, higher quality inks, and special coatings that ensure your images are resistant to finger prints, dust, and fading. "You get what you pay for." is an adage that the photography industry is not exempt from!

So...enough talk! Lets see exactly what I'm talking about!

"Awe, how cute!"

Right? (I'd say so! But then again, I may be a little biased.) As you may have read on the caption, this is the file of the original image I created. Lets take a look below, at what we got back from the printers.

Now, TRY your best to look at each print as an individual. Doesn't look TOO bad, right? But as a whole, you can clearly see that not all labs are the same! Even the Pro Lab that I tried, took some liberties with processing my picture. They ended up increasing the sharpness and saturation of the background. It does look pretty good, but is not what I had created. The sharpening and extra color, produces a much more "harsh" and distracting background. The original is much more soft and gentle.

As for the other four...where should I start?!

Walgreens - This photo would be the next best acceptable in my opinion. The only problem (yet unforgiving) that I find with this one, is the crazy "Hulk" tint Hannah now has. Maybe some of my inner geek is coming out and makes me think "What would my daughter be like if she were the next She-Hulk?"

Walmart - Well, what can I say about this one? My best guess? The color saturation is about as jacked as Mark McGwire during his record breaking season! This print also seems to not be as sharp of a focus as the original.

Target - As much as I love Target...this picture just isn't doing it for me. Colors have become muted and now have a orange/red hue to them. Focus is better than the Walmart print, but still. Not how the picture was shot.

Sam's Club - This print is pretty bad. the exposure is super high. Color is washed out. There is almost no detail left in the fabric of her shirt and the top side of her face. It is also blurry and well...blah.

In addition to all the print problems that I have quickly pointed out, I am willing to bet that the prints that were done at big box/online stores just simply will not last. I was at a friend's house a couple weeks ago and noticed a large canvas print of her family that she had hung over her mantle. She has very large, open windows in that room and should have made the picture look amazing. But it didn't. Something was off. As I commented on the picture, she was quick to explain that she had ordered and received the print from an online store just a few months ago, and it had already begun to visibly fade.

Even from the cheapest printers, canvas prints aren’t cheap. Now her investment in that print has gone to waste. She can spend more money and get a print from another lab/retailer, and try her luck again, but what if she couldn't? What if she somehow had lost the file and was unable to get another from the photographer? That moment is now lost. Even after the money she spent on the photographer, the cost of the print, etc. Gone.

SO! If I haven't been clear enough with you...Use these other places for your iPhone snapshots that are already out of focus and crooked because you had one too many beers on the sandbar! Please please please get your quality shots developed by a quality lab!

United Way Campaign

July 21, 2014

Over this last weekend, I was out shooting photography with MSA United Way Bismarck, North Dakota. Every year, they produce a video/commercial that showcases services that they provide in our local community and how to join the effort.

The video isn't finished being edited yet and is due to be out, mid-August.

This years video depicts 3 stories that effect many people nationwide, not just here in Bismarck/Mandan. These stories represent real struggles, real people and real lives that have been transformed because of the support of United Way and its volunteers.

In the video, you will meet Harold, an old man struggling with his dotage. He is 85-years-old, sharp and resourceful. He is resistant to accepting assistance, but aware of the fact that he needs it. Mobility has become a major issue. His wife passed a few years ago and living alone is becoming more and more cumbersome and he fears he may be forced to say goodbye to his home.

After contacting United Way, Harold finds that they are able to assist him by having meals delivered right to his home by a United Way volunteer and provide transportation when he needs it, by working with Capital Area Transit (C.A.T.).

The C.A.T. just celebrated its 10 Year Anniversary in May of 2014 but has been serving the community since 1988.

The second story is about Patty. Patty is a middle-aged woman. She never had a strong support network, but has always worked hard to make ends meet. She had an unexpected accident, and with little resources and no support network, in short time, she found herself with nowhere to turn.

Like Harold, she also turned to the United Way.

United Way was able to coordinate the efforts of multiple community organizations in town, like Ruth Meiers Hospitality House, Inc. and Welcome House, Inc. to help shelter, get financial counseling and locate a permanent residence for Patty.

Finally, we meet Crystal, the 10-years-old daughter of a single mother. Before being linked with United Way services, she didn’t always know where her next meal would come from or where she would sleep on any given night. This instability caused her to suffer in school. Her mother tried her best to keep Crystal clothed, fed and housed, but struggled as a single parent.

After being linked with United Way, Crystal is set up to received "backpacks", containing food and other essentials that she would need. She also was assigned a tutor to assist her with catching up in school, and a role model to confide in.

Working with MSA United Way on this shoot was very humbling. Even though the people that we worked with were only actors/volunteers playing the part of their character, it still had merit and made me think about what it is that people struggle with, even in our small North Dakota community.

During a part of our shoot, we went on location to a local Senior Center. For lack in years spent here on earth, I have never been to a place like this. They offer everything from a hot meal, basic healthcare, recreational activities, and most of all, a place for seniors to come together and socialize.

While we were here, we had some time to wait before shoots. We ended up meeting a few of the men and women that frequent the Center. One man particularly, was incredibly interesting. I'll call him "Fred", as he asked to remain anonymous.

Fred is a second generation migrant, from Germany. He told us about his Father and Uncle's trip to America, and how they came across the country in a covered wagon. Once they decided to stop in North Dakota, they did what they could to establish themselves. What was even more amazing than coming cross-country in a covered wagon, is that they had to live out of it for FIVE years!

As many people don't know/realize (including myself), North Dakota had virtually NO trees in the 1800's. For Fred's family, this meant no materials for building. Once they had the resources, they had to bring lumber and other supplies from South Dakota and Southern Canada.

Fred continued on with story after story of his families journey, and then his own. Growing up during the Depression, serving in the US Army during multiple war fronts and the collapse of his small town - to end up in Bismarck, living out the rest of his days, staying close to healthcare and other services that are no longer available in most small towns of North Dakota.

Working with Bismarck's MSA United Way on this project was an amazing experience and I look forward to working on something similar. If you want to see more behind-the -scenes photos, check out the Gallery!