The Future of This Blog

Caught running warp-speed

 

Thank you to everyone that reads my blog loyally and those who are just visiting. The traffic to this site has been astounding (well… to me at least, ha). I have decided to build and develop this blog to make it an even better place to visit.

A new site design is coming soon as well as more reviews, videos, and behind the scenes photos.  Also, I did just add a search feature that you will see on the upper-right, which allows you to search for any topic on my blog instantly.

Let me know what you would like to see here! What would you like to see me discuss/post about?

Expect to see some big changes in the coming weeks. Thanks again for reading!

Some fun photography/entertainment links

Happy Wednesday everyone. Here are a few fun links for your enjoyment!

• The pictorial history of all Hasselblad cameras.It is actually pretty neat to see the progression from the first prototypes to now: LINK

 

• The “Holding Pattern Coach Class Screen Saver.” Get to see what I see most of my week… the US from the window of a commercial airliner. It is a program for PC/MAC: LINK

 

• The Photography Blog. A blog dedicated to reviewing photography cameras/gear/software: LINK

 

• The Great White Snark: “If your attitude towards geeky stuff like comic books, Star Wars, toys, gadgets, technology, Joss Whedon, and cartoons is a combination of enjoyment and bemusement, then you’re in the right place. I am prepared and equipped to entertain and bemuse.” LINK

 

• “Space & Planet Photoshop Tutorials To Create Amazing Space Scenes.” A page from the Design Shard blog. I learned a few cool tips here: LINK

 

• Don’t forget you can follow me, my adventures, and my links on Twitter: LINK

Some photography from recent jobs

I hope everyone is having a good week so far! I’m off to the west coast to do a few fun photoshoots.  In the meantime I have posted some photos from a few recent shoots I have done this past month. More to come!

Dirty Vegas music shoot

You may recognize this Dirty Vegas video from a few years back.

 

Dirty Vegas music shoot

Dirty Vegas music shoot

Paws for Purple Hearts shoot

Paws for Purple Hearts shoot

DJ Riz of the Crooklyn Clan – myspace.com/djriznyc

DJ Riz of the Crooklyn Clan – myspace.com/djriznyc

DJ Jason Smith – myspace.com/iamjasonsmith

Amazing Photoshop Skills – Transformers Bumblebee Camaro Photoshop “Speedpainting” by Nico Di Mattia

I posted a Megan Fox photoshop painting video by Nico Di Mattia a few weeks back and I thought it was so cool I decided to post another photoshop painting by him. This video depicts Bumblebee from the newer Transformers movies. Pretty cool stuff!

Review of Online Photography Source Books / Portfolio Services – PDN’s Photoserve

My portfolio on Photoserve

 So you know that having a website showcasing your photography is very important this day and age to reach clients, right? But how do you get people to find your work? There are certainly infinite answers to this question, but I have a suggestion that may help! Sign up with an online photography “source book” service.

Essentially, you pay an online “source book” to list your contact information, your photography specialties, some samples of your work, and your studio locations (I list DC, NYC, and LA addresses). A possible client (rep, ad agency, magazine, art buyer, etc) will go to the website and can use the site to find a photographer of certain specialties, skills, and location.

A nice thing about Photoserve is that whenever you update your portfolio on the site, you are posted on the main page of the website under “recently updated portfolios.” Also, Photoserve editors choose 10 of their favorite portfolios a month and will showcase them on the main page of the site. The point? Keep updating your portfolio regularly and you will be paid back with more exposure on the site!

 

The Photoserve homepage

Kristie over at Photoserve wanted me to tell my readers about current special pricing deals:

PhotoServe has some special rates and package offers available right now.  Our normal price is $860 per year however the discounted price for APA, ASMP & other organizations is $760, which includes a PDN subscription, or$700 for the portfolio on it’s own.   This includes a 36 image portfolio that can be updated any time. Once photographers sign up, they are locked into those rates for the life of their portfolio. PhotoServe photographers are also entitled to discounts on Adbase, Agency Access and Zazzle products.

Here is what a paid listing includes:

• 36 images in a portfolio that creatives can view, place in an online lightbox, or e-mail to a client. This self-managed package allows you to do unlimited photo updates. You can load and change your portfolio anywhere in the world at any time.
• Portfolio images presented as thumbnails and enlarged with easy-to-use software.
• Easy batch upload and drag and drop features.
• A dedicated web address for your PhotoServe portfolio which can be included in e-mails, print mailings and all correspondence.
• Your contact information and a list of your photographic specialties
• A personal biographic profile, client list and awards.
• A hot link to your e-mail address and website
• Your news highlighted on the site viewed by thousands of creatives.
• PDN subscription in print and online option with portfolio
• Free Gold Expo pass for PDN’s PhotoPlus International Conference and Expo
• Our PS 100 source book offers special print offers with distribution to 10,000 art buyers and creatives with November issue of PDN
• Advertising discounts in PDN publications (PS 100, Photo Source Stock Guide)
• Personal customer service

 

There are other online photography digital source books out there, but Photoserve is one of the more affordable options and run by one of the world’s best true professional photography magazines, Photo District News (PDN).

Head over to www.photoserve.com to check it out for yourself. You can even sign up for a FREE listing, but it isn’t as fancy as the paid listing. It only shows your contact information and some of you specialties.

If you’d like, you can check out my Photoserve portfolio: HERE

Review of BlinkBid – Essential Software for Photography Professsionals

So you started a photography business. You have your camera, lenses, memory card, storage devices, and even some of your favorite photo editing software. Although, you’re missing something very important! Photography accounting / estimating software!

Welcome to BlinkBid photography accounting software. According to the Blinkbid.com website: “Shockingly easy to use bidding and invoicing software for creative professionals. From freelancers to full blown agencies, thousands of people use Blinkbid to manage the business side of their creative life.  Easy enough to produce your first bid in minutes, powerful enough to customize to the exacting needs of your business work flow.”

Why is this software program so important to you? It is made FOR creatives BY creatives. Estimates/invoices are extremely easy to put together (even for business beginners) and there is even an automated “legalese” writer that will insert appropriate image usage terms into your contracts. See the tutorial below for a proper demonstration and explanation.

I have been using this program for years and it makes my accounting easy and makes my estimates look professional. I can even quickly create a taxable income chart (I can select a specific timeframe), which really made putting my taxes together much easier.

You can download a FULL version of Blinkbid software that you can use for FREE for 14 days at the link below. The full version of the software costs $229, but it is completely worth it! At the very least, try the 14 day demo. You have nothing to lose but your old disorganized and confusing invoicing system.

Download the full free demo (available MAC & PC) ==> CLICK HERE

Follow my updates on Twitter: Twitter.com/DouglasSonders/

The Unicorn Project: It’s Coming…

www.UnicornProject.tv

This is an exciting new project I have been working on this past year. More details will come soon….

Our music video at old Yankee Stadium with Bernie Williams

So, did you know 8112 Studios (my video production company) will go down in the history books as one of the last crews to ever film at Yankee Stadium before it was taken apart? We were hired to film the music video for famous Yankee Bernie Williams and his rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” See the video above.

ESPN was there to film our video shoot. I will try and find that footage and get it posted on the blog.

Bernie Williams discusses the song and the music video we filmed for him on MLB.com: CLICK HERE to see it.

 

The photo I took for Bernie's album cover

 

Oh, and by the way….

 

A little iphone cam preview of some recent adventures I will blog about in the coming days...

 

Me sitting in an awesome amazing Back to the Future replica DeLorean...I'm in heaven - www.ToTheFuture.org

Hello Monday!

I got to drive one of the original screen-used Knight Rider (aka K.I.T.T.) cars this weekend! Video coming!

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I promise to have some real posts for you soon. I have been in Florida all weekend helping with a Make-A-Wish charity car show, which has kept me pretty busy!

I am proud to say that a portrait session with me was auctioned off during the weekend for a five-figure dollar amount for the Make-A-Wish foundation, which will pay for at least 2 kids’ wishes to come true! I’m so thrilled!!

In the meantime, have you seen my 30+ photo/adventure videos on Vimeo?

Check em out! Vimeo.com/DouglasSonders

You can also follow my adventures on twitter: twitter.com/douglassonders

Cool stuff coming!

 

 

Sitting in the driver's seat of a screen-used original Knight Rider car (KITT)

 

Hey everyone! Thanks for your patience. I am in Florida hanging out of helicopters, Ferrari race cars, WW2 warplanes, and other crazy stuff too cool to mention before I can release photos and video

If you are in or around Orlando this weekend, come say hello to me and the 8112 video crew at the Celebration, Florida exotic car show. Proceeds from the car show are going to the charity Make-A-Wish.  More info here: http://www.celebrationexoticcars.com/

I look forward to sharing the images with you soon!

My Test of the GoPro Hero Wide On-Vehicle Digital Video Camera

Mounted to the front bumper with the supplied suction cup mount

You may have remembered my original blog post of the Hero Wide HERE

I ordered one of these puppies for myself and just got it in the mail today. It cost me $216.98 (before shipping) for GoPro’s Motorsport HERO WIDE digital video camera and 2 gig SD card. I was so excited to try it out I couldn’t wait to take it out in the rain.

Check out the sample video below:

The camera takes 2 x AAA batteries and an 2 gig SD card, which should allow for up to an hour of digital video footage, and is enclosed in a durable waterproof housing. It is equipped with a wide-angle lens capable of capturing 170 degrees of view and has a 5 megapixel still camera sensor. Although I wouldn’t use it as your everyday still camera due to the heavy noise in the still photos (not a surprise for such a small lens and digital sensor). I was pleased with how easy it was to use and mount to my car.

The camera records sound, but its pretty crummy. It sounds like….well…the microphone is under water. You hear lots of hissing and pops with faint sounds of engine noise in the background.  The video resolution is a little low than I’d like (512 x 384), but the camera is an incredible value for the price based on its competitors in the market. You can purchase different ways to mount the camera to things from the gopro website such as: helmets, handlebars, windows, and straps (like a backpack strap).

I plan on using this camera to film when I drive different unique vehicles I have been and will be photographing.  I may even try to mount it to my dog in the near future

Mounted to the side of the vehicle

Below is a video supplied by GoPro showcasing the different possible applications for the camera with its different mounts:

Learning to Speak Squirrel (Cute Video)

Just a little video I took with my Canon 5D Mark 2 while taking a break from shooting in Southern California last week. We were near the water as the sun set and all of the animals came out to get some grub. It was like a scene from a Disney Film. I half expected the humming birds to fly out of the bushes to drop a crown on my head.

NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Photoshoot for Geico

Happy Monday everyone! Did another photoshoot for Geico insurance advertising a month or so back. This time I photographed Morgan Lucas and his top fuel dragster in an unseasonably chilly Georgia.  Included some photos for you to check out. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

More photos after the break…

Automotive photoshoot with an original Dukes of Hazzard “General Lee” Dodge Charger

Last week I was in Southern California and photographed a real “General Lee” Dodge Charger from the original TV show Dukes of Hazzard as part of my ongoing personal photo series on movie & television vehicle collectors called “The Unicorn Project.” Stay tuned for more info, photos, and video from the Unicorn Project. In the meantime, check out the General Lee photoshoot video below! Photos were taken by my Canon 5D Mark 2 and video was captured with a Canon G9 on a tripod.

Special thanks to Bob of Cinema Vehicles in California for making this shoot happen. They have made a large portion of the popular specialty vehicles for Hollywood. Check out their website:  www.cinemavehicles.com

I got to stand in for a photo with the legend

 

Fun in Southern California This Week!

I’ve been in Souther Cali for a few days now shooting a wide variety of fun stuff. Everything from rock bands to movie and tv cars (see below for a few iphone previews pre-photoshoot). I have lots of exciting photos and video coming this week from the shoots out west. Loyal readers will be pleasantly surprised I think

Smoking the tires with one of the true original General Lees...

Posing with one of the true original General Lee's from the Dukes of Hazard TV show before our tire-smoking photo shoot

One of the cars from Fast and the Furious 4 that I did shoots with this weekend (iphone pic)

Another insane movie car I shot. Remember "Tango and Cash" ?

Excited to show your guys the finished products!

Currently accepting summer intern applications in the DC area…

It’s that time of year again when I start receiving applications for summer internship as the vacation approaches for students (man… I miss having a 3 month summer vacation). To make things nice and easy, let me explain what I am looking for in an intern:

• Must be a current or recently graduated photo/art student with some photography experience (know how to handle a digital SLR)
• Must have a driver’s license and your own vehicle or way of getting around town
• Must be a fun open-minded driven individual

If you want to learn more about the summer internship opportunity (you know… the whole opportunity to travel and actively help with cool photoshoots thing) , email me about yourself and your experience to: Douglas@SondersPhotography.com

What’s in my camera bag? (Tips from a traveling commercial photographer edition)

A peek inside my primary camera bag...

Last week I did a review of my favorite camera bag, the Think Tank Aiport Security. This week I’ll go into more detail and explain the contents of my primary travel camera bag (this does not include any of my lighting cases that also fly with me… that is entirely a different entry). A lot of people have emailed me asking what I use on the road. I hope this answers your questions. I provided hotlinks throughout the list in case you wanted to pickup any of this out for yourself. Feel free to message/comment with any questions you may have.

Contents:

• Canon 5D Mark 2 (primary camera body) equipped with the Canon BG-E6 vertical battery grip (a must for any serious professional shooter that uses the Canon 5D Mark 2)
• Canon 1ds Mark 2 (backup body, but I have a second 5D Mark 2 on order now that they are not sold out everywhere!)
• Canon G9 (behind the scenes video / time lapse / “fun” travel camera, but I do want to pick up the newer Canon G10)
• Canon Powershot SD790 IS “Digital Elph” (pocket camera for night events / bars / clubs) This little camera is so durable and takes great photos.
• 2 x 580 EX speedlight flashes and 1 Speedlight Transmitter ST-E2
• Gary Fong Lightsphere attachment (used on a 580 EX flash when doing the occasional event, this little accessory is amazing and makes shooting with on-camera flash a snap)
• Digital sensor dust blower by Giottos
• Camera chargers for all 4 cameras and extra batteries
• Variety of Sandisk Extreme III CF cards. I primarily use the 16 gig extreme III cards.
• Sennheiser MKE 400 shotgun microphone for the Canon 5D Mark 2 video function (Desciption here)
• Extra pocketwizard transmitter and receiver (keep the main set of transmitters and receivers in my pelican lighting cases)
• Canon 16-35mm 2.8L & Canon 24-70mm 2.8L (my 2 primary lenses)
• Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS (should always carry at least one long telephoto) & sometimes also my Canon 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS, but only when I need it because its a big heavy piece of glass to travel with
• Canon 15mm 2.8L “Fisheye” (one of my oldest lenses… you never know when youre going to need it!)
• Canon EF 2X II Extender (sometimes you just need a little more distance on your telephoto, but at the cost of a stop of light…this is best used in bright situations)
• Microfiber lens cleaning cloth
• Rechargeable Monster Cable 2100 mAH AA batteries and charger for the 580ex’s
• Speedlight battery pack (only when necessary… when I expect to walk around shooting with a speedlight)
• Small Garmin Nuvi GPS… I spend many of my days in a rental car in strange places… a GPS always comes in handy!
• Finally and most importantly… extra pens and business cards!

Again, I hope this helps! Feel free to post questions.

Video of Race Car Driver Lewis Hamilton controlling his F1 race car with a BlackBerry Storm

I know this isn’t photography related, but I do love gadgets, cars, and technology and this video has all of it.  I thought it was funny how Lewis Hamilton so casually drove a multi-million dollar F1 racer with a Blackberry Storm from a distance.

Amazing Photoshop Skills – Megan Fox Photoshop “Speedpainting” by Nico Di Mattia

Just a cool time lapse of an amazing retoucher recreating a portrait of actress Megan Fox in a scene from the first Transformers movie using only photoshop tools. Watch and enjoy.

New poll time!

I did it… I signed up for Twitter…

I can’t believe I have been bullied into it! I have now joined the social networking site Twitter. Oh well

Here is the link to my twitter page: http://twitter.com/douglassonders

What is Twitter you ask?

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters^{[verification needed]} in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, Twitterfon, TweetDeck and Feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web, but using SMS may incur phone services provider fees. -Wikipedia

“FlightTrack Pro” iPhone application for the constant travelers… like me

As many of my readers probably know, I am always on the road or in an airplane flying to a job. I am constantly worried about flight schedules, delays, cancellations, and gate changes. Each variable can greatly influence the outcome of a photo/video job. FlightTrack Pro at a costly, but worthwhile, $9.99 pricetag helps keep you on top of the flights you and your associates have to catch.

TechCrunch.com has a great full description of the iPhone application below:

The original FlightTrack application, which costs $4.99 and is currently ranked third among the iPhone App Store’s top paid travel applications, asks for you to enter an airline, a flight number, and a date. It then displays a travel map with route and weather information, and it tells you whether the flight’s gate has changed or if there’s been a delay.

The new Pro version essentially saves you from having to remember flight numbers by giving you a list of the itineraries you have already emailed to TripIt. You can still look up flights manually (perhaps when you want to retrieve the status of a flight for a friend or family member), but you’ll always have your own travel information ready for quick access.

 

Below is a list of features from the FlightTrack website:

Track all your flights effortlessly

FlightTrack Pro automatically displays your upcoming flights in neatly organized itineraries.

See live weather radar and route maps

Live flight position maps with aircraft route and weather radar updates make air travel a breeze.

Get real-time status for flights worldwide

Track flights for yourself, family and friends, and colleagues – simultaneously.

Check airport weather, time, and more

See weather forecasts, time, temperature and FAA airport delays and closures.

Easy access to TripIt itineraries

FlightTrack Pro saves your TripIt login securely and provides a quick link to TripIt Mobile.

FlightTrack vs. FlightTrack Pro

FlightTrack Pro adds seamless TripIt itinerary sync, so you never have to re-enter flight details. FlightTrack Pro also displays current airport time and temp, 10-day weather forecasts, and FAA airport delays and closures.

 

To buy the application on iTunes: CLICK HERE