My summer vacation time officially began last week and I’ve been having a great time relaxing and catching up with family.  (Be sure to check out my Tips To Making Photographing Your Vacation Easier)  Unfortunately that means that I have been a little delinquent in updating my blog.  Today I have a little business to take care of.  Last Friday we did our weekly drawing for the $25 Gift Voucher.  The winner was:

Tim Young

Now because I will be without internet access for the next little bit I will also be announcing this weeks winner a little early.  Right now as a matter of fact!   This week’s winner is:

Tommy Broome

Congratulations! Remember, to be eligible for our weekly giveaways this summer you need to be a subscriber to our newsletter. If you haven’t signed up yet you can do it real quick and easy by filling out the form to the right.

Over the next few weeks my family will be heading out to see some sites. . . travel and do a little camping.  I’m planning on taking some photographs during these outtings  and I’m starting to organize and plan.  I thought I would share with everyone a few general tips I try to keep in mind while shooting on vacation.

1. Take the least amount of equipment possible. I always try to narrow things down to the basics.  1 or 2 lenses (versatility is the word of the day ) and an add-on flash.  I always travel with my tripod but not everyone has the room or the desire to cart it around everywhere.  In those cases you can find things in the environment to use as a support such as a railing or a wall to steady yourself and your hands.  I also don’t like to carry a purse along with my camera bag so I’ve invested in a camera bag with enough compartments to carry everything I need.

2. Make things interactive. Whenever you can, take pictures that show your family interacting with the environment you are in.  This helps to make the picture more interesting and look less like a snapshot.

3. Take care of the kids first. Anyone with young children knows that they can tire quickly and a once happy child, when hungry and tired, can end up being very grumpy.  That is why, when visiting a new location or landmark, I like to scope out a good background and get the shots of the kids taken right away against this background.  That way we have pictures of happy, cute and clean children.

4. Show off your shots. I always find that the longer you wait to get your pictures off the memory card the more likely you are to forget about them.  You want your shots to be seen, so as soon as you can after returning from vacation, get those pictures off the memory card and share with your family and friends.

I can’t believe it’s Friday already.  The week has just seemed to have rushed by.  But I guess that’s what happens when you’re busy, which is what I’ve been.  This week I have put a lot of focus on finally getting the beginning of my Vintage Collection out and available for view.  If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet you can see it by clicking on the link.

I’m also happy to announce that I am able to offer more options for the Vintage Collection.  Along with the usual prints I am also offering the option to have them printed as Gallery Wraps or Float Wraps.  I believe most everyone know what a Gallery Wrap is. . . the image is printed and then wrapped onto a wooden frame.  Float Wraps are similar to Gallery Wraps or Standout mounted prints in that they add dimension by extending out from the wall. Float wraps are unique in that they appear to be floating on the wall with the main focus on the image!  These new Float Wraps are the neatest thing and I am currently in the process of designing a collage of these for my living room wall.

Now, since it is Friday, we are drawing another name from our list of newsletter subscribers and giving away another $25 Gift Voucher for the D-Roc Photography Store.  This week’s winner is:

Rusty Steel

Congratulations!  Remember,  to be eligible for our weekly giveaways this summer you need to be a subscriber to our newsletter.  If you haven’t signed up yet you can do it real quick and easy by filling out the form to the right.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Happy Canada Day everyone.  Just a quick note to let you all know how we’re celebrating here at D-Roc Photography.  First, I will be unveiling a few new prints.  They are part of my new Vintage Collection which I will be writing more about a little later.  Second, all products in the store are 50% off today.  During Check-out enter the discount voucher code “Canada” to receive the discount.  Can’t get much better than that.

So many times people think that they need to go to some exotic land to find worthwhile things to photograph.  I have often found that this really is not the case.

Last summer, while visiting Alberta, I took a drive out of the city and decided I was just going to drive and discover something new.  I ended up out in the middle of nowhere along some dirt road.  It was peaceful and calm.  I walked around on foot for an hour or so just absorbing the atmosphere and scouting out the beautiful scenery.  Why oh why did I travel without my camera. . .

I didn’t walk away with an award winning photograph that day but I have now identified a potential spot for a future attempt.  So whether you take an unexpected detour to discover something new in your area or plan an outing somewhere in your very own city, always keep your eye open for new opportunities to photograph.  They are all around.  Oh ya, and maybe remember to travel with your camera.

This article is the second in a series focusing on the business of photography.  You can find the first article To Specialize or Diversify by clicking the link.

So you’ve taken time to think about what you would like your photography business to focus on.  You’ve evaluated your strengths and weaknesses and are now ready to move ahead.  “Where do I go from here?” you may be asking yourself.

The next step in this process is to sit down and write your business plan.  A business plan is meant to be a roadmap of sorts.  It is there to help you start, manage and grow your business.  A business plan helps you to identify your goals and the strategies you will use to reach them.  It is also a beneficial tool to help you understand the financial requirements and potential resources available to help finance your business.

A good business plan can help you to identify a potential client profile, set reasonable fees, plan marketing strategies and establish a timetable.  As each year passes you’ll be able to refer back to your business plan and it can serve as your guide to let you know how well you are performing.

Here are a couple links to some examples of photography business plans:

Photography Studio Sample

Pet Photography Sample

School has officially come to a close. . . That means I now have much more time to fully devote to this site and my photography.  As I mentioned before I have a number of things in the works for the next few months.  One of those I’m really excited about and should be happening really soon. I am currently working on partnering with a new photo lab .  So far I’m quite impressed with this new place and the different services it offers that my previous lab didn’t.  I sent off some test prints the other day and I can’t wait to get them back.

Now, on to contest information. . . I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to register for our newsletter. Since announcing our contest for this summer earlier this week we have already had a large number of new registrations.  I’m pretty excited about that.  I’ve been working on making sure the newsletter comes out more regularly and has relevent information.  I’ve broken it down into a couple sections.  The first part of our newsletter is called “Story Behind the Lens” and each month we focus on a different one of our prints to give you the story behind how it came to be.  Next I focus on different aspects of the photography business and things you may want to consider if you are looking to become a serious amateur or professional photographer.  Finally, I try to include a relevent photo tip.  Things that I have found useful and have helped to improve my own photography.  If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you can sign up for our newsletter for free.  Not only do you get our awesome newsletter but you will also be entered for our summer contest where we draw a name each week all summer long.  If you’ve already registered for the newsletter there is no need to register a second time. All current subscribers are also entered for a chance to win.

So let’s get down to business.  This week’s winner has already been notified by email and been given their Gift Voucher code that entitles them to $25 of D-Roc Photography and Design merchandise.  This week’s winner is:

Richard Atkins

Don’t forget we still have a few days left in our Week Long Summer Sale.  For the next 3 days you can still receive 25% off the regular price of all the items in our store by entering the Discount Voucher code SummerTime during checkout.

I am so excited that summer has officially arrived even though the weather here on the west coast doesn’t always feel like it.   We are into exam week at the school and our last day is Thursday. . . yay!!

I’m really looking forward to being able to do some traveling again this summer.  I have a couple photo projects that I’ll be working on over the next couple months and I can’t wait to get started.  I’ll be keeping you updated on those projects through my blog here.  Also on the website this summer, I’m going to be running a few contests again.  Everyone who is registered to receive my newsletter is already entered.  If you haven’t registered yet but would like to be eligible for the contest fill in the form just to the right.  It’s as easy as that.  Each Friday throughout the summer we’ll be drawing a name to receive a D-Roc Photography and Design $25 Gift voucher.

To get things rolling and start celebrating the arrival of summer we are having a Week Long Sale.  Purchase anything from our Image Catalogue within the next 7 days and you will receive 25% off your purchase price.  All you need to do is enter the Discount Voucher code SummerTime during checkout.

Wishing everyone a great summer!

A number of months back I purchased for myself a circular polarizing filter.  All the research I’ve done seems to indicate that a landscape photographer just can’t live without one.   “What does it do?", you may be asking yourself.  Well, simply put, it is used to reduce glare or reflected light from surfaces that are not metal.  Here are a few situations where a circular polarizing filter would come in handy. . .

A polarizing filter will reduce or eliminate glare from water droplets in the sky, consiquently making the sky darker and the clouds more distinct.  These filters also work best when you shoot at a 90 degree angle from the sun.  They are pretty much ineffective if the sun is either directly in front of you or directly behind you.

As mentioned earlier, polarizing filters reduce the glare off of water, which in turn makes it more transparent.  If you are photographing a river or a stream and would like to see rocks or other objects under the water, a polarizing filter would work well.  Also, if you are photographing foliage after it has rained, a polarizing filter will help to reduce the glare and saturate the colors.

Recently I received a phone call enquiring about how to convert film negatives into digital.  I mentioned to the caller that it wasn’t one of the services I provided, however I was relatively certain that places such as Walmart and Cosco were able to do such things.

Quite a few years ago now, I had Walmart do this exact thing for some of my film negatives.  It was many years ago and in another province and honestly I haven’t thought about it since.  I decided to do a little research on the subject to see what was available.  Surprisingly, it was a little difficult to find any information.  This service is actually not offered on the Walmart and Cosco websites, however both are able to put images on CD and so they should have the ability to take film negatives and make them digital.

There is another option that I quite accidentally came across.  A service called ScanDigital.com which understands the value of your memories and photos and takes the responsibility very seriously.  All you need to do is generate a UPS label directly from their site and ship your materials.  They will scan and transfer your images then return your originals with a new digital copy.  You can also enjoy your photos online with an online gallery that is able to be shared with friends and family.

For a detailed review of this compnay and their services you can see what PHOTODOTO has to say right here.