Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers.”― Gravity’s Rainbow
I always enjoy hearing from readers, especially those with questions about photography, this blog or whatever else may be on their minds. I always answer them right away but some questions have a general theme so I thought I would compile a few of the latter type for today’s post. And if you have any questions or a request for me too look at a certain piece of equipment or explain a technique, or just want to rattle my cage, like this first reader did, click on CONTACT above and let me know.
My Car Photography Web site
Q: What’s up with JoeFaraceShootsCars site. You haven’t written a new post in ages!—Jerry, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
A: You are correct, my most recent post for the car site was uploaded on May 1st. As an alternative to new posts on the site, I started a #wheelswednesday series for this blog that appears every Wednesday to fill in the gap. But here’s why this happened:
It has been a little over four years since I sold my Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. You can read some of my thoughts about that car here, I spent more than a year after that time looking for an interesting car to replace it and in the meantime was driving Mary’s 2016 VW Beetle convertible. (at right) Consumer Reports: said, “This Mercedes Is ‘140% Worse Than The Average Car,” so there’s that too.’ My experience has been that the out-of-pocket maintenance costs for modern Mercedes automobiles are onerous, while the Beetle’s expensess has been limited to routine stuff like oil changes, tires and a new battery. And the Beetle is a surprisingly fun car to drive. It’s relatively quick, handles pretty good and still looks nice after eight years. BUT…
…in a world where the average car weighs 4,200 pounds and SUVs and trucks range from 3,500 pounds to over 6,000 pounds with electric vehicles like a Ford lighting weighing 6,015 pounds or a GMC Hummer at a hefty 9063 pounds, sharing the road with a small car, like the Beetle, that weighs 2948 pounds, means the Bug doesn’t stand a chance. In the interim, my financial situation has changed, and not for the better. If by some stroke of luck that improves I hope to go shopping for something equally fun but somewhat larger—not BIG—but larger sometime in the future. If that happens and the car is really interesting, like a Corvette or Porsche, that may kick start my car photography site, At least that’s my hope.
New Ideas
Q: Where do you get the ideas for your posts? Some of your posts have really been dumb, like the National Book Month post that seemed like it was really just a disguised plug for your books.—Henry K., Peoria IL
A: Some of my posts are written in response to readers questions but I have a confession to make: Except for posts that are camera or lens reviews that might be requested by readers, manufacturers or maybe a piece of gear that I’m personally interested in learning more about, almost all the other posts are written because a certain technique or image appeals to me. But hey, I’m open to suggestions; why not drop me an email and tell me what you would like to see, Henry.
About that Book Month post: This site while free to all, costs money to keep on line. The domain name, site hosting and bandwidth as well as the designer’s fees and the annual software that run this site costs money. The few ads displayed don’t even begin cover all of those costs. My hosting company just informed me that they are raising their prices 25% for 2024. That’s one of the reasons that I added a Patreon support page and just added some extra benefits for subscribers at $2.50/month that let only them view special, uncensored Password Protected posts. It’s also why I provide links to Amazon for readers to purchase books. The few pennies (and that’s all there is) from Amazon pays helps offset a small portion of the costs that are associated with operating the site and the books don’t cost you more.
Q: How is your Patreon support going? I lost my job so I can’t support you, sorry.—Larry, Rosedale, MD
A: Thanks Larry. So far I have zero Patreon supporters even with the extra benefits that I mentioned above. My plans for the future, as far as I can see and as long as I can afford it is to keep publishing this and my car blog until I can no longer afford to do it. Thanks for hanging in there.
What Happened to the Portrait/Glamour Posts?
Q: What Happened to the Portrait/Glamour Posts?—many people from everywhere
A: Like the next question I think i have answered this question several times before but here goes…
The pandemic fundamentally altered the nature of my in-studio model photography. It shut it down to such an extent that I made the following promise to myself: If I didn’t use the studio to photograph, at least, a few models before a certain point in time I was going to knock down all of the lighting and studio equipment, tuck it away and turn that space into…something else. I did that on January 1, 2024 and am turning the space into an expanded LEGO city. (You can see a short video of my current city here,)
Does that mean I won’t be photographing models in the future? No. If they’re interested in being photographed, I’m interested but will be photographing them “on location: using locations around me house using available light, the way I did before moving to Daisy Hill and setting up an in-home studio. Erin, on of the most amazing models I have ever worked with. has expressed interest is doing a shoot like that and you can see an example of that kind of image here. But there is more that a good chance that any future model shoots will be part of my new Password Protected posts.
And the One Question That I keep Getting and will answer once more…
Q: Why is there no “Comments” section on your blog?—Jeffrey, Des Moines, IA
A: I get this question often enough that I should create a FAQ page to answer it but my experience has been nobody every reads those anyway so…
I do allow comments on my YouTube channel. but there are several reasons why I don’t have a comments section here: The number one reason is there’s not enough time for me to moderate them as I’m busy writing and maintaining this blog, my car photography site/blog, and working on my YouTube channel. Other than my Web designer Tim, who currently is in a consultant role, I do all of this work by myself. And then there is the time spent working with technical issues that sometimes occur with hosting, WordPress updates and the sometimes negative effects they all produce. I’m just one guy but if you have a question or comment, that’s what the Contact page is for, Just click and make your comment. Sure, the world won’t see it but I will if you want to tell me something or ask a question, that’s the quickest and simplest way to do it.
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