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 this blog’s readers; especially those that have questions about photography, this blog, my car blog or whatever else may be on their minds. If you have any questions or a request for me to address a specific topic, look at a certain piece of equipment or even explain or explore a technique, click on CONTACT and let me know.
While I didn’t get much email about my book On Photography (more on that subject later) I did get a bunch on other topics and so here are a few of those other questions along with my answers…
Q. Why do you always mention your “falling-apart JTL background stands” in the “How I made this shot” captions on your portrait-related posts?—CW, Powhatan, NY
A. There are two reasons why I do this: First, they really are falling apart. At more than 20 years or so old, there are just worn out and have been that way for a while and I can’t find a way to repair them. Second, I’m hoping that a representative of some nice studio equipment manufacturer who reads this blog will want to send me a replacement for these stands. So far that strategy doesn’t seem to be working but if you can afford it, you can help by supporting the blog and subscribing to one of my Patreon accounts so I will be able to purchase a replacement. So far, that hasn’t worked out either.
Q. Why do some of your portraits seem like they were made several years ago?—HB, Arizona
A. Finding models even before COVID-19 was not easy, For a more detailed answer to your question, please look at a special Saturday post Finding Glamour Models in a Time of COVID-19. So I have to use images that I have on file to illustrate a particular technique. If you know of any women (18-55) who would be interested in posing for me—no experience is necessary—please have them contact me.
Q. What’s the latest info on the availability of your free book “On Photography?”—BR, Florida
A. For a while the plan has been to make the book available as a free PDF download. Recently I published a Saturday post announcing I would send out free copies of my new book to five people who requested it and who would check it for structural errors. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, was interested except one person in Canada. Thanks, John. This showed me that I was wasting the time that I spent writing this book. So I am so glad that I didn’t pay to have it self published in printed book form. That would have been a bigger waste of my money, which brings me to…
Q. Why do you use such old cameras? In a recent post you mention shooting the portrait of Pam Simpson with a Canon EOS 60D?—GJ, Pasadena, MD
A. There are a couple of reasons for this starting with the fact that I photographed her in 2013 so it was only three years old at the point. But for the most honest answer is that I can’t afford to buy new cameras when the newest model comes out. I still own that Canon EOS 60D and while it was introduced in 2010 it’s still able to make nice quality photographs.The DPReview rating for the EOS 60D is 79%; their rating for the 90D is 85%. So while the 90D is clearly a better camera, the 60D is not a dog, which is why I always shoot in RAW+JPEG so I can extract the maximum quality from its files.
As I’ve mentioned here ad nauseam, I am not sponsored by any camera company, so Canon doesn’t send me their free cameras when the new models come out so I can write nice things about them. It would be nice if they did. But as Douglas Adams one said in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “this never happens.” The same is true for the other camera companies. If you’re a regular reader of the blog you know that I recently purchased a Panasonic Lumix G9. And while that particular mirrorless camera was introduced in December 2017 that’s almost 2018 so it’s really only two years old but my Lumix G9 was brand new, not a refurb.
My out-of-print film-based book Part-Time Glamour Photography: Full-Time Income, is available new for $17.08 with used copies selling for $4.00 as I write this. Yes, it’s about shooting using film cameras but there’s still lots of useful information and that used price is hard to beat! The newer, digital oriented Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography, is available new for $20.99 or starting at $8.91 used. The Kindle version is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.