Molokaiphoto.com

[-]	BIOGRAPHICAL INFO

[-]	WHO ARE YOU & WHAT DO YOU DO OTHER THAN PHOTOGRAPHY?

First, I am a father of four beautiful girls. The oldest two are done with college and making their way in the world, the third is in college, and the fourth is high school age, but home-schooling. Winners all. My wife, Robin, is their beautiful mother. I am 54 years old, born and raised in the San Diego area. I have lived on Moloka’i since 1976. I’d like to think I have a lively and appropriate sense of humor, and have been known to insert thought-provoking and stimulating remarks into a variety of conversations. Fun is fundamental.

For our full-time livelihood, my wife and I own and operate Waialua PermaFarm, an at-home, small, very diversified organic farm. We deliver boxes with a large selection of fruits, vegetables, and eggs directly to our clients each week. We have done this year-round since 1992, and average 25-30 clients/week. We are approaching our 700th consecutive weekly delivery of boxes of the best produce in the world.

We are also very involved in issues of agricultural sustainability and the future of the family farm. I first studied Permaculture with Bill Mollison in 1980, and I am a certified teacher of Permaculture Design. I have lectured and taught nationwide, including college level classes here on Molokai. Our home-grown technique of achieving phenomenal yields by combining intensive organic gardens with poultry forage systems has earned us international recognition (see Introduction To Permaculture, Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay, Tagari Publications).

[-]	WHAT IS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE?

I am a self-taught photographer. I use photography on the farm to document growth of crops, trees, ducks, and children - they’re part of the farm! I find these images very useful in teaching. This was my first love in photography.

As a father of four girls, I’ve always been entranced by the ability of photography to preserve some of life’s priceless moments. From the first, I loved candid photos. Photos that show people being themselves, unaware of the camera. Photos that reveal personality, and make you feel that you know something about the person you’re looking at. Photos that grab you.

This passion led to working four summers as an event photographer at UC Berkeley. I took pictures of thousands of foreign students from all corners of the globe. This happened at weekend “English Language Immersion” camps in the California redwoods. The students, ostensibly practicing “speaking only English”, were, in fact, learning to break through the cultural and ethnic barriers which separated them. It was non-stop shooting of candid highlights of people involved in “peak moments”. During this time I gained tremendous confidence in getting great candid photographs of people in a wide variety of settings and situations.

[-]	WHAT MAKES A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH?

I learned that taking wonderful pictures is all about capturing images that appeal immediately to our emotions. I learned to look through the lens for that point of maximum interest and appeal, and cut away the excess. I learned that the best photos aren’t those which have technical perfection and perfect lighting, but are really the images which jump out at you and cause you to have a reaction, in the heart or in the gut, the instant you see them.

[-]	WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WEDDING & EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY?

I love to take photographs of people. For me, the camera is an artist’s tool. I use it to capture images that are full of the spirit of life being lived.

I love the artistic challenge of getting photographs of people at an event that capture both the true spirit of the people involved and the spirit, the feeling, of the event. I want the photos I take to tell a story, the story, of the event. I love to find the significant “small” moments and activities which spontaneously occur and reflect the real emotion of the moment. I have found that most people will quickly relax and “be themselves” if I get involved in the event and be much more than just “the photographer”. I love interacting with people, and know that I get the best images when I add to the fun and enjoyment of the event.

[-]	DOES HUMOR HAVE A PLACE IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

Actually, this belongs in “Not So Frequently Asked Questions”. Anyway, this is one of those questions that may be best answered with yet another question: Why did the wedding photographer cross the road? Have you got it yet? The chicken was getting married!! Duhhhh, Dude!!

Be sure to ask for the current rendition of the ever accumulating collection of wedding photographer jokes. Did you hear the one about the wedding photographer who walks into a bar?

[-]	YOUR SPECIAL DAY: BASIC WEDDING OR EVENT SERVICES

[-]	DO YOU SHOOT FILM OR DIGITAL?

I shoot all digital. I shot 35 mm for over 15 years, and made the transition three years ago. There’s no going back! So now I’m not only a photographer, I’ve had to become a computer geek!

(to see a comprehensive discussion of the opportunities presented by digital photography, both for photographers and for the everyday viewer and user of those images, go to digital photography )

[-]	HOW MANY PICTURES DO YOU TAKE?

I take LOTS of photos, almost continuously, at an event. This typically results in 100-200+ good images per hour. Many weddings with receptions yield well over 500 unique and interesting images. Initial photo counts before editing usually run into the thousands. I use very large memory cards which allow me to take over 500 highest-resolution images before needing to switch to a new card. I bring enough memory cards to a wedding to shoot over 4,000 images.

I like to get images of ALL the people involved. I have found that newlyweds especially enjoy the great candid photos of all their friends and family who help them celebrate their wedding. And when appropriate, I like to get shots of the location, the decorations, the comings and goings, and any and all images which help to tell the story of the event. The resulting collage of images is documentary-style and often very comprehensive. Feedback from newlyweds is that they can relive the day by viewing the complete file of photos. My goal is that the photos I take are a priceless treasure for my clients.

[-]	HOW LONG DO YOU WORK AT AN EVENT?

It really depends upon what you want. I can shoot as much or as little as suits your needs. It’s amazing how often someone in the wedding party will approach me at some point after the ceremony while I’m still shooting all the hugging and joking and interactions and ask me if “my time is up” and how much longer I’m contracted to stay for! My response is always the same: “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me!”

I really enjoy doing documentary-style shoots. This involves staying until the event is over, and usually will include shots of interesting preparations and end-of-event partings and even clean-up.
Do you want a story? Here it goes...

Once for a big wedding (150+ people) with reception, I arrived at 11 AM, 3 hours early. I photographed the interior decorations, the flower arranger in action, the arrival and set-up of the band, the wedding planner attending to last minute details, the volunteers decorating the dining area, the arrival of the bride in street clothes carrying her wedding dress, the groom - barely an hour before the ceremony - helping set up the PA system, the kitchen crew preparing all the various dishes, and the arrival and milling about of the guests. After the 2 PM ceremony and all the usual reception activities, I got some interesting shots of outdoor nighttime dancing and the late-night rock band in action. My final shots after 11 PM show the bride and groom in street clothes helping a few dedicated souls with the clean up! This edited down to about 700 great photos. Most of these photos are things which the bride and groom did not see! It is a keepsake treasure of the story of the event.

[-]	DO YOU DO POSED SHOTS OF THE WEDDING PARTY AND FAMILY?

Sure. It’s traditional, and it IS a “photo opp”. I like to “talk story” while I shoot, kid around, help people relax and hopefully smile. And I have some particular ideas of kinds of poses and situations that make for great photos. And I’m ALWAYS open to suggestions for FUN photos (EXCEPT throwing the photographer into the pool!)

[-]	CAN YOU DO SPECIAL REQUEST PHOTO SHOOTS?

Absolutely! Your imagination is the limit. We can arrange something special, even on a different day or at a different place. Impromptu ideas on the big day are OK, too. I’m game, and I’ve had some interesting assignments…

[-]	DO YOU HAVE AN ASSISTANT OR SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER?

As an added bonus whenever scheduling allows, my “apprentice” is also in attendance with camera in hand. My youngest daughter, fifteen year-old Makalele, is an ultra-friendly people-person with an eye for the good shots. She loves the event, she’s great with the technical photo details and the computer geeky stuff. She loves contributing positively. Also, the second camera gives you images shot from another perspective.

And, oh yes, she’s a lifetime (well, since age 4) member of Hula Halau O Kilohana (one of the local hula troupes here on the east end of Moloka’i). She has done both planned and impromptu hula performances at many weddings. She once taught hula to a Swedish bride who was here for a few weeks before her wedding day, and performed with her for the amazed guests at the reception

[-]	DO YOU HAVE A FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER TO TAKE SHOTS IN THE BRIDE’S DRESSING ROOM?

Makalele could do this, for sure. In many gorgeous “dressing room” shots the subjects are fully clothed, and the focus is on such themes as pensive waiting, assisted grooming, mother & daughter interaction, mirror shots, etc.

[-]	WHAT IF WE’RE HAVING A VERY SIMPLE CEREMONY WITH JUST A FEW GUESTS?

I have done numerous “small” outdoor ceremonies. It’s an opportunity to focus on intimacy and family.

[-]	WHAT IF WE ONLY WANT A FEW PHOTOS OF THE CEREMONY?

This can be arranged. Of course this is a much smaller job for me, and I cannot reserve a date for a very small job (especially on a Saturday in the summer!) very far in advance. But please don’t be afraid to ask! For more details, go to PRICES.

[-]	WHAT IF WE WANT IT ALL: PICTURES OF THE FORMAL FAMILY DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE, BRIDAL SHOWER, BACHELOR PARTY, FOOD PREPARATION AND DECORATIONS , ARRIVAL OF GUESTS, GLAMOUR SHOTS OF THE BRIDE, AND EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY AT THE CEREMONY AND RECEPTION?

This style of documentary photography is my specialty. We definitely need to talk beforehand, to insure you get everything you want and to negotiate a reasonable price. See more specific details under PRICES.

[-]	CAN YOU PREPARE A SLIDE SHOW OF ALL THOSE SPECIAL MEMORY PICTURES FROM OUR FAMILY PHOTO ALBUMS TO SHOW AT THE RECEPTION?

Yes! I can take your family albums, yearbooks, shoe boxes full of prints, and digitize them. Along with any additional digital photos you provide, I can compose these into a slide show with music - your choice or mine - to present at the reception. There are various ways to do this. If you are interested, please ask, and it really helps to have lots of time in advance! Please see MolokaiDigital for more details.

A really great added benefit of this service is that afterwards you get a DVD with the slide show AND a CD with all your newly digitized photos.

[-]	AFTERWARDS: WHAT YOU GET AFTER THE EVENT

[-]	IN WHAT FORM DO WE GET OUR PICTURES?

As part of my basic fee, the newlyweds receive ALL the high-resolution digital images burned onto archival-quality CD’s. At current resolutions, this equals about 150-250 images per CD.

Please note that these are the full high-resolution images suitable for enlargements and cropping just as they are recorded by my cameras.

Some photographers provide you with digital files (i.e., pictures) in which the resolution has been reduced, rendering them suitable for standard 4X6 prints, web-posting, and e-mail, but not suitable for enlargements or cropping. And then they charge you an additional fee if you want the high-resolution files. The reasoning is that providing you with the full high-resolution digital file is the equivalent (in film terms) of giving you the original negatives.

I don’t think that way. My service is all about giving you the best product possible. I want you to have the best image you can get, so that you have the most options for doing really high-quality things with that image, rather than forcing you to get all your high-quality reprints through me.

[-]	HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH PICTURES TO PUT ON OUR CD’S?

After the wedding, I edit the complete file of photos, deleting all the blurred or blatantly unflattering images.
Then, I go through and delete “similar” images. These are images that are nearly identical. I use professional cameras which can shoot up to 5 frames per second (yes, it’s true!), and I do this at many key moments: kissing, putting on rings and leis, reciting vows, etc. These nearly videographic sequences are very cool to use in slide shows, but often contain so many similar images that judicious deletion gives you a more manageable number of photos. Also, high-speed shooting lets me delete the ones where, for instance, the bride blinks.

Basically, I try to leave everything that will be enjoyable and useful to you (especially if you want to have lots of images for creation of your own slide shows), and delete enough that you are not burdened with having to wade through dozens of “second-string” images.

[-]	HOW MANY CD’S WILL I GET? HOW MANY TOTAL PICTURES?

Many weddings with modest receptions turn into 3 or 4 CD’s. Picture counts have varied from barely 200 for a ceremony only, to about 1,000 for a big church wedding with a dinner reception. There’s lots of variables, but you’ll get everything worth looking at, on however many CD’s it takes to organize it so that it makes sense and is easily accessible.

[-]	WHY NOT JUST PUT ALL THE PHOTOS ON ONE DVD?

Yes, I can do this. The optical drives in many older computers will not read DVD’s, and there are still formatting and compatibility issues with those that do . If you are computer literate and want the convenience of a single DVD, we can probably make it work for you.
For those who are not aware of the difference, a DVD holds 4.7 Gb, or the equivalent of about 7 CD’s.

[-]	CAN WE GET PRINTS FOR FRAMING OR PHOTO ALBUMS?

Yes. But these are NOT included in the prices for the basic wedding packages. The basic fees include all the pictures on CD. All other prints, enlargements, cropping and touch-up services, albums & books, slide show creation, custom documentary DVD’s, etc. are handled by my companion business, MolokaiDigital. Think of these as a la carte items that you can add on later.

[-]	HOW LONG BEFORE WE GET OUR PICTURES?

I like to get right in the studio to view and edit the photos, and can often have the CD’s ready for delivery within 3-7 days. For a large event with lots of photos, it may take 7-14 days or longer to have CD’s ready for delivery. And the demands of my schedule are sometimes very unpredictable. I have done weddings with less than two days notice!

For all “a la carte” digital imaging services from MolokaiDigital, please be prepared to be patient! I take huge pride in my work, spend many hours pouring over photos to pick the very best, and only produce final prints, books, and media creations which I’m proud to add to my portfolio. The wait will be worth it!

[-]	WE’RE LEAVING MOLOKAI THE VERY NEXT DAY. CAN WE GET OUR PICTURES RIGHT AWAY?

I bring an Apple PowerBook laptop to the wedding, for immediate uploading, viewing, and editing of all images. I have had clients who were leaving Molokai the next day, and wanted to take their photo files with them. I was able to remain at the site, upload and edit all the photos, and burn CD’s within a few hours of completion of the event. There is an extra fee for this “rush” service. This is not always possible for very large events.

[-]	DO YOU ARCHIVE OUR PHOTOS?

I triple archive (CD and external hard drive) a complete copy of all images, including any custom images created by MolokaiDigital.

[-]	ADDITIONAL SERVICES: MORE THINGS YOU CAN GET

[-]	CAN WE GET PRINTS FOR FRAMING? OR PHOTO ALBUMS & BOOKS?

Yes. MolokaiDigital does professional cropping and touch-up services for 8X10 frameable prints. We print on standard 8 1/2 X 11 highest quality photo paper, which makes it easy to find nice archival slip-in albums. We don’t bother in-house with standard 4X6 or even 5X7 prints, but will often put two or more complimentary images in a nice layout on a single page. We also use a professional printing and binding service which turns our layouts into bound books printed on professional Kodak papers. Please see MolokaiDigital.

[-]	CAN WE GET EXTRA SETS OF CD’S, PRINTS, OR ALBUMS FOR GIFTS?

Absolutely! This can be done at any time, even many months later. We’ll even ship to the final recipient’s address. We archive EVERYTHING we produce for you.

[-]	DO YOU DO CROPPING, COLOR CORRECTION, AND TOUCH UP WORK?

Yes. For any print image, we always do this to get the most striking image possible. (When we crop, we always make a duplicate image to edit and keep the original complete image untouched.) We can also do this for you as a separate service, giving you a CD of custom images ready to go to the printer at anytime for beautiful enlargements. And with all these services, you always get, in addition to the prints, albums or slide shows that you order, a separate CD with all the original and modified images

[-]	CAN YOU TURN OUR PHOTOS INTO BLACK & WHITE OR SEPIAS?

Yes. And of course you get these on a separate CD with the originals.

[-]	CAN YOU TURN OUR PHOTOS INTO SLIDE SHOWS WITH MUSIC?

Yes. Lots of variables and options here. This can also be done at any time.

[-]	CAN WE DECIDE LATER AND GET ANY OF THESE EXTRAS THEN?

Yes. You’ve probably got enough to do now, getting ready for your special day…

[-]	BOOKING MY SERVICES

[-]	HOW LONG IN ADVANCE SHOULD WE BOOK YOUR SERVICES?

The sooner you book, the more assurance you have of utilizing my services. I’ve been forced to turn down requests due to an earlier reservation on the same day. Saturdays are by far the most popular day, and Saturdays in the summer months are especially in demand. Plan accordingly!

[-]	IS THERE A CONTRACT THAT WE SIGN?

Yes. Please see PRICES for more details.

[-]	DO YOU NEED TO TALK OR MEET WITH US BEFORE THE BIG DAY?

Almost certainly. I do my best work when I’m most prepared. For me, that includes knowing beforehand what my clients want. I like to meet in person whenever possible, and establish a comfortable familiarity before the day of the event. At the very least, telephone consultation allows us to get to know each other at least a bit. E-mail is OK for taking care of necessary business, but is quite honestly my least favorite form of communication.

Also, I really like to learn names beforehand, and I like to know the “family tree” of who’s going to be at the event. This gives me some real sense of the relative (pun!) importance of who I’m looking at through the lens and the significance of the interactions I see happening. After all, I have to make hundreds of instantaneous decisions about where to point my lens, and knowing the players and some of their stories is the single most helpful advantage I can have.

[-]	PRICES

[-]	HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR YOUR SERVICES?

You’ll have to look under PRICES for quantitative $$$ details. Here, I’ll say just this: I try my hardest to give every event I photograph all the good energy I can. Sometimes that involves running a marathon. I also never take short-cuts in post production. I try at every step of the process to get and deliver the highest quality product possible.

I also try to positively add all I can to every event at the personal level. After all, I’m the unknown but nonetheless “invited” guest at a very special and intimate family affair. It’s a sacred responsibility. If my presence there doesn’t help make everyone’s day brighter, I have failed.

I would never embellish any of my work with glitzy beads and bangles to give it the illusion of being worth more than it is. My lifetime career as a farmer of organic produce is testament to the truth of this.

I’ve tried to set my prices to fairly compensate myself for the investment and energy I put into this work. It’s at best a very subjective decision-making process. Please remember that much more time and work goes into preparation and post-production than the work you see on the day of the event.

[-]	EQUIPMENT

[-]	WHAT KIND OF CAMERAS DO YOU USE?

I shoot all digital, with Canon cameras and lenses. I shoot VERY high resolution images (currently over 8 million pixels), suitable for enlargements and crops. The huge amount of information recorded at these resolutions means that a crop of as little as 20% of an original image can be printed as an 8X10 with complete clarity.

I always carry and alternately use two cameras. One has a lens which will zoom to a very wide angle, great for group shots and getting the big picture of the ceremony, even in tight quarters. The other is also a zoom which has an ultra-telephoto capability, great for capturing things like putting on the rings, and awesome for candid portraiture. Both are the absolute best in their class.

[-]	DO YOU USE FLASH OR ACCESSORY LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

I have dedicated camera-mount flash units which I use as needed. I have never found it necessary to use auxiliary studio-type flash apparatus, reflectors, etc., and feel that these devices would be inappropriate and distracting at a wedding.

I also use flash as little as possible. Without getting technical, suffice it to say that major revolutionary advances in the ability of digital imaging sensors to respond to very low levels of light, combined with the very “fast” lenses I use, make it possible for me to shoot in many very low light situations without having to use flash. I have taken many hundreds of stunningly beautiful pictures in low light conditions that with film would have absolutely necessitated the use of flash.

Limited use of flash photography and excellent telephoto capabilities combine to allow me to make my presence at an event as unobtrusive as possible, all the while getting all the great shots possible and missing no opportunities.

So I primarily use flash in bright high contrast situations where “fill-flash” lets you see into the dark shadows, and in nighttime situations where whatever artificial light that exists is insufficient.

[-]	DO YOU BRING BACKUP EQUIPMENT TO THE EVENT?

Yes. I currently bring four complete cameras to an event.

[-]	DO YOU DO YOUR OWN POST-EVENT COMPUTER PROCESSING AND PRINTING, OR DO YOU SEND YOUR IMAGES TO A SERVICE?

I have a complete in-home computer studio where I can edit, archive, and record (“burn”) all images to CD or DVD. I also have professional level photo printers, and stock glossy, satin, and matte highest-quality photo papers (matching the paper to the machine can make all the difference!)

I do use a professional printing and book-binding service to produce custom coffee-table style books from layouts which I produce.

[-]	WHAT KIND OF COMPUTERS AND PRINTERS DO YOU USE?

I work on 3 Apple computers and use iPhoto5 as my basic editing and printing software. I have 8-color archival-quality Epson photo printers. I use professional photo paper, resulting in prints suitable for framing.

I have a top-end Apple PowerBook laptop that I can bring to events for immediate uploading and viewing of all images.

[-]	I’VE SEEN LOTS OF PHOTOS TAKEN WITH DIGITAL CAMERAS THAT ARE FUZZY. FRIENDS TELL ME THAT PICTURES TAKEN WITH FILM CAMERAS ARE ALWAYS CLEARER AND “MORE PROFESSIONAL” THAN DIGITAL IMAGES. WHAT’S THE STORY?

Two separate issues here.

One:
How many times have you seen someone holding their point-and-shoot camera with just one hand and casually clicking away? All the time, right? That picture isn’t fuzzy, it’s just plain blurry! If your camera is shaking, then the image is blurred. Garbage in, garbage out! Any point-and-shoot digital camera with 3 million pixels or more can take great clear pictures, set to it’s highest resolution. I know, I’ve taken plenty with my first digital camera, a point-and-shoot Canon S30, still going strong. So don’t blame blurry pictures from camera shake on digital! Call it what it is: Operator error!

Two:
Canon has a toll-free support line. I talk with their techs all the time. It’s my “continuing educational” program. I learned there that at 6.5 million pixels, digital equals the resolution of 35 mm film. Above that, it exceeds 35 mm resolution, approaching “medium format” film (a much larger piece of negative film than 35 mm, used in Hasselblad and similar cameras). I’m currently using Canon D20’s, with 8.2 million pixels. If Canon is correct, I’m getting images with much greater resolution and more ultimate clarity than 35 mm film can get. And I know from the resulting images the truth of this.

[-]	USING PHOTOS ON CD

[-]	DO I HAVE TO HAVE A COMPUTER TO LOOK AT MY PICTURES ON CD?

To just look at them, yes. But you can take a CD to most any photo processor and get a complete set of prints.

[-]	I HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER, BUT I’M “COMPUTER CHALLENGED”. IS IT HARD TO LOOK AT AND USE MY PHOTOS?

Not at all. Many computers come with very simple PREVIEW applications that allow you to simply look at your photos while they are still on the CD, and often allow you to do simple manipulations of those images once you’ve loaded them onto the hard drive.

[-]	CAN I E-MAIL THESE PICTURES?

Sure. But they are BIG BIG BIG (1-4 Mb). Many e-mail applications allow you to reduce the file size at the time of sending. Send a few of these full size to someone with a slow land-line internet connection and they’ll wait an hour or more for your message to open!

[-]	HOW DOES IT WORK? IS EACH PHOTO A SEPARATE FILE? DOES IT HAVE A NAME OR NUMBER?

Yes, each photo is a separate file, with it’s own name. The ones you get from me will look something like IMG_2749.JPG. You can change that name if you want - it’s just a name! (note: if you do change it, it’s probably best to leave that .JPG suffix - some computers and softwares are fussy about these identifying endings, called “file extensions”). And each photo/file has a ton of accessory information imbedded in it, which most any photo software can extract: date & time (so you can figure out which ones happened first!), exposure, shutter speed, etc.

And, because it’s just a file, you can duplicate it, making an exact copy. This allows you to keep your original, so you can Tweak Away!

[-]	HOW DO YOU SORT THE PHOTOS ON THE CD’S?

I put the individual files/photos in logical grouping inside of folders, with simple boring names like Before Ceremony, Ceremony, Bride&Groom, Reception, etc.

[-]	WHAT KIND OF FILE FORMAT ARE THE PHOTOS?

These are all .JPG (often seen written as JPEG) file format, a very standard photo file format. ANY online photo service or ANY photo processor WILL be able to read and use these. Most actually prefer this format to all others.

[-]	DOES IT MATTER IF I HAVE A MAC OR PC?

Not at all (unless, of course, it matters to you!). I burn CD’s in a universal format, readable by any computer.

[-]	DO I NEED A PARTICULAR PHOTO SOFTWARE?

You can use any photo viewing software you like. Most digital cameras come with basic software, and many computers come with photo software already in them. Use what works for you.

[-]	DO I HAVE TO LEARN PHOTOSHOP ? (I’VE HEARD IT HAS A BIG LEARNING CURVE AND IS EXPENSIVE)

Not at all. PHOTOSHOP is a professional application designed for graphic designers. The learning curve IS huge - the on-screen manual with my limited edition (i.e., scaled down for beginners) version is 264 pages! There’s lots of confusion out there about this, and it’s why I included this question. Seems like everyone has heard the name PHOTOSHOP, and many assume that this is therefore THE application to use for viewing photos. It’s a case of serious overkill, until you are to the point that you want to do very serious graphic manipulation of individual images.

[-]	CAN I DO MY OWN COLOR CORRECTION, TOUCH-UPS, AND CROPS?

Sure. Most photo softwares have some sort of basic tools for this. Of course, each software is unique, and some have much better tools than others. Be sure to duplicate your original file/image and tweak away on a copy!

[-]	HOW MANY PICTURES ON A CD?

It varies. About 150-250. Three things: 1) Each file/image is a different size, based upon the actual amount of visual information it contains. A picture with lots of colors and details has a bigger file size; 2) A cropped file/image is smaller than the original - cropping actually cuts away whole chunks of digital visual information!; 3) I arrange image files into make-sense folders, and so leave varying small amounts of extra unused space on each CD.

[-]	CAN I PUT THESE PICTURES ON THE HARD DRIVE IN MY COMPUTER? CAN I MAKE MY OWN BACK-UP COPIES AND CD’S?

Yes, and I definitely recommend that you do this.

[-]	HOW MUCH SPACE DOES A CD FULL OF PICTURES TAKE UP WHEN I PUT IT ON A HARD DRIVE?

A full CD will hold about 660 Mb. I rarely push the limit, so expect each CD to have between 500-650 Mb. For example, 4 CD’s with an average of 500 Mb would total 2,000Mb (megabytes), or 2Gb (gigabytes). Modern entry-level computers, even laptops, are currently shipping with 30-80 Gb hard drives. And mid-level computers commonly have 120-250 Gb hard drives

[-]	NOW THAT I HAVE MY PICTURES ON CD, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I CAN DO WITH THEM?

Having all the images on CD gives you a multitude of possible venues for viewing, preserving, and sharing your images.

These include:
Simple viewing (and backup archiving) on any modern personal computer, either as individual photos or as a slide show.

The ability to manipulate any selection of images into an infinite assortment of slide shows. Image editing software allows adding your favorite music. You can even create DVD’s, combining still images, slide shows, video clips, music, and voice-over.

The ability to make prints at home with a computer and photo printer, or to take the CD’s to any photo developer and have any selection of images printed at any size. And you can custom crop any of the images, or manipulate (a la Photoshop) any of the images.

And of course you can e-mail any of the photos to family and friends, or post the images on a variety of on-line services, for viewing and ordering of reprints and enlargements.

[-]	WILL MY PICTURES BE CLEAR IF I CROP OR MAKE ENLARGEMENTS?

If the original image is clear, then you can do major cropping and still make enlargements that are clear. It all has to do with the amount of detail and information recorded by the camera. I use professional level cameras with state-of-the-art digital sensors, and give you the original images as recorded by my cameras. It doesn’t get any better than this!