Recent studio work – obtaining some good results with better equipment.

The studio is really coming together. With that implementation of 700Watts of color-corrected lighting, Profoto reflectors, custom backdrops and my new backdrop hanging system.. I’m getting some pretty good results.

Studio Test shot.
Studio Test shot.

I have a part list of what it took to get to this point!

2 3-head aluminum floor lamps
2 1500 watt hot oil space heaters
1 1500 watt force air space heater
8 100 watt 6500k CFL lamps
6 1/4″ eye bolts
2 1/4″ wall hook
9.5 feet of 3/32″ plastic coated galvanized cable
13.5 feet of 3/32″ coated galvanized cable
16.5 feet of 1/8″ coated galvanized cable
6 1/8″ cable loop ends
6 1/8″ cable clamps
3 1/8″ x 6″ turnbuckles.
2 packs of bathtub curtain hanging hooks
2 packs of x-large fabric grommets and installation kit
3 108″ x 15′ muslin backdrops (this was the $$$ killer)
2 90″ x 12′ rayon colored bolts (also pretty pricey)
2 ProFoto reflector umbrellas (also very pricey!)
1 carbon fiber Bogen tripod with Manfroto Q/L ball head (let’s $700 for that bad boy but it’s top-notch!)
1 ‘classic’ steel heavy duty studio tripod (I’ll say it was a lot less than the Bogen)
Several gallons of paint
Many hours of labor to clean, sand, paint and rig.

Also have 5 other ‘consumer grade‘ (i.e. crap) tripods that now just take up space. They are good for travel though, because if they are crushed or lost, I don’t care. I purchased two of them at different times overseas, while on vacation expecting them to not last the 10-14 days there. I considered leaving them but the penny-pincher in me made me pack them home.

None of this is possible without the two Canon 20D bodies, and untold thousands of $$ in lenses. :/

Then there is of course the $$$$$$$ in motorcycles, but they have uses beyond the studio. 🙂

One of these days I’ll fully account for the costs of this hobby! LOL

Note, subsequent content / photos moved.

I’ll be bringing up my official photography website in the next month. Until then, you can find my latest photos on my ModelMayhem site ( http://www.modelmayhem.com/1306387 )

Tracking fuel and mileage costs on the CLK430

Off and on I have been tracking the fuel consumption and milage on the CLK430. Almost all of thise is commute driving.

1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK430

1999 CLK430
1999 CLK430
Date Gallons Odometer Start Total Miles Mileage
8-Dec-2009 13.9 118132 333 23.9 MPG
12-Dec-2009 14.9 118494 362 24.3 MPG (best to date)
2-Feb-2010 15.0 119469 347 23.1 MPG
18-Feb-2010 12.8 119850 291 22.7 MPG (worst to date)
22-Feb-2010 13.6 120180 319 23.45 MPG

I plan to keep track of this, as often as I remember to note it, that is. It looks like my mileage has dropped a measurable amount in the last few months. Some of it could be fuel mixes for winter, but I suspect the car needs a tuneup, since It’s been well over a year since I even checked plugs. I believe they are the originals!

There are 16 multi-tip Platinum plugs in the motor (2 per cylinder) and they cost about $10 each. I’m not really clamoring to spend $160 on plugs plus the labor (I can’t get to 12 of them easily) to have them done. But.. it seems like I should do it now before I start to have mechanical problems.

A few old photos from the past…

I’m finally getting around to scanning in some of my old photos, before the original prints are damaged beyond use or get lost.

A couple that brought a smile to my face.

Kawi 650 JetSkis
Kawi 650 JetSkis

These were both a ton of fun out on The Delta, jumping wakes and riding to Lost Isle Resort (only accessible via water). Had some great time with those Skis. I eventually traded them for a boat after we had our first child. I still miss those. Now that the kids are old enough, I think I’ll get some again. It’s good fun and good exercise!

My 2nd motorcycle - Honda CBR600F2
My 2nd motorcycle - Honda CBR600F2

This was my second motorcycle. It had custom paint, exhaust and was a fun ride. This is also the first bike (OK, other than dirt bikes) that I had a crash on. It’s also the one that taught me about ATGATT (All The Gear, All The Time!). And that crashing sucks, PERIOD. This photo was taken out on Hwy 49 (a favorite of mine while living in Sacramento, CA), deep in the California Gold Country. I never thought about how much I’d learn to value a sunny day.

Flying to Vegas - trip sponsored by Silicon Graphics
Flying to Vegas - trip sponsored by Silicon Graphics

Ken, Myself and Kris on an SouthWorst Airlines flight from SJC to Las Vegas! We’d had a great year in the Customer Service / IRIX Support department and the company rewarded us by sending the entire team (about 20 of us) for a weekend in Vegas. Many great memories of that trip! It was fantastic! Almost got myself and my boss tossed off the plane in San Jose for sneaking booze onboard and getting plastered on the flight down. It only went sideways from there!

Color studies for new backdrops

Having a photo shoot coming up next week, I want to create a couple of new backdrops. The shoot will once again focus on the yellow Ducati. Today I’m working with some rough masks in Photoshop to get an idea of what backdrop colors I should work on creating next.

This will take a few hours to work though. First I’m working on some basic background tinting. Once I get an idea of what my eye likes, I’ll break out my color books (a favorite of mine is the Jim Krause’s Color Index 2) and find tune the pallets looking for the best complimentary colors. Creating the backdrops is not an exact science (at least for me), so having a perfect color target is meaningless. It serves as a goal for dye an base fabric color selection.

These are a couple of the images I’ve created so far to get an idea of what direction to go in.

color_study_original

⇐ Original

color_study_purple color_study_midnightsea
color_study_maroon color_study_darkgreen
color_study_redbright color_study_purpleelectric

$518 later, a new pair of tires for the CLK

OUCH. Pricy tires! But like most things in life, the true cost of owning a vehicle can be a lot more than just the ‘purchase price’. $1100 for a set of tires, $1300 for a set of decent (not great) wheels, $400 for sport shocks… $200 for spark plugs (takes 16 multi-tip Platinum).

In the end, a tire I was not really comfortable driving on with kids in my car, has been replaced and I can move on with life.

Still.. $518 unplanned dollars…. (+ tax) was a bit hard to swallow!