Consistency

American ★ Cupcake — the line up so far, originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

I’ve been working on a project for some time now with a caterer who is amazingly creative and upbeat.
Consistency has been the key to our future. Devin of American ★ Cupcake is the most creative bakers & chefs I’ve ever met — we came together several years ago when our businesses were both just getting a jump-start online. I asked if she would lend a hand with my Food Photography and bring some of her sweet cakes to the studio to start. After one taste of her cakes, & one look at my pics we became fast friends.

Last spring Devin called to say she was opening her cupcake shop, and would I come to photograph for her… Of course! Always ready to help a friend out. Over last year we’ve had some great laughs, more than a few shoots, and made some pretty Tasty Food Photos. Every few months since Devin has asked me back as her menu evolves and she thinks up great new flavors for cupcakes.

Why does she keep requesting me back, I asked recently?
Because, Devin said, she knows I will produce consistent looking food images for her. It doesn’t matter, a month or a year later, the light on her cakes will be just right.  Plus all of her sweets AND savory foods match the clean theme of her store, website and marketing materials.

Taking a minute extra to make notes on our final light setup and camera settings is just one of the little things I do that sets me apart from the crowd of food photographers. Making a few quick notes has helped to eliminate confusion when returning to shoot Devin’s food, ensuring that the lighting and final images will be consistent every time.

The hardest part about shooting food is finding the best food to start with.  We start by examining and setting aside a few perfect cakes, frosting them with precision and carefully move them to the shooting table to ensure they come out looking great — that is the tricky part. Of course not all cakes will come out looking exactly the same (like those manufactured ones) these are lovingly handcrafted.
“Just like your mother never made”.

Stop by American ★ Cupcake on Union in SF next time your in the area…
Savory or Sweet, you’ll see why it’s my favorite cupcake shop in The City — consistently!

Mind your Step

Kelp Crab, originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

Went off a wandering with the Meetup Group I host last weekend we found ourselves up very early exploring the tide pools at J V Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach.

Watch your step in the world my friends, we don’t always notice the beauty tucked away beneath the Flotsam and jetsam underfoot.
Who knows, you may find something interesting today if you look hard enough!

Finding the Zen

Spa Day (Conceptual Ad), originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

This week has been a week full of lessons…
balance, patience, persistence are requirements for the emerging photographer.

As I contemplate this week the closure of a favorite local publication, I think of that old adage “the only constant is change”.
The publishing industry is in constant flux, and this is a lesson to come early in my career and I’m glad for it:
Persistence, when one door closes another opens.

Patience, has been a bit of a challenging lesson this week too, as I look at the images I have created and yearn to be creating more, better, faster, now…
must learn to walk before I can run!
From a workshop yesterday, I took away that it takes time to secure rights, workflows & practices, and it’s better to have the patience & wait while to build a good, solid business model rather than rushing out and spreading images all around.

And, the balance, that comes from staying true to your goals and ideals — give and take, win-win, fair negotiations. Sometimes this means to say “No, thanks” to a deal or project, sometimes this means knowing when to just stay quiet and see what happens.

Of course, you could always go for a massage to enjoy a bit of Zen.

Black V Promo Shoot

Black V Promo Shoot, originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

“And, always be quick thinking on your feet and go with the flow!”

Originally, I had just planned to shoot beauty… well, things change on set sometimes rapidly
In the end, I had to make a photo of this dress full length.
I decided to go with the available light and swap out the scene — assistant ChengCheng Huang scooped up some sunlight from above and bounced it back in from the side to make our model glow.

I love it when my images flow together like this, I’m always thinking about layout & design when I shoot.

Black V Promo Shoot

Black V Promo Shoot, originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

More from the promo shoot from a few weeks ago with Owen Buenaventura and his fabulous team…

I’ve learned from years of studying my craft that the team is what will make or break your shot — clear communication is vital; otherwise you’ll have too many paths to follow. Make a plan, communicate your shoot plan and execute…
And, always be quick thinking on your feet and go with the flow!

Of course, it just makes things easier when you have a stunningly beautiful model. Thanks to Sammie from City Model, and the entire team!

Black V Promo Shoot

Black V Promo Shoot, originally uploaded by ♥ digitalShe™.

Recently had the opportunity to shoot with a fabulous crew…
Owen B is always so gracious and carefully picks the best models/stylists/hair and makeup artists to work with.
Oh, but that I could always have him produce my shoots…
Le Sigh!

Never underestimate the power a stylist can wield on your set — they will make or break your photo. Select carefully and be certain to be considerate of taste.
Some just don’t have any…

No Consessions at the Boardwalk

A friend and I were asked a couple of weeks back to leave the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with our tripods.  We came during a slow time of year/day to practice our HDR techniques, thinking the colourful columns & rides would make for some interesting scenery.

After searching their website I find NO indication of prohibition of professional photography or tripods, nor do any of the signs outside indicate these  as prohibited.  However, Communications Manager Brigid Fuller was quick on us about our gear after my friend setup and shot 1-hdr on his tripod; explaining that professional photography and tripods were not allowed on the property.

Unfortunately for us, Brigid did not seem at all interested in our reason for shooting, nor willing to discuss the issue or to make concessions with us at all.  She repeated to us the “no professional photography” and “tripods are not allowed” story with little compassion for our long travels to this fine shooting environment or our reasons for shooting.

Communications Manager for the Boardwalk Bridged Fuller continued to hone-in on the point that even Professional Photographers who want to shoot on their properties must “pay a large fee and have millions of dollars of insurance to cover” the shoot.

Where does this leave a shaky amateur out for a day of fun shooting, a student of photography following the advice of his mentor, or the pixel peeper Dad looking to take advantage of a little tripod-ed stability to create lasting family memories?

Well, possibly elsewhere – perhaps in the Casino at the Heirloom Photo Gallery?  Or on the Beach… across the street would do as well.

No amount of kind protest from us would seem to sway Brigid from her judgment that our gear was professional, and therefore we were as well.  This kinda gets me because loads of people buy big glass and shoot for fun – it’s a hobby, remember?

I can’t recommend a visit to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk at this point, which is really too bad.  The event has been left bit of a sour memory for me at this point, mostly due to Brigid and her less than congenial PR skills on the behalf of the SC Beach Boardwalk.

It’s true, I was on private property…
I accept that, I accept Brigid’s reasons for safety.
It’s sad that the PR department for the Boardwalk couldn’t be a little more supportive – you’d think they would like some nice, artistic images made of their locale, after all, they worked so hard on that eye-popping design and key graphics designed to part Man from his Benjamin’s in the name of  family day.

It gets me thinking, though…
No Tripods, eh?  How creative can a MacGuyver-Style-Gear-Head get in creating mobile, positionable Camera Stabilization that would be “acceptable” in public and actually work.

Once upon a time when faced with just such a dilemma at a garden I enjoy spending time I used some super clamps and a magic arm to fashion a tripod out of an umbrella stroller. Never had an issue with the staff while in use, but I did my best to stay out of the way.

The downside to my super-stealthy secret Stroller-Pod was I had a dickens of a time keeping the whole thing from tipping backwards and spilling out my precious camera – er, Baby -  onto the gravel.

I gave up and threw the whole thing away.  Well, I kept the super-clamp and the magic arm & the camera, silly.

Wouldn’t it be ironic to fashion something onto a Boardwalk Rental Stroller – I’m thinking we might see what happens!

Round 2 – digitalShe dotcom

Last year about this time I found I had not renewed my domain name digitalShe because all the friendly reminders were not coming to our eMail account, but rather a long dead eMail account, terminated with GoDaddy 3 years prior…

Let the games begin! Can I win my domain name of the year without playing the GoDaddy spending Game? 
I have been checking the status of the account since May 22 – when the “Depression Deliverance Online” site parked at digitalShe dotcom  seemed to disappear. 
Did I mention that I found links to online drug retailers through this site? 
Talk about shady! 
I watched the WhoIs info change to show that the domain name had expired, but I could not purchase.  I thought there would be some kind of hold on the name, but that I would be able to get it by July 4th – the anniversary of my realization that I’d lost my account.
No can do.

So, I called GoDaddy.  Tyler insists that the domain name is currently in a redemption period with the ICANN for 30 days (since no “Backorders” were placed on the name – $18.99 each, the name went back to ICANN he says).
After said redemption period, it will enter a Pending state for another 8 days.
Tyler says it should come back available to the general public around the begining of August.  Sigh. 
Of course, I can pony up that extra $20 (yeah, I round up) to get it as soon as it becomes available, maybe (if someone else hasn’t had that bright idea first)…

*** wait, was that days or business-days?**

Do I pay or do I hope?
I’m hoping.  Guess I’m too cheep to give them an extra $20 for a domain name…
I’d rather buy a can ‘o Beer and some Grocery Store Sushi.  Call me cheep.

And, don’tcha know it – fishing around our accounts again trying to buy this darn name back - that funky old email was in the database as contact info once again! 
Tyler assures me that he’s changed it, once and for all.
Do you believe him?

Important Notice Regarding Your Domain Name

Pay attention to your domains we don’t.

A recently received email from GoDaddy regarding our account(s)
stated:
“We recently sent you a notice to review and update the contact information for your domain name(s). This is a
follow-up to that email.
ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) requires all accredited registrars to ask their
domain administrators/registrants to review domain name contact data annually, and make any changes necessary to ensure accuracy.
Under ICANN rules and the terms of your registration agreement, PROVIDING FALSE CONTACT INFORMATION CAN BE
GROUNDS FOR DOMAIN NAME CANCELLATION (to review the ICANN policy, visit:
http://www.icann.org/whois/wdrp-registrant-faq.htm) .”

Get the salt out…
The wound is reopened…

It’s been shown in the past GoDaddy uses this little loophole to sell accounts out from under people.
I got wise to the ways of the cyber-thieves who file a grievance stating that the WhoIs information for X-account
is incorrect. The domain service is to investigate any grievances of this sort, and often emails the client using
contact information, and email address. If they find invalid contact information on the WhoIs listing or do not get any reply then the ISP then gets resell the domain!

No kidding? No kidding, just read this little article in detailing the horror the (previous) owner of
FamilyAlbum.com went through
GoDaddy Deletes Domain Name for Inaccurate Email Address.

Well, I think, nothing should be out of order…
we scrupulously checked every page on our account login and updated ALL 6 areas of GoDaddy pertaining to our
remaining website way back in July. All should be well, we think.

Ha! But, no, things are not all right… somehow, over the course of the last few months the City, Zip and Phone details on the Billing Information have all reverted back to previous versions.
We double checked in July and August to ensure accuracy. How could this be?
Somehow those details changed between August and December!

All is right once again. Details were corrected, accuracy ensured.
And, a handy little receipt eMail from GoDaddy confirming that changes were made to the account assures.
No email when the account changed last time. Hum?
But wait, the same sort of method in which I lost my previous domain name is reviewed here
follow up to Tim’s familyalbum.com dilemma

I found this little nugget posted in the comments, #67 from tm
“tm
July 9th, 2007 | 4:35 am
just so anyone can know. In case you have ever lost a domain name, I work at GoDaddy. When a domain expires, if it doesn’t get redeemed or won in auction, it automatically gets purchased by a company called Standard Tactics LLC. This company is owned by a relative of Bob Parsons, the owner of GoDaddy. Nice lil monopoly heh? Bob Parsons sells you a domain name and if you allow it to expire there is an automated system that puts it in his account. There is no way this practice is legal.”
Thanks, TM…

This leads me to some more digging, or clicking as it were, to find this brilliant little article in the Washington Post, December 3, 2008 entitled
GoDaddy Uses Standard Tactics To Warehouse Domains

Most of author Robin Wauters info was gleaned from Andrew’s blog on Domain Name Wire
Standard Tactics, LLC: How GoDaddy Profits from Expired Domains
which explaines how GoDaddy is auctioning off top traffic names for a price or keeping them to themselves to park ads on.

Besides the expiring and auctioning of domain names; the other thing that really gets me is the changing of the database info on accounts and contact information.

I know everything was up to date on our other account when we moved sites because, well, we moved!
Former addresses were never attached to this account, we not longer lived there!!!

Now, we’ve had to go in and change account / contact information twice, what’s up with that?
Something’s fishy here.

Right around another holiday too! I can see how this type of email could be overlooked.
Or bounced.

How much money do they make doing this?

How much money on average does it take a business to rectify this sort of issue?

How much money does a photographer stand to loose if their day-to-day site goes down?
Betting many would pay a pretty penny in order to restore a site that is heavily marketed to clients with.  Quickly.

In the end, I had to laugh when I read former GodDaddy employee dirtdaddy’s comment
(#121)

December 17th, 2008 | 4:48 am

Standard Tactics 16 Rules
1. We can keep you out of your comfort zone.
2. Never give up your domains, we sell them behind your back.
3. When you are ready to quit, we have met our goal.
4. Accept the worst possible outcome.
5. Focus on what has just happened to your domains.
6. Take things a day at a time, we take the domains one at the time.
7. If you move forward we can mess you up with our legal beagle.
8. Our Supervisors are trained liars.
9. Remember you are of no significance to us.
10. Anything that we manage will disappear.
11. Pay attention to your domains we don’t.
12. Never push us around we use Standard Tactics
13. Never expect liars to be fair.
14. Solve your own problems we wont.
15. Don’t take us too seriously.
16. There’s no reason to smile.

Check your data… review and update the contact information for your domain name(s),
Someone’s ready to sell your precious name for cold hard cash.

Go Daddy? No Daddy!

While working this morning I thought of a new domain name.

Where ever does one go to look to see if a domain name is available without the risk of some cyber-squatter seeing my search and forcing the price up?

The Path > Search “whois” = whois.com.
Wait! that is run by a company named Verio, a NTT Communications company… that sounds like a b i g corporation.
Next search: GoDaddy (yeah, I said it was like crack) thinking I could just look up the whois for my new “ideal” domain name.
Ding! Hit “NoDaddy.Com – Exposing the Many Reasons Not to Trust “

Finally… others with shared negative experience. So, mine isn’t an isolated incidence run up against the corporate wall of greed? It’s true, others have had sites sold out from under them and held hostage. While I still feel there is little I can do to overcome the loss of my domain name at this time, I still have hope – I will one day regain my identity!

It is frustrating that I’ve just learned I missed a few vital emails due to this domain site snafu, I had some school business sent to that email address. Now those emails have landed where? Who is looking at them?
I pray they have landed in a digital dumpster somewhere, but can one be sure?

Things like this only serve to make me feel more paranoid…
who can you trust if not the web host you are paying to be on your side?!
The dictionary defines Hostage as “held as security for the fulfillment of certain conditions or terms, promises, etc., by another”. I really wish GoDaddy would be honest about their terms. They still insist someone other than their company has purchased my domain name. But, they can help broker a deal for a small fee.

Nope, not biting.
Go Daddy? NoDaddy!