TO DO OR NOT TO DO – Did you ever think just that about building a photography business assuming you wanted one? Well, my wife and I did just that and started a portrait and wedding business years ago. We did baby portraits, family portraits, environmental portraits, school portraits, executive head shots, sports, photojournalism, corporate contract work, and then some. However, weddings were the most time consuming of all. Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays and then all the days in between for prep work.

 More than 15 years ago, I was President of the Professional Photographers of America – Central Jersey chapter. The members I was most close to have all abandoned wedding photography as did we. Nevertheless, there are many wedding photographers today who are doing quite well no doubt. Are you one of them? If so, what do you like the most about it? When my wife and I closed our studio, I sold all my very high-quality professional equipment but I kept enough to pursue what I’ve always enjoyed, B&W fine art photography from film.   

What do you enjoy from your hobby or your business? Would love to hear your story. Please leave a comment below. Thanks - Hank

 

GIVING – It’s always a good thing if you have an opportunity to donate your work for a worthy cause. My grandson attends an elementary school in New York City and as is the case in many schools, there are items and events that are outside the standard school budget. Therefore, the school staff organized an auction of all types of salable goods and/or services. My contribution was an 11 x 14 matted print of “Summer Snow”. The principal advised me that the print sold well and helped to generate needed revenue along with all the other auction entries. It’s always good to give.

Have you had an opportunity to donate something from your hobby or business? If so, leave a comment with your details. Thanks - Hank

 

COOL NEWS - If any of you have the Disney app on your TV, go to National Geographic, then to Cosmos, and then to season 1 - episode 13. In the first 5 minutes you’ll see some of my 1939 World’s Fair night shots that Cosmos paid a license fee to use which they found in

https://www.webbersphotography.com/c/1939-worlds-fair

The image above was not chosen thought it's one of my favorites, however, three other photos were. Pretty neat. Perhaps an Academy Award is next (ha ha). No harm dreaming big.

Have you had the opportunity to exhibit your work be it photography or some other medium that appeals to you, something you enjoy? Please leave a comment about your passion

 HAND COLORING – have you ever considered adding colors to your B&W photos? I’m told you can do that with photoshop but I prefer using the skills from my darkroom. The type of prints that I work with are silver gelatin photographs, not digital. What follows is a Facebook post by Marshall’s Photo Coloring System you may find helpful should you venture into hand coloring:

"To begin with, you’ll need some PM solution made by combining turpentine at 2/3, and 1/3 safflower oil. A small jar would be plenty.  Turpenoid can also be used and it seems to work as well and not smell as bad. Distilled turpentine would probably be safer as far as yellowing down the road. Safflower oil has been used for making white oil paint for years as it does not yellow. Use PM to prime the paper before using oils and pencils. Apply with cotton and rub it down with paper towels. Apply paint with cotton swabs or toothpicks wrapped with cotton and kind of buff to smooth it out. Apply color pencils and rub or stroke with swabs or tooth picks wrapped with cotton to smooth that out. Get good cotton at drugstore. Do one section at a time using the above steps."

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your reaction be it photoshop or darkroom. Thanks for your time!

Hand colored cards & prints at

https://www.webbersphotography.com/c/cards--prints

 

 

MY FRONT YARD – this past summer, I was relaxing on our front porch bench. Looking to my left, I gazed upon the trees at the edge of our property. The sunlight was perfect, shining on the leaves, and highlighting between them and the branches. I got my camera, loaded with Infrared Film, looked through the viewfinder, and saw the image I liked. Next step was the darkroom.

Whether you use film or digital, do you look right around you to compose an image in your mind and capture it? It’s great fun and requires no travel. Try it!

Please let me know your thoughts/techniques. Leave a comment below. Thanks!

 

MY EARLY START - The art of black & white film photography has been around for more than 100 years. It started with a number of pioneers and grew into a very dynamic major industry with leaders like Kodak and Polaroid.

Well, my start was in April 1955 at age 9.

Dad took me on a steam train excursion pulled by the last operating steam locomotive of the Central Railroad of NJ similar to the one in my Facebook post. I was very excited about the sights, sounds, and smells of the engine, and wanted to take a picture to remember the day. Dad had previously reviewed with me the basics of his manual folding camera so he said, "Son, you try it." That image, frozen in time, hangs in my office to this day.

When I turned 15, Dad brought me into his darkroom to learn film processing and print development. That was 60 years ago.

I miss those times with my Dad. What he taught me about the art of black & white photography, I still enjoy immensely today. It’s why I do what I do!

How ‘bout you? Do you have a hobby you love, perhaps one that’s turned into a side business? I’d love to know all about it. Share in the comments below.

Trees...

I enjoy photographing trees in early Summer and late Fall. The warm weather produces an abundance of leaves which can be the crown of any tree. The lack of leaves in Fall exposes the details of a tree, all the limbs and branches. This image "Cotton and Lace", captured in the Fall, reveals those details. The clouds in the background became the cotton, if you will, and the details became the lace. It just struck me as a magnificent combination. Sadly. lightning has since taken this tree down. The lesson we should all heed is that when your mind's eye sees an image then by all means capture it! Then you can enjoy it over and over again knowing that, in some cases, the original scene may be gone forever.  The magic of photography is a medium that instantly locks an image in time while providing the photographer the joy of creating the initial image.