The Nation's Capital Baby!

Just got back from D.C. and I will tell it is quite the place. I encourage EVERYONE to check it out. Walking along the Vietnam Memorial was a very humbling experience to say the least. D.C. is a lush and happening place let me tell ya and I can see why it is so very expensive. One thing for sure is that it is a photographer’s dream come true I mean everywhere you look, a picture opportunity exist. My only complaint to report is that the tour guide rushed us like there was no tomorrow! If only had more time dammit! Anyway, enjoy the samples and as always, if you can’t eat it, shoot it with a Nikon.

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance

D.C. Boredom

Well I am sitting here in our nation’s capital bored out of my mind. You may be curious why I am here and my response is to shoot G.W.’s daughter’s engagement party (She recently got engaged). Ok I am kidding and to be honest, it would take all the gold in Fort Knox to have me rub elbows with those cronies anyhow. Seriously, I am here for a week long boring seminar and that is all I am going to say about that.

I have been reading much about wedding photographers who give up the rights to the negatives to wedding clients. Well many a photographer has grumbled about this and all I can say to you the bride is this. If it is good for you and your photographer is turning a profit does it really matter? What should alarm today’s bride is the photographer who uses “MySpace” as the only website for advertising their photographic services. Also, staying aware of the $175 wedding package because I will tell you, the images are most likely going to be terrible! Lastly, I recently visited a website for a Boise photographer who I knew was fired by a previous client of mine. Well, that site was interesting in that I noticed a link or two that was invalid and a mix of pictures that by all accounts, did not appear as though they came from the same photographer. Mind you, it takes a keen eye to spot that kind of stuff but nonetheless, my suspicions are most likely right! No I can’t say the name of the operation but she is a local girl and has recently changed her business name and her number (for the 3rd time). I say this to you because at the time my former client hired me, she informed me of how this particular photographer (if that is what you want to call her) knew little on how to operate a computer, was fashionably late to the consultation, and seemed SUPER nervous. Now if you saw this site you would not think that someone who promotes that kind of quality would be lacking in so many other areas. Before you ask, I have somewhat confronted this individual and the reason is simple. I love the industry and while I believe that photographers should be reinventing themselves regularly, it does not mean that it is ok to make the rest of us look bad but scamming potential clients. More on this later…..

Did some cool pictures and I figured I would share. Feel free to comment on them if you like

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance

Kooskia, Idaho

Was up in Northern, Idaho last week for a wedding on the Clearwater River. Other than the DJ totally screwing up the brides 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. dance (more on this later), all went without a hitch. J.R. and Nicole were a total blast to hang out with. For those of of you who don't know, Kooskia is up in the northern part of Idaho damn near the Montana state line. Talk about wilderness......Enjoy the pics and thank you JR & Nicole for your kindness and flexibility....Can't wait for Nikon to release it's new line of DSLR's & for Saints football to get started!

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance

Just(is) Info

Well another awesome wedding is done and it was dustbowl of sorts. Bogus Basin in Idaho is unique in that you can get some really cool pics but given the dry conditions, dust was a flyin! Regardless, Ryan & Brady put on a great show and their pictures are gorgeous. Funny how when you climb 6500ft for wedding pics how different the clouds

began to look. Brady herself was gorgeous and plenty good enough for the lens without the clouds! Enjoy the examples and feel free to comment even if you are not feeling the pics.

Well next week I am off to Northern Idaho in what should be a gorgeous ceremony for Nicole and J.R. The wedding is taking part right on the Payette River and that has me dying to get the bride in the water. Anyone who has ideas on how to do this without ruining the dress and pissing off the M.O.B. (Mother of the Bride) please email with suggestions (yeah right).

P.S.

The Saints start training camp this week! YEAHHHHHHHHH..We are so Super Bowl Bound!

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance

Taxes & Weddings

Well this weekend should be a grand event. Ryan & Brady look to tie the know high atop Bogus Basin Ski Resort. Hopefully, the sun will be gorgeous and those silhouette shots will be rocking! Funny how all of the PhotoShop in the world can't touch the natural and various lights our sun provides. Ok I will stop acting like Gandhi here.

As for the homeowners in Ada County I am every bit as angry as you are that your property taxes keep flying through the roof. Who in the hell comes up with these stupid numbers anyway? With all of the developers licking their chops to get something built, you would think that those costs would be passed on to them! Well, wouldn't surprise me if a few down at the county weren't getting a little kickback themselves for letting these idiots plow through the beauty of Boise while increasing your property taxes. Kinda sucks paying taxes on capital gains not even realized until you sell your home! So live in it for 10 years and let the county get 30K out of ya!

Took my kiddo out to dinner at Old Chicago the other night and ran into a group of activists from www.moveon.org
Great group of folks I might add who thought they might take a few out of their day to say to the world just how stupid the war in Iraq has become. Hmmm, I could not agree with them more. Love those vets (especially the airborne ones) but hate this blurred war we are stuck in.

See ya on the 2010 ballot…..Yeah Right…

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance

Scammers

I wonder why scammers are all of the sudden targeting photographers. I mean really, nobody ever accused us of being Harvard’s best & brightest but sheez, do they really think we are that stupid? You are probably wondering what I am rambling about so I will explain.

Scam artist acting like a potential client emails you for availability.
Then, asks how much to send for deposit (all of this can be found on most photography websites anyway)
Then asks for a mailing address and offers to send you more than is required. The catch is that they want you to mail them back the remainder after subtracting for the deposit.
Your bank runs the check and while they get a nice little chunk of cash, the poor/idiot photographer is left with the hefty bounced check fees when the check fails to clear.
Not sure about your bank but mine, Wells Fargo has implemented a system to prevent getting taken though it does little to protect me. Each time I deposit a check the bank will only release the first $100 until the rest clears. Regardless, I always get these emails and I simply tell them my wedding package costs $350,000 plus travel. They seldom reply and what makes me laugh even harder is that most of them speak HORRIBLE English. Here is an excerpt of one I got just a couple of days ago.

Hello Foster, Am Steve Mac, It’s my pleasure to invite you to my Daugther wedding ceremony which is going to take place at First Baptist church san Antonio , Georgia USA on August 4th 2007, please let me know if your company will be available on this date to take the coverage and every necessary things on that day. So let us know if you will be available on that on that day, let us know your package for 8 hours, presently am not in the state but it’s my duty to take care of this part that’s why, I have to contacted you. Let me know if you can receive your payment with a CERTIFIED CASHIER CHEQUE OR MONEY ORDER from my client in the states. Am looking forward to hear from you as soon as possible.

Treat As Urgent
Bye

See what I mean? San Antonio is in Georgia now???? What I have always found funny is that we can find one freaking cow who has “Mad Cow Diesease” amongst a hundred thousand but can’t find one of these idiots much less Osama.

Well enjoy I am off to Spokane for a wedding and then will be enjoying some down time. Congrats to Daniel & Ximena for a lovely wedding last weekend it was a privilege to provide your photography.





More updates to the site are coming soon to include a flash player for the pics of the week!

Nikon for All My Friends,

Lance

Updates

The website www.justisphoto.com is taking on a new shape. In the wedding section you will find a flash player slide show while each navigation button button will be redesigned as well. I hope to have some new stuff and more non-traditional wedding pictures posted for ya soon. In the meantime, check out some of these pictures from Greg Sims who just so happens to have one wicked portfolio!

http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/view/gallery/1119633