Bag your camera

The other day I noticed decent point and shoot with a cracked screen. I had to help my wife get her camera out of her purse. If you are going to spend 100 or more on a camera be sure to take the time to get a new camera bag. The bag is not just about carrying the camera it is to protect the camera. It keeps it cooler in the car ( if it is out of direct sunlight) and protects it from the bumps and dings you get with it bouncing around in your purse or pocket. Most digital cameras will give years of great service. IF you take care of them. Don't let them get too hot or too cold. Keep them away from dust, pocket trash or other items that can scratch or damage the camera. Keep them dry. A good camera bag is the best way to do this.

I have been resarching various DSLR bags for my nikon. As the current bag, that has performed well no longer holds my all my stuff. I have found several possiblities and in the process have identified a few companies that seem to have the edge over the competition. Lowepro is a good bag with several good options they make bags for all levels of cameras, and they are competitevely priced. Best buy, and Columbia Photo have a good selection of these bags.

Kata has great ratings. IT is the bag I chose because it has options of a back pack, or either a left or right shoulder sling bag. It will also hold all my stuff. I can't wait to get it. Kata has great ratings. I will let you know more. Unfortunatley they are not available in the Columbia area.

My current bag is Tamrac bag. I have had it for 3 years and it has performed flawlessly. It is still in great shape. In fact I will be selling my current bag when my new one gets in. Columbia Photo carries Tamrac bags.... Check them out.

The real story is that if you go to all the trouble to find a great camera that meets your needs take a few more minutes and a few more dollars to get a great bag to keep it protected. Just because your point and shoot will fit into your pocket doesn't mean you will get the logest service from it by doing so.... Bag your camera now..

Stein em Rhein

May have mispelled the name of the town... I took this last year on a bike ride in Europe, have been looking at the picture for some time and now it is a new addition to my portfolio. This community is over 600 years old...

Photo Excursion

Saturday October 24 beginning at 8:30 am and ending at 3:30 pm I am offering a day of taking pictures in and around Columbia, I will
Help you learn to use Your camera to get great pictures,
Help you learn to look for the type of pictures you want to do whether it be family shots or art shots.
We will be in Down Town Columbia, and on the Katy trail.....
The focus is to help YOU take better pictures,
The Costs is $85 for the day... IF we have 5 or more sign up we will vote on the best picture for the day and that person will get a $100 cash prize. Sign up today the group size is limited to 10 people. Email me and I will send you a registration form.... stanley.jack@gmail.com

Sensual Plants

In August I was checking on the work completed by a contractor at a Condo I manage for a family that lives out of town. The neighbor had this very interesting small planter in the front of her condo. The day was overcast day and a fun shot. I took three shots total. I can't totally explain the sensual part, but as I took the picture it had a sensual sensation. So the name "Sensual Plants". I will have only 125 prints avialable, wonder who will be the first to purchase one. Let me know.

Jack Stanley

Fall Photo Excursion

For the first 10 to sign up, I am offering "It is Not the Camera" photo excursion taking pictures of the fall Colors the second and/or third weekend in October. The event will be in and around Columbia, Point and Shoot Cameras are great for this event. The class is hands on, taking pictures using your camera with help from Jack. Sign up today, The cost of the class is $95 per person...We will have some fun, and learn a lot. I suspect we will end the day at a winery in the area to look at the pictures we have gotten....The person with the best shot will win $100.

Look forward to seeing you...

Photo Excursions

The last few art shows I have participated, I have found a real desire to learn to get better pictures. In the Zona Rosa Show I spoke with over 100 people interested in getting better pictures. Some thought they needed new camera's. In almost every case it is not the camera it is the use. So I will be scheduling some "It is Not The Camera" photo excursions for groups up to 10 people. The goal will be to group people that have similar goals. For example, if you want better pictures of your kids or grand kids, we would have a day of hands on taking candid shots of kids and people with different lighting and I would teach you to use your camera to get the best possible shot. OR if you want great scene shots or sun set or sun rise we would work a group. And then I suspect we should look at a 10 day photo excursion to Italy.

The one day excursion will be $95 per person, I will hold one in St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City, possibly Chicago. If you are interested let me know soon. The Fall Colors could be a great excursion in the next couple of weeks...

Jack ....

The Polorad Swinger

The Polorad Swinger.
When I was 15 I purchased a Polarad Swinger, it was $19.95 which sounds cheap today, at that time I was working for $1.00 per hour. (1968). It was the beginning of my love of photography. I traveled around the highschool hangouts and took pictures., Mostly candid shots of friends and acqaintances, my friends liked the shots for the most part and I began for the first time to consider taking pictures. For those of you who are younger the Swinger was a black and white camera. The original swinger did a print about 2.5x3 inches. And the print developed instantly on the paper. For me, the camera represented more than just taking pictures, it quickly became my itentity point with many acquaintences. To the point that in just a few weeks of using my Swinger, when we had the Year Book Staff meeting, I was elected to be the yearbook photographer. A huge step for me in that it put me in contact with M. Geary our highschool English teacher, who came from a family of photographers. I will talk more about that relationship in future blogs. The point is that this $19 dollar investment, sparked an interest, that has followed me all my life so far, specifically for 41 years. Each level I have moved up has engendered a greater love for what I can capture with the camera. And the range of expression it allows me to share a part of how I see the world with the people around me. The Polorad Swinger. The beginning of one of my life long passions....