Rangefinder Magazine
November 2005

Click Here for printable version of this article.

Please accompany your questions with a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish an immediate reply. Alternatively, you can email me at: bhurter@rfpublishing.com.

From: Name: Joan Selvage
joanselvage@msn.com
When I use my medium format cameras for portraits I have always used a Don Blair #1 Soft Focus Filter. Recently, I broke it. Can you tell me where I can order a replacement?

Don’s son Gary still has a few sets available, and you can buy either the #1 or #2 Soft Focus Filter from him directly. The price is $110 for the pair and $65 individually. For more information, contact Gary at (801) 262-2685.

From: Ricky
mail@aievents.co.uk
I am interested in a list of books on the subject of teens and senior photography. I know you have one but are there any others? We are trying to adapt senior photography to the U.K. market. Thanks.

Ellie Vayo’s Art and Business of High School Senior Portrait Photography, and Patrick Rice’s Digital Portrait Photography of Teens and Seniors are both excellent, but of course, my sentimental favorite is The Best of Teen and Senior Portrait Photography, by yours truly. All three books are available from Amherst Media: www.amherstmedia.com/.

From: Alexander Eule
Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
aie5@columbia.edu
I’m a student at the Columbia University School of Journalism, and I’m currently working on an article about a potential trend in wedding photography.

I’m wondering how amateur digital photography might be changing the jobs of professional wedding photographers. In my own experience, I’ve noticed more and more people coming to weddings with digital cameras and chronicling the event. At one recent wedding I attended, a professional photographer had to almost yell at guests who were getting in the way of his portraits by distracting subjects with their own photographs.

In your knowledge, is this becoming something of a trend? I know that disposable cameras have long been a staple on wedding tables, but the advent of cheaper, more advanced digital “point and shoots” seems to have popularized amateur photography and energized the masses. Are professional wedding photographers finding this “do-it-yourself” photography challenging and/or problematic when shooting a wedding? Have they been forced to change their styles or habits in order to compensate and distinguish themselves from the guests’ photographs that can hit the web hours after a party?

Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Amateurs at weddings have always been a problem for the professionals hired to shoot the event, even before the advent of digital. They are more of a nuisance than anything else. About the only real effect they’ve had is to make the photographer do his or her formals at another location, and not on the steps of the church or outside the reception where crowds can gather. Also, photographers have had to learn ways to be assertive without being obnoxious or threatening. Most guests respect the fact that the pro is getting paid to be there and that they are just there as guests. Although difficult to quantify, I don’t think too many professionals are losing sales to guests with cameras. The big reason for this is that the amateurs’ shots are not of high enough quality to compete with the pros’ pictures. Hope this helps you in your research!

From: Lou Jacobs
Lojaphoto@aol.com
Photographic Solutions has been around for over 20 years—in some obscurity, it seems. Their web site, www.photosol.com, describes 19 products including what I wanted, PEC-12, a waterless photographic emulsion cleaner. It’s $11.50 retail for 4 oz. Interestingly, one of their products is e-wipe, for CCDs and scanners. I did get excellent service calling them at (508) 758-2322). It’s a product your readers would like.

Thanks for the tip, Lou.