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Rangefinder Magazine
May 2003

Problems & Solutions

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

From: Joe Broccardo
jbroccardo@cox.net
I have a question about taxes. I live and operate in California and I was wondering if you could tell me what the law is about charging tax for my labor on a wedding. I have talked to quite a few other photographers and none of them could give me a good answer. A couple say they have to charge tax on the entire package and my tax guy says only on the products I resell. I also pay taxes when I purchase my products., i.e., film, albums and processing. Could you please help me out with this.

As I understand things in California, If you charge a shooting fee for your weddings, you do not have to charge sales tax, as it’s a service. However, any print or album sales require you to charge sales tax, as they are tangible products sold. In California, obtaining a resale license from the State Board of Equalization allows you a dispensation from paying sales tax on the raw materials you buy. However, you must then charge sales tax on the products you sell. For more information, contact the California State Board of Equalization website: http://www.boe.ca.gov.

From: Richard D. Zakia
via email
Dr. Rand’s recent article, “Hybrid and Digital Capture: From Silver Halide to Pixels,” was interesting, informative and well presented. I did find one important omission, however. Some films do have a short dynamic range as Dr. Rand mentioned, but others like color negative films and Kodak T-Max films have a dynamic range far superior to digital capture. This provides yet another advantage for hybrid imaging.

Thanks for the kind note. The topic of dynamic range and digital capture provides much food for discussion and no doubt will occupy future space in this column as well as elsewhere in the magazine.

From: Bill Kreher
bilkre@starpower.net
Thanks for the reply written in the April 2003 Rangefinder regarding repair of my Honeywell flash unit. Be advised, Marflex no longer does repairs on Honeywell units. Parts availability is the reason. If you have another source, I’d appreciate it.

Sorry about the misinformation. According to Marflex, the company still repairs Rollei TLR, SL66, Rollei 35, E36RE flash, and it performs in- and out-of-warranty repairs on Linhof cameras and tripods, Copal and Compur shutters for Rodenstock lenses, Braun projectors, Kaiser and Novoflex equipment, Multiblitz and Bowens studio flash as well as Giotto’s tripods, light stands and ballheads. I’ll keep an eye out for another source of repairs for Honeywells, but don’t hold your breath.