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Would you believe that a Nanny from Chicago might be one of the most influential street photographers of the 20th century? Finding Vivian Maier is the movie that explores this prolific and mysterious photographer. Pam and I went to see this movie at local theater with some other Atlanta area street photographers and came away impressed and saddened by Vivian Maier's intriguing story. Vivian Maier (wikipedia) was born in 1926 and died in 2009. During her life she worked primarily as a Nanny to families in mostly the Chicago area. During that time she was a prolific street photographer whose body of work was virtually unknown until John Maloof purchased boxes of negatives from a storage auction in 2007. From that point to now the story of Vivian Maier has been revealed, but much is still unknown. The movie is an attempt to figure out who Vivian Maier was and why she took nearly 100,000 images and never had any of them printed. Visit the show notes page at http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/016 for links to the Vivian Maier website

Spring is here! That means it's time for car show photography. I really enjoy photographing cars and always look forward to getting out with my cameras to see what images I can make. I thought I'd share some tips that have helped me get the most from my car show photography. Here’s a summary of my tips: Have A Plan Arrive Early Pick Your Favorites Find The Uniqueness Crawl Around On The Ground Think In Black & White Get Creative For complete show notes, including images that help illustrate the tips, please visit: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/015 A New Way To Support This Site I really enjoy putting together, recording and producing this podcast and updating the website. I will always keep the podcast and website free as a resource to help fellow photographers but it is not without cost. There’s a new site that helps people who are producing content (musicians, podcasters, artists, photographers, etc.) collect on-going support for their work. The site is called Patreon. I have setup a profile for the podcast on Patreon which you can find here: http://www.patreon.com/MarkSinderson If you want, you can support the podcast by becoming a patron and contributing whatever amount you feel comfortable with for each episode I produce. The Patreon site makes it easy and I have even come up with a few incentives for you if you decide to support the podcast. Any amount is greatly appreciated and will be a big help to me as I continue to try and build the best podcast I can. Thanks again to all of you for your support of this site/podcast. I really appreciate it and am looking forward to the future! Happy Shooting! For more information on this episode and links please visit the complete show notes at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/015 Share Your Comments Or Ideas I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know of any comments, suggestions or ideas that you have. Use the comments feature on the show notes page. Click the "Send Voicemail" tab on the right side of the show notes page. Email me at feedback@marksphotographyspot.com If you like, you can send me a real live paper letter :-) at: Mark Sinderson, P.O. Box 922594, Norcross, GA 30010 Please Connect With Me In addition to contacting me from this blog using the links above. Or you can follow me on these other social media sites: Follow me on Google+ Follow the Mark's Photography Spot page on Google+ Check out the Mark's Photography Spot group on Flickr

Welcome to Part 3 of the series on developing your own film! If you haven't seen/listened to Part 1 (equipment and chemicals-episode 11) or Part 2 (the film developing process-episode 12) go ahead and review those if you want. This part (part 3) is about scanning negatives into the computer so you can share the images or send them to be printed. Which Scanner To Buy The question is, "Which Scanner Should I Get"? A site I recommend, and the one I used to help me narrow the field is: www.filmscanner.info This is a very good site that comprehensively test scanners. Instead of just listing the (often inflated) specs, they dig into the scanners from the perspective of a photographer. They test the scanners using a specific resolution test chart that helps reveal the true effective resolution. Scanner Resolution-The Truth That new scanner you've been eyeing claims a resolution of 9600 dpi. Is that true, or a huge exaggeration? Well, it closer to the exaggeration side of things. The film scanner info site has some good information on resolution as it relates to scanners, especially how dpi is measured and what it means. This is a must read if you will be scanning film. Scanner Resolution- http://www.filmscanner.info/en/Aufloesung.html Most scanners that claim a super-high resolution often can only produce a small percentage of that number in actual use. Here are a few scanners that get decent reviews along with their true resolution, based on the tests that the film scanner info site did. Here are 3 scanners I would suggest you consider. Epson V700-2300 dpi- It runs somewhere between $500-$700 Canon CanoScan 9000F-1700 dpi- Usually $150-$200 Reflecta MF5000-(Pacific Image PrimeFilm 120 in the USA) 3050 dpi-Can be purchased for $1000-$1200 Go to the complete show notes page at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/014 for more detailed information on researching scanners and scanning your negatives including additional links to software and hardware. There is also a video of the scanning process for you to view. A New Way To Support This Site I really enjoy putting together, recording and producing this podcast and updating the website. I will always keep the podcast and website free as a resource to help fellow photographers but it is not without cost. There’s a new site that helps people who are producing content (musicians, podcasters, artists, photographers, etc.) collect on-going support for their work. The site is called Patreon. I have setup a profile

What is a photographer? I've asked myself this very question more than a few times over the last three years as I've explored the world of photography with an eye towards making better photographs. In addition to that question a whole host of other questions have popped into my head about what defines a photographer. Things like: Just what defines a photographer over someone who uses a camera? How will I know that I've "made it" and can now officially call myself a photographer? Should I compare my efforts to those of other people or not? Will getting new/better equipment make me a photographer? and on and on...... Well, a few weeks ago a fellow photographer emailed me a link to what I think is a a very accurate description of what it means to be a Photographer. The following Manifesto can be found on Craft & Vision, a photography education and publishing site founded by David duChemin. Go to the complete show notes page at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/013 for the text of the manifesto and additional links The bottom line: If you have wondered about what it takes to "be" a photographer I don't think you really need to wonder any more. Just do what you do, enjoy the process and strive to share something in each photograph you make. That's it. A New Way To Support This Site I really enjoy putting together, recording and producing this podcast and updating the website. I will always keep the podcast and website free as a resource to help fellow photographers but it is not without cost. To keep the podcast and website going I must pay for hosting for the website and podcast as well as purchase the appropriate equipment (microphone, software, etc.) to allow me to get the podcast out each week and update the website. To help support the site I have some affiliate relationships with companies like Amazon. Whenever you click on a link and purchase something from Amazon I get a small commission. Your price is not impacted by this and it helps me out a little. To all of you that have utilized the link(s) I sincerely appreciate it. THANK YOU!!! What if you are interested in supporting this site but don't necessarily want to purchase something? Well, now there is a new way to do that. Last week I became aware of a site that helps people who are producing content (musicians, podcasters, artists, photographers, etc.) collect on-going support for their work. The site is called Patreon. I have setup a profile for the podcast on Patreon which you can find h

Developing your own black and white film at home is easy and fun! Welcome to part 2 of this series on how to develop your own film. If you missed it, be sure to check out part 1 (episode 11 of the podcast) for information on the equipment and chemicals you will need. Part 3 of this series will cover the process of digitizing your developed negatives so you can share them with others, so stay tuned for that in a couple of weeks. For complete show notes including links and a special video I made showing the process, please go to the blog/show notes page at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/012 I started using/developing film in the Fall of 2012 and really enjoy the process. I was a little intimidated with the process but after spending some time researching the process and a little practice I have been getting consistently good results. Believe me, if I can do it you can do it, it's not nearly as hard as it seems. This is part two of a three part series in helping you go from having never developed a roll of film "noob" to semi-experienced "home darkroom pro" who can share your film images with the world. Here's a breakdown of the parts: 1.Part one covered the equipment (camera, film,developing tanks, etc.) and chemicals you'll need to get ready to develop your own film. 2. Part two is a detailed walk-through of the film developing process with tips and suggestions that I've learned along the way. 3. Part three will be a quick review of how to scan your developed negatives into your computer so you can share them with the world. Here are the steps: 1. Practice, Practice, Practice…- Before you develop your first roll of real film (with potential images on it) get yourself a roll or two of test film to practice with. 2. Load Film Into Tank- Once you've practiced you're ready to load the actual film onto the reel inside the changing bag. 3. Pre-Soak-Before you add developer to the tank, fill the tank with "properly tempered" water (usually 68 degrees) and let the film soak for about a minute. 4. Developer-The developer is the star of the process. It's what makes the images appear on the film. 5. Stop Bath-The stop does what it says, it stops the development process. That's important because you don't want to over-develop the film. 6. Fixer-After you drain the stop bath solution you add the fixer. The fixer is what "permanentizes" (my word) the image on the negative. 7. Rinse and Photo Flo- After you fix the film you need to completely rinse the fil

Have you wanted to develop your own film but were scared away by the thought that it was too difficult. Well, I'm here to say that developing your own film, especially black & white film, is easy and fun! For complete show notes including links and additional information can be found at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/011 I started using/developing film in the Fall of 2012 and really enjoy the process. I was a little intimidated with the process but after spending some time researching the process and a little practice I have been getting consistently good results. Believe me, if I can do it you can do it, it's not nearly as hard as it seems. This is part one of a three part series in helping you go from having never developed a roll of film "noob" to semi-experienced "home darkroom pro" who can share your film images with the world. Here's a breakdown of the parts: 1.This first part will cover the equipment (camera, film,developing tanks, etc.) and chemicals you'll need to get ready to develop your own film. 2. Part two will be a detailed walk-through of the film developing process with tips and suggestions that I've learned along the way. 3. Part three will be a quick review of how to scan your developed negatives into your computer so you can share them with the world. For more information on developing your own film including links to suggested products, chemicals and resources you can see the entire show notes at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/011 Share Your Comments Or Ideas I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know of any comments, suggestions or ideas that you have. Use the comments feature on the show notes page. Click the "Send Voicemail" tab on the right side of the show notes page. Email me at feedback [at] marksphotographyspot [dot] com If you like, you can send me a real live paper letter :-) at: Mark Sinderson, P.O. Box 922594, Norcross, GA 30010 Please Connect With Me In addition to contacting me from this blog using the links above. Or you can follow me on these other social media sites: Follow me on Google+ Follow the Mark's Photography Spot page on Google+ Check out the Mark's Photography Spot group on Flickr

Well, we made it to episode 10! The podcast is moving along better than I expected when I started it. Thanks so much to all of you for the support, I really appreciate it. I'm really enjoying the time I spend recording and producing this podcast and I have a lot of ideas for upcoming episodes. Photography is a great hobby/pursuit and I'm hoping that all of you are finding this podcast to be an enjoyable part of your week. Thanks again for the support ! :-) Remember, for complete show notes, check out the blog post at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/010 Back in episode 7 I asked for any images you had that you wanted to share in a future podcast episode. Well, we had one brave soul who stepped up and submitted an image. Thanks so much to Wesley Hetrick for submitting a very nice fireworks image. Go to the show notes page on the blog to see the image. I really liked this image. The colors and reflections of the fireworks over the water are very nice. The exposure time was 8 seconds at f/8 and the focal length was 18mm. The camera was the Canon Rebel T4i which is one generation newer than my T3i. Nice job Wesley and thanks for your contribution! I plan on doing another image submission/discussion request later on this Spring so stay tuned and I'm looking forward to seeing more great photographs! Smartphone & iPhone Photography Apps Here are the smartphone photography apps I spoke about on the podcast. All of these are available in the Google Play store but I'd imagine similar, if not the same apps, are avaialble on the Apple side of things. For links please visit the show notes page. 1. Tiny Light Meter is a handy light meter app that works very well. 2. Photo Tools has a bunch of great things to help photographers maximize their effectiveness. It is a very full-featured app that is well worth trying out. 3. Film Developer Timer is for those of us that are having fun developing our own film. It has a database of film and chemical combinations so you can come up with the correct time for developing your film. It is a very useful darkroom tool. If any of you have some photography related apps for either Android or iPhone please let me know and I'll share them here. Happy Shooting! Share Your Comments Or Ideas I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know of any comments, suggestions or ideas that you have. Use the comments feature on this page Click the "Send Voicemail" tab on the right side of the page Email me at feedback [at] marksphotogra

Finding the time in our busy schedules for photography can be tough. I've struggled myself with finding time and came up with five tips that I think can help all of us spend more time behind the camera. For complete show notes including links and additional information can be found at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/009 Here are five ways to find more time for your photography: 1. Schedule The Time 2. Make Photography Part Of Your Day 3. Revisit Your Priorities 4. Get The Whole Family Involved 5. Make The best Use Of Post-Processing Tools To Free Up Time For more information on finding more time for photography including resources and links, you can see the entire show notes at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/009 Share Your Comments Or Ideas I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know of any comments, suggestions or ideas that you have. Use the comments feature on the show notes page. Click the "Send Voicemail" tab on the right side of the show notes page. Email me at feedback [at] marksphotographyspot [dot] com If you like, you can send me a real live paper letter :-) at: Mark Sinderson, P.O. Box 922594, Norcross, GA 30010 Please Connect With Me In addition to contacting me from this blog using the links above. Or you can follow me on these other social media sites: Follow me on Google+ Follow the Mark's Photography Spot page on Google+ Check out the Mark's Photography Spot group on Flickr. Happy Shooting!

For complete show notes including links and additional information can be found at: http://www.marksphotographyspot.com/008 A few weeks ago my photo backup plan was put to the test. For the first time in over 20 years of regular computer use I had a hard drive failure. The drive that bit the dust was my external hard drive that I stored a backup of most of my photographs along with my music files. Fortunately I had a backup of all the files that were on the doomed drive. I Got Lucky Even though I didn't lose any files, I was extremely fortunate in that the drive that failed was one that had every single file backed up to the "cloud" courtesy of CrashPlan, which I've used for the last couple of years for cloud backup. Where I got lucky was that CrashPlan was my only backup of those files. If CrashPlan had somehow not worked properly I would have been very upset at a minimum and completely depressed and suicidal at the extreme. Needless to say I don't want to tread that thin line of near-disaster in the future. That means that I needed to update my photo (and other valuable data) backup strategy. Experts suggest that professional photographers adopt a “3-2-1” backup strategy. 1. Keeping at least three copies of any important file (a primary and two backups). 2. Storing these backup copies on at least two different media types to protect against different types of hazards. 3. One copy of each file should be stored offsite and stored offline. What My New And Improved Plan Is Based on my brush with "data death" I am now doing things differently than before. I have followed the recommendations of the "3-2-1" strategy and have equipped myself to be able to follow through on that strategy. Here's what I have changed: 1. I purchased an external hard drive docking station and two hard drives (2TB each) so that I can backup to one external drive each day and once each week (Sunday) to the other. 2. I will make a backup to the second external drive once each week and then take it to work with me. I will then rotate the drives each week. 3. I have setup scheduled backups using free backup software. 4. I use CrashPlan to backup my files to the cloud on a continuous basis. 5. I have invested in a copy of SpinRite which helps keep hard drives running well and can recover data from misbehaving drives. For more information on the strategy I'm using including links to the equipment and software, you can see the entire show notes at: http://www.marksphotographysp

These days, using a photo sharing site to get your images out to the world is something that just about every photographer does. There are many photo sharing site options but which ones are worth your time and effort? And, once you decide to use a photo sharing site, what issues do you need to be aware of? I hope to help you answer these questions and give you some resources you can use to get the most out of your photo sharing sites. I first discuss the “top 5″ photo sharing sites that I use to get my photography out to the world. After that I introduce a new feature that will allow podcast listeners (and anyone else who reads this) to participate in a photo sharing opportunity. New Photo Sharing Opportunity Now that I’ve encouraged you to share some of your images on the web I want to introduce a new opportunity for you to share your images. Beginning with this podcast (Episode 7) I will give you a special tag that you can add to images that you post to the Mark’s Photography Spot group https://secure.flickr.com/groups/marksphotographyspot/ . I can then use that tag to identify images you have uploaded and discuss them in an upcoming episode. For this 1st go-around I’m asking you to upload one of your better images to the group and attach the Flickr tag of “MPS007″. I will accept images with this tag that are uploaded until February 23rd (two weeks from the date of this post). I will then discus the images in the March 2nd episode (episode 10). Please feel free to share any family-friendly images with all of us. I’m looking forward to seeing your images. Happy Shooting! Share Your Comments Or Ideas I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know of any comments, suggestions or ideas that you have. -Use the comments feature on this page -Click the "Send Voicemail" tab on the right side of the page -Email me at feedback [at] marksphotographyspot [dot] com -If you like, you can send me a real live paper letter :-) at: Mark Sinderson, P.O. Box 922594, Norcross, GA 30010 Please Connect With Me In addition to contacting me from this blog using the links above. Or you can follow me on these other social media sites: Follow me on Google+ Follow the Mark's Photography Spot page on Google+ Check out the Mark's Photography Spot group on Flickr.