Hope you like it.

“Yep, this is where it all started. The Pentax K-1000 was my first camera, and was the tool I used to learn the basics of photography. I still talk about this camera when somebody asks me how I got started. In my opinion, I wish they came out with a digital version of the K-1000 as most people starting out today, never get the fundamentals of photography.”

Well that was then and this is now. Today I picked up a used K1000 from a friend who was clearing out her closet. I couldn’t resist. Certainly not the most high tech of instruments, but put in a roll of black & white film and away you go. The camera came with 2 lenses and looks to be in pretty good shape. All I need is a new battery for the light meter. On a side note, Michelle has been looking to learn how to work a SLR so I think i’ll hand her the camera, a book, 2 rolls of black & white film and an assignment sheet and send her on her way. Fun!

In September, I was hired to video the PASS HAS TALENT finals and in this video you can hear music in the background that is copyrighted. Am I profiting from the music? NO! But that didn’t stop YouTube from letting my know that one of the songs was owned by BMG Music, and that by including the song in the video, I may be infringing on the owners copyright. Silly right?

Not really. I know a videographer that told me that an associate of his was fined $10,000 for using a single song in one of his videos. $10,000 dollars!!!

What would happen if someone speaking at an event I was videoing says, “Is everybody going to watch the Superbowl?” Would I owe the NFL a royalty fee for using their trademarked term? Heck, do I owe them a fee for using it in this blog post? Crazy isn’t it?

FYI, in every video I have been asked to create; when I control the content, I license royalty free music to make sure I don’t violate the owners intellectual property. IMO, not enough is being done to ensure the little guy or girl is protected by fair use and a lot more discussion needs to occur before we enact sweeping legislation such as SOPA and PIPA.

What is SOPA/PIPA you ask? Do a Wikipedia search or Google search for more information.

Anyway, enough of my rant. enjoy the video and again, congratulations to the winner, musician Ryan Lu.

On a fortuitous note, Mr. Barron was a colorist in Hollywood for 25+ years and he has a wealth of knowledge that may come in handy down the road.

In the mean time here’s a couple nice pictures of Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys. Michelle and I were there exactly 11 years ago, and were planning on a vacation this January, but since we both got sick in December, no vacation was scheduled. Maybe next year.

Next year will bring about change. I wonder what it will be.

Before then, I need to:

• Finish unfinished work.
• Buy a laptop to replace our aging HP Pavilion. A quick comment about the HP Pavilion. If anyone is interested in a new laptop, I have nothing but praise for our HP. I think it is 5 years old, but we have used the heck out of this laptop for the last 4 years during, “Santa Season, ” and Michelle uses it on a daily basis. It still works well, but the speed is a little slow, and it needs a new cooling fan, but other than that it has worked perfectly.
• Upgrade our photo software to the latest version (Windows 7 support).
• Buy an “event only” camera. Probably a Nikon D300s, maybe a Canon 7D. Still deciding.
• Clean out storage unit, organize gear, order photo paper, get rear window “wrapped,” business license, decorate, etc. etc. etc.

Busy month ahead.