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© 2023 SilverLight Photo Co. The above photo is completely real* (no A.I. or Photoshop tricks were used to make it). Waterfront Walk by the Big Tree BUY PRINTS Camera Settings LENS 12-60 Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 SENSOR 2x Panasonic GX85 CUSTOM CAMERA SETTINGS SEE SETTINGS Camera Placement CAMERA SUPPORT TRIPOD CAMERA HEIGHT ? CAMERA ANGLE ? PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: This tree is one of my favorite things about the Des Moines Marina. I love how it can provide framing for just about any waterfront shot you want to get. This was taken with the Panasonic GX85 and the 12-60 3.5-5.6 which I have since started using with the Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8, but these settings work (see the settings link) if you use my lens-sensor LUT as well. *As A.I. (artificial intelligence) started sneaking into the photo & video production industries, I decided to go for 100% realism in my work. What this means for me, is to shoot for realistic-looking photos and video content. My approach includes using custom, lens-sensor specific CAMERA SETTINGS (and sometimes lens-sensor LUTs when needed). I never use A.I. to generate images, and I don't do tricks using Photoshop. There are adjustments I make to produce more accurate PRINTS but my goal is to limit editing a much as possible.

© 2022 SilverLight Photo Co. The above photo is completely real* (no A.I. or Photoshop tricks were used to make it). Waterfront Boat Dock at Sunset BUY PRINTS Camera Settings LENS 12-60 Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 SENSOR 2x Panasonic GX85 CUSTOM CAMERA SETTINGS SEE SETTINGS Camera Placement CAMERA SUPPORT TRIPOD CAMERA HEIGHT ? CAMERA ANGLE ? PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: *As A.I. (artificial intelligence) started sneaking into the photo & video production industries, I decided to go for 100% realism in my work. What this means for me, is to shoot for realistic-looking photos and video content. My approach includes using custom, lens-sensor specific CAMERA SETTINGS (and sometimes lens-sensor LUTs when needed). I never use A.I. to generate images, and I don't do tricks using Photoshop. There are adjustments I make to produce more accurate PRINTS but my goal is to limit editing a much as possible.

© 2022 SilverLight Photo Co. The above photo is completely real* (no A.I. or Photoshop tricks were used to make it). Waterfront Pier with Orange Sunset BUY PRINTS Camera Settings LENS 50mm Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX SENSOR 2x Panasonic GX85 CUSTOM CAMERA SETTINGS SEE SETTINGS Camera Placement CAMERA SUPPORT TRIPOD CAMERA HEIGHT ? CAMERA ANGLE ? PHOTOGRAPHER NOTES: This was during the construction phase of the Des Moines Marina. After all of the construction noise died down on this night, the orange sunset was as beautiful as the silence... *As A.I. (artificial intelligence) started sneaking into the photo & video production industries, I decided to go for 100% realism in my work. What this means for me, is to shoot for realistic-looking photos and video content. My approach includes using custom, lens-sensor specific CAMERA SETTINGS (and sometimes lens-sensor LUTs when needed). I never use A.I. to generate images, and I don't do tricks using Photoshop. There are adjustments I make to produce more accurate PRINTS but my goal is to limit editing a much as possible.

OVERVIEW: While learning to promote my own business, I've been thinking a lot about advertising... but anyone in the advertising business knows that simply THINKING about it doesn't do anything. In fact, it sort of contradicts the primary meaning of the word "advertising" ("the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements"). So, what does not advertising have to do with the famous quote about mousetraps? ABOVE: According to Wikipedia, the form of the quote we've probably all heard was a "misquotation" of Ralph Waldo Emerson's original statement. DID HE REALLY SAY "MOUSETRAP"? The quote we all have heard is "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." According to Wikipedia however (I know, not always a perfect source) Ralph Waldo Emerson never said anything about mousetraps . He did say something similar to the part about the world beating a path to your door, but the products and services he mentioned did not include a mousetrap. Even so, I think this saying can be misunderstood, and it "does not mean what you think it means" (to quote another, slightly less reliable, source ). IS ADVERTISING NOT NECESSARY AFTER ALL? So then, for those of us who often emphasize the importance of advertising, this phrase seems to say that if we invent something special, new and great, we don't really need to advertise, because the automatic result is "...the world will beat a path to your door". This is almost completely opposite of what I've been learning about advertising, because if no one KNOWS about a product or service you have created or provide, then how can it sell? WHAT'S THE REAL QUOTE (WHAT DID HE MEAN?) Regarding this super popular quote, this Wikipedia article states what Ralph Waldo Emerson really said, compared to the quote that we all have heard: " Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door " is a phrase attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the late nineteenth century. [1] [2] The phrase is actually a misquotation of the statement: "If a man has good corn or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods." — Ralph Waldo Emerson [2] WHY DO I THINK THIS QUOTE CAN BE MISLEADING? We know there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of ideas that have been submitted to the Patent Office but haven't been acted on. We haven't heard of most of these ideas, and that proves just having a good idea doesn't make it sell. Good ideas, like laws in science, can't be proven to be good without real-world testing. WAS WORD OF MOUTH IMPLIED IN THE ORIGINAL? I believe the second (and now, the most popular) version of the quote fails to emphasize one important (implied?) aspect of Ralph Waldo Emerson's original words: word of mouth advertising . When Mr. Emerson said "If a man has good corn or wood, or boards..." I think it would have been an assumption (in those days) that the audience would know that word of mouth advertising would be a part of the story. It was in the days before radio and television, and was certainly before social media was a part of our daily lives! The main point is that for a product or service to become popular, first people would have to experience that product or service, like it, and then would certainly tell others as a result. So, my guess is was what CAUSED the increase of traffic to the home of the inventor (the "broad hard-beaten road to his house...") would have been word of mouth...which, being a form of advertising, shows how important advertising is. Good ideas don't sell themselves. You have to put them out there. CONCLUSION: So what do we take from all of this? I believe both versions of the quote can serve a similar purpose and together they emphasize two (2) things: The necessity for your product or service to be "better" (though I think a non-saturated market provides sufficient demand for (or at least can tolerate) inferior products or services. The necessity for people (at least a few, who can start the "gossip chain") to KNOW about your product or service.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS FAKE (HUMOR) I like peas in the pod, but I don't like what I call "Dis-em-podded peas." So, I wrote a poem about how it all happened...how people first started separating peas from their pods. FAKE HISTORY OF "PODCASTING" Back in the days before TV, when radio ruled the airwaves, an unfamiliar sport emerged. In this sport we can see its roots remain, in the name of our (online) radio talk shows. It all began when farmers started taking some peas out of their pods and casting them off, to the side. Some started to see how far they could toss, those pods without peas. They practiced their form, and footwork and such, until casting became, all but a sport. After a while, their fan base grew (dads, moms, boys and girls, grandmas & grandpas too). Then, unofficially, the sport got it's start, and farmers began to compete. Yet, sad to say, when COVID came, the fans were forced to stay home. Only them announcers, (and the farmers themselves) were cleared to stay, in the field. So, alone with a purpose, them announcers flew, to game after game, and fight after fight. They followed every toss, every twist and turn; day after day, night after night. "Farmer Dan winds up, such a master of the game..." Announcers would gush, and build their fame. On and on them broadcasts roared, to keep them fans, from getting bored. Sponsors and sponsorships, there weren't a few: Chips and salsa, and every kind of brew. ...after a while, the world seemed stuck, watching them farmers, pull peas, then shuck. Since those days, the buzz hasn't ceased, if anything the noise has INCREASED! So now we know, why people toss peas, and that what it was, was Pod-cast-ing .

OVERVIEW: My #1 budget filmmaking tip is "Always Shoot With Two Cameras" because this and my " 3 Simple Shots " make budget filmmaking super easy. It's also part of my " Fake Filmmaking " method, where I'm figuring out ways to make everything a lot more affordable (and easier) than it has been in the past. Still, some may wonder how this stuff is possible, either technically or financially. The good news is, I've come up with my 3 kit plans that not only make this technically easy, but are also budget friendly. My three kit plans are the Minimal Kit the Basic Kit and Advanced Kit . ABOVE: My #1 tip (to make BUDGET filmmaking easier) is to "Always Shoot with Two Cameras". Above: Here's a video of my "dual-camera cage" in use. For more information about the shot composition, see my blog post about "3 Simple Shots" I use for "Fake Filmmaking" . How I "Always Shoot With 2 Cameras" KIT PLAN #1: MINIMAL KIT PLAN #2: BASIC KIT PLAN #3: ADVANCED KIT PLAN 1 " MINIMAL " ABOVE: It can't get any easier than the Minimal Kit . Mount a GoPro ( HERO4 Silver or newer) on top of a "real" camera and you're done! MY MINIMAL KIT: EASY AND INEXPENSIVE To use this method, I simply mount a GoPro HERO4 Silver (or newer) on top of a "real" (interchangeable-lens) camera. Then, I compose the "TIGHT" shot (on the "real" camera) and then compose the "WIDE" shot (by simply angling the GoPro forward or back). This method is super easy to learn and do, and it's pretty inexpensive as well. It can even work using an older GoPro without image stabilization (such as the HERO4 Silver ) because stabilization isn't always necessary if mounted to a camera's hot shoe(dampens it). Getting a HERO7 (or newer) is better though, if you need stabilization. As a side note, I would NOT recommend the HERO4 Black, because it doesn't have a viewfinder or screen...but any GoPro model after the 4 has a screen (either Black or Silver).  HOW TO:  COMPOSING THE "WIDE & TIGHT" SHOTS The method for composing my two (WIDE & TIGHT shots) is pretty easy with this (Minimal) kit plan. First, I compose the TIGHT shot (the camera on the bottom with the prime lens) and then I adjust the GoPro (or other action camera) on the top. The reason I do it in this order, is that the TIGHT shot needs to be more or less pointed right at the subject you are filming, whereas the WIDE shot is easier to just point in the approximate direction of the scene. ABOVE: (OUTDATED) I used to recommend using a cell phone as the second camera (for the Minimal Kit ) but after testing a GoPro HERO4 Silver ...and comparing the price (on the used market) to a good iPhone, I changed my (budget) recommendation. KIT PLAN 2 " BASIC " ABOVE: The key to always shooting with 2 cameras, is to be able to control both cameras at the same time. This need led me to creating this "dual-camera cage" I use for my Basic Kit . BELOW:  A home-made dual-camera cage in use. To make one, all you have to do is get a well-built cage, make sure it has mounting points on top, and add an extra ball head. THE BASIC KIT: TWO "REAL" CAMERAS The first thing I do is find a cage (there are a lot of them out there, but I like this one #ad ) that is sturdy enough to hold 2 cameras. The WIDE shot camera will go on the bottom (normally) and the TIGHT shot will go on the top. All I do to mount the cameras is add a small, but strong ball head (or monopod head*) to the top level of the cage. I prefer a monopod head if I need to handhold the entire cage, but if it's mounted on a tripod (static) I prefer to use a ball head (as it's easier to compose a 2nd shot using a ball head). To mount the camera to the bottom, most cages include a standard 1/4-20 mount on the bottom/inside of the cage. All I do is mount a quick-release plate for the camera, there. That's pretty much all I do to create a "dual-camera cage" for the Basic Kit (except for maybe mounting an audio recorder and/or wireless receiver) but when we move to discussing the "Advanced Kit" things are going to get more interesting (HINT: I mount an Atomos HDMI recorder/monitor PLUS an HDMI switcher to the rig, and sometimes add another camera). NOTE: To mount the camera on the top of the cage, most cages have a bunch of reverse 1/4-20 mounting holes all over, so it's easy to attach a camera mount.  HOW TO:  COMPOSING THE "WIDE & TIGHT" SHOTS To use this setup, it's kind of the opposite of using the Minimal Kit (the one with the GoPro). First, I compose the WIDE shot (usually the camera on the bottom) then I secure the cage (i.e. if it's on a tripod, I lock the bottom in position). Then I compose the TIGHT shot (usually the camera on the top) using the ball head (or monopod head). For this "BASIC" method I don't talk about hand holding this whole rig (I do in the Advanced Kit ) but I'll just say that it takes a bit of practice to get coordinated enough to handle both cameras at the same time. One thing I do recommend to make it easier, is make sure one of the two cameras is using autofocus (and if you're on a Panasonic camera, make sure you're using "Single Shot" AF and NOT "Continuous"...and use "back button" or touch to focus using the touch screen). The reason having one camera use AF, is that it's not easy to focus pull (i.e. manually focus) two cameras at a time, but I find I can handle it, if one of them is using AF. KIT PLAN 3 " ADVANCED " ABOVE: My " Advanced Kit " gets a bit crazy: I mount an (Atomos) HDMI recorder/monitor (plus an HDMI switcher) on the cage, then add a 3rd camera. THE ADVANCED KIT: ADD AN HDMI RECORDER (& ANOTHER CAMERA) The Advanced Kit plan adds to the dual-camera cage of the Basic Kit with an HDMI switcher and recorder, plus a 3rd (or 4th) camera on a second tripod (or gimbal). This kit plan really speeds up both in-studio and on-location shoots and is capable of covering most scenarios, with a single camera operator (you read that right). I use an HDMI recorder such as an Atomos recorder #ad or Blackmagic Video Assist #ad with an HDMI switcher #ad to not only capture a backup of whichever camera is being used, but to provide a sort of pre-cut copy (on the external hard drive) that is quicker to edit. Recording to the external recorder (in the uncompressed ProRes format) captures better color as well as making motion (non-static) shots look better due to the lack of compression artifacts. Also, I add a 3rd camera (with a telephoto lens) because it helps when capturing detail shots and "cutaways" which tell the story in a more complete way (in my opinion) and it also makes the editing process more enjoyable. I may go into more detail (about how a single user can operate this 3rd camera) but I might make a mini course about it (and charge a little money?)