Green web hosting?

Well, in my effort to think up new ways to make my business effort greener, it occurred to me today to look into finding a green web host. Much to my delight there were several to choose from, each offering various incentives like free software, access to sustainable marketing guides/libraries, planting trees for new customers, multiple/unlimited domains, etc. My favorite after reading through all the options is ThinkHost and I will now be referring anyone who asks to them. I will likewise be moving my own sites to ThinkHost as they come up for renewal. And better still, I can put them all on the same hosting account. Yay!

Perito Moreno Glacier

A massive chunk of ice calves from the face of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia. One of the few advancing glaciers in the world, the Perito Moreno creeps forward at a pace of around 2-3 meters per day.

Tis the season...

There's a lot of truth in this comic for most independent photographers...  I know I didn't fully anticipate how expensive this would get.  I suppose when it was just my "hobby", I didn't have the need to keep track of how much money I spent on equipment, software, computers, etc.  But now it's a requirement.  I only have one word: ouch.  So now I need to really focus on building a business, getting work more consistently, and yes, marketing myself.  

I'm not 100% sure what the best approach is, so I'm throwing all kinds of stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.  I think the first thing I need to do is find a mentor or two, second is do a LOT more networking.  And I need to revamp my website to start driving more traffic this way.

Shooting tethered with Aperture 2.0

Today I decided to play with Aperture 2.0's ability to shoot tethered. Not really wanting to take photos of myself or my less than tidy office, I called in my dog Ellis to sit for me while I fired off a few frames. She patiently sat, lied down, looked pensive, etc. while I fussed with lenses, angles, etc. Sunday will mark our 9th year together, so I offer this post in her honor.

Nikon D300, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
ƒ/4.5 | 1/40 | ISO 280

As for the software, shooting tethered worked fine--set up was very simple and intuitive. Just launch Aperture 2, plug a USB cable into the camera and computer, turn the camera on and under the "File" menu, select "Tether>Start Session". You are now ready to shoot tethered.

The transfer rates while shooting seemed a little slow, but I imagine that's to be expected given the file size [shooting RAW 14-bit]. I was very disappointed, however, when I ended the tethered session and had Aperture crash on me. No data was lost, but if I were shooting a client session and that happened, I would have had a canary. Not sure yet if this is a repeatable issue nor have I checked the forums for other reports. Luckily, the shots are also captured on the camera's CF card, so there's always a back up. Like anything new - be it equipment, software, or new techniques, always try it out first on your own time.

New exhibition opening March 7th!

I am delighted to announce my second exhibition of photography at the Morning Star Cafe. There will be an opening reception Friday, March 7th from 6-8pm. The photos in the exhibition are from my recent trip to Patagonia and capture various aspects of the wild, rugged, austere, and vast landscape. I'm very excited to be able to show the work, and hope to see you at the opening!

The Morning Star Cafe is downtown at:

510 SW Third Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
phone: 503-241-2401

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Around the world

Flickr has a fun new feature: a map of the world on which you can check off all the countries you've visited. Here's mine:

create your own visited countries map

While I tend to think of myself as well traveled, this definitely puts into perspective how much more there is to discover. And for the geographically challenged, here's a list: Argentina, Austria , Belgium, Brasil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam

Fresh off the plane...

I just returned home yesterday after 3+ amazing and fun weeks in South America. We spent over 2 full weeks on the road exploring Patagonia with friends, and I found myself desperately deleting files from my laptop to make room for the daily average of 6 GB of new photos. Thankfully I did a full back up of my laptop before we left. Mostly in case of theft or disaster, neither of which occurred. I have a last minute photo shoot this afternoon, but hope to get some fresh images up on the website very soon.

I will also be working on a second photo exhibit for the Morning Star Cafe. Mats and various other supplies have been ordered and I am targeting an opening at the start of February. I have yet to speak to the owners about a reception, but hopefully we'll be able to put together another First Thursday opening night. Stay tuned!