What to Do If You Can't Upgrade Your Camera Right Now

Art Model, Covenant

New Cameras are coming out every single year. Your camera model will have an upgrade likely every 2 to 3 years, particularly for the higher end and professional models. Sometimes these upgrades will be incremental or marginal. Other times, they will be a huge overhaul with a new sensor and a completely different look. More power. More megapixel. Faster autofocus and it will come in either a bigger or smaller package. That's chiefly about how it goes. Then they'll promote the secondary features to pull in the video audience, like 4K video or 4k video at 60/120 fps. Maybe a flip-out screen, or improved ergonomics for a more natural feel in your hands.

Art Model, Covenant

That's just the way it goes. Advertisers, Marketers, Engineers, and Sales Teams all get their ducks in a row to sell you a product... year after year. It's what they do in order to keep their jobs. You likely do the same thing in a different field.

But what happens when that 61MP or that 100MP, or that 20-frame per second burst mode shooting beast comes out and, well... shoot. It's just not the best time for you to upgrade. You watch your peers put in their pre-orders. You hear about how fast-selling the camera sells out making everyone think they MUST get theirs now or they'll all be gone. How can you compete now that everyone else has the brand-spanking newest, latest and greatest, state of the art, system that has that one new feature?

Well, the first thing to do is chill. It has all happened before and will happen again. Then ask yourself how you were doing before the new camera system was announced. If you were doing quite well, chances are that you will continue to do quite well. It might be wise anyway to let the dust settle and see if the camera has any bugs or defects that need to be dealt with. Let everybody else find this out for you BEFORE you make that investment.

But if it's already been six months since the camera's release and you find that your work needs improvement, here are THREE things you can do to UP your game if you can't UPGRADE your camera.

Art Model, Covenant

1. RENT

I have known photographers who DO NOT OWN A CAMERA!! That's correct. You did not misread this. I have known a few like this. THEY DON'T OWN A CAMERA! I mean, if you think about it, it's perfect. They don't have any brand affiliation. When they get a gig, they ascertain what they need in order to fill that order. Then RENT the gear and space they need and then bill their client for the rental fee and everything else! They return the camera... keep all the money!

These are pro shooters. They already know how to shoot. If you are a developing photo, then you need to go buy a damn camera to have on hand so you can practice, practice, practice. However, even if that's the case, you can still rent a high-end camera to practice on. Or maybe you want to rent new gear and test it out before you buy it. But if that new camera comes out and you can't get it yet, but feel you need it, RENT IT! If you are flying into Las Vegas, you can check out B&C Camera Rental for cameras, lenses, lights, tripods, sliders, or whatever you need. Otherwise, take a look at LensRentals.com. Can't upgrade your camera, RENT IT!

Art Model, Covenant

2. To UP Your Game... CHANGE Your Game

Change yourself - This is one of the best things you can do for yourself, even more so than upgrading your gear. You can upgrade YOU! I may have to do a blog post just on this topic alone. Improve on your own skillset and you can start with the same thing you're doing now. If you do pet photography, do it better! Learn how to shoot pets better. Get out of the studio and maybe get the pet outdoors. Catch the pet in motion or doing the things it loves or shooting it in its natural environment. Try a pet night shoot. Introduce water. You can even concentrate on the business of pet photography instead of just the shooting of pet photography.

Ever think of learning to edit better. That's likely the next best thing you can do after better shooting skills. I don't care who you are, you likely do not know everything in Photoshop. And I'm not talking about just learning IG filters. I'm talking about actual editing a photo. Learning how to use layers. Learning blend modes. How to make a selection and editing non-destructively. Can't upgrade your camera, upgrade yourself!

Change your gear accessories - Upgrade by implementing a slider. Introduce timelapse to your game. Use a friggin' tripod for a change. I don't know how photogs travel and they don't bring a tripod. I broke mine and wasted no time replacing it. Get a cable release and do some long exposure work. Can't upgrade your camera, upgrade your gear accessories!

Change your light - If you are still using only on-camera flash and you're not doing macro or red carpet work, think about taking the flash off the camera. I'm referring to utilizing OFF-Camera flash, by using a remote trigger and either speedlight flashes or monolights hooked to receivers. Test out some modifiers. My fave for speedlights is the Gary Fong Lightsphere. Can't upgrade your camera, upgrade your lights!

Art Model, Covenant

3. The Manual

I've made a lil' bit of money teaching photography to people who hate to read. I mean, they may actually like to read, but not camera manuals. And that's cool. I'm can take you places your manual can't go. That being said, I'll wager there are features your camera has that you never even suspected. Let me invite you to go pick up your manual and just read it. It's not as much as you think. Only read the English part of the section that is written in your language. The manual is thick because its the same thing in 5 different languages! So it's not as bad as you think.

Okay, tell you what, if that's not working out for you, do this. YouTube! First, check out YouTube and search for reviews on your camera model. Check out a few of them as YouTubers will often cover cameras differently. They will go over features on your camera that you likely either forgot about or never knew about. Maybe you hate the fact that to change a setting on your camera you always waste time drilling through the menu. But then you find out you can assign a button to that specific setting and WHA-LA! You got yourself a new camera. It's USED, but now it's NEW to YOU!

Do you even NEED a new camera? I've worked in a camera store. My job may have been to sell you a camera, but I worked at B&C Camera They let me prioritize the customer experience over just sell... sell... sell... which is why I still support and promote them now. I'd often get someone who might complain about their camera's autofocus and blurry images. I take a look at it, change a setting, BOOM. New Camera! Sometimes all it takes is a different focus setting. Sometimes it is a matter of changing the diopter setting. This is true and on many occasions, all I did was set the diopter back to zero. BOOM! New Camera! So yeah... Can't upgrade your camera, READ THE MANUAL!

Art Model, Covenant

Three Reasons to Upgrade Your Gear

Art Model, Panda

There is some really nice new gear out there right now! I mean, well first off... it's about that time of year for it, so many manufacturers are due for upgrade announcements and the holidays are coming up. Nonetheless, there is a ton of stuff already out there. Yeah, I'm looking at you Sony. You too, Fujifilm!

Now I've talked about this before and as a photog, I'm routinely asked about the latest and greatest. Personally, things are a bit different for me as I'm trekking the globe. My priorities aren't solely with the camera anymore. Backpacking comes with its own unique requirements, between expenses dealing directly with travel as well as gear unrelated to photography. Plane tickets, car rentals, accommodations, food... those are all things I need to plan for on a weekly or monthly basis. I recently had to drop a cool grand on cold-weather gear. And it came right at $1,000. I'd much rather spend that on camera gear!

Art Model, Panda

I'm currently back in Peru, but in a few weeks, I will be headed waaay down south to Ushuaia, Argentina. I just saw a video of that city, present-day, and there's a friggin' snowstorm. I know nothing about the place. I have a feeling that everything I've done to research and prepare will not be enough. Which just means I'll have to make adjustments on the spot. Somehow. So my immediate concerns may not be like everyone else's when they are trying to decide when to upgrade.

Back to my point... This is when you upgrade.

1. WHEN YOU NEED TO!

Over the years, as I developed my skills and my business, my needs in photography changed. That meant that I had specific standards and requirements that my current line up of camera bodies and/or lenses no longer met. My very first ever set up was with the Canon 40D. It was a very capable system. I paid $1500 for it 2008. Loved it! Why? Because it was the first digital camera system that I felt matched what I was doing in film.

A problem arose when I shot a wedding with the camera in limited lighting capabilities. I had to push the ISO too much and it showed, thereby affecting my standards on the quality of my print jobs. I kept the camera, but I upgraded to the Canon 5DII, arguably one of the most revolutionary cameras ever. No more problems like that! AND... I paired it with a Canon 7D and I rolled like that for years. That set up was great for my business for what I did.

Art Model, Panda

By 2012, I began venturing away from photography as a shooter and more oriented myself with photography as an artist. My standards changed. I was shooting more fine art prints and I wanted to more heavily concentrate on printing and I wanted to only print large images. No more 8x10s for me. The full-frame 5DII did the job... to an extent. It took me a bit to figure out what my frustration was as a photographer. I could still print a 30 x 40, but my work had no depth. I needed resolution! To me, that meant medium format which at the time had a steep barrier to entry with a $25k price tag just to get a camera and a body.

Nikon came out around that same month with a 36mp full-frame system for $3300 that became available a week before I was to head to Nicaragua. If you bought all my Canon gear new, you'd spend over $20K. I sold it ALL for Nikon. I did not care about price. Availability was all that mattered and I got the Nikon D800e and it got me what I needed. But the weight!! Back home, no problem. But when you travel and everything is on your back, it matters! Two years later, I was in Sony which gave me resolution, in a much smaller package and I have not looked back.

Art Model, Panda

2. WHEN IT MAKES SENSE TO!

This one is easy. After I bought my Sony A7RII, the most significant camera I have ever owned, they eventually came out with another version, the A7RIII. The similarities between the cameras were NOT significant enough for me to upgrade. Yes, I could have used the bigger battery and the two card slots. Other than that, the increases in performance, speed, etc., was negligible. In addition, I shoot with an a6500 crop-sensor camera as well. Had I upgraded, I'd have to pack and deal with two different battery types. Basically, when I DO upgrade my a7RII, I will upgrade the crop-sensor as well. So presently, it made no sense for me to upgrade.

Conversely, if I damaged my a7RII, then it's all a different story. Yes, you COULD buy another duplicate camera. The a7RII is still available for sale, at a much more decent price, at that. But if you have to buy a camera anyway, get the best one available! So in effect, it MAKES SENSE to upgrade your camera. That's perfectly justifiable. And in my case, I'd upgrade both my camera systems.

Art Model, Panda

3. WHEN THERE IS NO GOOD REASON OTHER THAN YOU WANT TO!

And finally, I've chosen this option as well. I'm much more streamlined now, mainly because of my traveling. But there was a point in which I had so much friggin' useless gear, it was ridiculous. I'd upgrade for no other reason than it damn well pleased me to do so. And it is primarily for this reason, that I will not hate on you if you chose to do so. Go on, with your bad self. If you got the cash, spend it! Now if you don't have the cash and are using rent money to upgrade, I'm gonna talk about how your Mama didn't raise you with common sense. Other than that, ENJOY!!

Confession...
I do not need it, but I have my eye on that Sony a7R4 for the end of the year! Can it make my work better? Well, yeah. It's 61MP with pixel shift muli-shooting capabilities to boost resolution even further! Can I still kill with my current gear... yes...

So, that would put me in category 3 if I upgraded. See where I'm going with this? At any given time, you can be in any spot. Hence, No hatin' from me.

Peace! Mo' Power and Mo' Resolution to ya!

Art Model, Panda

Five Problems with Social Media and Photographers

First Nude in the desert. Art Model, Patti from neg scans. ©2006 Terrell Neasley

"Popularity isn't just something that happens. 

You have to give something in exchange for it, and that's the dangerous part of the process."

~ Robert Bringhurst

I know only a few people who are not on social media at all. I don't know anyone who is a photographer and NOT on, at least, one social media platform. I no longer have an IG account, mainly because of my art nude work and how I feel about the company. Even as I first opened my account, I had concerns. As a whole, I've never been sure how I have liked the term "influencer" for social media stars. The connotation sounded almost sinister to me. You might more accurately call them "manipulators", or "puppeteers". Regardless, this post should be taken into consideration for people who are creatives, artists, but specifically photographers.

Here are FIVE things to be careful of:

1. Social Media can dictate how you shoot

SM eliminates differentiation by homogenizing all of your work. How is this done? Because now, LIKES and FOLLOWERS become the most important thing to you and your popularity takes precedence over your originality. Instead of trying to come up with an original concept, it's far to easy to copy the trend. You become beholden to the influencers and the followers who like them in order to get those likes and followers, yourself. In effect, by letting them dictate WHAT you shoot or HOW you edit your work begins to look like someone else's and when the multitudes do this, your art is homogenized, or assimilated if you like that better.

This might equate to shooting a ton of extreme shallow depths of fields for your portraits because you see that's what people are clicking the like-button most for. Maybe you start trending your work to B&W, doing more burning wool shots or becoming a documentary-style wedding shooter. All that's fine if you want to go there, but consider the impetus that puts you on that path. Is it YOUR idea or a social media trend?

First Nude in the desert. Art Model, Patti from neg scans. ©2006 Terrell Neasley

There is even a profitable market out there to BUY followers, instead of producing excellent work and earning them. I guess nobody has time for that! Just click on one of the ads that promise to add 1000, 5000, or 10,000 followers! Problems solved, right! And it doesn't make any difference if these are fake accounts! Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Maybe I'm just ranting again. But, feel free to be honest with yourself. You don't even have to tell anybody. Ask yourself what is most important to you as an artist and what that translates into. What do likes actually do for you? Does it put your art on a wall? Can you eat "likes"? Can you show the power company your IG profile of 1000 followers instead of catching up on that light bill?

2. Social Media can dictate how you sell

Getting your work out there, sharing your adventures, art, and ideals, are all reasons to market yourself on a social media platform. Traditional or Conventional Marketing concepts get abandoned with newer social media trends. Traditional Marketing is based more on gathering information and using that information to show you where to spend your marketing and advertising dollars to optimize your bottom line. Social Media, however, is consistently about maximizing popularity while "thinking" it might translate into money. That is the illusion. It's akin to basing your retirement plan on your success at the slot machines.

How you sell should be based on identifying your market, knowing the correct value of your work, knowing your competition and competing effectively, and then devising a strategy that provides a product or service that optimizes your money based on these factors. Social Media is supposed to be only a single part of a good marketing promotional campaign. That is what determines how you sell. So, is it?

First Nude in the desert. Art Model, Patti from neg scans. ©2006 Terrell Neasley

3. Social Media can dictate how you feel about your work

Comparisons are the enemy of a whole lot of the psychology of how we feel about ourselves. It's just an opinion, but I think there is a high percentage of cases of depression and anxiety that would be effectively eliminated if we ceased to compare ourselves with other people and/or stopped giving a damn about what other people think of us. I know I'm guilty of this. I won't even go in-depth on this, but I will let you answer for yourself. Do you spend any amount of your time looking at other people's work/likes/followers and then have a negative feeling about your own?

4. Social Media often offers a false sense of achievement

There is not a lot to say about this either. You can ask yourself a similar question. Are you popular on social media and if so, how has it changed your quality of life, relationships, financial freedom, etc. If you are celebrating sitting on 50K FOLLOWERS, but not a damn thing has changed in your life for the better... well, maybe that sense of achievement is misplaced. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but you can evaluate things on your own. How much of your SM life is honestly reflected in your actual life? Are you truly as happy as your profile seems to imply? If you are not, how much effort does it take to keep up the charade and what does it cost you to maintain the lie?

First Nude in the desert. Art Model, Patti from neg scans. ©2006 Terrell Neasley

5. Social Media can distract from real goals

And this is the culmination of everything above. If it's not being used effectively as a part of a valid promotional/marketing strategy, then it is negatively dictating how you shoot, how you sell, how you feel about your work, and can easily give you a false sense of achievement if you are, in fact, popular.

So then what are your real goals? Have you sat down and given this some thought? Have you written down these goals and where are you now on that path towards them? I think, used properly, social media can be an excellent platform to get your work out there, be noticed, make money, and have fun. I think the question becomes "WHO CONTROLS WHO?" So what is the driving force behind your motivations and behaviors on social media? Is it a tool or has it become the master? If you are not on the path to those goals, then regroup and refocus. Plot out that path again. If your current social media methods yield only marginal results, it's only wise to put those resources of time, energy, and money to better use with other possibilities.

First Nude in the desert. Art Model, Patti from neg scans. ©2006 Terrell Neasley

Can You Travel Around the World?

Earlier work with good friend, Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley

“Don’t listen to what they say. Go see! Forget about pictures in a book. Put your own eyes on it!”

I'm going to say, short answer, YES! Of course, that's what I'll say. I've been advocating travel for years. Can everybody honestly do it? No, but for various reasons. Most won't out of fear. Others won't because they simply don't have the interest. You may have health issues or concerns. People ask me this question many times over the course of my travels. Traveling around the world is not always about money. How you want to travel is also an important factor and that has to do with your specific tolerances and expectations. Stay open-minded and weigh these considerations in your plans:

How you travel

Intercity, Regional, or International...this is likely the most important factor in everything and a large determinant on the money. I am a backpacker trying to travel around the world. I have everything on my back and I try to find the cheapest means to get from one place to another. I may not always CHOOSE the cheapest means, but I always want to know what it is. I'm guilty of taking a cab or an Uber when public transportation will save me a fraction of the cost. In Guatemala, I could spend $20 on a cab from my apartment to downtown or literally spend only 30¢ to do the same thing on the public shuttle buses. You just have to deal with the crowds, may have to stand, and make sure you hear and understand the name of your stop so you know when to get off.

I will also confess that sometimes I'll fly when I don't need to, but usually, I will take a bus. I save more money on the bus and at this point, that's becoming more and more important. You save time by flying, of course. But taking the bus can mean more experience and for me, time isn't that pressing of an issue. I've been at this for 18 months with 5 more years, (I'm guessing) to go. Buses should be more of a priority for me unless I find a regional flight that costs no more than bus fare. That was the case from Quito, Ecuador to the coasts in Esmarelda. The flight was $80 and was 45 mins. The bus was $20, but 7 hours. I gladly hopped that flight.

Earlier work with good friend, Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley

When you travel

This is also a very important one. WHEN you travel can make the difference between an expensive experience or not. It can make the difference between a miserable experience or a good one. For a photographer, it can mean getting the shot or not.

For any place you go there is usually a high season and a low season. The high season is going to be more expensive. You find the deals in the low season. And that's high and low in terms of volume of tourists that visit the same place. Just be careful, there may be a reason people visit at certain times. It could be weather-related and simply coincide with vacation times.

Weather-related considerations can make a miserable experience. It's always hot in the Amazon, so you can go any time of the year. But there is a dry and a wet season. You may not always enjoy being rained on every day. Mosquitos are also out in mass during that time of the year. At this very moment, I am in Nicaragua because I didn't want to be cold in Argentina right now. Summer for me is Winter below the equator which is something you need to remember. But even in Nicaragua, I was burning up in Granada and it was SO humid! I was there for two weeks before coming further north to Esteli where I am now. Far cooler and less rain in the mountains here!

And there are other factors that photographers need to consider. I was in Guatemala during the summer one year. I got some great shots of Lake Atitlan. However, when I returned another year during the Spring for something similar, I could not get it. The weather was great! But clouds settled on the far side of the lake and obscured the mountains and volcanoes I wanted in my shot! I could not capture any stars either!

Earlier work with good friend, Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley

Where you travel

Of course, where you go will be a big part of your decision process. Go to Paris, France and you will, without a doubt, pay a ton more than you will in Nicaragua. Iceland will be much more expensive than Central America. For me, I am starting to get to the more expensive areas on my route. So far, it has been cheap traveling in Central American countries. Then I was in Colombia and Ecuador and it was still relatively inexpensive. Peru was a different story. Going further south, the cost of travel begins to climb. From Dallas or Las Vegas, I can fly south to just about anywhere for $300, but once I want to fly past Lima, Peru, all that changes.

Are you healthy to travel

You can't really do anything in life without checking to see if you can physically do it. Even advertisements to join a gym will throw in a caveat at the end telling you to consult your doctor before beginning any physical activities at the gym. Likewise, you have to know if you can travel abroad, or anywhere really. This is especially the case if you have medication that you need or if you have physical limitations. Many countries in the world do not have regulatory adaptions for people with physical disabilities, like ramps or braille elevator buttons.  You might think age would be a factor. In my experience, I can't include this. The only real factor is just physical strength. I watch an 80-year old man from the US live here in Nica alone and he travels around at will.

What will you bring when you travel

What do you need to bring with you and how will you pack it around? I carry everything on my back. I do not depend on porters or anyone for help. I try to keep my physical carrying weight to about 65 pounds or 30 kilograms. That is split between my camera bag and my backpack. Camera gear and accessories are more important than clothes for me. I could likely get away with under 30 pounds total if I wasn't traveling as a photographer.

You might need luggage with wheels and a handle. For urban spots, that won't be much of a problem. Try doing that in the jungle and you're going to have issues. Some places will have people to help you and others will not.

Earlier work with good friend, Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley

Travel Alone or With Someone

It won't be the same for you, but for me, I NEED SOMEBODY TO SHOOT on a regular basis! That's MY biggest hang-up. However, in general, I can't say which is better in this case. I know I've traveled with someone and there were moments I looked for solidarity. There have been moments while I'm traveling alone and wished I had company... and not just somebody to shoot, but real company to enjoy a tour or scenery with you or something. There are nonetheless, benefits to both. Even if you are with someone, especially for long periods, it's good to split up for a bit and do your own thing. You can easily crowd each other after a while, especially in small confines when you're trying to be cheap. Don't fear a split for a week to go in different directions and meet up again later.

Traveling alone has been a blessing for me in more ways than it sucks. I invite people all the time to come out and visit. But I have to confess, there have been much in terms of emotional turmoil that has sent me into a tailspin. A break-up and the death of a good friend of mine is one reason I'm traveling like this now. Then the death of my younger brother AND grandfather in the same month a year later smacked me on the back end of recovering from everything the year before! I'm honestly not sure how great company I was to @kayci.lee who actually come out with me for that first month. These are life shake-ups that everybody deals with. But overall, traveling alone has taught me so much. I recommend it. Don't be afraid of it.

So yeah, it can be done. It depends on your attitude, money, and your expectations. The more flexible you can be, the better. Do your research and find out as much as you can about the area and region of the world you wish to see. If you can block out 3 weeks out of your schedule somehow, and do at least half a decent job at planning, you'll have the experience of your life. But even when things go wrong, just remember. Nobody's perfect and NOTHING goes exactly to plan...if you're lucky!

Travel Safe!

Travel: Reward or Education?

View from Finca Neblinas del Bosque, Miraflor, Nicaragua near Esteli. 

"Travel is not a reward for work, 

it is education for living." 

This was a meme I saw on Facebook a few months ago.

It was layered over the top of a nice picture of a guy standing on the banks at a bend in a river that cuts through wooded mountains. Scenic, right?

I don't get into a lot of memes but THIS one, I enjoyed and I thought it was very thoughtful as well as thought-provoking. It's got me writing about it, so it must be. The easiest analogy that I can think of that explains my reasoning is a comparison to READING. As with travel, not everyone is a reader. However, I know that no one will say to me that their life is just fine having never learned to read. You read every day even if its just the street signs as you drive, the menu at your restaurant, or the prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet to make sure you're taking the right one. The question is whether or not what you read is meaningful, inspires you, and is nurturing.

A quick Google search for "benefits of reading" gave me a few articles that basically agreed on 8 primary benefits. Now, in no way am I suggesting I have mastered all of these. I'm still learning! But, let me relate them to travel and how I think I have benefited from hitting the road. Maybe you can relate, as well.

Miraflor, Nicaragua near Esteli. 

Mental Stimulation/Improved Focus 

This was probably the first immediate benefit I can recall. Traveling abroad brought my focus front and center. How many times have you driven to work and back home and don't even remember the drive? All your senses become immediately engaged when the different smells and sights catch your attention. You instinctively become more aware.

Stress Reduction 

Traveling, by nature helps promote a sense of well-being. Sometimes you just need to get out of your own element for a bit of a perspective change. Nature walks can have the exact same effect but they don't last as long. Traveling helps me take my mind off negative circumstances by changing how I view those circumstances which have not really changed at all... only my perspective of them has been altered. Problems may still be there when you get back but you are much more refreshed and replenished to deal with them.

Knowledge and Education  

Again, this is primarily about perspective, and a little bit more. You can only learn so much in a book about riding a bike. And if you ever involve yourself in a conversation or try to form an opinion about a group of people that you have never met, I think you should really hold your thoughts to yourself. Learning about a culture first-hand is the best thing you can do. Talk to them. Finding solutions is best done when you know both sides of the story. Not only that, I get an expansion on my world history, geography, culture, and the local landscape.

Members, Black Souls Biker Group of Esteli, Nicaragua photographed in Somoto

Increased Empathy 

Empathy - noun - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

synonyms: affinity with, rapport with, sympathy with, understanding of, sensitivity toward, sensibility to, identification with, awareness of, fellowship with, fellow feeling for, like-mindedness 

Is there ever a situation where too much empathy is a problem? You can feel how you want about your neighbor or other people, but one specific potential benefit of travel I would hope everyone could take advantage of is this one. Getting to know a culture or somebody with first-hand knowledge and understanding is a blessing. You are afforded the opportunity to see that their dreams, aspirations, problems, and hardships might not so different than your own. Taking an opportunity to see and experience things for yourself instead of depending on second-hand or biased information can offer you a truth that may not otherwise be available to you. At least this way, you KNOW!

Here are a few more benefits that were listed:

• Stronger Analytical Thinking 
• Tranquility and Better Sleep 
• Vocabulary Expansion
• Entertainment 

Ranch at Night near Somoto, Nicaragua

For any of this to stick, Travel has to be a way of life. Your education continues for the rest of your days. So KEEP Traveling! VACATIONS are a reward for work. Maybe I get too much into semantics here, but I differentiate Vacation from Travel. Going to Cancun to an all-inclusive resort for a week and never leaving said resort is NOT travel. That's a vacation no different from Disneyland. Traveling, on the other hand, is a state of mind that is more about a life experience that brings you to another land and or people. It blesses and changes you, and hopefully, you have the opportunity to share inspiration and knowledge in like manner where ever you go.

How To Make a Crappy Photo GREAT with ONE Click!!

"Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for the unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual."

~ Edward Weston

Maybe because I use photoshop and am often reading or view tutorials on editing, I get adds that tout some software that lets you improve your images in one click. But I have my own sure-fire one-click method to improve your image in 4 easy steps:

Step 1: Rethink the original shot. Ask yourself should you even have taken that photo in the first place. If the answer is YES, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Click the shutter button on your camera to take a better friggin' photo.

Step 3: Don't worry about Step 3, just take a better friggin' photo.

Step 4: Revisit Step 3 if you somehow got this far.

Alright, I confess. I can't stand these 1-click wonder photo improvement guarantees from people trying to sell photo editing software or apps. I am a fan of good photoshop work or even good photo editing tools on your phone. I don't even care if it takes ONE CLICK to do it. But a crappy shot is a crappy shot. Trash it. Taking a better shot is the only thing that fixes a crappy shot. Take another shot instead of trying to fix a bad image with filters. In the military, we used to call such a notion as polishing a turd. Don't polish turds. They are still turds and likely polishing them will only make them look worse.

Full-disclosure. I am a photo traditionalist. I come from the old school of film and darkrooms... you know...Pre-IG/FB. I know that photography has not always been accepted as an art form and I definitely care about the Art of Photography and detests anything that diminishes it, cheats the business of it, or otherwise disrespects it. Edward Weston was one of the early pioneers to bring Photography to the forefront of the art debate. With the help of wife/model Charis Wilson, he was first to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship Grant to go out west and photograph... well, the West! He received this award twice, actually in consecutive years.

"Guggenheim Fellowships are intended for individuals who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts."

I would rather proclaim to would-be shooters to get better! Often photographers complain that everybody with a camera is a photographer nowadays. I've tried to always take a higher road and encouraged my fellow artists in a more optimistic fashion. When I see them polishing turds though... Well, I am not as positive and optimistic. I'll call you out in a second. Why diminish your skills? Why cheat the game? Just do better!! I don't fear photo advances that might, in turn, create lower barriers to entry. I can't prevent them. They will happen, so we may as well treat them as opportunities to further distinguish ourselves and challenges us to stay atop our game.

I think photographers who shot film, developed in a darkroom, and made actual prints are the ones who are most likely to be irked by this. Those who have only shot digital may not be put off so much. I may sound like the old man in the neighborhood kicking the kids of his grass. I get this. But you know, I wonder how many photographers have actually never printed any of their own work. Digital images dominate FB, IG, and the such. Millions upon millions of images are being created every single day. How many actually get made into physical tangible copies that you can hold in your hand or hang on a wall?

I will try, going forward, not to get agitated when I see these ads or when beginner photogs ask me about such "tricks" and if they work. But for those of you who actually want to improve, I say learn the principles of light! Get understanding on how to utilize the Manual Mode on your camera, (or for goodness sake get one that HAS a manual mode). Study the greats. Play with artificial flash! You may be surprised at what you find out that comes to be considered great. Don't be fooled. Some of our greatest shots were not tack-sharp or great resolution. And mistakes like light leaks or concepts that ran counter to "rules" in photography are actually what defined Perfection! The irony! Bob Ross called them "Happy Little Accidents".

And with that, I will come down from my soapbox and leave you to your fun.

Thanks for listening.

Back in Nicaragua for a Minute

Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, ©2018 Terrell Neasley

"Never forget that the nurturing and preservation of your own muse is job one. Lose it and you may be losing a great deal."

~ Robert Genn

And when I say a minute, I really mean 2 months. Yay! My 4th visit to Nica!

As much as I "thought" I was up for a Argentinian winter, naaah... not so much. A lot of it came down to money and the expense of gearing up for the harsh cold, and then flying all the way back down there. Lima is the last line of latitude for the cheap flights heading to South America. You can hit all the major cities down south and you're not spending thousands to get there... til after Lima, Peru.

The budget airlines stop at that point. Maybe La Paz in Bolivia has some decent flights available, but Spirit does not fly to La Paz. I'll likely end up there soon at any rate. It may not be in the thousands (flying one way. I usually fly one way tickets.), but you're looking at double the price that you could go to Lima which might be about $350. Again... One way.

Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, ©2018 Terrell Neasley

After Peru in March, I came home for my Mother's Birthday, stayed stateside for a bit visiting the kids, as well... which was great, I might add. Taught my grandbaby how to ride a bike. I might have gone military style on her a bit, but she can ride a bike now, whereas the day before she couldn't. God, the bruises, tho...

When it came down to leaving again, I'd have been flying out into a wall of Argentinian winter. Soooo.... No. I jumped down to Nicaragua for a bit. And you know what I forgot?? It's hot as f... (okay, Mama might be read this.) So I'll say hot as f...oreigners in a hot ass place that they are unfamiliar with. (Dang it! Sorry Mama!)

Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, ©2018 Terrell Neasley

The last time I was in Nica during a June month, it was 2015 and it was so hot and humid, my ex-girlfriend passed out cold and almost went down a flight of stairs. Yep. Saved my ex's life. I'm sure she's grateful. Honestly, that was in May. We didn't leave Nica til June 3rd. I had moved her up into the mountains where it was cooler, but heat rises and so did that temp even at higher elevations. We cancelled the last month of the trip and headed home, after 3 months on the road. I still got some badass shots of her and with her. You can see my 4 blog posts with her here =>  Post 1 / Post 2 / Post 3 / Post 4

More recently though, I was in Nicaragua just last year. BUT IN JANUARY! I was with Art Model, Kayci Lee for that whole month (See that BLOG POST HERE) . I'd say it was temperate, but not so humid and muggy like now. This is what I was thinking about when I made my reservation and decided to come back here... sort of taking a break from my travels by still traveling, I guess. But you get my meaning. I'm not on the same path that I was on traveling through South America. Nicaragua is a cheaper place to wait out the cold. AND I am getting in some much needed writing, reading, and hopefully some shooting. But damn, this heat! I may forego Isla de Ometepe as I had planned and head north again. Maybe up into Somoto Canyon, past Esteli, near the Honduran border, and explore that.

Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, ©2018 Terrell Neasley

I'll know soon enough for all that. I'm going to leave from Granada on July 1st and go somewhere either north or further south. No biggie. I'm going to let my shot selection decide that, I think. In the meantime, I'll continue my writing and my reading in my exceedingly comfortable bed and breakfast. I doubled my stay here at Casa Silas B&B. I get a great breakfast every morning. The place is owned by Rob, a Canadian who married a local girl here and decided to relocate a little more than a decade ago.

Granada is relatively quiet. I don't see many tourists here at all. I've met a couple of girls twice and a guy from the US once. The travel advisory has this place at a Level 3. I think they should rethink that. Yes, there was some civil unrest last year and it carries on even now, but at no where near the same magnitude. On top of that, one American was killed last year here during the uprising. Before that, 7 US citizens were killed here out of 2 million to visit from 2009 to 2017. Can you say that in the city that you live in? The DR can't say that and they are a level 2. They've had 7... I say again, SEVEN recent tourist deaths that have all be mysterious. Nica is getting a bad break right now and it's only hurting a good economy.

Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, ©2018 Terrell Neasley

These shots are all new edits from my last time in Nicaragua. As I mentioned, Art Model, @Kayci.Lee came with me for the first month of my trip, January 2018. I went back through to see some of her images for this blog post and wanted to revisit some new edits with a B&W mindset. I can see this is going to be a challenge. Going forward, I'm shooting with B&W edits already in mind. On the other hand, the edit process is quicker. This is going to be fun, though. Enjoy.

Five Reasons I Will Focus the Rest of the Year on B&W Photography

Selfie!

"If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won't make you cry."

 ~ Ruth Bernhard

For the remainder of this year, I'm going to make a commitment to Black and White Photography. Everything I shoot will be edited in B&W... or at least nearly everything. During this backpacking journey, one of my goals is to be better with photography. Yes, I am always talking about becoming better or trying to show YOU how to become better. This will never stop. I'm going to continue to be a spokesman for my craft. I love photography in its various forms and genres. There's enough learning to last a lifetime. Here is why I am choosing B&W Photography to help me achieve this.

Art Model, Leslie ©2015 Terrell Neasley

1. The Challenge

I want to up my game. Putting limitations on myself forces me to exercise photo muscles that can become complacent when you have the ease of use of color. I am already challenging myself with the use of only two lenses. I presently travel with a 55mm 1.8 and a 20mm 1.4. I have nothing in the tele-range. I even left the 90mm macro at home.

I desire to also see light better. I'm pretty decent at judging an exposure without a light meter when necessary. I feel I need to be able to, not just measure light, but I want to see the potential and the opportunities in it. Black and White forces me to stick to the principles of highlights, the mids, and shadows. Without the distraction of color, I am able to focus more on just the light.

Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2016 Terrell Neasley

My first great challenge, back in 2005 as I began in photography, was exposing for snow without making it appear gray or blown out relative to the rest of the composition. So I learned to be better at measuring light. My second great challenge has stuck with me the most. It was being able to THINK in B&W despite what I saw in color. Before I moved to Vegas, I had the opportunity to visit for a few months (summer of 2006) the year before actually moving there in 2007. I shot a nude black woman using film on the red rocks of Valley of Fire. When I tried to process those shots, there was barely any contrast between the model and the rocks! Try dodging and burning that! I did not consider the tone over her skin nor the rocks when shot on black and white film. It was a painstaking process unless I wanted to just be lazy with bland low contrast work. That's not me. I should automatically know what yellow, purple, or brown converts to in monochrome.

B&W work will help me with composition development through a greater emphasis on lines, shape, texture, patterns, repetition, and creating art purely via the juxtaposition of light vs. shadow. I want to be able to "see" more clearly and when I can do that, I find the opportunities for impressive compositions. Seeing the potential will help me with the patience to let a scene develop until I have the right compositional elements at my disposal.

Art Model, Safia Sarai, ©2015 Terrell Neasley

2. Learn More About the Sum of Light

This will be a study. I'm going to learn about light, the characteristics of it, how to best use it, as well as when to use it. I say the Sum of Light because I will focus more on the visible aspect of light... it's sum totality, rather than the spectrum of light, or the color pieces created when light is refracted. In the case of camera sensors, that would relate to RGB pixels which absorbs light selectively via filters. The goal is to be able to make decisions about light subconsciously through repetition and practice. I want to be a more proficient shooter and a more capable teacher of photography by first being a better student.

3. Editing: Back to the Beginning

Sometimes when you want to start over or renew your mind, getting back to the basics of pure fundamentals is the universal start point. It's like going back home. I started out in photography using Arista 400, Agfa100 and Kodak TMAX100/400/3200. That's all professional grade film. I developed my film and prints in a darkroom. I made test sheets of each shot and outlined the regions where I need more light and less light... burning and dodging. You found the overall correct exposure for your prints and then mapped out the individual elements that needed the shadows adjusted or those that needed the highlights tweaked. This will help me with my edits.

Bodyscape, ©2016 Terrell Neasley

As much as I like a challenge, I also want to create advantages for myself. Without the color aspect, editing also becomes easier. Gone are the optical color-based errors that are produced from lenses, such as chromatic aberration. Photo editing tools have a much easier time finding tonal range in compositions when color is no longer a factor in brightening or darkening a subject. You get more quality work even at higher ISOs. So Monochrome surmounts RGB in edit quality and ease of use. Grain is also more tolerable in B&W.

4. Minimalism

I'm looking for a cleaner image. I started on the minimalist trail quite a while back. I've slowly been shedding everything. Now, I carry my belongings on my back. Backpacking is the ultimate in minimalism... just short of being a hobo. Wait... forget I said that. I see the irony, but I see myself as rather nomadic. Sounds better.

As to my work, I want less in my shot. I want my compositions to be efficient... doing more with less. A minimalist must be a master of balance in a composition and B&W will help immensely with this. You are forced to have better foreground vs. background elements. At the very least, you begin to see effective anchor points within a shot that helps create that necessary balance.

Art Model, Leslie, ©2016 Terrell Neasley

5. The Artistry

I honestly think this will help me become a better artist. I want to sell more prints more consistently. I want more exhibitions of my work. Quite frankly, I'm old fashioned when it comes to this. If the current trend says color will guarantee me more of sales and more exhibition, then... well, I'd be stupid not to consider that. However, I have lived my life being true to myself, despite trends. I can adapt, but where I think it's important, I still favor the greats; and that, my friend, is in Black and White photography.

I love the extremes. I tend to weigh more heavily with higher contrast in my edits and those are the same type of images that catch my attention from other artists. I lean towards the left side of the histogram more than I do the right. However, I'll dance around in the shadows or the highlights more than the mid-tones. So the ends are where I play, but I understand grays have their proper place. While I dance on the poles, I still go to work in the middle.

Art Model, Safia Sarai, ©2015 Terrell Neasley

After the love of contrast, drama comes in a close second. I'm not talking social drama, of course. Can't stand that ish. No, I refer to the drama created in the mood of a shot via the use of shadow and in the creative use or the absence of it.

Shapes and lines are more creatively accentuated which result in better and more meaningful abstract symbolism. I can become an alchemist, so to speak because I am able to transform one photo element into something completely different. Having a 42MP sensor lets me crop in on a subject. That too, adds to the ability to create better abstract. So stay tuned. More to come on this.

Art Model, Joanie, ©2010 Terrell Neasley

Photo Book - Jenny in Peru

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

I estimated about 2 months and that's right about how long it took. Two months after Jenny Anne Rose left me in Peru to go back home, I have completed all the edits and now the book "Jenny in Peru" is now available! TWO HUNDRED THIRTY PAGES in a large 14 x 11-inch hardback book, using high quality long-lasting archival paper. This is definitely an art book suited for the coffee table or living room center-piece.

Jenny in Peru

By Terrell Neasley

The book illustrates three weeks of adventure in which I detailed much of this in the recent blog post, "Travel Nudes, Jenny in Peru". Do yourselves a favor and go back to visit that post one more time. I think I've got about 10 images from our trip to accompany that post, which is the most I think I've done on any blog post. You can read about the details of our travels from Lima to Northern Peru, back to Lima, then to two locations in Southern Peru, and finally back to Lima again.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

What was unique to me on this particular entire photo project was the greater focus I put on the book while I was shooting. Normally, I shoot simply for the shots, themselves. At most, I shoot with the edit in mind. That's how I've always worked. The edit has always been my primary objective for each individual shot. Almost every single one is made to stand on it's own, sometimes possibly in a series...maybe a triptych.

This time, I followed my normal methodologies, but I also incorporated shots that were specifically for the book orientation, such as shooting in landscape orientation and also some with the intent to make it cover double pages (I want to do the next one in Portrait Orientation) When making a book, the story is the priority. So I want a clear flow for the narrative that gives the viewer a reason to pause and study each page, but also an incentive to leave that page and see what comes after. I want to entice my viewers to travel all the way to the last page. And after having evoked an emotional response one way or the other, they wonder what else I will deliver soon.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

No matter how well-structured and creative a story is, Presentation is second on the priority list. Second, but a very CLOSE second. From the beginning, I wanted the story to be, in a way, narrated by the model with not only her moves but also her words. Given that she is an astute writer, I was able to use her talents and incorporate her style in a way that gave a more complete story about our journey from her perspective as well as insight into her thoughts. In this way, the viewers are able to appreciate the artistic use of her body in unfamiliar environments as well as peer into her mind and witness within as well as without. My hope was a better sense of character development and a deeper appreciation for this model's performance.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

Part of presentation is organization and structure. I organized this book mostly chronologically, but also categorically. I used the model's perspectives to introduce each different segment of our journey. Font, font size, alignment, book title, and book customization all go into essentials in book making. This is an art book, so I chose Premium heavy-weight paper. I wanted to incorporate my same since of quality in my prints into this book which also comes at premium expense. I have used the publishing services of Blurb.com for several years and they have provided me with great results.

Order your copy now to enjoy this most excellent exhibition of adventure, travel, and art. Thank you for your patronage!

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley