Fear itself

Taking a quick break from photo-centric posts, it's becoming more and more obvious that many of us are being driven by fear. For months it's been the economy, which is sputtering, but isn't nearly as bad where I am as it could be. If anything, it's the media machine beating the drum of despair that's fulfilling its own prophecy.

This week, it's swine flu. Don't worry about the fact that as of this writing, there weren't even 100 confirmed cases in 11 out of 48 states in the contiguous US of A. Yes, it's serious. No, it's not cause for alarm.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Oh, how history repeats.

Branching out

In the spring, summer and early fall, the trees in our back yard filter the sunlight to make the ideal spot for taking photographs of people. It wasn't until the boys showed an interest in climbing them that I realized they are also one of the best natural photo props I could ask for. The question is, though, do I want to let a client's child climb up there, risking life and limb, just for a good photo? That's a tough one!

New Web site launching soon

My main business Web site is relaunching soon with a cool, more usable design courtesy of the talented and patient folks at untame.net. It's halfway up, but is falling victim to some Yahoo server errors being worked on now. Check out what you can at www.toddovermanphoto.com!

Ten!

My wife and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary tomorrow (April 24). That's us in the little framed photo, one we've always had on display somewhere. We're not big on photos of ourselves, but it's great to have a little one to remind us of the day we started this journey. We were so young in so many ways back then!

Our first stop as a married couple was at a Wal-Mart to buy contact solution. My new bride forgot her makeup bag and had to deal with her contact lenses. We were also fortunate that day that it was overcast (great lighting for this photo) and that it didn't rain until dinnertime (made for a romantic evening). We were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma (back when the state required blood tests for a marriage license!), spent the night at a great bed-and-breakfast in Claremore, drove back south for a stop at our rental house and then spent a week on the beach in Galveston. It's all two newspaper journalists could afford!

Since then, we've been through a lot. But we've come through and our blessings are magnified and unmeasurable, two of which – our kids – have expanded the very definition of "blessing." Ten years might not be that long a time in the scheme of things, and for us, I hope it still represents the beginning. I'm enjoying the trek so far!

Note to any nearlyweds out there: if you're looking for a wedding photographer, it's an important decision. Find someone who has a proven track record and is someone you can stand to be around for one of the most important days of your lives. We're all as budget-conscious as ever these days, but shopping based on price is more likely to leave you disappointed. The gown will be packed away. The food and cake will be long gone and forgotten. But the photos will remain.

Happy Green Day!

In my first job out of college, as a newspaper reporter/photographer, the world of photography was a different place. The standard was 35 mm film, although the new APS film had recently been released and was a mild flop. I used my grandmother's old Olympus OM-1 camera ... I set the shutter speed, aperture and focus, and advanced the film with my thumb. The mechanical cur-thunk of the shutter was satisfying, for sure.

At the paper, we reused old film canisters and wound our own film. Then we developed it and printed photos ourselves in a closet-turned-darkroom. We reused film developer for as long as we could stand, mainly as a way to save green rather than be green. Once the developer didn't work anymore, it was sent off to be processed appropriately. We cut 8.5x11 sheets of photo paper in half to save money, too. And we were told to use rechargeable batteries whenever possible.

Fast forward to today, and it's easier than ever to be a green photographer. Digital SLR cameras take more juice to operate, but standard power supplies are rechargeable. The rechargeable batteries of all shapes and sizes, including for powering accessory flash units and the like, have improved in performance and reliability. There's no need for nasty chemicals to develop film anymore ... merely some electricity to process the X's and O's that comprise the image. We can print out a photo if we want without having to use another series of nasty chemicals, and we can adjust images on our computers without the trial and error that was often required years ago.

Instead of using paper to proof photos for clients, they can now be uploaded to Web galleries and viewed at leisure. This saves paper and also gasoline that an in-person proofing session requires. Memory cards on which images are stored in the camera can be reused many, many times.

The struggle is to maintain personal relationships with clients in this electronic, e-mail age. There is always the actual photography session or wedding, but is it enough? Or is this kind of service what everyone expects nowadays?

Always have a camera handy ... don't always use it

Here's my youngest after a long day of play. I took it a month or so ago (on a day it was cold enough to wear long sleeves). The image shows one reason why it's a great idea for anyone, especially parents and grandparents, to have a camera close at hand most of the time.

But there are also times when it's just better to leave your camera where it lies. And that's because putting anything in front of your face can get in the way of simply having a good time. The last time we visited the beach a year ago, I had a lot of fun with my camera during the entire trip except for one day: the one day we actually went out to play in the water, I left it in the motel room on purpose. I knew worrying about saltwater and sand getting into the lens or camera body would ruin my fun. I wanted to be able to keep up with whichever kid wanted my attention. And it was an awesome time.

Sure, I'd love to have a few photos from the two hours we were out there. But I made up for it on other parts of the trip. I know I made the right choice to just be Daddy for awhile.

As summer vacations beckon, take your camera along. But don't forget to put it away now and then!

New fire station opens this month

I covered the opening of Keller Fire Station No. 4 earlier this month. These are a few of the images from the event. I'm far from being a kid anymore, but there's something really cool about being in a fire station (for firefighters, it's probably cool, too, but involves work). It's only got one floor, so there's no fire pole to slide down. Sadly!