Travel. Uggh.

Ok, so I'm a bit of a homebody.  And apparently I haven't flown in a while.  I did notice some strange things while on our trip to Ohio.

First, I seriously think security is just a little bit overdone.  Lets put this in perspective.

Every day in the US, there are about 134 carjackings.  There are 255,917,664 cars in the US (US Census Bureau information).  That equates to 1 carjacking per day per 1.9 million cars or so.  That's horrible, but.... as statistics go, you're nearly as likely to win a lottery of some sort as to get carjacked.  Comforting thought, right?

Now, cars are allowed on the road with very little "checks", meaning, how does anyone really know what is in that car?  As in, dangerous, or could be dangerous type items?  Getting my meaning?  How do you know that car next to you or behind you in traffic isn't up to something sinister?  How does anyone know?

Now on to planes.

In any given year in the US, there are approximately 9,971,000 airline flights.  Whoah!

Now, airlines have been operating for about 97 years, ever since Tony Jannus's flight January 1, 1914 for the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat line.  The first airline hijacking happened in 1939.  Worldwide from 1948 to 1957 there were 15 hijackings.  Today, the average number per year is 18 worldwide.  In the US, between 1950 and today, there have been 75.

See where this is going?

On any given day, your odds of carjacking are 1 in 1.9 million in the US.  Whereas your odds of an airline hijacking are 1 in 8.1 million on any given day in the US.  That means you are more than 4 times more likely to get carjacked.  Yet.....

Security...... O M G !!

Its a bit ridiculous.  Nevermind demeaning, silly, grossly overdone and just.... well, at times, dumb.

For instance:  We had a tube of toothpaste in our bag, and were forced to throw it away right there before we could board the plane.  Now, that alone is silly, but.... if it were truly dangerous, why put it in a trash receptacle with hundreds of people around?  Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose?

Here's another good example:  Did you know nail clippers can be a deadly weapon?  Seriously, you can't bring them on a plane?  Who knew hangnails were so bad?  Yet... we ate dinner at a restaurant and  rolled up in a napkin, was this:

That would be a quick shot of a PLASTIC knife and a METAL fork.  Now, I'm pretty sure even a plastic knife is a bit more dangerous than nail clippers, but I am quite positive a metal fork is.  It's silly.... just silly.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that security is necessary, but.... I think its gone a bit overboard.  When I went throught the full body scanner thingy, it beeped and the TSA agent said I must have something on the top of my head.  Now.... my hair is short, as in maybe a half inch long on top of my head.  I wasn't wearing a hat either.  So I lowered my head to show him and his response, "Says there's something there, but, go ahead anyway."  Wow.... what a truly reliable system they have.

Oh!  Get this!  I had to throw away toothpaste, but I have heard from two independant sources within the last two weeks of people who (mistakenly and innocently) went right through security with, believe it or not, FULL SIZED SCISSORS!  Yet.... nail clippers are forbidden.

Funny world we live in.

But wait!  There's more!

People are weird.  You knew that though, didn't you?

Here's what I mean.  Why is it that if a person has to wait even 5 minutes at an airport or on a plane, they can't seem to survive without doing something?  Lets face it, waiting is a fact of life.  The busier our lives get the more time we spend waiting for others, normally in lines.  Yet, most times, its no big deal.  A few minutes here, and there, its all part of the daily grind.  Yet, put those same people on an airplane and the second their butt hits the all-too-small seat, they're scrambling for their Cell Phone, iPad, or any of a myriad of electronic devices, like a crack junky looking for their pipe.  Weird huh?

Also, apparently there are a lot of "special" people in the world.  You know, people who operate beyond the rules?  As if they don't apply to them?  I got to sit across the aisle from one of these people last night.  She sat in her seat playing solitaire on her ipad, furiously at that, as if trying to get in as many moves as possible before the plane took off.  I thought it was funny actually.  Then, right after we were all told to put all electronic devices to the "off" position, she decided that was the perfect time to make a couple phone calls.  Yep, a real winner of a human being.  I guess she's special.  She was told no less than three times during our flight to shut off her devices, each time, she acted as if she had no idea.  Then, upon landing, I think in perfect synchronicity with the Captain turning off the "fasten seatbelt" sign, she stands, proceeds to pull out her two, not one, but two, larger than acceptable carry-ons and places them in the aisle, blocking everyone around her, and stands there.  She actually leaned on the seat in front of me displaying her umm, posterior slightly too close to my face, as I was still seated.  Not that I had a choice, Miss Special took up all the space.  Then she whips out her cell phone and begins making calls.  Notice I didn't say she turned it on, I don't think it was ever put in the "off position".

Off position?  My iPhone doesn't have one.  Most people just say "turn it off", weird, but.... whatever.

Also, when we were landing, they actually said you could use a cell phone, but not a laptop.  Huh?  No idea what that's about.

By the way, here's another conundrum (love that word) for you.  We're not allowed to use cell phones and other electronic devices on planes for fear that their pathetic little signal might interfere with the plane's heavy duty instruments and cause a crash.  Seriously, that's why.  I looked it up.

I'm a biiiig Mythbusters fan.  They busted this every which way they could.  No way, nuh uh, not gonna happen.  Yet, we still can't use them on planes.

Whoah!  Wait a minute!  Nail clippers are a matter of utmost security on the off chance that you are a sociopath crazed suicidal killer looking to blow up the plane, which I would think is actually a rather small number of nail clipper carriers.  Yet, innocently using a cell phone could crash the plane?  And they let us keep them?  And EVERYONE has one?  Does TSA know about this?  I mean, this is a matter of National Security I think!

Come on, its silly..... just silly.

Next time.... I'll drive.

-B

"High End", precisely what the heck does that mean?

We've all heard the term, we all use it, but.... do we really know what that means?

First, let me explain how this came about.  I do a LOT of research on wedding trends, mostly photography related (I AM a photographer after all!).  In doing this, the term "High End" gets thrown around.  Some friends were referring to me as a "High End Wedding Photographer".  Believe it or not, that can be a bad thing.  I like to appeal to a broad range of brides, not just the ones who have TONS of money to spend.  Having everyone thinking I'm expensive is a BAD thing for business.

Ok, so what is High End after all?

Most of us would think "High End" simply means EXPENSIVE.  In most cases, you'd be right!

Here's a definition by The Free Dictionary:

Sophisticated and discerning: books targeted to the high-end consumer.

Ummm.... why doesn't it mention price?

  Here's why:  HIGH END SIMPLY DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH PRICE!  (I'll stop yelling now)

Here's Google's definition of it:

high-end

adjective

Denoting the most expensive of a range of products

Shocker, right? pfft... I think Google has it wrong, but, that's just me.

You're probably thinking, Brian, what are you up to?

Hehe..... I can't let all the cats out of the bag now can I?

I actually found photographers touting themselves as High End!  Now, if you truly are "High End", I doubt you need to remind people of that fact.  Kinda silly if you ask me.  Personally, I keep it personal.  I'm a Wedding Photographer, and a damn good one.  I should be!  Years and years of experience, education, training, practice, and..... I LOVE being a Wedding Photographer.

Am I high end?  YOU BETCHA!  My work is sophisticated and appeals to the discerning client.

I just don't have a price tag on me the size of Texas.

-B

CLASSES! CLASSES, get your CLASSES here!

Here's our December class lineup, call or email if you would like to reserve a spot.

"Just Photoshop it"

Heard that one before?

I have.

Makes my skin crawl.

How is it that a commercial product like Photoshop became a verb?

And..... while we're at it, how in the heck is it so popular with, oh, everyone?  It's a $600 program!  Come on now, all these people can't possibly own a copy.

Anyway.....

I have a bit of proof that all these people DO NOT own Photoshop.  Wanna know what it is?

Here it is:  If they did, they'd know that you don't "Just Photoshop it"!  Using Photoshop is a skill, takes a loooong time to learn to do it well, and is very obviously used when done poorly.  Just look around, I see poorly edited images everywhere.

So, essentially, we have someone who has no idea what is involved spewing garbage about Photoshop when they obviously have no idea what they are talking about.  And..... for some reason people seem to think its fast, easy and cheap.

**insert sound of a record needle screeching across a record here***

Ok now, hold on just a second.  Fast?  Umm.... no.  Loading images into Photoshop is not fast.  Editing them correctly is anything but fast.  If someone claims they can fix anything in Photoshop in five minutes or less, send them to me, I want to hire them.  Some things can be done quickly, but, stains on clothing, bruises, facial blemishes, ehh, not so much all the time.

Easy.....  If Photoshop were so easy to use, why do lists of books like this exist?  (courtesy of Amazon.com)

So, if it's sooooo easy, why are there soooo many books out there to teach us all how to use it?

Cheap....  Well, we know it's a $600 program, anything but cheap in my eyes.  But, the really expensive part is the time needed.  I have used Photoshop for, hmm, almost twenty years?  Yet, when I need to do some serious editing on a photo, it takes me TIME to do it.  I can't "Just Photoshop it." and get good or even usable results.

Disclaimer:  When I say "good" or "usable" results, I mean Photoshop editing that is transparent, meaning:  you can't tell anything was done.  Anyone with five minutes and Photoshop can scribble or filter their way into something "edited", doesn't make it good or usable.

That brings me to an interesting point.  Transparency.  No, not the plastic sheets they put into projectors in high school.  I mean good Photoshop Editing.  The ability to make something appear that no editing was done under scrutiny.  Yep, I actually look for Photoshop editing.  Well, its sort of my job.  From time to time I judge print competitions for Professional Photographers through organizations like Florida Professional Photographers (FPP).  One thing we look for is evidence of Photoshop or image manipulation.  Sometimes its VERY easy to see.  That hurts the score for that image.

Ok so.... "Photoshopping" (I hate that term by the way) is not FAST, EASY, or CHEAP.  Then why do people keep saying "Just Photoshop it."?

In most cases its because they see the finished product and not the actual work done.  Also, the teenage kid next door or your cousin who uses Photoshop probably won't admit that they spend ten times as much time working on that image as they told you they did.

So.... what's the moral of the story?

Simple.... Good Photography skills.  Get it right in the camera, lots less editing in Photoshop later.

-B

Umm....

I've seen this one before, and today I checked it out for "legitimacy".  Seems it can't be confirmed or denied.  Its supposedly a clipping from a newspaper article, but no one can say for sure.