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15
Sep

Make a Wish


Written by David Dale

I have been so blessed to have found my passion at such an early age.  In 1975, at the age of 19,  I fell into photography through a good friend.  We would go out and shoot his 35 mm camera's, then go back to his darkroom and develop the film and then make prints.  It was like (so I've heard) crack cocaine, because as soon as I did it once, I couldn't stop, and all I wanted was more technical information, more practice, more camera's and lenses etc.  My photography has taken me all over the world, getting me into places that most people never get to be a part of, and getting to meet people from all walks of life.
Lately, I've been doing as much work as I can for the Make a Wish foundation.  I get to meet the most dear, sweet children and their families from our area, who are going through unbelievable circumstances.  It makes me realize how lucky we all are when we have happy healthy families, yet it gives me hope also, seeing these kids fight and conquer their illnesses, with Make a Wish right by their side.
This year at the Bo Pelini Make a Wish fundraiser, I met one of the cutest, funniest, sweetest kids to date.  This young man has gone through unbelievable pain and suffering along with his family, but you would never know it from seeing him and his radiant smile.  His wish was to go to Florida to meet Winter, the dolphin, who lost her tail at 3 months old, from a crab trap.  After the tail was amputated, they built her a latex prosthetic tail, and she regained her strength and has been bringing joy and hope to all who hear about her or see her.
Last Friday, September 9, 2011, I was asked to come out to the air show held in Lincoln, to photograph the kids and their parents.  Watching the planes going straight up to the heavens, and then down and barrel rolling along the tarmac was exciting enough, but after the show, they got to meet the Blue Angel Pilots and have their programs signed by all of them. 
I would hope that everybody that reads this story would be willing to do anything they can for their Make a Wish programs in their area, either through donations, or the giving of their time.  If you do this, it will be one of the most rewarding gifts you could ever give these children, and yourself!

Blessings

David

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23
May

Why are pictures so expensive?


Written by David Dale

That questions has never changed since I started out in photography 34 years ago! Why ARE professional photographs expensive? The answer is that you are not paying for an 8x10 piece of paper, you're paying for the quality of the image on that paper. Not that I'm Picasso, but even a small sketch done by Picasso on the back of a piece of scrap paper fetches thousands of dollars. The same goes for photography. A true Professional has invested tens of thousands of hours and dollars in photography school, seminars and due diligence study. He's invented a lifetime honing his skills and a fortune in photographic equipment (just my camera body alone cost over $8,000 and each lens costs a minimum of $1,200.) Add in the cost of keeping up with the latest computers, software, employee wages, studio rental/mortgage, groundskeeping and bla-bla-bla! So, ARE professional photographs expensive? Maybe not in the scheme of things! Just ask any of my clients who have lost a loved one. To them, those portraits are priceless. If they didn't have a wonderful recent photograph of their loved one, they would pay almost any amount to have had one. Please check out our video below and then ask yourself if pictures are in fact too expensive after all.

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13
May

The Eradication of Photographers


Written by David Dale

I'm very sad at the way our profession has changed, since the advent of digital photography.  It used to be that very few people could afford to be a photographer. Just the expense of buying film, processing it and proofing the images, only to find out that nothing turned out, scared away most people.  It took due diligence, experience and knowledge to achieve a good image on film.
Now, anyone with a digital camera and a computer, are calling themselves professional photographers.  It's sad because the weekend warriors and soccer moms have put many photographers out of business, by charging little to nothing, which has brought the whole industry down.  They have no formal training, have little to no knowledge of what they are doing, and yet they are out there with their reflector and flash on camera, playing the part of a photographer.
To back up a bit, in the late 80's, I spent an incredible amount of time learning the "Zone" system of black and white photography, and actually spoke on the subject at national and regional seminars.  I tested just about every black and white film and paper available, to learn it's personal characteristics.  I practiced over and under exposure, over and under processing etc. and with each of my lenses, so I knew exactly how each lens and film would react to my calculations.  Then I could go into my darkroom and print the most beautiful black and white prints that had every tone from pure black, to pure white, and everything in between.
These days, being a craftsman has gone by the wayside for the quicker, less quality oriented digital work of today.  My black and white photographs today, don't hold a candle to the true black and whites of yesteryear, and that's sad. What's also sad is that the products I used to love, are no longer being produced.
Lastly, our state and federal governments are also losing out on income tax, sales tax, personal property tax etc. because these people are working without a federal tax I.D. number, state sales tax I.D. and are pocketing the money for themselves.  It's interesting that in most professions, you have to be licensed before you can go into business, but in photography, all you have to do is hang out a shingle.
I think it's time to start a licensing/testing program that everyone must pass before they can call themselves a professional photographer.  Perhaps then we can separate the cream from the fat,  and leave this extremely important job to the true professionals.