Tuesday, July 06, 2010

UPS: Updated Enhanced Tracking Information

I just wanted to advise that UPS tracking information has been enhanced so that when they miss their delivery date rather than have a delivery date days earlier than today without being delivered they now blank out the delivery date so we can't see how many days late they are.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Adorama Fails Again!

Several years ago I submitted a couple of orders to Adorama on the internet. After they took my money no merchandise showed up in the expected time. When I contacted them I was told the items were backordered so I canceled. After two or three rounds of this I realized that Adorama was neither forthcoming or reliable and I stopped ordering from them and stuck to B&H.

About a month ago they had a good deal on a Hensel MPG 1500 battery pack. I debated. I poked around for recent reviews of Adorama. Most people seemed to like them. So I ordered. Then I found out that the image of the item they were selling was meant for Europe, not the USA. I tried to cancel the order. Not possible. But it also didn't ship as advertised, same day, but rather took several days to 'get it from another store.' Same old story, sigh. Misrepresentations.

So, correct power pack arrives. Turns out one battery is defective out of the box. I contact Adorama expecting an RMA and shipping label. They tell me I'm on my own and give me Hensel's telephone number which appears to be just an answering machine. That's the end of my dealings with Adorama.

I now await word from Hensel.

I have never had any such problems with B&H. Reminds me of all the problems I've had with UPS and never any problems with FedEx. Some companies know what they are doing and some just want to maximize their profit.

Friday, March 05, 2010

Jennifer Wu is Coming Back to LIGHT! Part II

I just chatted with Victoria, wife of the intrepid Hal, at Light Photographic Workshops in Los Osos, about the upcoming Jennifer Wu macro and field photography and wildflowers: that I will be attending and there are still some seats left. I'm drumming up business for Jennifer because like Kevin Ames at another Light Photographic Workshops seminar I took, Jennifer changed the way I shoot in the field ... and I am very reluctant to change at my age! She turned me into a great believer in using Live View for focusing in the field with the aid of a Hoodloupe for one thing ... I didn't bother with Live View for anything prior to that and now I find myself using it for all sorts of jobs. She also got me much more fluid in my exposure bracketing for outdoor HDR images and panoramas.

Since the last workshop I have acquired a 1DMIV that I will bring along with my 1DsMIII. In preparation for this workshop I bought a 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens, a 77mm Singh-Ray Vari-ND 2-8 stop filter, a set of Cokin holders and adapters and some graduated ND filters including the infamous Tobacco shade and a Gitzo GT12540EX w/RRS BH-40 Balll Head w/Quick Release to get the camera up close and personal. I'll also bring my 180mm f/3.5L macro to share.

And Jennifer has promised to help me learn to focus my 24mm TS-E lens in the field.

So, if you're an aspiring macro, flower, landscape, outdoor photographer type who loves hands on instruction with the best there is then this is a class for you. And with all the rain we've had there are already tons of wildflowers bursting forth in the central coast. Just hop on out to the LPW Website at http://www.lightworkshops.com/ and sign up or look around.

[Disclaimer: I am not compensated in any way for posts about LPW or Jennifer Wu ... I just like 'em!]

Friday, January 22, 2010

Jennifer Wu is Coming Back to LIGHT!

I know I have been neglecting my blog again but I have been very busy as well as getting hooked on Facebook, which is a huge time sink. But I have great plans to discuss the tons of new equipment, studio upgrades and projects I'm into, as well as share about experiences.

However, this entry is to make sure you know about Jennifer Wu's upcoming workshop at Light Photographic Workshops in the middle of March. She's coming back, armed for bear, to show us her award winning techniques for doing macros and wildflowers! And in this neck of the woods there are going to be plenty of wildflowers in the Spring given all the rain we're having.

In preparation for this workshop I have acquired a 1DMIV (actually, I got to shoot concerts and boxing, but I'm bringing it), the new Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS macro, Canon MT-24 dual head macro flash, lightweight Gitzo tripod with cross bar (I can't remember the number but I'll post it in another entry), Singh-Ray Vari-ND neutral density filter, Cokin Z-pro filter holder and various size adapters, a Hoodman Hood Loupe (as a result of my last Wu class) and a 24mm f/3.5L TS-E lens (also as a result of my last Wu class.)

If you recall, Jennifer got me into shooting with Live View on a tripod for landscapes, using the Hood Loupe to fine tune focus using the 5x and 10x magnification options. I was really appreciative because I shoot bracketing and mirror lock-up which is a pain unless you do use Live View. So, now I'm ready for her.

"Flowers and Macro Field Photography" will be March 15-19th at the Light Photographic Workshops digital darkroom training facility in Los Osos, California, but I expect we will be off into the field a great deal of that time. I am hoping to remember to take BTS (behind the scenes) photos so you can see more of this superwoman in action.