I know what you're thinking, what's the catch?

No catch really. I decided to open up my Fiverr Page for a limited time, at a highly discounted rate for what I normally charge my clients for direct image manipulation.

https://www.fiverr.com/stefanglazer/retouch-and-enhance-your-photos

I also have all of my presets and overlays available on Etsy. To help budding photographers get their photos a pristine edge.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SNGDesignCoDigital

I also have my Mailing List, in case I have any big news! (Kind of like the Fiverr Announcement) and other fun things like my upcoming online courses and more.

https://mailchi.mp/b700c89ad87d/sng-designco-digital-mailing-list
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/do-you-want-the-help-of-a-professional-editing-your-photos-on-the-cheap/

You either except it or reject it. But, I've learned to except using a phone for photography is here to stay, but what I really have learned is this:Phone photography is suitable in the correct situations, and can even shine brighter than traditional photography. Go ahead, send hate mail. I didn't say that Phone Camera were better than Traditional Cameras, I said the photography can rival it sometimes.

You still have to be a photographer to use the tools correctly! Side note sign up for my mini course on learning the Holy Trinity of Photography, it will be free, and you'll start learning all about your camera! Sign Up Here! And courses in the future will include Phone Photography!

So, how could I say something so Blasphemous as that though, Phone Photography!?

So, we're in Colorado right now, and I have taken a lot of photos with both my phone and my camera, and I forgot my card reader (rookie move) but then I realized something, my phone shots weren't too bad. Especially under the right conditions and situations. What I want to show you is what my phone, the Google Pixel 6 Plus, can do for a landscape shot.

Here is Pike's Peak at 0.7x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 20x (digital).

0.7x

1x

2x

4x

20x Digital

So under the right conditions I can actually create a decent shot, even unedited.

My mantra will always be, "The best camera you have is the one you have with you"

Here are some extra shots to show that they can be completely acceptable for photography.
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/the-age-of-phone-photography-is-getting-closer/

Ok maybe two or three things to say. This is a PSA.

How would you feel if your dogs exploded in your ears randomly in the dark, like this probably. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

- If you don't own a dog, and think today is just "a minor inconvenience" to them, you're an ass.
- If you have a dog and don't do your best to avoid the issues of trauma caused by explosions, you're an ass.

That's it.

That's the blog.

Also, no one wants to watch your videos or blurry photos of fireworks.

See... no one cares
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/its-the-4th-of-july-i-have-one-thing-to-say/

Podcast about Ascension, Plant Medicine, Psychic Ability, and more

This week's Podcast is a great one. I have Chrystopher Hancock on the Podcast.

Chrystopher is a Chironic Healer. Ascension & Awakening Coach. Psychic Medium. Intuitive Astrologer. Teacher. Medicine Facilitator. What is all that? You'll learn about most of it in the chat we had!

But, that's just the tip of this magical being's proverbial iceberg.

When I first met Chrystopher Hancock, It was at a local shop that was hosting a psychic fair.  He had a fantastic energy, and my wife had worked with him for a reading.  Then, a while had gone by, a lot had changed personally for both my wife and I, and we were on a path to becoming who we are today and I had given my wife the gift of attending a cacao ceremony.  And well, the rest is history!

There is a myriad of ways to contact Chrystopher about what he does, who he is, what he offers, and so much more.  Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's serious, but even for skeptical people out there, he understands.

https://www.theastromedium.com/

https://www.instagram.com/the.astromedium/

https://www.tiktok.com/@the.astromedium

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCMvO-ON1mwG2Bq1ChaKAng

https://twitter.com/TAstromedium

https://www.facebook.com/theastromedium

I think that is my favorite part about this conversation with Chrystopher, we both knew something was different, but skepticism plays a strong hand in our lives and we don't wake up from that until we're ready!

If you are into this, you might want to check out my episode I had with Holly Hamel as well. Who was a guest previously on the podcast.

If you really enjoy the podcast, be sure to like and subscribe to it on any platform that you listen on, it helps me and helps the podcast grow.

And be sure to sign up for the mailing list, for news about the podcast, photography projects, and more that I have!

https://www.stefanglazer.com/podcast/podcast-about-ascension-plant-medicine-psychic-ability-and-more/

I've had people question why I like doing long exposure work, or macro work in photography. It's because it's fun to me, it's almost Zen to me. I get to concentrate on one thing and focus on it and create fun art at the same time. Some people like taking a brush to canvas, some people like writing poetry, and there some people like me like staring at cracks in the wall or at traffic late at night.

Seriously, this is traffic, 30 seconds of it, late at night. This is what I love doing. This is on sale at https://opensea.io/collection/the-night-moves

If you're having fun doing it, who is anyone to stop you? Don't listen to them, and enjoy doing what you love. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone.

I think that is the hardest thing a lot of people seem to forget these days. Sure, it would be great to make billions of dollars doing what you love, and that is still a possibility to get done, however, that should not be your only goal. If you're doing it JUST to make money and it brings you no joy, you're just doing another job, you're not satisfying yourself or your deepest desires to do the thing you love.

For me? I get to create that art, create tools and courses to help people that are struggling in photography but are hooked and want to make their lives easier so they can create all the things they are dreaming of with a camera.

And no one can tell me to stop, because I won't listen to them.

And even when I'm a billionaire, I will still be sitting out in the middle of the night watching stars and traffic, or staring at the bark on a tree.

The moon, I shot it in the face, when it was being eaten by the Earth's shadow during an eclipse.
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/dont-let-people-ruin-your-fun-youll-be-happier/

Well, the little banner says it, "SNG DESIGN CO DIGITAL Photography Tools and Digital Art for Everyone". I think that pretty much makes the most sense right? I mean, that was the reason I had put that there.

Yes, SNG Design Co Digital is part of me and part of the whole idea of "The Professional Amateur" at it's core. I started putting together things like digital overlays, presets and actions for Photoshop and Lightroom over 20 years ago.

Just typing those words made my bones hurt with oldness.

How I felt after I wrote that Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It lent to needing to manipulate, edit, restore and more to photos over the years. This was before I was even a Photographer, professionally or otherwise. I was just a graphic designer and web developer back then, but I would use these tools to make my life easier constantly.

So, over 20 years of files begins to pile up and you know what happens next? I wonder what I should do with all of them. Then, in passing, mentioning all the tools and files I've curated and created over the last 20 years, a business coach said, "You have HOW MANY files?". It ended up being a little over 120k files. That is a lot of files in any regard, but then she said, "Why not sell that as a digital package?", then the mad dash started to put all of these things together.

Have you ever tried to parse through 120k of anything? Imagine dropping 120k pennies into a bathtub, that would almost fill it up completely. Now imagine that many files just plopped into 3 folders with randomly named subfolders.

An overhead view of my file organization Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

I had and still have a lot to run through, but it's worth it. I started putting together packages of overlays, presets, actions, and digital photography for purchase. And it sparked something more inside me. It started the idea of my "Photography Empire".

- Digital Downloads to help photographers
- Online Courses to help photographers
- Online and in Person Fine Art Photographer Sales through NFTs and Prints
- Blogging about photography in my life, my shops, my thoughts, etc
- And Eventually getting to Webinars and Livestreams on how do what I do... live the Professional Amateur life, creating professional work without spending all the money you make, on an amateur's budget.

Being an Amateur shouldn't be negative. It should be celebrated, because amateurs are always striving to be the best at what they are doing through constant growth, constant learning, and constant progression. Where being a professional tends to lend to stagnation or being stuck in your ways.

This is one of my preset bundles. Go buy it! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1234251610/20-light-and-airy-lightroom-mobile-and?

So. With that being said, head on over to https://www.etsy.com/shop/SNGDesignCoDigital.

Like the shop, like products, and if you buy products, REVIEW THEM!

Please.

And thank you!
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/what-is-sng-design-co-digital-lets-find-out/

I know how crazy that sounds. Me? Teach YOU? Hear me out! I realized something about my love of photography and my ability to explain how to do things in a sometimes funny, and direct manner without jargon and nonsense.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The real reason behind me starting to put together online courses for photography was two fold.

- I have decades of photography, photo editing, and photo manipulation experience to give
- I have shortcuts, not just like "I know how to use shortcuts in photoshop" shortcuts. Like save you a few grand to get a shot you want without spending on insane equipment. Or save you so much time by just doing something a little different and un-orthadox.

So, what am I going to be teaching?

Oh man, I have a living list of what I'm doing, but here are some top tier topics I will be covering, and under them, will be many lessons diving into smaller niche topics within the big topics.

- Getting to know your camera
- Lenses
- Types of Photography
- Accessories
- Lighting
- Editing
- Publishing
- Printing
- Contracts for Professionals
- Location Scouting
- Night Photography
- Astro Photograhy

The Free Course? What does THAT have?

I really love stock photography, because I don't have to shoot and edit it Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com

I will keep it simple and light and go over the "Holy Trinity".

ApertureShutter SpeedISO

You know, it's boring normally. Or completely BAFFLING.

I'm going to make it easy for you to understand it and more importantly, I'm going to make it so you can actually use it easily.

So, go sign up!

https://theprofessionalamateur.thinkific.com/
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/who-wants-to-learn-photography-from-me-for-free/

If you've shopped for a lens, and looked at all the sites out there that do lens comparison write ups, then you know that there seems to be a lens for everything at every focal length. And you might ask yourself why not just live with the kit 18-55mm lens! It has EVERYTHING.

This is not kit lenses, literally 2 prime lenses and I was too lazy to take a pic of my kit lens, because I don't know where it is. Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

You know, you could actually live with a kit lens, as I've said before, the best camera is the one you have. HOWEVER, you might need some more versatility or a crisper image.

So, how to justify the prime and professional lenses out there? Simple, what do you need them for?

Every Portrait photographer seems to have the same 4 lenses in their arsenal or at least some combination of them.

- 50mm
- 85mm
- 70 - 200mm
- 28 - 70mm

You might notice I didn't mention the aperture of the lenses, because in the end, as soon as you get below 2.8, you're starting to get into crazy speeds that you generally don't need for portraits anyway because the Depth of Field is too shallow at those F/Stops.

Look, Blurry background , That's what you want Photo by Ali Pazani on Pexels.com

Sure, getting an 85mm f/1.4 vs a f/1.8 might net you that half stop and have some clearer glass in it, but... does it really? And what about a zoom lens like a 28mm-78mm f/2, that covers a huge gamut of lengths at an incredible aperture.

Well, how deep are your pockets?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Canon 85mm f/1.8 is sitting at $500 right now on Amazon, and that is the option I have. The difference between that and the f/1.4 version of that lens? Well, the price is a start. You're out $1,600 USD for that version of the lens.

Let's do a run down real quick of the tech differences between them.

- It has 1 more aperture blade in it (I know right? AWESOME! /sarcasm)
- You have that half stop wider aperture!
- It comes with a Lens Hood!
- It's weather Sealed!
- It has Image Stabilization built in

See, totally worth the extra $1,100 dollars.

So why have I went through all this? What is the main difference of getting a Prime vs Zoom lens?

It's up to you!

This is something of a theme I have. It really depends on you, what you are shooting and what you want to spend.

My "daily driver" is the 18mm-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Macro lens. I use this for most of my shooting because it can do most of my shooting. Now, does that mean I ONLY use that lens? NO!

I am a huge fan of the Nifty 50mm. For Canon, the 50mm f/1.8 is a favorite of mine that lets me get bokeh and all the fun portrait stuff, and sometimes you can find it bundled with a 10-18mm wide angle lens, and that is just neat.

This is my 85mm f/1.8, it's seen some things. Because that is its job.

If you find yourself really going for it and wanting to see what the hell an f/1.4, 1.2, 1, or even .9 can do... do yourself a favor and don't buy it brand new unless you don't care about money, and if that's the case, go for it. That's the level of life I am striving for, where going out and spending $12,000 on a lens brand new is just like someone going out to get a cup of coffee.

Until you can get there though, buy used!

Prime, Zoom, Macro, Spaghetti, whatever Lens you choose, just make sure it's a fit for your style of photography.

I will review lenses though, when I get them or even ones that I have had for a while that I love or hate or am indifferent to.
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/prime-lens-vs-zoom-macro-non-prime-lens-what-gives/

This is an age old question that we always seem to get as photographers. What camera do you get, dslr, mirrorless, film, toy camera? Which brand is important.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com Omg I forgot I can just use stock photos instead of taking and uploading photos.

I kind of want to leverage this out right now.

IT DOESN'T MATTER

Get a camera you feel comfortable holding.

Get a camera you have the accessories for.

Get a camera because your friend said to get it.

The real reason to choose a brand is broken into 2 categories

- Brand Loyalty
- That Brand is Known for a Niche that you're interested in

Photo by dlxmedia.hu on Pexels.com

However, what you might not know is, even though a Sony A7iv is amazing and has a great sensor for low light work, you can still get amazing low light shots with little or no effort with an old Canon T5 and a halfway decent used lens.

I think that is what people seem to be afraid of most. If they don't spend the money on the gear, they won't create the best photos. In my opinion, not only is this a wrong way to approach photography, it's also just a lie. You're the photographer, you have the eye, you can take your phone or a point and shoot and still come out with a great photo.

Better gear will net you maybe a 5 to 10% advantage in your images at most. Your artistic vision and eye will bring the quality to the forefront of everything.

So, stop asking your professional photographer friend about what camera is best.

Because as I've said to hundreds of people over the years.

Shot by ME! On an old shitty camera. See, you don't need thousands of dollars of equipment, shot on a T5 with a kit 18-55mm lens.

"THE BEST CAMERA IS THE ONE YOU HAVE"
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/canon-vs-nikon-vs-sony-vs-why-am-i-bleeding-from-my-ears/

I have been putting together a lot tools, tips and tricks for no one but myself for over 20 years. I always want to streamline, speed up, and create an easier life in business. Then something in my mind changed.

I have been working in photo retouching and manipulation for years and years before I was even a photographer. So, what does that mean? That means I have 10s of thousands of files.  From overlays, to presets, to actions and so much more for Lightroom Desktop and Mobile, Photoshop, and many other platforms. 

So what does that mean for you? That means I can help you if you're just starting out in photography, have a blog, take photos for fun, or are a veteran.  

I'm putting together bundles and putting them in the Etsy Shop. 

If you haven't yet, go favorite the shop, favorite the items you like, you might see sales pop up. And of course I have a ton of bulk options available. 

I want to help those that need to streamline their editing with these preset bundles.  Make life easier with the overlays for the extra pop or additions.  And take the redundancy out of using photoshop with the actions.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1236785107/black-and-white-wedding-preset

Be sure to check out the SNG Design Co Digital shop on Etsy. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SNGDesignCoDigital

I'm also putting together courses to teach everyone how to be a professional photographer while not spending all the money in your bank. Like this, but a LOT more in depth:https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/professional-photography-tips-to-help-you-save-time-and-money/

Sign up for my Newsletter, I don't spam, I barely do 1 email a month. However, when I do, it's good information! Oh, bonus, you get a 20% off discount code to the shop just for signing up, so, kind of a win if you ask me!https://mailchi.mp/b700…/sng-designco-digital-mailing-list
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/helping-photographers/

As a photographer, I have come to find ways to get certain looks and ideas needed for shots. I learned a lot of post production tricks and shortcuts to put the finishing touches on a photo. As a photographer, the hardest thing to do for another photographer is give professional photography advice that they can use.

Every Photographer has been in your shoes right now. You are searching the internet to figure out how to take your love of a photography to a professional level. That is admirable, but daunting, as you start looking over what other professional photographers have put together. It's making your bank account run and hide.

What most photographers don't know is how to get to the top without breaking the bank. What I want to lay out for you is simple and clear. I am not going to throw out terms of technical jargon to confuse you or bore you. You don't have to spend four or five figures on gear, to produce the shots you want to achieve.

The Camera

Even if this is your camera, you can still do amazing things!

You might have a smartphone, a fancy DSLR, Mirrorless, or maybe even a medium format behemoth. What is more important than any brand or gear is you. You're the photographer.

I don't encourage showing up to a photoshoot with just your phone, you can still take professional shots with one. I have a mantra about our smartphones, "The best camera you will ever have, is the one you have with you. ". You have it, so why not use it.

There are a lot of people out in the world walking around with $1k smartphones in their pocket. They have great sensors, great lenses, and amazingly good ability to capture just about anything. Don’t be afraid to use your phone.

With most smartphones today have sensors that can take decent low light photos, great portraits, and stunning landscapes. All with the functionality to edit the photos right in your phone. When I mention that to people, they have one of two reactions, “I don’t know how to use it” or “I forgot that my mobile social media machine also is a powerful camera”.

If you approach your shot like you would with a regular camera, you’re going to get results as you would with a regular camera. Paying attention to things like lighting, angle, and scene will make what would just be a boring vacation photo of your significant other turn into a shot that shows emotion and has meaning.

The Lights

Let’s face it, without light there are no photographs.  So, along with the camera, lights are super important for creating your scene.  Whether you’re doing product photography, headshots, portraits, architectural, or even landscape photography, one thing is a constant; light.

Throw the sun out, I already mentioned that it’s one of the best lights out there.  However, when you don’t have the sun or you want to create something more moody or colorful, you might be scratching your head.  Especially when you see people showcasing these wonderful shots of beautifully lit faces, scenes, or even shiny reflective objects. You know it’s lit, but you can’t see that the light is there. 

This is another area of oversaturation and confusion.  There are a million light choices, from strobe studio flashes with giant 48 inch beauty dishes to small remote triggered flashes to constant on bar, ring or bulb lights. Where do you even begin with all of that?

You don’t.

Simple light, striking shadows.

Learning how to use the light you have, will prepare you for getting the lights in the future.  With a simple lamp, that has a warm 40w LED bulb equivalent in it, with a piece of printer paper over it (be careful, depending on the lamp, this can be a fire hazard, use your best judgement), you now have a diffused warm glowing light that creates soft shadows over your face. 

It’s learning the basics with what you have that can lead you to explore the larger and more powerful (also, more expensive) lights.  It will also help you choose the right professional light when it comes to the day that you finally do so.

My favorite setup, for cheap and effective headshot photography literally comes from a 15 dollar bendy LED lamp, a small piece of parchment paper, and a little cooperation from your model. With that, you can light, diffuse, and pose for the perfectly lit headshot and not spend more than $20 on props and lighting to get you there.

The possibilities are endless.

Reflectors

The idea of a reflector is simple enough, you’ll see these crews of people out with giant disks of white, silver, or gold. The frustrated photographer yelling at his assistants to get the angle right. With it flapping in the breeze.  Or, maybe you’ve walked by a photography studio, and saw a giant rectangle of white reflective fabric, with lights pointing at it, to get something to cascade across the subject they are working with.

You start to make note of all these things, seeing how it gets the light to bounce and highlight the other side of the object without directly lighting it. Then you start pricing it out.

“They had a full frame reflector, hmm that was $70 and that studio hjad that 6 foot panel diffuser and multiple 3 foot reflectors all around, I can’t afford this, these are hundreds of dollars to play around with light.”

You don’t need them.  Stop wasting your money until you are at a point where the money is a necessity to buy these big fancy toys. 

The best reflectors you will ever use for product, headshot and portrait shot work. 

Are you ready for this?

Go to a dollar store, buy 2… 24x36 ¼ inch foam boards.  Buy 2 rolls of Tin Foil. Buy 1 pack of tape.  

You have spent $5.

Cover the one side in tinfoil and tape it down and repeat that on the second one as well.  You now own 2 2ft x 3ft reflectors and saved yourself roughly $120. 

You can have a friend hold them to get the right light bounce, or you can use clamps and basic household items, like chairs, to set them up around your subject.  If you break them or they get damaged from a lot of use, go out and get more supplies from the dollar store. 

And the results speak for themselves:

Crinkled tinfoil on panels with Yellow and White lights

Here is a fun fact, those $65 - $100 reflectors that seem super fancy.  Will degrade just as easily from the same wear and tear. 

Make Products Pop

You’ve seen the photos in magazines, the shots in high end stores, and even on brand instagram pages.  You see the product, seemingly floating or just kissing a sheer plane of glass among either an infinite, colored, or high contrast background.  

That was a look I was always dying to get and when I had priced out a sheet of glass large enough to cover a 5 foot table, I was already way over the budget I wanted to be on the shoot. I won’t lie, I tried a few different ways to get this look. Maybe you have too. 

Now, these won’t be tips, per se, though I will go over the best solution for the best budget. I have tried so many strange items to get that glass look.

The short list;

An Actual Glass Pane - This was something I luckily had in storage, it was about 10 inches by 8 inches.  This might have been great for really small products, but there were scratches in it and I will be honest, unless you’re shooting something the size of a quarter, or smaller, you will want a larger surface. Also, glass is sharp, and if you’re clumsy like I am, you will cut yourself eventually.

An iPad - I know what you’re thinking. “You’re really using a $300 tablet to do product photography?” Yes, as I did with the pane of glass, I have placed the ipad on the table, with the background setup on a smaller scale. I cropped in with a macro lens and after some work in photoshop to clear up some of the bezel of the iPad, I had the shot needed.  If you have one and are doing a small scale shoot (once again, little tiny earrings or any miniature items smaller than a quarter) 

Cellophane - Yes, I tried it. No, it didn’t work. Cheap Plexiglass - I bought some from a hobby store, it was small, cheap, and looked like crap on camera. There was no amount of cleaning that could get the haze from the plastic. Hard pass on this as well.

Then, one day at the home improvement store looking for a piece of plywood for a project, I walked by a section that caught my eye.  It was only about an 8 foot wide section that is easy to miss.  

Acrylic

The Setup in total ~120 dollars minus the camera to take magazine level product shots

The results

It seemed so simple, I was a bit worried, because these were giant 24 inch by 36 inch sheets. I know plain glass sheets were a few dollars cheaper, but weighed a lot more and more importantly, could easily break because they were thin.  The same sized acrylic sheet was 1/8th an inch thick to the glass that was 1/20th of an inch thick. The acrylic was lighter, more manageable to move and looked crystal clear.

I had gotten it home, covered my table with a black cloth, put up a white backdrop, lit it, and then was floored by the results.  I use it in many product shoots I do. 

Cleaning it was easy, putting glass pieces on it to shoot didn’t scuff it or scratch it, and the output was perfect.

In the end

Advice doesn't have to be the usual "What settings should I use when the lights are low?" or "Should I get the 85mm or 50mm prime lens" all the time. It can be "How do I make things look hyper professional without going bankrupt. This is what I love figuring out for myself and others.

What are some of your favorite tips to help not break the bank?

Normally I would include affiliate links to things to buy for these blogs, but today, it's really simple. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me on here, social media, or directly.
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/professional-photography-tips-to-help-you-save-time-and-money/

You want to be a better photographer, you don't want to spend a lot of time. The quick option isn't always the best option. But, there are some quick avenues to make yourself a better photographer. I'm here to help you.

I want to give you a few gear suggestions to help you on your way to creating better photos and making your life easier in photography.

The Gear

Don't let people say that gear doesn't matter. Gear does matter, what matters is the type of gear you use. You don't need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on photography gear to be better. But you should spend a little money to get the ball rolling on adding polish to your photos.

Three pieces of gear everyone should have with their camera and lenses.

- Tripod
- Flash
- Reflector

It seems simple, but going cheap can be a nightmare, but you don't want to break the bank, especially if you're starting out or on a tight budget.

So I will do this for you, not throw a bunch of affiliate links of products that everyone else has put up because they are popular or cheap or trendy.

I will give you a quick overview and a link to the pieces that I have and use, and if you wish to buy them as well, it will help me out.

The Tripod

GO CHEAP. You might think, but I don't want you to go cheap for this. A cheap tripod will not let you become a better photographer, it will let you become a better balancing and breathing delicately around your camera to make sure it doesn't wobble and fall over.

In this, I recommend 2 options to get you a stable base for all your shooting that requires it. First, I have what I use currently. The SLIK Pro 700DXQ AMT Tripod with 3-Way Pan & Tilt Head is my baby, I love the head on it, I love the sturdy legs, the action for everything from Photographing Night Scenes to Videography. It's not cheap, it's almost $200, and it's worth every single penny.

However, if you are afraid to take the plunge on a near $200 tripod, you can go down a few levels to the SLIK Pro AL-523DX Aluminum Tripod w/Able 300 3-Way Pan and Tilt Head and get a sturdy tripod that can do a lot of what the 700DX can, but a bit lighter and can't hold as much weight, but, the most important is that it will give you the stability that a lot of other budget tripods don't have.

The Flash

No, not the comic character THE FLASH, but the flash to illuminate everything and everyone around you. In this section I will give you the basic, there is no other side option. However, there are different brands of cameras and you need to make sure it's compatible with yours.

What you will have here are all the Neewer NW655 series Speedlites. Canon's Version:

Nikon's Version:

Sony's Version:

The Reflector

This section is going to be straightforward and to the point. The Neewer 5 in 1 Multi Reflector Diffuser Kit is where it's at to make sure that you can get all the different types of light reflection, absorption, deflection, and diffusion. These will help you become a better photographer through playing around with tools.

The Conclusion

In the long run, spending a couple hundred dollars isn't that much of an issue to get stability, lighting, and being able to use that light in ways to make every photo stunningly beautiful. In the future, I will show you how we can put these pieces of gear to work for you in creating fantastic photos.
https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/become-a-better-photographer-quickly/

I Talked to a Freemason

Oooooh dark deep secrets of the brotherhood of the Freemasons... were not divulged in this weeks episode of the Podcast at all. Actually I learned more of what I already knew. Just a bunch of dudes doing rituals and making positive changes in the world without ever taking credit for it.

https://anchor.fm/stefan-glazer

Michael Arce is on the podcast today, a Healthcare Communications Professional who spent a long time in Radio and saw the writing on the wall and got out when he could. He is also a Freemason, and no... it's not a cult. No, Tom Hanks isn't going to dive into their lore and history with Nicholas Cage in a National Treasure / Da Vinci Code crossover movie. You will get to know what it's like, what they do, and that isn't not even that secret. It's not even secretive at all!

We caught up on a lot of things we've been a part of over the years together, and where we went with the knowledge we gained from our world in Radio.

Michael Arce is also Host of the Craftsmen Online Podcast - https://craftsmenonline.com/ which, even for a non-member, is a host of really in depth and interesting Masonic Education, Leadership Development, and History of Freemasonry.

If you're interested in the Freemasons feel free to reach out to Michael on certain social channels

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelarce/ Instagram - @michael_arce

If you enjoy this content, please feel free to leave a review or a like or a thumbsup or 5 stars or whatever means you have to say "YOU DID GREAT PLEASE MAKE MORE!"

Want to reach out to me or see my other projects? Feel free to check out my Linktree https://linktr.ee/Stefan.Glazer

Have a question and want to leave a voicemail? Yes... a Voicemail. That's a real question I'm asking you in 2022. YOU CAN! I'll play it on a future show and answer your question, as best I can. https://anchor.fm/stefan-glazer/message

https://www.stefanglazer.com/?p=5159