San Francisco Nudes

11x14s on sale

2014-10-11T21:02:00.004-07:00

For the first time in a long time I put some prints up on eBay. I'm not sure how long I'll leave them there, but I need to get some photographic cash flow going (it's getting to be new camera time).

Small Victories

2014-03-30T10:21:00.002-07:00

When I first started this website it was briefly fashionable to use hyphens in domain names. The idea is that it would help search engines parse for keywords. At some point the search engines got smarter and it's an idea that went by the wayside.

This domain was registered at that point - san-francisco-nudes.com. And it's been a pain ever since. If people search for it, no problem, but put it on a business card and 9 times out of 10 somebody will mess it up, especially with the email address. Unfortunately a domain squatter grabbed the version without hyphens and it was never worth the trouble/cost of recovering it.

Luckily that whole business model seems to be winding down and people aren't sitting on every possible domain name anymore. It became available and I was able to register sanfrancisconudes.com.

I'm going to keep the ones with the hyphens as the main domain and just redirect web and email traffic, but at least I can put that on business cards or just tell somebody the domain without a lot of grief. It doesn't redirect every possible URL - just the main domain and the email - but that's enough for my purposes.

It's a small victory but nice.

New Pictures: Summer

2013-12-22T10:26:00.001-08:00

The shots are edited and up. Usual drill, pictures are at a steep discount for a few days to reward people who keep an eye on things.

Post Shoot Notes: Summer

2013-12-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

I actually took these a couple of weeks ago, but just got a chance to start looking at them. As usual this is just an early shot that I liked, it may or may not end up being a keeper depending on what else is in there. I'll try to get the set edited and up before Christmas...

Update: And another shot at the end of the shoot...

11x14s on eBay

2013-11-01T11:13:00.002-07:00

So the good news is that over half the prints I listed two months ago sold out. The better news is I listed a bunch of 11x14s, which is something I haven't done in years. You may have to scroll to the bottom to see the new stuff. It's time to get a new camera so purchases right now are especially appreciated.

Whoops

2013-08-28T17:07:00.005-07:00

In addition to selling prints here, I sell them on eBay. I basically just have a selection of 8x10s that automatically relists if there are unsold items. I never pay a lot of attention to it unless somebody buys something, and then I ship out that item. Well, I actually looked at my account today and they'd all sold except a single picture. Not exactly a great selection!

Anyway, I listed some more that I happen to have handy. They're all prints I like so check 'em out.

Other than that, I'm pretty mortified that I've only done two nude model shoots in the last year. I've done some portrait work and other kinds of photography and still remember which way to point the camera but model shoots just haven't been working out. I've had some correspondence with models about shoots, but have had some problems with flakiness, or people not quite having the look I want or whatever. Plus, laziness.

So my apologies for that and my thanks for the people who have been buying prints or just checking in occasionally. I'll see what I can do about getting some new content up sooner rather than later.

New Pictures: Maria

2013-02-19T17:08:00.002-08:00

Whew! I just uploaded a new set with Maria. This was something of a "social shoot" - if you're a photographer and you get together with an old friend who models it's natural to take some pictures. I also used this opportunity to try out an area I haven't shot in before. As a result, it's kind of a small set, but given how long it took me to process it that's maybe not a bad thing.

As usual, I set it up to use low prices for a couple of days to reward regulars who are kind enough to keep an eye on this space for new stuff.

Little updates

2013-01-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

I did a shoot! I'll try to get some post shoot notes up in a day or two. I actually did the shoot just before going on some travel so I didn't follow the usual routine of posting something right away since I knew I wouldn't start editing until I got back.

Looks like about half the pictures I put on eBay sold. The rest are on autopilot, relisting themselves every week, but I'll probably pull them down and list something else shortly so if you've been waiting don't assume they'll be there forever.

My Canon S100, which is a point and shoot I keep in my pocket to generally take pictures of the kids when I don't want to carry the SLR has now broken twice in the last year. Both times Canon covered it for "free" by which I mean they didn't reimburse me shipping it to them and I was without a point and shoot for six weeks each time. They keep returning the same unit so I'm sure it will happen again. Definitely not pleased with any aspect of this - Canon's design flaw in this particular model, the way they're handling returns, the lack of communication. When they shipped it back they never told me so it just showed up. Nice to have a camera that would cost 3-4 hundred dollars to replace sitting on my porch with no idea it was coming.

And of course this always happens at the worst time - it was a real pain not having a compact camera during Christmas and my post-Christmas travel. The iPhone cameras are surprisingly not bad but there's still a ton of blurry kids-running-around shots if the light levels drop at all.

I'm due to get a new full frame SLR for my portrait work, and I almost bought a 6D which looks just about perfect for me on paper but I just don't trust Canon enough to spend that much until a camera's been out six months or so. So maybe I'll get one this summer. We'll see.

eBay pictures

2012-11-13T14:24:00.003-08:00

As regular readers know, I have mixed feelings about eBay but it's basically a form of advertisement for the website that also brings in some cash, so from that perspective I can't complain. I've had a few items auto-relisting over the summer but most of them sold so I decided to load it back up with quite a few images since it's getting more to the active time of year (partially people spend more time online when it gets dark so early). Basically same deal - I'll set them all to auto-relist for a bit and probably won't add any more until they're pretty much all gone. So if you want one, get it sooner rather than later.

Anyway, if you're interested, check 'em out.

Lia sale ending soon

2012-11-12T08:38:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to give people a heads up that the first-couple-of-day cheap prices on the Lia pictures to reward regulars ends tomorrow, basically at whatever time I get around to changing it. After midnight tonight PST it's fair game.

2012-11-06T09:46:00.002-08:00

Whew! I just uploaded a batch of pictures of the lovely Lia. As I sometimes do, I set them at outrageously low prices for a couple of days to reward people who have kept checking in regularly through my slow period.

Quick gear note

2012-10-24T14:17:00.002-07:00

I mentioned the other day that I liked it that there were more full frame camera options from Canon but not the pricing. Interestingly enough B&H and Amazon both lowered prices on the 5D cameras. The Mark II is down $100 and the Mark III is down $300. I'm still going around in circles about the best option - the 6D splits the difference in price and looks great on paper but by the time they get in people's hands and I see some real-world results and get in line to buy one it'll be... spring? And I assume they'll be done blowing out their supply of Mark IIs long before that, so who knows what's the right thing to do.

More Lia

2012-10-22T15:54:00.003-07:00

I'm back from a couple of days in Yosemite and making progress editing the Lia pictures. As I write this we're having our first storm of the season. It's actually a great time to do outdoor shoots in the sense that the air is clear and everything looks nice. But on the minus side if it ends up being a wet year you can enter into this rescheduling hell (I've shot in a light rain but anything past that is kind of a waste of time even if your gear can take it).

Post Shoot Notes: Lia

2012-10-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, I actually did a model shoot. This is Lia. Definitely nice to get outdoors early in the morning and get some great shots. I'm behind where I wanted to be for this year even with a reduced schedule but it's progress, anyway.

I'll see what I can do about getting everything edited and online sooner rather than later.

More full frame options

2012-09-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that I was disappointed that the Canon 5D Mark III came in at $3,500. I paid something like a third of that for my original 5D and was disappointed that there no longer seemed to be a niche for a full-frame sensor camera that didn't have every bell and whistle other than that and was pretty affordable.

So then they came out with the 6D, which was supposed to fill in that niche. But it's $2100, which is a big improvement but still a big increase, and anyway nobody has them in stock.

But in a bit of good news, they're blowing out the 5D Mark II cameras via instant rebates. And you can get it today at Amazon. $1800. It's tempting. I haven't really sat down and done a 6D versus 5D Mark II comparison but if what you want is a full frame SLR for the lowest price I don't think we're going to see anything cheaper any time soon.

Little Updates

2012-07-08T14:49:00.004-07:00

Update - the same guy on eBay I mentioned who complained about the shipping in my last post ended up buying three prints from me on eBay... and then demanding a discount on the shipping. I'd already said no in May so I said no again, especially since I don't make any money on the shipping and he'd bought some cheap prints and it made no sense. Well of course he got furious and threatened to get me banned for eBay and blah blah blah. This sort of thing definitely makes me question if eBay is worth it but even though it's pretty quiet these days it's still a source of new customers. The summer's always super slow though so I'll probably just leave the same 10 prints there set to auto-relist until things perk up in the fall.

I do wonder if shipping is much cheaper from Europe to the US than vice versa. I've had several people recently who just refuse to believe how much it costs to ship to Europe. Even if you send them to the post office website they'll start talking about letter rates (letter rates are for... wait for it... letters. Packages are much more expensive and if you ship anything rigid it's a package even if it's in an envelope. So if you're shipping prints with some protective cardboard you have to use package rates). This is why I just include shipping in the prices here on the website - I'd rather eat the difference than argue with people, unless I'm running prints at low initial prices in which case I have to take it into account.

I had hoped to have two new shoots to share by now. Everybody was booked. One model cancelled two days before, apparently for a legitimate reason. The other we agreed to reschedule after the local subway system was shut down due to a fire... but by the next week she'd received some bad news and won't be modeling for a while. It happens - I also have had some great portrait clients in that time, so I'm still keeping my hand in, but of course I can't share any of those.

So that's about it. Hopefully I'll get some shoots in shortly - all the portrait work has been in the studio and it would be nice to get outdoors with a model a couple of times this summer.

Whoops

2012-05-07T09:43:00.005-07:00

Background: I keep a few pictures listed cheap on eBay (basically to attract new customers - it's a form of profitable advertisement). And while the shipping's free if you buy at this site, on eBay I charge shipping because otherwise the prices are just too low, especially for international sales, and anyway it encourages people to buy more than one so they combine shipping.

Somebody in Europe complained that the shipping's too high for an 8x10 so I added it up... and realized I was actually losing a dollar on shipping for every item. So I increased it by a buck. Probably not what he intended.

It's an unfortunate situation - priority mail international's gone way up over the last couple of years, plus now eBay charges fees on shipping, and PayPal charges fees on the shipping, and even if it's something that goes into the free envelope the prints will get ruined if you send them that way. So I buy pre-cut cardboard of just the right size to protect an 8x10, which isn't any huge deal but it all adds up. You can send a letter cheaper, but if you want to send an 8x10 print to Europe and expect it to get there un-mangled it costs about $20.

If you go cheaper than that you start getting damaged prints, which means you're now paying to re-ship plus you have pissed off customers. Every time I've tried saving money on shipping it's ended up costing more - that's why I use rugged $3 tubes instead of the free triangular boxes to ship 16x20s as an example. It was just too expensive to use the free shipping materials. Does anybody appreciate it? Probably not, but they sure notice when the free stuff fails...

PS To be fair I did have another guy in Europe complain about shipping a couple of months ago and he was right - I actually had a typo on that particular item. Whoops!

New Pictures: Marion

2012-04-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

Hey, what do you know - I just uploaded some new pictures. Check 'em out - they're at discounted prices for a few days as a thank you for people sticking with the blog through my hiatus. When I switch templates I might also pull some of the "behind the scenes" shots where she has her sweatshirt on.

Metal Print Reminder

2012-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that there's one day left on the metal print auction.

The print's up for sale

2012-03-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested, here it is. I am probably going to regret this but I started it at the normal price for an 11x14 and not much above my cost. I am hoping this image is popular enough that it might start a little bidding war... but you never can tell with eBay. Anyway, it's a test - if there's an interest in metal prints I'll get some more or list it as a standard option on the site. If there's not, well, I can always hang it in the studio to show the portrait clients an example of what that kind of print looks like. It's really beautiful and should impress!

Metal Print

2012-03-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

So here's a metal print from WHCC. It's on aluminum, high gloss finish. They have a couple of mounting options and this is the simpliest - it's just a block on the back with some holes to hang over a pair of nails. I really like it. It's nicer than at least one of the two labs I used before (I never even saw the print from the other, it went so poorly).

So the next question becomes - does anybody want to buy these? They're very cool, but even though they're way more reasonably priced than from the other labs they're still way more expensive than a regular photographic print. So I'll run a test - I'll put one up on eBay in a couple of days - probably Monday - and we'll see. I'll post a link when it's up.

Great morning

2012-03-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, I did a shoot. We got lucky and after getting rained out once our second attempt was on a lovely but cold day along the bay. More later - I just grabbed a teaser shot out of the middle somewhere. It'll be a couple of days before I really get a chance to sit down and look at the pictures.

5D Mark II price and other little tidbits

2012-03-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

So with the Mark III coming out they dropped the price of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (Amazon link). It's $2200 which is an improvement. It's still a camera that I was never impressed with, although if God Forbid my 5D bites the dust at least there's some option cheaper than the $3500 Mark III.

Lightroom 4 is out. Since I do very little manipulation to my images usually that's all I use - it's a rare image that I import into Photoshop. The feature set seems kind of minimal (improved fiddling with the image, geotagging stuff, more video support), but it's only $79 to upgrade or $149 new (also an Amazon link, although you can also download a 30 day trial from Adobe if you want to check it out).

The third thing... I've had a couple of models contact me recently who were in a new phase of their life where prospective employers might not have been thrilled to see their nudes. They'd used their real, unusual first names while modeling. I'm generally willing to do a name change after the fact but you know how the Internet is - it's not always easy to totally purge that kind of thing, and Google remembers things a long time even if it's deleted from a website. If you're thinking about modeling, do feel free to use a fake name.

WHCC has metal prints now!

2012-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

This is pretty exciting - I've tried getting metal prints (printed on aluminum, not those metallic paper prints) before and the small labs that were doing them were universally incompetent and dishonest. Both overcharged me over what they said the price would be. One I ended up returning the prints unopened since that was the only way to resolve it - they refused to let me keep them at the price I was originally quoted.

I like the idea, and I like some of the samples I've seen and the prints from the one lab, so I've kept an eye out for a more professional lab to start carrying them.

Well, WHCC started carrying them. They're a mainstream professional lab that I use for most of my printing needs (I have accounts with pretty much everybody and I have one or two minor issues with them but they still win out for most things). They're promising 2-4 day turnaround time (as opposed to two weeks) and they not quite as crazy expensive as I remember the other ones being.

Details at the WHCC site. I'll probably get two 11x14s - one picture of the kids for home, and one nude to sell. I'll be looking both at the quality and if anybody actually buys the nude when I put it on eBay. :-)

Canon 5D Mark III announced

2012-03-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

No real surprises as far as I can tell. Here's the announcement and a pre-release review. On paper it looks pretty much exactly like the camera I was hoping for as an upgrade to my 5D... except the price, which is $3500.

The 5D was originally supposed to be the budget full frame model (budget compared to the 1D models). I got mine right at the end of its run for about $1400. I got lucky - everybody was expecting the Mark II to come in at about $2K but instead it was $3K and the prices for the original soon shot up. I was never really tempted by the Mark II - it seemed to be lacking in some areas (autofocus) and despite the megapixel increase I never really saw any examples of image quality that were any better. I think it's pretty telling that they basically kept that the same in this model - they overextended last time. Anyway, the Mark II is down to $2400 but the new model is $3500 - more than double what I paid for my 5D and a 50% increase over the current model.

I'm not willing to make the compromises necessary to go to a crop frame sensor for studio work, so basically it doesn't make sense for me to upgrade unless Canon revisits the notion of a more affordable full frame camera or my 5D dies.

Anyway, I have time to ponder it. At this point I don't trust Canon enough to somehow screw up any given camera so I wouldn't be an early adopter anyway. Given that I'm just getting a shoot schedule going for this year and it's probably going to be fairly light maybe I'll just put off the decision until next year and hope the price has dropped by then.