Westcott Lighting Products

I have been hearing some great things about Westcott lighting products. Personally I am not one to use or want a ton of studio lighting gear. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Alien Bees (I have two!) The problem with them is the are not readily portable. The soft boxes take some time to set up and can be a hassle if you are in a hurry. A good soft box will set up and take down very quickly. I have a circular softbox from Alien Bees and it takes a good 10 minutes to set up. Westcott was at Photoshop world and they looked very quick and easy to use.

A second thing I am intrigued with is their Constant Fluorescent Spider lights which can be used for both Video and Stills. The beauty of these guys is that they are COOL, (not the blazing burning hot of the Lowel Rifas).

I will be doing some test with their products shortly, and hope to include them on the photography lighting DVD.

Westcott Lighting Products


Iron Bowl | Alabama vs Auburn

If you want to watch a great rivalry game today, this is it. I lived in Alabama for the last 9 Iron Bowls and this is about as crazy as it gets. Alabama is Number 1 in the nation right now, Auburn has won the last 6 matches, and even though Auburn is having a bad season, this has all the ingredients for an upset. The game is in Tuscaloosa and surprisingly, Alabama has NEVER beat Auburn in Tuscaloosa.

Why did Alabama have to get so good as soon as I left?

ROLL TIDE!!


Black Rapid Camera Strap

If you are sick you your camera strap, you might want to look into getting a Black Rapid. It has an unusual swivel design that lets you swing the camera up to your eye very quickly without it grabbing your neck or shirt. They run about $50, but if you shoot often, it is an investment well spent.

Check out their videos on their website for more information:

Black Rapid Strap


Happy Thanksgiving | What I am Thankful For

I think this is a pretty good Thanksgiving tradition and exercise, making a list of “What I am Thankful For”

1. My Health!! Im very grateful to have a such a healthy body and know I have been really blessed with a good mind.
2. All my loved ones. Family and friends, too many to list.
3. Im really REALLY thankful for my job and what I do, I think I have the best job in the world, at least for me. I have never been more happy doing anything else that I can remember for a living.
4. When it comes to Photography gear, I am just about the most spoiled person I know of. I struggle to think of a lens I want. (But that 5DII is lookin pretty good too!)
5. Im thankful for my Mac Book Pro, the new one with all the yummy software I have on it, not the crappy lemon one I had earlier this year. Yes, Macs ARE awesome. I also have a brand new PC that I went out and bought just because I needed a PC program, it runs Windows Vista and its truly sucky. If you are considering one for yourself or your loved one for Christmas, do it, the extra expense is worth it.
6. My Prius…one of the top 10 decisions of my life, and I will probably be driving a hybrid that gets 50 MPG or better for the rest of my life. It has been a great car for me. Even though gas prices are so low, I have never felt the pinch at the pump.
7. A place to live and food to eat!

What are you most thankful for?

I wish you all a very happy thanksgiving!


Michael Update

I just thought I would write a personal update to let everyone know what I am up to. Im just finishing some of the final touches on the marketing materials for the Canon 50D DVD and the Photoshop DVD. The disk manufacturers are working on both, sometimes there are kinks, and I am waiting to hear back from them but so far so good. Ive also been spending a lot of time with programmers working on Jabookee.com and making it so much better than it is now. When the new upgrades are installed, I will make a post, but I am so excited for it.

Ive been in Utah for the last few weeks, but Im getting ready to hit the road again soon.Ive been dating more here in Utah and have had some very weird experiences, but nothing serious. Ive been wanting to take a trip out to Tennessee for a shooting course (not photography) and will also go down to Arizona to visit friends. I really really need a break, Ive been working like crazy for the last 6 months and I feel a little worn out. Nothing a week or two off wont fix.

I am really happy though, I spend most of my waking hours working on current and new video projects, and the best part of it is I am my own boss, I work when I want to and no one is telling me what to do, unfortunately, I am very driven and find myself working more now than I ever have, but at least I am loving what I do.