IN THE BEGINNING....

I started out in photography just like you (and everybody else in the world, including the greatest and most successful photographers who ever lived): knowing absolutely nothing about it! Remember, after all, we all enter the world knowing only how to suck (eat), how to cry, how to go to the bathroom (in our diapers, no less:) and how to sleep; everything else we have to learn along the way. The journey of life begins the same for everyone - and so does the learning of photography.

The allure of photography is strange and wonderful; to some of us, there's a magic about a great photographic image that draws us to it in ways we can't explain, but can clearly feel. To others, they couldn't care less. But I have found an amazing and wondrous power in great images; there's something that draws us into a picture, and moves us in ways words can rarely hope to surpass. If you are among the special and wonderful group of our fellow human beings who find beauty and wonder in photographic images, then it is to you I humbly dedicate my web sites, auctions, and the information, tips, and educational explanations contained in them. I encourage you to spend a little time learning about photography; if for no other reason then to enjoy it more (or turn it into a profession that you can enjoy and love - and make quite a good living at, too).
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Please be aware that while I'm in business to sell photographic equipment and make a living, my main intent is to promote YOUR interest in photography, and your ability to make and enjoy great images. Whether or not you buy anything from me, I will consider it a privilege to have, in some small way, encouraged you to pursue your interest in the art of photography. That said, here's how and why I have come to be online, have several photographic web sites, and am now among the photographic sellers on eBay.

I remember when I was just beginning to learn photography, how confusing and difficult the educational aspects of photography were. I often wished that someone, somewhere, would explain things to me in an understandable manner - and not treat me like an idiot simply because I knew nothing about it. After all, as we all know, we're all brought into this world the same way, naked and knowing almost nothing. Throughout my struggles to learn photography I always chafed at how difficult it was made to be, and, at least in my mind, unnecessarily so. Consequently, I guess I'm somewhat obsessed with trying to help folks understand this complex, but highly rewarding, art form. I'll try to convey to you the skills you'll need to acquire in a direct and uncomplicated manner. I hope you find some value in my web site information, and once again, thank you for being kind enough to view my eBay auctions, and visit my web sites.

Would only that I had more time to better explain all things photographic! As with most art forms, photography can often seem complex and confusing; however, once understood, it is uncommonly rewarding! And I promise you, it's NOT anywhere near as confusing as most photographic experts would have us believe! You can be making fabulous pictures within a week!

Consider that - with most people - among their most cherished possessions are photographs. They'll often pull out a treasured and time-worn album, or an old shoe box, stuffed with pictures of themselves, their friends, and their family; "this was me as a baby," they'll say, "and here's my grandfather - oh, how I loved him!" It's not uncommon for a photograph to bring tears to our eyes, and bring us back to a time - yesterday or long ago - where something meaningful occurred, to us or to someone we loved. Beauty comes in many forms, and to some of us it may be a picture of us, covered in mud and huffing and puffing in that football game we played in high school; to others it might be that wonderful dress we wore to our prom; but no matter what touched our hearts, or who we loved, or how hard we tried, the images of those memories will always remain among our most treasured possessions. And the better the image, the more joy (or anguish) it will elicit in us and our clients. A good photograph is a family heirloom, and will bring joy and memories to generations yet unborn.

Our pictures will introduce us to those we never knew, those to whom we are precursors, and who were born long after we have passed away, and will testify of our lives to our great-great-great grandchildren. How fortunate we are to live in an age of photography! Those of ages past never knew of those who preceded them, unless they were rich and able to afford a portrait painter - and hope the artist was talented enough to create an accurate representation. So ply your photographic craft with appropriate pride, knowing that your pictures will be kept and treasured long, long, after you've forgotten about the day when you made them. And as your talent increases, so will your income; don't price yourself out of the market, of course, but realize that your images will bring pleasure and joy to your clients, as well as their progeny over the years.

And yes, YOU can make beautiful images - it doesn't take the genius of an Einstein, nor does it take 20 years of assiduous study; later today, you can make a wonderful picture. Just read a bit here on my web site and eBay auctions, and you can start to improve your pictures today.
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Photographs are small "pieces" of time, a slice of life, an instant in someone's life which, unlike ourselves, will never age and never forget the particular moment in which they were made; subject not to fancy nor forgetfulness, but an eternal witness to what was - and to who made them. Why was Man moved to create the photographic arts? I think that all of us, throughout recorded history, have always yearned for some way to preserve the images out of which our lives developed. I'll illustrate: Perhaps the greatest poetic call for the art of photography, the desperate emotional longing for photography to be invented, was this quote from Keats' Ode to a Grecian Urn:

O Attic shape! fair attitude! with breed
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity. Cold pastoral!

When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st:
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

What Keats is saying, as he sits and admires an ancient Grecian Urn with painted images of young men and young women playing and loving in a forest, is that the painted people on the urn will never age or grow old; they will remain young and youthful and carefree forever, "a friend to man," and, unlike us, real people who grow old and die ("When old age shall this generation waste"), they will never age, and never die. Isn't this a beautiful and poetic longing for photography to be invented? I wonder why it is always the poets who first express the need, the desire, the longing, for that which exists not - but should? "Beauty is truth, truth beauty."

Photographers are the poets of light and life and love. Photographers capture the beauty and horror and truth of our world. And a "photographer" is all of us; each and every one of us has, next to us, or stashed away somewhere, a camera (or else you wouldn't be reading this:). Why? Because "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." A "photograph" is a tiny piece of time, and a piece of truth; a photograph gives us beauty, and gives our lives continuity and validation. A photograph bears witness of that which was; of that which is beautiful; of that which is horrible; of that which can move and influence us. Gazing at a photograph, we can fall instantly in love - or recoil in horror from witnessing a great injustice. A picture can change the world. Your pictures can elicit tears of joy and tears of love, and tears of anguish, and memories long buried and brought to the minds and hearts of our clients.

So, gentle visitor, I applaud you for arriving here, and I thank you for reading this far. I encourage you to take the time to learn how to create great images, and I promise you that you CAN do it. If I can do it, you surely can, too! I'm not an artist or a genius; in fact, I spent years in ignorance of beauty (see this for my story of learning to see beauty). All it takes is a little time and effort. I can assure you that it is worth the time and effort it takes to learn how to make a wonderful image.
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...This section is still being developed; please check back, more's a-coming...

A.
Regarding that question, the answer is the same as all answers concerning photography and/or videography; and the answer is: It depends. It depends upon what equipment you're using, what your subjects will be, and what results you expect. But I'll be glad to suggest some answers for you. Since I get asked this question all the time, I've discussed this subject in detail. So let me tell where to go to find the answers.

First, though, you have to decide what lighting equipment you'll need, and to that end, please see this discussion (just below).

Next, you'll have to decide whether to go with digital (continuous) lighting equipment, or with strobes, by reviewing this discussion:

Then, IF you want to use strobes with a digital camera, you'll have to determine whether or not your digital camera will work with strobes, by reading this:

Next, review some of the packages in my eBay auctions and eBay store, here. If nothing fits your needs, e-mail me and we'll put together a custom package just for you.
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What kind of equipment should I buy? This is the most common question I'm asked (and I receive more than 1,000 e-mail messages a week - yes, that's one thousand e-mails every week)!

The answer to that question - as in ALL questions relating to photography or videography is: It depends.

It depends upon three things:
1) What kind(s) of camera(s) will you be using?
2) What will your subjects be (people? Products? High-rise buildings?)?
3) What is your budget range?

Since the most popular kinds of photography in the world today are people pictures (portraiture) and pictures of things (product photography), I'll start out with some examples relating to these two subjects. First, let's understand that the lighting equipment for portraiture as well as for product photography will most likely be the same (unless your products are very large, or extremely small), so we can kill two birds with the same stone, so to speak (and, no, I'm not suggesting any of us should actually harm an innocent little birdie or two - it's just a figure of speech, so don't waste your time e-mailing me about the sacred trust we have to protect birds and/or animals; I love animals, birds, and an occasional woman, :o) and I would rather eviscerate myself with a rusty nail before I would cause harm to any of them:).

So let's start with Portraiture/Product photography. Before I go into the equipment that we would want to have in order to make professional-level images, realize that you don't have to acquire everything at once. The first thing to realize is that even ONE pro strobe or continuous light will phenomenally improve your images! Why? Because it can be MOVED; it can be placed wherever you like. This capability (choice of placement) is far more important than power or size or cost. Why is placement so darn important? For the answer to that, just look any pictures or videos made with flash units or continuous lights built-into, or attached to your camera or camcorder. For the most part, we end up with red eyes, squinting subjects, "flat" faces, and ugly shadows behind the subjects. But when we have the ability to place our light source where it will do the most good, our images will improve amazingly. And the better able we are to place lights where they'll make our subjects look best, the better our pictures or videos will look (you might find some helpful instructions in my image galleries).

Understanding this, for portraiture and/or product photography, the IDEAL minimum lighting setup will consist of at least three lights. Why? Because I said so, that's why! JUST KIDDING! I can remember when I was a kid, how I would resent it when I asked my mother or father why I had to do something (like going to bed, or doing homework), and they would say to me: "Because I said so!" Aarrghhh! The real reason is that in order to get professional-level images (or videos), we need to light our subjects from at least two opposing directions, with the light on one side less intense than the light on the other side (in order to achieve an interplay of light and shadow giving depth and texture to our subjects - see here for some examples. That requires at least two lights. But why the 3rd light?

The third light will serve as our backlight (the backlight is a light we place behind (and/or below) our subject, hidden from the camera's view, pointing backwards, to light our background). Why? First, to blow away all those horrible, ugly shadows that plague our amateur pictures, and second, to provide separation between the subject and background, adding character to our subjects and images, and third to allow the background to receive enough light to properly expose in our shots (underexposed backgrounds look dull and washed out).

Next (and it's the same for either strobes or continuous lights), we should have umbrellas to soften the light when we need to do so. Why? Because 1) umbrellas are much less expensive than softboxes or SoftCases, and 2) a soft, mellow light serves to quite effectively hide or reduce the lines, sags, and wrinkles on the faces of our older portraiture subjects (making them look younger and more vital), and for product photography helps bring out the delicate details of the products, allows us to work with soft, mellow, and almost shadowless light, and minimizes "hot spots" and reflections which occur when we photograph shiny or reflective objects or items such as eyeglasses. Yes, I realize that most photographic salesmen will try to get you to buy the most expensive accessories they can, so they can make the largest commissions; but I'm not the average salesperson, so I'll suggest the most cost-effective accessories for you to buy.

And, of course, we'll need light stands to mount our lights on, accessories to control and direct the light, and if we intend to go on location shoots (or just to safely store our professional lighting equipment when we're not using it), carrying cases.

Next, add to this basic 3 light setup, if we can comfortably afford it - without stealing the baby's food money - a fourth or fifth inexpensive little mini-light to use as a hairlight or accent light (what's a hairlight? You know that beautiful, healthy-looking "shine" you see on the models' hair in the pros' pictures? How do you think that lovely-looking got there? The hairlight is the secret! And an accent light opens up little shadows that sometimes detract from out images). But remember what I said earlier - even ONE pro light is far, far better than none, so don't worry if you can't afford the larger kits; get what you can when you can. Every step increases your creative ability, and if all you can afford is one light, that one light will seriously improve your pictures. But once you get into studio photography or videography, you'll always find uses for as many lights as you can get your greedy little photographic hands on. :)

THEREFORE: To start out, presuming your budget is not large, try for a minimum of a 3 light package; if you can't afford a 3 light kit, go for a 2 light kit, or even a single light. If you can afford it, a 4 or 5 light kit would be a great way to start off in studio photography. If money isn't a limiting factor, then definitely go for one of the 7-15 light packages that come with all the lights you're likely to need or grow into, plus you get many light-modifying and image-improving accessories (snoots, honeycombs, umbrellas, softcases, background support sets, and custom muslin backgrounds) as well! Also remember that my prices are phenomenally low, so you can buy a 5 light package for about what a single light would ordinarily cost you, and you can own a 10 or 15 light package for what you'd pay for just 2 or 3 lights in any camera store. In fact, many of my (very happy) customers were told by the sales people at their local camera shop that it was impossible to get brand new, fully-guaranteed equipment for these prices. Duh! They just wanted to make their commissions on whatever they were selling.

Now let's consider one of the most helpful and virtually necessary photographic tools ever made: The Handheld Flash/Ambient exposure meter. I don't sell them, but please review these discussions about meters; I make some suggestions, and explain how and why they're so important to us: See above.

The next question is whether you're going to use a standard film camera (35mm, medium format, large format, etc.) or a digital camera (or a video camera/camcorder), or all the above. Read this discussion and then read this to determine whether or not your digital camera(s) will work with strobes.

Review the information, and then feel free to contact me.

Meanwhile, you might want to consider packages in my eBay auctions and store.

NB: Photographic lighting equipment is like internet connections and salaries: no matter how fast your internet connection is, it's never fast enough, and no matter how much you get paid, you never get paid enough. So the best advice is to acquire the most powerful lights (whether strobes or continuous lights) that will comfortably fit into your budget, and be appropriate for your needs. I'm NOT suggesting someone buy 1,000WS lights for photographing nothing larger than stamps or coins, but just that we consider what we will be photographing in the near future, and acquire lights capable of fitting our needs, and have a little extra power left over for us to grow into. You'll find strobes from 20ws to 1,000ws and continuous lights from 100 watts to 1,000 watts in my auctions and eBay store; without straining your budget, consider the most powerful lights that will work for your needs, and remember that you can always order more whenever the need arises.

But always remember, if all it took to make someone a "great photographer" was an expensive set of strobes and fancy equipment, then everyone who could afford a fully-outfitted photographic lighting studio would be a great photographer! So don't let anyone promise you that "If you'll buy MY lighting equipment, you'll become a great photographer!" Sure, great images are much easier and much more convenient to make with studio lighting equipment than without equipment, but it also takes some time and effort on YOUR part, too. You have to first learn how to use your equipment, and then start making some fantastic pictures with it. But I promise you, if you'll give it a fair chance, you will make some fabulous pictures!

Should I order strobes or Digital/Continuous Lights?

Which type of lighting would be most suitable for your needs? The answer is the same as in ALL questions in photography: it depends. It depends upon what you're trying to achieve, and what equipment you're using (regular film SLR cameras, digital cameras, or video cameras). The first thing to realize is that you can use film cameras with continuous lighting equipment, and you can use many digital cameras with strobe (flash) equipment. SO which way should you go? Read on.... [NB: Have you read the discussion just above yet? Be sure you do.]

For film cameras strobe (flash) lighting will probably be best; however, if you're using mostly digital cameras, then you might consider the digital continuous lighting equipment. The digital continuous lighting equipment (click here: HERE) can be used with film cameras (35mm, medium format, large format) as well as with digital cameras, video cameras, and movie cameras. Why, you might be asking yourself, have virtually all still film photographers switched to using strobes, when "regular" continuous lights (photographers call them "hot" lights) are everywhere, and it's easier for us to see how the lighting will look with them? Well, the continuous lights, like the ones in our houses (tungsten lights), or halogen (and similar) are called "hot lights" for a reason: they get hot. Really hot! And the special photographic hot lights get twice as hot as household bulbs! This tends to make certain things, like flowers, foods, animals, and those darn pesky models, wilt. Especially models. They get very, very, unhappy when they wilt. Bitch, bitch, bitch; you'd think a little melting makeup, and running mascara, limp hair, and sticky lipstick, and beads of sweat running down their lovely curvaceous (umm, let's say noses) was a big deal or something, the way they complain! ;-)
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Next, there's a little problem with the "color temperature" being off with hot lights, but all we have to do is use the correct films (3200K or 3400K) or 81A filters (strobes are perfectly balanced at 5500K to simulate sunlight, so we can use all the regular daylight films we've come to love/hate over the years). You'll notice that most of your pictures taken indoors without using a flash turn out with a yellowish color cast; that's because household lights are loaded with yellow and red light. The solution is to either use special films, or special filters. Additionally, with strobes, we can control the light better! We can adjust the power output with the flick of a switch. We can modify the light with umbrellas, softboxes, softcases, filters, scrims and gobos, doo-dahs, and thingamajigs, etc., etc.

But technology is fast-moving, and for those of us who have digital cameras, video cameras, or are movie makers, the new digital continuous lighting equipment - the "hot lights" - are perfectly-balanced for digital still pictures as well as video and movies, and the digital continuous lighting equipment can also be successfully used for regular still film photography (35mm, medium format, etc.) as well. But what most dealers fail to tell us is that when using hot lights for film photography (e.g., 35mm, etc.), we need to buy tungsten film OR use an 81A filter on our cameras, both of which are inexpensive and easily acquired. In addition, the Digital Lamps I offer are SO powerful that they can be placed far enough away from our subjects to minimize the heat problems which are so common with the older, standard hot lights. In addition, my 1,000 watt quartz-halogen continuous lights run much cooler than the older models because they come with a fan cooling system built in.

Basically, you can successfully use hot lights with film cameras, or use strobes with many digital cameras. But depending upon which types of equipment you're using for the majority of your work, you'd be better off with the following lighting equipment:

So, to (finally:) answer your question, here's my advice: IF you're going to be using mostly still film cameras (35mm, medium format, large format, etc.), then go for the strobe (flash) equipment. In many cases, strobes can also be successfully used with digital cameras (click here -> HERE <- for more - and important - information on this subject).

But IF you're going to be using mostly digital cameras, then go for the digital continuous lighting equipment; continuous lighting can be easily and successfully used with still film cameras (by using tungsten film or a simple 81A filter) as well as with digital cameras, for which the light is already perfectly balanced.Also, continuous lighting equipment is easier for the beginner to use because we can see exactly where our subjects will be illuminated before we make an exposure. So the equipment you're going to be using the majority of the time will dictate the type of lighting equipment you should acquire. For example, if you're using digital cameras 80% of the time and film cameras 20% of the time, you'll be better off with continuous lighting equipment. If your work should be the reverse (e.g., 80% film cameras and 20% digital cameras), then you'd be better off with strobes.

HOWEVER, if you're going to be using video cameras or movie cameras, your only choice is the digital continuous lighting equipment. So, the lighting equipment you should acquire is based upon your needs, and the type of equipment you're going to be using (still film cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, or movie cameras). Of course, only you can make the proper decision regarding your needs. I hope this helps; if not, feel free to contact me if I can be of any further help in any way.
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What lighting equipment will you need? Although I'd be more than happy to help out, with some specific suggestions, there are so many different photographic needs and budgets, that's it's impossible to provide you with any meaningful and appropriate suggestions - unless you can tell me 1) what type of photography you're going to be doing, 2) What equipment are you using (film, digital, or video) and 3) an approximate budget which would be comfortable for you. Please review this information (read the information here), and then let me know what kind of photography you'll be doing, what equipment you're using, and a budget range, and if one of my current packages does not perfectly fill your needs, we'll put together a custom auction package just for you.
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I have everything from a single light, to an entire top-level photographic studio setup available. You might begin by reviewing my auctions, HERE.

...and then letting me know what interests you. The type of photography you'd like to pursue will dictate the type of equipment you'll need. For example, if you wanted to photograph just stamps or coins (or similarly small items), you'd need one type of equipment; for portraiture, you'd need another; and if you wanted to photograph the entire interior of the Sistine Chapel, you'd need something quite different.

Some Suggestions: Generally, though, if it's at all within our budget range, we should try to start out with three lights. Why three? Because we want to light our subjects (whether it's people in portrait pictures, or products) from two opposite directions to achieve the best image (the highlight side and the shadow side), and use the third light for our backlight (background light). The interplay of the 2 subject lights will make our subjects look best, and the backlight will not only give depth and separation between our subjects and the background (which is characteristic of professional images), but will also serve a very important photographic need: blowing away all those ugly shadows behind our subjects (that plague almost all our amateur photographs)! So a three light kit will be the ideal starter setup; however, if a 3 light package is beyond our budget, than a one or two light kit will do. In an ideal (photographic) world, everyone would have a fully-equipped professional lighting studio setup. But in the real world, we have to start somewhere, and even one pro light (whether a strobe or continuous lighting equipment) will allow you to make images far superior to anything that would be possible without it! So start off with what you can afford now, and you can always add additional equipment as your needs develop.

Which kind of lighting do I need? Strobes or digital (continuous) lighting equipment? That depends upon what kind of photography you'll be doing, and what kind of camera we're using. For video and/or motion picture photography, we'll need continuous lighting equipment, of course. But for still photography, whether we're using film or digital cameras, we have a choice of using either strobes (flash lighting) or digital (continuous) lighting equipment.

you might find one my 4 or 5 Strobe Packages would be a good start for general and portrait photography, for example (see HERE and HERE). But if these packages are more than you could comfortably afford, then you should check out my two "bare bones" professional-level portrait (and product photography as well) packages: See THIS for a 2 Strobe Kit, and THIS for the next step up in a 3 Strobe Kit. If money is especially tight, you might consider the 2 Strobe or 3 Strobe setups. If your budget will stretch to it, and you're serious about photography, I'd definitely consider the 7 Strobe or 10 Strobe Professional Lighting & Background Support Packages; and these packages are priced lower than what you'd pay for just a couple of strobes from competing manufacturers. But, to start, all you need is the will to DO it! You can do it with or without lighting equipment; if you can afford one single strobe, it will help. If you can't afford any strobes, just use existing daylight until you can afford pro lighting. Feel free to e-mail me, and I'll be glad to put together a custom auction package and list it on eBay just for you!
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But always remember, if all it took to make someone a "great photographer" was an expensive set of strobes and fancy equipment, than everyone who could afford a fully-outfitted photographic lighting studio would be a great photographer! So don't let anyone promise you that "If you'll buy MY lighting equipment, you'll become a great photographer!" Sure, great images are much easier and more convenient to make with studio lighting equipment than without equipment, but it takes something inside YOU to become a great photographer; and the only way you'll ever be able to find out is if you try! There are no "tests" or projects or classes that we can take to determine whether or not we have what it takes to make a great image; you have to first learn how to use your equipment, and then start making pictures. Those of us who are lucky enough will one day - when we're least expecting it, simply "flash" on an understanding (an Epiphany) of just what it takes to make a wonderful image. This flash of comprehension, this bolt of understanding, might come after we make 10 pictures, or 100 pictures, or after we've made our 1,000th picture. If you give up before you reach that point, you'll never know that amazing joy - and what's even worse, is never even trying! The world is full of folks who "woulda, coulda, shoulda," but never even tried. Look, it really doesn't matter to me who you buy your photographic equipment from (well, I'd rather it be me, truth be told:), but regardless, if you've ever looked at a picture and said "wow!" please don't give up without at least giving it a shot! If you can't afford a single strobe, make pictures with available light. Everyone has a camera, and (deep down) every one of us wishes he or she could make an image that tugs at the heart, or exposes an injustice, or overwhelms us with beauty or color, or touches us with the tears of a child. Maybe you have it within you to make an image that can change the world - maybe not. But unless you give it a chance and try, you'll never know, will you? (see how Edison invented the lightbulb before you give up).

Next:

Once you get into photography, you'll find that you'll develop an insatiable appetite for all the lights and gadgets and photographic gizmos you can get your greedy little photographic hands on :)! If you'd be kind enough to let me know the type of photography you're interested in, and your general budget range, I'll be happy to offer some more specific suggestions for you. You can e-mail me here (but please be aware that it might take a day or two to get back to you - I receive tons of e-mail every day). And remember, if none of my pre-designed packages are a perfect fit for you, we'll put together a custom package just for you.
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For portraiture (as well as general and product photography), you might want to consider purchasing strobes that come with modeling lights (which are a Godsend for all photographers, and especially valuable for beginners), and also come with variable power outputs, interchangeable reflectors, and the ability to use additional light modifying accessories (like softboxes, softcases, snoots, honeycombs, barndoors, etc., etc.). The least expensive strobes with all these capabilities are the PS-300 Pro Strobes and they're priced low enough for almost all of us to afford. For the least expensive professional-level starter portrait packages, see my two "bare bones" pro portrait packages featuring the great PS-300 Pro Strobes (these will work for product photography as well): See THIS for a 2 Strobe Kit, and THIS for the next step up 3 Strobe Kit. I hope this helps; check out the different packages and let me know what seems interesting to you. For a beginning portraiture package, you might consider THIS fabulous package - on sale now for $100.00 LESS than the usual super-LOW price! Or, for a few dollars more, add a great custom backdrop AND a great background support set in THIS package. But even one or two strobes will substantially improve your portraits, and you should consider - if it's within your budget - one or two PS-300 Pro MonoLight Strobes, at 150WS each; see them here.

Why, you may ask, should you buy the more expensive strobes with modeling lights and variable power? Why not just buy the 2 or 3 Strobe Beginner's Kits I sell for only $200-350? Because, as with many items, the greater the capabilities, the more creative options we have.

Basically, why is a more expensive package (with strobes that have modeling lights and greater power) better for you than one of the other, less expensive, 2, 3 , or 4 strobe beginner's packages I have listed?
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Because MonoLight strobes, such as the PS-300 Pro Strobes (and all the strobe models above the PS-300s) have greater capabilities, and they make life so much easier for us! First, they pump out a full 150WS (or more) of power (which is more than triple the power of the BB-50 units in the beginner's kits), and they have variable power with the flip of a switch, they have removable and interchangeable reflectors (which allow for the use of an almost infinite variety or light modifying accessories (such as many different reflectors - for many different needs - as well as snoots, softboxes, softcases, and many other light modifiers), and most important of all (for all studio photographers and most especially for those of us who are just beginning with studio photography), modeling lights! See above for a picture of a modeling light, and see just below for an explanation of why it's probably the single most valuable item in the beginning photographer's photographic tool chest!

Modeling lights: A "Modeling Light" is a separate, additional, light bulb (in addition to the strobe's "Flash Tube") that's built into some strobes and when turned on (it stays on and lit for as long as you want it to, just like our regular household bulbs) the modeling light throws continuous light over the same area as the strobe's flash tube will. Among pro photographers, "modeling" doesn't mean the job beautiful people do when they pose for the camera, but it is a term which means the interplay of light and shadows which fall upon our subjects. Without modeling lights, we won't know how our shots will turn out until after taking the picture. Strobes with modeling lights allow us to see exactly where the light and shadow will fall on our subjects before we set off the strobe's flash, and this convenience allows us to set our strobes exactly where we want them, quickly and easily, before we make the exposure! This feature is a tremendous help to all photographers, but especially for beginners. However, if you can't afford the more expensive strobes with modeling lights, then get those without modeling lights; any pro strobe will substantially improve your pictures. Read a little more about this below.

Of course, just like everything else in the world, the greater the power and capabilities of any product, the more it costs. Sure, we can make great pictures using less costly strobes without modeling lights, and for such strobes, we use the "trial and error" method; first, we try it "this way," and then see how we like the resulting picture; next, we'd try setting up our strobes "that way," and seeing how we like the result. We'd do this until we have it just right (and once we had it perfectly set up, we'd know exactly how to set up our lights for the next and future subjects). I assure you, having one inexpensive pro strobe without a modeling light will give you a phenomenal increase in creative options, and allow you to make great images that would not be possible without that one inexpensive strobe. And two or three inexpensive pro strobes without modeling lights would allow you to make great images that would not be possible with only one (or two) strobes without modeling lights. But using strobes WITH modeling lights will not only make beginning photographers lives easier, it will make it easier to be more creative - and more profitable (in less time)! It will also SAVE you money in wasted film and models' frustration.
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Look at it like this (using a car to illustrate this situation): we could certainly get to wherever we were going in a car without an automatic transmission, without power steering, without power brakes, without a radio, without air conditioning, and without those irreplaceable electric rear window defrosters that we just could not imagine living without :). Hey, if all we could possibly afford was a basic automobile without any of the goodies (even a Yugo:), then that would be a million times better than waiting for a bus in the rain, sleet, or snow. That's why we buy the less expensive strobes; it beats the hell out of walking or waiting for a bus or train in the freezing rain. And owning that very basic car without any of the amenities will allow us to get to work, on time, wherever we had to go for our jobs. Then, after a while, showing up on time (and bringing in that regular paycheck), we'd then be able to buy ourselves a nice car with all the goodies (like a Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes, or Beemer), and impress all the girls (or guys, depending upon your outlook:). But try asking someone out on a date when you don't have a car at all, and see what happens.

My point? IF you can afford strobes with modeling lights (without taking the baby's food money, or knocking over the neighborhood convenience store:), then by all means, get strobes with modeling lights! They'll make your photographic life easier, your sittings faster, and everything photographic more fun. If you CAN'T afford strobes with modeling lights, or if you decide not to spend any more money than you absolutely have to, then get the less expensive strobes without modeling lights. In fact, if you've always wanted to get into photography, but aren't sure you'll really like it, and don't want to get stuck with equipment that you won't use, then buying one of the inexpensive 2 or 3 strobe kits for a couple or three hundred dollars isn't a bad idea at all! For a small outlay, you can "test the waters," and see how you get along with the equipment. If you love it, hey, you can add any new strobes and equipment to your photographic arsenal at any time. Also, remember that photographers of 25 and 50 years ago made stunning and fabulous photographs with strobes that had none of our modern extras, without modeling lights, without optical slave sensors, and used cameras that were little more than a box with a pinhole for a lens!
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And unlike most other items, every photographer can use every strobe they can possibly get their greedy little photographic hands on! If you start with an inexpensive 2 or 3 strobe package (at truly fabulous prices!), and then decide you want more equipment and buy some more powerful strobes, you'll still use the inexpensive strobes for darn near every shot! Most of the top professional portrait photographers use 6 to 10 strobes - even for head shots! The powerful MonoLights with modeling lights to light the victim (subject), and the other strobes for hairlights, spots, highlights, catch lights, background lights, etc., etc.

Be aware, though, that millions of photographers around the world are successfully making great pictures using strobes without modeling lights! It's exactly the same as when you use your camera's flash or a dedicated flash on your camera's hot shoe or bracket to take a picture; these flashes never have modeling lights, but billions of successful flash pictures are taken each and every year. It's just a trial and error learning curve with strobes without modeling lights; after a while, you'll get the technique down, and will know how to set up your strobes - it's not as convenient as strobes with modeling lights, but folks were driving cars without automatic transmissions and without power steering for many decades - and successfully getting to where they wanted to go. Sure, an automatic transmission and power steering (and brakes) make the trip easier and more convenient, but cars with the extra goodies cost more than those without the goodies - just like strobes do, too. You have to start somewhere, y'know. :) And one of the main advantages of pro strobes (with or without modeling lights) is the ability to position them for the best results! Strobes without modeling lights are a phenomenal advantage over on-camera flashes, because you're free to place your light sources (the strobes) where they'll make your image look fabulous! See the Power fallacy discussion, below, for more on this subject.

If you're photographing products or things (as opposed to people), you'll want - at the very least - two strobes, and preferably three or four. You'll want two strobes to light your product, and a third to light the background (which eliminates those ugly shadows). A third strobe can also help to light your product, depending upon the size of your products and the effect you're after, and a fourth will deal with the backdrop. If you're in business, the reality of sales is the more pictures you provide for your potential customers, the more product you'll sell. The better your product looks in these pictures, the more they'll sell. The more benefits you describe about your products, the more you'll sell. That's just the way the world of commerce works (and don't blame me - I didn't design the world, y'know: - I just make pictures of it:). And nowadays, with the web well on its way to becoming the greatest marketing tool in the history of the world, posting great pictures of your products is more important than it's ever been! If you want to succeed online, you MUST provide good images of whatever it is you're selling.

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But if, in the unlikely event that you might find that studio photography isn't your cup of tea, then you're not out thousands of dollars (remember that super-duper muscle-building workout machine you bought for quite a pretty penny? I'm willing to bet that it's now in the same place MY super-duper $1,000.00 workout machine is: in the garage collecting dust)!

Sure I'm in business to sell equipment, but NOT by taking advantage of decent folks like you (especially fellow photographers:); so read over my suggestions, consider what's best for YOUR particular needs, and just order what you can afford (or nothing at all).

To recapitulate, ANY pro strobe is better than no strobes, and any 2 (or 3) strobes without all the bells and whistles, are better than only one strobe. If you can afford strobes with modeling lights, by all means, that's the way to go. If you're not able to afford the more powerful and capable units with modeling lights, then go for whatever you can comfortably handle. I promise you (and I personally guarantee) that - if you put in a little time and effort - your photography will improve substantially with ANY of my professional lighting kits! You already know what your people pictures end up looking like when you use the flash that's built into your camera, or an accessory flash on your hot shoe: they turn out looking like doo-doo! Why? Because frontal lighting makes faces look "flat" and pasty-faced, and many of your people pix end up with your subjects staring at you with "red-eyes!" Any decent portrait requires off-camera strobes! And if all you can handle is one inexpensive pro strobe, that one little light will dramatically improve your pictures, simply because you can place it off to the side of your subject, rather than full frontal lighting! Add a $2.00 reflector (a piece of white poster board from any art supply store), and your one pro strobe, and you can make your portraits look as good as most professional portraits! The important aspect is that you can dramatically improve your pictures simply by acquiring a little lighting equipment, and putting in a little time and effort to learn how to make light your friend instead of your nemesis! It ain't rocket science, folks! You CAN do it!
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Remember, I use all this same equipment myself, and it has been a Godsend to my photographic creativity! Give it a chance, and it'll do the same for you. Heck, I'd be just as happy no matter where or from whom you choose to buy your professional lighting equipment; as long as it helps make your pictures better, I'll be satisfied (of course, I'd love to be your photographic supplier, but if reading this encourages you to improve your pix, it would be my pleasure to have been able to play a part in your photographic future, even if you bought your goodies somewhere else).

What kind of person am I? How reliable am I? How do I run my business? Can I be entrusted to deal with you honestly, honorably, fairly, and dependably? Well, if you ask any crook if he is trustworthy, he'll assure you he is (thieves will do or say anything to get your money)! So how can you be sure if you can trust me with your hard-earned money? Fortunately, eBay provides us with a way to be sure. So please check out my feedback and see what almost 1,000 of my beloved customers think of me, the quality of my equipment, and my dedication to great customer service. As always, feel free to contact me at any time, if I can be of any further help in any way. E-mail me HERE!

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The Power fallacy: Wouldn't I be better off buying one more powerful strobe instead of 2 or 3 less powerful strobes?

It's often common for beginners in studio photography to confuse the value of power output (watt seconds) with efficacy. True, we should buy the most powerful set of lights that will fit our needs, but what's much more important than simple power is our ability to position multiple strobes to produce the best possible image. If you can afford a set of two or three (or more) super-powerful strobes, then that's absolutely the way to go. But if money is an object for you, then you should seriously consider the following information before plunking down your hard-earned dollars. As an example, if we're doing a portrait session, a couple or three 40-50WS strobes will do the job just fine. It's more important to have 2 less powerful strobes to light our victims than it is to have one much more more powerful strobe (because in portraiture, we need at least 2 oppositely-placed light sources (strobes) - and if we can afford it, 3 - to give us the best results). With 2 strobes, we have the main light (to light the highlight side of our victim's face), and the fill light (to light the shadow side of the face), giving us the interplay of light and shadow which are necessary for the depth and texture characteristic of professional portraiture (or product photography). Ideally, with 3 strobes (2 for lighting the face or product), the third strobe will be our background light (to light the backdrop, which not only gives us the three dimensional look and separation between our subject and the background, but also to blow away all the ugly shadows! The backlight is the "secret" of eliminating the shadows that plague many of our amateur images.

Far more important than power, is having the ability to appropriately light our subjects to get the best images. Sure, 3 or 4 powerful strobes will eventually be more useful to us than 3 or 4 less powerful units (and if you can afford 2 or 3 or more powerful strobes, definitely go for it)! Ideally, at least two MonoLight strobes - with modeling lights - and a third strobe for a backlight, would be an ideal starter package. If you can afford the MonoLight strobes with modeling lights (they're more expensive, though), absolutely go that route! It will make your photographic life much easier. But if you can only spend a certain amount of money, and can afford either one powerful monolight strobe, or 2 or 3 less powerful strobes (for portraiture, or small to medium product photography, for example), you'll be better off with the 2 or 3 less powerful strobes, than you'd be with the one more powerful unit, for lighting your subject. Look at it like this: Sure, a big 18-wheeler truck is much, much, more powerful than a passenger car; and it would be a necessity for hauling around 2 or 3 elephants; but if all you need a vehicle for is to take you to work, the kids to school, on vacations, and on your way around town, you're much better off with the passenger car - ever try to park an 18-wheeler on the street, or in the mall or supermarket parking lot (or anywhere else, for that matter)? Do you really need a gigantic, smoke-belching, 900 horsepower diesel engine and a10-gear manual transmission? See? I hope I've been able to shed some light on this for you (sorry, I just couldn't resist). ;-)
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So basically, if your budget will allow for it, get the most powerful set of strobes you can comfortably afford, and try to get as many strobes that come with modeling lights as you can. But there are lots of us who would love to get started in studio photography, but just can't afford the more expensive units. See above for more information on this.

Sure, I'm in business to sell professional lighting equipment; but not by taking advantage of decent folks. Most other suppliers would love to sell you the most expensive (and profitable) equipment they possibly could (whether or not it would actually be what you really needed). But I do business somewhat differently; I realize that each and every one of my customers is a photographically-inclined homo sapien, a decent person, just like I am (at least like I hope I am:); every one of my customers would love to be able to make great images (just like I would), and more importantly, every customer is someone just like me: a human being struggling with life and light and beauty and photographic creativity. Someone who I'd be proud to have as a friend. When I started this business, I promised myself I would treat everyone with all the honesty and respect and decency I possibly could. I may not succeed all the time, but I will do the very best I can to do so. Trying our best is about all we can expect from each other, isn't it? Thank you again for reading this far. May the Photographic Force be with you! See my business philosophy, below, for more on this subject.

Question: What else do I need, in order to be able to make the best possible photographic images?

Answer:

After receiving our first set of strobes, the very next item we should consider acquiring is a decent flash/ambient exposure meter (no, I don't sell them, but see below for some suggestions), and then, perhaps, a backdrop or two for our next photographic purchases (perhaps like the "Stormy Weather" backdrop to the left). This will allow us to make pictures which are fabulously professional-looking, and the meter will tremendously improve all our photography - not just our flash pictures - but every one of our pictures! But out of all the possible photographic purchases we could possibly make (after our lights, of course) is a good handheld meter! That should be your very next purchase (and unlike most other photo dealers, as you can see, I'm not trying to push you to buy your next item from me - I'm just being as honest and helpful as I can).

(Regarding meters, unfortunately I don't carry any at this time, but I'll be glad to offer some suggestions. Read on).

If you're going to use pro strobes (at least if you're going to use more than one strobe at a time), it's virtually impossible for any camera's built-in meter to properly expose your shots. That means you'll have to set your camera for manual exposure (autofocus will be OK, though; in portraits, focus on the eyes). Now, your next question will likely be: "if I'm using manual exposure, how do I set it?" and although I hate to suggest spending more money, there's only one answer: get a flash meter! I know, I know, they cost a lot. But a good meter will improve ALL your photography! In fact, after using a good hand-held exposure meter for a while (like about an hour), you won't believe you ever got by without one!
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You have to understand that your camera's TTL (Through-The-Lens) exposure system (if it has one) is geared to control a dedicated flash unit, not external strobes. With a built-in or dedicated flash attached to your camera's flash shoe (or a specially-designed remote shoe on a cord), your camera's TTL system will detect when the film plane has received sufficient illumination, and then shut off the dedicated flash unit (the new "auto-thyristor" circuitry will then "save" any extra power not used, and recycle it for the next flash - ain't technology great?). External strobes are beyond the control of cameras, nor can their reflected-light meters correctly set exposure. Consequently, you will need a flash meter.
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Since no camera can properly expose shots using external strobes, all pros, and many amateurs, own flash meters. While it's "possible" for a mathematically-gifted photographer to calculate an exposure using one strobe (using the GN, or guide number), it becomes a virtual necessity to use a good flash meter with 2 or more strobes. Such a meter will allow you to read the output of your strobes for your subject, and then for your background, and then calculate the correct exposure settings for you to set your camera to properly expose everything (ain't technology great? Again?)!

However, while there are some "flash only" meters, nowadays most flash meters are also ambient light meters and reflected-light meters, as well as flash meters, so if you do purchase a good flash meter, you'll have an invaluable aid to use in all your photography. But whatever you do, DON'T shell out any more than about $50-75.00 for a Flash Only meter! With all the great flash/ambient/reflected combination meters on the market, I most emphatically recommend buying one of these combination meters, which will help you get perfect exposures for ALL your photography, not only flash photography (and they're great for ALL types of photography, black and white as well as color - and work with virtually all film formats. I guarantee that a decent meter will drastically improve your exposures in all aspects of your photography (no one said it would be cheap, though!). I would suggest checking around with any photographer friends and on eBay, too. You could get a great deal. My recommendations would be to shoot for a meter like the Minolta IVF; it should be available brand new for around $200.00 to 225.00. A used one in good condition, will, of course be less (don't get suckered into paying $200.00 for a used one though). A less expensive meter is the Polaris flash meter (which is also a flash/ambient/reflected combination meter), which should sell for $25-$75 less than the Minolta. If you've got the money, absolutely, positively, definitely spring for the new Sekonic L-508 (or L-608)! In addition to being a flash meter, and an ambient light meter, and a reflected-light meter, it's also a 1º to 4º zoom spot meter! It also remembers several readings, and automatically averages them for you (ain't technology great? Again?). The bad news is that it lists at $700 - but don't worry about that figure! In real life, it actually costs around $400-450 (maybe less now). The new Minolta V certainly looks wonderful, too (but I haven't had a chance to play with one yet)! Of course, you probably don't need that expensive and sophisticated kind of meter YET, but it's something to keep in mind for the future, if you can't afford it now.
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Here's some links for these meters: Polaris- Minolta IVF -New Minolta V-- Sekonic L-508 ---

NOTE: Please understand that there are many, many, more excellent exposure meters available, and you should definitely consider all the fine brands and models available on the market. The reason I list the three brands (and their links) above is because those are the only 3 meters I've owned and can therefore recommend to you; but you should feel free to consider all the possibilities when choosing a meter for your own use.

When using multiple strobes, always take readings (with your new meter) of both the subject's lighting AND the background's lighting separately. Depending upon the effect you're after, your background light reading should come out (for example) about one to two stops less than the light falling on your subject (to have the background appear clearly in the print, but not so bright as to compete with, or detract from your subject).
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What about video, film, or constant lighting? Will strobes work?

All strobes are "flash" units; they flash - a brief, intense burst of perfectly balanced light - when triggered, but they do NOT provide continuous lighting, such as is required for video or film. While some strobes, however, DO have modeling lights which ARE constant lights, these are used to help the photographer visualize his/her lighting, and set up the lighting equipment; modeling lights are not for providing enough light for film or video uses.

Fortunately, though, I now carry great professional video, movie (and/or film and digital) continuous lighting packages ("hot lights"), and at absolutely unbelievably low prices, too! See HERE for digital lighting equipment.
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There's no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people who DON'T ask questions! Those who do NOT ask questions remain ignorant; those brave souls among us who have the wisdom to ask about things they don't understand, are the truly "intelligent" people. We ask questions so we can better understand the world around us, and learn things we don't yet know. So congratulations on going out and seeking to learn! Only those who DON'T ask about the world around them, are "stupid."

I started out in photography just like you (and everybody else in the world, including the greatest, wealthiest, most brilliant, most creative, and most successful photographers who ever lived): knowing absolutely nothing about it! Remember, after all, we all enter the world knowing only how to suck (eat), how to cry, how to go to the bathroom (in our diapers, no less:) and how to sleep; everything else we have to learn along the way. The journey of life begins the same for everyone - and so does the learning of photography.
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So don't EVER believe that you're asking a "dumb" or "stupid" question! As we have just learned, the greatest of all people are those who take the time and effort to seek the answers to that which we are, in some miraculous way, driven to learn. I applaud you and I honor your quest for learning the skills out of which all greatness is born. So "Welcome," my most honored beginning photographer - some magical motivation within your heart and soul has motivated you to seek the skills necessary for true photographic artistry, and has brought you here. My most sincere welcome.

However, before asking me a question in an e-mail message, I would most sincerely appreciate it if you would be kind enough to review all the educational information I have posted here on my web site; I'll bet you'll find that the answers to at least 95% of your questions are already posted right here on my web site. Start by checking out my Technical Questions page and my FAQ page and the set of help links below. If you still have questions, please feel free to e-mail me - I'm happy to help in any way I can. The reason I ask this (check out the answers already posted on my web site before e-mailing) is because I receive about 1,000 e-mail messages a week (yes, one thousand), and it's all I can do to weed out the spam and answer the legitimate e-mails and questions; I'm already running a few days behind, and I'd most sincerely appreciate any help in keeping my inbox manageable; thanks for understanding. But if you can't find the answers you need, please do feel free to e-mail me.

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What's "Ambient Light?"

Ambient light is the light that's ordinarily there; for example, if you're making photographs in a room during the day, the "ambient" light is the normal room light; it's the daylight coming in through the window, as well as the light from any lamps or light fixtures. At night, indoors, the ambient light is the light coming from the lamps (or flourescent or halogen lights) that illuminate the room we're in at the time. If you're outdoors, the "ambient light" is the regular light from the sun, or the sunlight coming through the clouds. At night, outside, ambient light is the light coming from the moon, street lights, automobile lights, or light shining out from windows in the nearby homes or businesses. Basically, the normal light that surrounds us - no matter where we are - is the "ambient" light. Sometimes, when we're using strobes, we'll need to take this ambient light into consideration when setting our exposure; most of the time, though, our strobes will simply "blow away" the ambient light and we need not worry about it. But those of us who have hand-held meters need not concern ourselves about this, since hand-held meters will automatically factor in all the light falling on our subjects, no matter from where it might come, and will allow us to set our exposure for perfect pictures almost every time.

The short answer: It's important for you to understand that, unlike the way most of the big dealers treat us, our relationship doesn't end when your payment is received and your equipment is delivered. While I certainly don't pretend to be anything close to an "expert," feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. While I do my best to give you great prices, the aspect of our relationship I'm most proud of isn't simply saving you money, it's the personal caring for another human being (especially photographers:) who is struggling to deal with life and light and photographic creativity. I guess it's what the big guys call "customer service," but rarely actually deliver. While I certainly can't "guarantee" to solve any problem, or even to offer sound advice, at the very least I'll try my best. I think that is the most important part of our transaction; the caring of one living creature for the well-being and success of another. It's what makes us different from (and, hopefully, better than) the cockroaches and reptiles (and lawyers:). I can't promise to be perfect, but I will try as hard as I can to provide you with great equipment at fabulous prices. I'm not a gigantic company with unlimited resources; I'm just a regular person doing the best I can to be as honest and caring and helpful as I can possibly be. If I should make a mistake, I'll admit it as soon as I realize it, and do everything possible to make it right with you. I want you to be happy and successful and to be able to make the best photographs you possibly can. Whatever I can do to help you with this, I will. So, thanks for considering placing a bid on one (or more:) of my auctions, or purchasing something from me; I'll do my best to help whenever I can, and will do my very best to deserve your confidence and patronage, now as well as in the future. Take care, be happy, give those you love lotsa hugs, and always have your camera handy.

A little longer answer: When I started my own photographic business (Photographer's SupplyStation on the web and "PhotoSource3" on eBay), I was pleasantly surprised to realize that - since I was the boss - like a (benign) dictator, I could make my own rules; I could make my own procedures, and develop my own way of doing business; it was wonderful to realize that I was able to do things "MY way." Very "empowering," as they like to say nowadays. And so, I started with this premise: I would treat my customers the same way I would like to be treated (basically the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"). So I sat down and made a list of as many of the possible situations common to most business transactions, and how I would deal with each of them. And without going through a long list of possible circumstances, I discovered that the way I wanted to be treated (in all of the many possible circumstances) was with honesty, courtesy, integrity, respect, understanding, kindness, and forgiveness for any honest mistakes I may make. So that's how I designed my business and its procedures. Others warned me that doing things this way would result in disaster! I would be taken advantage of by unscrupulous people, and would go broke within a few months - if not sooner!
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I listened to their advice and considered their dire warnings, and took their counsel into account. Sure, I could run my business the same way as almost every other businessperson runs almost every other business. But what's the good of being "the Boss," if you can't make your own rules? What's the good of quitting a well-paying job and on top of that risking every cent I had, if I couldn't do things my way? And I asked myself if I really wanted to treat other folks in the thoughtless and often rude manner in which I'd been treated by almost every other big business? The answer became clear: NO! I decided that I would run my business MY way. If I was wrong, and if I was a moron, so be it. I would accept my failure with equanimity, and either live with my failure (or throw myself off the Golden Gate bridge, or a similarly tall edifice).

But, as fate would have it, I didn't fail. Instead, I was (modestly) successful - thanks to you, my most appreciated customers! I proved the doomsday sayers wrong! True, this business hasn't made me rich , and it does take much, much, more time, effort, and work than I would have ever believed when I started out. But it's a small price to pay for being able to sleep well every night, knowing I've treated my customers with honesty, respect, dignity, and kindness. To be perfectly honest, there were a very few times (three) in which I may not have been as courteous as I should have been, and to those folks who have succeeded in cheating me out of some money (and gloating over it), and to whom I may have dashed off an impolite e-mail message or two, I apologize. Not that you didn't deserve it, but I fear I may have lowered myself in kind, and by being angry and resentful, I briefly became unkind, and that's not the kind of person I like to be. I'll do my best not to let it happen again, even in the face of provocation.

Additionally, I promised myself that I would never do to my customers what so many other dealers had done to me over the years; several times, I purchased expensive equipment, only to discover that it wouldn't work with my cameras, or for the uses I bought it for. When I asked the suppliers if I could return the equipment (and exchange it for other items), since they had not explained to me that there were many cameras that would not be able to utilize their equipment, and numerous uses for which their equipment would not work, they basically told me: "hey, it's your responsibility to know whether or not our products will work for your needs! Tough luck, doofus!"

I was livid at this! "Come on, folks", I pleaded, "I'm a beginner, I'm not a wealthy pro photographer; I don't know everything there is to know about photography, have a heart!" But they were heartless, and I was screwed. True, I was young and I didn't know everything, but everyone starts out that way. So I promised myself that I would never do such things to any other decent human being. So that's why I explain so much about the equipment in my auction descriptions and web site descriptions, so folks will understand the same things that confused me when I was just starting out. And just to be absolutely certain that no one would purchase something that wouldn't work for them, I added a number of links in every one of my auctions which brings folks to my "10 Top Questions" page which explains a lot more about what will and won't work for you. Sure, I have no doubt being honest has cost me a few sales, but - in my humble opinion - it's well worth it; I suspect building up some good karma, through honesty, kindness, and respect for my fellow man, will be more valuable to me when the day comes that I find myself standing before our Maker (whoever or whatever you may conceive Him to be), than if I left this world with an extra mansion or two on the balance sheet of my life.

I'm not perfect, and, just like you, sometimes I make mistakes. But when I discover an error, I'll do my best to make it right. Whenever I'm wrong, I'll apologize and do my best to make it right with you.
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So, sure, I've been taken advantage of a few times by unscrupulous people who pay with rubber checks (I have a lovely collection:), or who bid up all my auctions to ridiculously high amounts, and then never pay for any of them. But 99% of the fine folks I do business with are truly great people, and I consider it a privilege to have met and done business with them. If you should choose to honor me with your trust and your patronage, I can't promise that I'll be perfect 100% of the time, nor can I guarantee that I'll never, ever, make a mistake; but I can promise you that I'll do my very best to deserve your trust and your business. Thank you for considering doing business with me, and as always, feel free to contact me at any time, if I can be of any help in any way (and, no, you don't have to buy anything from me just to ask for some help, I'll be glad to do whatever I can to help you learn how to make great pictures).

Richard
Photographer's SupplyStation
"PhotoSource3" on eBay
PhotoSource3@pss3.com