It's in the Signs

I know, I haven't posted anything to this blog in a while. I really haven't taken very many photos over the last month or so, mostly because of the very hot 95+ degree temps almost every day since early July. My last two photo walks took place in over 100 degree heat.  The heat makes me extra lazy. Basically I am looking forward to fall. Cooler temps and clouds in the sky.

Anyway, I thought I would post a few of the wonderful signs I have found while taking photos. I love the age and history that comes from each sign. I am always on the lookout for interesting signs in my area.

Love the giant crawdad!

Abandoned Dairy Farm in Oakley/Brentwood CA.

From the historic town of Locke

Taking a photo at the mall is against the rules....

On July 4th around 8am I was walking through the outdoor mall in my city with my Nikon D5100 when I was stopped by the shopping mall facilities manager who informed me that taking photos in the outdoor shopping center was not allowed. At the time I was stopped, I had the camera around my neck with the lens cap on. My LowePro camera bag was around my shoulder.  No photos were being taken at that moment.

That same day would be a parade and other holiday activities.  My plan was to take a few photos before the event and return later in the day to take more photos. Clearly this was not a welcome activity.

Below is an edited version of my email to the mall property manager and the reply they sent me regarding the photography policy. I removed the city name and the name of the shopping center:

I wanted to follow-up and find out if you are able to provide me with any more specific details about your photography policy. The shopping center has developed into a social hub within the City, almost like a 2nd downtown within the city. While I do understand the shopping center is private property, I would hope that the outdoor "community" spaces would be open to the same rules as you might find in any city center.

I had been a city home owner for over 10 years. I am not a professional photographer and I have never sold a photo but I do consider myself an advanced amateur photographer. I would hope noncommercial photography that highlights some of the park features or even the fountain would be encouraged and not discouraged. What better advertising can you have then members of the community wanting to share photos of your shopping center with friends or even other photographers? What I do is not much different from someone taking a photo with a camera phone and posting the picture to Facebook or Flickr.

My original plan on the 4th was to take photos of the play structures and maybe some of the "setup" for the big event and then return for the parade and take photos of the event itself. I was pretty disappointed that taking photos was against policy and decided not to return later in the day. 

If you can shed some light on what is allowed and not allowed, I would appreciate it. I would like to return again with my camera for future Shopping Mall community events, but not without a better understanding of your facility rules.

The official response:

John is correct telling you that we have a policy regarding photography on property without prior approval from Mall Management.  This is private property and we just ask people to let us know when they want to take pictures and for what purpose.  We typically never deny anyone but we just like to know in advance.

I am a little jaded over the entire thing, mostly because I was singled out at a time I wasn't even taking a photo. I was simply walking through the facility at the time I was stopped.

Going forward, I will be keeping my camera at home next time they hold a big BBQ contest or parade at the shopping center.

Sure I can get permission to take a photo before the event, but I am sure lots of people will show up with cameras phones and be left alone.

I suppose the right thing to do is always get a signed property release document, but honestly I wasn't planning to take photos I would post on anything outside of flickr.

What type of things have you experienced in situations like this?

Color or black and white

Sometimes during the editing process I wonder if an image is better in color or B&W. This is a prime example:

At times the idea of using B&W is because I can't seem to get the colors to look right or I was unhappy with the original lighting and B&W is a way to salvage a photo.  In this case, I think the black and white has a nice feel for the old barn.  What do you think?

What method does everyone else use with B&W editing? Do you have a specific process you use for the B&W workflow?

As a side note about this photo. I love this barn, but I am not super happy with the photo itself, The sharpness isn't what I really wanted. Mostly I think it was the lack of a tripod.

Not Good Enough for Stock Photography?

I submitted 10 sample images to a large stock photography website to see if I could "pass the test" and be accepted as a Stock photo contributor.

The good news is I had enough quality photos to "pass the test" and be accepted into the service as a contributor.  But the bad news is they rejected 3 photos that I happen to think are really good.

You can now be the judge. Do you agree with the assessment? I would love your feedback.

I can understand rejecting this photo as something that most "stock photo" customers would not really use.  The official reason was "Composition--Limited commercial value due to framing, cropping, and/or composition."

I happen to think this is a pretty good photo. Maybe you won't agree with me. Reason for rejection "Lighting Problems--Purple fringe, blown highlights or lenses flare."

This is one of my  most popular images on Flickr. In fact, an almost identical image from the same shoot, on the same day was published in a San Francisco Bay Area regional parks guidebook. Reason for rejection was "Lighting Problems--Purple fringe, blown highlights or lenses flare."

The stock photography site was Shutterstock.  My general feeling about the overall experience? I am not going to make contributions to the site.  I just don't have the time to submit 100's and 100's of images in hopes of making a few bucks on the side. Each photo you upload requires at least 7 tags, a clear name and then other category options selected. Then you have to wait for image approval.  This would turn into a full time job.

As a side note, today is a day for rejection. I tried to join the Flickr group "Flickr's Best Landscape Photographers". No luck. It is an exclusive group of about 300 people. Some of the images are pretty amazing. I will keep shooting until I can get my skills high enough to join. One of the contributors lives in my area and shoots in some of the same parks. His work is truly amazing.

Hello World

I guess this is my first post to this new blog.

About me. I work for an East Bay software company and in my free time I am a landscape photographer with a little urban exploration thrown in.  Most of my photos are taken in in East Bay parks or on the back roads.

I currently shoot with a Nikon D5100 and mostly use a Tamron Ultra Wide Angle lens.  Photos are usually edited with Aperture on the Mac.

I have been shooting photos since high school but only really got serious about a year go with I picked up the Nikon.  I am still learning and building my skills. I once read a quote that your first 10,000 photos are crap. I am just over 5000 on this camera at the time of this writing. I will let you be the judge.

Your feedback and comments are always appreciated.