For Photographers

Photo Gear Purchases 2020

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The ongoing pandemic has meant that there’s been little work and few purchases. The items listed below were bought before the pandemic shut everything down.

Sirui K-40X Ball Head

My old Manfrotto ball head wasn’t as smooth as I wanted and it struggled with heavy lenses. Also, my new L-bracket (below) requires an Arca-Swiss head and there’s no easy way to convert a Manfrotto clamp to Arca-Swiss.

The Sirui K-40X was reasonably priced ($240) compared to similar ball heads. It’s smooth, solid and a joy to use.
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The Government Is Here To Help

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If you’re a Canadian photographer whose business has disappeared over the past ten months because of the pandemic, be assured that the federal government is here to help.

I’m from the government and I’m here to help.

– US senator Edmund Muskie (1976) but usually attributed to Ronald Reagan (1986)

If you log into your CRA account to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Recovery Benefit, there are a few new things. First, the government wants a short essay describing how the pandemic has ruined your business. There’s also help to plan for a new career. I guess the government assumes your current career is a lost cause because, well, you’re applying for benefits.

Career Quiz

I took all six quizzes to find out what new occupation(s) might be a good fit for me.

The results said that I’m innovative, methodical and objective. I’m also picture smart, visual, good at form perception and good at noticing shapes, shadings and lines.
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Guess The Job

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Guessing a job based on its description is a game used for helping people learn English or just for fun.

Can you guess this job based on this real description:

• Repetitive and frequent standing, seeing, sitting, walking, and driving up to eight hours per day.

• Holding five pounds in one hand for five minutes.

• Repetitive hand and arm movements needed to type and write.

• Occasional bending, stooping, squatting, lifting, twisting and carrying are necessary to perform job functions.
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Toronto Film Festival 2020 Review

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Most of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is being held online due to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. There are in-person screenings at a few temporary drive-ins in downtown Toronto and at the indoor theatres in the TIFF building.

I spent one day at the film festival yesterday and that was, according to TIFF, one day too many. No photographers or TV are allowed this year. Reporters are also not allowed at any location.

Opening Night with No Openings

If your organization or business was facing its worst year due to the pandemic, would you want free publicity to help mitigate the situation? If your event was open to the public, was funded by all three levels of government and was held at some government-owned properties, would you feel somewhat obligated to allow news coverage?

Not the Toronto Film Festival.
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Getting Ready To Return To Business

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Sooner or later there will be a demand for photography services again. It may still be several months away but photographers should do a few things now to be ready.

Face Masks

Customers may require photographers to wear face masks. Some local governments may require everyone to wear a face mask in all indoor locations. Be prepared for this now by buying some face masks.
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Being Clean

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I often photograph NBA basketball but due to the ongoing coronavirus threat, the NBA and other pro sports have shut down. This photo shows the view from some really cheap seats in the Toronto arena. It may be hard to believe but there are even worse seats in the building.

Every professional photographer knows how to minimize risk: carry a backup camera, have extra batteries and memory cards, tape down cables, don’t overload a boom arm, etc. But what about minimizing risk to your cleanliness?

After 30 years of photographing in locations like hospitals, seniors’ homes, prisons, food processing plants, drug manufacturing sites, pharmaceutical labs, commercial kitchens and in countless private homes, here are a few little things I’ve learned.
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