Pelican Case Wheel Replacement

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If you don’t have a wheeled Pelican case then skip this post.

There are a lot of online instructions for replacing the wheels on a newer Pelican case, usually the 1510 model. But there’s no information for any of the original Pelican cases that came with a pair of one-piece, hard plastic wheels.

Here are some simple instructions for replacing the wheels on an original 1510 case and original 1650 case. Replacing the wheels on other Pelicans should be similar since all original wheeled cases were designed similarly. Just be sure you have the correct wheel size. Most inline skate wheels, skateboard wheels and luggage wheels use the same 22mm diameter x 7mm thick bearing size (more on all this in a moment).
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Reach for the Top

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A job search engine company published its annual list of top Canadian employers. A printed version was inserted in today’s The Globe and Mail newspaper.

Not all of the selected top employers were profiled in the (online and printed) magazine. But by some strange coincidence, every company that was profiled just happened to have a paid ad in the publication.

If you flip through the magazine, you can tell which companies hired professional photographers and which decided to go with, uh, “other” photographers.

You will notice an awful lot of group pictures showing people doing nothing but standing or sitting around. There are also a number of photos that most professional photographers would’ve deleted. To be fair, there is one good group photo and several other acceptable images.
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Composition Wise and Whys

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There are many online photography tutorials offering technical tips and advice. Much of this information is simplistic and superficial.

For example, when doing a portrait, they’ll tell you not to have harsh shadows on the subject’s face. The problem with information like this is that it isn’t scalable. It’s more beneficial to have information that you can use in any type of photography no matter what your subject matter.

Why do people look at pictures and how do they look at pictures? If you can answer these two questions then you can scale this information across any type of photography.

This post is long but the concepts are simple. Spoiler alert: this isn’t really about photography but rather it’s about human nature and how we perceive things around us.
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Selfie Science

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A scientific study released a few days ago confirmed what every portrait photographer has known forever:

If you take a picture of someone from very close up, it will distort their facial features.

This fact is not well known by people who take selfies which, apparently, is the number one cause of distorted faces. Some of these folks are going to plastic surgeons and requesting surgery to correct their distorted facial appearance.

Boris Paskhover, an assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Otolaryngology who specializes in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, frequently was shown selfies as examples of why patients were requesting surgery to make their noses smaller.

Researchers have named this horrible disfiguring issue as . . . wait for it . . . “The Selfie Effect.”

Dr. Boris Paskhover worked with the computer science department at Stanford University to develop a mathematical model to explain why noses look bigger when photographed close up.

Their mathematical model determined that most selfies are shot from a distances of about 12 inches. This short distance makes a nose look 30% wider. But, and here’s modern science in action, if a photo is shot from at least five feet away then the nose will look normal.

Researchers concluded that selfies are a public health issue. So please, for the sake of your health, hire a professional portrait photographer for your business headshots and other important portraits. Your nose will thank you.

 

Wide and flat or narrow and deep?

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If you chase every type of customer, you can end up not knowing which way to turn. Wedding customers, family portrait customers, high-school seniors, social event organizers, business headshots, real estate customers, retail web sites, consumer publications, corporate customers, etc. Who gets your attention? Everyone?

Of course you want as many customers as possible but do you want your customers to be wide and flat or narrow and deep?

Having a wide and flat customer base means that you do many types of photography to appeal to anyone and everyone. This type of customer tends to make only occasional or relatively small purchases.

A narrow and deep customer base means that you do certain types of photography that appeal to a specific type of customer. Customers in this category tend to make more frequent or higher-priced purchases.
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Working With A Photographer

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US author Seth Godin recently wrote a post titled Working with a designer (four paths). Since my web site is about business photography, I will steal adapt Godin’s post:

 

Working with a photographer (four paths)

All of us want to look good online, need some web site photos and maybe even a portrait of ourselves. More and more individuals and companies are learning that they need to hire a professional photographer.

It comes down to doing your homework. Be clear with yourself before you spend a nickel or a minute with a photographer. This difficult internal conversation will save you endless frustration and heartache later.

Here are four postures to consider when working with a good photographer:
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Get A Head Of Yourself

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What’s the number one way to boost your professional presence?

Get a good business headshot.

This proven piece of advice was recently repeated in The Globe and Mail’s career advice section:

Chris Brown, director of talent solutions for LinkedIn Canada, says numbers prove the value of tidy headshots – profiles with images get 20 times more views. Conversely, profile photos with distant shots, cartoon avatars, and photos with pets may decimate your chances of attracting a potential employer.

The same has been said about the business headshots on a company’s About Us or Contact Us page.

How do you choose a good business portrait photographer? Look at the photographer’s own portrait. If their business headshot is missing or is poorly done then you immediately know that’s the wrong photographer. You need a photographer who understands the importance of a business portrait.

 

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