view from the office

Immediate Expensing and Income Tax

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A Toronto police detective examines fingerprints using laser light. The photo was taken on opening day of the new Forensic Identification Services crime lab in Toronto, 25 October 1999.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Right now, most Canadian photographers will be doing their annual income tax. Some business expenses are not deducted in full but instead they are depreciated over time. Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) is used to depreciate the value of photo equipment, computers, and other business purchases that have continuing value.
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Dancing On The Ceiling

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The Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario, 02 July 2005. Live 8 was ten simultaneous concerts held in ten countries on 02 July 2005, plus one more concert on 06 July. The concerts, held on the 20th anniversary of the original Live Aid concert, were meant to send a message to national leaders at the 2005 G8 Summit in Scotland.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

All products, except luxury items, have a maximum price set by market conditions. A loaf of bread costs up to about $8. A bakery can’t increase the price to $20 or $30 no matter how good that bread is. The price of bread has a ceiling. To make more money, a bakery can expand into products that have a higher price ceiling such as cakes and pastry (which might be considered luxury items).
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Retouching Business Headshot Selfies

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Before cellphone cameras, if you wanted a selfie, you had to use a real camera. This picture is from 1991 when bungee jumping without a second safety harness was thought to be safe. The camera was duct-taped to my hand so I couldn’t drop it.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Is it common for a company to require its employees to supply their own business headshots? Most of these self-supplied headshots are, of course, cellphone selfies.
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On Photography – 50 Years Later

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If you don’t like what you see in front of your camera, you can often wait a few minutes and a better picture might come along. These two skyline pictures were shot less than 20 minutes apart. In those few minutes, the wind blew in the clouds and the automatic lights in many buildings turned on.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

It’s the 50th anniversary of the publication of US author Susan Sontag‘s essay Photography (link to PDF) which was later re-edited and renamed “In Plato’s Cave.” This renamed essay became the first of six essays in her book, “On Photography.” In Plato’s Cave is probably the most well known of the six essays.
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Pragmatic Photography

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Pragmatic: relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters. Practical as opposed to idealistic.

Acrobats have to be pragmatic. They may have planned for some fancy manoeuvres but it’s much more important to get the job done and not fall or drop anything.

Left: Gary Borstelmann, aka Gary Sladek, aka the Amazing Sladek, performs at an NBA All-Star game in Toronto, 2016.

Right: Rong Niu, aka Krystal Niu, aka Red Panda, performs at an NBA All-Star game in Toronto, 2016.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

A pragmatic photographer is more concerned with getting the job done rather than making an artistic statement.

Many people who take pictures with their cellphone camera are pragmatic photographers. They want a photo without any fuss and without much thought.
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Reselling Editorial Photos

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This is another view-from-my-office photo.

The Toronto Raptors mascot was born 27 years ago on November 3, 1995. He wears jersey number 95.

Ryan Bonne, the guy inside the costume, got the job with the Raptors just a few months after graduating from university in 1995. You won’t be surprised that he majored in theatre with a minor in sports studies.

It’s not uncommon for the subject of an editorial photo to ask the photographer for a copy of the picture that was published. Usually the person just wants a souvenir photo of themselves.

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Yellow Brick Road Photography

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Queen Elizabeth II watches the 151st running of The Queen’s Plate horse race in Toronto, Canada, 04 July 2010. With the passing of the Queen and the accession of Prince Charles to the throne, the race will become The King’s Plate.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Most photography web sites are about equipment. I’m referring to photography web sites not photographer web sites. Such photography sites write about gear because it’s quick and easy.

There are some web sites that offer photography advice and instruction. But these “nuts and bolts” sites are superficial and intended for beginners. Quick bites of junk food. Tastes good for the few minutes you’re consuming it.

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