Portland Oregon Wedding and Portrait Photographer
World Cup is here!!! Best games are ahead! I used to play semi-pro and played some more in Portland but had to give it up to avoid injury. So I have to watch now, but hey, I got my 80 in screen with surround sound, so life is sweet. Too bad it is the busy season too, so not much sleep for me 
Here are some videos of the best goals of the century:
Not sure of Owen’s as #2 but Maradona’s goal is very deserving!
Today I read that house passed COPE, that if Senate agrees as well, will kill Net Neurality. Internet which sparked amazing innovations is under attack.
Net Neutrality ensures that all users can access the content or run the applications and devices of their choice. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data — not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.
This is also an attack on free speech. Communication companies can kill your speech if they don’t like it by slowing access to it down, effectively blocking you. This affects both sides of the political spectrum and is why (for example) ACLU and Christian Coalition (among others) joined forces. In fact, the only people supporting this are the giant telecommunication companies and their paid representatives.
You can learn more about it here:
Another reason why I care is this is a huge blow to small businesses all over country (as if we didn’t have enough to worry about!). I can use the internet to market my services. I have lower overhead because I do not have to have a huge storefront, do not have to do expensive print advertising etc. This all benefits you! If I have to start paying for these or pay extra so my site is at the same competitive edge with someone with big pockets, then I will have to increase my prices.
Internet is a big marketplace where people can compete fairly. What this bill does will be a huge competitive advantage to companies with huge pockets. It will also kill innovation and creativity if a rival can put you out of business just by paying telecommunications companies.
Millions of online companies we use everyday, like Amazon, Google, Ebay prospored because of Net Neutrality. They were once small companies with a great idea.
I beg you to learn more about the issue.
and act!
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE!!! Write to your representatives!
Here are some very interesting articles you can read.
We are in the market for an inexpensive small sedan with decent gas mileage for everyday tasks. I am looking around and some people are so unrealistic. The problem is - they make other people unrealistic too. You can get a brand new one for 16K but the 2 year used one with 40K miles is $14K. Or Dick Hannah Kia listed a 2004 Hyundai Elantra for $12900 (what is wrong with them???).
The problem is you can get a brand new one for pretty much that price with the $1000 incentive. The problem is dealer prices are negotiable and jacked up WAY WAY high, sure, but private sellers look at these prices and jack up their prices. However, they also do not negotiate. Then reason sets in and they end up selling at a lower price (the market value) after months of not being able to sell it but too late for me. By the way, I will definitely skip Dick Hannah - why spend my money with such scammers. Dealers are not necessarily the ones with a conscience but I don’t have to shop at a one that is so obviously out there to get you.
Sorry for the rant!
The following photo-essay won honorable mention at NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism 2006. I have to admit I was teary eyed at the end.
This is an awesome story!
Those who are following my Paypal story, here is an update.
Finally they responded and returned the funds to the buyer under their seller protection policy. Go figure. The buyer never complained, it was a legitimate transaction…
Oh well. I will never use Paypal again. I recommend you do the same.
I sold a camera to one of my good friends. He paid me through paypal. Suddently Paypal thinks there is something fishy about this transaction. Nevermind that he never complained. Nevermind that I have done MANY transactions through Paypal over 3 or so years. So they froze the funds. Great.
There is no real way to reach them. You are on hold for 2 hours. They do not answer emails. And apparently, judging by some of my friend’s experiences, they usually hold the money ransom for 3-6 months. This is unbeliviable. From now on, no Paypal for me. I know a lot of people use them without problems, but you learn the true side of a company when you have a problem with them.
Check this site out:
I sometimes get emails from my clients asking if so and so price is a good deal from a certain retailer. They are usually hundreds of dollars less than average selling price of these cameras or lenses.
Remember the old saying? If it is too good to be true….
This is the case with most camera dealers that offer very low prices.
This article sums up the situation very well. What happens is they sell you cameras with no accessories included (that is supposed to come standard), gray market cameras with no warranty etc. They also contact you to force you to buy very overpriced accessories and if you don’t buy, suddenly your camera is not in stock. And they sometimes send you a lesser model and make it extremely hard to return items if they are still in business.
What can you do? First try your local stores. This will give you a person to talk to and make sure you have a camera in hand when you walk out (instead of hoping it arrives through mail). Second, it supports the local economy and brings 80% of the money back to local businesses. And if something breaks, you have somebody to go and talk to instead of being on the phone for hours. Trust me, that alone is worth the price difference most of the time. We are all very busy!
In Portland area, I recommend Pro Photo Supply. They know what they are doing and since they do not work on commission, they are very helpful. I do not like shopping at Camera World as I had some very bad experiences there.
If you are buying online, make sure to look at:
and to a lesser degree
Here are some (online) stores I recommend:
B&H - Gold standard of online camera stores.
KEH - they also have great used camera selection
I used to shop at Adorama but they have failed me couple times and would not buy from them again. For me, reliability is very important. And do me a favor and do not spend your money on Walmart and support your small businesses!
I hope this was useful to some of you.
