When I got home I saw a Monarch butterfly and a couple of birds picking at the flowers in the front yard today.

My biggest mistake? Having it set to ISO 1600 in daylight. I had no time to fiddle, I just needed to shoot. The colors were overly blotched by the camera's extra sensitivity. Oh well. I did shoot at lightening fast speeds, though. There's always tomorrow (hopefully they'll be back for more).

:D

Habit

I learned something watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Like all machines, they are merely programmed to do what they are programmed to do.

There are certain habits that are portrayed when an event is triggered.

We can program ourselves to carry out certain tasks when events occur. Like the dog coming to eat at the sound of the bell.

What I'm interested in is the transitions. How do we get to break habits? I think this is one of the most important parts, rather than starting new habits, we must first break our old ones.

Like bread with butter, it is hard to break this habit, and instead have it dry.

What about boredom? And comfort?

These are two habit makers and breakers. I'll have to do some more thinking about these.

The United States' liquidity is heavily based on loans and debt.

The system requires an economy to be ever growing, and ever changing.

The $700 billion bail out, is an interesting solution. If it goes through, Wall Street will react dramatically, boosting the economy once again.

But would this solution merely prolong the inevitable? A generation that takes on too much debt and collapses? I'm curious now. Is there a relationship between debt and growth?

We can take a look at the Solow model. Let's call debt the lack of savings. First, the Solow model says that in the long run, savings has no effect on long term growth rate, rather technological progress is more of a determining factor in long term growth. Second, it states that savings effects long run output per worker. Once savings has increased, positive growth rate increase will continue, but not forever. It will fall back on to the new steady state of growth.

So as our society takes on more debt, output per worker will decrease to a new steady state (outsourcing?) not calculating for the technology factor.

In this case, the model does not help us with the current situation, only to help us understand the direction and future state of the economy. The credit lines are what help families plan for the future and buy necessities (and consumer goods) in order to work them off for the future.

Surely CEO compensation has a nominal part in the failure of the system. Although it may seem like a lot of money for one person, I believe the attitude behind the high compensation, not the pure numbers, is the problem. Having a limit on CEO compensation is simply a bad call (Upset high bracket tax payers, and force them to go to the limit).

This is a simple game. The government should buy out our credit markets' debt, set limits on lending %'s so banks and lending firms (instigators) can compete fairly with each other, and finally, let the free willing taxpayers have the option of owning a piece of that debt with interest. (tax liens with the option to own the house)

Many smart economists, Democrats and Republicans have understood the debt based society and loan system needed reform. Why didn't anybody yell "fire!"? Maybe it seemed like a good thing that anybody could own a huge house just by signing a little piece of paper. Maybe it seemed like a good idea to be able to own things (cars, homes, vacations, swimming pools) and not have to pay for it till the future. But let's not dwell on the past. It's time to get people excited again, and produce new jobs and technology for the economy!

Labels: AIG, Bail out, Congress, The Economy

I'm in love with Fox's shows. There's no other station that compares. ABC always looks like the same old cheesy junk, NBC is always the same old commercial crud, and CBS died a long time ago.

And, Fox has the Simpsons!

Duh!

All of the prime time shows are some of the most innovative shows on the idiot box.

Though, I don't watch much TV, I'm addicted to the Simpsons, House, Fringe, and Terminator.

These shows have some of the most innovative entertaining and artistic shows currently on the air waves. Who pays for cable when you can get free network Fox from Boston? Everybody has to upgrade to digital thanks to government regulation. The digital channels aren't that great. Some of them only show a little bit of the picture with black bars all around it. Others come in and out. Digital is like an on off switch. If the signal is bad, it's not a little fuzzy, it's just off.

The government has forced people into paying into the cable system. Cable companies don't have a big enough monopoly? Gee, thanks for letting us know!

Next post? The disconnect of technology and humanity: Let's start with cell phones commericals. :D

Here's a moon pic from tonight. It's so hard to get a good pic with a Dud telescope. :D

The stock market's down.

They need to get fresh blood in there. (aka me)

:-P

They say that a full moon brings about crazy things. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but tonight was not very usual. I missed the Simpsons... :(

We are half way through September! I can smell plenty of opportunities. You know when the stock market is down, that usually means the buying is cheap.

My diploma came in the mail on Friday.

It feels a bit encouraging, however, I still have a bit of buyer's remorse. And I think it will stay until I get a good paying job. Knowledge and wisdom is a waste if it is not used.

Although I have obtained a perfectly good mind with my training in economics, my passion and strength merely wanes while I am searching for job opportunities.

Tomorrow I will work in the morning at Dunks from 7-12, then I'll have some time to rest and search. Maybe my piece of paper will give me the encouragement I need.

You know, I never understood that the Wizard of Oz was right. You don't need a brain to get a diploma. :-P

Today I played tennis!

Boy, I'm sure tired. My brother beat me 6 sets to 1.

It was really relaxing, and fun!

Why do I have to wake up and work at Dunkin's today?

Grrrr

It's going to be a long and tiring day. I didn't get much sleep last night. I think I had too much coffee in the afternoon (not good).

Anyways, I didn't really get too much done on my day off. I uploaded my promo 8X10 to Pictage (need to order it). And then, I found a company that makes specialty Business Cards (still no order).

I also had a rough time searching for jobs. But persistence is key. Afterwork, I'll look up US Govt jobs again. There should be some positions open by now. (relevant ones).

Please call me State Street, and soon! I want to start there ASAP! I don't like busting my butt at Dunkins for beans!

:-P

Last night I tried to take pictures of the moon through my scope. They came out okay, but a little fuzzy. I just have one of those cheapies (<$100) telescopes. But I have a T-mount for it. The moon was big and bright.

Then after, I brought my camera in, and switched out the telescope lens. I pointed it directly at Jupiter (a bit to the left of the moon).

It was beautiful! I got it to focus enough to see 4 moons, some swirls and the red spot! That was pretty awesome!

Maybe I'll get a more steady and powerful telescope, but I doubt it will be any time soon. I just like to have fun, I'm not a serious astro-photographer, I'm a wedding photographer! :)

Tonight, I'll try to take a better moon picture, and then maybe attempt a shot of Jupiter. If I crank the ISO to 1600, I may be able to get a faster shot, therefore more clear shot.

Hmmm I've never quite understood that Midwestern Slang.

Let's do an experiment...


Yep!! McCain and Obama were right!!! It is still a pig!

You want to know my views? I think that both Candidates are not their typical party whips, that's for sure. I think that both candidates should stop talking stupid, and start talking about action.

Personality sadly is what wins all elections, however what's important is specifics. Give me specifics, and I'll lend you my ears!

Of course Obama knew what he was doing. It's a game. He plans on the retaliation to be mean and rude against him. Simply it is a hook, line and sinker. Obama is not innocent, but he is not wrong.

I'll bet the McCain camp will play the same game, and they did, by not retaliating with harsh tongues.

I can't wait to see a head to head debate (hopefully we won't discover this election is between childish fools).

I make a plea, to the press and to the American public. Find out what's important to you, find out what each candidate stands for (Change is inevitable) and stand up and voice your opinions. Ask questions! I like McCain's call to the American people to get involved and do something. I would like to echo that, and say "Stand up!"

I hate it when I hit a brick wall. Right now, I feel like I should be doing something but I don't know what. I just got off of work, and my feet are throbbing.

I'm still waiting to hear back from all of those companies I applied to. Next week I'll give em' a call. The most responsible company that got back to me was State Street. Although hiring is slow, they at least have people who give a damn and answer my calls and emails.

Let's face it. Workers can be greedy and scared as hell about not getting enough. It's our greedy material driven culture.

I finished "The Grunch of Giants" last night. It's by Buckminster Fuller. His writing is brilliant. I wish that the university had encouraged me to read this. Quite honestly I felt under stimulated and miss stimulated at the university. And I had no direction to go. I didn't even know there was a direction so I never asked.

WSBE is a great school, but it's not the best. I did most of my learning on my own out side of academics to keep me stimulated and keep from going nuts.

The more and more odd classes I took, the more I focused on learning about entrepreneurship, design, and selling. I've come to the conclusion that serving people is my journey in life. Now people is a bit broad. And I will focus on different people in my lifetime. Right now I want to serve brides and grooms (and their respective families) by using my creative gray matter to create beauty and heart warming images.

I think it's so wonderful to capture all of the emotion and memories for the couple. It's such an important step in life. How beautiful, the commitment and fordging bonds against the stars is!

I've put my add on Craigslist and still nothing. I'm not sure what I should do. I don't want to advertise too much, just get listed. I'm a high quality photographer. Eventually I'll want most of my business from referrals. That's the true sign of quality. When people talk about how dazzling and wonderful my photos and candor is to them!

My Memere reminded me that my business will take a while to build up. I don't want it to take a while! I want to start covering a wedding every Saturday starting next week! But alas, I can either figure out how to do that, or I can be patient. For me patience must be avoided by more action.

So actions... Hmmm what can I do? If anyone wants to comment on what else I can do, please do.

Time to promote myself-

• Business cards need to get ordered
• Promo 8X10's need to get ordered from Pictage
• Blog posting needs to get done (lol)
• Video for my website needs to get done
• SEO (yeah I know, lame) needs to get done
• I've got to use my social networks to promote myself. (get back on myspace)
  

Interesting. I closed off my Myspace account since I wasn't using it much. Now I realized how important it is to use all of my avenues to stay connected to the community. If I am going to serve my community it is imperative that I keep in touch and keep people updated. :D

I've I'm having fun, I share it. If I'm having a tough time, I share it (but I don't complain about it). It's so simple, yet it slips through my fingers at times. I think it does for everyone at times.

Oh yeah, Here's a picture of my gear I got in (last week) It's just a sync cord, but it means more control over my lighting.

Next projects?

I realized I don't need too much new gear right now. I have everything I need for a wedding. Some handy gear I'd like to get is as follows and in order:

1. 580ex II speed flash. Not only is it a wonderful work-horse, it also is a wireless controller for my other strobe (more control over lighting. I can shoot my 580 with the GF Dome and snoot my 430ex!
   
2. folding reflector. I know it's a pain to carry around (like another flashgun or light stand) But it's a cheap easy way of getting beautiful natural light to hit the subject.
   
3. 70-200mm 2.8L This is the big daddy. I have a 80-200mm (lightweight) lens but I want the aperture flexibility. IS or not, this lens is flexible. Maybe The f4 version will be good enough, but I don't want to buy things twice. This lens is a bigger investment.
   
4. 50mm f1.4. I know! I have the f1.8! But I want the speed and again aperture flexibility. If I only had to have one lens, this would be it. If I had a 5D, I'd use my 85mm f1.8.
5. I realize none of this may be of much importance to you, and to me it's not either. I have all of the tools I need. But I want to be able to do my job easily and fast with the greatest quality. Sure, a 5D has greater image quality than my 40D but that is nominal. My 40D is faster and easier to use than a 5D. I'll surely get the shot. My flash is great! But with a 580, I'll be able to get the shots I want with a 580 without fail. You've seen my photos from Raechel and Ryan's wedding. They are beautiful! That's my 40D and me! And my 40D was broken! It wouldn't go to ISO 100!
6. Mac Book and Lightroom 2! This is essential to get everything up and running on the fly. I want to be fast, and accurate and display photos during the reception (put it at the bar or on one of the gift tables or something). People want things done yesterday. I want to make that deadline! ;-P

Okay, So I'm glad that my gear isn't my brick wall, because gear costs a lot of money, and doesn't make me any more money. Bookings make me money so I can get propper gear (that will break in the future, lol). They also pay for my livingry. ( I need to live to serve people) :-P

Brick wall = Promotion myself

Promotion myself = Social Network activity + Weddings (referrals) + Blogging + Street Promo (business cards) + Helping people in kind

Do I need to find the need? No, people are getting married. More and more nowadays as the Twenties population ages (nextgeners). (I'm a nextgener, damn media labeling!)

Do I need to find people? Yes, but not as much as people need to find me. I don't want to pull teeth, but sometimes I have to yank a few arms. Photography is very interesting. The end result is unknown, yet an educated evaluation can be made (based on emotions). People don't want to buy if the end result is unknown. That's why I do my business the way I do. I have a booking fee (hiring my talent and candor) and an album credit fee. I want them to have an album, but they need to know what the end result looks like before they go all the way. That's also why I have 3 edit sessions. I can't pretend to know everything that's important to the couple, but I can try my best by working with them.

Photography is very personalized. It is also unique. And therefore I offer something unique. Not just unique photos, but unique meaning to every couple.

Okay, I'll tear the brick wall down tomorrow. :D Today I'm getting my head clear!

Today I worked 8-3:30 on my feet all day at Dunkins. I really need to find a 9-5 with benefits.

I haven't booked enough (much any) weddings yet. And I don't plan to do many this coming year.

I also want some $$$ to get a new-used car, pay off my loans, and get some cool photo equipment (not that I need it, I'm just a junkie.... HELP!!!).

I also need a reliable labtop (macbook) to carry with me on the road. My Windows computers (Dell trash labtop, and a new-egg special desktop) are not reliable! I have all of the software I need, but windows doesn't like to run, it likes to sprint, then take a nap.

So, I'm in my humble beginnings right now. It's a bit like survivor, except I have to make the million dollar prize myself. Nobody's voting for or against me, and there's no bug (not yet) that I have to eat.

Wallstreet is a bit weak, so the bank/investment companies aren't turning over workers (no new jobs for me yet). Gene Kelly got his Economics degree right before a weak economy too, and look what happened!

"Gotta Dance!!!"

Right now, there are thoughts of taking just any job that pays over 30K a year (dirt). But experience is more important than money for me, even though I have an unreasonable amount of loans coming after me come December. School is risky business. I'm not a victim of the economy. I'm just breaking down the opportunities.

It's hard for companies because of the overwhelming amount of under qualified workers that come in to apply for the job. It's like asking for a coffee and twenty different people make it for you differently. Only one is right for the job (or the taste).

But sometimes you don't know what you want in your coffee. That's where I think the hiring process slows down for some small companies that don't have sufficient resources to search for employees.

In lyrics from Destiny's Child:

"I'm a survivor,
I'm not gonna give up,
I'm not gon' stop,
I'm gonna work harder,
I'm a survivor,
I'm gonna make it,
I will survive,
Keep on survivin'"

Labels: Jobs, Life

I'm so happy with my website right now. It's amazing!

www.zachsarette.com

My next project is to put up video on the front page. I think it's important so that people can connect with me on a more personal level.


It's wonderful! It tells people what they want to know! My other site was like a novel, this is like an ice cream parlor! Just go and have fun and enjoy!

There is a client lounge for my future clients. There's a link to their album, gallery, and story. Right now, I only have Raechel and Ryan's up. My next wedding is in October.

I've got to put myself out there. Craig's list time!

Labels: Website Launch

Hey guys!

I'm still fiddling around with Blogger and CSS. I'm so tired today. I think I'll work on it tomorrow.

Rachel Swain has a new blog!

I have the day off tomorrow! Yay!

I got Roses from a customer at the Dunkin's drive thru today!



Yeah, I still got the magic charm!

:-P

In my playful spirit, I asked the young lady if those flowers in the seat were for me.

"Yeah, you want em? Here you go!"

Pretty crazy, huh? I gave them to my mother to put in a vase. They are on the kitchen table, now!

At Dunkin's we don't take tips, but we kindly take flowers.

Geez,

I'm soo happy, I'm almost done with my site!

I'm very very happy with it right now.

I just want to thank everyone for helping me out. An extra special thanks to Rachel and Alex for yesterday. We had a really good time.

I want to thank my star couple Raechel and Ryan as well. They are some of my favorite people in this world. I would also like to thank their family and friends for being so hospitable with open arms. That's a really cool thing. :)

I'd also like to thank David and Jasmine last week for being so supportive to a crowd and individuals. Someday, I hope to share and give all of my enthusiasm, inspiration, and wisdom out to those who are struggling. I think it's really important to society. Serving is my goal in life. whether it be shooting beautiful weddings for a couple, or volunteering after a disaster.

Get ready for the relaunch of my site either tomorrow or Friday!

I was tired after work today, I did not get much done till after 6pm. Then I started to get the creative juices flowing. :D

Labels: Rebrand, Thank You, Wedding Photographer Site

My skin is still tingling from the excitement this morning!



Thank you so much Rachel for helping me with my photo shoot. I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to meet you two!

Rachel Swain did my photos. They came out pretty darn good. I did some post processing too. Alex was really good at helping Rachel get her shots in, and holding the reflector (white poster board).

She doesn't have a blog or website yet. (I need to bug her about that) But she does have a Flickr acount that she uses.

Thanks soo much for coming to Manchester!!! I'd work with you anytime, Rachel. :D

Two Wicked Awesome Artists

Labels: Artist, Flickr, photo shoot, Rachel Swain, Zach Sarette

Whoa. So I've been playing around painting in light with my flash.

I'm wicked excited for tomorrow. I'm going to get some real good shots done. I don't mind giving a little money to get my shots done to a local artist. I kill two birds with one stone! I help out a local artist, and I get some good shots of me for my upcoming website!

I might even get cracking and have the site up for tomorrow. We'll see how much work I get done tomorrow.

I built my ring flash. It works surprisingly well. I haven't gotten my sync cords in yet, but once they do, I might need to modify or redo the whole blasted contraption.

Labels: light painting, photo shoot, ring flash