Tuesday, March 19, 2024

My first LIVE television interview: Yikes!

Last week I traveled up to Sacramento to the studios of FOX 40 for my first live TV interview. I have done plenty of pre-recorded video pieces, but never done one live. As it turns out, it was a lot of fun.

After NBC ran the piece on me last month, I received an email from a producer at FOX 40, who had seen the video, asking me if I would come up for an interview on their Studio40 show. Due to my travel schedule, we had to wait 3 weeks to make it happen, but last Wednesday we got it done.




This is what it looked like behind the scene.

I was supposed to be on air for 4 minutes, but they ended up letting it go for a full 9 minutes. 

You can watch the interview here (or by clicking on the image below):

I hope you enjoy the interview.

BTW - I messed up on one detail in the interview. For those who have followed the blog for numerous Olympics, see if you can find that one mistake. :)


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• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• You can now purchase Jeff Cable Photography images from my new fine art site at: https://fineart.jeffcable.com/

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa Costa Rica and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The modified Kate Middleton photo - what's the big deal?

I woke up the other day and turned on the news. One of the big stories of the day was the controversy about a modified image of Kate Middleton and her family. Being a photographer, I was highly intrigued by this story. 

By now, most of you have seen the image.

At first, people were talking about one or two areas of the image that were manipulated. Now that a couple of days have passed, experts have located many areas of the photo that have been retouched.

But my question is: Why is this such a big deal?

I can tell you that every family portrait I have ever taken has been retouched to one extent or the other. 

Here is what I am typically modifying:

* Adjustments to exposure, shadows, highlights and white balance (if needed)

* Removal of fly away hairs that are distracting (either going through the face, flying into the air, or going into another person) 

* Removal of dust or pet hair on people's clothing

* Removing skin imperfections (bad acne or shaving cuts)

* Removal of strings hanging off clothing

* Removal of distractions in the background (bright spots, exit signs, polls)

And sometimes I will even do the following:

* Whitening of eyes if needed

* Lightening of wrinkles (typically around the eyes)

* Head swaps (if a person had their eyes closed in a group shot)

During the CBS newscast, one of the anchormen said "I don't understand why any photo needs to be retouched" to which I laughed. I am sure that this same person has plenty of portraits that have been taken and modified, whether he knows it or not.

I have said this many times in the past. I think that every photo needs some retouching, in one form or another. So I don't understand why people are making such a big deal about this photo. Kate Middleton is known for being a photo enthusiast and she has taken many of her own photos in the past. But she is not a professional, and would not have the same Photoshop skills as we would. It looks to me like she was making the same modifications I would do, but just not as proficient at the process.

Yes, she is a royal which means that the spotlight is on her and her family. But is this photo controversy really worth the scrutiny that they are putting her through? I think that there are much bigger and more relevant issues in the world. 

I just thought I would put my thoughts out there. What do you think?


__________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• You can now purchase Jeff Cable Photography images from my new fine art site at: https://fineart.jeffcable.com/

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa Costa Rica and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

 _________________________________________________________________   


Friday, March 1, 2024

I will be presenting at the WPPI show in Las Vegas next week

Going to photography trade shows is always a lot of fun for me. I love being surrounded by other creative people, trading stories, sharing ideas and just hanging out. 

Of course, the pandemic stopped all of these for years, and even when they did return, the shows were not what they used to be. I am hoping that the Wedding and Portraits Photography Expo (WPPI) in Las Vegas next week brings a resurgence of attendance and energy. 

One of the things I love most about these shows is meeting with many of my sponsors and seeing the new gear. And yes, I will be talking to them about future gear that I will be bringing to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. But more on that to come in a later blog post. Yeah, I know...I am such a tease. :)

Next week I will be speaking in a couple booths at the show.

I will be presenting in the Hahnemühle booth on Tue, March 5th at 1pm. This company has been around for 440 years! Crazy, but true. I will be showing some of my images as well as signing photos printed on the beautiful Hahnemühle paper. 

I will also be presenting in the 17 Hats booth on Wed, March 6th at 2pm. I will be talking about how I use 17 Hats to run my business, and how it is absolutely critical to keeping me organized.

I hope to see many of my fellow photographers and friends there!


__________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• You can now purchase Jeff Cable Photography images from my new fine art site at: https://fineart.jeffcable.com/

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa Costa Rica and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

 _________________________________________________________________