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Archive for 'Shop Talk':
Imperfect Work :: Blowing It On Purpose
Question… Does it have to be perfect? Can the best image for the job sometimes be blown technically but executed perfectly for the job at hand?
Wrong exposure.
Wrong focus.
Wrong shutter speed.
Wrong light.
Wrong composition.
Just right photograph.
As technically strong as I try to be I'm always drawn to the work of others and myself that blows "technical perfection" out the window in lieu of "emotion" "movement" etc. Thoughts? Each photo above is technically wrong. They should be dumped yet they are in the first edit of my new portfolio.
I wouldn't want to buy an "imperfect" house. Why do I like "imperfect" photography? Thoughts?
Cheers, Zack
PS – More on the business coming up. Just needed a break from all that.
Cheap Photographers Only Kill Themselves, Not The Industry.
First, thanks for all of your input on the first blog post of this series. As usual, your comments are far more interesting, entertaining, and thought provoking than anything I write here. If you haven't read through those yet, you should. What's interesting to note in the comments there is how the tone of comments changes through the 100+ of them. They start off friendly enough and then somewhere in the middle a few feathers begin to get ruffled. That's fine. That's welcomed. It's a very interesting time in our industry right now and it's good to have passionate discussion about it. The smart photographers will sit with open minds and get a bit introspective and take a look at their own business practices. The stupid photographers will sit from on high and just point fingers OR sit at the bottom and think, "I'm banking an extra $1,000 a month that I don't claim with my $800 camera!"
Anyway. Check out that photo above. It's some stop light advertising for a wedding photographer advertising weddings starting at $350. Man… that's cheap. Is this person part of the problem in our industry? Absolutely not. I admire the hustle. I admire the fact that they are trying. Now – if you are the type of pro photographer that looks at that and says, "This is everything that is wrong with this damn industry! You can't be a pro charging $350 for a wedding! What an A-hole!" Yeah, if you're that photographer let me challenge you.
Think of the brides out there who don't have a budget but want some photos of their weddings. Maybe there are young couples getting married who don't have the parents to pay for a big event or they don't want to start their young family in debt but they would like someone to come take some pictures. Are you saying that if they can't afford a $3,000+ photographer then they don't deserve photos? Are you saying that if they can't afford a Mercedes then they shouldn't be allowed to drive? Shame on you. Not everyone can afford pro level prices. That doesn't mean they can't have some level of photographic services available to them.
Let me tell you a little something about my journey being the cheap photographer after the jump…
Over Saturated Market You Say? You Can Blame Me.
Everyone wants to be a photographer these days.
Let me warn you now that this blog post is currently in it's third state of revisions. It's a real rambler. If you're up for it, I'm up for it. More after the jump.
If you hang out on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and the like enough you can "stumble upon" some trends without even trying to. Lately I have seen a number of articles flying around about the over saturation of the photography industry, the unsustainability of the microstock market, and the pros and cons of working for "free". The "abuse" we photographers receive at the hands of our clients and totally absurd Craig's List postings of people wanting work for free or photographers giving away the farm for nothing.
Here are a few of the articles that most people are talking about these days.
• Photo business guru John Harrington over at Black Star Rising talking about the 12 excuses for shooting for free. This article is the one that got me thinking about doing this blog post.
• Don Giannatti (Wizwow) has this article on shooting for free, and this article on getting experience. Great reads here.
• David Hobby (Strobist) about working for free. Another must read.
• Rob Haggart (A Photo Editor) about the unsustainability of the micro stock industry. Canary in the coal mine?
Let's start with the "over saturated" market premise.
I, Zack Arias, am part of the over saturated market. I am one of the many who are filling the waters of this industry. Every job I take is a job off of the table of another photographer. I am a working photographer in large part due to the prevalence of affordable DSLRs, the expense of film and development being removed from my up front overhead, and the Internet.
I'll be so bold to say that if you have entered this industry in the last ten years then you too are part of the over saturation equation. If you are thinking about becoming a pro photographer, whether part time or full time, then you are over saturating the market as well. I would say the "standard saturation" photographers are the ones who have been in the game, full time, without gaps, for more than ten years.
Let's break this thing down.
In the days of Kodachrome and dinosaurs there were some pretty set rules of engagement and paths of entrance into the photography industry. You usually started by going to photography school or you started working in a lab. You had to get your feet wet somewhere and school and photo labs were a good place to get started. Once you were ready to move forward you started assisting working photographers. Many times you would have done this for free. I have assisted and interned for free many times and I have met countless photographers who started by schlepping bags and fetching coffee for nothing or next to nothing in pay. It's what you did. It's how you got to see how a "real" photographer worked. It was called… get this… "paying your dues."
These days those paths aren't so clearly defined. You can go to school via blogs, workshops, YouTube, and DVD's. You can upload pictures to flickr and suddenly get a message from an art director wanting you to shoot a job. You can be a kid from Canada, travel the world, shoot some bands and end up shooting campaigns for a company you aren't even old enough to buy their product. You can be inspired by your own wedding photographer, buy a camera, a fast lens, and rise to the top of your zip code within a year. You can go to Wal Mart, buy a cheap DSLR, shoot your friends and family, shoot their friends and families, put a blog together, and start a business. There are so many easy entry points into the market now. There is an abundance of inexpensive cameras, free learning portals, and free advertising routes that allows just about anyone with a camera to get out there and make a little or a lot of money with it.
The worst part about all of this is you don't even have to be all that good of a photographer to get into the game. That really is the worst part about it all but hang out at enough photography water coolers and you'll hear stories from "back in the day" about the same damn things. Being a crappy photographer with a profitable business is nothing new. There were just more up front costs to deal with back then. Now it's just easier to be a crappy sucksessful photographer. Add insult to injury… You can be a fairly mediocre photographer these days and have a workshop teaching others how to be just as mediocre as you are. Meh. Whatever. It is what it is.
Add to all of this the deteriorating morale in the corporate workplace, the need of many to make an extra $100 here and there, unemployment, the recession, blah blah blah, and the fact that a lot of people find it a whole lot cooler to say "I'm a photographer" at social gatherings instead of saying "I'm a systems analyst at a health care company." Bring this all together into the perfect shit storm of an industry filled to the gills with Joe and Jane Photographers trying to do something cool with their lives AND make some money doing it. I mean, Quicken and Quickbooks didn't really over saturate the accounting market did it? Maybe I'm wrong.
I'm right here part of it all. I'm part of the over saturated market. You're part of the over saturated market. Don't bitch and moan and complain about it because you're in it with the rest of us.
What do we do with that information? Here we all are. Up to our necks in each other. We watch ten leave because they can't take the pressure and twenty more take their place. It all gets just a little tighter around here. The last thing in the world you need to do is complain about the situation… unless of course, you've been at this for twenty or more years. In that case, my apologies to you. I know you're feeling the pressure of all of us new kids in the pool but here we are and it's the only pool in town for us. Complaining about us isn't making us leave and don't think for a second that I didn't just notice the water around me get a lot warmer.
Blah blah blah. Metaphor upon metaphor.
So it's competitive. Guess what? Photography has always been competitive. I don't know of any other time in this industry when it wasn't competitive. The nice thing about the industry these days is it seems that most of us are now open to share our experiences with others. Gone are the days of everyone playing with their cards close to their chests. If you are still trying to stay in this industry with that sort of attitude your days are numbered. It's a real hippy love fest around here these days and we young punk kids ain't got no time for your old ways of doing things.
Us young punk kids actually really need you to stick around. We need the long established pros to help us out. I know you want us out of your pool but that isn't happening any time soon. The better you can adapt the better you can survive. Part of adapting is now requiring you to kind of be a life gaurd even though you'd probably just be as happy to watch us all drown.
So. Yeah. Over saturated. Your attitude should shift from "This sucks." to "So what?". Big Deal. More at the party dude!
How can I run a business will all these $500 wedding photographers in my town?
That's the next thing we are going to look at. I'll let you in on this… I'm all for $500 wedding photographers. For many different and sometimes conflicting reasons. Then we'll look at the micro stock situation. Is it the canary in the coal mine? Then let's have a conversation about what it all means at the end of the day and will the industry adjust and what will that look like?
The dog days are over The dog days are done The horses are coming So you better run*
*I actually like to listen to the song above as "The dark days are over" and the horses coming aren't here for destruction.
Cheers, Zack
Sharing :: David E. Jackson :: The Thought Process
Friend and colleague, David E Jackson, has recently published this video on his blog about his thought process behind a recent conceptual shoot.
As you are starting on your photographic journey many of your questions will be dealing with cameras and lenses and their settings. What lights were used and with what modifiers. What photoshop actions were used. Etc. Then the day will come when cameras, lenses, lights and all of their settings don't mean a damn thing to you any more. What you want to know from other photographers is what was the thought process behind a certain photo or series of photos. Dave does a good job breaking that down. Watch the video to hear how he thinks… not which aperture he used.
I've been saying for a long time that Dave is "one to watch" and this recent shoot of his only confirms that. Check out his blog for photos and more BTS action for this shoot. Great jorb homestar!
Cheers, Zack
Oi! London!
Oi! Man, are we ever having a jolly good time in London right now! I love this city. Why have I never been here before?
This is Carl Spring. He was attending today's OneLight. He's an amazingly good dude.
Cheers, Zack
Studio Tour Coming Up… Sometime. :)
Just wanted to update you on a few videos and blogs posts we are working on.
I promised a studio tour of our place here in Atlanta and that will be coming up. Currently we have a large job in house and we're under a pretty tight NDA. In order to do the studio tour we would have to clear the entire space of our client's merch and that's just something we can't pull off right now. We will most likely have some down time in October to get that finished up. Sorry for the delay.
The photo above is our cyc wall. It's about 12 feet tall, 19.5 feet wide, and has a 3 foot radius. From the cyc wall to the other end of the studio is 64 feet. We'll show you all that in the video along with grip, carts, workspaces, storage, deals we found on furniture, set pieces, etc, etc.
When we get the studio cleared out again we'll knock out the color worflow video as well as the grip video. We'll drop them all at once most likely.
Cheers, Zack
White Seamless Link For Photoshop World ::
Thanks to everyone who came to the white seamless session yesterday at Photoshop World. I thought I would give you all a quick link to the tutorial here on the blog so you don't have to dig through the archives.
>> It starts here. <<
If you have any questions about the technique just drop them in the comments.
Cheers, Zack
Buckhead Bottle Bar for The Atlantan Magazine :: + Lighting Diagrams
The great thing about shooting more editorial work is getting to shoot more editorial work. The problem with shooting more editorial work is there are times I have to sit on the images for 30, 60, 90, or more days before I can share them.
This is an assignment I shot for The Atlantan. The subjects are Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia and ATL restaurant veteran A.D. Allushi. They just opened a new restaurant/bar in Atlanta called the Buckhead Bottle Bar. I shot this assignment while construction was still going on inside their new restaurant & bar. I had one little corner to work in that wasn't covered in dust and was "nearly" completed. The rest of the place was in a state of chaos as they were trying to bring it all together for an opening a week away. There were a few issues on the shoot. There was only one working power outlet we could use and the lights in the onyx table top were not installed yet. Below is a portrait of the two of them and the table I'm talking about.
Here is where being comfortable with your lights comes in very handy. The lighting and design of this place is as much of the story as the menu is. It was important to show this table lit up so Dan and I spent about 20 minutes testing out several options for lighting the table with flashes. We ended up gaff taping three hot shoe flashes underneath the table and put them on a really low power. These were older Nikon SB flashes that have built in optical slaves in them. We set them to slave so they would fire when the main light fired.
I had everyone take a look at the photos to make sure it wasn't straying too far visually from what the tables would look like once the lights were installed. We made some changes to the direction of the small flashes until it matched what it would look like once the tables were complete. Again, knowing how to use your lights is crucial to being a working photographer. Everyone was worried what these portraits would look like without light coming through the table. When you can solve that kind of problem you are the hero of the day. Especially when you can do it in camera. If you can impress your client like this then they trust you. If they trust you… they call you again. All that's left is making the deadline.
I'm currently finishing up the OneLight companion book that's going out to all of this year's OneLight alum. It's going to have images like this along with lighting diagrams and the thought process behind the shot. For the sake of this blog post I'm including the lighting diagrams and camera settings for the two shots here. The diptych above is what I call the grid spot with soft chaser sort of look. The two flashes used for this type of light are on the same axis. You put the umbrella or softbox or octa up and then fly a grid spotted flash right in the center of it pointing in the same direction as the soft light source. You're looking to get the soft light to be 3 or so stops under the gridded light. It's the same thing I did when shooting the Fences for the creativeLIVE studio class.
Click on the images below to see them larger.
This shoot is a good example of why having some big lights and some small lights are good way to go when you have to walk into unknown situations on a regular basis. A few Alien Bees and a few old hotshoe flashes will take care of just about anything that comes your way.
As for the Bottle Bar? Come this fall when I'm not traveling as much, I'm going to be hanging out there. It's a very cool place. You need to check it out if you're in the ATL. The bottles behind the bar are cool. I wish they were done when I was shooting this so I can show you how cool they are.
Cheers, Zack
We All Live In A…
We all live in a big a$$ yellow bus. We are on the road with our OneLight Family Tour!
We are currently in Asheville, NC. As soon as we wrap up the OneLight here tonight we drive all night to DC. With the exception of Pittsburgh we are having mixers in each city and we would love for you to come out and catch some live music, win gift cards from B&H, OneLight DVDs, and network within your local photographic community. The mixers are free and open to the public. Here is where we will be…
7/1 :: Washington DC
7/6 :: Cincinnati, OH
7/8 :: Indianapolis, IN
7/11 :: Chicago, IL
7/13 :: Saint Louis, MO
7/15 :: Nashville, TN
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all of the details as to places and times in these cities. Hope to meet you soon!
Cheers, Zack
How Do You Know When You've "Made It"? ::
That guy above is hip hop legend 8 Ball. I had the opportunity to photograph him about three years ago. We shot in the studio and then headed out on location in his completely tricked out Hummer. * Ball came up in Memphis with MJG. You may not have heard of 8 Ball. If you like any sort of hip hop coming from the south then you most definitely have heard his influence. Everyone from T.I. to Luda to Andre 3000 all talk about how they were influenced by 8 Ball and MGJ early on in their career.
I was, of all things, folding socks this morning thinking about anything but folding socks. There are some who look at me and say, "Wow. Zack has made it." From my view point I will say I've "made it" when I don't have to fold socks ever again in my life. That got me thinking about 8 Ball and I thought I would share this interesting personal story…
As I was steaming Ball's 6XL shirts for this shoot I was asking him about his career. I asked one question and he told me something that has stuck with me ever since.
I asked… "When did you know your career was to the point that this was now your job? Like, you made it."
Ball stopped rolling his "smoke" and sat back and told me about growing up as a kid in a poor neighborhood in Memphis. He lived with his mom and grandmother in a shotgun shack. He slept in the den. One of his daily chores was going around the house and collecting the mouse traps in the house, take them outside, and get rid of the dead mice. Then he had to reset those traps and put them back around the house. He told me that he knew he had "made it" when he could throw away the whole mouse trap and reset a new one. He was making enough money in hip hop that he could just buy a new bag of traps every week instead of using the old ones.
8 Ball bought his mom a house. He's doing well. He's influenced an army of rappers. He knows he made it when he didn't have to use a used mouse trap.
It doesn't take a whole lot to make it does it? He made it but still had to set those traps. He still had a long way to go before he could just buy his mom a new house. It's such a great story. For those of you who just discount hip hop as "crap" you ought to listen beyond the ho's and rims and hear the stories of people who came out of nothing and into something. There are a lot of stories of redemption that come out of hip hop. Not exactly your Sunday school stories of redemption but redemption all the same. Go watch Hustle & Flow. It's one of my top three favorite movies of all time. It's about a small time pimp coming up in hip hop in Memphis. 8 Ball, of course, is on the soundtrack.
Here's another one…
Cheers, Zack
I Saw This Five Miles Away ::
I saw this picture five miles away. I knew exactly what it would look like…
Five miles away.
Tonight we had what we have been referring to as the "OneGuy" workshop. Some of you may remember that Meg and I got stuck in Italy thanks to the Ksadf;ljasdflkjsdikill volcano in Iceland. Because we were stranded there for an extra six days we had to cancel a OneLight workshop. That was a mess.
One of the guys who signed up for that workshop wrote to us and said that if he could just come in for an evening one on one session that would be good. He needed some specific answers to some specific questions. Since we had to cancel the workshop we were willing to do whatever we could to accommodate his request. So tonight, we had a OneGuy workshop. Well, that's not completely true, OneLight alum Perry came by to hang out as well. Perry brought Lauren. Lauren was our subject for the evening.
So we worked inside a bit and then got in a few cars to head out on location. I had one specific spot in mind with a great east facing shooting position with a nice big view of the sky. I love sky shots. I just do. Anyway… As we pulled out I looked to the West and the most brilliant cloud formations were popping up. The sky to the East was blank. Nothing. Not a single cloud. My mind started going through all the west facing locations that I knew of that were in close proximity to the studio because we were losing light and I had to get those clouds.
My mind was racing and as cliché as it may seem for Atlanta, the only spot I knew where I could get those clouds in a shot and get there in time was the Jackson St. bridge. It is "the" ATL skyline shooting position. I can't tell you how many hip hop videos have been shot on that bridge or how many photo shoots you can see on any given day happening there. Heck, when we rolled up there was an engagement session being shot there.
… But I saw this picture. I looked at the clouds. I saw the frame they were making in the sky. I knew if I dropped down a bit with my 35mm lens I could place Lauren right smack dab in the middle of them and the exposure of the sky was to the point that I should be able to pull this off at f2.8 and a decent shutter of 250th or 125th. I knew I wanted f2.8 so that the clouds would go out of focus. I knew my 35mm lens would hold enough depth of field to see the texture of the clouds but not be too sharp. I knew the location and I knew I could not only frame her within the clouds but within a few buildings in the skyline. I knew exactly what this frame was going to look like while I was still driving down the street.
I'm not trying to show off. I'm not trying to act like a photo ninja. I'm trying to drive home the point that IF you know your gear you can pre-visualize the pictures you want to make. You can be driving to a location knowing exactly which lens you are going to grab, which modifier you want, and what the basic idea of exposure should be. How do you come to this intimate knowledge of your gear, your light, and your exposure? How?
By shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, and shooting some more.
If you aren't actively working with your gear and shooting pictures on a regular basis then you aren't learning and you aren't growing and you'll never get very far with your craft. Plain and simple.
I quit my day job 6.5 years ago to become a full time photographer. I'd say I hit this level of comfort with my gear, my light, and my exposure in the last year or so. Let's just say it took five years of shooting two to four jobs a week to get there.
The photo above isn't the best shot I've ever taken but it is exactly how I knew it would look when I was still five miles away from the spot.
How much are you shooting? Enough or do you need to be getting out there some more? I'm not shooting enough. Yes I can nail this shot but the next shots in my mind… I don't know how I'm going to approach those yet. I still have a lot to learn.
Cheers, Zack
Listener :: Finding Inspiration Outside The Craft
I get asked a lot about where I get my inspiration. That's a hard question to answer because there are so many things and people in my life that inspire me. Let me tell you a story about a white guy from Arkansas that raps.
More after the jump ::.
Last night Meg and I were able to get a babysitter and go see our friend Dan Smith play a show. His project is called "Listener".
Dan has a schtick. A persona. A presence on stage. He does this "thing" that is amazing. Dan does "talk music" and it is his own thing. Love him or hate him, when Dan takes the stage people get off their phones, stop chatting, and watch. His stage persona is mesmerizing. It never bleeds into background music. His music isn't ever going to make the top ten on the billboard charts and I think that's just all right for him. He's not following. He's not replicating. He's not trying to find what is popular and pursue that.
I met Dan about six years ago when he was more of a hip hop artist than folksy/indie/something/talk music artist. I was introduced to him through this cat in Nashville named KC Jones. KC said to me, "You gotta hear the Listener. He's a white dude from Arkansas that raps." That introduction was enough to pique my interest.
The first song I heard was Train Song (mp3 download). "It's my habits that make my fingers weak…" Listen closely to the story. Pretty amazing.
Decadence (mp3 download) is one of my favorite tracks from his more hip hop centric era. It also features Manchild who has a flow like no other. Yes, I do have permission to link to these files.
It's been interesting to watch him change. To watch him find who he is. To start at one place and end up somewhere else and to see he's not "there" yet. Dan has always been Dan, yet with each new part of his project he is becoming more true to his core. He's walking through the shit of life and stripping off the non essentials and building back from there. It's really an amazing process to watch from the outside.
I need to sit down with him sometime and see what it's like from his perspective because I know for a fact it will be much different than my perspective. Maybe I'm wrong about how I see Dan. Maybe Dan is wrong about how he sees himself. Sometimes people on the outside see the real you. The "you" you can't see. And sometimes people from the outside have the wrong idea about who you are. Hmmmm. This reminds me of something Meg is working on but that's not for this post. (Dan, next time you're back in Atlanta let's talk it out)
If you listen to his older music you can hear the framework of his newer work. Meaning, you can look back and see the progression but you never see it when you are moving forward. The same thing goes for photography. It's called personal style and it takes years to develop and you can't really see your style until you have some years under your belt and can look back.
Dan is a huge source of inspiration for me. That inspiration doesn't change how I look through my viewfinder but it changes how I look through the eye in my brain if that makes any sense at all… Which it doesn't. I went to public school so trying to flowchart how inspiration works for me is a bit difficult. My brain eyes connect to my face eyes which connect to my viewfinder so maybe he does inspire how I see the world. How "inspiration" like this works for me is the music gets in my head. I listen to the stories in the lyrics. I connect the dots from the songs to the dots of my own life and those thoughts sort of lead me down a path of more thoughts that eventually lead to actions with my camera and with my business. Inspiration for me isn't seeing one person do something and then I go do something similar to that. I think that's more like plagiarism than inspiration.
Dan's magic really comes through his show. He's brave. He's full on. He doesn't hold back. He doesn't care what he looks like. He just lets the f#ck go and pours it all out. I've seen him perform to a packed venue and to 8 people in a living room and he brings everything he has to the stage with every performance.
You can find his new album here. Be sure to give "Wooden Heart" a listen. Buy a copy and support an artist. Don't you want someone to give you some support in your endeavors? Pay it forward.
You can stream his new album. Sorry iPhone/iPad users. These are flash embeds.
This is his last album. It's called "Return To Struggleville" and it's about a traveling knife salesman and it's brilliant.
His songs are stories. They are pulled out of his head and out of his experience. He's living his story. Are you? Are you aware that you're walking out your story? Are you keeping your eyes far out ahead and busting your ass to get there or are you sitting around on said ass looking backwards? How's that working for you? I saw a great quote on Twitter yesterday…
"Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you aren't willing to move your feet."
Dan's played more than 800 shows and he has 800 more to go. He's doing it. He's sharing his life. He's changing. Growing. He's moving his feet. Stripping it down to the essentials. He's inspiring thousands. He's just a white dude from Arkansas that raps and he is a really important character in my own story. Fun trivia – His 800th show was at a Mexican Restaurant. 800th show.
Where are you getting your inspiration from outside the photography world?
Are you moving your feet or sittin' on your ass? I'd rather have sores on my feet than on my ass. There's a t-shirt.
Cheers, Zack
Modifiers :: From Day 03 of My creativeLIVE Class
Ok. Are you ready to get your nerd on? Calling all pixel peepers! Here are the images for the modifier run down we went through on Day 03 of the creativeLIVE studio lighting class. I'm not sure which took me longer… Shooting all of these images during the class or prepping them for the web.
Before we get started with the images there are some things I want to go ahead and cover with you before you check these out.
This isn't the most comprehensive light modifier test in the world. It isn't even half way scientific in approach. There are real issues with comparing modifiers like this. I'm telling you right now that this isn't the true proper nerded out way of doing this kind of thing. While we strove for consistency and Dan and I spent some time in the morning before the broadcast testing things out, remember there can be variations 1/3 of a stop from pop to pop with those Alien Bees. That's why they are affordable. With all that said let me now say… if you run through some modifiers in this way you'll learn a lot. I do this kind of stuff when I'm checking out a new modifier.
Why do I feel the need to give this big disclaimer? To ward off the measurebators that are about to descend on this post. The guys who look at photos on the photon level and lose all the soul of this craft. I like to nerd out from time to time and discuss CMOS vs. CCD but never at the cost of losing the soul of the craft. So… enjoy this comparison. There are things to learn.
Things to look for ::
• Take a look at how the modifier effects the exposure on the subject and the background. • Watch the transition from highlight to shadow. How hard is that line? • Take a look at the catchlights in the eyes. • How effecient is the modifier in terms of lost light from the standard? • Look at the difference in the quality of light when some of them are moved closer than the standard shooting point. • Moving the light closer to the subject changes exposure so I didn't list the change in aperture for those images since they deviated from standard position.
I've highlighted a few areas here to watch in the photos below… Look at this crop between the 7′ and 4′ Octabanks…
Notice how the transition from highlight to shadow is much more gradual with the larger 7′ Octa. Notice how the shadows are more open with the 7′ as compared to the 4′. Notice the 4′ Octa has a brighter catchlight. Notice they have about the same effect on the exposure of the background. The background is important to watch with these. There are times I pick a modifier based on how it is going to throw light on or flag light off of the background. Here is the same image without the circles. From modifier to modifier some areas will change dramatically and some will barely be noticeable.
The following image is the "standard" for this test. It is an Alien Bee with its standard 7″ silver reflector in place. The standard exposure for this at this distance is f13. We then paraded different modifiers off of the same light stand position. At times I moved the stand to demonstrate a distance I would more likely be using that particular modifer.
Here is a crop of the 7′ Octa (our largest modifier) in comparison to the standard 7″ reflector. Notice how light from the Octa wraps all the way around to her ear.
Want to pixel peep? Here you go!
If you look at a few of these and say "I can't really tell any difference between the $30 modifier and the $800 modifier!" then note the disclaimers above. There are ways of shooting a shoot through umbrella in this kind of situation and make it look a whole lot like the Octabank. Then there are times that one will absolutely run circles around the other and the difference is night and day. To walk through each of these drastic and subtle usage changes would have taken the entire three days of teaching. Your goal is to get to know YOUR modifiers and be educated about the basic differences between different kinds so you can make educated choices the next time you go buy one of these.
As Bill, one of the creativeLIVE crew members, said so well… "There's no morality in choosing a light modifier." Let that sink in. Sometimes I pick a modifier based on… "Ummmm. How about…. Uh. This one." Other times I walk in a room and I know that I want my 28″ Westcott Apollo and there is no other modifier in the world that will do the job. Sometimes I pick a modifier because it is more efficient with light than another that is similar to it in look. Note how the reflective umbrella lost 2 stops of light as opposed to the 4′ Octa. Sometimes that stop is a make or break situation on a job.
At times there's "just something" about one modifier over another. You can't quite put your finger on it but you just like "that thing" about that modifier. That's how I feel about the 22″ beauty dish. I could get a very similar look from the 28″ Apollo or a small silver umbrella but there is just "something" about how the light feathers and falls off with the beauty dish that makes me pull that out over a small softbox. Sometimes I just like the catchlight more.
I like circles.
Other times I like rectangles.
There's not a moral issue on the table here.
Another issue with this test is we aren't shooting full length. You'd see a BIG difference between a 60″ umbrella and a 7′ Octa when shooting full length. I tested that out and went back and forth on it. The reason I decided against it was our awesome subject, Lou, would have been standing in one spot for a long time. That little stool she was on was bad enough. I felt standing for as long as we needed to run through this would have been too much to ask. Remember, we are in the service industry. Serve your clients. Make them as comfortable as possible. I guess I could have had her lean on something. That would have been a light stand or a broom handle. Neither make for the best props.
My last caveat to all of this… Go shoot your own lighting tests! Seriously. You'll learn so much doing this. Change the distance, the angle, the height, etc. Watch what your modifiers do full length vs. head and shoulders. LEARN YOUR GEAR!!!
All the images and download links after the jump….
creativeLIVE Images
I can't tell you how overwhelming this past weekend has been for me on all fronts. Hundreds and hundreds of man and woman hours went in to pulling this three day live event off. It was frantic. It was stressful. It was exhausting. It was one of the greatest things I've ever been a part of. Thank you one and all. Here are a few selects from the weekend.
Interested in seeing the 16 hours of studio training? Check it out here.
More images after the jump…
The shot above and the shot below were using the same background.
There are some other images on this blog post from the weekend.
Want to find out about the class I taught? Check it out here.
Many thanks to ::
Affix Music (provided the bumper music on Friday and Saturday)
And the entire crew who made this thing happen.
And you know what? I would not be able to do this had Marc Climie not put a camera back in my hands 6.5 years ago.
We have more material, videos, and stuff coming to the blog from this event.
Cheers, Zack
Live Blog Post :: creativeLIVE Class ::
This is the live blog post from my creativeLIVE class going on right now. I'll be updating this through the weekend. You can watch it live here.
Here is the Home Depot tag for the shiny tile board stuff I'll be using on the white seamless. I typically can find this stuff at Home Depot and Lowes in the paneling or bath section.
Find the list of gear I'm using via this link.
See more images after the jump…
Page 3 / 10


text:
Today in The Journal News
One day before opening the spring schedule, the Yankees got away from George M. Steinbrenner Field for a day of games at a local arcade. Andrew Brackman, A.J. Burnett and Royce Ring were the big winners, while Mariano Rivera didn't fare nearly as well as he did a year ago.
Joba Chamberlain skipped the trip because of flu-like symptoms. He'll try to throw a bullpen today, which would keep him on schedule to pitch on Friday. The notebook also has items on Chad Gaudin, the developing lineup, the left-field situation, the upcoming pitching schedule and Andy Pettitte.
Categories: Misc

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wood, Henry, Mrs., 1814-1887
From Library of Congress Name Authority File
Wood, Henry, Mrs., 1814-1887
Instance Of
Scheme Membership(s)
Collection Membership(s)
- Price, Ellen, 1814-1887
- Wood, Ellen, 1814-1887
- Author of East Lynne, 1814-1887
Additional Information
Birth Date
- 18140117
Death Date
- 18870210
Birth Place
Death Place
- female
Associated Language
Additonal Related Forms
Exact Matching Concepts from Other Schemes
Earlier Established Forms
Wood, Ellen Price, 1814-1887
- found: Her The Argosy, 1867-80.
- found: Her East Lynne, c1984: CIP t.p. (Mrs. Henry Wood)
- found: LC data base, 10/17/83 (hdg.: Wood, Ellen Price, 1814-1887; usage: Mrs. Henry Wood)
- found: Her Lost in the post, 1881: t.p. (Johnny Ludlow (Mrs. Henry Wood, author of "East Lynne"))
- found: Her East Lynne, 1993: CIP t.p. (Mrs. Henry Wood) galley (Mrs. Henry Wood is the married name and pseudonym of Ellen Price)
- found: East Lynne, 2005. t.p. (Ellen Wood) 1st prelim. page (Ellen Wood, or "Mrs. Henry Wood")
- found: Oxford dictionary of national biography online, 26 February 2014 (Ellen Wood [née Price], known as Mrs Henry Wood; writer and journal editor; born 17 January 1814 in Worcester; died 10 February 1887 in London; sometimes used pseudonym Johnny Ludlow)
- found: Good words, 1863: March, page 173 (The night-walk over the mill stream by the author of "East Lynne")
LC Classification
Change Notes
- 1980-12-11: new
- 2014-10-22: revised
Alternate Formats


text:
The sounds seem as if they are coming from the right now abaft the beam, if anything.
The sound came from abaft his beam and his disquietude increased.
On the gratings around the stern, abaft the wheel, they laid her on soft cushions.
Up with your helm, abaft there, and let her go off square before the wind!
That part of the cable which is abaft the bitts, and therefore within board when the ship rides at anchor.
"I'm on the port side just abaft the pantry," I answered, shaking him by the hand.
The three of them stood by the rail just abaft the pilot house when the Arrow turned into the half-mile breadth of Folly Bay.
Luxury starts from abaft, and is not wholly lost, even at the fore-peak.
There were no deck lamps; the two skylights diffused but a sickly radiance, and I was abaft the side-lights.
There was a capstan just abaft the mainmast, and here the men assembled.
"in or at the back part of a ship" (opposed to forward), 1590s, from Middle English on baft (Old English on bæftan) "backwards." The second component is itself a compound of be "by" (see by) and æftan "aft" (see aft). The word has been saved by the sailors (the stern being the "after" part of a vessel), the rest of the language having left it in Middle English.


text:
Converse + Soundgarden Teamed Up for Limited Edition Shoe
Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:08:37
Soundgarden Photos
Soundgarden Videos
Converse announced a limited edition, exclusive collaboration with legendary alternative band Soundgarden in celebration of the band's new album King Animal, which is out now.
The limited edition Soundgarden Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker was made available exclusively at Converse's Santa Monica store at Third Street Promenade and at Converse.com and will coincide with the band's first release in over 15 years.
Converse's limited edition Soundgarden Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker features album artwork from "King Animal" on a monochromatic black sneaker. The new Sound Garden logo is also highlighted in white on the heel. The Soundgarden Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker was limited to only 60 pairs and will be available in unisex whole sizes 6-13 for $65.
Who wants to wear Soundgarden kicks? Think they'll make more?
—Maggie Pannacione


text:
Welcome to the forum!
The first revolver that comes to mind that meets your criteria is the Ruger LCR. It is available in either .38 or .357, you can swap out the front ramp for a night sight, and CT laser grips can be added on. However, it is DAO.
This is a discussion on looking for first carry revolver within the Defensive Carry Guns forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Hey! New to the forums, but not new to guns in general. I'm looking at my first conceal carry gun, and i've taken a liking ...
Hey! New to the forums, but not new to guns in general.
I'm looking at my first conceal carry gun, and i've taken a liking to revolvers, I just like the way they feel in my hand.
The problem is i'm not sure which one to get to be effective, most people have told me to get a revolver that is .357 mag, so I have the option of using .38 special.
With that in mind.. is there a revolver that can handle +p rounds, has night sights, and can be equipped with laser grips? and which brands would you recommend? I'd perfer a revolver that was also DAO/SAO
(example, the Taurus 605 is very close)
Thanks! totally appreciate the help!
Welcome to the forum!
The first revolver that comes to mind that meets your criteria is the Ruger LCR. It is available in either .38 or .357, you can swap out the front ramp for a night sight, and CT laser grips can be added on. However, it is DAO.
Welcome from the MS Gulf Coast. I too like the little Ruger LCR, and most of the Smith & Wesson J-Frame's. Most of the little guys can handle +P rounds, as long as it's not a steady diet. With the .357 you can get lots of practice with the lighter .38 rounds, and a few with the .357 or +P for familiarization, and then carry the hotter loads as your carry load. You'll get significantly more recoil/muzzle flip from the hotter rounds, but in a critical incident, you'll probably not notice it. Good night sights, or crimson trace grips and you're good to go.
Another revolver (not so little though) that I really like is the Taurus Judge, using 45 LC and .410 shotgun rounds. If you are big enough (in stature) to carry this little baby, I'd recommend you consider it. What a potent combination that is.
Again welcome & be safe.
" But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... Baa." Col. Dave Grossman on Sheep and Sheepdogs.
Welcome to the forum. The Ruger SP101 and the S&W 686 would be good places to start.
I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it.
Clint Eastwood
Sp101, try it at the gun range and use .38 then .357. Hopefully you love it, some people hate revolvers.
How important is the weight of the gun to you? A heavier gun will be easier to shoot but less comfortable to carry. That being said, if weight is irrelevant to you then my first choice would be a Ruger SP101 with a 3 inch barrel. Practice with 38's and load it with some good 158g .357s for carry. If weight IS important to you I would look at the Ruger LCR in .38. Practice with target .38's and use 38 special+p for carry. Some people can shoot the LCR in .357 well, I however am not one of those people. It's not so much that I found the recoil uncomfortable, I just found follow up shots too slow because of the recoil.
-It is a seriously scary thought that there are subsets of American society that think being intellectual is a BAD thing...
The 1911 is an antiquated weapons system but then again, so am I.
Retired SF(SP) CMSgt 1979-2005
Welcome to the forum.
I'm not a fan of practicing with .38's in a .357, and then carrying .357. Go to the range and shoot both and see if your accuracy stays the same between the two. I'm a fan of practicing with what you carry.
My carry snubby is an S&W 637. It's lightweight, it's designed for what I carry in it (no gap jump, which you'll get shooting .38 from a .357) and I have faith in good ol' .38 spl. 158gr lead semi-wadcutter makes for very effective carry round.
__________________________________________________ ____
You Can Also Find Me On Personal Defense Forum Dot Com
S$W Mod 60 and SP 101 both well thought of.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around laws. Plato
A J frame S&W has always been my favorite. Lots of flavors to choose from as well.
"Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6"
Flight Surgeon, USAF
Law Enforcement Tactical Surgeon
NRA Benefactor Member
S&W J frame 360PD. 11 ounces, shoots .38's to .357's, with Crimson trace laser
Oh yeah, I forgot. I wouldn't buy a aluminium S&W at (pardon the wording) at the point of a gun.
-It is a seriously scary thought that there are subsets of American society that think being intellectual is a BAD thing...
Get a SW 642 with no lock while you still can and ur set...shoots +P rated rounds in a lightweight frame with no external hammer to snag on clothes. It goes great on ankle carry, IWB, OWB, shoulder holster, and pocket carry. very simple operation .."
I have an SP101, spurless hammer. It's a great gun if you can find one.


text:
Community Organization
Written by: Nancy Khalek
The organization and leadership of Sunni Islam has had a formative impact on Sunni identity. The clan-dominated and tribal structure of pre-Islamic Arabian society placed a great emphasis on family relationships and kinship. The initial distinguishing feature of Sunni Islam was that although the denomination eventually settled upon members of the prophet's clan as leaders for the Muslim community - in contrast to those who supported Ali as the rightful inherit or of the mantle of leadership - Sunnis elected a leader by consensus. This had an immediate impact on subsequent generations of the early Muslim community.
Although it began as a rather small group, the Muslim umma (community) grew rather quickly into the global community of Muslims. National controversies surrounding the establishment of dynastic rule from Syria, and later from Baghdad, likewise contributed to different conceptions of the Muslim community. Conversion to Islam, a phenomenon that grew enormously with time over the course of the second and third centuries of the Islamic era, influenced the concept of who was a part of the Muslim community.
There are many anecdotes regarding leadership from among non-Arab converts to Islam in the early Muslim world. One such anecdote consists of an interview between one 9th-century caliph and a legal scholar. In it, the caliph asks the scholar about who has been put in charge of the affairs of various regions of the Islamic world, from Syria to Yemen to North Africa. As the legal scholar responds, naming those leading the various regions, the caliph follows up by asking if the person was Arab or a non-Arab convert to Islam. In every region but one, the scholar answered that the regional leaders were converts to Islam. The caliph then responds by saying that non-Arabs were dominating the religion, which had begun among the Arabs. The scholar's pious response was that knowledge of religion should determine leadership, as opposed to tribal or ethnic affiliation. The point of the anecdote is that even in the early days of Islam, non-Muslim converts were asserting their rights and equal status as Muslims, in spite of the fact that they were not part of the originally Arab Muslim community.
In the later Middle Ages and into the early modern era, the notion of the Islamic community evolved with the political exigencies faced by various leaderships. The disintegration of the Islamic Empire began in the mid-8th century with the Abbasid revolution. Rival states, such as the Fatimids in Egypt, established in the mid-10th century, were established across geographical boundaries in what is usually referred to as the "Muslim Commonwealth." Some of these had distinct sectarian affiliations.


text:
Both sides rest in McCalla case - The Herald Dispatch
Most of this makes me want to puke at the cowardice of them. Me, wife and some work buddies were out at this very range just yesterday (Aug 26) and I couldn't help thinking about it. WV doesn't have the death penalty so they are going to most likely get to spend the rest of their unholy lives in prison, kept alive with MY tax dollars. I can't find any words to express my anger and frustration.Quote:
Curtis Johnson/The Herald-Dispatch
Daniel Smith, a deserted specialist from the U.S. Army, waits for jury selection to begin Monday, August 24, 2009, in Wayne Circuit Court. A two-count indictment charges Smith with killing and robbing Huntington minister Mark McCalla at a secluded gun range in the Beech Fork Wildlife Management Area.
The Herald-Dispatch
WAYNE Both sides are finished presenting evidence in the murder and robbery trial of U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Smith.
Smith and Pfc. Stephen Wilson, both absent without leave from Fort Drum, N.Y., are charged with robbery and murder linked to the June 19, 2008, shooting death of the Rev. Mark McCalla.
Smith told Wayne Circuit Judge Darrell Pratt that he did not wish to testify on his own behalf.
Public defender Larry Lewis called no witnesses, but had a portion of Wilsons confession to police read into evidence.
Closing arguments and the jurys verdict are expected Friday. Proceedings will resume with jury instructions at 9 a.m.
Wayne County Sheriffs Capt. Travis Williamson was the last of 18 witnesses called by Prosecutor Tom Plymale. His testimony followed that of Frank Heathcote, the taxi cab driver who transported Smith and co-defendant Pfc. Stephen Wilson to Charleston during their effort to elude capture.
Williamson testified about the investigation and reviewed its evidence, while Heathcote spoke of the suspects behavior during the taxi cab ride.
Public defender Larry Lewis asked the court to strike the prosecutions evidence and judge his client innocent of the indictment. Prosecutor Larry Plymale said the evidence was overwhelming as he argued against Lewis request.
Late Thursday morning, an audio recording forced a witness to forsake the brotherhood of war.
Robert Riner, who served 15 months with Smith in Iraq, told Smiths jury his friend confided in him after McCallas death. Smith had told Riner he was present when Wilson fatally shot the Huntington minister. Smith had described robbery as their motivation.
Riners testimony followed that of his mother, Mary Finley. She allowed Smith and Wilson to seek refuge at her house when the duo deserted the military.
Riner and Finley both praised Smith during the hearing calling him a good person. Both credited Smith with saving Riners life from thoughts of suicide.
Prosecutor Tom Plymale is expected to rest his case this afternoon.
Wilson informed the court earlier Thursday that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right to protect himself from self incrimination, if called to testify in the trial.
Wilson appeared in person and informed both parties of his intentions during a closed-door hearing Thursday morning prior to third day of testimony, said Wilsons attorney Steve Bragg. The notification should prevent Wilson from being called to testify.
Both men have confessed to individual roles in the June 19, 2008, robbery and shooting death of the Rev. Mark McCalla. Both were absent without leave from Fort Drum.
On Wednesday, Smith and 14 jurors watched his video-recorded confession Wednesday to close the second day of testimony in the 24-year-olds murder and robbery trial.
An indictment charges Smith and Wilson with robbery and murder. A state forestry worker found McCallas body dragged from a pool of blood at a secluded shooting range in the Beech Fork Wildlife Management Area.
Smith's recorded confession, taken after Smith and Wilson were arrested about a week after the killing in Columbus, Ohio, was laced with profanity in spots. Smith vocalized thoughts of suicide multiple times.
Smith resisted questioning early on in the video. He eventually confessed to certain deeds upon learning a fellow soldier questioned by authorities in Cabell County already had told police about his involvement. Smith confessed to dragging the minister's body, but blamed Wilson for pulling the trigger on a military-assault weapon taken from Fort Drum. McCalla was shot in the head.
"After (Wilson) shot him, I freaked and I ain't going to lie. My heart was beating real bad. 'I was like Holy (expletive), dude,'" Smith said in the recording. "There was a lot of blood and (expletive). I freaked. I didn't know what to do, so the first thing I did was (expletive) move the body."
Huntington Police Sgt. David Castle testified the fatal shot damaged protective ear muffs, which McCalla had been wearing for target practice. The avid outdoorsman was pastor at Huntington's Highlawn Presbyterian Church.
Smith showed no emotion during the 90-minute video recording. His attorney, public defender Larry Lewis, offered no cross-examination of the interviewer, Agent Thomas Crawford of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Smith told Crawford he and Wilson sold the alleged murder weapon, two of McCalla's guns and two others to a man in Newport News, Va., the weekend following the minister's death. They returned to a fellow soldier's home in West Virginia. They confessed to their friend and fled when news reports surfaced they had been identified. Authorities intercepted their bus during a layover in Columbus, Ohio. They were on their way to Colorado Springs, Colo.
In the video interview, Smith compared his role in McCalla's death to killing one of God's messengers, saying he felt as if he had "Spit in the face of God." He closed with saying, "That's my story boss. There's nothing else to it."
The video confession ended the trial's first full day of testimony. It included seven witnesses, all from the prosecution.
James A. Kaplan, state chief medical examiner, said McCalla bled to death, but indicated the bullet caused massive brain injuries not consistent with life. He said it is reasonable to assume McCalla's death occurred very quickly.
Dana Sutton, a Presbyterian campus minister at Marshall University, testified to seeing McCalla at a church work-camp just hours before the shooting.
Michael Griffith of Huntington recalled shooting at the range prior to McCalla's arrival. Griffith testified he and the minister made small talk, and then Griffith started packing up.
Griffith testified another vehicle, this one with New York tags, arrived as he was preparing to leave. The vehicle's passenger wore a Mohawk hairstyle and walked toward the range with a gun case. His driver stayed at the New York vehicle as if he were unloading equipment. Evidence indicates Wilson wore the Mohawk, while Smith drove the car.
Griffith recalled telling Wilson, "Hello." He said the suspect acknowledged his greeting with a normal response, but nothing suspicious.
"There wasn't anything unusual," he said.
Griffith notified authorities the next morning as to what he had witnessed. On Tuesday, Plymale credited Griffith with providing investigators with their first significant break in the case.
Lewis did not cross examine Crawford or Sutton. He questioned other witnesses about Smith's actions. Griffith told Lewis he recognized no suspicious activity.
Castle and Kaplan said they found no evidence to suggest Smith pulled the trigger.


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From: Probably washing the vette....
Posts: 4,814
Reloading .357 for the Colt Python
Has anyone ever seen loadings that were specific for brands and models of guns? Would a loading for a .357 in a S&W model 686 with a 6 inch barrel be sufficient for a Colt Python with a 6 inch barrel?
Even more to the point, if I have 6 Colt Pythons with 6 inch barrels, will a single loading be the best for ALL of them? Or are they all going to be different enough that they would have their own unique BEST loading?
For the record, I did some informal testing with some reloads and found HS-6 to be the most versatile with different length barrels in my Pythons. It was never the BEST in any of them, but it consistently produced excellent results with everything I tried. BTW, I was using CCI magnum primers, and I believe using a magnum primer may be necessary with this powder to get consistent results.
Be interested to hear of anyone else loading specifically for the Colt Python and results they have gotten.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2003
From: Crystal River, Florida
Posts: 15
357 Python
What you have with the Python, is a different rate of barrel twist than what S&W puts into them. Therefore, it will 'like' a heavier bullet than the Smith, as I believe it is a 1X14-15 twist. The S&W is a 1X16---- I think.
Anyway, another thing about the Python, is that it has a one thousandth taper toward the muzzle, unlike any other handgun I've ever seen. The original reason the Python was made, was for regulation Police Pistol Combat ( PPC). Since this was once "my" game, that is the only reason I know anything about it at all.
Officers quit using the Python when the rules were changed that made using double action trigger pulls, except at the 50 yard line, mandatory. The Python trigger 'stacks', unlike the Smith. Now we all know that the trigger on the Python can be made to 'not' stack, but costs a LOT of bucks, and then it would not qualify for the regulation competition.
I always used 38 special brass for my shooting in competition, simply because I could never get the consistency I needed with 357 cases. It would have been better to use the 357 cases, as in a hurry, it is easier to load longer cases with a speedloader--- but, since the volume of the case was larger than the 38 special, it just didn't translate into consistency. I don't know if anyone is even using 357 brass yet today in competition. Would be interesting to find out, as there has been a lot of progress in powder development since I was doing my thing ten years ago.
Unless you are just totally adverse to using 38 cases, I'd load up a full wadcutter with 3.3 grains of Winchester 231, with the bullet seated out to the crimping groove, with either the hollowpoint bullet, or double ender. I had to go to the 50 yard line before I could ever see any difference in the flying of the hollowbase bullet and the double ender bullet. That was back when I had 'eyes'. Now, I couldn't tell the difference between a 44 and a 357.
The barrel length won't affect much at all , except velocity, at least in my experience. I mostly shot 6 in barrels, but the same load always worked great in my four incher as well. I used the same load in my Python, before I was stupid enough to sell it. As I remember, it worked ok, but by then the eyes were starting to go, so cannot say precisely.
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text: Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) today reported 2014 second quarter financial results. For the quarter, the Company reported net income of $28.3 million, or $0.08 per share, which includes a tax benefit of $0.11 per share and a negative impact of $0.06 per share of MEGA Brands acquisition and integration costs 2, compared to last year's second quarter net income of $73.3 million, or $0.21 per share. "In the second quarter, we made significant progress across a number of initiatives to better position Mattel in the second half of the year and beyond," said Bryan G. Stockton, Mattel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "For example, we completed the acquisition of MEGA Brands, reduced inventories, strengthened our management team, shifted marketing spend to the back half of the year, and exercised strong controls on SG&A expenses. And while results for the quarter did not meet our expectations, we did see improving POS trends. As we move into the second half of the year and the all-important holiday season, we need to drive POS higher by bringing innovative products to market, making additional advertising investments and optimizing the effectiveness of our marketing spend." Financial Overview For the quarter, net sales were $1.06 billion, down 9% compared to $1.17 billion last year. On a regional basis, second quarter gross sales decreased 8% in the North American Region, which consists of the U.S., Canada and American Girl, including a 1 percentage point unfavorable impact from changes in currency exchange rates. For the International Region, gross sales decreased 9%, including a 2 percentage point unfavorable impact from changes in currency exchange rates. Operating income for the quarter was $1.0 million, compared to prior year's operating income for the quarter of $94.8 million. The Company's debt-to-total capital ratio as of June 30, 2014 was 41.8%. Cash flows used for operating activities were approximately $79 million, compared to approximately $286 million in 2013, driven by lower working capital usage. Cash flows used for investing activities were approximately $525 million, an increase of approximately $393 million, driven by the acquisition of MEGA Brands. Cash flows from financing activities and other were approximately $83 million, compared to cash flows used for financing activities and other of approximately $95 million in 2013. The change was primarily due to lower repayments of long-term debt, partially offset by lower proceeds from stock option exercises.


text:
Free personalized radio that
plays the music you love
From Disco To Disco
Features of This Trackhouse roots
four-on-the-floor beats
electronica influences
funk influences
an altered male vocal
upbeat lyrics
a repetitive verse
a rhythmic intro
use of modal harmonies
the use of chordal patterning
a tight kick sound
rhythmic clapping
a synth bass riff
effected synths
a dry recording sound
trippy soundscapes
radio friendly stylings
prevalent use of groove
a synth-acoustic sonority
These are just a few of the hundreds of attributes cataloged for this track by the Music Genome Project.show more
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text:
It's still early summer and the tourist season has barely started, but the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street is packed. On the first floor there's hardly a spare terminal in the internet cafe.
Most people are checking their emails or logged on to chat rooms, but in the far corner 10 screens are hooked up to webcams and there's a small queue of hopefuls waiting for their 30 seconds of fame. Almost everyone in the line-up appears to be young, sassy and very good looking, and if you had to guess you'd say they were auditioning for Big Brother or some other reality TV show. In fact, they are all making their bid to become the next generation of presenters for the BBC.
Throughout the early part of this summer, the BBC talent roadshow is visiting 11 cities across the UK on its search for six people to front its interactive services.
All anyone who is interested has to do is turn up, type in a statement saying how the internet has affected their life, and then do a quick 30 seconds to camera.
And though you can pre-book your audition slot, it's not essential.
Just turn up on the day and someone from the Beeb will sort you out. Come August and the list will be whittled down to between 50 to 100 who will all be invited to take part in a full-day workshop.
From this, a shortlist of 15 will be drawn up, from which the BBC will choose five winners. The final populist twist is that the sixth presenter will be chosen by the viewing public. You've had Pop Stars, now try TV Stars.
Back in the Virgin Megastore, Michael Clarke, the BBC's project director for this talent trawl, is looking decidedly harassed. "We've had about 500 peo ple in here already," he says. "The range of applicants has been staggering; we've had everyone from novelists to students, from people working in the media to a senior engineer with Cisco Systems. And quite a few appear to be quite promising."
So what is it, exactly, that the BBC is looking for? "We want people who are comfortable with the new forms of technology," Mr Clarke continues, "who can juggle different strands of information and can pioneer a new way of presenting over a broad range of platforms."
The selected presenters will become the faces of BBCi, demystifying technology by helping users to find their way round and access content. They will be doing everything from facilitating live chats on the web, acting as reporters for the entertainment site to supporting communication strategies for interactive television services.
There are certainly more than enough young men and women anxious to show that they have what it takes. Twee Lam, 24, a singer from London, saw an advert for the auditions and thought she'd have a go.
"No, I'm not nervous," she breezes confidently, "as I'm used to performing. I love music, I'm into the media and TV presenting sounds like my ideal job."
Her desire to perform, however, evaporated when Jobs & Money asked her to pose for a photograph.
Shaun Symonds, 27, works for a media company producing corporate conferences. He, too, only heard about the auditions when he happened to be in the record shop. He decided to take a little time to prepare. "I tried to get into acting before," he says, "but I got kicked out of drama school and went off travelling in the United States.
"Now I'm back, I would like to try to get into TV again. Once I saw the BBC Talent notice, I rushed home to work on my prepared statement and to rehearse what I was going to say.
"Yeah, I got a bit edgy, but it was nowhere near as intimidating as a theatrical audition where you have to perform in front of dozens of people. Here it was just you and the webcam."
Julie Fletcher, 25, is initially a little reluctant to chat as she doesn't want her bosses at the model agency to know she had thought about getting another job.
But then she changes her mind. "You can't hold back if you're going to be a TV presenter," she points out. "I've done some acting, I reckon I'd be good at it, so why not let everyone know?"
After the collapse of ITV digital, some analysts have predicted doom and gloom for interactive television, claiming it is a bottomless pit that eats money and that there just aren't enough subscribers out there for the service to pay its way.
The BBC is fortunate that it is funded by licence payers and does not have to rely on advertising revenues, but even so, it has no regrets about its investment in BBCi and nor does it doubt that the future is digital.
And, in many ways, the figures back up their optimism. At present roughly 15.6m adults are connected to the internet in the UK and 23m viewers have access to digital and interactive services. Furthermore, figures released earlier this year revealed that 40% of all digital TV subscribers had accessed the BBC's interactive services.
"Six months ago, interactive TV was in its infancy," says Scott Gromark, the BBC's head of Interactive TV, "but these latest statistics prove that digital TV isn't simply a niche market. If you create services that are simple and easy to use, then people will use them."
But if digital TV is here to stay, everyone seems a little less certain about what it will take to be a presenter across the new platforms.
For all its spiel about what they will do, there is still something a little vague, something elusive, about what the BBC says it is looking for.
Ask whether the search means that the old presenters aren't somehow quite up to the job these days, and you get slapped down pretty quickly. "Not at all," says Mr Clarke. "Our current presenters are very good. We've just got to make sure that the new talent will be there and trained to take over."
Which begs the question why, if the old presenters are so good, doesn't the BBC go on recruiting them in the traditional way using Oxbridge graduates or drama students? Katie Thorogood, director of Discovery UK, suggests that the BBC's initiative is part of its credibility drive. "Young people who have grown up with new technology are likely to have more enthusiasm for it and will be able to engage more with the target audiences," she says. Ms Thorogood goes on to point out that having presenters who are technology literate is extremely cost effective as they can combine several roles. Beyond this, though, she feels that presenting skills are pretty much as they've always been.
"There has been a slight shift away from the frothy Zoe Ball types to experts, such as Simon Schama, who know their subjects inside out and can bring them to life. But you still have to be able to communicate to camera," she adds.
David Miller, a member of the Stirling Media Group, also believes the BBC might be slightly overselling its talent hunt. "We all need to know more about new tech nology," he says, "but I can't see that interactive TV presenting is markedly different from any other form of TV or radio presenting."
Certainly nothing that a day and a half's training couldn't sort out. From watching the BBC Talent adverts on TV, the campaign seems to be mostly about finding younger and more sexualised presenters. Even children's TV is loaded with sexual innuendo. The BBC - along with most other TV channels - is obsessed with being weird, wacky, provocative and young.
There is little emphasis on informing or educating. Yes, the new presenters must be able to communicate enthusiasm but I'm equally sure they must be telegenic and prepared to wear as few clothes as possible. As such, those who apply are bound to be those whose main ambition is merely to have their 15 minutes of fame."
Steve Barnett, professor of communications at the uni versity of Westminster, believes that the new technology will demand different, if complementary, presenting skills.
"We're already seeing a transitional stage of presenter on programmes such as Radio 5 Live, where hosts not only run the show but answer emails and weave listener responses into the fabric of the programme.
"In traditional broadcasting, everything is tightly scheduled, but interactivity is a much more fluid process and can take the programme into unexpected directions.
"You want someone with the traditional skills of holding a programme structure together, who can also think on their feet and understands art of balancing being interesting and controversial without being offensive."
However, Mr Barnett also reckons that these skills may be innate rather than trainable. So what is the X factor? The BBC would no doubt say they will know it when they see it. As the old lottery ads used to say: It could be you. But it probably won't be.


text:
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text: I have a 2002 WRX and the clutch is absolutely SHOT!!! Can anyone help me out on a good, affordable, PERFORMANCE clutch that I can throw in there. I am really clueless. I was looking at the COBB ones but $1300 is WAY out of my league. Any suggestions? Thanks.


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What we learned from the 1970's, II
By Eugene B. Borowitz, Balfour Brickner, Nora Levin, Michael Wyschogrod, David Novak, Arnold Jacob Wolf
Eugene Borowitz, January 11, 1980
At Sh'ma's annual meeting of the contributing editors in June 1979, a symposium was held on the implications of the past decade on Jewish life. Opening, prepared remarks were made by Nora Levin, Arnold Jacob Wolf, and David Novak. A lively discussion followed. These are highlights of the exchange.
Topics under discussion include the future of American Jewry and its institutions; the relationship between the diaspora, particularly the United States, and Israel; and the tension between Jewish, and Israeli, particularism and humanist universalism.
The record of this this discussion spans two issues: Part 1
Topic: Political Behavior, Philosophy, Politics, Zionism, Future
Name of Publication: Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Ideas
Editor: Borowitz, Eugene
Volume/Issue: Vol.10/No.185
Page Number(s): 36-40
Genre: Discussion
Coverage: Israel , United States
Language: English
Copyright Holder: Publisher
Copyright Information: Download for personal use, freely distribute link
Bibliographic Information:
Borowitz, Eugene B. Brickner, Balfour. Levin, Nora. Wyschogrod, Michael. Novak, David. Wolf, Arnold Jacob. What we learned from the 1970's, II. Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Eugene Borowitz. 11 January 1980: 36-40. http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=11837
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State Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Montclair, is co-chairing a committee to hear the statewide concerns of employers and employees on the issue of pension reform.
The lawmaker, who plans to run for Congress next year, was elected to serve the 32nd District in the California State Senate in 2006.
McLeod recently discussed several other issues besides the Golden State's pension crunch with the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and The Sun.
Q: You agreed to the new state redevelopment plan, which does away with redevelopment agencies, but allows redevelopment agencies to exist if payments are made for services. Some people are unhappy about this. How would you defend this plan?
A: What started out as a tool for local governments to get property taxes and do cleanup for blighted areas, it turns out that many of the cities that still have blighted areas now have stadiums, and all kinds of state-of-the-art stuff, which was not, in terms of my interpretation, taking care of the blighted areas ... Not to say there weren't people that did terrific stuff and yeah, stadiums bring money into the coffers, but that's not what it is meant for.
Q: You voted in support of the prison realignment (which shifts low level offenders to the county jails). Some officials have said this will raise the crime rate because of the lack of space in the local jails. How do you respond to the concern?
A: We have to see what happens. I'm not saying they don't have a concern. Let's see what happens, and see if what everybody has yelled about actually happens.
Q: What do you think about the effect of legislative term limits and what some say is the increasing power of staffers in Sacramento.
A: (Many lawmakers) are not there long enough to understand the real things the Legislature does. Let's say when you get there first, it's not like on-the-job learning. They don't say you're gonna come in and then you get to do this. They say here you go .... Then you say OK and you learn real quick. Fortunately, for most Californians, most of its legislators have some on-the-job training outside. Most of them come from some form of city government. They've been on school boards and they've done budgets. So most of them can catch it pretty quick. But then how do you carry a bill? Nobody's done that before, because you don't do that in local government. You don't carry bills. The skill involved is knowing where the pitfalls are. How do I get my bill out? How do I not get everybody angry at me? How do I talk to my colleagues to make sure they know this is a good bill? Am I wiling to make amendments? ... Ultimately, you are the one whose name is on the bottom of the bill. You are responsible for it. If you let somebody else be responsible, you're obfuscating your responsibilities. Staff can recommend what they see as pitfalls, then it's up to you to say OK, I heard your point of view, then here is what I'm going to do.
Q: What do you think of the initiative process?
A: I don't think the process is horrible, but the fact is that with X amount of signatures, all you have to pay is $300 to file your paperwork to file something on the ballot. There should be something on the ballot to tell voters, this is going to cost X number of dollars in perpetuity, to let them know exactly what they are voting for. People over the last 20 years have voted for numerous propositions that have cost the state numerous amounts of money. That doesn't come out of somewhere else. It comes out of the general fund. Every time you take money out of the general fund, you make it smaller and smaller. So those services you provide to the constituents of California grow smaller and more constricted.
Q: What other major issues are of great concern to you?
A: The fact that we may have to cut education again is a big factor. I hope that we don't. I hope that people spend a lot of money in the next three months so we don't pull those triggers. There's a disconnect. They don't understand that money comes from someplace and the someplace is the general fund and if you don't have general fund money, you cannot provide the services that people think they should deserve. The very fact that the economy imploded, more and more people need services.
Reach Neil via email, call him at 909-483-9356, or find him on Twitter @InlandGov.


text: EDMONTON, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - The Cash Store Financial Services Inc. (TSX: CSF); (NYSE: CSFS) ("the Company") today announced that the Board of Directors will separate the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer prior to the Company's Annual General Meeting for fiscal 2013, which will be held in early 2014 . Mr. Gordon Reykdal will continue to hold the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until a suitable candidate has been selected to be the next Chairman. The Governance and Nominating Committee will undertake the search for a new Chairman. The Board of Directors' decision to separate the roles was based upon its careful consideration of the Company's current stage of growth and development, input from its shareholders, and to further align Cash Store Financial with corporate governance best practices. "We appreciate the feedback and participation we have received from our shareholders," said Mr. Reykdal. "We will begin our search process and look forward to finding an individual who will add to the depth and strength of our Board. This change will also allow me additional time to focus on the growth and operations of the Company." About Cash Store Financial Cash Store Financial is the only lender and broker of short‐term advances and provider of other financial services in Canada that is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CSF). Cash Store Financial also trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CSFS). Cash Store Financial operates 512 branches across Canada under the banners "Cash Store Financial", "Instaloans" and "The Title Store". Cash Store Financial also operates 25 branches in the United Kingdom. Cash Store Financial and Instaloans primarily act as lenders and brokers to facilitate short-term advances and provide other financial services to income-earning consumers who may not be able to obtain them from traditional banks. Cash Store Financial also provides a private-label debit card (the "Freedom" card) and a prepaid credit card (the "Freedom MasterCard") as well as other financial services, including bank accounts.


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Welder question
Hi, I'm sure this question has been answered before, But a quick search really did not turn up any concrete answers, Atleast not for me. But my question is: What welder is best for building car frames with? I want to start out by building a go-kart to help me learn the best way to weld that is best for me. I have seen where people say TIG is best, And some say Stick/ARC is best, I'm sure it boils down to personal opinion, But I would like to know if MIG would be good and strong enough to build car frames with? I would also like to know if one that works off of a 110 socket be powerful enough, I have seen where people said only 220 is strong enough, But I live with my girlfriends grandparents for now, And I don't know if they would be too thrilled about having their garage rewired as they don't have a 220 outlet. I figured I would ask the pro's their opinion on this before I buy a welder and discover that it is not good enough. Thanks in advance for any help you could give me.
What I will give you is my personal opinion, others will have theirs. To weld on a car frame a MIG is Plenty strong enough. I wouldn't weld a car frame with a 110 MIG even though they have improved the 110 welder greatly over the years. The frames on cars are made of heavier material (especially the older full framed vehicles) than regular body panels and may require more penetration than the 110 MIG can provide. Some people may come on here and say that they have done it without any problem and that is their opinion....this is mine.
If your going to start out welding up go kart frames a 110 should be strong enough and is a great format to learn how to weld...you might want to start there. Later on you could move up to a 220 MIG and selling your 110 wouldn't be a problem, if you wanted to sell it. I still often use a 110 MIG for body panels, the metal is much thinner than the metal on a frame and the 110 gives me all the penetration that 18 to 24 gauge metal requires.
TIG welding is another matter, before you get into TIG welding, it's probably a good idea to learn how to use a MIG. The skill set for TIG is much greater than a MIG, again, people may disagree and maybe it's just that I'm more comfortable with a MIG but, TIG takes a real steady hand and you need to know how metal reacts when being welded. A MIG will provide you with much of that information before you attempt TIG welding.
I hope this helps and as I said, these are my opinions only.
|The Following User Says Thank You to 69 widetrack For This Useful Post:
Arc-Angel (08-01-2013)
What Ray said, every word, what Ray said.
there is no weldable metal on a standard vehicle over 10 gauge
110v machines are fully capable of welding 10 gauge in a single pass
i welded my whole truck frame and lots of the sheetmetal with a 110v fluxcore machine
i bought 110v for portability, i've had it on ladders and in a basket on a forklift
you can't beat fluxcore for welding outside.
i've had my lincoln weldpac 100 for 14 yrs and have never had to run out to fill an argon tank
that said... a 220v mig will be more versatile for more metals and methods
most welders have 4 to 6 heat selections and infinite wire speed
i prefer lincoln, miller and hobart, in no particular order.
but lately have heard a lot of good reviews on the eastwood brand welders
stick works well if you have an arc welder available, but i would not buy one unless you have a specific purpose, same goes for tig
welding is all about heat, puddle control and penetration.
once you master those all welding is pretty much the same
welder outlet
if the garage is attached to the house and the laundry area is close u can use the dryer plug.. it's a 30a 220v sys and plenty for light stick welding. u'll just need to make an extension cord for dryer and welder which are different.
A 220v wirefeed is THEE most efficient machine for auto work.
It will handle anything from thin shettmetal with .024 MIG wire and up and more than 1/2" with multiple passes
I wrote this on another forum in the welding and fabrication section,it pretty much gets to the point of facts,not myths....
As was already said,a 110v machine will push it to it's limits and borderline that "maybe" it'll work and hold welding 1/4" without a preheat.
once you start gettin into alot fab work on the Jeep you'll runnin into alot heavier things to weld than a 110v machine is designed for..heavy suspension parts,roll cages,heavy bumpers and rock gards,motor mounts if swapping out for more power..etc etc.
A 220v machine is just so much more versatile and suitable for Jeep mods and repairs than a 110v,there wont be anything on a Jeep your working that a 220v can;t handle without question,from thin sheetmetal to heavy axle tubes and chunks.
Now a days there really isn't that much of a price difference in my opinion between a 110v vs 220v to justify going with a 110v unless 110v power is your only option,but that would be a rare occasion unless you live in an apartment and have no 220v dryer plug.
You'll most likely hear/see some people say"i welded my whole rig up with a 110v 140 amp machine and its held up to the worst abuse in the world!"...that's all cool and i'm glad it held up,but it still doesn't hide the fact that a 110v machine was put to it's limits and overworked at max settings to do the job,plus it doesn't hide the fact that it may of made a nice looking weld but the fact is it still aint hot enough to do a confident sufficeint weld on thicker materials.
The manufacturers recommend the maximum thickness of steel for the machine not for the fact it can't get a complete fusion in every pass,but for the fact it isn't hot enough of a machine to sufficeintly penetrate that thickness.this is where most don't understand...i could weld up a 1" thick plate with a 110v and cut it and it'll show a solid complete fused weld,,but do a bend test on it and see what happens because it didn't penetrate because of the heat sink the bigger steel caused and sucked the heat from the weld..
Bottom line is..when picking a weld machine for a purpose..the general rule of thumb is to purchase one that is designed to handle more than what you ever plan to use it for,for the fact you won't have to geuss if it will hold,plus you won't be working the machine at it's limits and seriously shortening the life span of the machine.
The other thing, and please take this in the spirit that it is meant, the OP is new to welding, to say that a 110 MIG may be able to weld any 10 gauge metal on a standard vehicle is a fairly broad statement...We don't know what type of frame he is trying to weld. Some heavier duty frames aren't 10 gauge they can run up to 3/16 of an inch whereas 10 gauge is about 1/8th inch. Is that a standard vehicle, I don't know what the OP would consider standard. That being said, an experienced welder may be able to properly bevel the edges and make this work with an efficient 110 MIG, I prefer to err, if I am, on the side of caution as we don't know exactly what the OP is intending to weld, other than go kart frames and even then, what gauge of metal is being used on those frames.
Perhaps a better question would be, how thick a piece of metal can be welded with a 110 MIG, then we would be able to refer back to different manufacturers and get the answers as to their specifications. The OP should also understand that these specifications would be with an experienced welder
Hope you understand where I'm coming from Ogre, not trying to disagree, just to further explain.
I started off 25 years ago with a 110V Lincoln Mig machine with shielding capability. I used it for sheet metal welding and tack welding frame components, then took the frame to a shop and had a qualified welder use a 220V machine to weld the component I tack welded.
Later, about 20 years later, I bought an ESAB 220V Multimaster that does tig / mig and stick. I kept my Lincoln 110V though and made a bracket to place it above the ESAB. This allows me to switch between welding on plate gauge steel vs. sheet metal without changing liners and rollers.
Last edited by lakeroadster; 08-01-2013 at 05:44 PM.
Thank you all so much for your answers, You all have been a very big help. As far as the car frames, I would like to get as sturdy as possible, Without being too much. As for go-karts, Again the same answer, But I probably want it to be a bit thicker thank normal just to be on the safe side and to be able to hold me(I am 265Lbs.). I will probably get a 140 MIG welder first, Then make a few go-karts and sell them and then get a bigger 220 welder with the profit I make on the go-karts. I plan on making "Big Boy" go-karts, Something with some power that is fun to drive, Not some 3HP Kiddy-Kart. Do you think a 140 MIG would be able to weld a go-kart frame strong enough to hold up to the stress and abuse a 8-15HP motor and a slightly overweight rider would put it under, lol?
The welds your planning to make with your new welder will only be as good as your skill set. First of all, decide what gauge or thickness of metal you require for your frame. After you get your welder, purchase some metal, be it scrap or whatever and practice, practice practice. A 110V MIG would be able to give you all the strength you need for a person of your size and a the HP that the engine puts out. You need to learn the art of welding more so than worrying about the welder, in the case of Go Karts anyway.
I have seen people try and weld thin metal with a 220V welder and the weld failed, why, because the person didn't know how. I'm not trying to be critical, I'm trying to give you the facts.
So, to answer your question if a 110 MIG could handle the job that you now have it intended for using the proper materials, the answer is Yes, the question of can you obtain the skills to use the welder so that it will hold the capacities that you want it to, the answer is yes as well. But learn how by practicing before you build a Kart that's for sale.
Hope this helps.
More welder info
One thing no one has mentioned is duty cycle. How long can you weld at a particular amp setting before you overload or damage the welders internal parts, to weld a car frame at higher amp settings a 110 V welder is probably at only 30 % . My lincoln 255 square wave does Tig, ac and Dc and arc and can weld at 200 amps all day long..at a 30 % duty, The manufacturere recommends that you only weld for 3 minutes out of every 10 without damaging the machine. sooner or later you probably want one of every kind. A stick welder with 6011 AC (farmer rod) works when repairing painted or rusty farm machinery. You can soak 6011 AC rod in water then turn up the amps and "cut" burn metal with the heat and poke method. Tig welding requires more skill and manual dexterity, contaminate the tig electroda and you have to resharpen and mabe grind out part of your weld. If you use a 110 V mig you will want to be sure to bevel and Gap your weld joints to get proper penetration. I keep a box of horse shoe nails in the drawer, they are miniture wedges, make a tack , check alignment and if needed a nail to widen the gap before the next tack , as mentioned earler with a 110 V with a gas torch, make multiple passes for thicker material. Flux core leaves a coating of slag that should be removed before another pass to get a good strong weld. .
Last edited by timothale; 08-01-2013 at 06:14 PM.
I have a 135 Lincoln that I use flux core in. Always has done a fine job with good penetration. I took a welding course a few years back and the instructor had a Lincoln 100 for his home welder, it's all in ability. Learn right, weld right. I'd take a course at a local high school to get the basics.
The duty cycle on 110 MIGS is usually 20%, Atleast all the ones I have seen under $500. And Ray, I understand that I need to practice alot before I start building go-karts, I'm not going to just get a welder and build a go-kart immediately and then sell it, I am not going to endanger someones life like that by having inferior welds that could break. You have been a big help Ray, And I thank you for that. It is nice to see a forum where someone can come and ask a question and not get flamed for it. I have had a little welding experience before, My grandfather has a Lincoln 225 stick welder that he taught me how to use, My welds were not the prettiest, But after beating on it with a sledge hammer a couple times, It never came apart. But again thank you all for your help, It is very much appreciated.
Don't waste your money on a 110 machine.. You will be sorry down the line and wish you bought a 220... Spend the money one time..And one time only... It's much easier to learn on a 220 then a 110.... You couldn't give me a 110...To me they are good for nothing...Miller or lincoln is your better choice of machines out there..Good luck with what ever you go with..
It sounds like you have the right attitude and that in some ways is as important as the equipment your using. This is a great forum, I've learned an immense amount and just hope I can give back.
Now, if your planning on painting these Go Karts, I'd be more than happy to give you any advice I can.
Best wishes
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Shebbie & Maurice's Wedding
"The Hilton Atlanta Noreast will shuttle guests to and from the Forum at Peachtree Pkwy. free of charge! There is a huge variety of stores from Old Navy, Express, Children's Place, New Balance Atlanta, Belk, Bath & Body Works, & Claire's just to name a few! Forum Hours: Mon-Sat 10a-9p & Sun 12-6p FROM I-85 NORTH OR SOUTH Take I-85 to I-285 West (toward Chattanooga/Birmingham). Exit on 31B, GA 141 N/Peachtree Industrial Boulevard North. Go 3.8 miles and take Peachtree Parkway NW (the left fork toward GA 400/Cumming/GA 141 Dahlonega). Go 2.7 miles. Enter The Forum on your left, at the intersection of Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle."
Duluth Wedding In April
Norcross Wedding In November
The Forum
5155 Peachtree Pkwy NW
Norcross, GA 30092