Rainbow Power!!!

So I have had this idea for a long time of doing a photoshoot where it would be raining smiley face balls onto a willing participent while she is under the protection of a very colorful rainbow umbrella. After the initial sketch and production notes were drawn up, I called my trusty assistant Lauren and the wonderful clothing designer Alli Pace to see if they were down with the idea. Both were enthusiastic and were ready to rock n roll. We wanted to cast for a colorful, vibrant looking model that would jive well with the theme. I decided on Miss Jenna from Ohio because her look was unique and I thought she would add that extra special "sumthin" to the overall production. As luck would have it she was available and we set up the shoot for a beautiful day in September. It was a simple two light setup with the camera angle being low to capture Jenna's expression. What I hadn't anticipated was how the bouncy balls would look in the final edit. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get them to look just right. In the end I ended up scrapping the smiley faces in lieu of a digital rainbow and some illustrated "rainbow brite" power! I really digg the illustrative aspects of this photo, it's something different that I think I would like to push towards in the future. Tell me whatcha think!

interesting article

A few weeks ago I had talked a little bit about the cost of doing business and what not. A friend of mine just sent me a link to a wonderful article about the state of editorial photography and the costs associated with it in the digital age. I find the numbers quite astonishing in that since 1984 editorial rates have risen a scant 14% while equipment costs and inflation have risen 1000% and 80% respectively. Am I the only one who thinks this is insane!? 1000% increase in the equipment we utilize to do our business and yet the rates stay virtually unchanged!? I feel like that guy in zoolander who says "Are all you people taking crazy pills?!"
It is so important right now to utilize the strengths of your photography and the the value that they present. Too many people are out there shooting for free or for publication that it is destroying the market right out from under us. People like me are having that much harder of a time getting started because someone else will do it for less. It's a sad state but its one that can be amended.