One more month to go

So we have just one month to go in 2018.  I am looking forward to 2019 and see what the year holds for myself and my girlfriend.  My current contract will probably end at the end of February.  I really don't want to be in Ottawa or Ontario in April.  So we are looking for jobs out west. 

On another note, going to the gym has its benefits.  I feel stronger and healthier.  I have more energy and I actually look forward to going to the gym.  I haven't weighed myself but I probably have gained weight due to increased muscle mass.

On the photography and footage side of things, November sucked.  I sold one video on Pond5, nothing on Storyblocks and barely made payout on Shutterstock.  I think 2019 should be better.  At least I hope it is.  This year has been a disappointment in the way of photography and footage sales.  I haven't sold $1000 worth of photographs or footage on Shutterstock yet.  I really need to start going back to Parc Omega more often to get more footage and photographs.  I really do enjoy it there.  I haven't taken a day off of work since I started this contract back in March of this year mainly because I've been the only tech here.

I've still been saving for the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  Instead of getting the DJI Mavic Pro 2 with my tax return money, I've decided to get the 2018 iPad Pro with the 1TB of hard drive space.  I am going to sell my 2015 Apple iMac and just keep the 2013 Apple MacBook Pro until I can make sure I can fully do my photography and footage business on the 2018 Apple iPad.  I think it might take me a month or two to get used to just working on the Apple iPad.  I do wish Apple will upgrade iOS so it's more of a competitive operating system.

I just want to use my Sony RX10 Mark II, Sony RX100 Mark VI, Canon Vixia HF G40 and the Apple iPad Pro for my photography business.

Finally getting some help at work. Maybe!

It's been a month and half since I came back to my employer.  I was supposed to get some help a month ago but that didn't pan out.  Then I was supposed to get some help two weeks ago.  That din't pan out either.  Then I was supposed to get some help this week.  I was supposed to get help this week but that is not happening.  Again.  I.T. is becoming a total crap show.  Working for government is a waste.  So much red tape, they have meetings about meetings about meetings.  People are so oblivious of what's happening inside the government, they're too blind to see it or wilfully ignorant of the facts.  It has gotten worse since the election of twinkle toes back in 2015.  

I want to start and run a streamlined and transparent photography business.  I haven't shot a wedding in years.  I try and stay away from weddings.  I'm thinking of running a travel photography type business.  Of course there are positive and negatives to that.  

I am getting really tired.  I haven't been on a vacation in months.  I haven't taken a day off in months because I'm the only guy here working.  I haven't gotten help in the last 6 weeks.  It's pretty much all on me here and I'm making mistakes because I'm being pulled in different directions.  I just need a few days off and recoup.  I want to do what I enjoy and do some photography.

Wow!!!! Just wow!!!!

So the day is pretty much over and I've finally sold three photos on Shutterstock.  Not a one footage sale yet for the month.  I'm hoping I sell at least one clip this week.  I need to sell $2.42 to make payout this month.  I have till Friday to do that.  I'm still saving money for a Sony RX100 Mark VI point and shoot camera.

I'm thinking more and more of just ditching my early 2013 MacBook Pro and my late 2015 Apple iMac desktop computer and just going with a 2018 Apple 12.9" iPad Pro with the 1TB hard drive.  It would seem to meet all my needs for photos and footage editing.  I want to try and do a video blog on YouTube.  I can use my Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder to shoot footage.  I can use my Sony RX10 Mark II for photos.  I want the Sony RX100 Mark VI to shoot incognito while in the city as it's a pocket sized camera.  I'm not really a people photographer but it would be good for editorial photography.  

In April 2019, I want to end up in Calgary, Alberta.  I really enjoyed myself out there in the mountains.  I've been in Ottawa since 1983 and while I've had a good time and grew up here, I think it's time to just move on and explore another part of the country.  I've been doing this contract since April of this year and for more than half of it, I've been doing it myself.  I think I need a break from the I.T. field.  I do love and enjoy photography a lot more.  It's a lot more fun and interesting

This is a drought!!!!!!

I've sold one photo.  One photo in the last 4 days.  One photo on Canstockphoto.com.  Nothing on Shutterstock.  I realize it's Thanksgiving weekend in the States but I haven't sold anything in Europe or Asia or the rest of the world on Shutterstock.  Nothing.  Bupkiss.  Nadda.  I haven't had a rut like this in years.  I was hoping to buy the Sony RX100 Mark VI in March.  But if it keeps going like this, I may never get a chance to buy it with photography money.  It looks like I may not even make the payout threshold on Shutterstock.  I have to sell a whopping $3.50 by Friday to make payout.  I have not sold any footage at all this month on Shutterstock.  51 of my 55 sales on Shutterstock have been $0.36 sales which is just awful.  

I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos lately on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  It looks to be an amazing piece of hardware.  I don't think iOS is close to being a world class replacement operating system.  It needs a proper file system, external hard drive support and mouse support.  If it gets those things in iOS 13 thru iOS 15, then you will see a lot of people ditching their laptops for a tablet.  

I really, really have to do more photography.  With short days though and the location where I work at in the city, I don't have the time or place to go out and do some photography during the day or on my lunch hour.  I have to do it on the weekends.  Or do some night photography after work.  Looks like we're going to have some warmish type weather during the week.  So it might be a possibility.

The way I look at photography

Photography for me is not a job.  It's not a career.  It is not a hobby.  It is not for making money.  It is like heaven for me.  I am outdoors in nature photographing the beauty of the universe, the beauty of what was created for us to live in.  Photography tells a story that cannot be told again.  You cannot recreate a photograph exactly.  In nature shadows change, colours change and the light is different.  You can try and attempt to recreate a photography exactly but you will fail each and every single time.  

Today is Black Friday in the States.  The "holiday" migrated to Canada as well.  I have not sold anything since Wednesday.  Nothing yesterday on American Thanksgiving and nothing yet as of today.  I had eggs for lunch and I'm still hungry.  I might just go grab a snack at some point before my deployment at 1pm. I'm trying to write some more blog posts during the day.

It has been really cold here in Ottawa the last two days.  In the low minus teens and minus twenties celsius.  Needless to say I haven't touched the camera in a while which I am missing badly.  We've been going to the gym a lot over the past several weeks.  I'm also trying to save my photography money to upgrade some of my camera equipment.  I still want to purchase the Sony RX100 Mark VI before March 31, 2019 so I can use it on the way when we move to Calgary in April of next year. I think I can use the Sony RX10 Mark II with the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  They are both fantastic cameras.  When we move to Calgary next year, I want to do a lot more landscape photography.  I've done a lot of wildlife photography at Parc Omega since 2010.  In the Rocky Mountains I can actually get real wild life like black bears, mountain goats, some wild bobcats etc.

I am hoping photography sales pick up next week.  I want to get my Sony RX100 Mark VI soon.  

November has been a bad month

Typically I'd make payout by now on Shutterstock.  But I've only sold 55 photos this month and no footage clips.  I've sold one clip this month on Pond5 for a hair under $130.  But that's it.  I've only made $31.50 on Shutterstock so far this month.  If I miss payout, it'll be the second time this year I haven't made a payout of $35.  I haven't sold anything on Storyblocks in months.  Probably April of this year.  They've increased their prices and payouts and maybe that drove customers away.  Plus I've Googled Storyblocks online and there are some not so good reviews out there.

I've been asked to join OnePixel but they sell all their photos for $1.  So I would probably get maybe $0.25 to $0.30 a shot which is insulting.  At least on Shutterstock I have the chance to make $120 per shot and video.  On Pond5 I get to set my prices and I've been pretty consistent at $199 per clip and photo.  I've sold a few videos at that price and higher depending on the licensing deal.

I've been so busy these past few weeks that I haven't even had a chance to touch my camera or camcorder let alone open up my Affinity Photo book.  That has to change.  I have to set my priorities again.  I usually get home now between 7pm and 8pm.  Before I even sit down it's past 8:30pm and I'm just exhausted from the day.  I have to reprioritize my goals.  I have to go to the gym and I have to study.  

I was looking at some classes for the winter session at Algonquin College.  They have nothing computer related and if they do, they want an exorbitant amount of money for the course.  Plus I don't think I want anything to do with the I.T. industry after my contract is done here with CMHC.  

Like I've said before, I'll be making a few life changes over the next few months as far as relationships and careers go.  I have to make myself happy first.  I can't be making everybody be happy and me ending up being miserable.  I have to move out west to Calgary.  I can't stand living in Ottawa anymore.  When I woke up this morning and got ready to go to work it was minus twenty degrees celsius outside.  One of my goals is to end up being in the United States.  I want to start a Youtube photography channel and do that full time.  I've been stuck in a basement since April of this year imaging and deploying computers.  I don't get to see the sunshine.  I don't have any windows.  It's depressing.

Google doesn't pay that well with the blogger thing.  I've made less then ten dollars doing this.  I know my blog isn't the biggest or the best.  But I am trying.  I'm fighting for success.

Follow your dreams

I should have followed my dreams when I was a teenager.  I should have gone into photography when I finished high school and gone into college.  I hated accounting.  I hate I.T now.  I should have followed my dreams when I was younger.  I got my first camera when I was probably around 12 or so.  It was a Minolta film camera.  Back then there was no digital photography like it is now.  Now you carry around a phone that does basically everything for you.  It shoots photos and footage.  You can immediately upload those clips and pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube.  Back when I was a kid in the 80's or early 90's, we had no cell phones, or computers or the internet.  Today, I sell my photography all around the world.  My images have been used in books, on news websites and countless blogs.

I've been doing I.T. for 17 years now.  I'm not getting anywhere and I'm not satisfied.  My life feels empty.  The only thing that makes me happy is when I'm out in nature with my camera and camcorder.  And my girlfriend of course.  I hate being stuck in an office sitting behind a computer all day.  I feel really, really unproductive.  I enjoy shooting photos and footage and then editing them on the computer or an iPad.  I like when someone buys one of my photos or clips and uses it in their work.  I can't really be creative in the I.T. field.  Unless I'm a programmer which I'm not.

Back in my teen years and early twenties I was and still am good with numbers.  That's why I was pretty much forced to go into accounting.  I had one boss where I worked that totally turned me off of accounting.  She was a real bitch to put it nicely.  Then late 90's rolled around and computers were all the rage with the doomsday bug.   The world was supposed to end at midnight on December 31, 1999.  It didn't.  We're still here.

The only constant for me was a love for photography.  Only photography.  I started doing photography with a passion around 2006/2007.  I bought my first digital camera which had a two megapixel sensor on it.  Then I upgraded to a 5MP sensor.  Then an 8MP.  Now I shoot with 20.1MP sensors which is enough for what I do.  In 2015 I started shooting footage clips on a whim.  I uploaded a short clip of a coyote in a fall scene.  That sold within a few weeks of me uploading it for $120US.  That got me hooked.  Now I just do photos and footage.  I have a YouTube channel that I don't use.  I hate appearing on camera.  I think once I lose some weight, I'll be more comfortable being on camera.  Till then, not so much.

The next couple of months will be very important for me as I try to change my career path and life.  I want to get back to a minimalist type of photography.  Just travel around with a Sony RX10 Mark II, a Sony RX100 Mark VI, the Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder and an iPad.  I think I can shoot all my footage on those cameras and edit everything with a 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I just wish the Apple iPad Pro had a better file system and mouse support.  Although I think you can do pretty much everything with the Apple Pencil 2.

Going computerless

So I just watched an interesting video on YouTube.  It's a video by Unbox Therapy about ditching your computing hardware for an Apple iPad Pro.  Granted I don't do much on my 2015 Apple iMac or my 2013 MacBook Pro that I can't do on an iPad.  I just edit my photography and footage that I shoot for my photography business.  I can write and edit any document on an iPad with Apple Pages. I can do spreadsheets with Apple Numbers.  I use Apple Safari for my blog.  I can edit my photography with Affinity Photo.  I can edit my footage with iMovie.  I honestly don't need Final Cut Pro X on my laptop.  Right now all I shoot is 5-60 second clips and edit them for stability and shakiness and a bit of noise reduction.  

All I would really need is an SD card dongle to transfer in my footage and photos.  I would probably get the maxed out Apple iPad Pro with the 1TB storage option.  I'd get the Apple Pencil 2 and the keyboard to type and to protect the screen.  I think the Apple iPad Pro would just add to my minimalist life style that I am aiming for.  One of the failures of iOS is the lack of support for external hard drives.  I'd like to export my photos and footage to an external hard drive and use an FTP client to upload my files to Shutterstock, Pond5 and Storyblocks.  But I think with the 1TB storage hard drive, it would take me a while to fill that up.  I'd eventually clean up the hard drive by getting rid of old and unnecessary footage.  I recently lost my 6TB hard drive storing my footage.  The hard drive just failed on me.  I pay about $1.50 a month for 50GB of storage with Apple so I can store unique footage and photos there.

I think the Apple iPad Pro is 90% of a laptop right now.  If I could just attach a USB-C hard drive to it and export my footage and photos to it, it would meet all of my needs.  Also, mouse support would be fantastic.  The Apple iPad Pro does have Bluetooth support so you should be able to pair if with the Apple mouse.  The file system in iOS should also be changed to support drop and drag functionality. 

The Apple iPad Pro can run Affinity Photo for my photo editing and iMovie for my footage editing.  With the recent Apple iPad, you can run Adobe Photoshop on the Apple iPad Pro.  So the software and hardware is getting there.  It's close.  It's not there yet though.

I am pretty sure...

...this will be my last contract in the I.T. field.  With the current contract, I am not getting any help whatsoever.  They want it done by December 20, 2018 but there is no way I am getting it done alone. I love doing photography and shooting footage.  I'm probably going to sign up for two evening classes at Algonquin College for the winter semester.  Both are dealing with how to shoot and edit movies in an NLE type program.  

I just checked the Algonquin College website and it looks like I have time to sign up for the courses I want.  It's a three course program and the Video Composition and Audio Production classes run on Saturdays and Tuesdays which is perfect.  I can take both classes at the same time.  I've already taken and successfully passed the Photography Techniques course at Algonquin College.  I've pretty much learnt Apple Final Cut Pro X on my own but I know I've barely scratched the surface of the program. I need to learn more.

I regret not keeping up my skills with Photoshop.  For 99.9% of my photography I just used to use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  In Photoshop I only used the Camera Raw portion of the program and then use some of the presets to sharpen the image and run the Denoise option.  I've forgotten how to do lets say a sky replacement.  Thankfully I can look up pretty much everything on YouTube and follow a tutorial there.  I know it's not the best way of doing things but it's better than nothing.  I don't want to do so much to my image in Photoshop or Affinity Photo so I try and get the image right in camera rather than Photoshop.  

I basically am a minimalist when it comes to photo editing.  I do landscape and wildlife photography and shoot landscape and wildlife footage.  I don't apply much to my image and footage.  Just some colour correcting, noise reduction.  Remove any glaring things that take away from the image.

On a side note, I haven't sold one video on Shutterstock yet this month.  It's uncommon for me not to sell at least one video on Shutterstock.  I sold one this month on Pond5.  Storyblocks has been quiet for months.  I've added and added footage and photos to all my sites but video sales are non-existent this month and have been for quite a while.  I am hoping it picks up pretty soon.  

I don't know why...

...I shoot in 4k.  I've only ever sold 3-4 4k files amongst the hundreds I have online.  My most popular clip is of a coyote that I shot at 1080p/30fps that I shot with a Canon EOS 6D and a Sigma 150-500MM lens back in 2015 at Parc Omega.  My late 2013 MacBook Pro is ok at editing the footage but it just takes forever.  I don't want to buy a 2018 MacBook Pro just because of the price.  I can't believe I'm saying it but I'm looking at getting a Windows 10 based machine.  The Macs I own are long in the tooth now and they need to be replaced.  When I do get a new machine, I am going to miss editing in Final Cut Pro X.  That is one fantastic piece of editing software.  It's so easy and intuitive.

But back to shooting footage.  I want to shoot all my stuff in 1080p/60fps.  So back to shooting with the Canon Vixia HF G40.  I love that camcorder.  It's so versatile and so easy to use.  I love the colour that comes from the camcorder.  It's sharp as well and focuses quickly.

New domain for my other site

So in keeping with the .photos domain name top level domain names, I purchased a new domain to go with my Fine Art America account.  You can visit http://josefpittner.photos to see the website where you can buy prints, wall art, clothing, posters etc.  I've sold a few items on there.  Enough to pay for the domain and the $30 fee it costs to get the premium features.  I don't upload as much on there as I do to Shutterstock.  But the photos I do sell, typically sell for $30 to $70 which is better than $0.36 for a small digital photo.  I have not sold a video this month on Shutterstock which is kind of out of the ordinary.  Typically I sell one to ten videos a month.  I sold one on Pond5 this month which I got paid for already.  Fine Art America has not sent me my $70US yet but I'm expecting that this afternoon at some point.  Once they do, I'm a quarter of the way there to getting my Sony RX100 Mark VI.  So if you need some stock footage, you can go to my Shutterstock footage portfolio and purchase some footage.

This past Saturday

It was snowing lightly.  The weather wasn't cold or warm.  It was just right.  The girlfriend and I went up to Parc Omega.  We usually go in the fall and winter as it's too hot in the summer and the animals aren't as active due to the heat.  But when it's snowing and the Canadian winter starts to set in, that's when the animals are active.  They get their majestic winter coats and are more playful.  It is a good time of the year for both animals and humans.

Photographers also enjoy this time as they get to spend more time with these majestic animals.  I uploaded my shots to my Shutterstock portfolio.  I am still editing the footage from the day.  They should be done by the end of the week and uploaded by the weekend.  Hopefully they'll get approved soon as well.  I hope to go back to Parc Omega soon as we're supposed to get 10cm worth of snow tomorrow and another 6cm worth of snow on Saturday.

It's mid month

I've sold 1 video for roughly $260.  I got about $130 for that.  Other than that, I've sold maybe 40 photos for roughly $0.36 each on Shutterstock.  Shutterstock is somewhat disappointing this month.  I think there's been one or two months where I haven't sold a video on Shutterstock and it really hinders sales and payouts.  I'm not losing hope yet as we're only half way through the month.  After Fine Art America and Pond5 pay out what they owe me, I'll be about a third of the way there to get the new Sony RX100 Mark VI.  If a the Sony RX100 Mark VII comes out in April or May, I'll wait to buy that camera if it's worth it.

I am still editing photos from the trip to Parc Omega this past weekend.  Took a lot of phots and videos so it takes time.  I'm using ON1 Capture Raw 2019 to edit the photos.  It's a new program for me so I'm learning the ins and outs of the program.  So far so god.

I am getting the Sony RX100 Mark V fixed tomorrow.  The latch that holds the battery in the camera broke on me a few months ago while I was doing some astrophotography with it.  It's about time I get it fixed.  I'm conflicted somewhat about getting the Sony RX100 Mark VI as I do have the Sony RX100 Mark V.  The only new feature would be the 24-200MM lens.  It would mean I'd carry around one less camera as the Mark VI would be good enough to shoot stills and footage.  I'd just have to carry around a light tripod with the RX100 Mark VI and that's pretty much it.  I don't shoot headshots for people.  I focus mainly on landscapes and wildlife.  I'd like to get the Sony RX10 Mark IV for wildlife as it does have a 24-600MM lens on it.  It would mean I could sit back at a good distance and not disturb the wildlife.  That I think will be my next purchase with my photography money.

What is happening????

So more work related news.  The guy who was supposed to start with me today appears to be a huge moron.  He requested he be paid upfront for work he hasn't done yet.  He was supposed to start with me a few weeks back but got "another" job.  I'm assuming he asked the same thing from his other employer who told him a flat out no as well.  We assume he contacted my employer and asked for the same thing.  Who asks for money up front for work that he hasn't completed?  I can see a as a photographer to ask for a deposit to make sure your client and your photographer are set for that date.  Typically I would charge 25% of my fee up front so my client knows that I will not take on another photography gig on said date.  It also pretty much guarantees that my client will not flake out on the date as well if they find a cheaper photographer or something goes wrong in the relationship and the wedding doesn't happen.

For a contract that is multiple months long with possibility of extension, you do not ask for your fees up front.  You get paid every two weeks just like everybody else.  

I'm currently editing photos and videos we shot this past weekend at Parc Omega.  It was pretty much the first snow fall of the year so we wanted to go see the animals in the new snow.  It was really nice out.  High of two degrees celsius and low of minus one degrees celsius.  So it wasn't cold and it wasn't warm.  It was just perfect.  The park was not busy at all with a few moronic drivers who don't obviously know how to drive.  I'd say most were Montreal drivers.

I'm using ON1 Photo Raw 2019.  It just came out today so I bought it and upgraded to the new system.  So far, so good.  It's very easy to use and export the photos.  I have to edit the 4k footage as well at some point.  Maybe do that on my 5k 2015 Apple iMac later in the week.

I really, really enjoy Parc Omega and all the animals.  I'm at peace there.  It's really awesome during the week when it feels like you're the only person there with the animals.  I am really going to miss the park when we move out west.  But out west you have the Rocky Mountains and real wild animals.  I really miss the mountains.  I used to go to the mountains every weekend when I was in Calgary on contract last year.  Hopefully I will get more contracts or permanent work out there when we move at the end of March next year.  I look forward to travelling the west and the Rocky Mountains.

I am finally...

...getting some help at work. I've been back to my current employer for a month now and they've provided me with no help so far.  I was supposed to get help a few weeks back but the guys that they hired bailed on them.  I'm supposed to have a team of five but it's been just me.  I'm finding that working for the feds or quasi feds like the department I work for are getting worse and worse as tech and people go.  They're getting worse people with worse technical skills.  It's this multi-cultural, politically correct crap that is killing western society.  Companies now are hiring, not based on knowledge or merit but race, ethnicity or the sex of a person.  I know I don't know everything.  That's why I keep learning.  

I am totally sick of working in the I.T field now.  Companies are not helping you achieve success.  Everyone is after the Almighty dollar in the short term.  People and companies are looking just six months ahead or to the next fiscal quarter end.  I'm studying Affinity Photo more and more.  I'm saving up for the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I also want to get the Sony RX10 Mark IV along with the DJI Mavic Pro 2.  

Having the Sony RX100 Mark VI, the Sony RX10 Mark IV and the DJI Mavic Pro 2 would be potent tools for me to get out on my own and actually push my photography business.  That is why I'm saving up my money.  That is why I'm studying Affinity Photo.  That is why I'm going to the gym to work on my health.  I want to concentrate on Affinity Photo and my health in the next five months so by March 31, 2019, I can move out west with my girlfriend and start a new life.

Affinity Photo

If you know how to use Adobe Photoshop, you'll know how to use Affinity Photo.  I think I paid $60 for Affinity Photo several years ago so I don't have to pay a subscription fee every month to a company to rent their software.  Companies like Adobe and Microsoft charge subscription fees for their software which I find unfair to the user.  It's a complete ripoff.  If and when Seriff, the maker of Affinity Photo release a digital asset management software it'll take a lot of people away from Adobe.  At least photographers.  For video, I use Final Cut Pro so again, I don't have to pay a monthly subscription fee to Adobe.  It's a one time cost and Apple provides new features and makes the software more stable and faster with every release.

On a side note, my leg feels great.  No more pain.  Next Thursday, I have to go to Canadian Camera located in downtown Ottawa to get my Sony RX100 Mark V fixed.  The EVF won't pop up and the spring holding the SD card in its slot busted on me a few months back while I was doing night photography.  I hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get fixed.  I don't think it should cost that much to get fixed.  We shall see.  

It's a long weekend here for some of us with Sunday being Remembrance Day (Veterans Day) so I have to go get my car fixed on Monday.  The rear breaks are apparently metal on metal which is not good for the breaks.  I don't know how long they've been like that.  I don't think it's been long since the car breaks fine.

I haven't been able to do any photography in the past several weeks with us moving and now the car getting in the way.  We're supposed to get 2cm worth of snow tomorrow.  I'm hoping to get out this weekend with the girlfriend and the Jeep.

So today I forgot...

...my wallet at home.  All my ID's are in my wallet along with my bank cards, credit cards etc.  I'm all in a panic that I don't have any money today.  Or anything.  Than I look at my phone beside me.  And I think to myself.  I do have access to cash.  My Apple iPhone 8 Plus is going to be my valet today.  Who needs cards when you have your phone?????  Today I am also seriously starting to study Affinity Photo.  I know photography has to be my go to career now.  I have to pave my own way.  I cannot do the I.T. thing anymore.  I can't work only contracts.  Hire a photographer!!!!  Today!!!!!

Wow!!! What a...

...workout.  I found muscles I didn't know I had.  Just got home and relaxing a bit before I watch a few Affinity photo tutorials.  I stopped at Costco and picked up a salad for lunch tomorrow.  I really need to lose about 50 pounds before March.  That's my goal physically.  Intellectually I want to keep learning Affinity Photo.  If you have any good tutorials for Affinity Photo, please post it in the comments.  Thanks.

Today at work so far...

I've deployed one computer.  Imaged three computers.  Brought up some Surface Pros to the third floor for the DSS team and I cleaned up my work area which consisted of packing laptop bags into one big pile.  I have one more deployment at two today and I get to image that one computer after I deployed the new one to the client.

I brought my personal MacBook Pro to work so that I can actually, maybe, possibly work on my own stuff.  I'm being interrupted by my boss and a couple of the on site technicians but it's all good.  I enjoy the company.  Us on site/deployment guys are pretty much the same.  We share the same mentality.  I was supposed to get a new coworker today but he bailed out last night.

I am taking a bit of break from photography.  I'm busy with life I guess.  Work and exercise always seem to get in the way of what I want to do.  Like I've previously stated, the next couple of months are going to be life changing.  I really, really do not want to live in Ottawa anymore.

My precious hard drive

My Seagate hard drive.  The 6TB Seagate hard drive.  The one storing all my footage for the past several years.  Is dead.  At least 99.9% dead.  It will not wake up.  I can feel it spinning.  It turns on.  I just cannot access the hard drive.  It will not come up.  It got damaged in the move.  I set up my big Apple iMac last night.  Everything is setup again but this particular hard drive will just not come up.  I hope I can get it working as I don't want to lose all the footage.  Thankfully I got the majority of the footage online on the various micro stock agencies.  But it's a pain in the rear end if I cannot get it up and running again.  5 years of footage on the drive and it's pretty much done for.  I have to stop buying Seagate hard drives.  That's the third hard drive that's died on me in the last two years.  I don't have warranty on it anymore I don't think.  I'm hoping there's a way I can retrieve the footage from the drive.  I have all my stuff from Parc Omega, Arizona/Utah, Calgary, Vancouver, BC, Washington and all the other places I've visited in the last decade or so.

I absolutely hate...

...moving.  We just spend the last week moving.  Boxing up our stuff.  Getting a storage unit.  Moving into a storage unit and moving the rest of our stuff that we actually need and use to our new place.  And we'll have to do this again in March.  To boot, I think we'll be moving cross country in March to Calgary, Alberta.  I moved myself to Calgary last year for a 4 month contract.  It wasn't that bad but I did get stuck in North Dakota for two days because of a 2cm snow storm with 95kh/h winds.  Visibility was non existent.

Monday is becoming exciting.  I get a new coworker tomorrow.  That means I can offload some work on a newbie finally in months.  I haven't had a chance at all to do any photography or shoot any footage.

It's Monday morning and I've done one deployment so far.  I'm trying to update the TPM settings on these Toshiba Portege Z30-B machines and it's nothing but a frustrating pain in the rear end.  From now until March 31, 2019, I am studying Affinity Photo after work.  I really, really need to switch career paths.  I am frustrated with the I.T industry.  Nothing ever works right and I feel like I'm way behind in everything.  One person tells me to do one thing and the next one tells me to do another.

I have to do what I want to do with my life.  Do whatever it takes to get my life to where I want it to be.  I have to make myself happy and not someone else.  This is probably going to be my last I.T. contract as far as I'm concerned.  

No social media except...

...my blog, my online media portfolios and maybe a Youtube Channel.  I use Google' Blogger platform only because Wordpress is a nightmare to configure, use and secure.  Wordpress gets attacked hourly because it stores your credit card numbers on its platform for payment and such.  I will not use it just for that.  With Google, they spy on you and use sell your data.  I no longer use the Google search engine personally.  Duckduckgo all the way.

Twitter was completely worthless.  A lot of photo and footage theft.  You can only put low quality stuff on there so you couldn't get any sales on there.  90% of my followers were other photographers who would steal your stuff and call it their own.  Instagram was full of spammers.  I'd say 99% of the users are spam accounts.  Everybody was asking for iTunes gift cards which is a total joke.  I hardly use a Google product.  I just permanently closed my Facebook account which should be done in 30 Facebook days.  

So all I have now is my blog.  I can control the content on the blog.  The size of the photos and footage is limited but better than Twitter or Instagram.  Facebook is crap as well.  Looks like the whole media companies are banning conservatives or anyone with an opposing or different view point.  Media companies are not good for western democracies anymore.  Most are socialist or commie type establishments.

People should support small entrepreneurs and artists like myself.  I saw a quote on the web years which in effect stated that you shouldn't support a CEO of a company to buy his/her new jet but instead support a small business so the owners can support their families.  It may be more expensive than Walmart but you're helping a family business.

And a new month begins again

The month has started off somewhat descent.  3 early morning photo sales from the Far East and Europe.  No video sales yet.  Thankfully no $1.80 footage sales.  The one footage sale for $1.80 was insulting enough.  I don't care how big your client is, you don't ripoff your contributors like that!!!  Shutterstock should know better.

On a side note, we're pretty much packed up and ready to move.  Maybe spend an hour tomorrow cleaning up and packing the tv and other big items.  We'll be moved quickly.  Have I mentioned I hate moving?  

Last month I sold about $150 worth of photography and footage.  $150 closer to getting the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  Next pay I get the Sony RX100 Mark V fixed.  Shouldn't be too expensive I hope.  This fall I am focusing on studying Affinity Photo, more photography and footage and going to the gym to get rid of 50 pounds before we move out west.  In February, we'll start looking for jobs out west.  Ottawa and Ontario just isn't for us anymore.  The weather sucks.  The economy for English speakers here is awful.

Luckily I have a good place to work now with a good boss.  As long as I get my work done, he doesn't care what I do which is fantastic.  And now I gotta go image a laptop.