Thrilled to have the Sony RX100 Mark VI

So today I finally upgraded to the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  It doesn't have the apps from the Sony Play Memories App store.  Which is OK because I have all the apps on the Sony RX10 Mark II.  I have to buy an adapter to attach filters to the lens.  Which is OK again because I don't think I'll be upgrading cameras for a while unless I upgrade to the Sony RX10 Mark IV.  I think the next item on my wish list will be the 2018 iPad Pro with the 512GB hard drive.

Today is December 31, 2018.  Last day of the month and year.  I am looking forward to 2019 and see what the year brings.  The girlfriend is sick so we shall see if she comes to Parc Omega with me tomorrow.  We were going to go to the movie today but I think that's out of the question.  In mid February, I'll start looking for a job out in Calgary.  I cannot stand living in Ottawa anymore.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to using the Sony RX100 Mark VI at Parc Omega.  I have a 128GB card in the camera so that should be enough for all the photography and footage.  I just have to bring a few batteries with me.  That's the only thing that I'm not impressed with, with the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  Battery life is atrocious with Sony cameras.  We shall see tomorrow how many I will need for a day of shooting.

I am also looking forward to moving out west to Calgary.  I do miss the mountains.

So the new year is coming

2019 is here in a couple of days and I cannot wait.  I haven't done much photography this year but that is changing.  I've told the girlfriend every Saturday this year is mine and mine alone to do what I want to do.  So I will be doing photography every Saturday this year.  No matter where it is, it will be photography.  I'm planning on going to Parc Omega every Saturday until the end of March until we leave for Calgary.  Even out west, every Saturday will be mine to do photography.  It will be luckily in the mountains out west.  

I need to do more photography for my sanity.  It's the only thing that brings joy and peace into my life.  I work all week and don't do much on weekends.

The trouble with Sony

So I upgraded my Sony RX100 Mark V.  I actually got the new body instead of fixing the broken Mark V.  I'm on my second body here and I can't for some reason upgrade the firmware or install any of the apps that I've purchased.  I still have the old broken Sony RX100 Mark V which connects fine.  I also have the Sony RX10 Mark II which connects fine with Windows 10.  I cannot figure out why this new body will not connect and update the firmware and install the apps.  I've disabled the firewall and antivirus software.  It's really weird.  I've copied all the settings from the broken RX100 Mark V body and verified the settings are the same on the new body.  It is screwed up.

Windows 10 or any Microsoft operating system

Versus Linux, Mac OS, Unix, the Windows 10 operating system is a dysfunctional disaster.  It's a disappointment.  On my early 2013 MacBook Pro, the fans hardly ever ramp up.  Only when editing 4k footage, would the fans ramp up and run hot.  With Windows 10 running on my Asus laptop, just running Firefox the fans ramp up.  I can't wait to edit footage or photos on the laptop.  Windows basically is crap on a hard drive.  

I work with Windows 10 all day with my full time job.  It spies on you sending everything back to Microsoft.  It's the Google Android of the laptop/desktop computer market.  I've never had a problem with editing photos or 1080p footage on my MacBook Pro.  I cannot wait to get my Apple iPad Pro.  I think though with the bendgate problems with the iPads, I'll wait for the next itineration of the Apple iPad.  I can't justify a $2000+ product coming out bent out of shape from the factory.  No company is perfect but come on Apple.  The iPad comes out bent and it's a part of the manufacturing process.

I actually don't know if I even want the Apple iPad.  I have two decent laptops that can edit photos and footage pretty well.  Actually the MacBook Pro with Final Cut Pro X is pretty amazing.  I think this weekend I'll wipe the machine and do a clean install of Mojave on it.  Install all my regular programs and just use it to edit photos and footage.  Thankfully I got rid of the iMac.  That was an eyesore if I ever saw one.

I honestly don't know what 2019 will bring.  I know by April I do not want to be in Ottawa and Ontario.  I want to be in Calgary and be living close to the mountains.  I want to take two weeks and head down south thru Montana, Utah, Colorado to Arizona, up thru California and see the coast.  I would love to do photography and shoot some footage out there.  That is my goal for next year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

December 2018 = BME this year

December 2018 has so far been my best month this year.  The month and year are not over yet but I've sold more this month than most months combined.  Thanks to a few video sales this has been a pretty good month.

I am looking forward to 2019.  I think there will be a few massive changes.  I'm going to start looking for a job out west.  I cannot stand Ottawa and Ontario any more.  There is nothing to do here.  I loved being out west in the mountains.  I love nature and I love being out in the mountains.  The air is so fresh.  I love the mountain landscape.  I want to do some astrophotography in the mountains..  One of my goals is take a week or two off and just travel down to Arizona to do some road trip photography. I cannot wait to get out there.

That is all for now.

Fourth best month ever!!! So far.

The month isn't over yet and I'm having a pretty good month so far on Shutterstock thanks to a few video sales.  One particular one for $104.70 is simply outstanding.  And the month still has just under two weeks left in it.  I know next week will be slow because of Christmas.  I figure I won't make any sales in Europe, North and South America, Australia and basically any Christian nation because everyone will be celebrating with their families.  I hardly sell anything in any Middle Eastern countries or in Asian countries.  Although I sell a few there a few times a month, it's rare that I do.

I want to upgrade a few of the internals in my Asus laptop.  I want to upgrade the hard drives to SSD drives and I want to add 16GB of RAM to get a full 32GB.  I also want to upgrade the operating system to Windows 10 Professional instead of Windows 10 Home.  I got rid of my 2015 Apple iMac and I'm thinking no one will buy the early 2013 Apple MacBook Pro so I might just keep it to run Final Cut Pro X on it.

The next big purchase will be the Apple iPad Pro.  The 512GB version with the 12.9" screen.  I already have the cameras I need.  I bought the Sony RX100 Mark V again.  I'm still wanting to get the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I think I will get that in the new year.

Sales on Shutterstock

Sales on Shutterstock are actually picking up.  I've sold more this month so far than I have sold in the past two months combined.  I've sold three footage clips which make up the majority dollar value of said sales.  A lot of subscriptions have been sold as well.

It's kind of funny but I haven't sold a photo on Pond5 or Storyblocks in a long time.  I think I've sold one photo between the two sites.  I've sold one clip on Pond5 in the past month and nothing in months on Storyblocks.  I still upload in the hopes of making sales in the future.  There is always hope for a sale here and there.

You can always see my portfolios on the right hand side of the main page on my blog.  You can also become a customer or contributor and help me out by buying or selling on Shutterstock.  It's a great passive income for photographers and the prices are great for customers as well

And on this day...

... I got another Sony RX100 Mark V.  I was going to get an Apple iPad Pro 2018 today but just came up financially short.  I wanted to get the Sony RX100 Mark VI today but I'll probably get that one in 2019 along with the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I just needed a backup camera quick today so if anything happens to my Sony RX10 Mark II, I'll have a backup for now.  I pretty much spent the day alone today which some days is needed.  I didn't even get a haircut today.  Tomorrow I guess.

I've been trying to upgrade the firmware on the Sony RX100 Mark V for about 2 hours without any success.  I've followed the instructions on both my Apple and Asus laptops and the connection keeps failing.  Both computers recognize the camera but neither will connect to it to run the update.  It's pretty weird.  I will try again tomorrow.

I also purchased Serrif' Affinity Photo for the Windows 10 laptop today.  I actually want to start using it in full in the new year.  I am glad I no longer use and pay for Adobe Photoshop.

My last day.

Today is my last day with an Apple computer.  I am selling my early 2013 MacBook Pro and my late 2015 Apple iMac with the 27 inch 5k monitor.  I am buying a 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I'm going to get the 512GB storage model with 4GB of RAM.  I have external storage that I can use with the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I am really looking forward to my new purchase and get away from desktop and laptops.

I'm selling my iMac on Kijiji and the people trying to buy it are ridiculous.  Some people are offering me like $150 or $300 which is an insult.  I honestly hate haggling over price.  I just want to sell it so I can get my iPad.

I hope this week ends soon.

Yes it's Christmas time.  It's extremely stressful at work now.  Deployments all over the place.  On the home front, I got the new Windows laptop on Monday and I've been running Windows updates since then.  I truly hate Windows.  I was thinking this week just to install Linux on it but there aren't any good photo editing apps on Linux.  So for now, I think I will just stick with Windows 10 till I get the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.

 

I think the girlfriend and I are going to head to Montreal this Saturday to one of the nature museums to see some animals.  Parc Omega is charging $33 per person to get in right now which is ridiculous for an entrance fee.  But my photography sales more than make up for it.  I just wish weekends were a bit longer and I could do photography full time.  That is the plan anyways.

Finally did it.

Switched to a Windows 10 laptop.  The hardware is great.  Great screen.  Fast bootup times.  No memory issues whatsover.  I will upgrade the second hard drive to a 1TB SSD instead of the 1TB 5400RMP mechanical hard drive.

So far I've noticed this laptop has a better keyboard.  Hard drive and memory are much faster and the graphics card is great.  I still haven't shot some footage to edit on this Windows 10 laptop.  I'm hoping I can do that this weekend.

The only bad thing about this laptop is the operating system.  Windows in all it's glory is a colossal failure.  Windows started sucking with Windows 8.  This is my first full day with the machine and I'm still running Windows updates on it.  It's been like this since about ten last night.  I have fast internet at home and at work and it's taking forever.  I would have been done with OS X updates already.  I am looking forward to getting the Apple iPad in the near future.

I have most of the programs I use to edit photos and footage on.  I'm just missing a video editor and Affinity Photos.  I think I'll get those this week when I get paid on Friday. 

I am finally doing it.

I've got my big 2015 Apple iMac formatted and at some point later this week, I'll format my early 2013 MacBook Pro and bring both to the Bayshore Apple store and get some credit for both computers to get my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I'm only going to get the 512GB model as I have two external hard drives that I can use to back up my photos and footage.  There is a small device you can buy online that can be used with the iPad to attach external hard drives to backup my photos and footage.  

I am so excited.  I need to upgrade my computer equipment.  When I get my tax return in March I will buy my Sony RX100 Mark VI.  My Sony RX10 Mark II is a fantastic camera that I am using right now.  I just want the Sony RX100 Mark VI as a backup camera or main camera when I'm going downtown to photograph street life.

I cannot wait for 2019 to come.  I think there will be a lot of new and exciting changes next year.

Need some photos, footage or some illustrations?

If your website needs some professionally shot photos, footage or some other art work, you can purchase it here at Shutterstock.  I've been a contributor for almost 5 years now and if I needed something for my website or YouTube channel, I'd buy it at Shutterstock.  Shutterstock offers affordable plans from a small blog to a multinational corporation.

Another great place to get photos and footage is Pond5.  I prefer both Pond5 and Shutterstock as they are both great sites for both the contributor and the customer with fantastic support and fantastic photos, footage and illustrations for any kind of website or documentary.  Please stop by and purchase something during the Christmas season.

Some good news. Some bad news.

So I have a friend from high school who works as the finance manager at a local Jeep dealership here in Ottawa.  Hopefully on Monday before three in the afternoon I will get a good news phone call from him telling me I got the 2018 2 door Jeep Wrangler.  The only thing that's not good news is this past year I co-signed a loan for my girlfriend for a 2015 Jeep Patriot.  Her ex really did a number on her credit and now it affects me.  Maybe I shouldn't have signed it but I thought it would be better for her to not pay 20% interest on a loan.  Instead we cut it down to 8% I think.  Now it affects me which totally sucks.

I do hope I get the Jeep Wrangler.  I totally hate the Hyundai Elantra.  It's not good for my body anymore.  I find it difficult to get in and out of the vehicle.  After driving my girlfriend' Jeep Patriot I enjoy the SUV much more.  We shall see on Monday.

I was hoping to do some photography today but it's just so cold out.  It was -14 degrees celsius this morning and now it's -7 degrees celsius.  I think I need to do more photography at Parc Omega which I can do from the warmth of my car.  I haven't been to Parc Omega in a month.  The girlfriend doesn't like doing the photography thing.  That is not good for the relationship as I love photography and shooting footage of nature, landscape and animals.

I actually have a day...

...to myself.  Girlfriend is gone out with friends so I have the day to myself where I can do what I want and where I want.  I just finished breakfast and I think it's time to go buy a new vehicle.  I've been wanting a Jeep Rubicon for about the past year.  I've been driving a 2015 Hyundai Elantra and I can't stand the car anymore.  I just need a bigger vehicle.  Since I'll be moving out west in early next year, you need a bigger vehicle out west.

I also bought a new laptop.  It's a Windows 10 based laptop.  I'll be using it a backup to my new 2018 iPad Pro whenever I buy that.  I still don't trust that an iPad can be total desktop replacement.  Apple laptops now are way too expensive for what they are.  You cannot even replace or upgrade any parts so bye bye Apple laptops.  I'll be selling my early 2013 Apple MacBook Pro and my late 2015 Apple iMac at some point this year.  Well, whenever I get my new Windows 10 laptop.  I plan on upgrading the hard drives and adding more RAM to the new laptop.

Time to go get a new vehicle.

Head west middle aged man!!!!

I have pretty much made up my mind to head out west in the spring of 2019.  I've been living in Ottawa since 1983 I absolutely despise living here.  The winters are harsh and the summers are short. I realize it's pretty much the same in Calgary weather wise.  Ottawa is located in eastern Ontario in a valley that spreads pretty far and wide.  So you get damp winters with lots of snow and a lot of rain in the summer which turn out to be hot and muggy.

When I was in Calgary last year, I loved it from the start.  I could see the mountains whenever I wanted.  They were a 45 minute drive.  I'd spend every weekend travelling the mountains exploring what I could.  Photography and shooting footage was an incredible experience.  

I did not make any friends when I was out in Calgary as I was basically working all the time and travelling on weekends.  If I was at home, I'd be FaceTiming with my girlfriend.  I wasn't going to the gym then as I am right now.

I am planning on going to Calgary in late March 2019 or early April 2019.  Hopefully I will have a job in Calgary by then.  I hope the NDP is out of power by then so the economy will pick up and people can start working again.  My plans are to work, work out and get healthy and do more photography and shoot more footage.  That would make me really happy.

It's been busy

I haven't been out with the cameras in weeks.  I miss it.  I really do miss doing photography and shooting footage.  I think it's time to make a few changes in my personal life.  I have to clean house as they say.  I think a few life changes are in order again.  Work has been busy as I'm training two new guys.  We've been going to the gym 3-5 times a week.  I've got two hernias that I have to take care of.  Went to a clinic to get some ultrasounds done today and actually get some pictures taken of the hernias.

Thankfully it's the weekend in one more day and I get to relax.  Girlfriend has a lunch date with some girlfriends so I get some time alone finally.  So I'll just take the camera out and do some photography on Saturday since I haven't done it in ages.

2018 Apple iPad as a computer replacement

So I'm 100% sure I'll be replacing my early 2013 MacBook Pro and late 2015 Apple iMac with a 2018 Apple iPad Pro later next year.  Considering I only write this blog, visit a few websites, edit photos and videos on my laptop and PC, I'm pretty sure the 2018 Apple iPad can handle all of my needs.  I visit maybe 10 websites that I can use Safari on.  I'll need an FTP client upload my videos and photos to sites like Shutterstock, Pond5 and Storyblocks.

I want to get the 12.9" with the 1TB HD and the 6GB of RAM model.  Go big or go home as they say.  I don't who "they" are but "they" are right.  From the benchmarks that I've been seeing on Youtube videos, the 12.9" iPad outperforms both of my computers by a huge margin.  The only thing I'm worried about is space because I do shoot a lot of photos and videos.  I'm sure I can find a work around to upload my raw files to an external hard drive.  Apple will have to give the iPad some support for external hard drives.  I can use the Apple Pencil 2 as a mouse.  iOS still has to be upgraded to access a better file system.

I will also be using an Apple iPhone for the foreseeable future.  As much as I like Android phones, the Apple ecosystem is much better.  I find the apps in the Apple ecosystem are much better built and provide much more enjoyment and entertainment.  Youtube, Netflix are my go to media consumption apps.  I use a few astronomy apps such as Star Walk 2, PolarAlign, Solar Walk to name a few.  There are a few apps I would like to get once I buy the iPad such as Affinity Photo for the iPad and Luma Fusio to edit my footage to upload to my micro stock sites.  

All in all I think I'll get the Apple iPad in March of 2019 once I get enough money saved up.