BLACK BOXES and PRIORITIES
My website is diversified, it is two fold, it has the Black Box, Perfection Brackets and Tuxedo flash related products I build, and a database of information and knowledge I give out freely as a teaching site.
It is also changing to the site being product specific, and the books and articles I write will be in Blog, PDF and ePUB formats so they can be easily blogged and retrieved quicker. Sort of a separation of church and state because we will be announcing a large business move and expansion. That simple process of booking the teaching is a huge project and takes time. The good thing is I am one of the world's fastest two fingered typists noted by the two shorter finger on both hands.
I am an intersection of knowledge picking up tips and ideas from photographers all over the world and it's amazing what ideas and answers come forward which I share usually with a sense of humor. No sense of humor, then go read the phone book. My blogs, PDF's and ePUB will be the outlet for those who do enjoy a laugh here and there.
MY PHILOSOPHY
My packs are built here in the US and I do ship all over the world. I use specifically components selected using China as a last resort, I prefer Japan, Taiwan, Denmark, England, It's strictly a quality issue. Bad, sub quality price point parts don't work for me. In some cases there is no choice anymore and we do the best to back things up with common sense approaches and overkill building.
And for that, you do not have to join a club, register or sign in, get coerced into getting emails you don't want, attend expensive seminars, buy a decoder ring, accumulate prize points worth nothing, get lower interest rates or send money unless you decide to buy one of the specialized products I build.
Then you'll get good service, a strong product and advice at a good price, the old fashioned way.
For the impatient we have…the phone, a rare and unique device that generally gets words correct, totally unlike texting which requires the spelling intellect of a 2nd grader.
As a former graduate of Air Force Intel and Language schools,/ I can tell you text crypto by
teenagers is far superior to any of the codes we worked with. Pick up the phone if you do not understand something or get your kids to translate it for you.
FAST ORDERS - JUST CLICK "ORDERS"
If you just want to order one or more of my Black Boxes and not read the small print, the disclaimers and the warnings. I fully understand. I get impatient at times too. I apologize because my site is lengthy because I am giving you a guide to make good decisions. My packs operate differently from anything out there and we want you to be educated enough to avoid creating problems. It's called communication. No patience, just click order the product and I'll try to sort it out. You can even pick up the phone and call me, and I'll try to answer any questions you might have. No, this is not the Psychic Hotline and Dione Warwick doesn't work here, but we try to help anyway.
BLACK BOXES
If word of the BLACK BOX, or the cure for the fumbling, inadequate, inconsistent use of AA batteries got you here, you are saved. You are in the right place. I build the Black Boxes because I saw a need. But this gear is different in process and performance from cheaper methodology like NiMH powered packs composed of AA batteries you take out and refill. Isn't that what you wanted to get away from?
Most pro gear is too expensive, too short lived and just when you get ahead, you blow more money on something else and the wife starts to look at you like you need rehab. I started building these boxes for the Wedding and Event work I was doing and every day I get letters from those whose marriage was saved (sic)
THE EYES HAVE IT
I'm fifty years in this game, have been there, done that, and survived. I also love inventing and innovation, and I am the sole originator of the Black Box. I am still a working photographer, preferring now to do corporate, military and product work since I can't run as fast as the young guns and shooters out there and frankly after covering war, and weddings, some which were a version of war, political and sports events which turned into war and have seen enough.
PERFECTION BRACKETS IN STOCK
We finally got them back in stock. Our plating vendor was busy supporting the war. We received fifty Perfection Brackets, and about a third are pre-sold. So if you want one, now is the time to order one. Read the page on Perfection brackets for more information but seriously we can't keep them in stock as they are always popular. Two inexpensive strobes like 283/285 VIVITARS on a perfection bracket will save a lot of time and money when the tough shots are needed. (More…)
FALL, WINTER, WEDDING SEASON and SPORTS UPGRADES
Because of our designs, upgrades are more like simple maintenance. We are different from others in which enormous amounts of money are needed to sustain the products. It's called simplicity. And that keeps the product up to speed, and usable for minimal cost for a long, long, time.
This is important because you want to be at the top of your game and we can take that five year old Black Box and make it into a 2011 with a snap of the fingers and an average of about 50-60 dollars.
We are in the dreaded summer and fall Wedding Season when men think about football, and women think about weddings. Thats why weddings are usually on Saturday unless you come from a Big Ten college town and who needs to get married in such a place. When I went to school, the ROTC called it a target rich environment.
The feared Tyrino Bridus Rex and her mate, Brewusasouras, decided to make it legal. Fourteen offspring eggs do that to you. So lets get on the ball and get these packs updated, charged, tested and ready for the forthcoming slaughter. It could be you!
For me this means upgrades and repairs to get people back on track. For you this might mean "working with patience". Weddings are work and you need "patience" before you swap the camera for a gun and make a "patient" out of the Bride. Leave the groom alone, he just really wants it over and to climb back into his man-cave with a 52 inch screen and a brewski.
(FREE) THE WEDDING and BUSINESS GUIDE
The Wedding guide and business plan are being transferred to a PDF and an "E" book and will be downloadable in many formats. This may take a month or so of finger stomping typing and mouse cut and paste work but a lot of information will be added. I left the remnants up on this site but they may be gone at any time. They will however return.
It is eighty pages of the Psychology of Weddings. Better to read it, learn about the forces, mental, chemical, and physical effecting this trial of your patience, rather than have to pay a shrink when you have a breakdown.
It explains the structure and the pitfalls, what to look out for and how to prepare to be smarter than the "Bridezilla's" of today. The Wedding Guide shares those thoughts and ideas I wrote about over forty years, still dead on because Weddings haven't changed, only some bad actors in the newer star roles. Contracts, tips etc. and it grows every day.
The second section is the most complete series of both mental structuring, and good business sense to succeed in this business or any other for that matter. Much of it came from field training I did for a large corporation which is still in business. The number one failure in the Wedding-Event game is you. Prospecting for new clients probably stopped after you shot your cousins Wedding. The business is like farming, don't plant seed, no crop.
Disclaimer
This website and book has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and we make no claims it will cure any disease, or malady caused by shooting at Weddings or at worst someone from the wedding shooting you.
No Photographers were injured during the writing of this book and if you cannot afford an attorney, my nephew will be available at the usual attorney fees for malpractice cases so I can get my cut. We use two ICONS to represent certain circumstance.
"DIGGER" INDICATES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
NO SMOKE NO BULLSHIT - You are about to get truth.