MORE ON THE TRIP AFTER I GET ORGANIZED........

Our New Double Brackets Took Off Faster Than we had Imagined. 
And I thank you from the bottom of my camera bag where my heart is since it weighs so much.  The NEW DOUBLE BRACKETS  For VIVITAR 285's w/ R616, Pocket Wizards, Radio Poppers, and Micro Sync's,  Etc. sold out in hours and the 2nd batch is sold and 3rd batches are due shortly.  All orders will be honored by date.

NOTE:  They now fit the NIKON SB  and Canon SERIES with their internal transceivers and the free factory foot.  It's slick, affordable and totally professional looking. Shipping date is when I return from AUSTRALIA about the 10th. 

NOTE: Due to the incredible response, orders are presold and queries don't count in the pecking order. Please save the "I think I want one in March" and "tell me mores"  for the guy who sells the $200.00 version.  Mine are $24.95 and $5.00 dollars priority mail NOW, What they will be "then" is another story.  Deposits via PayPal do count, there is a date stamp on the PayPal and that determines who's next on line.  It's fair and square and no favoritism.  They establish who gets what.......WHEN.

After years of testing, months of field evaluations, many fresh, cold / warm forgotten beers and a couple skinned knuckles, the guru has the perfect double bracket for all the STROBIST fans  (Vivitarous strobistus economus).   With double mounts you can work off camera without dragging the Bees and all that heavy stuff to a Wedding or Sports Shoot and those car batteries and so forth.

These are the  fans who have discovered the joy of placing two strobes side by side and doubling the light shooting direct or through/reflected with an umbrella.  In addition the two flashes can be angles off center for wide or extra tall shots.

Here's the good part  these jewels are finished in Black Dura-Coated Finish, similar to Teflon or Powder Coating used on guns. in fact it is done at an armory. Not just spray paint which does not stick to galvanized even with special toxic primers and acid baths.  I farmed it out to the pros.  AP&W is one of the finest Custom Plater's in the US.

You can build this super strong, dynamic, incredible double flash ensemble for the cost of the bracket as the VIVITAR replacement feet shown are already threaded for 1/4 x20 VOILA!  No tools, no drilling, no brains needed, with the Vivitar.  See more on this on our HOT!  Vivitar Page 

After producing these,  I have removed all other references to  previous models and this is the one I'm going with.  The latest evolution of my twin light stand was created after using plastic, aluminum, and steel, being assembled with plumbers bubble gum to epoxy, testing and heavy abusive language and field evaluation.  Even the cuts and hole locations were perfectly in position so we could save you money. To those selling overpriced and expensive brackets, sorry we have a better idea.

NOTE:
The umbrella bracket and shoes for the Vivitar 285's are not included.   In the photo you see it mated with the excellent PhotoFlex Umbrella adapter for your light stand. we tried a bunch of those from Aetna, Kalt and others and save your bread, this is the best one. Avoid those cheap eBay adapters, as they are CRAPAZOLA.      (see the Jacobs Brooklyn Dictionary)

NIKON and CANON:
For you Nikonians, we have a solution that really makes sense. Tag team two SB-600's as shown below and use the SB-800 for the trigger and mains. You have the small table foot that comes with these strobes so little else is needed. Combined with the Nikons built in transceivers on the 600-800 series you have an easy job.  CANON owners will have to use a small shoe to support the flashes.

SEASONAL TUNE UP
OOOOps, I forgot to keep the battery on the charger and my battery pack is Ka-boom... Spring TUNE-UP TIME.  My battery pack is dead!  Why does this phenomenon happen this time of the year more than the rest of the year? Because it is the beginning of the Wedding Season and most of the units have been laid away, dormant, not on the charger as recommended or put away four months ago after a shoot and forgotten about.  When I was a Quantum Dealer this was the money time of the year.  So please go check your units now or send them to me for a check-up or tune up so it doesn't fail in the middle of the next wedding you shoot.

That's why all the makers have large repair facilities.  We have a very small one and I am it.  Most unfortunately fail due to operator error. Luckily Black Boxes are easy to repair. That's why we usually don't charge for boo-boos.  Here are some of the things to avoid, not in any order, but never the less here they are. (Continued)

Welcome. . .  51 Years with Cameras in Hand and Still not Baker Acted!
Welcome friend.  I think it proper to let you know what this site is about. It might and it might not be for you. Time is money and we all value our time.  I'm a prisoner of photography.  I enjoy all the aspects of it and I mean "all the aspects".  From shooter to lab owner, in 50 plus years I probably have messed up more than a few things and luckily might have won a few accolades on the balance sheet. 

You'll need a sense of humor and patience to survive here.  I have a very active mind and tested "Extreme" on the IQ scale.  My teachers hated me because I took nothing for granted.  Especially my science teacher who had us convinced the cavemen slaughtered the dinosaurs.  Good: Off to the museum.  Bad: It was a school day.  Mediocre: A modest but flashy career as the number one truant in NYC, voted tops by the Drop-Out Participant Association.  (DOPA)
 
My journey came about through strange circumstance, almost divine intervention.  Bad can be good.  Photography started for me with a paper bag left sitting on a park bench in NYC's Central Park. I was fourteen, a junior, naturally playing hooky from school scoping out the neat animals at the zoo. I grabbed it after eyeing the bag for an hour, artfully dodging the truant officers who carried my picture in their wallets. With no one claiming it, I stood on top of the park bench and yelled the sacred words "finders keepers". 

With the legalities out of the way and beating a hasty retreat out of the park, I had mischievously become the owner of an AIRES IIIL 35mm Rangefinder Camera, the first of the Japanese clones of a Leica.  It took nice pictures of the Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and other sites.  Fifty years later I still carry a camera every day after being involved in several photo operations. And I still build much of my own gear like battery packs, flash cables, brackets and product shooting tables. Tearfully, the little Aires either got lost or I left it somewhere. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

There's something for everyone on this site: I discuss techniques on the; basics of photography;  building your own equipment;  common sense approaches to Weddings with of course a few close calls and funny stories.  More, much more on gear and my battery packs, which I personally build for wedding and sports shooters.  No assembly lines, no employees and I'm the guy who answers the phone.

I learned to make much of my own equipment because of necessity. Sometimes called the "mother of all inventions".  Actually it was poverty, you see poverty is, "the father of all ingenuity".  I picked up the nickname "the Gadgetmeister" starting in an obscure camera repair facility in the camera district of New York City. It was where I first found out man could fly if he simply touched a capacitor from a Honeywell 770 Strobe.  Only the Wright Brothers had a better first flight. After forty years of working on these things a Metz got me the other day. I just think of it as a reminder, capacitors can be flighty even if you think you discharged them. Nothing really has changed in Photography...St. Murphy-Lawes is alive and kicking. 

Oh, yes my shooting eye (the right one on your left)  is smaller than the other eye.  No, I'm not one of the original "Big Seven" Cinderella dwarfs, "Droopy". You too can have this "special low aperture eye installed" free by my cousin who threw baseball size rocks when he was a kid and got me with a curve ball dead on when I was eleven.  About 48 hrs "dead on - out cold".  He also does windows , car glass and anything else that can break.

SHAFTA the trade foo-pah!
Rumors abound, it is speculated the cost of lead and batteries will rise in 2008 by 13%.  No one looks forward to increases. The sleeping giant PANDA BEAR, realized they own the market now with little or no competition.  Seems their abundance of lead spilled over into paints used on kids toys.  

How did CHINA become the worlds leader in battery componentry? Simple, it's dangerous and profitable.  Few other countries other than South Korea process lead, NiMH, or Ni-cad and add Li-On to the list.  Battery making is a dangerous sport.  Even the Japanese learned that lesson after the SONY plant blew up and burned to the ground. They offered great incentives to the Chinese to do their battery business for them since loosing a few people does not concern them too much in China. Just the cost of doing business.  Thus the battery part of the En-EL3A from Nikon in Japan at outrageous prices are probably made in Zhenfeng, China. It also means for every one made for Nikon , twenty five are cloned and made for someone else.

All US companies (some in name only)  are either buying from China or China is shipping batteries and parts to Mexico to avoid any tariffs related to the fair trade agreement.  It's simple, CHEAP labor costs.  High profits and the CEO gets a new Rolex each year, gets to lobby Washington and that sets the pace initiated by the Clintons and Bush's "global economy".  Our money gets to see the globe on one way tickets... With the loss of jobs and production in the USA.

Made in the USA can be misleading.  This is all under the NAFTA program.  We should change that to SHAFTA.   It stands for: SH*T HANDED to AMERICA by the FREE TRADE AGREEMENT.   Thank former President and cigar aficionado William Clinton  for the open door policy and the current renter in the White House King George "Crusades" Bush for driving the freight train through it.  Who says there's partisanship?  Both parties exhibit a large amount of  "stinkin thinking" on a frequent flyers schedule.

The JACOBS MANIFESTO
My goal is simple, I delight in building a line of hard working,  industrial strength, inexpensive alternatives to the expensive battery packs and power supplies from other manufacturers.  They can operate alone or in conjunction in some cases with these other brands.  I have a minimalist and simplistic approach to the equation. Less is more. Less things to go wrong and more power. 

In other words "Less Bling-Bling saves you Ching Ching".  Think of me as an exercise in "Ooops Prevention".  We deleted every power robbing feature to provide you with almost a 1000 clean shots with a Nikon SB-800 or slightly less with  the Canon 580. And still kept full dumps to about three seconds without any accelerators or overheats.  And we found similar results with other models such as Sigma and Vivitar, Braun, and  Sunpak 611's, and  METZ 45's. These can all be adapted in a second life on light stands for background, bumpers and backgrounds.  The main reason these excellent flashes dropped from sight was lack of a secure inexpensive power source.  That's over, we have one now. 

Unfortunately "We" are now a one man company. The love of my life and partner for thirty years passed on to a better place on August 30th , 2007.  She is interned in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in a place scared to her and I.  Almost thirty years ago I told her how I felt about her in that same place.  

I hand build everything we make, including all the connections that are hand soldered.  No hiding behind phone boards, I am generally available by phone (Monday thru Friday 9AM-9PM EST) I will gladly answer your questions. Try that with almost anyone else. It's called service.  I prefer a call to long emails.  We now have chargers for shipments to the U.K. most Euro countries, and Australia, New Zealand  It's taken a while because no one had the charger I wanted for overseas. We do now, I waited two whole years.  Also I build with retro gear in mind so you can make use of the oldies but goodies you have in the closet that represent Money Burning doing nothing.

Enough said, you know my philosophy........
 

NEW WEDDING PHOTOGS MUST READ:

A Wedding is a totally unpredictable planned event. Too oxymoronic a statement? Hmmm, How about describing it as a train heading for the gorge, with termites chomping on the bridge timbers. Too graphic?  Both remarks can describe it well if you are foolish enough to get into a situation you are unprepared for.

THE DOWNLOAD: This is a growing BOOT CAMP for NEWBIE'S.  Essential reading for those wishing to become Wedding Photographers. There are tips and links for those who have done a few weddings and survived. My thanks to friends and colleagues in the business for the input. This is the biggest task a new photographer can undertake because he is dealing with other people and their emotions and expecting to get paid.

Slipup on that picture of your dog or cat and the unrequited love will still be there.  Slipup on a Wedding and you might meet Bridezilla or her Attorney...

Your E-Book on weddings starts here... It is downloadable in PDF format since it is too big (when finished over 300 pages, with a directory, table of contents etc. ) to post on this site. Make sure your browser is set to accept those little pop-ups and PDF files....When you click this button it will automatically take you to the PDF download, you save the file, the PDF file. The file is not that big but has 80 pages so far.

The 2nd Revision is about to be released in July when I am in Australia.  Total: Additional 200 pages. I apologize for the delay in finishing this project BUT my wife's losing battle with Cancer came first.  This project is on the burner again...

Download: WEDDING HAND GUIDE FOR THE BEGINNER (continued)

We start by trying to understand the makeup of a Wedding, and we are not talking about lipstick and rouge. We'll be discussing the players, the combatants and the judges, who attend this elaborate ritualistic and unpredictable affair.  We'll also discuss your place in this great theme park for a a day and whether you'll ride the E-ticket or be the E-ticket and they will ride you. 

In the later sections we'll discuss the contracts, forms and other legalities you must have to protect yourself in the crazy sue happy world we live in today.  These will be downloadable forms you may put together yourself to create a great Wedding product and guide for your work.

What can I say going into a Wedding underhanded in some countries might cost you your hands as is their custom. Here it only costs your your neck.  What tools do you need for the next episode of survivor....

We'll really get technical here and get into the crux of gear. What works and what doesn't work.  The tips of the trade , not the tricks, real things you can do to boost your earnings.
 

REAL LIFE STORIES

Cancer, when it strikes home    FINAL CHAPTER - The Last Trip.
I have lost the love of my life... My wife Dolly.  She was my companion, confidant support team, friend, sunshine, smiles and all the good things that life together offers. It came quick,  Ovarian Cancer is quick.  I asked her on a scale of 1 to 10 how does she feel?  She replied: "an 11".  I took her to the ER at Midnight.   She beat Ovarian Cancer, aka "the silent killer",  the last time (almost four years ago) and it has reared it's ugly head again.  Four hours after arriving at the hospital, we had the news. They admitted her immediately.  (Continued)

Gator Bait  Welcome to Florida, Things the Tourist Board Just Won't Tell You!
Someone once asked me are Gators that dangerous?  GATORS! They are our state treasure. They won’t bother you boating in the Florida swamps. Just avoid the nests around mating season, don't look for lost golf balls near the edge of the water and watch out when swimming in inland lakes. It's a territorial thing. And they were here first. Gators aren't the only things we have to be aware of in our state. Seems those who profit off the Gators might be more dangerous.  (Read this)

Food on the Town   If you live in Largo this ain't Yo Momma's kitchen!
This is not about gourmet restaurants where the lack of food on the beautifully decorated plate is offset by the large amount on the bill.  This is where we all go for a meal.  Not the "experience", a meal, a belly filler, a pause in the hassle of life for sustenance and hopefully a fair shake (no pun intended).  There is a separate section for the upscale dinning adventures, hopefully a step above fast food, it should be a large step. (Read this)

Support our troops by helping build this Memorial.

The Ultimate Sacrifice - 4000th US Soldier Dies in the Conflict
BAGHDAD, March 24 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. soldiers to die in Iraq has reached 4,000, the U.S. military said on Monday, just days after the fifth anniversary of a war that President George W. Bush says the United States is on track to win. My question: WIN WHAT?   FINALLY BROKE GROUND! and construction is proceeding at a rapid pace. www.centcommemorial.org
 

Boating News - The S.S. American Victory
For those of you who have had the pleasure of spending time relaxing on the beautiful lakes, rivers, and oceans, of our world and actually purchased a vessel of sorts you'll enjoy this vibrant discourse on boat ownership.  And the responsibility that comes with that partaking especially if the vessel is in need of repair.  

As they all are,  after the initial joy of ownership wears off, usually the second day, during the lets wash the boat family project.  Think of this article as going from feeding a Chimp to feeding King Kong.  Our boating project is unique, to say the least, find out about how we are restoring a pretty good sized vessel. We need skilled volunteers. She's 455 feet long, 109 feet high and 68 feet wide and she's still kicking ash...
(READ ON)
 

Photojournalistic PHOTOGRAPHY

I do a fair amount of PR photography, product and work for some major organizations. And I do get to meet some of the folks who are in the headlines.  So far it's been mainly Military, Congressmen and the President. I somehow keep missing J-Lo, Paris and Jessica...Oh well...
Of course Washington is playing to a different drummer these days, sort of like having Gene Krupa as a guest soloist on a Roman Galley.

THE OLD DOG STORIES   (COUPLE OLD TRUE STORIES)

• Playboy Club

• N5707U

• United Way

• Gen H. H. Shelton

• Eddie Adams

• Marty Forscher

PHOTOJOURNALISM   (COUPLE NEW TRUE STORIES)

• Freedom Concert

• USCCMF Fundraiser

• Presidential Citation For General Tommy Franks

• Outback Steakhouse and the Coalition

• Rangers

• Memorial Dedication

• Army Ball

• Marine Corp Ball

• Tampa Bay Watch

• The American Victory

• Jeb Bush and Reading
   

Contact me:  

• FOR PRODUCT TESTS  We tell you what we think.  Many times it's not what someone getting paid to tell thinks.  We call that kind "slinking thinking".
   

• LINKS   to Manufacturers, Builders , Blogs, Reviews and a few ALIENS...
   

• The  JACOBS DICTIONARY   Learn to speak Brooklyn
   

• FEEDBACK  (What others are saying about me   #%$R@F&^%$#(%)#&(*!_)