Your Bio
Born: Stanley Carl Haselton on August 26, 1960 in Fort Worth, Texas. Eldest son of Carl, Jr. & Ethelene Haselton, who met & married as students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary...
I am a 1986 graduate of Tennessee Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. After teaching four years, I realized that there is more to teaching than my own love of learning. Since my teaching skills do not include the eloquence of the late President Ronald Reagan, nor the humorous attraction of Jim Carrey, the better part of valor indicated that I might need to look elsewhere for a career.
However, during my first year as a teacher, I purchased the Pentax K-1000 that I still love and use today, as my back-up, Old Reliable. This camera has all the qualities of a great lifelong friendship. It's real...made a sturdy real metal, and is therefore heavy! It consistently takes great photos! It's ready at a moment's notice to go anywhere I want to go! It never complains about the cold, the heat, nor the humidity, even when my body has long since started to question my sanity!
Bottom Line: The Pentax K-1000 is one of the main reasons why I am a photographer today! It is, also, the reason that I plan to stay a Pentax user until I die! (Some...after hearing me "sing the praises" of my Pentax K-1000...have urged me to "get a room." Well, all I can say to that it, let them make fun, but I am as much connosseuir of great photographic art as I am creator of said.)
My Cameras include Pentax K-1000, ZX-30, ZX-60, ZX-L, 645-AF, and the summum bonum of the digital, Pentax K10D.
In all fairness, I need to send a shout out to the makers of Minolta cameras, since during the time that I wanted to learn digital photography, Pentax didn't have one that I was interested in buying.
Therefore, I must credit my initial learning curve in digital photography to the Minolta DiMage 7i, which I purchased in October, 2002, during a seasonal sale from the back of one of my photography magazines.
(Warning to digital newbies: Minolta DiMage 7i listed for just under $600 in the mag, but ended up costing me about $1250...with all the add-ons, including batteries.
THAT...in a nutshell...is the "hard truth" of digital photography! Since a digital camera is relatively inexpensive to use in the day-to-day ops, they sellers have to get their part of the investment up-front...by "squeezing blood out of a turnip" from beginning professionals, like me who need a camera to make money, and have little to make the initial start-up costs.
It is true that a portrait studio can be started with less than a million dollars, but I wouldn't recommend trying with less than $20 Gs start-up, even in a small town. Finally, you have it on good authority...ME...that if you plan to start a portrait business in a small town, especially in the South of the US, be very sure that you are willing to make the investment in kisses on the correct number of gluteal regions...because without proper approval of the "movers & shakers"...if you aren't "from here", you may as well be.)
Photography is one of those careers that thrives or "tanks" on public approval! First, your skills must be superlative! Secondly, your smiles must be "genuine," even when they don't "feel" THAT way! Third, your people skills must be amiable and fluid enough to "surf the trends." Finally, as with all contemporary businesses, advertising must include an amazing web presence with "WOW!" factor, and "value-added" product (since it is the rare customer who buys just the base product anymore.)
PHOTOGRAPHY: "It's all about great skills plus great Public Relations! Put another way,...A Photographer has to 'look good' before customers will let you make them look good!" :)
"Find a niche,...and...Scratch it!" :)
I am a 1986 graduate of Tennessee Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. After teaching four years, I realized that there is more to teaching than my own love of learning. Since my teaching skills do not include the eloquence of the late President Ronald Reagan, nor the humorous attraction of Jim Carrey, the better part of valor indicated that I might need to look elsewhere for a career.
However, during my first year as a teacher, I purchased the Pentax K-1000 that I still love and use today, as my back-up, Old Reliable. This camera has all the qualities of a great lifelong friendship. It's real...made a sturdy real metal, and is therefore heavy! It consistently takes great photos! It's ready at a moment's notice to go anywhere I want to go! It never complains about the cold, the heat, nor the humidity, even when my body has long since started to question my sanity!
Bottom Line: The Pentax K-1000 is one of the main reasons why I am a photographer today! It is, also, the reason that I plan to stay a Pentax user until I die! (Some...after hearing me "sing the praises" of my Pentax K-1000...have urged me to "get a room." Well, all I can say to that it, let them make fun, but I am as much connosseuir of great photographic art as I am creator of said.)
My Cameras include Pentax K-1000, ZX-30, ZX-60, ZX-L, 645-AF, and the summum bonum of the digital, Pentax K10D.
In all fairness, I need to send a shout out to the makers of Minolta cameras, since during the time that I wanted to learn digital photography, Pentax didn't have one that I was interested in buying.
Therefore, I must credit my initial learning curve in digital photography to the Minolta DiMage 7i, which I purchased in October, 2002, during a seasonal sale from the back of one of my photography magazines.
(Warning to digital newbies: Minolta DiMage 7i listed for just under $600 in the mag, but ended up costing me about $1250...with all the add-ons, including batteries.
THAT...in a nutshell...is the "hard truth" of digital photography! Since a digital camera is relatively inexpensive to use in the day-to-day ops, they sellers have to get their part of the investment up-front...by "squeezing blood out of a turnip" from beginning professionals, like me who need a camera to make money, and have little to make the initial start-up costs.
It is true that a portrait studio can be started with less than a million dollars, but I wouldn't recommend trying with less than $20 Gs start-up, even in a small town. Finally, you have it on good authority...ME...that if you plan to start a portrait business in a small town, especially in the South of the US, be very sure that you are willing to make the investment in kisses on the correct number of gluteal regions...because without proper approval of the "movers & shakers"...if you aren't "from here", you may as well be.)
Photography is one of those careers that thrives or "tanks" on public approval! First, your skills must be superlative! Secondly, your smiles must be "genuine," even when they don't "feel" THAT way! Third, your people skills must be amiable and fluid enough to "surf the trends." Finally, as with all contemporary businesses, advertising must include an amazing web presence with "WOW!" factor, and "value-added" product (since it is the rare customer who buys just the base product anymore.)
PHOTOGRAPHY: "It's all about great skills plus great Public Relations! Put another way,...A Photographer has to 'look good' before customers will let you make them look good!" :)
"Find a niche,...and...Scratch it!" :)
