If you are a mobile phone user, which most of the modern population of this planet are, you will fit into one of two camps - iPhone or 'the other ones'. Admittedly I am a big fan of the Apple camp, having iPhones since late 2009, and converting from my HP laptop to a MacBook in 2010. A little hesitation on both transitions is now lost in a wave of delight and reliability - my 5+ year old machine that still works flawlessly and does not look or feel a day old compared to new machines... that is, until I push the processor hard, but that is another story. Back on topic... when it comes to my love of Apple and the iPhone, change has blown in, with a refreshing force.
Gone are the days of cool two and three finger swipes and motions... gone are the days of a perfectly symmetrical design both outside and in... gone are the days of hearing how the iPhone is the be-all and end-all of smart phones. Why?... because I have jumped the fence, and retired my trusty iPhone 4S to the third draw down beside my desk, to be lost amongst a variety of charges, cables and adapters. Yes, I have bought an Android phone... a Samsung Galaxy 5S in fact. As you pick yourself up off the floor and regain some sense of composure, I will explain my new direction in life. You see, Apple are geniuses in luring you into their clean white stores filled with similar dressed personnel standing at the ready... and before you know it, bring your latest Apple device promptly to you via cool wireless in-store communication that would rival NASA. You get swept up in the awe of smooth machines and a hip lifestyle that you usually only see in magazines displaying how your life should be lead. It is brilliant, because you completely forget how much you are actually paying, wrapped up in a 24 month contract of communication bliss. How could all of this be wrong? I'll tell you... It was only when I somehow tripped over a paperclip and found myself in the Samsung store that I saw a different kind of light. The sales person (yep, only one in the store) greeted me with a smirk when I mentioned I had never used an Samsung before... I thought that his facial expression was one of paid arrogance and maybe even ignorance, not working for Apple. Soon though I was talked through the specs of a now superseded Samsung phone, and still blown away. Not only is the Galaxy S5 now replaced by the S6, but it still has almost twice the processing power of the iPhone 6, twice the RAM, twice the MP of the camera, much better resolution of the screen, and 30% longer battery life. Add in that I can expand the memory, replace a battery if one dies, and the Galaxy S5 is IP67 rated (waterproof), I really was scratching my scalp so hard I lost 16 hairs... how the hell can Apple get away with charging twice as much (RRP) for the 6, for a device which is seriously outclassed. "The Operating System", I hear you say... sorry to dampen your argument, but after living with the Samsung and Android system for a few weeks now, I really can't see much difference at all, apart from it being a little smoother with information at hand compared to the Apple. Yes, it really is that good... and I'm an 'Apple Guy'! Okay... in all fairness, there is one feature I miss... using Apple's iMessage via my computer was a nice interface when I much prefer typing on a keyboard. And the iPhone has a more user friendly alarm... but that's it... and I can live with this when I know I saved 400 Euros!
Naturally though I am sticking with my MacBook Pro, only upgrading it for a newer machine due to more recent work demands and processing with PS and FinalCutProX. I also have a relatively recent (retina screen) iPad for my mobile teaching, so not all is lost for you Apple hopefuls out there :) It does however still bother me, as it should Apple as well... for just having one tasty fruit that is advertised to make your life happier and healthier is a very risky attitude. The 'others' are not only catching up but surpassing Apple, and making iPhones ever so harder to swallow at their price point. If Apple is not careful, they will wake up and see everyone eating a just as tasty alternative, still living a very fruitful life (like me) and wonder what happened.
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Saturday, 16 May 2015
The Customer is always wrong
Retail sales is both a simple and complex process, depending on the product, service, or business. Anyone who has attempted to run their own business is especially aware that the word 'sales' is dynamic and necessary for success. Not only selling the service, product, etc, but also in selling themselves... getting the client to both like you, trust you, and have faith in you delivering your promise. Fortunately for me I have experienced many facets of retail and B2B sales throughout my career paths, bringing the sales process to me rather naturally. Unfortunately it also makes me very critical towards how others sell and serve me as a customer.
Moving to Sweden was definitely an eye opener for me within the retail environment... with vast chasms in both service and sales throughout. Most of the time this can be forgiven when buying a fifteen dollar t-shirt or some McDonalds at 2am, but definitely gets under my skin when a large chunk of my bank account must part ways with me.... which was eventually the case when I decided to buy a car in Sweden. My career experience in this area comes from 4 years of both new and used prestige car sales in Australia, trained in the art of the 'Six point sell' and being taught basic psychology of personalities. All allowing us to effectively communicate with the customer not only getting them to like us but also like the car enough to feel comfortable parting with some hard earned cash. This training and strict regime which lead to a very secure and trusted sales process is somehow either completely missing or completely ignored by many Swedish car sales people.
Let me paint a picture, from recent direct personal experience attempting to change cars again here...
Due to work I usually approach a dealership in the last 45 minutes prior to closing - a perfectly legitimate reason and still within documented opening times of all dealerships. Two small (non-branded) car dealers next door to each other had two almost identical vehicles for about the same asking price. I approached the first one, entering and being kindly greeted by the sales man. I found the car I was interested in and politely asked for a short test drive, when I was met with the response, "I'm sorry but I'm closing early today because it is a holiday tomorrow, but you can come back tomorrow as I am open anyway... Meanwhile we can sit down and work out the figures to see if you are happy". I asked if he was serious asking me to negotiate on a car before I had driven it, which was was met with a response, "but there is no use in driving the car if you don't like the price". I promptly told him that he had lost me as I walked out the door.
I was left stunned while walking 50 or so meters to the other dealer, thinking he must realise his competition has the same car. Upon entering the other dealer, again I found the car and asked if there was time for a test drive. The well dressed and confident salesman responded with a positive "yes" immediately followed by a 'but'... "but it has just rained and we don't want to get the car dirty, as it will cost us 200kr to clean again (keep in mind they will make a profit of around 30,000kr). I asked if he was kidding, which was a mistake as the salesperson's face changed to a very serious expression as he suggested I come back on a sunny day to drive the car. When I mentioned that their direct competitor next door had the same car also for sale, I was just met with a bland "yes" and then blank silence as if he didn't really understand my point... The rain had stopped and the roads were not so wet, but the dealer remained stubborn and started to suggest that we sit down and talk about the figures first. At this stage I was frustrated beyond belief and sternly answered back, "would you negotiate on a house you have never properly inspected?" "Fair call", he says. I said I would try to make it back on a sunny day but could not guarantee it. I never went back.
This being said, I have experienced some car dealerships here that were very helpful and actually invited me to drive in the rain. Some have done the sales process relatively well, and without any doubt I would feel comfortable laying down a deposit. Still though, I have been sent on my way on a drive (on my own) without any instruction on how to operate different features of the car. I am still waiting on a follow up phone call, email, or some sort of sign that salespeople are thinking about my money, and in turn, their money, career, etc. It seems that there is an underlying arrogance joining together with laziness giving the car salespeople the mentality that the cars will sell themselves, and they don't have to try. A little sad maybe but what is more worrying is that the Swedish people put up with this and accept that their money is fair game to people who don't really want to get to know you. Are the Swedes that cold?... I would like to argue not, as socially it has been the opposite to me. It does however make some sense in how easy I have found it to operate a business in a foreign country without knowing the language... in the end people do prefer to know people who want to know them.
Until the Swedish car sales people catch on to this mythical way of life, many of us trying to buy a car have to come to grips with these facts - the Customer is almost always wrong and arrogance is something we need to swallow when they don't. I am also left wondering if they sell any cars at all during a cold and snowy Winter?.. I mean, the car could rust while on a test drive!
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
The camera never lies
Stand back people... the world is evolving at an exponential pace, in more ways than one. While the Human species in physical form does not appear to change during our lifetime, technology and the effect it has over how we act is changing us almost day by day... and the most dominant piece of technology would be the smart phone - literally dominating our lives.
So now we sit on the bus or in a cafe, and now even on commercial aircraft and can be constantly connected to the world, and with this lust we can't stop. Every device can capture still photographs of such high quality they will put even the most expensive digital camera to shame on a 'quality to weight' ratio. And then comes the video capability... yes, people still have not quite grasped the concept that TV, video, etc is broadcast in a landscape format, and decide that holding a phone the normal way is the way to video, but I will look past this naivety for now. People of today seem to have an unquenching desire to show the rest of the world what is happening in their life or other's lives around them. And here lies the problem... recently illustrated in a very blunt and topical way in Malmö two weeks ago. A Young boy of nine years old was being held down on the ground by a security guard in Central Station, appearing to cause the boy considerable discomfort. As to the exact reasons surrounding the event, I am not to judge or make claim to vast knowledge of what instigated this. What I can say, without doubt, is that the video footage captured by one of the bystanders on his mobile device was swept up by the Swedish media and broadcast long before any real facts were known. True, the media is there to supply to public with information, and anything that visualises violence or pain is jumped on by the Swedish people within hours, creating vast discussions on social networks and over hot or cold beverages. This action by the media surrounding the event above, was far beyond fair or reasonable, and instantly incited hate and disgust towards the security guard involved... almost beyond doubt, as the video showed. No one seemed to read the article accompanying the video footage, which the witness recording the event declared he did not see how it started, and even made assumptions as to noises he heard prior to pressing record. So the topic went on for another ten days, with more information coming to light, and more witnesses declaring the security guard was not at fault and justified in his actions. But guess what... no video to support these words, so people (even some I chatted on-line to) concluded that the other witness must be mistaken and can't be taken seriously without some sort of visual media backing them up. Seriously!?? The general attitude was, 'if I can't see it, I don't believe it', even if the original video was cut and pasted together to favour the media's bias stance in their first report. So the news went on, and many more articles were written about the subject, and interest was lost after no more video footage could be found... how ironic.
The mobile devices are not all to blame... with the power of Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, and Google+ (whatever that is!?), we are drawn ever more towards educating the world on what we do, eat, and think. Then we head out on our own personal crusade trying to change the world to our way of thinking. Damn... I'm even doing it now through this post :P Trying to draw an illustration in someone's head without the use of visual interface is proving more and more difficult, and maybe I can live in hope that my words are making a difference in this matter. Until I know for sure, I can rest assured that the people sleep at night believing that the camera never lies, and conclusions brought upon by this visual delight must never be wrong. I don't know what is more scary... how easily we are lead by visuals or by the machines allowing them to exist in the first place ;)
Footnote: no pic in this post, as I didn't want to influence you :D
So now we sit on the bus or in a cafe, and now even on commercial aircraft and can be constantly connected to the world, and with this lust we can't stop. Every device can capture still photographs of such high quality they will put even the most expensive digital camera to shame on a 'quality to weight' ratio. And then comes the video capability... yes, people still have not quite grasped the concept that TV, video, etc is broadcast in a landscape format, and decide that holding a phone the normal way is the way to video, but I will look past this naivety for now. People of today seem to have an unquenching desire to show the rest of the world what is happening in their life or other's lives around them. And here lies the problem... recently illustrated in a very blunt and topical way in Malmö two weeks ago. A Young boy of nine years old was being held down on the ground by a security guard in Central Station, appearing to cause the boy considerable discomfort. As to the exact reasons surrounding the event, I am not to judge or make claim to vast knowledge of what instigated this. What I can say, without doubt, is that the video footage captured by one of the bystanders on his mobile device was swept up by the Swedish media and broadcast long before any real facts were known. True, the media is there to supply to public with information, and anything that visualises violence or pain is jumped on by the Swedish people within hours, creating vast discussions on social networks and over hot or cold beverages. This action by the media surrounding the event above, was far beyond fair or reasonable, and instantly incited hate and disgust towards the security guard involved... almost beyond doubt, as the video showed. No one seemed to read the article accompanying the video footage, which the witness recording the event declared he did not see how it started, and even made assumptions as to noises he heard prior to pressing record. So the topic went on for another ten days, with more information coming to light, and more witnesses declaring the security guard was not at fault and justified in his actions. But guess what... no video to support these words, so people (even some I chatted on-line to) concluded that the other witness must be mistaken and can't be taken seriously without some sort of visual media backing them up. Seriously!?? The general attitude was, 'if I can't see it, I don't believe it', even if the original video was cut and pasted together to favour the media's bias stance in their first report. So the news went on, and many more articles were written about the subject, and interest was lost after no more video footage could be found... how ironic.
The mobile devices are not all to blame... with the power of Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, and Google+ (whatever that is!?), we are drawn ever more towards educating the world on what we do, eat, and think. Then we head out on our own personal crusade trying to change the world to our way of thinking. Damn... I'm even doing it now through this post :P Trying to draw an illustration in someone's head without the use of visual interface is proving more and more difficult, and maybe I can live in hope that my words are making a difference in this matter. Until I know for sure, I can rest assured that the people sleep at night believing that the camera never lies, and conclusions brought upon by this visual delight must never be wrong. I don't know what is more scary... how easily we are lead by visuals or by the machines allowing them to exist in the first place ;)
Footnote: no pic in this post, as I didn't want to influence you :D
Saturday, 7 February 2015
16 Things...
There are a few of these things going around the interwebby thing at the moment, so I thought I would jump onboard :)
16 Things you will never hear a Professional Photographer say...
1. Yes, I would be happy to photograph your little event or product for free just to get exposure.
2. Photoshop is so much better than Lightroom
3. You are right... it is the big expensive camera that makes the photos so good
4. Yes, I will give you all the wedding photos in RAW format unedited.
5. Buy an 18-250mm lens... it is all that you will ever need.
6. I managed to get my post processing workflow down to less than 5 minutes per image.
7. An Apple monitor definitely has the best colour.
8. I photograph everything at 1/200sec f5.6 just to be safe.
9. No worries, I will get all the edited photos to you in a few hours.
10. Travelling is easy... I just throw all my camera equipment into my check-in luggage.
11. I wish I could take photographs like that other photographer.
12. Dull, grey days are so boring.
13. Yes, I use Aperture Priority... makes things so easy.
14. I wish all the people would stop moving so I can get them in sharp focus.
15. Yeah, I carry all of this camera gear around just to look Professional.
16. Why won't someone hire me... I think my photos are really good (okay - I admit that we think this, sometimes).
Naturally all this is a little tongue in cheek, as I love my work and would never make a joke about it... apart from today, obviously :P
16 Things you will never hear a Professional Photographer say...
1. Yes, I would be happy to photograph your little event or product for free just to get exposure.
2. Photoshop is so much better than Lightroom
3. You are right... it is the big expensive camera that makes the photos so good
4. Yes, I will give you all the wedding photos in RAW format unedited.
5. Buy an 18-250mm lens... it is all that you will ever need.
6. I managed to get my post processing workflow down to less than 5 minutes per image.
7. An Apple monitor definitely has the best colour.
8. I photograph everything at 1/200sec f5.6 just to be safe.
9. No worries, I will get all the edited photos to you in a few hours.
10. Travelling is easy... I just throw all my camera equipment into my check-in luggage.
11. I wish I could take photographs like that other photographer.
12. Dull, grey days are so boring.
13. Yes, I use Aperture Priority... makes things so easy.
14. I wish all the people would stop moving so I can get them in sharp focus.
15. Yeah, I carry all of this camera gear around just to look Professional.
16. Why won't someone hire me... I think my photos are really good (okay - I admit that we think this, sometimes).
Naturally all this is a little tongue in cheek, as I love my work and would never make a joke about it... apart from today, obviously :P
Friday, 6 February 2015
Democratically speaking
Sitting here in Sweden is interesting... relatively neutrally on the side lines watching another Australian Political Election unfold in unbelievable form. What I am referring to is another 'hung Parliament' - this time on a State level, in the State of Queensland. It is not uncommon for State Elections to play out towards a tie between the two party system - ironically a system put in place to stabilise the Australian Political scene... but now this time proven Westminster style democratic system is failing the people, over and over.
Back in 2010, Australian Federal Politics experienced its first Hung Parliament since near the dawn of the two party system in Australia, and therefore no one really knew what to do about it. Sitting there scratching their heads for two weeks while the honest Australian voter wondered where and how their votes would count. The logical outcome should have been another election, but no... while the prospective Governments lay in the balance, they seeked support from the Independents. Independents who had won their electorate's support because the voters didn't want either of the two major parties in power in their area. Makes perfect sense without argument or dispute. Instead the two major Parties entered into negotiation, almost holding them to ransom with ideas that the whole Country's ruling lay in their hands. Talk about pressure. Bulling and bribery comes to mind, forcing the Independents to side with a major party - basically their enemy.
Now it is happening again... with the Queensland State leadership balancing on some final vote counts and the Independents giving support to one or the other major Party. So I ask... is that really Democracy? We are given the right to vote... actually forced to vote in Australia, with (I hope) decisions made on passion and support for the cause each Party believes in. And then all that effort and power the people express is watered down to people we don't really know or believe in. The irony is that we are sold the Westminster Democratic system as the golden voice of the people, and then the people all sit there watching the dog fight play out without making a sound!!?? All of a sudden the voting public are muted and just accept that this is the way it is going to be, like pawns - are the people really that powerless? The further evidence of massive Democratic failure is due to lack of education of the system to the people (maybe the Politician's want it that way?). People make a first preference vote, and then second preferences and so on. Easy... um, no. In both the 2010 Federal Election and the current vote standing of the 2015 QLD Election, total 1st pref votes show that the LNP are favoured by the people, yet ALP is going to take power... how is that Democracy? It is basically saying, "yes, we hear you, but you are not going to get what you want"... and then the ALP steps into power claiming they have a clear victory - what a joke!
All this said, a redesign of the Political system would be a massive feat, and one which unfortunately would not happen in the near future - the Gov'ts have trouble running the Country as they are, let alone putting more energy into changing a system which, lets face it, may have pushed them into power in the first place. Yet with Hung Parliaments seeming to be a more common affair, it is telling us that the voters are either annoyed with both major Parties and can't decide, or they just have no clue and don't really care. Democratically speaking, the People's voice should be heard... and that is never going to be the case if we don't care enough to make a stand against decisions being made for us rather than with us... but then again, isn't that what Politics is all about?
Back in 2010, Australian Federal Politics experienced its first Hung Parliament since near the dawn of the two party system in Australia, and therefore no one really knew what to do about it. Sitting there scratching their heads for two weeks while the honest Australian voter wondered where and how their votes would count. The logical outcome should have been another election, but no... while the prospective Governments lay in the balance, they seeked support from the Independents. Independents who had won their electorate's support because the voters didn't want either of the two major parties in power in their area. Makes perfect sense without argument or dispute. Instead the two major Parties entered into negotiation, almost holding them to ransom with ideas that the whole Country's ruling lay in their hands. Talk about pressure. Bulling and bribery comes to mind, forcing the Independents to side with a major party - basically their enemy.
Now it is happening again... with the Queensland State leadership balancing on some final vote counts and the Independents giving support to one or the other major Party. So I ask... is that really Democracy? We are given the right to vote... actually forced to vote in Australia, with (I hope) decisions made on passion and support for the cause each Party believes in. And then all that effort and power the people express is watered down to people we don't really know or believe in. The irony is that we are sold the Westminster Democratic system as the golden voice of the people, and then the people all sit there watching the dog fight play out without making a sound!!?? All of a sudden the voting public are muted and just accept that this is the way it is going to be, like pawns - are the people really that powerless? The further evidence of massive Democratic failure is due to lack of education of the system to the people (maybe the Politician's want it that way?). People make a first preference vote, and then second preferences and so on. Easy... um, no. In both the 2010 Federal Election and the current vote standing of the 2015 QLD Election, total 1st pref votes show that the LNP are favoured by the people, yet ALP is going to take power... how is that Democracy? It is basically saying, "yes, we hear you, but you are not going to get what you want"... and then the ALP steps into power claiming they have a clear victory - what a joke!
All this said, a redesign of the Political system would be a massive feat, and one which unfortunately would not happen in the near future - the Gov'ts have trouble running the Country as they are, let alone putting more energy into changing a system which, lets face it, may have pushed them into power in the first place. Yet with Hung Parliaments seeming to be a more common affair, it is telling us that the voters are either annoyed with both major Parties and can't decide, or they just have no clue and don't really care. Democratically speaking, the People's voice should be heard... and that is never going to be the case if we don't care enough to make a stand against decisions being made for us rather than with us... but then again, isn't that what Politics is all about?
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Sky High
I guess I am quite fortunate... well at least some of my friends believe so, as my job gives me many opportunities to travel by air to far reaching places around this wonderful globe we live upon. Admittedly though, I did travel a lot long before I was a photographer, as I became addicted to travel from my first job as a Travel Agent approximately 20 years ago. Since then, I have travelled on almost every major Airline, in Economy and Business class, experienced aircrafts being stuck by lightning (several times), and even landed on a beach (on purpose, not emergency!). As much as I am used to it, air travel still makes me nervous and feel a little outside my comfort zone... well naturally it should, travelling at around 800km/h, a million feet (it feels) above where our feet should be, and being cocooned in a long metal composite tube with no escape. Scaring you yet?.. well don't fear, as there is an easy way to get through it... Welcome to 'flying' life hacks...
At the Airport: Everyone here seems to be in a hurry to board the aircraft... lining up hundreds long! This is one thing I simply do not understand. If you are lining up at the boarding gate, you must have a boarding pass, and an allocated seat... so just relax... the plane is not going to leave without you if you board last, and if you are worried about your hand luggage, don't be. The air crew are obligated to assist you with finding a place for it onboard, and no one is going to steal your seat. On a funny note to that... it is approximately one in ten flights I do actually find someone in my seat - apparently a simply alphabet and number code is too difficult sometimes, when it does not take much to simply hold your boarding pass up to the seat codes and find your match! :D Also when you board (almost) last, you are not blocking the isle for anyone else... unless of course after reading this everyone now tries to board last, causing a long line and... bugger, um... yeah - just board at 'your' leisure :)
In flight: People seem to always long to get home from work, sit down with a drink and watch some TV to wind down... which is effectively what you do when you board an aircraft. So this is what you do... stick to your routine. Especially for long haul flights where you are sleeping - before you sleep, act the same as you would if you were at home... have the meal, a drink or two, get up and walk around a bit, brush your teeth, etc - you get the point. The power of association plays deep within us, and it is natural for Humans to like and want routine for comfort and contentment. There is a myth that you should not drink alcohol on flights... this is simply not true. Yes, the air onboard tends to be dryer, and from this you can suffer from dehydration, but a 'few' alcoholic drinks are still hydrating you in some way, and they will help you mellow out a little too when you come to think of that long metal composite tube again ;) If you do wake up, take a walk around... the whole aircraft as far as the cabin crew will allow. Do a few laps, and you would have walked a few hundred meters, sometimes with a 'speed over ground' faster than the aircraft itself - freaky and cool at the same time :) Also when you need to wake, play a mind game of some type - Sudoku, Scrabble, Chess, etc... it is not about winning (except when I play!) but more so exercising the mind. This will help combat jet-lag's lethargic mental effects.
Food: The general consensus and facial expressions when mentioning airline food is indicating something we could easily live without and most likely never miss. True, it is mass produced (on a phenomenal scale), and that does take its toll on quality and flavour - even in Business class. So here is some refreshing news... there is no law whatsoever to taking your own food and drink onboard. Most airports will allow you to take more than 100ml of fluid onto the aircraft as long as you have cleared security and purchased it inside the terminal. I do say 'most' because some airports and transfer lounges will make you clear security at the gate. This being said, still one of my funniest (and confusing) moments was sitting next to an elderly Chinese couple on China Southern Airlines, who managed to get a 1lt flask of hot soup onboard - something they clearly made at home! If however you have no choice but to consume the airline's greatest claim to cuisine, remember that the air pressure at altitude is less so open any sealed drink and food container away from you to prevent it making a little explosion on your lap ;)
Disembarking: Another classic moment where almost every passenger seems to believe that unfastening your seatbelt and standing up as quickly as possible will speed up the exit to the aircraft... only to stand around at the baggage carousel for another 15 minutes or so. Certainly those with just carry-on do not have that issue, but this does not mean you are going to have any advantage when you are in seat 63B at the back of a 747. Many airlines are now changing their inflight entertainment policies, whether it be your own electronics (in flight mode) or their's, so you can sit back with no stress watching the end of that riveting movie, or actually catch the end of your favourite tunes. Then casually exit the aircraft with no pushing or frustrating other people while you clear the overhead locker... especially that person in 63B!
Finally... air travel is one of man's greatest and safest modern achievements, and in my mind something which should be enjoyed and respected. If it was not for the brilliant minds of the Wright Brothers, we may still be sitting in a ship taking 3 weeks. Well, yes... someone else would have eventually worked it out, so I don't think the world would be that backwards... but then after 100 years of commercial flight, still no one has worked out how to get passengers to board an aircraft selflessly and efficiently, or how to stop us all farting so much at 33000 feet. A bit like eating garlic... if we all do it, no one really notices it... and we all end up Sky High on our own flatulence! Oh the joys of air travel... Happy 2015 everyone and many happy landings!
At the Airport: Everyone here seems to be in a hurry to board the aircraft... lining up hundreds long! This is one thing I simply do not understand. If you are lining up at the boarding gate, you must have a boarding pass, and an allocated seat... so just relax... the plane is not going to leave without you if you board last, and if you are worried about your hand luggage, don't be. The air crew are obligated to assist you with finding a place for it onboard, and no one is going to steal your seat. On a funny note to that... it is approximately one in ten flights I do actually find someone in my seat - apparently a simply alphabet and number code is too difficult sometimes, when it does not take much to simply hold your boarding pass up to the seat codes and find your match! :D Also when you board (almost) last, you are not blocking the isle for anyone else... unless of course after reading this everyone now tries to board last, causing a long line and... bugger, um... yeah - just board at 'your' leisure :)
In flight: People seem to always long to get home from work, sit down with a drink and watch some TV to wind down... which is effectively what you do when you board an aircraft. So this is what you do... stick to your routine. Especially for long haul flights where you are sleeping - before you sleep, act the same as you would if you were at home... have the meal, a drink or two, get up and walk around a bit, brush your teeth, etc - you get the point. The power of association plays deep within us, and it is natural for Humans to like and want routine for comfort and contentment. There is a myth that you should not drink alcohol on flights... this is simply not true. Yes, the air onboard tends to be dryer, and from this you can suffer from dehydration, but a 'few' alcoholic drinks are still hydrating you in some way, and they will help you mellow out a little too when you come to think of that long metal composite tube again ;) If you do wake up, take a walk around... the whole aircraft as far as the cabin crew will allow. Do a few laps, and you would have walked a few hundred meters, sometimes with a 'speed over ground' faster than the aircraft itself - freaky and cool at the same time :) Also when you need to wake, play a mind game of some type - Sudoku, Scrabble, Chess, etc... it is not about winning (except when I play!) but more so exercising the mind. This will help combat jet-lag's lethargic mental effects.
Food: The general consensus and facial expressions when mentioning airline food is indicating something we could easily live without and most likely never miss. True, it is mass produced (on a phenomenal scale), and that does take its toll on quality and flavour - even in Business class. So here is some refreshing news... there is no law whatsoever to taking your own food and drink onboard. Most airports will allow you to take more than 100ml of fluid onto the aircraft as long as you have cleared security and purchased it inside the terminal. I do say 'most' because some airports and transfer lounges will make you clear security at the gate. This being said, still one of my funniest (and confusing) moments was sitting next to an elderly Chinese couple on China Southern Airlines, who managed to get a 1lt flask of hot soup onboard - something they clearly made at home! If however you have no choice but to consume the airline's greatest claim to cuisine, remember that the air pressure at altitude is less so open any sealed drink and food container away from you to prevent it making a little explosion on your lap ;)
Disembarking: Another classic moment where almost every passenger seems to believe that unfastening your seatbelt and standing up as quickly as possible will speed up the exit to the aircraft... only to stand around at the baggage carousel for another 15 minutes or so. Certainly those with just carry-on do not have that issue, but this does not mean you are going to have any advantage when you are in seat 63B at the back of a 747. Many airlines are now changing their inflight entertainment policies, whether it be your own electronics (in flight mode) or their's, so you can sit back with no stress watching the end of that riveting movie, or actually catch the end of your favourite tunes. Then casually exit the aircraft with no pushing or frustrating other people while you clear the overhead locker... especially that person in 63B!
Finally... air travel is one of man's greatest and safest modern achievements, and in my mind something which should be enjoyed and respected. If it was not for the brilliant minds of the Wright Brothers, we may still be sitting in a ship taking 3 weeks. Well, yes... someone else would have eventually worked it out, so I don't think the world would be that backwards... but then after 100 years of commercial flight, still no one has worked out how to get passengers to board an aircraft selflessly and efficiently, or how to stop us all farting so much at 33000 feet. A bit like eating garlic... if we all do it, no one really notices it... and we all end up Sky High on our own flatulence! Oh the joys of air travel... Happy 2015 everyone and many happy landings!
Friday, 12 December 2014
The Silent Crime
It has happened before... where I discovered one of my photographs being used commercially without the correct permissions and credit, and it has just happened again... Gawwwd it gets under my skin. Usually it is a quite innocent misunderstanding, and the images are removed without question or complaint, but this latest case is beyond belief. The photos in question were captured during a commission from a good client - a large super yacht shipyard, and were processed with the utmost professional finish and quality. Then someone sitting out there decided to take them from the internet, and upload them to the web site MarineTraffic as their own. Now take into consideration that MarineTraffic is a worldwide website with thousands of members, and watched carefully by the Super Yacht industry, and you get the picture.
For some reason, out there in the electronic interweb world, people either professional or not, have the idea that if an image is there, it is 'free use'. This is especially if it appears in a Google image search result. Google has tried to combat this with a little fine print 'copyright may apply' which is easily overlooked, if understood at all. Copyright of a photograph remains with the person who pressed the shutter button to capture the image, and does not matter who owned the camera, or who was paying the photographer. Copyright of the photograph also remains for 70 years after the death of the photographer, and then is passed to next of kin. Even if the photograph is sold as prints, or electronically, this never transfers ownership of the copyright. I have however heard of limited agreements where the photographer sold the copyright, which was only the case because the photographer was not interested in the end result at all, and paid handsomely for the work.
There is still the strange myth alive and well that a photographer will be happy with exposure by any media if they are credited, and Photographers should be happy for the privilege of having our work exposed. As flattering as it may be, there is nothing further from the truth, as only amateurs would really be the one's needing this ego rub. The automatically perceived notion that exposure has some financial gain to a photographer is an extremely selfish and naive attitude that too many low budget web sites believe justifies their actions. But then take the individual who claims the photograph from another, and this becomes theft of intellectual talent and is quite simply committing fraud. Yet this type of person for some reason believes they are immune or can get away with it, and how they find peace in their mind to undertake such an act is beyond me. There was one famous case in the U.S. where a Photographer used another's work to promote her Wedding Photography website. The Photographer was found out, very easily, and not only flamed by the industry, but lost all credibility to the point of shutting down her business, even after she apologised. It is a pity that I can't take the same action towards the individual who stole my work... the combination of a very generic name and no contact details on the MarineTraffic website returns no supporting evidence I can use to point blame.
Since finding the stolen images, MarineTraffic has removed them and allowed me to re-submit. But the person gets away with a crime that is all too silent, damnit!
For some reason, out there in the electronic interweb world, people either professional or not, have the idea that if an image is there, it is 'free use'. This is especially if it appears in a Google image search result. Google has tried to combat this with a little fine print 'copyright may apply' which is easily overlooked, if understood at all. Copyright of a photograph remains with the person who pressed the shutter button to capture the image, and does not matter who owned the camera, or who was paying the photographer. Copyright of the photograph also remains for 70 years after the death of the photographer, and then is passed to next of kin. Even if the photograph is sold as prints, or electronically, this never transfers ownership of the copyright. I have however heard of limited agreements where the photographer sold the copyright, which was only the case because the photographer was not interested in the end result at all, and paid handsomely for the work.
There is still the strange myth alive and well that a photographer will be happy with exposure by any media if they are credited, and Photographers should be happy for the privilege of having our work exposed. As flattering as it may be, there is nothing further from the truth, as only amateurs would really be the one's needing this ego rub. The automatically perceived notion that exposure has some financial gain to a photographer is an extremely selfish and naive attitude that too many low budget web sites believe justifies their actions. But then take the individual who claims the photograph from another, and this becomes theft of intellectual talent and is quite simply committing fraud. Yet this type of person for some reason believes they are immune or can get away with it, and how they find peace in their mind to undertake such an act is beyond me. There was one famous case in the U.S. where a Photographer used another's work to promote her Wedding Photography website. The Photographer was found out, very easily, and not only flamed by the industry, but lost all credibility to the point of shutting down her business, even after she apologised. It is a pity that I can't take the same action towards the individual who stole my work... the combination of a very generic name and no contact details on the MarineTraffic website returns no supporting evidence I can use to point blame.
Since finding the stolen images, MarineTraffic has removed them and allowed me to re-submit. But the person gets away with a crime that is all too silent, damnit!
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