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I was having major problems with streaming Netflix on our new Sony Bravia internet enabled TV recently. It used to work great, but at some point it started to take really long time to do “speed test” that Netflix uses to determine the compression level and picture quality your connection will support as well as load the movie itself. I’ve reset TV, removed TV from Netflix account, restarted firewall, restarted my cable modem, did speed tests, checked my cabling and switch…and more. At the end – everything looked right, but Netflix was still very slow to start the movie. After getting finally fed-up with the situation, I’ve decided to use network packet sniffer to capture traffic on my wired gigabit home network to see what TV was doing and why it was taking so long.

This lead to several interesting discoveries, which I’ll tell you about in a second, but, first – let me describe my home setup:

Cable modem<-> SonicWall<->gigabit switch<->Sony TV

As you can see – all the network traffic is flowing through the gigabit switch, to the sonicwall and then through the cable modem right out to the internet. One of the great features of the SonicWall firewalls, is that even in low end models like mine, they have enabled “network packet monitor” that shows you individual packets that are going through it. You can see every piece of data passing through your network in these “packets” and on occasion – you can derive some very interesting information about the network traffic itself.

But let’s get back to my Netflix streaming problem. Once I’ve configured the packet monitor to only show me data sent to and from my TV, I’ve quickly discovered that some DNS packets from the TV were dropped and as a result, the name resolution on TV would have problems.

Selling my 2003 Suzuki GSX-R 750 with 2003 exclusive paint (deep blue/white). Got married, don't ride any longer. Bike has 10K miles, steering damper, excellent condition, no accidents, clean title in hand (paid in full in cash when bought it), always garaged at my house. I've changed it's oil and K&N filter every 1,000 miles (actually about 800 miles or every six month).

I've put all the important information about the photography class that I lead on a separate page. You can find the page by clicking on "Photography class" link at the top of the site, right above site name in the picture - "HyperSensory.com".

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments by commenting to this post.

In this article I will give you an advise on questions that you should ask your potential wedding photographer. Despite a common believe that taking photographs is easy - it is not. At least it is not easy for an average person. It takes photographers a lot of time and money to develop their skills and style.
However, you as a consumer - should do your job in selecting the right person to take photographs of the event that hopefully will only happen once in your life. it is through sharing of information and education of consumers that we can hope for their understanding of time and effort that goes into planning a successful photo event.

Alright, the happiest day of your life is scheduled and now you need to line up the photographer. When you search for the right candidate ( by recommendations, online, in wedding magazines, or anywhere else), there a few things that you should know. Hopefully, the list below will help you choose the right candidate. Make sure to call them to ask these questions as e-mail is very impression and allows one to construct an answer that will not tell you what you asked for. So here we go!

1 – Can you see pictures from the recent wedding? Not only the very few best images in their online portfolio, but also the rest from that day. You want to make sure that the images in the portfolio are actually representative of the quality in all of them. Sometimes photographer will put a few of the best, but the rest won’t be so impressive.

2 – How many weddings a month (or that week) does he/she have? If there are no other weddings but yours – perhaps you are dealing with someone who is only starting out in the industry and you should pay closer attention to what you are getting. If they have a lot of weddings already scheduled – inquire if the photographer will be able to supply the promised amount of time on your day to cover the event. You do not want him to rush in between the jobs.

3 – Can you meet and talk in person rather than over the phone? This one is very important. If you don’t feel comfortable around the photographer, or he/she is very reserved and shy –this may impact the images. You want to feel very easy around this person and want photographer to be easy going, understanding and friendly.

4 – How many people will be covering your wedding? Will he be alone or will there be a second shooter or assistant. This is very important! If he is alone, the types of shots and angles will be limited to what one person can do. While it heavily depends on photographer’s skills, generally someone working with second shooter or assistant can provide more creative and varied images. If one is shooting up close, second one can stand back and use longer lens. Of it is an assistant – he may be needed to hold the flash/light away from the camera so you do not get harsh shadows and “point and shoot” looking images.

5 – Does he/she have a backup camera? This is important because no one is protected from electronics that just quits at the worst possible moment.  If he doesn’t and camera dies during the wedding – you are out of luck (and pictures). If he does have a second camera – is it close enough in specs to his main camera? You don’t want him to pull out  a pocket sized consumer camera, do you? Another point about the second body – is that it can be used to shoot with a different lens. This way the photographer will be able to spend more time capturing images than changing lenses or walking back and forth to find the right distance.

6 – How many and what kind of lenses will be used? While you may not know the difference between a 16mm f2.8 fisheye and 70-200mm f2.8, you can probably tell if photographer has enough equipment to make different style of shots. If he intends to use only one lens – all the images will look alike in a way. On the other hand if he says that five different lenses will be used – it’s a sign of techno-junky and not a photographer. Depending on the lenses – the optimal number is 2-3. One is definitely not enough for variety and four is too many. He probably should have a wide-angle for group shots, normal for portraits and formals and some sort of medium telephoto for all the smiles that will be on display. Again – two is likely to be just enough if they are the right kind (like 17-50mm and 70-200mm, or 17-35mm and 24-70mm, or 20mm and 85mm/135mm). This one really depends on his style.

7 – Is his camera capable of writing to two cards at the same time so there is a backup of very image taken?

8 – If the camera can’t write to two cards at the same time, will he have enough cards to put them away without a need to copy-erase-recycle a card that fills up? You really don’t want him to spend time downloading images to computer while he should be taking them with the camera.

9 – Will he be using flash?

1. If yes, does he have a backup flash?
2. Will it be bounced or off-camera so there are no sharp shadows?
3. Will he use it during the day shots outside as fill flash?. This is important as some photographers actually confuse when the flash should be used. Often times it’s needed in very bright light and not during the sunsets or indoors. Flash combined with direct sunlight can give more even lighting without very harsh and unattractive shadows.

10 – Does he need a power outlet on site for any devices such as databanks, laptops, chargers etc?

11 – Does he shoot in RAW mode or JPEG? RAW file format can store a lot more information than a JPEG and as a result allows for more manipulation if it needs some correction.

12 – Does he have enough batteries for the amount of time you are paying for? While it sounds silly, there have been occasions where batteries would discharge too quickly (due to screen or flash use) and photographer would be scrambling for replacement.

13 – How will he be dressed? See,  normally this is not something you would think to ask, but you may be really surprised to see someone show up in jeans and t-shirt when everyone else is in a tuxedo.

14 – Is he familiar with the location? If he has never been there before, you should ask him to visit the location ahead of time to scout for the best looking spots for formal pictures and group shots. This will also help photographer pick the right lenses for the job.

15 – Will he be able to arrive early and on-time? This is one day when photographer cannot be late as you probably are not going to repeat the wedding just for him.

16 – If the amount of time he will be on site is considerable (5+ hours), will he need any food or water?  While it’s technically not your responsibility, a hungry photographer can be easily distracted. So if he is going to be there for 8 hours, maybe you should get a plate of food for him. Unless he will bring his own snack or won’t need any.

17 – Ask him to check in with you before he leaves the event. You really don’t want to be in the middle of the party and decide to get a photo of you with the bridesmaids or best man only to find out that photographer has already left.

19 – Discuss what images you want him to take. Do you want a portrait of each guest? What about kids? Do you have a beautiful and super expensive cake or flower arrangements? He should take pictures of them as well.

20 – Will he provide to you all images (on DVD/CD or other media)?  Many photographers would take close to two thousands images in an evening and would only provide a quarter of them. But what if his favorite picks are not your favorite ones? Note: he will discard some images. In particular those that are out of focus, those with poor composition, etc.

21 – Will he provide full size, high resolution images? You may want to make a scrapbook at some point and use your wedding pictures, but you can’t really print anything optimized for a website. If not right away – then maybe in a few months after  the wedding, so the guests had a chance to buy their favorites from the photographer.

22 – Will the images be free of watermarks? No one wants a signature over the bride’s dress.

23 – Will he give you a release to print or post the images online? This is one of the most crucial and important issues! By law, photographer owns all the rights to the images he takes. Even if you pay for them and if you are in them. Without his written permission – you cannot print them, cannot put them online, send in an e-mail or anything else. If he will not give you the release to the images – ask if he will do so for a payment. An extra $100 to own the rights to the images (in writing) is money well spent. In general – I would highly recommend going with a photographer who agrees to this and #20,#21. While this is an important issue - many photographer will not give you a full release (maybe a limited one if you are lucky). They do so because they also need to feed their families and pay for all the gear. If they refuse to give you a release, at least make sure that you can afford additional prints.

24 – What kind of retouching, if any, will be done? Believe it or not, but in many cases photographers have to do quite a bit of work to make people look their best. Sometimes that means removing skin imperfections, sometimes digitally whitening their teeth. On another occasion it may be needed to remove dark circles under the eyes or correct a crooked smile.

25 – How soon will the images be available for you and for guests to see? It really shouldn’t take longer than a week or two at the very most.

26 – Will he provide an online gallery where you can select and pre-approve images that will be either later shown to guests in online gallery or given to you as prints or digitally?

27 – Will there be an online gallery where guests can purchase their favorite pictures as digital files and as printed images?

28 – What is the price of the prints in various sizes above the amount promised with the package? Often times these prices are very high. You may want to make sure you will be able to afford to buy a few to send them to your friends and relatives with a “Thank you” note after the wedding. I’ve seen a 4x6 cost as much as $15 each.

29 – What kind of paper and lab will be used for the prints? You really don’t want photographer to print your images on a regular glossy paper at Walgreens or Wal-Mart.  The quality may suffer significantly unless done on good paper and with a proper printer. Archival grade paper with proper inks can also last from 10 to 50 years without any yellowing, discoloration or curling.

30 – Will he try to be considerate of other guests with cameras? If your uncle Joe brings his camera, the photographer should not get upset. But do ask your uncle Joe to be mindful of a paid professional who is there with a camera to do his job.

31 – In case there is an emergency and he is unable to provide the service on that day – will a replacement be available? This is something you SHOULD put into the contract. Accidents and emergencies happen to everyone and you really want to make sure that nothing will spoil your day. Make sure to get the phone and name for the backup photographer if there is one.

32 – If there are any agreements done verbally, ask your photographer to put it in writing (even if it is done by hand on a clean sheet of paper) and sign by both of you.

33 - Will the photographer have a piece of the wedding cake? Ok, this one is not that important, but you should ask. If the photographer sees that you care about him/her, there is a good chance of reciprocation.

This should give you an idea of the scope of photographer’s responsibilities and potential points for conversation with him. If the price he is offering you is high – you can ask photographer to modify the package for you. Instead of 300 prints, ask him to discount them from the price (less expense for him), but provide you with all high resolution images on DVD with a release to print later when you do have the money. Or Instead of covering 6 hours of reception, wedding, party – ask to cover the end of reception, wedding and beginning of the party. Be smart about what parts of the event he covers if you are on the limited budget.

Remember – photographers, while paranoid, are also people. And if you are respectful and honest about your intentions and abilities – they may do what they can to match your budget and satisfy your needs. If you are nice and friendly – they will work for you.

Just to reiterate something I’ve already said above – this list is compiled not to “bug” the photographer and question his skills, but for you to judge how sure and confident he is about the job. He may not have answers to all questions and may not have flash or multiple lenses – but that doesn’t mean he will do a bad job. Your main criteria for deciding if you would like to hire this person should be the work done in the past. And only after you like what you see – should you ask these questions.

Please feel free to download the short and long version of the lists:

As recently as 2007, there were thousands of certification centers in the United States that have specialized in Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft certification series (MCSE, MCITP, MCPD, MCA, MCSA, MCTS and others) and Cisco's CCNA, CCDA, CCNP...
Right here in San Diego there were about 80 various locations for certifications and roughly 30 colleges and cert. centers offering the preparation courses. The biggest one - MicroSkills (which advertised heavily on TV and radio) went out of business right as the recession was approaching. Many companies have sensed it a mile away and others were simply disenchanted with
the whole certification industry.

What makes a good photograph? For all the different possible answers - there is only one that is correct. While subject, location and gear are important - it is the photographer who provides the vision and does the best job possible with what's avaliable. Jen and Shane Fellows are two photographers who seem to have that vision that separates them from many other local "photographers". Take a look at this session at Balboa Park. What stands out are the wonderful colors of the images - very vibrant! The lighting is great primarily due to the time of day when the images were taken - no harsh shadows, no blown highlights. Some images are done in black and white but for a reason - because B&W works well for them. Many other photographers will resort to black and white when there is something wrong with the image - not in focus, poor colors, blown highlights, etc.