Blogging about my photos at www.BillChizekPhotography.com

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Well, today was spent mostly on buses with a tour, other than my wife not being able to go because of work, it was pretty awesome. First up was the Yudaki Waterfall (below) and second was the 320 foot Kegon Falls (above). Lastly, we ended up at the Toshogu Shrine dating back to the 17th […]

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I entered photos in a series Gurushots competitions called “Your Best Shot” in the spring and summer of 2019.  The result was “Your Best Photo – The Second Challenge” and this photo was selected by Dodho Magazine for their Top 100 of 300,000 photos submitted.

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Wisky was the nickname of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64), a WWII era battleship that, like her three mighty sister ships, America couldn’t seem to do without.  She was originally commissioned in 1944 near the end of the Second World War but would be recommissioned two more times and decommissioned a total of three times!

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This week we had a family trip to our local Tōkyō Dizunīrando and as someone who has been to Disneyland or Disneyworld no less than a half-dozen times or so, I’d honestly love to go somewhere else sometimes.  The first couple of visits were cool, but the ever-increasing ticket prices, paying top dollar for cafeteria food, and long lines, seemed to wear me down.

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When I started shooting stock photography a few years ago, I would set out with a goal to shoot one subject only and had blinders on the to rest of what was around me.  My whole approach is different now, keeping in mind that these flag photos may be the real money makers.

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What I didn’t realize was how tall of an order it really was to shoot a subject so famous, and so well documented, like Mount Rushmore in a new way.  I came up with this bright idea to shoot it at night, which in theory seemed easy but the execution would prove problematic.

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I was trying to capture this semi-historic house, or part of it, in a different way that could also show it’s place relative to the Hotel Del Coronado which by the way is the real gem.  I’m not sure what the connection of this house to the Hotel Del Coronado could possibly be beyond…

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Back in 2012, I began looking for another way to connect my camera to camera straps, wrist straps, and tripods.  The problem was this, if there was a strap to keep the camera safe from accidental dropping, it almost always interfered with the tripod plate. That’s when I discovered peak design gear, it to appeared to solve all this.  If it worked as advertised, it would mean no more fumbling around with equipment and no more straps that didn’t work with other products.

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Last year, realizing it was just plain foolish not having a back-up camera, I began researching a second camera. It needed to be smaller, take decent quality photos, and not break the bank. Looking at just about anything smaller in size, all name brands, the search narrowed after a few days.  While considering other Canon cameras, there was also Fuji, Sony, Minolta, Lumix, and a host of others to review.  Then, one camera began appearing more and more…

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When the folks at Geekoto approached me about testing a tripod, at first I was flattered. However, later I was actually a little scared because I wondered what I would do if it just wasn’t very good?  Then what?  Fortunately, that wasn’t the case as this tripod was a pleasant surprise!

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I have two daughters and don’t always carry a camera, but just about always carry an iPhone.  This is similar to that adage for people who carry a concealed weapon; if you ever need it, that small gun you’re carrying will do you more good than the big gun locked in the safe at home, same thing here.

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In 2017 we moved to the DC area from Coronado, CA and I didn’t keep this blog going. I’m starting again, my initial goal is two posts a month plus postings while out shooting. The blog is now running with all the old posts and I’ll start posting again soon. Sign up for updates on […]

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I could have taken an incredible photo of this lady with the sun going down behind her as she sat on a blanket and an American flag pillow over her husbands grave, our conversation was better than any photo I could have taken.

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Last January a friend suggested I try selling my photos as stock photography and suggested a few sites. I thought about it and decided to give it a shot. Like I do before I leap in to something, I sought advice from my close personal friend – the internet.

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Since writing an earlier blog entry about photographing US history locations, the subject of European history and some of my older photos entered my mind. History combined with photography is my personal perfect storm.

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While living in Europe, I purchased a very nice Sony DSC-TX20 pocket camera for the nights I didn’t want to carry my camera bag going out to dinner. I worked out well, it took great photos and had an excellent wide angle view. However, I didn’t own an iPhone then.

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If you want a jolt of reality just go to Smugmug or 500px, search a subject you’ve shot and think you understand, then get ready to be humbled! If you really want to be brought down a few rungs on the ego ladder, search for your camera model and see the photography that has been shot with your camera. This will leave you wondering how they can get these incredible images, but you can’t.