How Our Limited Editions Work

Hello again,

As I highlighted in my previous post, we are pleased to now offering limited edition prints. There are, however, several methods to designate a limited edition run, and I want to outline our specific approach.

For each photograph in our gallery, we have identified both the number of total prints that we want to release and the dimensions in which we offer that photograph. We have then allocated a fixed quantity of prints to each size. Note that we do not further distribute an allocation based on type of print (traditional or canvas) or whether the print was framed. As all of the prints in a given dimension are purchased, we will remove the option to purchase that size print.

We have chosen this method in order that our clients know exactly what we mean when we say “Limited Edition”. If we have an edition of 1000, that means that only 1000 prints of that image will be made across all sizes and media. We have come across numerous other photographers and artists who will designate a “limited edition” run of (for example) 1000 prints, but who do not tell their customers that what they actually mean is 100 prints in a specific size, medium, or both. Once that release is sold out, the photographer simply re-issues the image at a different size or medium (sometimes with only minor differences from the previous release) as a new “limited edition” release. We find this approach to be quite misleading, and frankly, a bit insulting to those clients who purchase a print only to discover later that it is not nearly as limited as they were lead to believe.

We allocate the print numbers sequentially across all sizes, as each order is processed. Thus the first person to order a print, regardless of size or print type, gets print number 1, the second gets print 2, etc. The print number will be specified on the front of the print, along with Jodi’s signature. We will also provide a Certificate of Authenticity which contains this information. We do not currently support requests for specific print numbers on orders (e.g. multiples of 100, lucky numbers, etc.).

Finally, while our Gallery Prints are limited edition, we reserve the right to use the same images on non-Print products, such as on greeting cards or in books, which are not limited edition. This is a common exclusion which maintains the value of the prints while allowing others to enjoy the images in a different format.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our prints in general or this policy in particular.

Terence

City Escapes Nature Photography

Now Providing Limited Editions

Hi all,

I am extremely pleased to announce that, beginning with our Africa release, our Gallery Prints will be offered exclusively as limited editions – at no additional cost.

Over the past two years, we have contemplated how to improve the value of the products that we offer. We have worked hard to ensure that our printing and framing were of the highest possible quality while remaining affordable – our working definition of value. In fact, since we began operations in 2007, we have reduced our costs and passed the savings along in the form of lower prices.

Since our founding, we have often considered whether to limit the number of prints issued for each photograph. We have weighed various arguments, including the additional value to those who purchase a print early against the increased cost and potential disappointment to those who find a print they want only after the edition has sold out. While we are uncomfortable with the idea of having someone who adores one of our prints having to purchase it at an inflated price on a secondary market, or not being able to purchase it at all, we have decided that our primary loyalty must be to our initial customers – who are ultimately responsible for the success of our business – and that the additional value they receive by obtaining a limited edition print is worth the potential discomfort down the road.

Of course, a skeptic might postulate that we have only made this change in order to charge more for our prints. However, we are not making any pricing changes based on this conversion, nor will we in the future. Furthermore, we are making this change retroactive: we are in the process of contacting all of our customers who have already purchased prints from us, and providing them with certificates designating their print as a limited edition. We believe that it is only appropriate that those who have supported us as our business has grown benefit from the increased value a limited edition print has.

Terence

City Escapes Nature Photography

To Nikon or not to Nikon

Hello,

One of the most important decisions a photographer can make is what equipment to purchase. Once a decision has been made and a brand decided upon, it can be extremely hard (or at least prohibitively expensive) to change brands because camera lenses are frequently tied to a specific manufacturer. A professional will often have $10k - $25k in lenses that would need to be replaced, in addition to the body.

We selected Nikon equipment due to what has historically been a very good reputation. Unfortunately, we have had extremely mixed results and cannot offer a whole-hearted endorsement of their products. While their products seem to work fairly well in general, we have had a couple of instances where, we believe, Nikon is not living up to their reputation.

In the first case, we had purchased a D200 camera body. This camera was supposed to have a hardened body that would allow it to take more abuse than the next lower model, and it was priced appropriately higher (a couple of hundred dollars more). Our understanding was that this camera should take a reasonable amount of abuse without failing, as one would expect of any professional camera. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case. We took the camera on a kayaking trip where it got a little wet – no, it was not dunked, but rather splashed, and only slightly at that. It hasn’t worked since and the estimate to repair it was essentially the same as the cost of a new, and improved, camera. This is far from the robust behavior we expected of a hardened, professional camera body, and was extremely disappointing. (The lens continued to work fine.)

We have also had several problems with Nikon’s Nikkor lenses. In at least two cases, our lenses have lost their zoom and significant focusing capabilities (even manual focusing), presumably because a center ring has loosened or gotten dirty. It is also worth noting that with at least one of these lenses, no precipitating factors caused any damage. One frame the lens worked fine; the next, it did not, and it hasn’t since. The initial estimate to repair the larger of the lenses was about $450, while the smaller was just over $200. That is a lot of cash for lenses that have only been used for a year or two, and may be indicative of a quality issue.

In addition to the unreliable quality of the products, we have had significant problems with access to parts. Nikon appears to have a poor reputation among certain retailers for providing parts (including complete lenses) in a timely manner. This can lead to shortages and the inability to purchase or repair equipment on a reasonable, much less short, timeline. Furthermore, Nikon does not appear to provide accurate information about when they will deliver – meaning the retailers and repair shops cannot provide reasonable time estimates for delivery either. We have had multi-week to multi-month delays in both lenses and repairs due to supply problems. So far, this has generated only a couple of critical problems for us, but it has come close several other times and is always extremely frustrating. Since the same retailers are able to provide new Nikon cameras and standard, but cheaper, Nikkor lenses, this would appear to be a business decision on Nikon’s part about what products to produce and distribute.

At this point, we are continuing to work with Nikon equipment (now using a D300). However, we wanted to voice our concerns about the quality of both the service and merchandise being provided. It certainly does not appear to be providing the high quality products and service that its reputation (and pricing) would suggest it should.

Note: Though we cannot confirm this through personal experience, we have heard similar complaints from our vendors and repair shop about Cannon’s timeliness and service. We therefore suggest that, when choosing a manufacturer, you speak to a knowledgeable retailer about such issues as repair times, availability of parts, and common problems encountered in addition to the specs and capabilities of the specific piece of equipment you are considering.

Terence
City Escapes Nature Photography

Photo “Badge” for Web Site

Good evening,

For those of you who have visited our web site (www.cityescapesphotography.com ), you are sure to notice the badge at the top of our home page (the banner where pictures are dynamically filled in). This badge is similar to the common Flickr badges that have started to appear around the web. However, it is not directly associated with Flickr. This piece of Javascript was written by Joe Tan and is available open source at http://tantannoodles.com/toolkit/flickr-dhtml-badge/ (Our thanks to Mr. Tan!)

This script has a couple of important advantages over the classic Flickr badges. First, and most importantly, it can use images from anywhere on the web. You tell the Javascript which images to use and it displays them in random order. This was extremely important to us because it meant that we did not need to have a Flickr site in addition to our primary web site just to host images for the badge. This allows people who click on the image to go directly to our detail page which provides more information about the image and allows orders to be placed. This also minimized synchronization issues by ensuring the badge and the underlying pages point to the same images.

The second advantage this script has is its flexibility. You can specify exactly how large to make the banner, the size of the individual images, how many images appear, what the shape of the badge is, how often new images appear, and how often the entire badge is cycled through before going dormant. This level of flexibility was much greater than provided by the official Flickr badges that I had looked at when deciding what type of badge to use.

I have had no problems incorporating the badge into our site, and have tested it on both Firefox and IE without any problems (although I will note that IE requires Javascript to be placed outside of tables). I would highly recommend this badge for anyone looking to add a little interaction to their web pages without any serious coding.

Terence

www.cityescapesphotography.com

Review of Hyperdrive Colorspace

For our trips, we needed a way to download and backup our digital memory cards without having to connect to a laptop. While this is an extremely convenient capability in general, this was particularly important in Africa, where we were not taking a laptop and would be on the road for several weeks (we had to limit our luggage and were not going to have access to electricity, other than through the vehicle’s lighter port). After looking at several options, we purchased a Hyperdrive Colorspace with 232GB of storage space. We could not have been happier with the functionality this little device provides.

The Hyperdrive has an extremely simple interface that provides one to three button access to all of the functionality one could want in the field – copying cards, erasing cards, and confirming the quality of the copies. Any of a wide variety of card types plug directly into the unit for access. It is extremely simple to copy cards, and the resulting files appear as a regular directory when connected to the PC. There was enough room on the disk to copy approximately 12,000 pictures in the raw + jpeg format we typically shoot, which is enough for at least 3 weeks on the road. The screen is small, but gives enough of an overview of the shots to do some minimal filtering if desired (we copied pretty much everything and sorted through the images on the computer screen when we got back home).

A couple of things should be pointed out, however. The official specs outlining card copy time and battery usage were not even close to what we saw in the field. That is likely because the manufacturer is promoting the simplest case – copying without verifying the data – whereas we always verify our copies. We found that instead of the advertised four minutes, it took closer to 25 minutes to copy a 4 Gb card, and that we could copy only three cards on a single charge. While the faster copy rate (and associated longer battery life) would have been nice, we felt it was very important to ensure the copy was verified.

The only other issue we had in the field was keeping the unit charged. We didn’t have access to electricity at night, and had to rely on the car charger. When using the car adapter that the unit came with, we found that the system could barely draw enough power to keep up with a copy. In order to manage the number of copies we needed to make, we ended up using the regular 110, plug-in charger and a separate car-to-110 adapter that would allow more power to be drawn. This worked well for our trip, but still required charging the unit several hours per day.

One further, but for us small, issue presented itself when we attempted to locate specific files in the Hyperdrive. Though it is simple enough to find the file if you know where it is, the system does not allow you to rename either the file or the folder to something that means something to you. In our case, this was not a major issue, as we do not use the Hyperdrive as a long-term storage system, and we can rename the files once we upload them to our computer. Nonetheless, finding specific photos did occasionally take a bit of searching.

Overall, given the size, capacity, and usability of the system, we definitely felt we got our money’s worth out of this unit and we highly recommend it.

Terence

www.cityescapesphotography.com

Choosing a safari company

Good afternoon,

Once we picked the location that we were most interested in, we had to determine with whom we were going to work. Choose the right company and you ensure that your trip will be memorable and fun; choose the wrong one and you could be in for a miserable experience. We spent a lot of time talking to various travel companies, including AAA and Costco, to see whom they recommended. We also researched companies on the web to get feedback from people who had actually been on a trip. Unfortunately, no one we know has been on a safari, so we couldn’t count on personal recommendations. Based on initial findings, we were able to fairly quickly narrow the field down to two companies: Thomson Safaris (http://www.thomsonsafaris.com/ ) and Micato Safaris (http://www.micato.com/ ). We ultimately chose Thomson because 1) of their established history -- they have been in business for 25 years; 2) they exclusively serve Tanzania (though they are part of a larger travel network that serves other destinations as well); and 3) they hire only local Tanzanian residents in-country. (It is important to us that the local populations benefit from wildlife preservation efforts, wherever we are.) Thomson was also more affordable than Micato, while still providing the amenities and activities we were interested in. Based on the little bit we saw in Tanzania, however, Micato would also be a good choice (nice vehicles, similar guides, and good camps, as well as a favorable impression of them held by our guide).

We were very pleased with our experiences with Thomson. The service was everything we had hoped it would be, and then some. Right at the outset, they were very helpful in establishing our itinerary. They worked with us to accommodate our luggage requirements (i.e., a very large and heavy camera bag in addition to the normal safari gear), and once they understood what we were trying to do, there were no problems at all getting things set up. The camps were far more luxurious than we had been expecting, with each tent holding a queen-sized bed, two nightstands, and two bookshelves, as well as an attached bathroom, with vanity, shower and a flush porta-potty. The meals were truly extravagant, and the staff was always exceptionally friendly and helpful. For instance, the camp guards would stand with Jodi when she was taking sunrise or sunset shots to keep any wandering cape buffalo or elephants at bay. Finally, our guide Mustafa was wonderful. While he was conservative and conscientiously followed the rules, ensuring, for example, that we were back at camp before the park officially closed, he was extremely knowledgeable about the area and gave us a lot of insight into both the wildlife and the local culture. He also had a knack for getting us into the right position to take great shots from the Range Rover – an especially important talent given that Tanzania requires you to stay in your vehicle in its national parks..

Based on our experiences, we would highly recommend Thomson Safaris. However, as with every trip, we would do a few things differently, as well. Next time, some of our lessons learned.

Terence
www.cityescapesphotography.com