Perfesser_Bear's photostream  

An amateur photographer with more interest in the hardware than in composition or color.



Yes, I have a 'Pro' account on Flickr.
No, I'm not a professional photographer.



I am an Old School student of photography. Back in the day, every shot cost real money. Film was an expense, and printing was an additional expense. It's no surprise; the base chemical of old-fashioned photography was silver.

Slides were cheaper but not very portable. Try tying down your friends for an evening in front of the Carousel Projector and you'll see what I mean.

I'm learning to make photographs all over again. That's why I make so many stupid rookie mistakes and waste a lot of exposures doing repetitious experiments.

Blocking Rule:
I hate to be a jerk about this, but if you don't have any photos I can see on Flickr (i.e., So-and-So doesn't have anything available to you), and you comment, note, fave or tag one of my captures, or try to add me as a contact, you are blocked. Period. If you don't have public pictures on Flickr, don't expect to share mine. People have stolen my photos in the past, both on Flickr and on the Internet, and the activity mentioned above is a tip-off.

If your photostream consists primarily of pictures stolen borrowed from other sources, expect the same results. If you have a preponderance of copyrighted material, expect to hear from Flickr management.

CAMERAS

Panasonic Lumix FZ50
Purchased around Thanksgiving 2006. I also have Panasonic's 1.7X Telephoto and .45 X Wide Angle, along with some accessory filters and closeup lenses. The Sunpak 383 Super Auto strobe with it's anti-laser-eye frame (handy for photographing animals and coworkers) is a scary combination.

Kodak DX6490 Zoom
Now relegated to my 'throw it in the car to have a camera' camera. I purchased some after-market Telephoto and Wide Angle lenses for it -- they stank. I recently bought the original lenses from Amazon.com. Much better!

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS
I keep it in my backpack so I have a camera when I’m at work, but I’ve used it other places, on the way from and to work. It wasn’t terribly expensive, it’s fairly small, and while I’ll probably never win a Pulitzer with one of its pictures, it’s reliable if not super high definition.

Samsung FlipShot SCH-u900
I had to get a new cellular telephone, but rather than settle for a phone with a lame camera, I got a camera with a built-in cellphone.

Been There, Done That:

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q: Can I use one of your pictures for...
A: Maybe. If you are using my photos for a profitable enterprise (meaning, you earn money from your website, book, magazine or television show or other medium), I charge a nominal $100.00 (USD) per use, payable by PayPal to perfesser_bear at yahoo.com. If you want to sell the photos themselves (prints, T-Shirts, mugs et cetera), it's $1,000.00 (USD) per image used plus 15% per item made (not sold).

If you want to use the image for something that isn't earning you money (personal website or weblog ['blog'] content) it's free, but there's a catch: you will post a proper credit, e.g., Photo:Perfesser_bear.

Violators have been sued: one settled out of court and removed the material from his site; another sends me a PayPal remittance every month for each print he sells. Plus a lot up front, late in 2008.

Q: Okay, What's Up with that Screen Name?
A: Well, that's best answered with two long stories:

Q: Why Bear?
A: In the early 1970s, my brother and I were wrapped up in the Citizen's Band (CB) radio craze. My 'handle' was 'Grizzly Bear', because it suited my size and personality.

Q: So, What is a Perfesser?
A: In a previous career, I worked as a Security Officer in some nasty places. A truck driver came in one day and asked for 'The Perfesser'. Excuse me? Apparently I was the only member of the guard force who had completed High School, let alone had two years of college. The nickname stuck, and years later, a friend combined the two. For five years working in a Nuclear Power station, my hardhat read 'Perfesser Bear' instead of my given name. Some people had no idea it wasn't my real name.

Thank you for that, Lux. Rest in peace.

Q: Hey, Aren't You...
A: No, I am neither Eric Bear (although I respect him and his Mac work, and I'm jealous of his Taos, NM home) nor am I Wilson G. Bear (whom I know quite well -- I was at his wedding). We just have the same screen names. I am this Perfesser Bear. I am also eBay's perfesser_bear.