A lone tree silhouetted against a blue, winter sky outside of Monticello, Wisconsin.

Today I began production of my weekly YouTube video series “Havre, MT: The Chronicles of Me & Steve.” I call it my quasi-documentary.

I’ve never worked with video before, so this will be quite a learning experience. As such I’m a little worried about all of the layers that go into the making of a video. And then consider having to do it every week. I just hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew.

There are several key elements I am working on for my first video. The most difficult task will be figuring out a way to firmly attach my camera in the back seat of my truck. I am setting it up so it will take a photograph every 20 seconds along my long trip from Wisconsin to Montana. When I’m done I will have captured 3,240+ images during the 18-hour, 1250-mile journey it will take to drive to Havre, MT. Then I will need to process all of the images and stitch them together to create a 2 to 3 minute video segment. I will also interlace some video I shoot along the way. In other words, you should see just about everything I see on the first leg of my journey.

Another key element will be the “intro” and “outro” for the video. These are the brief interludes at the start and end of a video. Once completed I will reuse each of them in all future episodes. I know how I want them to look and feel; now I just need to figure out how to do it. Of course the music I use will be important. More on that topic later.

Audio is the last big obstacle I need to overcome. Again, I am a still photographer and not a video or audio person, so understanding and overcoming this will be a hurdle. I don’t think I will use much audio captured from my camera itself. I will instead narrate the videos after the photographs and video have been spliced together. I need to purchase an Edirol R-09HR MP3 Recorder this week in order to accomplish this task. I also plan to use it to capture some of the ambient sounds while I’m taking pictures (i.e. birds, waterfalls, thunder) and use them on later videos.

After I tackle each of these hurdles then I need to start planning episodes two and three.

Ugh, all in a day’s work.

A metal sculpture near Stamford, South Dakota. I spotted this odd sculpture in the middle of South Dakota while driving along the interstate highway. Needless to say I stopped to photograph it.

Mathew Brady is one of most celebrated photographers in American history. He is famous for photographing 18 different Presidents; an astounding number by anyone’s definition. And if you see a photograph of the American Civil War on PBS or in a text book, chances are Mathew Brady took it. Back then photography was still in its infancy and the daguerreotype, the first camera widely available to the general public, was Brady’s camera of choice.

Brady made another notable contribution to history, too. Every image he printed was tagged with the words “Photo by Brady.” It is the first known use of a corporate credit line ever. And a very clever marketing ploy.

Even back in the 1800s Brady knew (instinctively or otherwise) that a good photographer needed to be the jack of many different trades. Successful photographers must be the master of their equipment, exposure, composition, artificial lighting, printing techniques, color management, posing, and post processing. But there’s more.

Even if a photographer manages to tackle all of the fundamental ingredients necessary to produce remarkable images, there are still so many other things he or she must learn if they wish to be considered elite. It may have been less competitive when Mathew Brady was capturing American history on film, and because of that a photographer must also be skillful in so many other areas today. Including:

1. Accounting

2. Computer programming (HTML, Flash, FBML, CSS, etc.)

3. Marketing

4. Advertising

5. Sales

6. Negotiation

7. Organization

8. Project management

9. Social media

10. Computer and data entry

11. Contract law

12. Writing

13. Video

14. People skills

15. Acting

16. Modeling

17. Management

18. Design

Just to name a few.

Photographers must also intimately know their subject. When is the best time of day to find a grizzly bear sow out hunting for food with her cub? At what temperature and dew point will fog coat trees in a fine layer of frost in the wee hours of the morning? Which way will a possession wide receiver turn when faced with a man-to-man defense in a ‘cover two’ configuration so I know the best side of the field to set-up my camera? What makes a young model tick so I can get her to reveal a candid grin?

There is so much to know.

Even Mathew Brady, widely considered one of the most influential photographers in American history, didn’t know everything he needed to know. Later in his career after documenting the war, he was forced to sell his New York studio and go into bankruptcy.

In 1896 Mathew Brady died penniless in the charity ward of a New York hospital.

Therein lies the most important lesson Brady taught us. No matter how good you are behind the camera, you damn well better be well rounded in other areas or else you are doomed to fail. Don’t believe me? Just ask Annie Leibovitz.

My nephew makes an angel in the freshly fallen snow at a park in Madison, Wisconsin.

At any given moment of any given day there are thousands of new photographers tweeting on Twitter about photography. Many ask interesting questions, but many more ask the same questions over and over again. More often than not they are the same questions I had when I first made my foray into photography.

I am by no means an expert, but through a lot of trial and a whole lot of error I have come to learn a few things along the way. And if people ask the same questions over and over again on someplace like Twitter, I’m pretty sure many more ponder the same questions in private.

1.) What’s the best book to read for someone purchasing their first dSLR?

Simple question; easier answer. The most valuable book (by far) is the owner’s manual. Too many new dSLR owners fail to read the owner’s manual. They think they can start-up and use their new dSLR right out of the box just as they would a new stereo component or TV. dSLRs are much more complicated and have so many more features to offer than other electronics. And failing to grasp all of your camera’s functions will severely limit yourself as a photographer. Even the pros read their manuals from cover-to-cover…repeatedly.

If you spent hundreds (perhaps thousands) of dollars on a new dSLR and always use the “automatic” mode you probably should have never purchased a dSLR in the first place. dSLRs are designed for ultimate creative control. And understanding the creative controls of your camera is fundamental in making good photographs. If you aren’t interested in knowing all your dSLR can do for you, you might be better off sticking to a simple point-and-shoot camera.

Once you are done reading the owner’s manual, read it again…and again…and again. Only after that should you begin thinking about graduating to a good photography book. And when you do, read “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson. Trust me.

2.) I have $600 and want a new dSLR. What’s the best dSLR I can buy?

Fail. This is the worst possible question a new dSLR buyer can ask. Why? Because if you do, you have it all backwards. Your first question should be, “What will I photograph?” When you know the answer to that question you can then start building your complete dSLR system around your actual needs.

When preparing your budget plan on spending at least 30% on at least one quality lens. Generally digital cameras become old and obsolete after only three or four years of service. Technology gets dated, features are updated, and shutters fail. A lens, on the other hand, is crucial component in the machinery of a camera and they can last a lifetime. More to the point, a good lens can has much greater impact on image quality than a camera. A kit lens is to photography what a pair of rabbit ears is to high-definition (HD) television.

dSLRs generally do all of the basics the same. Yes, some do those basics better than others, but your lens impacts clarity, sharpness, color, autofocus speed, the softness of the background blur, depth of field, and oh so much more.

If you plan on photographing portraits, you will want a “fast” lens. A “fast” lens has a very large maximum aperture or f-stop (i.e. f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0). Kit lenses, which are often bundled with entry level cameras, are never fast (i.e. f/3.5, f/4.0, f/5.6). If you want to photograph landscapes, you will probably want a wide-angle lens (i.e. 10mm to 35mm, depending on the camera’s sensor and crop factor). Kit lenses are seldom very wide. If you want to photograph wildlife or sports, kits lens rarely have a very “long” focal length (i.e. 200mm or greater) and they seldom focus fast. A kit lens, by design, is the lowest common denominator…not bad, but not particularly good at anything.

3.) Should I buy Canon, Nikon, Sony, or Olympus?

It depends.

All of these companies make fine dSLR cameras, but Canon and Nikon have been doing it much longer than Sony and Olympus. Because of that fact alone I often encourage people to stick to Canon or Nikon. Canon and Nikon also offer a wider range of lenses, accessories, and resources.

When it comes down to Canon or Nikon, consider what other people close to you are using. If a majority of them use one brand or the other, it is wise to buy that same brand. Doing so will enable to you to swap components and share information. That said, it is no secret I am a huge fan of Canon’s products. After purchasing dozens of lenses and many different camera bodies, I have yet to find a reason to use anything else.

4.) What accessories should I buy for my new dSLR?

There are so many different accessories on the market. Don’t be duped into buying crap you don’t need. Believe me, many of them are a colossal waste of money. Some of them, however, are absolutely necessary. I generally encourage new photographers to buy one (or two) extra batteries, more than two memory cards, a good camera bag, a Giottos Rocket Blower, lens pen, remote shutter release, polarizer filter, lens cloth, and a solid tripod. Everything else can wait until you get to know your camera better.

Steer clear of UV filters unless you are absolutely paranoid about protecting the leading element (i.e. glass) of your lens. Personally, I hate them. I have much better results without them. I ask you, “Why would you want to put a cheap piece of glass on the front of your finely tuned and precisely engineered lens?” Also, it is not uncommon for light to bounce around between the UV filter and the front element of a lens, which adversely affects your images. If quality photographs are important, it is my advice to skip the UV filter.

5.) How can I become a better photographer?

The internet is full of information for novices. Read up! Also join a photo sharing site such as Flickr. Participate in some forums, post your photographs, and solicit comments. Generally the more popular your photographs are on Flickr, the better you are doing as a photographer. Positive (and negative) critique helps to hone your skills. Also strive to read one new photography book each month. Go on photo walks with other photographers. Find a mentor; a more experienced photographer who is willing to share his techniques and what he or she has already learned. And lastly, take a lot of photographs. Bracket everything, take notes, and practice, practice, practice.

Four round bales of hay adorn a snowy hilltop outside of New Glarus, Wisconsin.

It’s no secret to those who know me that I haven’t been very busy taking photographs in 2009. Through a series of setbacks and a variety of distractions I failed to come anywhere close to the number of photographs I created in previous years. In 2010 that will change.

I sat down today to establish some firm/fixed goals for myself in 2010 as they pertain to photography. With a bit of self-motivation and the grace of God I should be able to accomplish them. Then again, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Here is my attempt to memorialize my goals for 2010:

1.) Embark on my trip out west.

2.) Starting on February 1, 2010 take one remarkable photograph once a day for entire year (yes, that’s 365 photographs).

3.) Update my blog at least once every other day.

4.) Update the Todd Klassy Photography page on Facebook as often as my blog is updated.

5.) Publish tweets to my Twitter account every day and add 5 new contacts every day.

6.) Publish a video or vlog to my YouTube account once every week at 7:00 PM CST on Sunday evenings beginning on February 7, 2010.

7.) Add the following necessary photography gear (Canon EF 500mm f/4L lens, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L lens, Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens, Canon EOS 1D Mark IV camera, and Canon PowerShot G11 camera w/underwater housing).

8.) Acquire portable studio lighting.

9.) Sell prints at no less than 2 art shows.

10.) Have prints in one gallery showing in Wisconsin and one outside of Wisconsin.

11.) Conduct on-location photography workshops in Denver, Chicago, and/or Jackson Hole, WY.

12.) Release a 2011 Wisconsin, Madison, and Wyoming calendar.

13.) Break stock photography contract with Getty.

14.) Thoroughly photograph Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons National Park in the winter, spring, and summer.

15.) Learn the intricacies of digital infrared black & white photography.

16.) Master artificial lighting, including my portable studio lighting.

17.) Embark on my ’36′ project, whereas I carry only one camera with enough memory for only 36 exposures every other day in hopes of teaching myself how doing so made film photographers better photographers.

18.) Never be without my camera.

19.) Read a new photography book once a month.

20.) Schedule a photo shoot once a week with models. Work on my portraiture skills.

21.) Improve my digital darkroom skills.

22.) Investigate large format film photography.

23.) Get published in at least five nationally renown publications.

24.) Begin writing my book.

25.) Learn the necessary skills to survive on the road in the wild (i.e. camping, hiking, motorcycle & automotive repair, emergency survival, etc.).

26.) Learn how to shoot HD video with my camera(s). Also, learn how to edit video.

27.) Update my web page before the end of the year.

28.) Be able to generate a sustainable income for myself based solely on photography (regardless of how meager it may actually be).

29.) Establish an effective process for stock photography sales.

30.) Perfect my online sales process for print orders.

That’s a long list; I know. But I’m serious about this commitment. Let’s see where this voyage takes us.

A lonely tree covered in crystals after a frozen fog lifted near New Glarus, Wisconsin on a very frigid morning.

They say you learn something new every day. I suppose that’s true. And some days, if you’re lucky, you might learn more than a thing or two. This is what I learned today:

1. If you leave pots and pans in the sink overnight to soak use a teaspoon of dishwasher detergent mixed with hot water. All my life I used a squirt of dish soap and hot water to soak in the pans overnight. And I usually woke to sub par results. Dishwater detergent, however, produces amazing results. Honestly, it loosens even the worst baked-on goop. I tried it last night and I’m still in awe.

2. Kellogg’s Raisin Bran has more sugar per serving than Cocoa Puffs. A lot more. In fact Raisin Bran has more sugar per serving than most cereals. Raisin Bran has 19 grams of sugar in every bowl and Cocoa Puffs has only 12 grams. No wonder Raisin Bran was my dad’s favorite cereal. And to think of all the dirty looks I got as he gazed condescendingly over his bowl of Raisin Bran at me and my Cocoa Puffs. Peshaw.

3. Yahoo! reportedly offered the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, a whopping $1.4 billion (yes, that’s BILLION with a B)  to buy his company. For what? A web page that is destined to be out of fashion in five years and a bunch of computer servers?!? Are they nuts? And the worst part is that Zuckerberg turned them down. Crazy…like a fox.

4. The first digital camera widely offered to consumers only took 1.4 megapixel images and cost $10,000.

5. The United States spends $15 million a year to seed clouds with chemicals to artificially create rain. Go figure.

6. Remember that cute adorable blond kid who played Andy on the NBC sitcom “Family Ties?” I think he was introduced as the youngest Keaton later in the series to help boost ratings. His name is Brian Bonsall and he doesn’t look a thing like he used to. In fact, I was a little startled when I saw his mug shot today. I’m betting there won’t be a “Family Ties” reunion any time soon.

7. George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak took his own life at the ripe old age of 77 with a single gunshot to his heart. The inventor of roll film and the person many credit with helping to bring photography to the masses left behind a short note. It read, “To my friends, my work is done. Why wait?”

8. By car Spokane is only one hour to the Palouse in eastern Washington, four hours to Seattle, five hours to Glacier National Park, six hours to the San Juan Islands, seven hours to Yellowstone National Park or the Oregon Coast,  and eight hours to Banff National Park in Canada. Perhaps a little longer by TW200. Hmmm.

I shot in excess of 80+ images before I captured this shot of a hay rake outside of Juda, Wisconsin.

Diane Arbus, one of the most controversial and influential photographers in American history once said, “It’s important to take bad pictures. It’s the bad ones that have to do with what you’ve never done before. They can make you recognize something you hadn’t seen in a way that will make you recognize it when you see it again.” Wise words from someone who was largely self-taught.

Far too often I see photographers (amateurs and pros alike) using digital cameras with super small memory cards. I call these people “camera rich and memory poor.” They spent all of their money on fancy digital cameras but skimp on the high cost of memory card. In some ways this is understandable. I recently purchased a SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro CompactFlash card that I swear set me back more than my first dSLR camera. Some of the higher capacity CF and SD cards are sure to cost as much or more than some point-and-shoot cameras, too. But why go through the hassle of purchasing a camera, and or lugging it around, if you aren’t equipped with the most essential accessory every digital photographer needs…memory?

Many of these same photographers make matters even worse; they seldom download their images at all. When it’s time to shoot they become an impromptu photo editor, deleting photographs (née memories) to make room for new ones. What is the purpose of having a camera to capture memories and create beautiful photographs if you never have a chance to look at them large on a computer screen? Do you really think that tiny LCD on the back of your camera is telling you everything? Is it really telling you anything?

When you buy only one small memory card (I personally own dozens), you are limiting yourself when it comes time to shoot. Work your subject. Use different settings. Ask your subjects to change their pose. Shoot from different angles; even angles others might find ridiculous. Take many photographs. Load up that memory card. Take a look at the photograph above. It has appeared in Madison’s Capital Times, Britain’s What Digital Camera magazine, and countless other publications. I took 80+ photographs of that same hay rake outside of Juda, Wisconsin before I captured the best image…and I didn’t even know which was going to be the best image until I got back home and could look at them all blown up on my computer monitor.

Obviously there was a reason you decided to pull out your camera and take that photograph in the first place. Something caught your eye or something noteworthy was about to take place. Something in that part of your brain must have clicked on and said “this will make a good photo.” Perhaps it was the same part of your brain that tells you a magazine ad looks nice, or a shirt in the store looks really cool, or a piece of art would look really great hanging on the wall. If you only take one photograph, and if you have limited space on your memory card, you are only hampering yourself and your ability to capture quality images.

Remember…one of the benefits of owning a digital camera, regardless of its quality or type, is its ability to capture images without the cost and hassle of developing film. Take advantage of that feature! And with the Christmas season now upon us, many of you will be out looking for a new camera. If you are, please do yourself a favor. Get the biggest memory card your budget will allow. You can thank me later.

Snow blows across a country road in rural Dane County, Wisconsin.

I collect words of wisdom like squirrels collect acorns.  They are little nuggets of wisdom.  I hoard them, save them, and then whip them out from time-to-time to swirl around in my mind not unlike a wine connoisseur does with a taste of Bordeaux in their mouth before swallowing.  Their value, it would seem, is not necessarily in what the words say, but rather what they don’t say.  More to the point, I think about them and wonder what their author was thinking when they penned them.

Here is a list of quotes I have scattered around my desk now.  Some were collected recently; others were collected years ago.  All of them are seen on a regular basis and make me think about their true meaning.  Some are much easier to decipher than others.  All of them, however, are important to me at the moment…until they are replaced with a new crop of quotes later.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” –Albert Einstein

“I have always admired my own work, because I do it so well.” –Julius Shulman

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust

“The best zoom lens is your legs.” –Ernst Haas

“A photograph is neither taken nor seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you.” –Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Creativity without strategy is called art. Creativity with strategy is called advertising. Creativity with strategy and principles is design.” –Jef I. Richards

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” –Ansel Adams

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” –Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” –Imogen Cunningham

“I always thought a good photo was like a good joke. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” –Anonymous

“Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.” –Ansel Adams

“The camera always points both ways. In expressing your subject it also expresses you.” –Freeman Patterson

“Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” –Chuck Close

“Never underestimate the power of a good story.” –Canal Plus

“Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.” –Anonymous

I captured this image on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin near Elver Park in the midst of a blinding snow storm.

I’m a bit of logophile.

What is a logophile, you ask? You might think it is a person who has a strong affinity for logos.  If that’s what you guessed then you would be wrong.

A logophile is a lover of words.  But just because I love words doesn’t mean I am gifted with the English language or a good speller…because I am neither.  Sure, I can admit I enjoy learning new words.  And I suppose it is one of the reasons why Balderdash is my new favorite game.

On Sunday nights for many months now, a group of friends and I have frequented a local pub to share a few laughs and play a board game or two. Balderdash is only one of many board games we play.  It is, however, quickly becoming a favorite.  It is a classic bluffing game.  The game cards have these insanely difficult (but real) words.  Every player makes up phony definition as one player takes his or her turn writing down the correct definition.  All of the answers are read out loud, along with the correct answer, and everyone picks the answer they think is real.  Players score points for guessing the correct definition…and also for duping other players.  The only thing more bizarre than the words (e.g. fleer, runnel, zyzzyva, pontage, etc.) are the fake definitions people take great care to write.

For example, someone recently described the word giraffiti as “vandalism spray-painted up high.”  Someone else tried to convince everyone that the word reintarnation was the definition for “coming back to life as a hillbilly.” And still another person thought the word pyrosis was a “sister who likes to burn things.”  I may enjoy learning new words, but everyone enjoys dreaming up fake definitions.

In this digital age of high tech video games, Blu-ray discs, high-speed Internet, and high-definition TV, one might think low tech board games are a bit analog and pass’e.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  In fact, it is have proven to be quite fun sitting around a table with friends laughing, sharing a drink or two, and playing a board game.  It reminds me of what it was like before electronics and the boob tube dictated the schedule of our lives.

Goethe once said, “When ideas fail, words come in very handy.”  But if you think about it, words can also fail.  I especially hate those annoying little words that sound so horrible they drive you nuts.  They are so descriptive, so guttural, and in many ways so unintentionally obscene, you cringe every time you hear them.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, please allow me to shift gears so I can list my least favorite words:

1.  Moist

Can you think of a more powerful five-letter word in the English language?  I have hated this word for years.  Two different TV shows recently popularized everyone’s dislike for this word when they each had lead characters express how much they hated this word.  Those shows included How I Met Your Mother and Dead Like Me.  My old friends will tell you, however, that my dislike for the word moist dates back long, long before either of these shows were on the air. I really don’t like the word moist.

2.  Slacks

I can’t explain exactly why I don’t like this word.  Maybe it is because it sounds so old and outdated.  You don’t often find someone younger than 30 wearing slacks, but I do know plenty of men older than 50 who do.  Just the sound of the word is funny…and I don’t mean funny-like-a-clown funny.

3.  Panty (or Pantie)

Oddly, I don’t have a problem with the word panties.  However, I understand we often use the word incorrectly.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, panties is supposed to be used strictly as a plural reference to panty.  In other words, if a woman wears undershorts, she is wearing a panty…not panites.  If you buy two pairs of undershorts, you just purchased two panties.  I’m beginning to believe the word evolved because others had a problem with a panty, too.

4.  Irregardless

For starters, irregardless is not really a word at all…not a commonly accepted one at least.  Irregardless is nothing more than a foul-sounding amalgamation.  I hate to say this, but I don’t like hearing people use it because it makes them sound so dumb.  It is considered nonstandard because it contains two negative elements (ir- and -less).  Go ahead and say irrespective, irrelevant, or irreparable instead, but please do not say irregardless.

5.  Fuchsia

One might think it would be odd for a photographer to have a beef with the word fuchsia, especially when we as photographers often learn to love all colors.  However, my disdain for fuchsia goes well beyond my feelings for what the color looks like.  That said, let’s be honest.  Fuchsia all by itself isn’t exactly the most appealing color (and I’m being kind).

The color gets its name from a genus of flower, which is largely native in Central and South America.  Can you guess the name of that flower?  Yup…fuchsia.

6.  Smegma

Forgive me if I don’t define this word in great detail.  If you never heard it, or if you question your own understanding of this word, look it up yourself.  And no matter what definition you find, I won’t like the word.  The definition only makes it that much worse.  Now excuse me while I throw up.

7.  Tincture

Tincture is an alcoholic solution extracted from leaves or plants. Iodine, for example, is a tincture.  I just hate how it sounds.  Luckily I don’t hear it every day.  And I’m pretty sure they could have made a better word than tincture.

8.  Teat

My dislike for this word stems solely from a disagreement I had with my biology teacher many years ago.  At home on the dairy farm we always “dipped tits” with iodine when we were done milking the cows (yes, I know…iodine is a tincture).  Dipping their tits with iodine prevented cows from getting an infection.  No one ever told me to dip teats.  And our use of the word tits was not derogatory.  But to a high school biology teacher who never saw a cow up close, let alone spend any time on a farm, I can understand why he might think I was being a smart ass when I innocently discussed “dipping tits” in class one day.  Today the word teat still sounds stupid.

9.  Plethora

Plethora is a two-bit word some hack must have popularized back in the late 1980s or early 1990s on some TV show.  Today it is one of those words people use ad nauseum because their vocabulary suffers from the lack many other fancy words.

10.  Ask

I don’t really detest the word ask, but I do hate it when people mispronounce it. ‘Nuff said.

What words do you hate?