Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2018 is coming to a close and I want to wish all visitors to this website a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Due to it being the end of the year, I decided to post a few of my favorite articles this year:

• December: The 2018 San Francisco Auto Show
• November: How to Create a Backup Plan for Your Photo Shoot
• October: The Best Times for a Photo Shoot
• September: Canon 80D Review
• August:Three Great Podcasts for Your Next Road Trip
• July: Free Image Editors to Optimize Photos for Your Website
• June: QA Your Website Using SEO Spike
• May: Sony A7 iii Review
• April: Three Budget Prime Lenses for Canon
• March: Using Trello for Project Management
• Febuary: What I Spend the Most Time on as a Freelancer?
• January: Top 10 Photography Blogs

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Lessons I Learned From Creating Video Content

When it comes to creating content I've always been more of photo orientated. Video has always been a challenge due to it combining audio, visual, and movement in one medium. However, while listening to Gary Vaynerchuk discuss the benefits of using video for content creation, I decided to give it a shot for a month. Here are some of the Lessons I Learned From Creating Video Content for the past month.

4k Photos:

If your camera has 4k video you take advantage of 4k Photos. The benefits from 4k Photos are that they are a lot bigger than regular Full HD 1080p video. The only drawbacks with video stills are that you can't change the color balance after you extract stills from the video. Or other benefits that you get when shooting in a raw format.[gallery type="square" ids="4001,4002,4003"]

Podcasts

I discussed in a previous blog post about the reason why I’m starting a Podcast. Another benefit is using video for content creation is that I can export the audio of the video and use it for Podcast.

Audio

For the past month shooting video, perfecting audio was a bit of a challenge. I do a lot of video content when outdoors and the wind can be a distraction when playing back a video. Youtube's Creator Studio is an excellent resource for royalty free music to add to your video. This helps eliminate distracting background noise. However, I found video editing tools such as Davinci Resolve to be great in modifying the volume of the audio in videos.

Summary: Lessons I Learned From Creating Video Content

In conclusion, one of my goals for 2019 will be to shift towards more video content. I thought switching to video may limit my ability to produce great photos. However, the high-quality images that are produced from 4k Photos alleviated me of any concerns that I had. I recently created a Youtube channel to showcase video content that I will create. Not only am I excited to learn more about video creation but also create that content.

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Four Great Spots to See in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Towards the end of this summer, I choose to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lassen is located 130 miles north of Sacramento and 47 miles east of Redding. Below are four great spots to see in Lassen Volcanic National Park:

Lassen Gallery

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Lake Helen

Lake Helen is a gigantic 8,200 feet lake located to the south of Lassen Peak. One of the things you'll notice about the lake is the vibrant colors that appear in the water.

Manzanita Lake

Manzanita Lake is located towards the north entrance of Lassen. Also around the area is a campground, museum, and picnic tables. In addition to the scenic view of the lake allows for fishing, kayaking, and hiking.

Kings Creek Trail

If there is one trail to take on your visit to Lassen it would have to be Kings Creek Trail. The trail is about three miles or close to two hours round trip. One of the features of this trail offers a waterfall overlook.

Sulphur Works

If you choose to enter the park on the south entrance you will be close to the thermal pits of Lassen. The thermal pits are a unique sight to behold. It will take some time to get used to the order of Sulphur Works, as the pit gives off a rotten egg type of smell.

Summary: Four Great Spots to See in Lassen Volcanic National Park

In conclusion, I found Lassen National Park feels the perfect getaway from the city life. It might be because Yosemite is nearby and gets most of the attention from tourist and visitors that Lassen seems like a hidden gem.

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A Checklist to Prepare Before a Real Estate Shoot

In order to prepare your property to have the best photos, below is a checklist to prepare before a real estate shoot. Some tips that I will discuss are:

• Home Staging
• Time Considerations
• Exterior Preparation

Home Staging

Use the Estate Agent or Owner to make sure the property is staged beautifully. Using a professional home stager is an excellent resource to have for your property. They can also act as a second pair of eyes to look over the property. Outside of home staging, a quick list to remember comes from the site, prepmyhomeforsale:

• Thoroughly clean whole Property
• Turn all overhead lights and lamps ON
• Replace all burned out light bulbs
• Use bulbs of the same temperature
• Turn all TVs OFF
• Turn all computer screens OFF
• Open blinds/window treatments to let in outside light
• Remove personal photographs (or replace with general landscape/object photographs)
• Make all beds
• Place all shoes/jackets in closets

Time Considerations

Ensure enough time is available for the photo shoot. Depending on the property, some photo shoots can take between 2-4 hours. Making sure you have enough time to cover the full estate will ensure the best real estate photos possible.

Exterior Preparation

As the front of the home is usually the first image viewers see, it's best to have this prepared prior to the photo shoot. Avoid cars parked in front of the home and in the driveway of the property. In addition, having landscaping done also improves the look of the property for these types of photos.

Summary: A Checklist to Prepare Before a Real Estate Shoot

In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed this article. Making sure you're prepared prior to a photo shoot allows you to create the best display for your consumers. Photoshop can do wonders but you shouldn't always rely on image editing in favor of proper preparation.

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