On location Jim uses the Leaf back on a motorized Hasselblad ELM system or the Fuji S2 digital SLR. In the studio he uses the Leaf Valeo 11 and 6, and the multi shot DCB2 on the Fuji GX680, one dedicated to each back. This allows him to have multiple sets going. Every camera has its own work station on a cart that can move around the studio. While multiple photographers are shooting, funneling their images into one network, a 2Ghz dual processor G5 Mac tower which is the main retouching station, he can sit there and do whatever retouching needs to be done, put the images into folders, in galleries, send them off to whatever clients need to view them. Or, if he’s working by himself, he can have multiple jobs going at once while checking out wedding photo booth rental companies in Lake Mary.
According to Jim, it is important to network with other photographers. “Photographers have had a tendency to not talk about their technique because they were afraid somebody would steal their client. When digital came out it got everybody talking. Commercial photographers began sharing a little more. The two to three people who are high end digital users in Atlanta talk all the time. We even share equipment. If something goes down I can go to Kevin Aames and borrow a camera, if something breaks on his end he can come to me. We share technique, because we become better as a whole.
“The two things I always recommend to people is find other people in your area that are Photoshop users or shoot with the type of camera that you do and try to meet once in awhile and trade ideas. And keep up with your professional associations such as WPPI, PPA, APA or ASMP. There’s one organization that takes everyone in, the National Association of Photoshop Professional. I highly recommend it to everyone.”