Stocking Stuffing

I realise now that I made a mistake - I accept this. When the customer came into the shop all those years ago and asked: " Where can I stuff this stocking? " Well, I should have been slower to answer. Kinder. Gentler. More professional... I've learned my lesson. Nowadays I would recommend that they get some of the small accessories that Camera Electronic set out on the counter, or rack up on the hooks. Things that make photography fun, as well as efficient. Like: a. Gorilla pods. They look silly, they sound silly, but they work silly good to hold little cameras or off-camera flashes onto any railing, stick, or tree. If you encounter a refrigerator in the bush, you can get a magnetic gorilla pod to stick to that. b. Little Nikon action cameras. Well, the action camera craze has passed its first fine flush and its second thoughtful phase and is now into the third bit - it is mainstream media. Now you can get cameras from a lot of the major manufacturers that actually do what you thought you could do with them before. The good news is that most of the people who were going to break their collar bones with this sort of photography have already done so and now the thoughtful ones can make some good use of the things. Nikon make some dandies. Cheaper than drones and nearly as trendy - and you may possibly get salable footage out of them. Etiquette note: When St. Johns haul you into the E.R. with your knees pointing backwards after trying to do a stunt for your new action camera, do not try to film the staff as they work. They will bat it out of your hands... c. Strobist gear. Classic umbrella mounts for your flash gun. You are going to have to shoot pictures of the family at the Christmas dinner because you are the enthusiastic photographer of the group and they know it. Why not shoot flattering ones this year instead of just the Grip-n-Grin stuff? You're gonna be stuck doing post production anyway - make it easy on yourself by getting soft lighting and nice shadows. d. Instant film. Check the camera you have - if it is one of the Fujifilm Instax variety or a Leica Sofort...or even one of the odd LOMO or other instant spin-offs...it is likely that it can be fed with the Instax film. Make sure the staff know which model camera you have because there are several size of film packets, but whichever you get, you can be sure that it is about the best instant on the market. Pricey? Yes, compared to a digital file that costs zip, but you'd be surprised at how well the Instax film lasts and what a good job it does. And there is an amusement and fascination factor with a print in the hand that is just not present with the digital file. The real advantage for these cameras is no-one is trying to chimp you between every shot, and when the packet is done, there is no week of post production work, duplicating, and endless emailing to relatives to do. You hand them the print on the day, head for the drinks trolley, and that is that.