Ok, the Black Friday Sales are done, The Cyber Monday sales are in the rear view mirror, and fingers crossed, any remnant of turkey is a memory.
You could have some new gear and may be wondering: what would be the best way to test it all out?
With holidays here, your chances of hanging out with family are darn good, and I’d like to suggest something to you:

Interview and Record the elders in your family, and create a family history video that can be shared, cherished, and passed on.

When my grandmother was 92 and my daughter was 2, I saw them hanging out, and knew that the knowledge of family history my grandmother had would never get told, unless she told it.
Some family members felt it would be revisionist history. You know what? It was the only history we had.
And everyone sees life through their own eyes and experiences. No one is objective.
So I sat with Grandma Kate, and my daughter at one end of her bed, and proceeded to ask her questions.
Even if she didn’t know what she ate the morning before, she knew her personal history.
With a video camera in hand, I made a record for us of who were, where we came from, what my dad’s life was like, and look into the past that only she could provide.
Since then I have a made a bunch of these, and honestly, as you hone your interview skills, shooting skills, you will have made a very special gift for yourself and your family.

There is a reason that companys’ like Ancestry.com and DNA kits have become so popular. We want to know who we are, and knowing where we came from is a big step in that direction.

It’s up to you.
With your skill set, the tools, and during the holidays,the PERFECT opportunity, you can create a video that would bring a lotta happiness to your family.

The picture above is my father when he was a radio announcer in NYC.
Never got to interview him, and always wanted to share the sound of his voice with my daughter. Didn’t happen.

Give your new gear a run through with a purpose. Plenty of time for selfies.
Just a suggestion.

If you own a company, and still are making your year end purchases, coming up are more gift guides to help you make some gear decisions. Plus more.

Hope you had some Black Friday luck in shopping, and are ready for Cyber Monday!Some sweet deal out there, but the current models of things are a bit elusive in those sales. Oh well.
Now for the current Gift Guide:

We’ve moved past the question about point and shoot cameras V smartphones.
Game over.
So as the phone in your hands is the primary snapshot tool, you have to do what you can to bridge the gap from high end compact cameras and the phone.
Don’t want to take anything away from the fine entries from Sony like the RX100II, the Nikon A, or Canon’s latest G-series.
But the iPhone is sweet (like the HTC, LG, Samsung, Huawei). And the video functions are fun. And I can share directly to all social media with simplicity and no 3rd party interface site.
So lets look at some at some cool items to help make your iPhonography gift list, more complete.

Lets start with the cases.
Speck has been protecting my laptop for years, so when the “Bendgate” furor began, they came up with a solution fast.

Continue Reading »

Before we continue on our gift guide, there are some items you are already looking into, and there ares some deals you may want to take advantage of tomorrow.
Of course there will be Cyber Monday!
Some of the places with special Black Friday links all listed:
THIS JUST IN!!
SAVE $2300 at BH on this Hasselblad!

First up is the photogs happiest place on earth! B&H


Needs some media cards? Always. SanDisk at Amazon :Sandisk Media Cards
Lexar your jam? Try this link

From ThinkTank:
25% off our fave photog messenger bag-

And, when you buy a Think Tank Photo rolling camera bag you are eligible to receive their new “Road Warrior Kit,” a $44.98 value, for free! The kit consists of ten Red Whips cable ties, a Cable Management 10 pouch, an AA Battery Holder (holds up to eight AA batteries), and a Small Travel Pouch.

Love our Olloclip phone lenses and now there is a sweet deal on them.

Maybe you need some big hardware? Try my favorite places OWC, and MacMall
And Adorama has some sweet deals as well.