Krob Photo: Blog https://www.krobphoto.com/blog en-us (C) Krob Photo [email protected] (Krob Photo) Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:07:00 GMT Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:07:00 GMT https://www.krobphoto.com/img/s/v-12/u637568203-o542858711-50.jpg Krob Photo: Blog https://www.krobphoto.com/blog 79 120 Improvements https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/8/improvements                 

The last two weekends I went to airshows.  First I went to the Jesse James Outlaw airshow, which was fun and a bit crazy.  Last weekend I went to the Sound of Speed airshow.  Which again was fun.  I’m not going to talk about what went well during the airshow, but what I should have done better and what challenges I had with my gear.

                Let me first start off by saying I’m not a morning person.  I do not like getting up early, nor do I enjoy waking up right when my alarm goes off.  That being said, as a hobby photographer and someone who goes to airshows, mornings work out well.  Mornings produce incredible light, and crowds aren’t usually big at that point.  If you want to photograph airshows, and specifically the statics, go early.  You’ll reward yourself.

                That being said, both airshows were 2 days.  The Jesse James Outlaw airshow I was there right when gates opened, even though I wasn’t there exactly when I wanted to be.  So that worked out.  The second day of the airshow, I got there with plenty of time, but do feel like I missed a bit of light.  The first day of the Sound of Speed airshow we were late.  They had moved up the starting time about an hour, and with traffic, I missed a lot of incredible shots.  On Sunday I made a point of getting there early, and it rewarded me.  I was able to see a de Havilland Vampire jet that had just arrived, as well as talk to the people on site.  The other suggestion is to go both days, as things change day to day.

                Now onto the gear troubles.  I shoot on a Canon 6d with either my 24-105mm or 100-400mm lens.  My camera is not designed for aviation photography, as I run out of buffer a lot, even with the fastest cards.  I only use the center autofocus point, since I want to control what the lens focuses on.  This might be short sited on my part.  I shoot most times thousands of photos and have to throw many out because they are out of focus.

               

 I have found out recently that after 64 gb written, my 6d slows down.  Canon recommends not going over a 64 gb card, so that Lexar 128gb card I found on a good deal is not recommended for my camera.  That means more changing cards as action goes by.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my camera.  I was able to shoot images I never would have been able to before, specifically low light.  I love the battery life, and the lightness of it.  I love that it’s full frame and small.  That being said, I need to find something that can improve my aviation photography.

                There are mistakes you make, but learning from them is the best option.  I love aviation photography and will continue to do it.  Until I have the cash ready, I’ll keep shooting using my 6d.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/8/improvements Tue, 30 Aug 2016 21:06:30 GMT
Doc Flew https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/7/doc-flew

I was fortunate enough to see the B-29 Doc’s first flight since it was restored.  Doc’s last flight was in 1956 and came to Wichita in 2000.  I was in highschool at that time.  I remember it being such a big deal when Doc was delivered to Mcconnell.  Seeing Doc fly has made an impression on me that I will not likely forget.  For one thing, Doc means a whole heck of a lot to a lot of people.  It’s also a reminder that my photos are not for me, but the aviation community as a whole.  I have been so fortunate meeting people, and strive to continually learn, which it was a learning session for me as well.  

 

After seeing Doc fly we went to Dallas.  Today we went through the Presidential Library of George W. Bush.  He is one man I do look up to.  Not because I agree with everything he’s done, but the down to Earth he portrays to be, and that he tried to do the best for the country.  I’m not getting into politics here, but if I could meet the men I admire, he would be one of them.

 

As I have been doing photography, and even the trip to the Library has taught me, I can continue to learn and improve, but I was created the way I am.  I am designed a specific way, and that is OK.  Photography is an outlet for me, something I enjoy, and allows me to chase my dreams.  I have no idea what the future holds, but I have many dreams.  I don’t need to be the most outgoing of people, nor do I need to be the best at any one thing.  Photography is about living the dream, and purusing it through thick and thin.  For me, it resembles my life in persevering.  I am exciting for what the future holds, and can’t wait to see it.

 
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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/7/doc-flew Tue, 19 Jul 2016 20:54:31 GMT
Memorial Day https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/5/memorial-day Thanks!

So, it is Memorial Day weekend.  I am reminded and thankful for all those who have served.  Without those who served I could not live the life of Freedom, nor having a safe environment to live in. 

Retailers want you to believe that Memorial Day is a long weekend to get projects around your house done or cook up some burgers on the back patio.  It is a day where pools open, and the unofficial start of summer.  There is nothing wrong with that, but we forget that it’s about people. 

Memorial Day is certainly about those people that serve in our military every day and those that once served.  It is also about family and spending time with them.  Even through thick and thin, and even when plans change suddenly, our families stick with us.  Many times I’m amazed that they do.

I have to say thanks to my wife Susan for sticking with me, even during crazy times, and to all of my family.  I don’t think I could survive this life without you all.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/5/memorial-day Tue, 31 May 2016 02:59:08 GMT
Airshow Season Started! https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/5/airshow-season-started P-51 Baby Duck

Kites

Airshow Season has officially started.  We first went down to the Sunflower Balloon fest in Anthony, KS.  It's always a good time, and a fun small town

activity.  One that that really impressed me was the HUGE kites!  These were massive!  One thing I really enjoyed was the B-52 simulator, no photos of that.
 

After we left there we went to St. Louis where we went into the Arch, City Museum, and the Magic House.  We finished it all off going to the St. Louis STEM airshow presented by Boeing.  That was amazing!  We saw the Canadian Snowbirds, F/A-18 demo team, F-22 demo team, Blue Angles, B-25, Corsair, and P-51 among others.  On the ramp there was an F-4, a very strange looking Boeing 757 used to test F-22 electronics, as well as a Cobra and Huey!  It was a packed week.

Boeing 757

Coming up next will be the Salute to Veterans airshow in Columbia, MO.  Shortly after that my wife and I will head to Vegas for a work trip (non-photography related).  We should be home for a while after that.

 

I will say my photography has come a long way, and I'm amazed just how better I have gotten.  If you are interested in any of my photography please reach out to me at [email protected].

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) Kansas Missouri aircraft photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2016/5/airshow-season-started Thu, 19 May 2016 02:34:30 GMT
Christmas https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/12/christmas I’ve been thinking I need to post this for a while.  Now that we are upon Christmas, retailers are bombarding us with stuff to buy.  They want you to open a credit card to get whatever back, buy with points, and buy more stuff than you can afford.  On top of all that, non-profits are trying to rack in the last minute giving, and trying to get your money over to them.  Don’t get me wrong, some material things are not bad.  Giving is not bad.  You have to be intentional with your money.  I struggle with this as well.

During this Christmas season, set a budget, follow it, and you will be so much more grateful come next year.  Imagine not having to pay credit cards next year?  Imagine everything you buy is paid for!  Retailers and credit card companies want you to buy a lot.  Credit card companies also realize that most people don’t pay their balance in full, or doing a 0% for x amount of months deal, means you have to pay on time every month.  If you miss one, you start earning interest, and most likely all the interest you avoided will be added to.  Just be intentional with your money.

Christmas is a great way to give back.  Check your budget and see if you can give a little bit extra as a tip, spend time helping families, or even give a large gift. Make sure it’s in your budget.  My family and I have started giving 1 large tip a week.  We never know how it will impact someone, but God has blessed us, and we feel we must bless others.

This brings me to my next subject.  I know sometimes the Church hurts people, either by exposing their sin, not following their beliefs, or just being imperfect people.  Jesus came to forgive us of our sins.  He also said to love one another.  I realize we aren’t going to agree with everything, but I do want to apologize for the Church not being a safe place for you, if you have been hurt by the Church, and that Jesus loves you.  The real reason for Christmas to celebrate the life of Christ!

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/12/christmas Sat, 19 Dec 2015 22:38:15 GMT
We are Debt Free!!! https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/10/we-are-debt-free

 

Yes, you read that correctly!  We are debt free!  I finished paying off my student loan on Monday.  I submitted the payment, and later that night it cleared.  I walked out of work with my head held high.  It was a beautiful day!  The wind, the sun, and the sounds were so beautiful.  It is a feeling I never knew before.  I feel FREE!!!  I owe nothing to anybody!

Where did we come from?  Two years ago we started on Financial Peace University.  I knew since before college I didn’t want debt.  I didn’t understand it, though.  I fell into the trap, brushed myself off once with help, and then fell right back in.  We were $54,117.39 in debt, excluding the house.  Before we sold it, the house was $145,000.  So, that’s a total of almost $200,000 in debt!

What was the debt on?  Other than the house, we had five credit cards, one of which was maxed out and one we used for a balance transfer (more on that later), car, and student loans.  Before we started the debt snowball, we did manage to pay off one vehicle, stupid buy, and a Perkins loan for school.  We were normal!

First, why was the car a stupid buy?  I had gotten a loan for 72 months at 10% interest.  I ended up paying it off early, but only by a few months.  I should have saved up and paid for it.  You live and learn.

Second, why was transferring so bad?  When you transfer, they hit you with a fee.  So, not only did I have to pay off the amount on the card, I now had to pay the fee!  I could have paid things off a bit faster.  Again, you live and you learn.  Can you tell that I’m a bit stubborn and think I know what I am doing?

It took 2 years to become debt free, but we made it!  It is possible!  There were many times where we wanted to give up.  There were many times we were at the end of our ropes and wanted to continue on with life.  We made it!  If we can do this, we can do anything we want!

What’s next?  Obviously we are living in an apartment, so a house would be nice.  The first step is to keep on the gas and build up the emergency fund.  We are hoping by February.  After that comes a down payment.

The more I study the more I am going to do a 15 year mortgage with at least 10% down.  I would love to pay for a home in full, but I don’t think that is going to happen for this home.  I am so ready to start investing again, and enjoying life.  We can enjoy some of life now, but will be better once we can slow down a bit.

One thing about a house though, we can start a business.  My photography can be run as a business then, and my wife can start up something, sewing or baking or both!  Our city currently has a very broad definiation for business, and must get a business license.  However, our apartment will not let us run a business out of our apartment.  Thus, why I am not selling my work today.

There are things we are dreaming of, like going to Europe.  I want to get flight lessons, but will wait until we get a house.  I can’t wait for things, but must wait.

Our future is bright!  We are out of Debt!!!  You can be too!

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) debt free money https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/10/we-are-debt-free Sun, 04 Oct 2015 14:15:00 GMT
Is it my money? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/9/is-it-my-money Image: Snowbird 2 landing at the Columbia, MO airshow this past spring!

 

I was reminded of a very important thing this past weekend.  The money we receive is not truly ours.  It is God’s.  This past Sunday in church I was sitting a few rows behind our lead pastor.  He had just finished preaching, and was sitting down for communion and for the tithe.  I saw him reach an envelope from his back pocket, a giving envelope, and place it in the offering plate.  My first thought was, it’s interesting that part of his paycheck is going back into the church.  He gets paid by the church.  Then I was reminded that our money is truly not our own.  It’s God’s.  He only asks us to provide a 10% tithe to the local storehouse (church), and we have to be wise with the rest.

It was also reminded of me to ask, why we can’t do something.  Sure, we aren’t buying a house right now, nor are we going on a European vacation.  However, things like upgrading my computer and getting a new vacuum, are things that we could possibly do.  What I realized recently is that by next year we will be ready to start looking for a house.   We could also pay off the rest of the student loans in October.

The biggest obstacle is not being too stringent.  I am a person that when I want something, I go after it.  So, it’s easy for me to say, lets hold off on everything so we can pay off debt, save, and buy a house.  However, I am also a spender.  I get into the month and go, “I want that, but it’s not in the budget.”  So the balance of being content with what you have, and what you want to do is very difficult.

If I worked a normal 8-5 job, I would have certainly gotten a second job and paid off things a lot faster.  It would also be easier to be content as well, at least I would think.  Being busy is better than sitting all weekend with almost nothing to do.

I admit there are things that are free, or little cost that we can do.  We haven’t found a lot of that yet, but still searching.  However, what we realize is that if we give ourselves just a little to live life, we can accomplish the big goals without much if any dely.

Yes, we wanted to be out of debt by end of September.  It doesn’t appear that would happen.  We would have to drastically cut our budget, and use our emergency fund.  So, waiting 2 more weeks, or 4 depending on cash flow, isn’t a huge issue. 

If you plan, set goals, and dream a bit, you can achieve things you would not otherwise would.  Sometimes we have to make compromises, but we should always ask how we can do it without the compromise.  Sometimes we need to look to see if there is a third option that would let us do both.

It’s been an incredible journey.  There is so much more freedom not having any debt, which I already sense even though we aren’t fully yet.  It also gives me much more confidence than I’ve ever had before, both with the determination but also the lack of worry.  I no longer have to think that I must keep a job because of my debts, but rather I want to keep a job because I enjoy it.

If you are running a total to see how much debt we have left, $2350.

We are weird, and we won’t be pressured into buying something that people think we “need”.  Time will come to buy a house, another car, and to have fabulous vacations!

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft airshow money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/9/is-it-my-money Tue, 08 Sep 2015 02:15:53 GMT
Future and Dreams https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/9/future-and-dreams

 

In the last post I shared the pressures that are on me financially from being the head of household.  After a few days, I realize that it may have sounded a bit negative.  I meant it to be factual, without emotion.  I’m an emotional person, so that didn’t work.

I was reminded today that it’s not about me.  It’s about God and his will.  My family is also very important to me.  I have to remember things are bigger than me, and that the money I earn does not belong to me.  I am merely a trustee of God’s money.

All of the goals and dreams I have, getting out of debt, building an emergency fund, getting a house, upgrading my computer, getting a pilot’s license, and replacing my chair can happen.  Yes, on today’s budget and logically thinking, it will happen as I mentioned.  However, money is very illogical.  Rather, sometimes you are blessed with more money, sometimes things turn different directions than anticipated, and there is no explanation.

What I am reminded of is to keep my dreams huge, build my goals on those dreams, and take steps to those dreams.  Zig Ziglar said that “if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.”  He also said “if you dream it, you can achieve it.”  So, why am I limiting my dreams so much?  I can set aggressive, but realistic goals.  They can be completed.

For instance, I believe we will own a home within 10 years that’s $300k - $350k.  I also believe we will find a home in 2 years that fits in our budget.  I have to remember that God will open doors and close others.

Here is a crazy dream.  Why couldn’t I at some point in my life get a commercial airline license?  I know the FAA says no today, but if I can dream it, I can achieve it.

How about this?  I dream of photographing B-25’s in the air over Kauffman Stadium!  I want to be in the air with the “K” in the background.

How about this one?  Going to Hawaii and flying my wife around some of the islands!

Stress is a big factor right now, because we are scrimping, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t dream.  Dreaming is good, setting goals to get to that dream is awesome!  We will achieve our goals, and it is possible that things will be quicker or different than expected!

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/9/future-and-dreams Wed, 02 Sep 2015 01:08:28 GMT
Pressures https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/pressures Blue Angels over downtown KC

There are so many pressures for the head of the household.  It is something I never realized before.  There are many sacrifices that must be made for the good of the family, and there are many responsibilities.

It is my responsibility to work to provide food, clothing, and shelter.  It is my responsibility to lead my family down the road of integrity and success.  It is my responsibility to make sure our obligations are met.

I may not be the one to pay every single bill.  I may not write the check for rent.  However, it is still my responsibility to earn the income.  This leads me to the first pressure.

  1. Getting out of debt.  Yes, many people feel this maybe a stupid thing, but we have committed ourselves over the last two years to get out of debt.  We are nearly there.  We could be there at the end of September if we squeeze every drop out of our budget and sacrifice our $1000 emergency fund.  I’m not sure I want to touch the emergency fund, but who knows what the end of the month will bring.
  2. Keeping the family goals above your own.  There are several things we need to replace, but so far have them limping along.  Things such as the vacuum cleaner is trying to die, our mattress needs replaced, my desk chair is shot, and the fake leather is pealing and the hydraulic piston sinks sometimes.  On top of that, I want to start my private pilot’s lessons next year, upgrade my computer, and put more into my photography.  So decisions need to be made.  We’ll buy a new mattress as soon as we are out of debt, get a new vacuum when it finally dies, and most likely do my computer, chair, and pilot’s license after we have a house.  At some point we’ll need to figure out how to buy a second car, so Susan isn’t trapped during the winter and has the freedom to go further during the day.
  3. Emergency fund.  As we are approaching getting out of debt, I feel like I am climbing Mt. Everest with my family tied on a rope behind me.  It’s my job to carry them along to greater success.  As we approach the emergency fund, it looks like we are about to reach a nice flat area on the mountain.  Just beyond that is more sacrifice of 6 to 7 months, at current rate, to build our emergency fund.
  4. Down payment.  The next flat area on this mountain will be just before the final ascent.  I’m sure this will be a long frustrating climb.  We want to put 20% down on a $200K - $250K house.  Preferably we would like to have a $300K - $350K house, but that starts exceeding how much we want to pay each month.  To get to 20%, it would take us 20 – 25 months at our current rate.  Reminder, this is after getting out of debt, 1 – 2 months from now and 6 – 7 months for an emergency fund.  So, from today it will be 27 – 34 months.
  5. Buying a house.  As with the down payment, there is pressure to buy a house.  It is not many people saying you need to buy today.  Rather it’s the realization that in a 2 bedroom apartment, if we want a larger family, it will be very difficult if not impossible.  Also, any side business I want to start, or any business my wife wants to start, we are unable to do so with our current living arrangements.  The city requires us to have a business license for any business, even part time.  However, we must get our landlord’s approval, and our lease says we can’t operate a business.
  6. Retirement.  Yes, this is also a pressure situation.  Currently, I’m not putting any money towards my 401k or IRA since we are focused on getting out of debt.  I know I am loosing compound interest.  The big question is when to start back up.  Do I do it now, after the emergency fund, or after the down payment?  I know I need to start on it again, but really how much time do I want to lose?

I don’t want this to sound selfish at all.  I love my family, and realize I must make sacrifices for them.  I am only one wheel in a giant cog, and feel so much pressure to keep spinning as faster as I can.  Somehow I need to figure out how to earn more money to speed this process up.  I don’t want it to be 3 or more years before buying a house.  I’ve already had about enough of this apartment, with its thin walls, noisy pipes, small kitchen, and small size.  I’m ready to work on a house again, and do something productive.  Alas, that will be 3 years out.  The pressures of being the head of the household.

 

Blessing,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/pressures Sun, 30 Aug 2015 17:44:24 GMT
Priorities https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/priorities

I’ve been thinking about it for a while.  I get very large dreams.  I want to become more than just a hobbyist for Aviation Photography, as in I want to do it as a side business.  On top of that I want to get my Private Pilot’s License.  I’ve also wanted to get my Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Finance or International Business.  Lately, I’ve wanted to build myself a new PC, and someday I want to build one with all the top end parts.  With all this, we are still working on getting the debt paid off, will build an emergency fund, and save for a house.

This leads me to prioritization.  How do I prioritize all of this?  First, let me say I am a BIG dreamer.  I dream HUGE, and it takes me a while to come back down to Earth.  I also can get obsessed with something.  Usually, if I want something, I go after it.  This is one reason I got into debt.  So, I need to dream big, come down to Earth, and prioritize what I am going to do.

First, I look at what is best for my family and me.  Even if you are single, getting out of debt and saving a 3-6 month emergency fund should be priority.  So, my first priority is to get out of debt.  If I can wiggle my computer upgrade in the middle of saving for my emergency fund, then I will.  It depends on the budget.  Since the computer will be around $2000, I may just wait until our emergency fund is built.

Second, I will figure out how much a house will cost and a down payment.  I will figure out how many months or years it will take.  I will then calculate what things like getting a Private Pilot’s License will cost me in regards to a down payment.  I have to think of my family first, and put my wants second.

Third, I estimate what kind of residual income I will receive.  I do think getting a PPL will help with my photography.  My goal currently is to network with those in the aviation community.  I would love to make money eventually, but that’s not my priority today.  I also don’t want to give the expectation that building friendships is only about the money.  It’s not.  People are way more important than money.

What about this MBA?  Well, I’ve looked at what it will cost me, $20,000 on the low end, and any ways I can fund the MBA.  I have nothing telling me that I will make more money by getting an MBA.  So, I’ve decided to wait.  If it’s God’s will for me to get an MBA, it will be funded.

Prioritization isn’t just about the money.  It’s about how much you have dreamed of doing it, what’s right for your family, and what benefit you will get.  You also need to prioritize the budget to achieve your dreams.  This thing is called a budget.

Don’t give up on your dreams!  Prioritize them!  Dream big!  Dream huge!  Figure a way to make them work, and don’t fall for false promises.  You can do it!

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) dreams money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/priorities Mon, 10 Aug 2015 00:36:03 GMT
Why the money stuff on a photography blog? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/why-the-money-stuff-on-a-photography-blog

I’ve been at it for a while doing a financial blog.  Though, it occurred to me that many readers may not understand why a photographer is doing a financial blog.  So, I must enlighten you.  Photography has been a hobby of mine for a long time.  I got my first dSLR during our honeymoon.  Ever sense then, it has been learning about all kinds of stuff.  Now I have my process down and how to make my photos unique.  I am still learning, but I am not longer a beginner.

I decided to set up my website around aviation photography.  I have loved aviation from when I was very little.  I remember going to McConnell Air force Base and seeing the Blue Angles.  I remember getting tours by a couple of jet engine mechanics during career day.  Boeing was on strike, so we got paired up with people on the base.  Being from Wichita, I remember all kinds of planes flying overhead.  It made me really want to go into some career with aviation.

Life took different approaches, and I fell back on something I was good at, IT.  I do enjoy computers, and the challenges they give.  I still continue to do IT.  I never thought that one day the aviation community would come into my life.

During Bikes, Blues, and BBQ in Fayetteville, AR, they had an air-expo day where they brought in the B-29 FIFI.  I was a kid in a candy store.  I remembered seeing F-16’s take off, and just loved being around them.  So, when I got a job in the Kansas City area, I found that the Commemorative Air force had a wing in the area.  That started me on the path that I am on now.  To continue to be around planes, to enjoy the aviation community, to respect our military and to create this website.

The date that I got to see FIFI was September 21, 2013.  Earlier that same here, I noticed we were over drafting more than usual.  I also noticed we were struggling paying some bills.  So, I took it upon myself to build a ledger to figure out the flow of our money.  That helped.  In August that same here I started on the corporate version of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Pease University.  We got out life in order, and started on the baby steps.  In 2014, we moved to KC.

So, why do I have a financial blog on a photography website?  Because, it’s what important to me.  I love airplanes, I really want to fly, and without my finances being right, I will never be able to do that.  I feel many photographers, and people in general, don’t understand money.  I feel its part of my duty as a human to blog about these experiences.

Yes, I do plan to blog about other dreams.  For instance, once I save enough, I’ll blog about my learning to fly.  I will blog about my experiences doing aviation photography, and I might blog about my interest in computers.  I know I’ll be all over the plane, but this is what interests me.

Dream big, and try!  If you don’t, you may regret it.

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft money photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/8/why-the-money-stuff-on-a-photography-blog Mon, 03 Aug 2015 00:09:26 GMT
Bad credit or no credit? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/bad-credit-or-no-credit

The other day I received an email from Trulia.  It was a notification of a new blog post.  The title was “No Credit or Bad Credit: Which Is Worse?”  Of course, it intrigued me.  I was pretty sure, after have read other posts by them, that they were going to error on the side that no credit is worse.

Let’s take a look into some of their arguments. 

  1. Without a credit score a bank won’t lend you money.
  2. Banks will “hamstring you if you’re looking to get a car loan”.
  3. Banks won’t allow you to get a mortgage.
  4. Having bad credit gives the banks a track record.
  5. You won’t be able to lease an apartment with no credit
  6. You won’t be able to setup utilities with no credit.

 

The article goes on to say you should pull out a credit card at the bank to start building credit.  There is one statement I do agree with in this blog post “That means you haven’t taken out any loans or lines of credit — again, a good thing considering that means you have no debt either!”

So, let’s look at their statements.

  1. Without a credit score a bank won’t lend you money

The article is talking about car loans and mortgages mainly, but there are other loans such as a personal loan.  The question here is why?  Why do you need the bank to lend you money?  The obvious answer to this is that you don’t have a budget, and/or an emergency fund.  A budget is crucial to telling you how much money you have, and helping you build that emergency fund.  The emergency fund should be 3-6 months of expenses.  With those two items, then personal loans, as well as loans for other types of things shouldn’t be needed.

  1. Banks will “hamstring you if you’re looking to get a car loan”

The question here is again why?  Why do you need a car loan?  What happens if you lose your job as you have been paying back the loan?  Will the car be repossessed?  Depending on if you can work out a deal with the loan company.  What’s so great about a paid for car that you paid in CASH?  How about, you didn’t pay double the price!  How about you OWN the car!  If you lose your job and you OWN the car, you have transportation to interviews!

When we buy another car, we will be paying cash.  I have bought 2 cars on loans, and my first car was cash.  I love the fact that I own the car and owe nothing to anybody.  When my net worth does eventually top $1,000,000 I will buy a new car.  My guess is it’s going to be an Audi Q5, cash.

  1. Banks won’t allow you to get a mortgage.

Some banks will consider your credit score to be the gospel.  However, there is a thing called manual underwriting.  They can get you a mortgage without a credit score, taking into an account you pay your bills on time, how much you make, and your net worth!

If I had 50% to put down on a house, will a bank that only relies on the credit score take that?  What if that house is $1,000,000 and I have $500,000 in cash to put down?  My thought here is no, they would put a greater emphasis on the credit score, not the cash.

How does this sound?  Save up!  I have decided that if we were to get a mortgage, it will be a 15 year fixed.  I can’t justify putting myself into a 30-year and spending so much time trying to pay off the house.  I also want to force myself to pay it off in 15, instead of trying to pay it off in 15.  What I really want to do is figure out a way to pay CASH for the house.  I know that’s a lot of money, but I would prefer to put the money towards retirement.

  1. Having bad credit gives the banks a track record.

This statement shows a lot of ignorance.  Having a bad credit tells the banks if you can pay on time or not.  That is true.  Having no credit score makes them guess.  Also true.  However, which is more likely to pay a bill on time, someone who has $30,000 in the bank and a paid for car, or someone who keeps forgetting what that one card was that they seem to believe they owe?  Most likely a bank will deny someone with a low credit score than someone with no credit score.  This is only opinion, but if doing manual underwriting it is the most logical.

  1. You won’t be able to get an apartment lease.

This is one of those semi true statements that is really stupid.  There are apartments that base your ability to pay on your credit report.  I am not sure what our apartment did, but I know they had to look at my offer letter to even consider my ability to rent the apartment.

Since I don’t have experience with this, I don’t know much.  I have heard that if you can fork over first and last month’s rent, then there is a greater chance of getting into an apartment.

What makes this really funny is this scenario.  If I have $1,000,000 in my net worth, and I recently got a job in a different city, so I had to move.  I go to the apartment complex to rent for a few months while I get my house sold, or buy a new one, I won’t be able to get it.  So, even though I can buy one of your buildings, I still can’t rent from you?

  1. You won’t be able to setup utilities without a credit score.

Usually the utilities require a deposit, which they will refund after a year.  From my research it appears you might have a high deposit if having a bad credit score or no credit score.  Since it’s been a long time ago since I’ve had no credit score, please check with your utilities on how to proceed.

 

So, what is a credit score?  We’ll it’s a debt score.  It tells nothing about your net worth.  Yes, this is true.  Take a look at fico.com.  There you will see 30% of your score is how much you owe, 35% is your payment history, 15% is length of credit history, 10% is types of credit, and 10% is new credit.  So, it’s all about spending, and not saving or investing.

So, my conclusion is it’s better to save up, pay cash, stay out of debt, and don’t worry about a credit score.  I think way too often we get into serious trouble with credit, and it takes years to recover.  My wife and I had $54,117.39 in debt, credit cards, car loans, and student loans.  In 2 years we have knocked that down to just below $5,000.  We will start the rest of the journey this year.  Yes!  We are weird!  We like it that way!  We dream big, but we will be forever changed in our way of looking at money!

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) credit money https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/bad-credit-or-no-credit Fri, 31 Jul 2015 00:50:44 GMT
FAA Medical Approved! https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/faa-medical-approved

First of all I want to thank each person if they visited my eBay metal print sale.  I certainly learned that my marketing is not very good.  I got 79 views on it.  Either my prices were too high, or I just don’t know how to publicize it.  It’s not a big deal though, just wanted to pay off student loans.  If you do want a metal print of the DC-8 above, please contact me.

Secondly, an update on those pesky student loans.  It is $6400 and plan to be done by the end of September/early October!  Really looking forward to being out of debt.  Yes, there are other financial goals that we will pursue after that, such as buying a house.  It will all come in time.

On another note.  I got my 3rd class medical!  I can officially start learning how to fly!  The only thing is, cost and time.  One step forward.  This is a big deal for me, because I am a type 1 diabetic.  No, sugar did not cause it.  It was genetic.  Anyways, I talked to one medical examiner who said it would be “reams and reams of paperwork.”  I was also under the assumption it would require 4 years of medical records.  This was not the case.  Yes, it was a few hoops to jump through, but not bad.  I still have to submit my records for 1 year, but that will be easy.  Then I renew every 5 years.

If you want to learn about Type 1 go here.  http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

If you are curious, I’m on an insulin pump and using a continuous glucose monitor.

Blessings, and Prosperity,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) FAA Loans Medical Student https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/faa-medical-approved Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:11:48 GMT
Limited Edition DC-8 print https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/limited-edition-dc-8-print Are you interested in a print of a DC-8?  This is a limited edition print.  Only 10 will be made!  Buy yours today!  Click the eBay link below!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/331608057936?

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) DC-8 Metal Print https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/limited-edition-dc-8-print Sat, 18 Jul 2015 00:22:13 GMT
The world is crazy https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/the-world-is-crazy A topic I have been seeing a lot of recently, is the world is coming to an end.  I am a Christian, and I do believe that Christ will come back one day.  In that community I am seeing a lot of people saying that we turned our back on God, since the USA now recognizes same-sex marriages.  I also see people stating the trumpets are going to sound, marking Christ's return, and people saying the Mark of the Beast is an implanted RFID chip.

Beyond the Christian community, I see Greece has been in trouble again, China's economy is struggling, and the stock market has overall not been so good this year.

What does this mean?  We'll it means that the press is doing a very good job is portraying what's wrong in the world.  My opinion?  I do believe in Christ.  I do believe he will come again.  Whether you like it or not, that's my opinion.  However, I do not believe the world is going to end tomorrow.  I maybe wrong, but I don't.  Instead, I am going to hold my opinions, live like the world will go on, and do my best to lead my friends and family.

I recognize other people have differences of opinions.  I am not one to judge you and your opinions.  I think everybody has a right to their opinion, and I have the freedom to believe what I believe.

My only wish is that we were out of debt, so I can concentrate on saving for retirement.  Right now would be a great time to invest, while everybody is freaking out.  Then again, anytime is a good time, just more bang for your buck when people are going crazy.

The thing you have to do is realize the world will end someday.  It might be tomorrow, but to make plans for the long haul.  I'm not saying be ignorant, just realistic.

Blessings and prosperity,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) crazy end invest money world https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/7/the-world-is-crazy Fri, 17 Jul 2015 00:46:21 GMT
Ethics and Airshows https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/ethics-and-airshows The accident at the Cameron Airshow this past weekend made me think about my hobby and what I would do if I was photographing that airshow.  I was not there, and I am glad I wasn’t.  It was a real eye opener to me, though.

Airshows are great spectacles, with lots of sound and some incredible piloting.  My heart grieves for the family, and they are in my prayers.  The whole aviation community is affected by this tragedy. 

My hobby is aviation photography.  It is not my profession, but I am close to the aviation community.  These tragedies can and do happen.  It has caused me to think about what I would do if I witnessed it.

As a photographer, my job is to photograph the show.  Even if I am not making money on my photos, it’s still my job to have a visual reference to what occurred.  If I can keep my eye to the camera, most likely I would have gotten most, if not all, events leading up to the crash.

With the images I have, what would I do with them?  Some people would say give them to the media.  That might be for some people, but I’m not the media.  I am a photographer who happens to be in the aviation community.

I am not here to make money on tragedies.  I am here to work with the aviation community, share my photographs, and inspire people.  Therefore, I wish to publicly say that my photography, in the event of a tragedy, will not be released until I get the approval of the family and/or the airshow.  If there is a code in the aviation community that I am not aware of for such events, please let me know.

Again, my prayers go out to the family and the rest of the aviation community,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft airshow photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/ethics-and-airshows Sun, 28 Jun 2015 22:53:54 GMT
Patience https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/patience LandingLanding of an F/A-18 in Columbia, MO

During this time of paying off our debts, it’s become hard to have them staring me in the face.  Most of my life after college I barely looked at my student loans.  It didn’t mean a lot to me then.  I was very comfortable in paying the payment.  It’s just a small payment right?  Even during the time of paying off other debts, credit cards and cars, it wasn’t a big problem.  We would get to it later.  Student Loans were our biggest debt.  Using the snowball method, it was our last debt, so why be concerned about it?

Well, now I am concerned about it.  We have been hammering it hard.  It won’t go away quickly.  Which has opened my eyes to many things.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s glorious!  I’m still a mile or more back treading through nasty water filled with bugs to get there.  We will celebrate when we finally see daylight.  Boy, will we celebrate!  No debt though!

What things have I learned, and continue to learn?  The biggest thing is patience.  Getting into debt for me took 7 to 8 years.  It didn’t happen overnight.  I didn’t wake up one time and go, where did this debt come from?  Why should paying it off be done overnight?  It can’t!  We have been on this journey 22 months so far.  We have had some dramatic changes.  Now that we are on the last debt, it’s so easy to be frustrated that we still are in debt.

We could have been out of debt a bit faster, but you make mistakes in life.  Debt was a huge mistake.  We are overcoming it!  I have more financial sense now than I ever had.  I don’t know everything, nor will I ever know everything.  What I do know is money takes time.

Whether you have $10,000 in debt or $100,000 it will take time.  It’s not a walk in the park.  It is a difficult journey.  People will think you are insane.  Let them believe that.  Eventually some people will be on the same path you are.

For us, we will be debt free around November, at our current rate.  We hope to be done sooner than that, depending on what we can squeeze from the budget.  Yes, if you’ve been following my other pieces, we owe $8,400 on my student loan.  That means we are paying over $1600 per month!  Yes, we are going gazelle intense at this thing.  Sometimes I don’t think we are going fast enough, but unless we change a few things, which frankly we can’t do, we can’t squeeze any more out.

What I realize is we were normal, car payment, student loan, and credit cards.  I don’t want to live “normal”.  Abi-normal, for my Mel Brooks fans, is where I want to be. 

This has also given me light into the future.  It takes time with money.  The younger you can start, the easier it is.  I feel like a missed the boat a bit, but I’m on a jet ski catching up.  It takes time to build the emergency fund, build a down payment, and invest.  One should not invest for anything less than 5 years.  Investing is long term.  It’s not like going to the casino and winning $500 the first night.  It’s about gaining multi-thousands of dollars, if not millions, over 20 to 30 years.  You have to have patience.

One thing I have learned in this whole situation is that I dream big, I put goals, and I am the visionary.  I can’t stand doing the day to day money transactions.  I want to be able to swipe my debit card, and pay for something without concern about how that fits into the budget.  I want to think long term.  I want to get a house, pay for my son’s college when he’s old enough, and to give like no one else.

The only way I can keep my mind sane on these money goals is because of my wife.  She’s the one that keeps track of what we are spending.  We do a budget every month, and discuss.  She’s the one that tells me where we are at in a particular category.  Without her, I could not do it.

You see that I do Aviation photography.  One of my dreams is to have that as a side business.  However, I can’t do that until we are in a house.  So, I am eager to be debt free, but as with this whole blog post, have patience.  It will come.  Doors will open, and we will walk through.

Blessings and prosperity,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) gazalle money patience https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/patience Fri, 26 Jun 2015 01:37:16 GMT
Why I am against debt! https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/why-i-am-against-debt In the previous blog post I talked about what I would have done different in my 20’s, and what I did right.  It became apparent that I need to dive into a subject to expound on my view of debt.  Most financial advisors will advise lowering your Credit Card debt, pay them off every month, but don’t worry too much about student loans, mortgage, or car loans.

Credit cards

Most people know credit card debt is bad.  A credit card can be as low as 8%.  I found references to the highest being 29.9%.  So, let’s say that a person has $6, 000 on one card.  At 8% using a minimum payment of $100, it will take 6 years and 5 months to pay off.  That’s a total of $7,688 of interest alone!  What about at the 29.9% interest rate?  With $6000, we must make a minimum payment of $210.  This will take us a shorter amount of time, 4 years and 3 months, but we pay a whopping $10,619 in interest!  That’s $2,931 more, with a shorter payoff period!  Do you really want to lose 7 to 10 thousand dollars to the bank?

Car loans

Credit cards a bad, and the banks suck our money?  What about car loans?  I’m not going to talk about leasing due to I do not completely understand it.  Car loans are on average $27,000, 67 months, at 4.04% (60 month instead of 67 months).  So, let’s do some calculating.  That would mean your month payment is $450.82, paying off in January 2021.  The amount of interest paid would be $3,204.77.  So you have now paid $30,204.77.  Let’s say you bout a $27,000 Chevrolet Impala.  After 5 years it’s now worth $17,983.   So, now you still owe 6 months on a car that has dropped $9,000.  That’s a $12,221.77 difference between what you paid with interest and what the car is worth!

I have to have a car!  It’s my transportation!  I agree.  My wife and I own 1 car.  Our situation is she is a stay at home mom, and I use the car for my daily commute.  Yes, it can be difficult, but it’s really been nice.  We will buy another car eventually, but we will pay for it with cash!

Let’s take it one step further.  Instead of paying $450.82 on the car, let’s save it.  If you are buying the same $27,000 car, it will take you 4.99 years, 6 months shorter than the loan, to buy the car outright.  Of course, you can buy a less expensive car.  What happens if you throw that $450.82 into a mutual fund averaging 12% over 5 years?  That comes out to be $38,492.04!  That means the car you have paid $30,204.77 for could have made you $8,287.27.  If you let it sit there for another 10 years, without contributing to it, that would be $119,550.40!

If you really want to get crazy with this, watch this YouTube video!

Mortgage

I’m not against mortgages.  It is a fact of life that houses are expensive.  Most of us do not have the time to save thousands, hundreds-of-thousands, or millions of dollars to pay full price for a home.  At this point, I don’t have a strong conviction over 30 year, or 15 year mortgages.  A 15 year will lock you into a higher payment, but get the house paid off faster.  A 30 year, can offer you some added flexibility when things are tight, or in emergency situations.  My advice currently, and this might change, is to stick with a 30 year mortgage paying on it as if it were a 15 year.  This takes discipline, and thus locking it into 15 would force you to do it.  Once my wife and I are ready to buy another house, I will write about the process and what we decide to do.

Student Loans

Many financial companies don’t see student loans as bad.  It gets you an education, which is good.  It doesn’t affect your credit score the same way.  It’s usually at a very low interest rate.  The average student loan debt is $29, 400 in 2013.  At a 5% interest rate with a 30 year term, that’s a payment of $157.83 per month with a grand total of $27,417.20 in interest!  Almost as much as the original amount!

From what I have heard, and pretty sure will experience, it takes on average 2 years to become debt free.  What if you took that $157.83 and invested it in a 401k over 30 years, average 12% interest?  That comes out to be $511,923.22!  So, if you took 2 years to pay off your student loans, you would pay a total of $244.85 in interest.  Over the next 30 years you would come out with $484,506.02 at the end of the 30 years!  So, which is better, paying a total of $56,817.20 to your loan company, or making $484,506.02?

Conclusion

This is why I’m against debt.  The banks are in it to make money for themselves, because they understand interest.  Most consumers want lower interest rates, but still want loans (from my observance).  Why spend the extra money?  Save it for yourself!  Get out of debt, and start investing.  This should be not be an afterthought, give as well.  Giving makes you feel good, and helps society in ways that you would not have otherwise.  As a Christian, God calls me to tithe 10%.  It is my way of giving back to what I have been blessed with.

Yes, these thoughts seem so out of reach for many people.  I only paid for 1 car with cash, and that was a $1200 car.  I will save my money and pay for my next one.  We have no credit card debt, and are paying off that student loan.  I’m not going to sit back and watch my future go to shambles because of debt.  We will move forward and become debt free, and we will return to being homeowners!

 

Blessings and prosperity,

Andrew Krob

 

Note: These are my opinions and calculations using various free calculators.  Please consult a financial advisor or tax professional for more information.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) debt debt free finance https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/why-i-am-against-debt Mon, 22 Jun 2015 03:04:04 GMT
Finances in Early 20s https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/finances-in-early-20s I have been asked to reflect on my 20’s for what I did right, and what I could have done better with my finances.  Let me first say currently I’m 32, so I am not very far off my 20’s.  My body tells me that I’m not in my 20’s anymore, but my mind is still sharp and I am finally doing things I have dreamed about.

I started off my 20’s in England doing Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission.  I had raised money and used that money to finance my trips.  At the time I was not great at budgeting, but I knew how to save.  If only that kept up.  When I came back to the states I found myself not doing anything.  My dad said I either needed to get a job or go to college, which ended up being a very good kick in the pants.  My mom found a scholarship for me to apply for, which got me to college.

During college, to pay for room and board, I took out loans.  This equated to a lot of money, read my previous post for more specifics.  Also, I had credit cards, and was amassing debt.  I thought I knew what I was doing.  It was only a small payment.  I then started to struggle with paying the credit cards, and transferring balanced around to make payments.  During this whole ordeal, one year I had some extra cash from my student loan.  I thought I’d throw it in a CD for 6 months.  Brilliant!  I got a very small percentage, don’t even remember what it was, with a 5% interest on my loan.  Oh by the way, I was also accruing interest from the credit cards.

Eventually I cried for help!  My parents came rushing in to pay off all my credit cards, though I had to make monthly payments to them.  I was very grateful for my parents.  I could not have dealt with that craziness during college.  Did I learn my lesson though?  Only for a short time! 

Upon graduating college, I got a job with a Fortune 100 company.  Blessing, you betcha!  I made good money for a recent graduate.  I rented my first apartment, cooked my own food, and dealt with my finances.  I tried to budget using Microsoft Money.  I couldn’t stick with it.  I bought a used SUV, 2005 Mazda Tribute, and started accumulating some credit card debt again.

I thought I had everything under control.  I was making payments just fine.  Though, one thing lingered over me.  I wanted to marry my now wife.  I didn’t want to go into the marriage with credit card debt.  I wanted to be debt free.  So, I scheduled a meeting with an Ameriprise financial guy.  He looked over my income and expenses and said that I was better off than a lot of people.  I actually had money to spare!  I didn’t even know it!  After the consultation he told me there was a fee for continuing to use his services.  Well, I didn’t want to pay the fee.

What did I do then?  Well I bought a new TV with an HD-DVD player.  Stupid, right?  We got married, and thanks for all the family for the expenses of the wedding.  Neither of us knew how to control money properly.  We replaced my wife’s car with a 2008 Honda Accord, used, and racked up some more credit card debt.

Arguments started becoming more focused on finances.  We had over drafted twice, which usually I only did that once per year, and we came to our senses that we really didn’t know what was going on.  Early in 2013, we had an argument about finances again, and I finally said “You know what!  I was a business major.  I can create a ledger to track out expenses and forecast our cash flow!”  That’s what we did!  For months we tracked our expenses and income, moving around payments to make sure we didn’t overdraft.  That August I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, which introduced me to a budget that wasn’t complicated, retirement, and a bunch more things.  I also worked with a guy who was very good with his finances, and got me on the right track.

With all that said, if I could go back and change something in my 20’s what would I change?  First, I would see if there was a way to work instead of taking out student loans, or building credit card debt.  If I was graduating today and already had all that debt, what would I do?

The advice I heard, and didn’t heed, was when you get a job, live like you a poor.  You will have extra money.  I would have used the money to become debt free, and then invest in my retirement.  I would learn how to budget.  For me, and the way it should be, is design a budget that fits YOU.  Look at my budget post for more information.

If I was debt free, I would start investing in my retirement immediately.  The more time it takes for my investments to grow the less I have to invest initially.  It’s huge.  Just do some calculations on an investment calculator.

The things I am proud of during my 20’s are starting to get out of debt, investing in my retirement, and really starting to understand money.  I don’t blame anybody for not teaching me the ins and outs of money, and I have so much to learn.  Two years ago I made a goal of being a millionaire in 10 years.  Will I reach that?  Right now I’m not sure.  My focus is to get out of debt, and we are so very close. 

If I had to redo my 20’s, the thing that I would do is run away from debt.  Live like I was poor, and invest.

My plan currently is to get out of debt, build a 3 – 6 month emergency fund, save for a down payment on a house, if not save for a house, and then work on my retirement.  I want to be a multi-millionaire when I retire, and I believe I can do it.  When I finally retire, early or at the normal age of 65, I hope to be healthy enough to travel the world.  I want to visit as many countries as I can.  I don’t want to sit, I want to move.

If you are the least bit curious where you fit in this financial puzzle, check out www.personalcaptial.com.  They give you a free tool to show your net worth.  Much easier to read and not as much marketing as www.mint.com.  I have just recently learned of personal capital, so not familiar with how they make money.  Though, I find it much cleaner to look at everything at a glance.  Ultimately, though, I would still use my spreadsheets to track.  Tools are great, but do what makes sense to you.

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) aircraft airshow finances photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/finances-in-early-20s Wed, 17 Jun 2015 02:34:48 GMT
Reflection on Student Loan Default https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/reflection-on-student-loan-default I have been reading some things that have finally pushed hard enough to get me to write about it.  The one item that has really made me go over the edge is an article I read in the New York Times titled “Why I defaulted on my Student Loans.”  The writer of this article is irresponsible and immature.  He says he didn’t know what he was signing up for when he did the loan, nor can he do what his passion is because of the debt.  Well, guess what, you signed up for it.  Now you have to worry about garnished wages, which they can do.  If I remember correctly, wages can still be garnished even after declaring bankruptcy. 

In my opinion defaulting on a student loan is an ethical issue.  First, you took out student loans with a promise to pay.  You may not have understood exactly what you were signing up for.  I didn’t either when I signed up for it.  If I was a mortgage company, or other institution that provides loans or credit, you would be a high risk.  I would rather not lend you money.  How can I trust you in job responsibilities or paying your bills?  If you default on your student loan, what other promise are you going to break?

The author has a solution for this.  Before defaulting grab as many credit cards as you can and find a stable place to live.  So, if you are going to default on your student loans, you must go down in a blaze of glory!  Fill up the credit cards, stop paying your bills, and forget your rent!  You can always use that money for something else, and isn’t Comcast or ATT evil anyway?

So, I’m clearly established as anti-default on the student loans.  What’s my story?  Well, after I had done some missionary work with Youth with a Mission, I enrolled in Sterling College.  I was able to get a full tuition scholarship, but that did not pay for my room, board, or books.  So, thinking everyone took out student loans, and not knowing any better, I did.  I took out a total of $23,521.21 over the course of 4 years.

I loved the college, and if I did not go there I would not have met my wife.  However, I know believe I could have done other things to reduce or eliminate my student loans.  If I knew of a way to get rid of my student loans completely, I now would have chosen that.

During college and afterwards, I, and eventually my wife, got into much debt.  We had 2 cars with loans, 4 credit cards, 2 of which were maxed out.  Here’s a surprise, we had $15,000 on one credit card!  We also had a house with a mortgage of 150,000.  I did refinance it to under 4% and we had $145,000 left on it.  At the time we started tracking we had $54,000 in debt plus the house.  At that time the student loan was $19,000.

What did we do?  I knew I wanted to change, even before I got married.  I was encouraged to take Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in the corporate class.  I did so.  We had already started figuring some things out about our finances before, I was a business major after all.  We put together a ledger to track our expenses and try to forecast cash.  The class solidified the budget, as well as ignite our passion to get out of debt.

We attacked the debt using the snowball method.  This is where you put extra money towards the lowest amount of debt first, say a credit card that has $100, and then move to the next.  If you don’t have extra money, check your budget to see if there is extra spending.  If not, I would suggest checking out Dave Ramsey’s website.

How much have we paid off, and are we debt free?  Well, we are not debt free yet.  We have $9,800 left on the student loan.  We have paid off everything else, and sold our house.  That’s $44,258.94 of debt, plus $145,000 for the house totaling $189,258.94 paid off!

Our plan is to get rid of the student loan this year, help us out if you wish!  We both have a strong desire to buy a house, and I am being told directly and indirectly to buy a house since interest rates are low.  However, living with no debt, or very little debt, makes me not want to go back.  I can only dream right now of things we should do, or will be able to do.

Am I against student loans?  I am torn with that since I met my wife at college.  However, I do believe school can be done without student loans if you work hard.  I’m not sure I could have handled a job during school, but that may have just kicked me hard enough to graduate debt free.

In my opinion, there is a better way to fund education.  I don’t believe everyone should go to college/university, as it’s not everybody’s strong suite.  However, I am not opposed to a publically funded program to provide education or workers training.  That’s only if my taxes don’t increase.  How about reducing the defense budget just a little?

The USA is a nation of abundance.  We have many struggles, but we live in an economy that we can make much more money.  I don’t believe in income equality, as there will always be different standards of living.  I do believe that no one needs to be poor.  I believe we can feed our citizens, provide them decent healthcare, and a good education.  I believe the USA can be the top in education and in health.

How do we solve the student loan crisis?  PAY THEM BACK AND STOP BORROWING!  If everyone would pay their student loans back, the interest would stop accumulating.  This would no longer be the cash cow it is today! 

How about this novel idea?  The population of the USA is $318 million, and the student loan debt is 1.2 trillion.  If everybody put $3.76 towards that debt, our country would stop the crisis.  Even if half the people wrote checks to the government for the student loans it would be $7.53 per person.  I’m not advocating a government program, since I don’t trust the government to handle money appropriately.  I’m advocating as a citizen of the USA to help other citizens get rid of their student loans.  Do we want more active citizens?  A happier lifestyle?  What about more money in the economy?  If you say yes, let’s tackle this student loan problem head on.  Pay your student loan, and let’s build a better life!

 

Blessings and prosperity,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) Default Money Student Loans https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/6/reflection-on-student-loan-default Fri, 12 Jun 2015 01:10:54 GMT
Quiet person https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/quiet-person Something has been bugging me for a while.  It seems in business and in photography, one needs to be a social extrovert.  You need to do well with people, social interactions, and be able to network.  I have struggled with this for years.  I consider myself a shy extrovert.  I really enjoy people, and if I'm alone too much I might go insane.  I, however, do not visit with people at parties very much.  I usually stand on the outskirts looking in.  Eventually I might strike up a conversation, but more than likely either someone will strike up a conversation with me or I will eventually leave.

I worry that this is going to affect both my skills in business, as I want to be in management, and in photography.  When I do make friends they are usually close and I have them for a very long time.  However, I worry that by not being a social butterfly, I will miss opprotunities, not succeed as much as I could otherwise, and limit myself.

One thing I do is I have to force myself to talk.  I don't mind being in front of people, but don't really enjoy group conversations.

Any advice would be helpful.

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) business photography quiet https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/quiet-person Fri, 29 May 2015 23:04:15 GMT
Airshow https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/airshow Balloon Fest

Hi all!  I am taking a bit of a break away from how to run a photography business.  Instead, I am going to share with you what I have been doing the last few weeks.

I've had the opportunity to go to the Sunflower Balloon Fest in Anthony, KS.  It was fun, but the weather got to it.  We went out Friday night for the balloons to do a glow.  That did not happen due to wind; however, one balloon did inflate.  Another pilot was testing his propane burners, and then started having some fun.  This is where I got my favorite shot.

FiremanFiremanHot Air Balloon flames

We woke up early on Saturday morning to see if they would do a flight.  They inflated two balloons at that point, but the wind was still more than they wanted.  Saturday evening we again went back out.  One balloon inflated, but still wind was a factor.  Finally, we woke up early on Sunday to see if they would fly.  This time the wind was very still.  Sounds good right?  Well, no.  There was rain moving in and the ceiling height was too low to fly.  It was probably a good thing they didn't fly, since the rain moved in very shortly after that.

Memorial Day Weekend

This past Saturday I went out to Columbia, MO for their airshow.  It was a lot of fun.  The weather held off, and the planes took to the sky!  The only rain I hit was coming back in KC, and it was a downpour.  It took me over 2 hours to get to the show.  I parked in the advised parking garage, waiting for the 3rd bus to come to pay my $5 to get me to the airshow.  It drove me, and the rest of the passengers straight to the gate.  Once in I surveyed the land, and bought some food.

After I had bought some food, and before I could eat it, the Canadian Snowbirds took to the skies!  Wow!  They were impressive.  Very tight formations, and very quick planes.  

I finally got to see an A-10 Warthog in person.  Ugly, but beautiful at the same time.  I would love to hear the Gatling gun, but alas it was on static display.  Hopefully, I can get a better photo at Whiteman AFB next month.

Another plan I got to see was a C-17.  That is a huge plane!

In addition to all of these, I got to see an Osprey!  I have always wanted to see one, now I wish I could get up close!  

The last show was an F/A-18.  Surprisingly it was one of the loudest planes at the airshow!

I had a fun.  I got a little sun.  So, trying to adjust for that the next round.

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

All images are Copyrighted, All rights reserved.

 

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) A-10 Anthony C-17 Canadian Snowbirds Columbia Kansas Missouri Osprey airshow balloon https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/airshow Sun, 24 May 2015 21:06:19 GMT
Columbia airshow https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/columbia-airshow

my view from today.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) airshow aircraft https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/columbia-airshow Sat, 23 May 2015 11:25:10 GMT
Sunflower Balloon Fest https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/sunflower-balloon-fest

here's what I am photographing this weekend.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) balloon aviation photography Anthony Kansas https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/sunflower-balloon-fest Sat, 09 May 2015 03:19:32 GMT
Ready for Sunflower Balloonfest https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/ready-for-sunflower-balloonfest

Think tank bag and 3 legged thing tripod ready for shoot.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) camera gear https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/ready-for-sunflower-balloonfest Thu, 07 May 2015 02:40:33 GMT
Got my official copyright certificate. https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/got-my-official-copyright-certificate

photos are registered

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) copyright https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/got-my-official-copyright-certificate Sat, 02 May 2015 05:28:22 GMT
Photography Class https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/photography-class The past couple of months I have been taking a photography class at Crossroads Christian Church in Shawnee, KS.  It was taught my a very gifted photographer, who has the spirit of teaching.  His name is Ron Morse.  I am not able to find a website of his, but here's an article with his photography.

The class gave me challenges that I would not have tried otherwise.  It has made me grow as a photographer, even though some of the class was basic settings.

Here's a shot that I did with a shallow depth of field.  This was my Canon 6d with 50mm f/1.8 lens.  Lens was manually focused to the closest it could be.  This was shot at 100 ISO, F/1.8, 1/6 sec.  I was using a Manfrotto Pixi tripod, as at the time I didn't have a full sized tripod.    I had a white seamless paper, with a mini-LED rope light (which causes the blue line).  I was using 1 flash with a grid.  Look at the behind the scene photo for more.

Paper FlowersPaper flowers shot with shallow debt of field

Behind the Scene:

Behind the scenePaper flower shoot with shallow depth of field.

Here's another I did shooting very fast shutter speeds with a flash.  This was using a drop of water from a medicine dropper.  The flash had a gel firing directly down.  I had the flash on high speed sync.  I shot this at ISO 100, F/4.0, at 1/4000 sec.  This is a simple setup, look at YouTube for videos, but it's a lot of trial and error.

Both of these were a lot of fun.  Certainly stretched me a bit, and made me want to try new things.  One thing I found that I do love doing, and have loved for a while, is teaching people.  I love sharing my knowledge.  Teaching is just one of the ways you get better.

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) church class photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/5/photography-class Sat, 02 May 2015 02:06:31 GMT
Copyright and my thoguhts https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/4/copyright-and-my-thoughts First, I want to say wow!  I haven't posted in almost a month.  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet.  My apologies to all who read.

I'm going to be posting on some exciting things that are coming up.  The first thing, I have a change to try out a ProPhoto Medium Format camera!  It will be very cool. That will happen towards the end of the month, so expect some things to come out of that.

Right after I do that, I'm going to the Columbia, MO airshow.  Should be a lot of fun.  Lots of planes, including the Canadian Snowbirds!  I'll be posting previews shortly after the event.

In June, I'll be going to the airshow at Whiteman AFB.  The Thunderbirds should be there!

Almost forgot, I'll be going to the Sunflower Balloon Fest in Anthony, KS on May 8.  Even Balloons are aviation!

Onto my main subject.

As a photography, do you register your images with the copyright office?  If not, it's fairly easy to do, and doesn't cost that much.  At the time of this post, it's $55 for registration fee.  This will copyright your images, so if they are used anywhere else besides what you have licensed them for, it can be enforced.

I just went through and copyrighted some of my images, and plan to copyright all of them very shortly.  There are many reason I have decided to register copyrights, but I will refer to The Copyright Zone.  They have some great information, and if you go over the KelbyOne, they have classes.  They may have classes elsewhere, so check them out.

So, have you registered your copyright?  If not, seriously look into it.  You don't want to be caught with your pants down or worse.

 

ASK?

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) Airshow Aviation Balloons Copyright https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/4/copyright-and-my-thoughts Mon, 27 Apr 2015 01:19:52 GMT
Wealthy Photographer? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/wealthy-photographer This has been getting to me for a little while.  I hear a lot of popular photographers say that you won't make a lot of money being a photographer, or you won't get rich being a photographer.  While, I do agree you may not make a lot of money, I disagree with the being wealthy.

Wealth is determined by all your accounts, including retirement.  The big question becomes, what is wealthy?  To each person it is a different answer.  Some, it maybe $500,000, others it would be $500 million.  Most photographers aren't going to do the Peter Lik  thing by selling a $3.5 million photo.  Chances are you may not even get the $1.2 million from a lawsuit.

However, if you put the recommended 15% of your income into an IRA or Roth IRA, you will have at least a million to retire on.  Is that Wealthy?  You tell me.  Is it difficult to invest 15%?  If you are debt free and have your emergency fund, look in your budget.  According to the IRS, you can put $5,500 into an IRA.  If you have a spouse, each of you can have an account, even if your spouse is not working.  So, that brings the total up to $11,000 a year.  You can contribute the same amounts to a Roth IRA, which is tax already taken out.  

Let's say you invest $11,000 over 30 years at a 15% interest rate.  That would equate to $4.8 million in your retirement account!  That's just saving $917 per month, or $30.13 per day.

I am not a full-time photographer, so I don't completely understand the challenges that a full-time photographer has.  What I do know is that you need to secure your own retirement.  Do what you can so you can retire with dignity.

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

I am not a financial advisor, nor a CPA.  Please talk to one of them for more information.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) investment photography retirement https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/wealthy-photographer Mon, 30 Mar 2015 02:25:54 GMT
Invest in yourself and your business https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/invest-in-yourself-and-your-business First off, how did everyone like the video?  IN this post I bring some insight of what's on my mind.  This is just a little quick post, but ask many questions.

 

Now that you have a fully funded reserve/emergency fund, are debt free, and have done all the paperwork, Excel or otherwise, it's time to invest in your business and life.  This is the point where you start buying some equipment that can help you grow, investing in mutual funds or stocks, and funding your retirement.

 

For personal, use 15% of your income towards the retirement.  First, if you are working somewhere else, take the 6% match that they offer, then put the remaining into a Roth IRA.  This will give you after-tax dollars to use.  It will also start you on the right track for retirement.  If you are self-employed, max out your Roth IRA and put the rest into an IRA.  This will give your maximum benefit of taxes.

 

For photography, not only invest in your company, but invest in yourself.  Plan to go to conferences, take some classes, and get your brand known.  Make the most out of it.  Enjoy life, but budget accordingly.

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

 

I am not an investment advisor, nor an accountant.  Please check with them before making any financial decisions.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) business investing photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/invest-in-yourself-and-your-business Tue, 17 Mar 2015 01:43:39 GMT
Copyright Rant https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/copyright-rant I had to do a video as I couldn't write it down very well.

 

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) Copyright Legal Rant https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/3/copyright-rant Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:36:07 GMT
Cash Flows https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/cash-flows So, now you have started a budget, you have an emergency fund, and you are getting an idea of how much money you have or spend.  Well, how do you know that your spending won't cause you to overdraft your checking account?  That's where cash flows come in.  It's a very simple thing.  Use a spreadsheet, or even write it down on paper.

A cash flow is exactly how it sounds.  It's a record of your cash, incoming and outgoing.  If you put all your bills into a cash flow at the time they will be going out, you can start to predict where shortages and overages will be.

For example:

Jan. 1 - income of $1500

Jan. 1 - Rent of $500

Jan. 13 - Electricity of $70

Jan 15: income of $1500

Jan 23: Gas of $40

Putting this all in here's what we see

Item Amount Total
Income $1500

$1500

Rent $500 $1000
Electricity $70 $930
Income $1500 $2430
Gas $40 $2390

 

You will do this for all the items in your budget.  This will get larger, but keep after it.  It's a good thing to keep track of, and essential to not becoming a slave to the bank.

If you have irregular income, this is even more essential.  This will also force you to call people if you haven't been paid within 30 days.  You have a 30 day pay clause in your invoice, right?

Shoot me a line if this doesn't make sense to you, and I can help you.

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

 

I am not a financial planner, or a certified professional accountant.  Please contact them for any advise you need.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) Business Cash Flows Photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/cash-flows Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:00:00 GMT
Eww...Budget https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/eww-budget Canon 100-400 mm The lens I bought to photograph airshows One of the fundamental items we have not talked about yet is budgeting.  Go ahead, Run for the hills!  Seriously, it's a topic we need to understand and use.  Without a budget, the $1000 emergency fund is difficult.  Without a budget, how can you get out of debt?  Without a budget, there is no room for a fully funded emergency fund, or cash reserves.

 

Isn't budgeting hard?  Don't I need to use some complicated software program, or make a crazy spreadsheet to do it?  Isn't a budget to prevent me from having fun?  Well, Ye...Urm...I mean NO!

 

A budget is a very simple tool to tell YOUR money where to go.  You make the categories, you define how much you want in them, and the key is to stop spending in that category when you reach the amount.  If you must go beyond the amount, a meeting with a spouse or accountability partner is needed.

 

A budget must also be 0 balanced.  This means every dollar you make has a place in the budget.  There is no excess money in this plan.  It doesn't mean you can't save, it means completely opposite.

 

Budgets must be in your business and your personal life.  Do what works for you and stick with it.  It will take you a few months to get the hang of it.  Once you do, it will become even more simpler.  Remember though, every month is different.

 

One of the coolest things about budgets is that you can break things up into "monthly payments."  I don't mean putting it on a credit card, or financing.  What I mean is say you want to spend $500 for Christmas.  Take $500 over 12 months, you will save $41.67 per month.

 

Here's an example of a household budget.

Total Monthly Income after tax: $1,200

 

Expenses:

Rent: $400

Utilities: $300

Groceries: $200

Gas: $100

Gifts: $200

 

Here's an example of a photography budget

Income: $3000

 

Expenses:

Studio: $1000

Utilities $300

Advertising: $500

New gear: $300

Payroll: $900

 

Create your own categories, and put in your own numbers.  You will be amazed at what things you are spending your money on.

 

Doing this post make me think, "I don't have a budget separate for my photography.  I should create one."  So, I'm still learning.

 

For some budget forms check out Dave Ramsey's website.

 

Blessings,

Andrew Krob

 

I am not a financial adviser, nor a CPA, so please consult with them if you have any questions for your own personal situation.

 

 

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/eww-budget Mon, 23 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT
A break from our regular scheduled program https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/a-break-from-our-regular-scheduled
I am passionate about aviation photography.  I love the aspect of the engineering that goes into making thing fly.  I love spacecraft.  I have always been fascinated with rockets and planes.

My other passion tends to be understanding business and money.  I love trying to figure things out, and I love the math of Interest.  My goal for this blog is to inspire you, and walk you through various ways of doing business without debt.  I want to get into sharing things that people have questions about.

After I finish a few steps, I will post more candid experiences.  I will share with you what I am trying, how I am tracking my marketing, and share a bit of finances.

Please feel free to comment and share your experience.  I am a lone person, but I want to have content that inspires you.  Please share what you would like to have.]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/a-break-from-our-regular-scheduled Mon, 16 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT
Reserves? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/reserves

Are you in the reserves?  No, I'm not talking about military.  I'm talking about Cash Reserves.  Do you have any?

Cash reserves are the emergency fund to business.  Your photography business should contain cash reserves.  I recommend 8 months expenses for the amount in your Cash Reserve, based on a recommendation from Investopedia.

So, what are Cash Reserves?  They are low interest accounts that are used for emergency purposes, or int he event cash is required in a quick manner.  Cash Reserves are not just for the leaky roof, the failed memory card, broken camera, or broken lens.  It can be used for lucrative opportunities.

If someone is selling their photography business and offers you 30 cents on the dollar for the equipment, but only gives you 3 days to make a decision, what will you do?  This is where the Cash Reserve comes into play.  You can easily determine if it's a good buy for you based upon what you have in your cash reserves.

When these opprotunities come up, don't spend the entire amount of your Cash Reserves.  That would be setting yourself up for failure.  What would happen if an emergency comes around and you spend all the money?

In order to determine how much of Cash Reserves you can use for lucrative opportunities, let us do a quick calculation.  You need $14,000 in your Cash Reserves.  You have a profit of $4,000 a month.  So, it would take you 3 1/2 months to build your Cash Reserves back up.  That means that you can use 4 1/2 months of Cash Reserve, or $7,875, for this opportunity.

The Cash Reserves can also help you get through the slow months.  If your business trickles down during winter, use some of your Cash Reserve to make it through.  Make sure you replenish it when business picks up, so you that you can use it next year.
 

Blessings,
Andrew Krob
krobphoto.zenfolio.com
 
I am not a financial adviser, nor a CPA, so please consult with them if you have any questions for your own personal situation.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/2/reserves Mon, 09 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT
I have money? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/1/i-have-money

Now that we have gone over debt, let's look at a way to protect yourself.  I'm not talking insurance, but rather an emergency plan.  Is this different than the $1000 emergency fund?  Why, yes it is.

The $1000 is to cover the emergencies that are run into while getting out of debt.  What about the larger emergencies, such as water damage, water heater goes out, HVAC system breaks down?  That's where this emergency fund comes in.

Save 3-6 months of your income and place it in a Savings or Money Market account.  I know the interest rates are not very good, but Savings and Money Market accounts are easy to access.  In business terms this is called liquidity.  

According to Wikipedia, liquidity is "In business, economics or investment, market liquidity is a market's ability to facilitate an asset being sold quickly without having to reduce its price very much (or even at all). Equivalently, an asset's market liquidity (or simply "an asset's liquidity") is the asset's ability to sell quickly without having to reduce its price very much. Liquidity is about how big the trade-off is between the speed of the sale and the price it can be sold for. In a liquid market, the trade-off is mild: selling quickly will not reduce the price much. In a relatively illiquid market, selling it quickly will require cutting its price by some amount.[1][2]


Money, or cash, is the most liquid asset, because it can be "sold" for goods and services instantly with no loss of value. There is no wait for a suitable buyer of the cash. There is no trade-off between speed and value. It can be used immediately to perform economic actions like buying, selling, or paying debt, meeting immediate wants and needs.[3]
If an asset is moderately (or very) liquid, it has moderate (or high) liquidity. In an alternative definition, liquidity can mean the amount of highly liquid assets.[4] If a business has moderate liquidity, it has a moderate amount of very liquid assets. If a business has sufficient liquidity, it has a sufficient amount of very liquid assets and the ability to meet its payment obligations.
An act of exchanging a less liquid asset for a more liquid asset is called liquidation. Often liquidation is trading the less liquid asset for cash, also known as selling it. An asset's liquidity can change. For the same asset, its liquidity can change through time or between different markets, such as in different countries. The change in the asset's liquidity is just based on the market liquidity for the asset at the particular time or in the particular country, etc. The liquidity of a product can be measured as how often it is bought and sold.""
 
Saving 3-6 months will give you peace of mind you can weather the storm.  Once out of debt the 3 - 6 months savings will go quickly.  For your photography business, we'll discuss a concept of Cash Reserves.  Stay tuned.
 
 
 

Blessings,
Andrew Krob
 
I am not a financial adviser, nor a CPA, so please consult with them if you have any questions for your own personal situation.
 
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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/1/i-have-money Mon, 26 Jan 2015 08:00:00 GMT
Debt What? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/1/debt-what

How would it feel to have no creditors?   How would it feel to OWN all of your equipment?  Amazing right?  Debt is something that everyone thinks they can control, and something that we are taught we have to live with.  It's been said by several people including Mark Cuban, that getting out of debt is one way to give yourself a raise.  Instead of paying credit card companies, or bank financiers all that interest, pay off the debt and change the way you are living.

How do you grow your photography business without debt?  Easy, you save.  We'll talk about opportunity funds later.  In starting a photography business, you may have to invest your own money into buying gear, camera's, or lenses.  Don't go into debt over it.  Just put one foot in front of the other, and be patient.

How do you get out of debt quickly?  There are many forms such as cutting cable, selling a car, selling your house and living in an apartment, and many more.  You may even have to sell a lens or two.  I'm not asking you to sell everything, because you are a photographer and need equipment to do your work.

I am not talking about the mortgage you have on your house or studio, as those will be tackled in a later post.

Let's think for a minute.  You have no debt except for the house and studio.  What could you do when everything is paid off?  Almost anything you want.  For business this makes a lot of sense.  You can rapidly deploy new strategies, and not worry about what the creditors will think, or how you will make the next car or even credit card payment.

MPIX has said in one of their videos that they are debt free, and it allows them to move quickly to the changing market.  Wouldn't you, as a photographer and business owner, want that as well?

I encourage you to get debt free.  Be intense.  Get rid of the debt.

Blessings,
Andrew Krob

I am not a financial adviser, nor a CPA, so please consult with them if you have any questions for your own personal situation.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2015/1/debt-what Mon, 12 Jan 2015 08:00:00 GMT
What's the first step? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2014/12/whats-first-step

You, as a photographer, are struggling.  Money is tight, and much tighter since you bought Christmas presents.  Your credit cards are maxed, and you are dreading the next couple of months.  You are praying that God will guide you through the next few months.  You are eagerly waiting for your busy season.  You want the money.

So, what happens if your dishwasher is busted?  What happens if a lens needs repair?  How will you handle that situation?  Put it on the credit cards, or ask mom and dad for money?

How about we start with something simple to help?  Let's see how quickly you can come up with $1000 dollars for your personal finances and another $1000 for your photography.

Hear me out.  $1000 dollars will give you a comfort level in case of household emergencies.  No, it's not a large emergency fund, but it will help get you jump started for the next step.  Do whatever is legal and moral to get your $1000, such as selling items, getting rid of cable, or how about selling a car?

What is the $1000 for your photography then?  Aren't my finances for photography the same as my personal finances?  Well, to be blunt, no.  Photography is a business.  Your business has income and expenses just the same as your personal finances.  However, your business should be allowed to grow.  This is the major reason for not intertwining your business and personal finances.  You don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul!  Pay yourself from your photography income, but don't take the whole lot.  More on that later.

$1000 for your Photography emergency fund is just to get you started.  It is meant to protect you in case you need service on lenses, items stolen, or memory card fails.  It's not an, "ooooh that lens is on sale!"

Both personal and photography emergency funds are meant for emergencies.  Use them as such.  You can adjust your emergency fund a bit, but please consider the next steps before increasing it.  Good luck!  I know you can get it!  Just stick with it!

Blessings,
Andrew Krob
krobphoto.zenfolio.com

I am not a financial adviser, nor a CPA, so please consult with them if you have any questions for your own personal situation.
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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2014/12/whats-first-step Mon, 29 Dec 2014 08:00:00 GMT
Back! https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2014/12/back
1.  Mylio has inspired me to come up with a good way of doing offsite storage for photo backups.  I love their simplicity ease of use.  However, how many photographers are going to setup an offsite computer just to maintain an offsite backup?  This has been bothering me for a bit, and I am going to sit down to write a business plan to figure out if it is even feasible.

2. My wife and I have been pursuing Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover plan.  We are becoming debt free.  I feel though that many photographers, and many people for that matter, don't understand how to live without debt and grow their business.  Money has been an interest of mine for a long time, but I also love to teach.  This is something that I feel called to bring to the photography community.  I will admit, I'm not a full time photographer.  As I learn I hope to show each of you how to be debt free and be a photographer.

Look forward to my posts every 2 weeks.

Blessings,
Andrew Krob]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2014/12/back Tue, 16 Dec 2014 17:51:00 GMT
Admitting https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/11/admitting
I learn methodically, and bettering myself is not usually drastic.  I may not have a shoot every day, nor every weekend.  Though, when I do go out and shoot, it's for enjoyment.  I enjoy working with other people and being creative.

Does not being popular affect my photography?  I believe in some cases it may.  I may not get the jobs; therefore, my hobby will never be self supporting.  I may not get noticed by big time magazines, or other publications.

Yes, I have struggled with my self-image for years.  I have struggled with my weight, and what people see of me.  I, even still, believe there are people out there that are better than me.

That all being said, I am a decent photographer, if not a good one.  One day, if this is something that will last, I will get noticed and find myself in magazines.  Even though I may not have shoots scheduled for every day or every weekend, I am confident that people will like my style.

The more I pursue photography, the more technical I want to get.  I realize technical have more problems, but I want to shoot with 4, 6, 8, all be it 12 speedlites.  I want to put them in lamps, shooting up from floors, in trees, or anywhere I can stick them.  I want complex, but amazing.

Questions/Comments?

Happy Shooting!
Andrew Krob
KrobPhotography]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/11/admitting Sat, 16 Nov 2013 16:16:00 GMT
My Future with Photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/8/my-future-with-photography
As I have done several shoots, I have realized that I do enjoy fashion photography.  Though, my passion for it is not as strong as others.  So far, I have found that car photography is awesome!  I love lighting them, love showing the engineering of them, and the presence.  Cars, to me, feel much grander and a marvel.

Where does that lead me to?  If I were to dream big, I would like to shoot Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Porsche's, and other exotic cars.  I would love to put them on roads in Arkansas, Kansas, Swiss Alps, Australian outback, or even the hills of England.  To me, a car has a place where it's natural at.  For instance, convertible Lamborghini is at home on Miami beach cruising at dusk with the neon of the hotel's lite up.

How do I get there, and is it even possible?  For one thing, I must take the realization I am a type 1 diabetic.  Going out on my own without insurance is a huge risk.  One thing I must keep in mind is God will provide, if that is where I am to go.

Getting there is tricky for me; however, not impossible.  Where I am in my photography is that I need to learn what will jump me to the next level.  I am trying my hand at car photography, and will continue to focus on it.  I believe that getting to the next level requires me to get a mentor, as well as doing a workshop.  How I do those two, not completely sure.

One challenge for me is that I do not have an outgoing personality.  It's difficult for me to meet new people and even more difficult to open up to them.  However, I do consider myself a people person.  Without people, I loose energy and tend to seclude myself.

I am not opposed to sharing about my challenges or successes.  I am certainly not one to say "look at me, I am great!"  However, I share my challenges and successes, because I am a real person.  Even in business, as I am a business major, one must be real.  Too often we put on the button-down shirt, tie, and shoes and push our personality away.

I am a real person, ready to do real work, and ready to make the next jump.  Where might it take me?  Where will the wind blow!



Andrew Krob
Krob Photography]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/8/my-future-with-photography Sat, 24 Aug 2013 15:22:00 GMT
The future of the internet and world https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/5/the-future-of-internet-and-world
In the next 50 years we will see more applications try to protect our privacy, passwords will fade away for a new security mechanisms, and non-private data being shared in greater numbers.  Cable providers and TV stations will need to change how they deliver stations.  Most programs will be available online, including sporting events.  You will be able to choose a service where you can select what stations you want to subscribe to.  You will also be able to choose whether it has commercials or not.

"Books" will be able to be rented from a library, free of charge.  Books will no longer have the presence they currently do.  They will be in an electronic form.  The device to read it on will be paper thin and inexpensive. A student will be able to get this e-reader and contain a full backpack of books.  As the new semester or school year stats, all books can be delivered to the e-reader.

With all this freedom of information, and consumer choice, there will be a darker side.  Some people will take advantage of the freedom of information and use to exploit it.  Some of it will be in the form of trying to charge people for information that is already free, others will modify information.  As the world shifts, some Governments will crack down on which information gets shared.  In the next 50 to 100 years it will give the citizens of those countries more freedom.

However, in the next 200 - 300 years, governments will try to control more and more of that information.  We will see mergers between neighboring countries in an effort to try to control this information.  They will spy, persecute, and restrict the rights of their citizens.  There will still be countries that are "free", but even those will be in jeopardy   People will give up their rights for free information in an effort to protect their country.

Countries will be classified into two categories   One will be those with "free" information, and the other will be those with restricted information.  Of course, during this all there will be cyber warfare, and even physical warfare to control which country has which view of information.

In the next 1000 years, the people with "free" information will let it slip more and more until it is equal amount of information as the restricted information countries.  Once that happens, a one world government will be formed to control information.

Of course, this is only a theory.  I do believe now is the greatest time of information availability and share-ability   However, there are some scary signs if governments start trying to control what information they have access to and what we as citizens have access to.

Please share your thoughts.

ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2013/5/the-future-of-internet-and-world Sat, 04 May 2013 08:53:00 GMT
Space Shuttle Discover: How I took the shot https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/space-shuttle-discover-how-i-took-shot The last entry I mentioned that I would share how I got this image.  This is the Space Shuttle Discovery located in the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum near Dulles airport in Virginia.


The camera is the same as it has been.  I shoot with a Canon Rebel XS.  I was shooting with an EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens.  I rented it for the week, since the trip involved a wedding.  I shot this with ISO 400, f/4.5, at 1/30 sec.  This was zoomed in at 28mm.  I was not using a tripod.  If the lens did not have image stabilization, I would never have gotten this.

In the Udvar-Hazy ther eis a walkway that is very high up.  I shot from there into the Boing Avation Hall, where all the space objects are held.

Now onto the editing.  As with all my photos, Lightroom 4.3 is in use.  This was pretty easy to edit.  Not a whole lot of changes came from the RAW file.

Below are the settings I used.

Notice I bumped clarity up.  This added an very good effect to the shot.  On top of that, I enabled Profile Corrections to flatten the image out.

That is it.  I thought it turned out pretty well.

Thanks for the read,
Andrew Krob
Krob Photography.

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/space-shuttle-discover-how-i-took-shot Sat, 29 Dec 2012 13:02:00 GMT
Space Shuttle Discovery https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/space-shuttle-discovery

There will be more model shoots coming.  I love airplanes and space, but I also very much enjoy working with models.  Though I do love my wife more!

Thanks,
Andrew Krob
Krob Photography

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/space-shuttle-discovery Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:58:00 GMT
Virginia Trip https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/virginia-trip
https://www.facebook.com/KrobPhotography

Thanks,
Andrew Krob
Krob Photography

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/virginia-trip Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:33:00 GMT
Next photo https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/next-photo
I hope I can get some time to edit and post, but this week has been crazy.

More coming soon...

Andrew Krob
Krob Photography
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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/next-photo Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:22:00 GMT
Parking garage shoot with lightroom https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/how-i-did-it

I will need to start with some basic knowledge.  I am using a Canon Rebel XS with a Canon 85mm F/1.2.  Also, I am using Adobe Lightroom 4.0.  Location is the Fayettville Town Center Parking Garage in Fayettville, AR.

I was using a tripod on this shot.  Anything over 1/60 sec. I use a tripod, which was the case here.

Settings:
ISO 400
F/5.6
1/6 sec.

I rarely go into full manual mode.  Most of the time I use Aperture priority (Av on Canon) for Shutter Priority (Tv on Canon).  Once in a great while I may use Program mode (P on Canon).  In this case I was shutting in Aperture Priority mode.  I was also using a 2 sec. timer as my tripod shook a bit when pressing the shutting button.  I do realize a cable release would be better, but don't have one.

Once the shot is framed and taken, I can then take it home on my SD card.  I should note, I don't do a lot of cropping.  I usually frame it with my eye and crop as needed.  It really depends on if I change how I want to do things in post processing.  In this case, no crop was used.

Onto Lightroom.  I love Lightroom, but also has its quarks and not as much functionality as Photoshop.

To show where I came from here is the original image.

I left the color as I shot with the camera.  I usually start by pressing Auto to see where it thinks things should be.  I always tweak that.  I add a bit more contract, darken the blacks, and adjust shadows and highlights as needed.  Much of it is playing with it until I like it.



Notice clarity is at +90.  I included graduated filter that is located on the left side off the photo to add more clarity at 100.  The reason for this is to pull out the defects and color changes in the concrete wall.

Onto the magic tricks.  I had to be careful with the clarity.  As the clarity made her shirt look very strange, such as below.


I love using the Adjustment Brush.  I painted her first and took out 100 clarity.  Then I did it again taking away 60.  In the mean time I also increased the exposure of her by +0.78.  This gave me the right exposure. One thing I always do is soften the skin on the face and enhance the iris.  I don't want the model to look fake, so I usually dial up the clarity when I use the soften skin effect.

Final touches are always needed to complete the image.  I allows Lightroom to automatically correct the lens to flatten it out.  I usually add a Post-Crop Vignette that is not very noticeable   However in this one, I added a lot.  Below are the setting of that effect.


That is it.  I don't have many, if any, secrets to how I shoot.  Most of it is based on my eye and skills I have learned.  I hope you enjoyed this blog.  I have to thank Madison for the shoot!

Thanks,
Andrew Krob
Krob Photography

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/12/how-i-did-it Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:59:00 GMT
New format https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/11/new-format
What's the new format?

The new format will be a bi-weekly post about how I created what I photographed.  I hope this will teach, as well as teach myself.

One of my dreams right now is to have a photograph in print, whether it be a magazine, newspaper, or a gallery.

So, I will explain in more detail in 2 weeks about this photograph.



I hope you enjoy this and look forward to hearing your comments!

Thanks,
Andrew Krob
Krob Photography]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/11/new-format Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:10:00 GMT
Pro Photographer? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/10/pro-photographer
One thing I remember my grandma Dennis telling me was that photos are better with people in them, as it sets a place and experience.  I love looking at National Geographic photos, but I have really found a love with working with people and capturing God's beauty.

As I dig in more and more, I can see becoming a professional.  I know I have a lot to learn, but I'm not half bad at it.  At this point, I know I don't want it to be a full-time job, but a side business it just might be.  One thing I know I would rather not do at this time is weddings.

I will ride this wave and see how far it takes me, but it's an exciting ride.]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/10/pro-photographer Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:09:00 GMT
First Model Shoot https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/9/first-model-shoot the Photographers Ephemis that showed me when good light will be.

I had a 50 mm f/1.4 and a 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens.  Both of which I had rented from LensRentals.com.  I do have a 50mm f/1.8 lens, but wanted to see how the f/1.4 was.  I have to say that both lenses are incredible. The 50mm f/1.4 doesn't sound like my old Mazda 626 trying to get into 3rd and missing the gear when it auto-focuses.  The bokeh on it was much better, but not exactly like the 85mm f/1.2 L that I rented for Christmas photos.  The 16-35mm f/2.8L II gave me wonderful photos with a large amount of background.  I can see why people love to have it for landscapes as well.

50mm F/1.4
16-35 F/2.8L II
50mm F/1.8


Enough with the drooling, I should continue on with the photoshoot.  I has always wanted to do something in front of a Coca-Cola sign in downtown Rogers.
 
View Larger Map

It has always been interesting to me, and decided someday I would do it.  I have never said I didn't want to do portraits, but I never thought I was a good portrait photographer.  Well, that has changed.

I will admit, I seem to be alright at it.  I'm not great and there is lots to learn, but you never know until you do.

I went ahead and found a model, or in this case there were two that are twins, Amanda and Kayla Vincent.  They were wonderful to work with.  I never felt uncomfortable nor judged.  I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot, and it has inspired me to do more.  I will post photos up shortly, but want to get the "OK, we like them" first.

Planning this all out has made me realize something.  For some reason, in many cases, when I try something it's not just an OK job.  It tends to be more of a Good job.  So in that respect I tend to start better than others.  However, I want a challenge.  Some easy is not something I really get much enjoyment out of.  Things that are difficult are a thrill to complete, as long as I don't give up.

For future work, I would love to do more portraits and working with models.  I would love to have more complicated lighting setups.  However, first I need to spend money on lenses, if I truly want to grow further.

One final thought.  I have started a fan site for my photograph.  It's KrobPhotography on Facebook.

ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/9/first-model-shoot Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:59:00 GMT
Shoots https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/9/shoots
ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/9/shoots Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:08:00 GMT
Trip to Kansas https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/7/trip-to-kansas We had to travel back to Kansas for a funeral.  While we were there my father-in-law and mother-in-law suggested we go north of Harper, KS where a wind farm is being built.  Fortunately, I had my equipment with me, and got a few shots.  Also, used Snapseed on the iPad for some of it, and used HDR for another.





The last one is the HDR.  Eventually, I would like to get Photoshop to try more, but the combination of Lightroom with the iPad app works pretty well.

ASK?

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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/7/trip-to-kansas Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:22:00 GMT
Photoshoot? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/7/photoshoot
That being said, if you or anyone you know would like to do a photo shoot, let's do it.  I want to get more experience and further hone my skills.

I am in Northwest Arkansas, and travel occasionally to Dallas and Central Kansas.

ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/7/photoshoot Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:19:00 GMT
Lighting Angles https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/6/lighting-angles
First the photos are around the subject, in this case my son's toy Scout.  I also did it from 0 degrees elevation up to 90 degrees.  Each number around the circle are the lighting positions, the black dot is the subject, and the camera was stationary at the 0 degree mark.  Each photo the light was right around 5 ft. from the subject.  The camera was straight in front and 3 ft from the subject.

As you can see, the angle in which the light fell on the subject, was most interesting.

As I precede with these, I will be adding light modifiers and more flashes (if I rent or find someone to borrow from).



Position 1, 0 Degrees

Position 2, 0 Degrees
Position 3, 0 Degrees
Position 4, 0 Degrees
Position 5, 0 Degrees
Position 6, 0 Degrees
Position 7, 0 Degrees
Position 8, 0 Degrees
Position 1, 45 Degrees
Position 2, 45 Degrees
Position 3, 45 Degrees
Position 4, 45 Degrees
Position 5, 45 Degrees
Position 6, 45 Degrees
Position 7, 45 Degrees
Position 8, 45 Degrees
90 Degrees, Straight up from subject





ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/6/lighting-angles Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:15:00 GMT
Next Steps https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/6/next-steps
I like it a lot still.  It still is inspiring.  So, I'm going to keep after it and maybe someday I will have some better equipment.

Second, this blog.  I meant for this blog to be visionary and to teach about photography.  So, I will be starting a series on lighting.  This will be detailed, but I hope to learn a lot as well as anyone else who is interested.

Please also let me know what you are interested to learn.

ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/6/next-steps Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:25:00 GMT
Photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/5/photography
Also, I think I might be closing this blog, because I just don't post very much.

ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/5/photography Sun, 20 May 2012 18:15:00 GMT
going somewhere? https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/5/going-somewhere
ASK?]]>
[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/5/going-somewhere Sun, 06 May 2012 16:28:00 GMT
Macro Photography https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/4/macro-photography


ASK?

Here is a continuation of the Macro Photography.



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[email protected] (Krob Photo) https://www.krobphoto.com/blog/2012/4/macro-photography Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:48:00 GMT