A few months ago, I purchased a programmable keypad from PI Engineering. The keypad has 58 programmable keys, and was very helpful with streamlining my workflow with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Painter, until it started malfunctioning. Problems with the driver software began to manifest with the upgrade to Mac OS 10.3.9, and the company claims that 10.4 is totally incompatible with even having the USB keypad plugged in. I've complained to Apple Computer about the matter, as they've asked, but Apple techs say that the problem lies not with Apple or its OS, but with the techs at PI Engineering. I don't know who's to blame -- all I know is that I want for the blasted keypad to work as it should without causing the problems (mainly printer) that it is causing. After all, I paid about $140.00 for it (at TigerDirect.com). I'll be sure and blog if and when the problem is fixed. For now, I have a real complaint about this issue, but still don't know who to blame.

Thanks to 1st AC Jeff Saldin for taking this photo of me next to one of the Sony F900 HD cameras that was used for the shoot.

Call time isn't until 3p today, so I have a little time to expend on a little blogging. Over the course of this job, I've found myself searching for an explanation of why I want to be a part of a film production crew. After much pondering, I may have found it. When I was a child, I was in a short film that was shot in Waco's Cameron Park. It could have been such an influence on me that I felt compelled to work on movies for all of these years. Now that I've searched out the reason, perhaps I can heal, if that's indeed what is needed.

When we wrap around midnight, I'll return to my wife, whose job as a bureacrat often prevents her from grasping the peculiarities of creative endeavor. Today she's having a particularly difficult time at work. I don't think that she realizes how well-off she is to work in a building that has air conditioning and no wheels on it, and a job that is a mere twenty miles from where she lives. I have to find paying work a hundred miles or more from home, and must work in conditions that are a constant assault on my person and my equipment. Now that it's done, I can honestly say that I've learned a little about being a still photog on a movie set. Prior to this, I had been a camera assistant on shoots that did not have still photogs, so I was at a loss as to how to conduct myself at times. I've made some good contacts, and may continue to pursue work in that vein. I'll need some mentoring along the way, that's for sure.

I was about to say that I've found a balance regarding my workflow with the mucky-mucks on this feature film job, because I managed to make peace with most of the actors, but then I received troubling news from the top of the ant hill. I feel much better about the stills that I am getting, but they are still complaining that they are not getting what they need. Perhaps they are just not looking at the images that I am sending. If the person receiving the pics is a typical image technician, then he's probably spending more time surfing the web than he is spending examining my pics.

Yesterday, a woman showed up on set wanting to be my apprentice. I told her that this is a thankless job that involves working with massive egos, but she still wanted to learn how to do it. I shouldn't be so surprised, because it didn't dissuade me from taking the job when I found out how much it would suck. Don't get me wrong -- most of the crew are sweet, and I'd love to work with them again -- just under different management. The exec prod keeps hounding me for pics, and the director keeps excusing me from the set. These guys have the art of confusion down to a science.

I'm blogging again from the movie set on which I am a still photog. I'm earning my pay today. I'm told that Vanity Fair will be paying us a visit, as well as some other VIPs. The challenges of the job are worsened by the fact that my right eye has been irritated for the last few days, and my right thigh has been feeling like it's asleep since about the third day of shooting. A few members of the crew seem to be coming down with upper respiratory ailments. I'm doubling my zinc tablet intake.

I didn't think that I'd find myself blogging again today, but I find myself kicked off the set whenever I try to do my job, so I've withdrawn to calmer settings. Again, I won't reveal any details of my plight, but will only say that this experience has been educational. I've felt for some time that I was getting signs from Above to move away from photography of the sort that I am accustomed to doing, and to move towards more artistic explorations. I could still use my cameras and computers, but in the manner in which I was initially inspired. This gig is driving home that message.

<North Richland Hills, Tx> I've landed a gig as a still photographer for a film that is shooting in north Texas. It's everything I expected, after reading up on the subject. It is every bit as frustrating, thankless, and disconcerting as others have noted in their accounts. I'm also losing what little regard I had for actors. Even though I am assigned to get shots for the movie poster, the actors (the biggest and smallest ones) refuse to get into character for me, so I must work even harder during the takes. There's much more to note, but I'm trying to refrain from remarking about the details. I knew that I would miss the studio before long. Just two more weeks to go. If I can survive this job any better than the MTV gig, I'll be happy, and will raise my rate for the next time.