Thomas Churchwell's Blog. A place for stuff

No it wasn’t when they promised me a lightenupandshoot.com teeshirt that they never sent. No it isn’t because for 3 months I sent them 10 dollars thinking I was donating to a couple of regular guys doing a nice thing for poor people. No it wasn’t when they were promising people a fantastic E-book for 10 dollars in November 2009 that no one ever got. No it isn’t that they ignore everyone who asks “Where is the E-book” and then after too many people ask they say “Our hard drive crashed.” or “Someone stole our back pack with our camera and E-book memory hard drive” or whatever that excuse was. No it’s not that everytime they get pushed to answer “Where is this E-book people paid for” they say “We added more to the E-book that is gong to make it worth the 9 dollars” which means they were ripping us off in November had they sent it.
Do you know where I got disappointed? Take a little walk…

Back in November I heard about a couple of cool dudes in Columbia doing what I do. Helping people. I spend a lot of time photographer people who cannot afford a photographer. I ask for nothing. I take their picture. I print a nice 8×10. I give it to them and I walk away. That to me is what life is about. Doing great things for other people when you have a given gift. I teach others photography. I do not charge. I am the unofficial Volunteer for many organization for people on disability like many of you know when I walked 5K backwards taking photos for NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Well I thought I found two like that. They were putting up video after video showing people how take photos on the cheap. The Backpack studio they called it. I saw them use a off camera flash in a softbox outside while walking around to pedestrians taking their picture and the pictures were beautiful studio quality. These guys were not only giving people beautiful photos but they were teaching on video what they were doing. They were doing this for free. From their heart. Well that is what it looked like.
Lets go to July 2010 and see what we get…
We are lucky if we see any videos when there was a time that they would make a video of Mikey talking about what is the best leaf to use as toilet paper. We don’t get that anymore. Not that we needed it.
If you want Andy and Mikey to tell you exactly the same thing that are in their video and hundreds of other peoples Youtube videos well now that is going to cost you $220 dollars because now instead of these two making a video from their heart they are now touring the American Continent make you pay them over 200 dollars just so they can hold a Westcott softbox over the head of another $220 dollar victim.
Also don’t buy that “We aren’t getting sponsored or paid by anyone” as Andy likes to say. Of course he is going to say that cause he want’s your money. They are getting paid and even Michael labels himself “Westcot top Pro” and Westcot uses Mike and Andy’s images and video to promote their Products. Trust me Mike and Andy are getting paid. Even their website which basically was a good idea gone flat are sponsored by B&H, Google ads and other Auctions sites and photos sellers. LINK
Thats is where I got disappointed. Two cool guys doing a nice thing and showing people that photography can be fun using videos to two Westcott Apollo spokemans touring the country and having you pay $220 to learn something that is very easy to learn on your own for free by watching Youtube videos.

Let me Lighten up and give you a hint. Buy a point and shoot, a slave flash and a softbox or umbrella. Have someone hold the slave flash inside the softbox over the head of your subject and snap a picture with your point and shoot set to flash. There ya go. No need to have two guy having you pay them $220 dollars to learn that no matter if the call it a Genius Square or Cotton Candy. It’s all the lighting.
Too bad. I thought they were really nice guys too