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Rangefinder Magazine
November 2003

Problems & Solutions

Please accompany your questions with a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish an immediate reply. Alternatively, you can e-mail me at: bhurter@rfpublishing.com.

From: Karen Dórame
kdorame@cybertrails.com
I've received a lot of good feedback from the article. [“Butterflies in Front of Your Lens or in Your Tummy; Photographing Kids with Special Needs,” October, 2003 Rangefinder]. What a thrill it is to get such positive messages from your readers! Thank you so much for agreeing to print the article.

We’ve had nothing but great comments about the article and you—your sensitivity to the subject of special-needs kids. It was quite special and we’re very glad we got to run it.

From: bruddabob@netzero.net
Years back I used to deal with Spiratone in New York City and Freestyle Sales in California. Are these companies still in business? If so, can you provide their current addresses and web addresses if they have such. Thanks!

Freestyle is still in business and their web site address is: www.freestylephoto.biz. The mailing address is Freestyle Photographic Supplies, 5124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027; (800) 292-6137

Spiratone, I believe, is gone now, but you will still find hundreds of Spiratone products still actively traded and sold on e-Bay and other places on the Internet. A book that might interest you is written by Spiratone founder, Fred Spira, entitled, The History of Photography: As Seen Through the Spira Collection. The book is available at Amazon.com for $52.50.

From: Joe Finocchi
FINOCCHIJOE@aol.com
I remember reading a question to you a while back regarding lantern slide glass. I believe what the reader wants is a Kodak product called “Projector slide cover glass” cat. no. 140 2130. This is a box of 24 sheets of pre-cleaned 3 1/4 x 4-inch glass. I have had a single box of these sitting in my studio equipment cabinet for more than 15 years, so I wonder if it is still available.

Your Kodak rep can possibly help. I have no need for them and would gladly sell the box for $5 plus shipping. If your studio does any marketing to seniors, I would be willing to sell it for just shipping if you would be willing to send me a packet of your marketing materials. You can check me out at my web site: www.finocchi.com. Hope this helps.
Thanks for passing this along.

From: Candace Simpson
elegantimagesphoto@cox.net
Hello, I am trying to find out about a photographic workshop that is being held next May, 2004, in San Diego. It is a three-day workshop and I know that Joe Buissink is one of the instructors, but this is all of the info that I have. Please let me know if you have any info concerning this workshop and how I can sign up. Thank you.

Your best bet would be to contact Joe by email and he can direct you to the right person to contact for registration. His email address is: info@joebuissink.com/.

From: Christina Donaldson
Focal Press, Oxford, UK
CL.Donaldson@Elsevier.com
I work for Focal Press Publishers, a Media Technology Publisher, and I am currently carrying out some research on the size of the portrait market. Would you possibly have any figures from your magazine subscriptions to give me an idea of the size of the portrait market in the U.S. and how quickly it is growing? I would be most grateful for any information you are happy to divulge on this area as a whole.

We do not have any really accurate figures on the size of the portrait and/or wedding photographer market. Rangefinder’s circuIation is 50,000, and that is primarily composed of wedding and portrait photographers, but is not really indicative of the total size of the market. I understand that PMA has some good information on their website and there is a good chance it may be pretty accurate. I think the site is PMA.org. Also, the Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics web site is said to have some pretty good information regarding the wedding and portrait category, but I don’t know how recent the data is or whether it includes part time photographers or not. Hope this helps.