Well here we are near the middle of March and everything I wrote about in October column seems very accurate.  The markets for commercial photography suck.  The market for corporate work is still in the toilet.  One of my biggest technology clients has cancelled all major shows for the year.  All of them. One of the few bright spots for some of my friends is that weddings have gone on inspite of all the business turmoil.  I've learned to enjoy drinking Necafe at home and peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwiches on crusty whole wheat bread have taken the place of sushi and martini lunches with clients and friends.

It's not all bleak.  I've found a nice niche market that doesn't seem to be collapsing like Citibank stock prices.  It's healthcare.  Recently I've been doing projects for a local radiology group, some cardiologists and a heart hospital that is part of a national chain.  The work is all local and the clients are nice but the emphasis is on moving quickly and not tying up doctors' time or time with expensive diagnostic machines.  I've started to practice what I preach in my first book, Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques on Location, by packing light and using battery operated strobes to get my lighting done.  It's so easy to light stuff when working with the Nikon D700 because the very, very clean files at ISO 1600 require very little light to make big shifts in relative illumination.

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