What's New??

Well, wedding season is upon us and so things are gearing up for this year's photography.

Again, I'll be shooting with my awesome Nikon D3 along with two Fuji S5 Pro's backing it up. The D3 continues to amaze me with it's high quality resolving power. Couple the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens to it and it does just about anything you want! And for those "long shots" often needed at the ceremony, the 70-200mm f2.8 VR is always ready!

So where are all the wedding photos? Well, I made the decision a while ago to reserve my blog for things other than just weddings to keep the blog fresh and interesting. Sure, I'll post an occasional wedding photo on here, but this blog has gone WAY BEYOND just wedding clients today. Early on, most of my blog viewers were just brides and grooms. No longer. When I check my blog stats, I am getting people from all over the world checking in weekly. And, I get to see what interests them too, and most of it pertains to things like guitars, and photography in general. Lots of photographers check in here and for that, I'm glad.

While my clients still visit my blog, it doesn't seem to be the only thing that draws them to me. That's actually good. Some photographers rely solely on their blog to get them business. By showing only the best photos of the wedding day, they look like "rock stars." But I learned long ago that you need to see a full day's work to know what you are really getting in the end and that's why my clients usually make their decisions to hire me based on seeing my samples in my office as well as meeting with me, not just looking at the blog photos. Half the battle in getting good wedding photography is relating to your photographer and you can't get that from a blog post. Only in direct meetings with your photographer will you really know if you match together. Working with the photographer you like will be the thing that results in quality photographs of the wedding day. I can't emphasize that enough.

In the "slow season" (aka, non-wedding months), I've been filling my time by teaching. In the past, I usually stop teaching during the wedding months, but I don't think I'll be doing that this year. I'm going to continue teaching. While I can't always teach on a Saturday as we approach the summer months, I can still teach on Sundays and also during the weekdays. It seems my help is needed all the time from both new photographers as well as more seasoned photographers and so I've decided to keep going. It's just as exciting to me to teach as it is for my students to learn. So if you or some friends of yours needs some photography or Photoshop help, let me know!

So with all that's happening in the coming months, you'll most likely read and see things that interest me and hopefully will interest you as well during the summer. And as always, feel free to let me know what you'd like to see and read. I appreciate your feedback!

Window Cleaning

Can you do this?

While these guys were not particularly that high up when I took this photo, they were just moments before. My office building has 10 floors to it, so this has got to be relatively "easy" for them. (It would be totally "hard" for me!) But can you imagine having to do a huge high-rise building downtown? No way! I could never do this. Can you? No scaffolds for these guys... they just hang off the building with ropes! Be sure to click on each photo for a closer look. (Edit note: To see how tall this building actually is, see the photo from the June 4, 2009 post above.)

Frog Test

My aunt sent this test to me recently... do not click on the picture above, Click Here instead after reading this entire post.

This is said to be a second grade computer test given in China. You are supposed to switch the frogs to the opposite side in 2 minutes or less. You can move frogs one at a time or jump over one frog at a time.

Can you do it? Give it a try and time yourself and then post your time in the comments section of this post. If you can't do it and need the solution, click on the comments section and you can read the solution I've posted there.

Good luck!

How Is The Economy Affecting Wedding Photography?

I get asked this question a lot lately.

Well, like any other business, the economy is definitely affecting the wedding industry and wedding photographers. While it may be true that people will still get married even in a lousy economy, it is also true that people are more careful in how they spend their money for their weddings. Budgets are tightening up!

It's not unusual to hear potential clients say, "I'll sacrifice unnecessary items for my wedding, but I still want the best photography I can get." That's most likely because they know that after everything is over and done with, the photos are one of the only things they will have to remember how their day went. Years from now, they can turn back to the photos to re-live the day.

Today, wedding couples are looking for a good photographer, but also they are looking for a good deal. I can't say that I blame them. Times are tight for everyone and you want the best you can get for your money.

There are two ways to save on your wedding photography. You can hire a less experienced wedding photographer who often will photograph weddings for less... or you can hire a seasoned professional wedding photographer and ask for a more modest package.

For my business, I'm finding that clients coming in today are asking for the more modest packages. While I do still get people coming in and booking higher priced packages, it is not as common as it was even just a year ago. This is how the economy is affecting my business. To make the same income this year, I have to photograph more weddings to make up for the loss of income due to smaller packages. That's ok. We all have to do what we have to do to make a living. I'm just glad people are still willing to hire experienced photographers and get smaller packages rather than going the route of hiring inexperienced photographers just to save a buck.

Still, there are those whom I have been in contact with who have told me that even my least expensive package is more than they are willing to spend and then they seek out the photographers in the lower price ranges. Their photography budgets? Under $500. That's really a shock. I always wonder if they have ever done a little math before asking if a professional photographer can help do their wedding for under $500. Even if the photographer were to photograph one wedding every weekend of the year, his annual income would only be $26,000 gross. That doesn't include taxes taken out or operating expenses. Think about that... can a pro do this full time if he only charges $500 per wedding?

My suggestion about how to be smart with your wedding budget is to cut back on items that may not be as necessary rather than sacrifice your wedding photography itself. Don't order the most expensive album or the largest album if your budget can't handle it. Hire the experienced photographer, but perhaps ask for less hours of coverage, or perhaps get a smaller album. And if the budget is really tight, just hold off on the album until next year. The key is to get the images taken correctly in the first place. Then after the wedding, you may find that you have some wedding gift money which could help pay for an album or a larger album. Book the right photographer first... don't skimp and hire the inexperienced photographer just to save a buck. Often, it's just not worth taking that chance.

Nikon FE - Years of Wedding Use

This Nikon FE camera has worked a lot of weddings! It's my wife's camera really, but after getting married, I took it from her.

When I first started photographing weddings in 1990, this was the camera I used. It's a camera capable of shutter speed priority, but I usually used it on manual mode. Really, a Nikon FM would have probably been better for wedding use as the FM allows for Aperture Priority. But it really didn't matter. Manual shooting was the norm for me back then and using a Nikon FE along with my trusty Minolta light meter, I was fully capable of taking care of business.

Today, the Nikon FE doesn't see any action. I haven't shot a single frame of film in many years since going to digital. And, like my old Canon AE-1 Program, this camera weighs "nothing" compared to my current Nikon D3.

By the way, the Nikon FE still works perfectly!

While I used the Nikon FE for weddings, I used a Nikon FM2 for my work in law enforcement. I had a power-winder on my FM2 which also helped me in holding the camera as well. Today's cameras have "built-in" grips which make holding cameras a lot easier. But older cameras like the FE and FM2 do not have any grips and you can easily drop the camera if you are not careful.

I used this Nikon FE with a Stroboframe R7 flash bracket along with a Sunpak 622 flash. Together, it was a monster of a rig. While my current camera is pretty heavy, it is more compact than my older rig with that Stroboframe bracket. Today's photographers often go without a flash bracket, but for me, a bracket is nice to have to keep shadows behind the subject. It's a nicer look in my opinion.

Play It Again... The Fairlanes Reunion

The Fairlanes have been playing together since 1979. Over the years, there have been various band member changes... but on Saturday, May 9, 2009, several of the past members joined with current members to play at Bogies Ale House restaurant in Mount Prospect.

I had photographed The Fairlanes back in March (see my March 22, 2009 post) but always felt that I could have done better. The lighting was extremely dark at Gino's East that evening and I could not move around too easily there. So when I found out that The Fairlanes would be providing their own lighting for this reunion gig, I promised them and myself that I would photograph them again.

As before, the band did a wonderful job playing songs from the 50's to the 80's. But having some of their past bandmates join in really made it special.

Bogies restaurant is actually a converted barn. The silo is still next to the building too! The restaurant was formerly called The Loft, but in recent years, the restaurant went through some major renovations and the name was changed to Bogies. It's a nice venue.

To see more photos from the reunion gig, click here and to go the Events section. There is a slideshow function on the site which you can activate by clicking on "View Catagory Slideshow" located in the upper right side of the page.

My First "Good" Camera

In the early 1980's I bought a Canon AE-1 Program camera to take on a trip to Hawaii.

The AE-1 Program was one of the first cameras (if not the first) to offer a "program" mode. Essentially, the camera made the decision as to what the photo should look like. While this was an innovative feature, I found myself wanting more.

The AE-1 Program could also shoot in shutter speed priority mode. I get to choose the shutter speed and the camera would choose the aperture of the lens. This is great for sports shooting where you might want to decide how fast the shutter speed needs to be to stop the action. But trying to do anything where you determined the depth of field, you could not do it automatically. It lacked the aperture priority capabilities. So to shoot where I could determine the depth of field in a shot, I had to do it manually.

My AE-1 Program camera still works. It's a great 35mm film camera. But I don't shoot film today, so it just sits around looking pretty. By the way, this camera barely weighs anything. Comparing its heft to my Nikon D3, the D3 weighs like a heavy brick!

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop

(Images "borrowed" from my daughter)

Alright... I'm on a roll... so here's another restaurant for you!

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop is another real treat. This restaurant originally opened in 1936.  I recall going to this restaurant many times with my wife when we lived in San Diego in the late 1980's! While there are other things to order at this restaurant, we always ordered the Pie Dinner.

This is nothing fancy. It's basically just a pot pie with gravy on it and you get mashed potatos, a roll with butter, mixed vegatables (peas, corn and carrots), coleslaw and a slice of pie or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. And all this is very reasonably priced as well. Some people can't stand this place. But for me, it's great. Basic food. It's almost like food you can get just out of your own freezer, microwave it and eat it. But the Chicken Pot Pies are freshly made and so much better than that.

There are mixed reviews on this one compared to The Green Fly, but if you aren't a fussy eater and you want something that reminds you of the 50's... try this place in San Diego!

Back when I lived in San Diego (in the late 1980's...) the price for a Pie Dinner was around $3.65. Now in 2016 it's $8.99.  (I updated this post with my daughter's photos in 2016... originally wrote it in 2009). Still a great deal in my opinion!

My daughter said that it was nothing fancy, but she loved it as well.  Not sure her friend was as impressed though.  But, if you like simple, basic homestyle food, you can't beat the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop!

The Green Fly - Las Cuatro Milpas - San Diego

(All Images "borrowed" from the Internet)

(All images "borrowed" from the internet)

I just had to post this one and I can't wait until Thursday.

When I think of authentic Mexican food, the first place I think of is Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan in San Diego. This place is affectionately known to local law enforcement diners as "The Green Fly."

I was working at the San Diego Police Department back in the early 1990's and my supervisor, Gary Avery, took me to "The Green Fly" for lunch. With a name like "The Green Fly," you can't just let that go without asking, "Why do they call it The Green Fly?" Well, it's not really named that... it's a nickname that local law enforcement personnel call it. If I remember the story correctly, there used to be these huge green colored flies that hung around the restaurant and the nickname just stuck. It's not too appetizing of a nickname for a restaurant, don't you think?

Well, I have to tell you, this place is a definite "hole-in-the-wall" if I've ever seen one. Totally not what I would have thought to be a good restaurant. You can see in the photos I've "borrowed" from the web that the decoration there is non-existant. Not only that, you can see the kitchen when you are ordering your food because it's right out in the open! You have to wonder how this place can still be in business without being shut down for some kind of health code violation!

So having said all this, you would think this is probably the worst restaurant around right? WRONG! If you want totally authentic Mexican food at a ridiculously low price... this is the place to go! There is always a huge line of people waiting to get in. Why? Because the food is THAT GOOD and so is the price. I always thought that this is probably the safest place to have lunch because it seems every law enforcement agency is represented there for lunch! Police officiers, detectives, DA investigators, FBI, Sheriffs Deputies, CHP officers, you name it, they are there!

I had an email exchange with one of my friends from the San Diego Police Department this evening and this place just popped back in my mind. I could not remember the real name of this restaurant so I simply typed into Google a search for The Green Fly San Diego and the restaurant was found! Yes, even Google knows it's called The Green Fly! Do your own search for Las Cuatro Milpas San Diego and read all the wonderful reviews of this place. Very few people give it less than 4 or 5 stars out of 5 and that's so surprising considering the look of this place. But it's been around since the 1930's... so something has to be right about it!

If you are ever in San Diego go here for lunch. Get there early because you don't want to get stuck in the long line! Everything is good there, but I particularly like the buritos. Now I'm getting hungry!

My daughter went here with her friend in 2016.  They both loved it!  My daughter had heard me talking about this place all her life, so she just had to go.

For more great San Diego food, check out my post on the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop!

Here's my daughter's photos from 2016:

I've Been Really Tied Up These Past Few Days

Sorry to everyone who checked my blog for a post this past Monday and found nothing.

I've been extremely tied up working on the details of something and unfortunately can't share that here just yet. But it's a good thing and once I get the approval to share it, I will. Suffice it to say, it's something I'm going to really enjoy (I love my job!) and it will take me back to a place I been longing to be at for a long time.

Check back on Thursday for the next blog post. I promise to have something to post that day!

Dayna Malow

Dayna Malow is an up and coming country singer that I think you should know.

If you check her website, you will find that she grew up in Skokie, IL. Yes, that's local for us here in the Chicagoland area! While I suppose we all may wonder how a girl from the midwest could possibly sing country music, I have news for you... she does and does it well too!

Go to her website to hear for yourself. Dayna has streaming music running on her site and the songs are full versions of her latest CD. I became an instant fan after I checked out her site!

This evening, Dayna purchased a pair of speakers from me because I was selling them at a great price. While I continue to play live, I don't do it all that often anymore and so I wanted to sell the speakers while they were still popular. Dayna saw my ad and responded. She spent something like 30 seconds listening to them before saying, "I'll take them!" Fastest sale I've ever made! :)

Besides paying me more than I asked for them (I didn't have exact change for her and so we were off by $2.00) she also gave me a copy of one of her CD's! Wow, I made extra money and got a free gift as well! But stupidly, I forgot to have her autograph it for me. So I suppose one day, I'll have to surprise her at one of her concerts and get her to do that for me!

Dayna's website has her concert schedule as well. She's consistently booked, so that means she's in demand. That's great! She's even opened shows for such artists as Billy Ray Cyrus, The Doobie Brothers, John Hiatt, Alana Davis, Michael McDermott and Blake Shelton.

Thanks again to Dayna for the speaker purchase and the free CD. I'll return the favor with some photos one day!

Multitrack Recording on a Computer

After holding off for years, I've finally moved to multitrack recording on my computer.

I've always been one to prefer hardware for recording purposes. Having a mixer in front of me and an open-reel multi-track tape recorder at my side was the way I learned how to work in a studio. Years later, that equipment was replaced by an "all-in-one" digital workstation recorder. It still had a mixer and recorder, but it was all built-in as one unit. See my February 12, 2009 post on these recording items.

Now, I'm recording music using my computer and software designed to replace all of that hardware! While I have used my computer for years to work on forensic audio cases and to work on the final mix after recording on the digital workstation, I resisted doing multitrack work on the computer. Something about it just felt foreign to me because I always liked to put my hands on a mixer. With the recording program on the computer, everything is done on the keyboard or with a mouse. But to be fair, there are some mixers available that can be used in conjunction with computer software, but it just adds cost to something that can simply be done just with a computer. Luckily, the audio soundcard that I use for forensic audio work is of a high quality and works just fine for multitrack work as well.

I knew eventually, I would have to learn to record music via multitrack recording software, and so this weekend, through the encouragement of my daughter, I decided to do it. While I'm still a novice at it, I'm picking it up rather quickly because my years of working with recording hardware all applies to this method of recording as well. All the functions are the same as using actual hardware, but it does take a little time learning where everything is located. Wow, computer recording programs are very sophisticated! What would have taken up an entire control room with gear now resides in my desktop computer. That's a big plus!

The sound quality is top notch as well. I recall all the "tape hiss" I used to get from my old analog tape recorders and having to apply dbx noise reduction to control it. Not any more! Digital is so quiet that any noise you hear today is probably noise recorded through the microphone of the ambient room noise!

I had always hoped that one day I could work with 24 tracks but I never thought I'd be doing it on a computer. I had owned 4 track and 8 track equipment since I was a teenager and always wished for more tracks. Now I have more than 24 tracks at my disposal on the computer. This program has unlimited tracks, not just 24. Cool!

I'll keep you all informed when I finally have something recorded that's worth listening to!

Baby's First Picture

No Admittance

Saw these guys guarding a door today and couldn't pass up taking their photo. :)

Camera Image Sensor Cleaning

Last Friday, I set out to clean the image sensor on my Nikon D3 digital camera. I have cleaned my own image sensors for years and have never had any problems doing it. But these past cleanings were done on APS-C sensors (smaller sized sensors) on cameras like the Fuji S-5 Pro, Fuji S-3 Pro, Nikon D200, D100, etc.

The Nikon D3 is a "full-frame" camera which uses a much larger image sensor. This is one reason why my images today are so much sharper than my past images on the older cameras. But cleaning this larger sensor proved to be a lot more difficult than with the smaller APS-C sized sensors.

The full-frame "DX" sensors go from one edge to the other when the camera's mirror is retracted. This makes it very difficult to get a cleaning swab to cover every part of the sensor. I typically use a Pec Pad cleaning cloth dampened by a cleaning fluid called "Eclipse" which dries almost immediately. The Pec Pad is wrapped around the handle end of a plastic knife from Wendy's (yes, the hamburger place!)

What I found after numerous attempts to clean the D3 sensor was that the Eclipse fluid did not dry "cleanly" enough leaving behind "dried" residue. It was very faint by the naked eye, but when test shots were taken, you could clearly see the darkened "splotches" that the residue caused on the image. These were mostly gathered around the outer edges of the frame because it was difficult to manuver the cleaning pad near the edges. Very frustrating! On APS-C sized sensors, the sensor is small enough that one swipe from edge to edge could be made making it less likely to leave behind any fluid residue.

In the end, I found that I needed to clean the sensor with more wiping of the Pec Pads without fluid. The problem is that this "dry" cleaning could cause scratching on the sensor which could damage the sensor. Needless to say, I was a little nervous about this! Luckily, I did a good job and now the sensor looks nearly perfect.

The D3 does not have any built-in sensor cleaner and that's too bad. The newer D700 has this however. While the D3 is a model that's considered the "better" camera over the D700, the performance of the D700 does rival the D3. So if you want to get a camera that's easier to clean, get a D700!

It is also important to remember that before cleaning any sensor, be sure to blow off any loose dust with a bulb blower. NEVER blow air from your mouth! You could accidentally spray the sensor with spit and that would be disasterous to a sensor! Invest in a bulb blower. One came free (is anything really free?) with my Fuji S5 Pro cameras, and it works great!

HDR Image Vs. Standard JPG Image

Standard JPG Image

HDR Image

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It's a technique of creating a photographic image by combining several different exposures of the same scene into one image. Typically at least three images are combined... one exposed as indicated by an exposure meter to make a "proper" exposure and then one taken one full f-stop above and one taken at one full f-stop below the norm. While it is possible to make an HDR image look extremely dramatic, I believe the best HDR images make the scene look more natural.

In these examples, the first image is a standard image taken with the exposure settings indicated by my handheld exposure meter. The second image is an HDR image made from combining seven exposures into one. You can clearly see that the HDR image shows both the inside boardroom as well as the outside through the windows. Even the "shadow" areas are easier to see as well. Take a closer look at the details you can see of the chair closest to you. The standard JPG image exposes the inside scene nicely, but everything outside the window is totally "blown out." And, the chair closest to you has no details that you can see. It's just black. Now look under the table at the chair legs of the chair on the right. Which image can you see details? The HDR or the Standard JPG image?

Which image do you like better? Only the natural ambient light is used on these images. A flash was not used.

HDR images take a little more work (ok, a lot more) than a standard image. It requires multiple photos be taken and a lot more post production work to create the final image. But the results are often spectacular.

By the way, this is an image of the boardroom at my office. I meet my clients here as well as teach photography out of this room. Be sure to click on each image to take a closer look.

Me or I

It seems a lot of people don't know when to use the word "Me" or the word "I" in a sentence.

Too often, I hear people saying things like, "My mom and me went to the party." That's wrong. It should be, "My mom and I went to the party." People also say, "Me and my mom..." That's wrong too!

Or how about this one, "The party was for my Mom and I." That's wrong too. It should be, "The party was for my mom and me."

So what determines the right way to say something? Well, just think of what the sentence sounds like without the other person being in the sentence.

For instance, would you say, "Me went to the party" or would you say, "I went to the party?" The latter of course is correct. So by adding in your mom, it would then be proper to say, "My mom and I went to the party." By the way, you always put yourself LAST in the sentence, not first!

The same thing is correct with the other sentence. Would you say, "The party was for I" or would you say, "The party was for me?" Again, the latter is correct. So the proper sentence would be, "The party was for my mom and me."

I think people sometimes use the word "I" wrong simply because they think it sounds more "proper" to use I than me. That's just wrong.

So, I hope me have helped you. That's wrong too. :)

Is This Really Film?

Is this really film?

Think about it... if this was truly a strip of film, would it be a positive image or a negative image?

This was created from a series of digital images I photographed and then inserted into a template which creates the look of a film strip.

So no... this is not film... it's digital.

Is It Monday, Already???

You may be wondering where all my "new" photos are.

In the past couple of weeks, I've worked on a couple of new projects, but can't show the images because of nature of the photo shoots. Some are commercial and some are private sessions. As much as I would like to post these new photos here, I can't.

Sometimes as Mondays and Thursdays come along, I struggle trying to come up with something interesting to post for my blog readers when the past week has generated some interesting photos, but I can't show them.

So considering that, let's just talk cameras!

Recently, I have been doing quite a bit of tutoring of new photographers at my office. Each have different cameras... Nikon, Canon and Sony and of course, each have different models from these three companies. While most of the things I teach can be applied to any camera, finding the way to do it on each camera is different.

I am spoiled now that I shoot with a Nikon D3. Being Nikon's top-of-the-line camera, the D3 has just about everything you can imagine in terms of features. (OK, the D3x is technically Nikon's best camera, but it's exactly the same as the D3 in terms of features, except it costs $3000 more and has 24.5 megapixels instead of 12.1 MP. But it is a slower camera than the D3 and it has lousy "high-iso" compared to the D3... it's not designed for the wedding or portrait photographer or for a sports photographer, it's a studio camera really.)

What I noticed is that the basic camera offerings from these companies make you do a little more work to get a similar result. Whereas I can find virtually anything I want to do on a Nikon D3 fairly quickly, I need to go into the "menu" system of the other cameras to accomplish a similar task. Some cameras may not even have as complete of a series of options either.

This is why the big cameras cost what they do. While there is some cost involved in making such a rugged camera in these high-end price ranges, other cost factors involve including convenience features and having more in-depth options to make the camera more precise.

Some cameras offer features that aren't really necessary too. I've noticed that many of the lower priced cameras offer various "automatic" modes which can easily be accomplished manually or by just knowing what to do to get the same effect. So I suppose you can say that these lower-priced cameras offer some convenience features not found on a top-of-the-line camera. Can you get the same effect though if you know how to manipulate your camera? You sure can. But for the amateur, it's often easier to let the camera make the decision.

What I find that is a common thing among my students is many of them come from a "point and shoot" background. Graduating to a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera often requires you to really learn about photography in order to get a good photo. Sometimes, the point and shoot camera's photos come out BETTER than the DSLR camera's photos simply because the camera is making all the decisions. Having a more expensive camera does not guarantee good pictures all the time! To get that, you need to set up the camera properly. There are more controls to mess with to get a good result and that takes a little bit of "know how."

I think all photographers who move to a DSLR for the first time would benefit from a basic photography class. Knowing what various lenses do to a photo or when to change the shutter speed or bump up the ISO rating can make a big difference in your end results. What my students often find out after their first lesson with me is that there is a lot more "thinking" involved in making a quality photo! But once you have the basics down pat, you no longer really think, but rather react. It becomes natural and instinctive. But you can't get to that point without a lot of practice.

OK... now what do I write about on Thursday? :)

The Funk Brothers - Motown's Studio Musicians

Everyone knows Motown.

Berry Gordy's record company popped out hit after hit of songs that are still popular today. Songs like, "My Girl," "Get Ready," "Baby Love," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," "What's Going On," and "Mercy, Mercy Me." The groups were unforgettable too... "Gladys Knight and the Pips," "The Supremes," "The Four Tops," "The Temptations," and of course who can forget artists like, "Marvin Gaye," "Stevie Wonder," and "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles."

But have you ever wondered who were the musicians behind many of these big named artists?

The Funk Brothers were the guys who played on more number one hit records than The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined. But nobody's ever heard of them, right? Well, that's because they were studio musicans. They played all of the instruments behind the big names. So while you may not know their names, you know their music because it is music that you continue to hear today on the radio and TV.

Here are their names: Earl Van Dyke, Joe Hunter, Johnny Griffith, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Robert White, William "Benny" Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, James Jamerson, Bob Babbit, Jack Ashford, and Eddie "Bongo" Brown. These were the guys who recorded all the great music you remember from the Motown era.

If you get a chance, go get a copy of the video called, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown." It's the story of these guys.

Growing up, I remember hearing all these great Motown tunes on the radio. I even bought the 45's of the hits. As a musician, I've always been aware of the studio players. While other friends would only look at the names of the artists on the cover, I'd always go to the back of the LP covers and check out the names of the people who played on the record. I could consistently see the same names of players from one record to the next. But even so, for some reason, I never paid any attention to the names of the players on the Motown label! And, I had grown up listening to virtually every top song that label produced too!

Go around and ask anyone if they have ever heard of the names of the artists from Motown. I'll bet you'd have a hard time finding someone who doesn't know at least one or two Motown artists. Then ask them who played the music for them. I'll bet they won't know.

These are among the best studio players around. Check 'em out!