AbrahamoLincolni

Amateurs... they think they know it all.
 
You can lead a dog to water but if the dog prefers mud, I guess nothing can be done about it.

You already gave him a second chance, he basically spat in your face by not showing when you set a meeting in which, unless he is quite slow he should have realised you were going to basically tell him off.
 
Dropping this kid may be the biggest favour anyone ever did to him, sometimes what you need is a strong kick in the rear, this kid needs a truck to crash on his as to help him get the memo by the looks of things.
 
Also, I think this isn't an issue of him being an amateur photographer but a character issue. The key is to tackle every task as if it will pay. For instance when asked to take a charity job which you know will not help your professional career (say photographing your child's scout troop event or something of the sort) and assuming for x y and z reason you won't get much recognition for it. You would still treat it as a job,just like an amateur who has a professional temperament would do in the same instance. 

I wouldn't really consider the A6500 to be weather sealed, but it is a good camera and if you take care of your gear they will last a long time.
 
As for color... cameras capture color depending on how the user tells it to capture color.  If you use picture profiles like SLOG or Hypergamma in the A6500, forget about color straight out of the camera because you will need to grade the footage.  If you set the incorrect white balance, the camera will show you an image that is toned to a color based on your white balance setting.
 
This kind of statement actually makes me want to help you less.  They are not always right.
 
 
I actually think this guy is recommending a camera that's more suitable for you.  Get a good phone with a good camera.  If you want to buy a proper camera, with all the requirements you stated and with statements like this:
I'm on the opinion that you should go take proper classes/courses on photography or videography before you buy a camera like the A6500.  An A6500 will be wasted in your hands.
 
What you need to do here is learn how to take photos of sunsets, because it seems here that you are expecting the camera to do the work for you.  If you want a camera that does the job for you and you wouldn't have to use much of your brain power or creativity, get a point&shoot camera.

In the end my wife and I decided not to give him a second chance.  And you're right, this wasn't really an issue about amateur photographers.  It's about character issues, but I find this in many people who want to become photographers or say they want to become photographers.  They spend $500-1000 at least on a new camera and don't even know how to use it properly.

So I had a long talk with his father today, he was present of course.  You can imagine the way the conversation went when my friend, his father, turned to him and yelled at him for an hour.
 
His father begged me to give him one more chance, else he will be kicked out of his house.
 
I even got an email from the bride, who is supposed to be enjoying her honeymoon, complaining about him creeping out her friend.
 
 
@AkiraDaarkst Like you said, we started out as beginners and we want to help others.  I take on a few assistants a year, some from art colleges who want to get some hands on experience, others who want to see how it feels like working in a pro environment.  They don't always end up becoming pro, but they learn and grow.
 
I can guess which one of the people who commented to my topic belongs in the third group.

So I've been in Ecuador for the past few days since the 30th.  First was in Guayaquil, and now just landed in Quito about 2 hours ago.  The views from the hotels I stayed in Guayaquil were not nice, and neither was the hotel room in the small city of Vinces though the place had a nice atmosphere.  Nine days from now I'll be in Bhutan where I hope to get some nice shots.  In Ecuador I'm spending more time filming.
 
Quick snapshot of the view from my hotel room in Quito

Drop him!  I don't give anyone more than one chance, it's not baseball.  This is your work, your reputation on the line.  You hired him to be an assistant so that he could learn from you, instead he doesn't listen to your advice and comes unprepared.  Amateurs who can't follow the rules or doesn't even have the common sense are worthless.
 
I know that we all started out as amateurs, but I guess I'm old school.  Work is work, when it comes to work I give no quarter.  I'll help and encourage those who are willing, and those who aren't... they can say goodbye.  When I started out as a photographer I put all my focus into it.  I expect people who want to become photographers to have the same attitude.

amateur: a person who engages in a pursuit or activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit.
 
Here's how I see photographers and cinematographers:
Professionals: those who work for money, to make a living and support themselves.  Either working for agencies or working as freelancers.  Some pros can be nice, some arrogant, but they know what they're doing and usually gets the job done. Amateurs: those who do photography or cinematography because they are passionate about the craft.  In some ways similar to professionals, they will spend and invest in gear (including accessories, software, etc) they feel is necessary, essential.  Quite a number of them have the tendency to suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).  Some amateurs are fanatically passionate about the craft that they will try to learn as much as they can, experiment, explore, aren't afraid to try new things.  They like criticism, though they can sometimes act hostile towards negative criticism.  They like discussions.  In a way, they can be thought of as Nerds or Geeks of the craft. Then we have the weekenders, the soccer moms, the social media bloggers, snap shot takers.  They're not into photography or cinematography for the money (though some of them will try things to make a quick buck), they don't feel any real passion for the craft, they don't like being called "amateur" because they think it belittles them (they seem to prefer the word "enthusiast") when they don't actually even reach those levels, they make snarky comments on photo forums, they think their work is already good enough and don't deserve any negative criticism, they are so absorbed in the technical they often forget that photography and cinematography is more about the art, they think gear and technology matters more than vision and creativity, they're cheap, they don't want to really invest in anything that may help them improve... in essence they don't want to improve.  They're "Know-It-Alls".
 
You have a lot of potential.  If I ever do a project in Sweden, I'll may contact you and hire you as an assistant shooter even if I have others working with me as secondary or tertiary cameraman.  You wont be working independently to produce something you can call your own, but you'll get to experience how things are done and you'll be paid for it.  I don't use unpaid interns and assistants, everyone deserves a fair share of compensation for the time and effort spent.
 
I have a network of pros and amateurs that I've gathered from photo/video forums where I participate, I have contacts via Facebook groups for professionals and users/owners of the kinds of gear I use or the areas I cover.  Often when I travel, I just call them up or post a message asking "those in the region or near the location, anyone interested in collaborating?" if I have the budget to work with them.
 
Just as people helped me when I started out, I try to pass it on to others and help them out.  But I do have a short temper sometimes and can lose patience with people I feel are not putting in any effort while claiming "they love/enjoy the craft".

I'd drop him too from what I hear. Firstly he is 21, a grown ass man, not a kid imo. But if you get an oportunity like this you work hard. This guy seems to have a bit of a too laid back style and just hopes everything will come to him without him doing any real work. Like his father hooked him up with this work. I could see that happening if he was like 16 years old but not really 21. He should have been the one approching you asking for work in the first place. 
 
And being one hour late is not acceptable. Especially if you have access to a car. That he forgot to charge his battery can be an honest misstake, not a good one but it can be accepted. But it together with all other things. Like flirting with a bridesmade is very inapropriate and unproffesional. 
 
I'd drop him. There are a lot better people that are willing to work hard, listen and learn to become a better photographer and maybe get a chance to be one for real later in life. I've had several work where I have been expected to work hard and I have seen people do the same work that couldn't handle it. And those did not get a second chance. In my mind it doesn't feel like you got a amateur but more of a wannabe. 
 
(Also just for fun, would you look at my porfolio and say if I would be decently enough for work like assisting on shoots?)

Adobe LR has a batch watermarking template manager and tool.  In Photoshop you can just create an action.  In other image editing tools, some might have watermark templates to work with or you can add the watermark as a layer.
 
The question is: Are your photos worth watermarking?

Oh I didn't miss what you wrote, you completely did not understand what I wrote.  I didn't say I was recommending them or suggesting them.  I explained two ways in which software will allow you to add watermarks to your photos.  Either via a template and batch application tool or via applying layers.
 
As to the question whether your photos are worth watermarking or not, I guess they're not if the only solution you want is "I don't care, I just want whatever is free." then I guess you probably don't place too much value on them to use perhaps what might be a better tool.  Me, because I actually sell my photos or submit them to publications, I prefer having a tool that does a good job and can create something stylish that represents both my branding and the care I put into my work.
 
Watermarks do not ensure any security for your photos, they can be cropped out.  And most social media services tend to strip out the metadata info for a photo, especially the bit that contains copyright info and contact details.

Ahh really, guess I need to rethink my photography.... OH wait, nevermind, I got PAID for those photos and the company that hired me to create them loved it.
 
Man, you're a JOKE!

I know the feeling, when I pick up a good book I read it non-stop while working, on the bus, on a plane, in bed, etc. until it's finished.
 
James Clavell's Shogun is one of my favorite books and I first read it nearly thirty years ago as a kid.  The character John Blackthorne in the novel is loosely based on the real life Englishman, William Adams, who arrived in Japan just before Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toranaga Yoshi in the book) became Shogun.  William Adams was an influential figure, especially in the area of trade and Japan's relationships with other countries in that time, during the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate. 
 
Shogun is a great book and is more historically accurate than that crap shit of a movie called The Last Samurai.  I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Did you also read the news where one of their passengers was bitten by a scorpion? UA is not having any good days lately.

Did you also read the news where one of their passengers was bitten by a scorpion? UA is not having any good days lately.

On War is certainly not an easy book to read.  I first learned about the book because it was mentioned in Flag in Exile and I wanted to see how it compared to Sun Tzu.  There's another military strategist, Antoine-Henri Jomini, who also wrote some interesting books regarding war.  Jomini is often compared to Clausewitz.
 
There are a many key points to On War, here are some of them:
Clausewitz writes about the social, political and economic impacts and dynamics of warfare.  Both with the populace back home and the populace of the enemy. War is a continuation of politics by other means. That war is fought by human beings, who have emotions, fears, desires, etc. It is not necessarily the army with the better technology or more numerous soldiers that win the war, but a nation where the populace supports the war effort more than the enemy nation.  For example, look at the Vietnam War.  The US essentially lost because the populace back home became "war weary". If you read Heinlein's Starship Troopers, you'll see a passage in the book where one of the characters explain:
Which basically means that the intention of war is not always about annihilating the enemy but more of getting the enemy to do what you want them to do.  This I think is a Clausewitzian concept.
 
But it's a good book and I encourage you to take your time reading it.  Feel free to take a break and read another book or two in between, I did.

A historically inaccurate movie that once again portrays non-whites needing white people to save them and teach them about their culture and history.
 
Sean Connery Bond movies are from 40+ years ago, special effects tech and green screen editing tech wasn't as advanced as they are today due to improved digital editing that does a better job at cleaning things up and making the background replacement more realistic.

The producers might have developed the character Algren based off Jules Brunet, but when they start getting a lot of things wrong about the Satsuma Rebellion, including the fact that there's supposed to be some white guy who gets caught in the midst of it all, it's a shitty movie.
 
And so what if I show off that I'm actually aware of history.  Better than being an ignorant fool.
 
And I have nothing against Jules Brunet.  What I have against is the movie.

I expect a move to be historically accurate or at least be true to the historical events when they base the movie on historical events.
Movie: wants people to think the Satsuma Rebellion was about people wanting to protect their culture and way of life. History: Satsuma rebellion is about a bunch of people wanting to protect their privileged status as the top caste and trying to split the country into another civil war after just ending a previous one.

There's a big difference between taking artistic liberty and being historically inaccurate so far as to try and portray events as the opposite of what really happened.
 


And I should worry about ignorant people not taking me seriously, why?

And if you watched Band of Brothers, you'd realize they apologized and corrected some of the mistakes they made in the production of the show.  And the show itself is based off a book written by someone who was a bit careless in the research of history.
 
So it would be OK to make a movie about the real reason Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation due to the fact that he was gay and wanted to marry a black guy because it's inspired by historical events?
 
Well the last several comments seem to say otherwise, since you and a few other people do seem to care.

Monthy Python and the Holy Grail is a parody, they don't claim to be a movie based on history trying to portray accuracy.
 
If you're tired, feel free to leave.
 
I don't see anyone ever claiming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter being based on history.  Nor claim it was inspired by historical events.
 
Caring about the argument and caring about my corrections is basically the same thing, since I am giving reasons why The Last Samurai is a bad movie.
 
Well I wonder how your A's stand against someone who has a PHD in History.

If something is claimed to be based on history, it should remain true to the historical events and its essence.  Sadly The Last Samurai isn't.

And it's still a shitty movie.

Have you read the following?
Isaac Asimov: The Robot Series, Foundation Series Joe Haldeman: The Forever War Robert A. Heinlein: Starship Troopers Arthur C. Clarke: The Rama series Frank Herbert: The entire Dune series, including the ones written by his son Orson Scott Card: The Ender series and the Jason Worthing series M.M. Kaye: The Far Pavilions James Clavell: The Asian Saga Carl Von Clausewitz: On War David Weber: The Honorverse collection including the sub-series (Saganami Island, Kingdom of Torch and Manticore Ascendant series) Wu Cheng'en: Hsi Yu Chi Luo Guanzhong: Romance of the Three Kingdoms Shi Nai'an: The Water Margin Mahabbharata and Ramayana Daidoji Yuzan: Budoshoshinshu The Poetic Edda Miyamoto Musashi: Go Rin No Sho Yoshiki Tanaka: Ginga Eiyu Densetsu (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) Murasaki Shikibu: Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) Yeah I'm a bit heavy on sci-fi and Asian or Asian related literature.
 
Let me know if any of the stuff I mentioned isn't interesting enough and I'll recommend more.  The ones with non-western authors will have English translations available.