Has high gas prices slowed you down?

This may affect some of you, but with high gas prices has it effected you ability to get out and shoot?

For me yes, I go only close to home or not at all, I used to travel as far as 100 miles to shoot, not now, I very seldom go more than a few miles from home.

Also with the slow down of economy the company I work for reduced personnel, went from 4 12hr shifts to 3-8hr shifts 5 days aweek, so I got bumped back to 2nd shift from days, and 5 days per week.

Locally gas is $3.79, and drive a Jeep wrangler with big tires, and a 3inch lift kit, mpg avgs, about 16mpg sooooh- I have to stay closer to home, I go to our local zoo about 4-5 miles from home, or a wetlands same distance, and car shows in area.

Now I'm not blaming anyone but ourselves for the prices,we wanted to drive dinosaures so now the bubble has burst, and we pay.

Really it means I have to get creative in close to home subjects, and think out of the envelope.
Whats your feelings? how are you all handling the change?

Rubicon:

Here in the UK gas is $ 10.00 a gallon!

Not that I enjoy paying more, but personally I think most of the griping is overrated. So it costs me $10 more a week to fuel up my tank...I'm not going to let that kill my life. Compensate it out. Eat in once more a week, or hit starbucks up less...We're used to being able to overspend and spoil ourselves...we still can but be smart about it.
--
http://gallery.FTBPhotography.com

Well,

since I'm a housewife I drive very little as it is. So I go when I do. Luckily I can shoot a bit from the house.

I'm actually doing as little as possible due to the fact that my husband has basically been out of work since the end of the first week of December last year. He's a Steadicam Camera Operator & the writer's strike which has caused us all to watch so many reruns all year put a lot of people out of work. My husband got one day last week, that's his first day in near six months. Now ask me if I dislike writers..... Oh, I'll answer that - - - - I would gladly string them up for what their two last strikes have cause us. :-( Any protruding parts they may have will be in danger if I run into them. Actually.....I'm too much of a prude according to Andrea.

Anyhow, in order to keep sane I try to get out to shoot. Friday I drove to Malibu Lagoon, that's at least 45minutes of a drive in each direction just to get some time out of the house.

I drive a Toyota Tundra which gives me about 18 mpg on the highway. But I drive so little that one day at most once a week (if even) is something I feel I should do to help my photography, my headaches, my sanity & general well being to try to get some fresh air in Los Angeles.

So - - no I'm ignoring the fact that I now have to pay over $ 70.00 to fill up my tank.

Lil

P.S. I need the truck to tow the horses to shows & for lessons. If not I'd have something far more reasonable.....
--

The beginning of a gallery, showing my progression with help from caring friends especially on DPR, can be visited by friends & family at

http://lilknytt.zenfolio.com/

Shaun432x said:

Here in the UK gas is $ 10.00 a gallon!

Click to expand...

True, but the distances are much shorter. Great Britain would fit into Texas with room for two more. To your credit, public transportation is much better and the cars most people drive are more efficient. Taxes on fuel in G.B. and elsewhere have always kept the price higher than the U.S. Add to that a weak dollar and you have a recipe for higher fuel prices. I drive a car that gets about 33 mpg on the road. I will soon pick up a Honda Fit.
--
Respond to rudeness with civility, it really annoys them.

Regards,

JR

Rubicon,
Yes, for me too. I have cut down on my "pleasure" driving quite a bit.
I have a similar vehicle to yours.

Used to be that the cost of gas was pretty much not a factor in when and if I decided to drive somewhere to shoot photo's. Now, I make sure that I really have a plan and want to go. If not, I stay close to home and shoot familiar objects.

I also agree that we can adjust and we all will but the cost of fuel is having an effect on the way we spend our time now a days.

It's a tough one for me too. Our main vehicle is a Ford Expedition, which has a HUGE appetite. Considering the current gas prices, there has definitely been some limitations posed against traveling concerns. I am blessed to be able to have a motorcycle, which is a far cry better on fuel consumption, and which yet allows me to be able to get out to some near distant areas. But I can appreciate what you're saying, about turning a creative eye towards subject matters in & around your home - and this is also what I am beginning to do.
--
Blessings,
Nathan

For me, I do that those looong side trips to & from work when in the field or if time spares. I do cut back on some things to compensate for the increased expenses, like Starbucks or dinning out frequently, and taking the Subaru more often than my Jeep Cherokee. I'll just try to curb the demand for oil by doing my part when I can and try to keep more USD in my pocket than give it up to the greed of both Big Oil and the Saudis...

As far as comparing gas petro prices, you can't really say $10 in England bites more into the home budget than $4 in the USA. You need to compare salaries for similar jobs and other cost of living expenses. Here is a question for you folks across the pond: a Geologist or a teacher making $60,000 USD with 15 yrs experiance makes what in England? How much is rent or a home with 1800 sq ft of livable space? Thanks.
--
Dejan Smaic

http://dejansmaic.smugmug.com

I am also staying closer to home, for health reasons as well as the high cost of gas.

I used to think nothing of getting in the car and go out searching for something to shoot. In Kansas, that can take awhile. Now I am going out very little and really thinking about where I want to go and for what. I wanted to travel the state and find the beauty of Kansas this summer but am not getting that accomplished because of gas prices and the higher cost of everything.

Hopefully, if it works out, I will be taking possession of a Toyota Prius the end of June. At 48 - 52 mpg highway and 45 mpg city, it will be nice

-Denise
--
Play Like A Champion Today
'Remember the qualities that form the foundation of success:
discipline, self-confidence, determination and perserverance'
Ara Parseghian

Get the Honda Electrical instead. A neighbor has one & it's so quiet it's wonderful.

The hybrids take less gas, but are actually environmentally not better due to their alternative energy input from all I'm learning.

Lil
--

The beginning of a gallery, showing my progression with help from caring friends especially on DPR, can be visited by friends & family at

http://lilknytt.zenfolio.com/

With the exception of healthcare & parts of the welfare, state I'm affraid you Americans don't know how well off you are compared to us Brits!

I believe your average earnings are 10% or so higher than ours & your daily living expenses ( food, power, heating, insurance, taxes etc.) are similar to ours.

However your large capital items, (house, car) plus clothing & electrical items are 50% 60% what ours are.

When I visited America last year it appears that a $500,000 home is considered upmarket & would usually buy 4/5 bedrooms, air con. & a large plot. Our average house price is about $420,000 (£210,000) & would buy a 3 bedroom house of about 1,500 sq. ft. with a small garden & no air con. (not nessesairy for our 3 day heatwave each year!)

In many of our major towns & cities that price would easily rise to some where between $600 & $800,000 & a million dollars in many parts of London.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw a car mag. write up on a BMW 330 on a trip to the US in 2005 which quoted the price for a fully loaded version as £23,000, 4 year warrenty & 5 years servicing 9 or possibably the other way round, I can't remember). The same car here was & is about £35,000 with a 3 year warrenty & no servicing. Your magazine comment was 'Great car, shame it's so expensive'! Plus, as has already been mentioned, you don't pay $10 a gallon for fuel. This is why we all drive round in funny 'Mickey Mouse' cars as one New Yorker said to me.

Would you like to change places with us?

...at least here in the USA. What we are paying now is what most civilized countries have been paying for years. The government should have imposed higher taxes on gas also here to steer energy consumption to more reasonable levels and used the money to develop alternative fuels. Gas from oil is not forever. Best to get used to it. Energy has been too cheap.

And by the way, gas costs even now are so low that it does not impact my travel and driving at all. I seems you can still get great deals even on airline tickets.

--
Kind regards
Kaj
http://www.pbase.com/kaj_e
WSSA member

As for me, not much I can do except to buy a three cylinder Metro, not go on trips and cut less grass [which is not a bad thing]. But since I have to drive 50 miles round trip for work, I'm complaining. The US government needs to do something. Until then [not holding my breath] you could do this. Took this yesterday with my D70, thought this was quite humorous.



Mark

--



This is me Post Processing. If only I can get it right the first time!

Full time auto tech, part time photographer. Mark Thompson/MTT
Louisville, KY. USA

Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'.. but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?

http://markthompsonphotos.com

Canaryfan: I travel quite a bit and agree with you. We (USA) are spoiled and mostly don't realize it. Having said that, we do drive long distances by necesiity and are enamored with cars and driving - in large part due to our distances between work & home and lack of decent public transportation.

We are going to have to change SOMETHING however because it will only get worse.

I too reconsider any driving I do and no longer take those drives to look for photos or explore new areas. I drive a small car that gets 30 mpg but still am being frugal.

This is a photo and not political area so I won't go there............but how were things 7 1/2 years ago?
--
Oscar



http://www.flickr.com/photos/22388579@N08/

I understand, how it effects everyone differantly, No I doubt I will get rid of my Jeep had it ten yrs, I love it everyday I drive it. My wife and I are looking at a new car and plan on keeping our old one for me to drive, and park the Jeep for bad weather or top off summer driving.

I have built me a bird photo spot in back yard so I stay home and shoot song birds, and a pesky squirrel, that I can't run off.

I don't expect prices to come down on near future, I know how Europeans had high prices for decades, but 10.00 wow! us yanks would go nuts at that price, but you know what? people are still driving as if prices were $1.00 p/gal. I see no sign of trying to conserve, and us yanks have short memorys I still remember the 1973 oil embargo, and all the rage for small cars, but soon we jumped back to our "guzzlers" and forgot all about it, your right Americans have no right to complain about prices, we always want someone else to do somthing but don't interrup my life, no don't ask me to change.

I'm working with the change, changing my driving style, consolidate trips, and shooting closer to home.

Hope everyone can enjoy our upcomming driving season, and you folks accross the "pond" good luck.

Rubicon:

Regardless of what country you live in, I think there's a bigger root problem. An Oligopoly + a bit of collusion = distorted market cost. Exxon-Mobile made something like $5.7 Billion in profit last quarter. I think that and maybe OPEC are the real problems. It's hard to know what the solution is though, or if there is even one single solution, since the problem is bigger than any one market.

Either way, maybe it's a good time to spend more time on macro work and see what I can do around the neighborhood, lol.

Hi,

i'm just back from NY.

I noticed the complaining about the high gas prices. also a NY colleague of me mentioned the travel costs he makes now are giving him shivers.

And they are funny for me in a way. what you pay for a gallon we pay more for a litre. So all is relative...so is the fuel consumption of a car. might be the size of the car (engine) is part of the Amerikastan dream, not sure but if so this dream will change for sure.

By this you think quite locally also...fuel prices will drive up everything from health costs to the production of camera's to that of toilet paper. Can you imagine the cost of a roll of toilet paper in 10 years? than we are really in deep sh*t...

I use a small 'energy friendly' car and mostly my bicycle in a 20 km radius or public transport, get used to it, it is not so hard.

And besides we have great leaders which we can trust and do not lie about gas, the environment, the amount and the relation of those 3.

So look at the past and sleep well, dream good and everything will become okay...

Michel

rubicon said:

This may affect some of you, but with high gas prices has it effected
you ability to get out and shoot?
For me yes, I go only close to home or not at all, I used to travel
as far as 100 miles to shoot, not now, I very seldom go more than a
few miles from home.
Also with the slow down of economy the company I work for reduced
personnel, went from 4 12hr shifts to 3-8hr shifts 5 days aweek, so I
got bumped back to 2nd shift from days, and 5 days per week.
Locally gas is $3.79, and drive a Jeep wrangler with big tires, and
a 3inch lift kit, mpg avgs, about 16mpg sooooh- I have to stay closer
to home, I go to our local zoo about 4-5 miles from home, or a
wetlands same distance, and car shows in area.
Now I'm not blaming anyone but ourselves for the prices,we wanted to
drive dinosaures so now the bubble has burst, and we pay.
Really it means I have to get creative in close to home subjects, and
think out of the envelope.
Whats your feelings? how are you all handling the change?

Rubicon:

Click to expand...

--
~ Light is eveything ~
http://www.fotopropaganda.com
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda

My brother works for shell (it's an oil company), he explained me a bit about the situation going on. It has more to do with market speculation and crisis speculations. There is really still enough oil, and a couple of new large prodcution fields are just openend.

however the demand of oil/natural based fuel will rise enormously the coming 10 years. So things have to change.

Oil and economic analists are not so worried about the oil price, they are more worried about the unstabile market. Hard to make (price) predictions and strategies. the main reason the uS is in Iraq (and surrounding nations) is to keep the oil price stabile as possible not to get the oil. So after the Bush change there will for sure not be much change in iraq.

Michel

novkemen said:

Regardless of what country you live in, I think there's a bigger root
problem. An Oligopoly + a bit of collusion = distorted market cost.
Exxon-Mobile made something like $5.7 Billion in profit last quarter.
I think that and maybe OPEC are the real problems. It's hard to know
what the solution is though, or if there is even one single solution,
since the problem is bigger than any one market.

Either way, maybe it's a good time to spend more time on macro work
and see what I can do around the neighborhood, lol.

Click to expand...

--
~ Light is eveything ~
http://www.fotopropaganda.com
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda

Not really because of the gas prices, no. However, because of the economy in general, and outsourcing, I am becoming very worried that I won't have my job much longer. So, I have been quite a bit more careful about what I do and what I spend my money on. I am going to start working on paying my house off much more quickly now. So that means I won't be traveling much, if at all, and will be cutting down on things like that.

It's not just the gas prices, there is a combination of many factors. The gas prices are almost insignificant compared to the outsourcing and other issues with the economy here in the U.S.
--
Scott A.

Actually the technology is the same in all hybrids. Toyota developed the important parts and sold it to everyone else. They taught us that in Australia at a meeting several years ago.

I am still grudgingly driving around to hunt for purty things to shoot and it cost me $65 to fill up my SC-430 last week. UGH!!

And we have plenty of oil right outside my door in the Gulf Of Mexico and it affects no one to drill there. Go figure.
--
Barb
thru the lens and into the world~~

http://www.allenpix.smugmug.com