April 2018

Imagine that all the other photographers in Western Australia have disappeared. Vanished, never to return. Gone painlessly, to leave only you. You, the only person with a camera and a computer and an editing program. You with the only printer and stash of paper.  No more shops, no more seminars, no more camera clubs or conferences or product launches. No more art directors or TAFE courses or juried print judging live on the internet. No more photo walks. Just. You. Now...

" Premium Experience " is a phrase that we sometimes encounter in photographic and general advertising. It signifies the desire of a manufacturer to present a product in such a way that the buyer values it at a higher level before they buy it...

Perhaps that should be " The Italian-French Leg Show " as I see a ' Made In Italy ' sticker on the end of the Gitzo box. But you must forgive an old shop assistant for being cynical - it was part of the qualifications for the job. Of course, every now and then the makers of gear peak that curiosity - in this case the other part of the Gitzo label that caught the eye was the line that said '' Genuine Product ". I am sure the contents of the boxes are just that...

Before this starts to sound like Goldilocks, I must hasten to add that I am writing about a Lowepro product  - a bag designed for mirror-less camera systems  and the averae tourist user. Whether you use it for bear-hunting or porridge-stealing is your own affair. The Lowepro m-Trekker SH 150 is a shoulder bag designed for a mirror-less body plus one or two of the smaller lenses and a few of the smaller accessoties that one would use on a day's travel.   Note the silencer tabs for the velcro and the little card pouch concealed under them. Also note the slim but strong padding in the compartment  - your camera and optics are safe in a crowd. If this all sounds like a little deal...

The early days of aviation, automobiles, and railways all had several things in common; the look of the first airplanes, cars, and steam engines was unusual. Unusual in that the devices had not been seen before, and unusual in that they do not resemble anything that we see now. They were cutting-edge technologies for their times and claimed the right to be that new sight in the land. No-one knew what the standard shape should be - as a result, there were some odd-bods...

There are two photographers who have it taped - who will be able to succeed with any assignment, any project, any inspiration. They are: a. The person who has every single lens ever made for their camera. b. The person who has only one lens. Everyone else will be wallowing in a sea of indecision and angst - our two stars will be cool and confident: a. The optik-meister can call on the exact lens  - from their 5 acre climate controlled warehouse - to deal with any image. The perfect focal length to match the angle of view - the perfect aperture to capture just enough sharpness - the perfect focusing system to hit the exact plane that they want. No compromises - no half measures. If the image needs an 89.5 mm lens with an f:1:1.7 1/2 aperture it is there on the shelf - a bespoke one-off masterpiece grown on the south slopes of the Ruhr valley under a full moon. Just clip off the kit lens and snap on perfection. If the subject moves or the light changes, send the valet...

I love photo lights. From the simplest wind-up pocket flashlight to the most expensive studio power pack and heads, I think they are just great. Because I have a simple philosophy when it comes to images - things look better if you can actually see what they are. Those of you who deal in mystery, darkness, underexposure, and lack of focus are welcome to it - I want light on the subject. So I use monolight strobes in the studio and speedlights in the field. Elinchrom and Fujifilm respectively. The former are perfect as they are fed from the mains power and recycle almost instantly. They have massive power and any number of light modifier reflectors and softboxes. They are fully adjustable by simple means - slider controls in the back of the heads and simply moving them back and forth on their studio stands. There are modelling lights to suggest what the actual flash is going to do. ( Though like all suggestions they are open to suspicion...