Like most people of my age - a certain age - I get nostalgic. It's sort of a mental version of acid reflux. But not near as much fun. The good old days for me were the 1950's and 60's - and as a photographer they were a pretty good combination of then-new analogue tech and much older equipment. Things were around, and famous names were still famous. And you could get real hamburgers for 25¢...
A recent evening on YouTube - I only read it for the articles - sent me to a British photographer's show and stopped me in my tracks. He talked about bags. Like a lot of photographers I have a number of bags and cases that store and tote my photographic gear. I am not quite as bad as one former CE employee who admitted to eleven separate bags and cases in their possession at any one time. I'm sure I have had eleven over the years but never at one time. At present I can count seven camera bags and a tripod bag and I really do need each one...
First rule is to leave money - plenty of it. Second rule is to leave pictures - plenty of them. Third rule is to digitise them before you go. If you fail in any of these you will still be departed, but you won't be dear. You'll be viewed in another light - particularly if you only leave 50 shoeboxes of old prints. Ask me. About five years ago an in-law went into a nursing home and eventually came out again...
Instead of 150 pointless ones. The amount of time you will save in post-processing - and the money you'll save for travel, doughnuts, and penicillin injections - over the year will amaze you. People will stop you in the street and beg you for your autograph - on cheques. The One Good Shot - hereafter referred to as OGS - can be the one that has the most artistry, the most emotion, the most colour, or the most action. It really depends on whoever is wielding the criterion at the time. That could be an editor, judge, client, or club pest. Make it your own decision, and you gain a lot more control over your photography, not to say your own tranquillity. There's a practical way to do this: a. Decide what you want. Really. Do you want colour? Do you want action? Do you want emotion? Do you want a doughnut? Pick one overarching thing about the photo that you are going after and let that guide you toward getting it. If you decide on the doughnut, ask for extra cinnamon. b. Think up where...
Very little - but the occasional painful flashes of revelation will do it every time. And recently I have been having more of them in regard to the video business. Note: it's not a business as such with me. I get paid in model airplanes and home-made curries - with only the occasional injection of cash. Still shooting's another matter, but video is still so new to me that I don't feel I can legitimately gouge wallets yet. However, that day is coming...
Camera Electronic knows some pretty interesting people - and if you come along to our shop for the evening talks you'll get to meet them. Monday night brought us Russell Ord - and he brought us news of the new Fujifilm X-H2 camera in action. Russell and Fujifilm Australia set out to try the new camera - a pre-release model - in his special place - the surf off the coast of New South Wales. No better man to operate the camera - Russell is a dedicated Fujifilm user. He currently does surfing and commercail work with several models from Fujifilm - including the X-T4 and one of the GFX cameras. He's got a dedicated underwater housing that mounts these two with just a change in a back plate - he volunteered to use it with the new X-H2 in the water. And what water! He knows the coastline and the difficult surf areas from lon experience and can set up for either ambient seascape shots or full-on on-the-water action. He's out there trying to stay at the top of the...
We've all seen some social media meme like this - showing some abject failure that we can laugh at. What if we showed you a focussed success? This Sunwayfoto LB-90 Levelling Base is...
And a lot of things around you - its a Joby Beamo - a portable LED light for the smaller camera. I do not own one, but I do own a portable LED light that sort of reminds me of this product. So I have a little experience with the idea - and the idea is a good one. In the case of the Joby Beamo, it has features that my more basic light lacks - it can be charged electronically with out the need to connect a cord to an internal socket. It can be stacked in four's for a lot more light output. It is waterproof to 100 ft. And it comes with a soft plastic diffusion dome that clips on the front. To be fair, I could have had some of those features with mine had I opted for a deluxe kit, but as it is I get great value out of it. The uses of these lights: a. Video recording with small cameras or mobile phones. This is particularly useful for the selfie vlogger. b. Still camera shooting with...
Hope Jerry Lee Lewis doesn't mind me using his classic line...
You're a real person - with real needs and feelings - and a real head on your shoulders. Now's the time to use it and make sure that it stays there - and can still function. Wanderlust in Murray Street is a wonderful place to wander into and lust about the goods on sale. Some of the bigger and better toys are transport-oriented; specifically the Segways, the electric scooters, and the electric vehicles like go-karts, motor cycles, and bicycles. All modern, well-built, stylish, andffast. And all able to kill you just like that if you let them. The business of wearing some form of head protection is second nature to a lot of jobs; the Army, the construction industry, the Air Force, the racing game. Every racing car driver wears a very sophisticated helmet when they drive on a track. Every motorcyclist with an ounce of good sense does so as well. Oh you'll see some on the roads without them, but re-read that last sentence and figure out what is missing...