My passion is shooting outdoor lifestyle and documentary projects, and those shoots often require me to be on the go and in remote areas. Historically, getting an expensive jib or crane in those locations was not possible. With the Aviator Carbon Fiber Travel Jib, taking a jib into the field is not only possible, but easy for everyone.
I've been using Wacom tablets for almost ten years now to the date. I picked one up on a whim during the holiday season and have become hooked ever since. For these past few years, I've never considered changing the stylus that came with every tablet I've used. The stock stylus always felt great to me. Recently, I decided to give the Wacom classic pen stylus a try.
For event videographers, shooting in dimly lit conditions can be big challenge to deal with, and in certain cases an on-camera light is the solution. In this review of the LED Science LS-S6-20, I’ll tell you why this light may or may not be a good choice for you.
When I first started incorporating DSLR video into my photography business, I quickly realized that having smooth movement was paramount in creating great footage. In our quest to find the perfect DSLR slider, the Fstoppers team was excited with the announcement of the Redrock Micro's One Man Crew. But would this be the end all be all for sliders...we put it to the test.
A tripod is the go to device for photographers who want to stabilize their shots. The three adjustable legs do a great job at keeping a camera supported and in one position. However, these three legs create a huge problem when shooting in a small kitchen or busy restaurant. Let me share with you a piece of equipment that will stabilize your camera with no legs at all!
As a traveling photographer, I live and die by my travel gear. Certain situations call for different solutions and you just have to be prepared for all of them. My custom Pelican cases I once posted about get me just about everywhere, but those other times where I need to either be lighter on my feet or take less gear I have to look elsewhere...
Blogging is essential for photography. Not only does it provide an unique interaction with potential clients and fans of your work, but it’s also essential for SEO purposes. When building web presence, every expert in the field of SEO and Web Development will tell you to blog often, and this tool is essential for the modern day blogging photographer.
When it comes to bags, I’ve come close to seeing it all. I have a bag for basically any situation plus spares in each category. Over the years I’ve seen different designs from a broad range of manufacturers, and that means I’ve seen both good and bad ideas. Bags are seen as a commodity, and I won’t argue they aren’t.
With the growth of powerful and reliable small cameras, it’s only natural that photographers look for bag options that fit the new compact lifestyle. That said, if you’re like me, even if you plan on “downsizing,” you don’t want to give up too much, you just want a more compact version of what you already have.
An LED light kit for video is something I've always wanted to own. After years of using hot ARRI and Lowel lights, and renting LitePanels when the budget allowed, I discovered a company called Zabolight that was making LED panels and other fixtures at a much cheaper price. I purchased a kit of these, and did some testing to see how they compared to other more expensive brands.
You've been out shooting for 12 hours, you've got 4 cards full of data, it's midnight, and you have another shoot first thing in the morning. Wouldn't it be nice to have a solution that allows you to pop all those cards in a reader at one time thereby getting your download done 4x faster than if you did it with one card reader.
I was shocked at my favorite product this year at PPE. Mostly because it wasn't digital, electronic, or even made of glass. I was most impressed with a product that helps our capture workflow in studio and on location.
This week we purchased our first LED lights pad kit and I have never been more excited. After much debate on which kit, which manufacturer, how many lights, we finally pulled the trigger on the ROSCO Gaffers Lite Pad Axiom Kit sold at BH Photo. There are so many options on new lights today and the choices are overwhelming.
In 2012 I interviewed Carli Davidson regarding her animal portrait photography. She was able to bring out and show personality and emotion in our furry friends in a way that was truly unique. She recently released her book "SHAKE" which is filled with pages upon pages of dogs shaking off, caught in the action.
Last week I published an open letter to Adobe Lightroom written from the perspective of photographers that use the web gallery feature in Lightroom. It generated a decent amount of feedback both positive and negative. Many people told me that this couldn't be done and that Adobe would never offer something like this. Then I read a comment from a reader that was doing exactly what I wanted.
A reflector is a reflector. Right? That was my first thought when I was asked to be the first to review Profoto's new line of collapsible reflectors. "It's a reflector, are you serious?" I mean come on, in what possible way could this be any different from everything else I've used? A reflector is a reflector. However, obviously I said yes and here we are…and I was wrong.
I've been using a product called IndieMats for over a year now and I absolutely love them. My wife and I are big DIY'ers and decorated our daughter's room with them by creating a large collage of funny photos at a fraction of the cost of traditional frames. It's an awesome new way to display your photos with unique wall decor.
Induro is one of those companies that had a really slow start, but has worked extremely hard to climb their way to being a household name. My first few experiences with Induro (although brief) were not great. The build quality of their products left a lot to be desired. Oh how things have changed!
Before you shell out a ton of cash for a new MacBook consider a few DIY options that can drastically increase the performance of your machine. For me, there is nothing more frustrating than having a program take four minutes to open, having programs crash or the spinning beach ball of death. Computers, like most things, need occasional maintenance and tune ups.
I use PASS for my gallery systems. I use it because it’s pretty on both the computer and on mobile devices, something that Smugmug and Zenfolio sometimes fail on. The system is pretty expensive ($30 per gallery), and gets a lot of criticism for completely hustling photographers over with their print system and prices. To top it off, Pass creator has had his share of controversy.
Remember the Phottix Mitros speedlight? I loved this flash, and I wasn't the only one. Despite some complaints regarding the interface, generally there was only one other disappointment: no built in wireless receiver for their Odin transmitters. Phottix has now built them in, wiping aside the only place of complaint and making the Mitros+ instantly a speedlight you should seriously consider.
Online storage through "the cloud" is one of the best ways to ensure your files are safe and secure from failure, fire, and theft. "The cloud" has also typically been a super expensive place to store a ton of content until now. I stumbled upon a way to store the bulk of my photos online through a website service called Zenfolio, which you've probably heard of.
Phottix has been steadily working its way up the ladder when it comes to reliable and affordable photography equipment. Much like Yongnuo, Phottix started in the marketplace as somewhat unreliable, but in recent years has done a lot to turn that around. Introduced a few months ago, the Phottix Luna collapsible beauty dish caught many an eye as a perfect answer for beauty lighting on the go.
I love free stuff, who doesn't. After going through the software and services I use to run my business, I was pleasantly surprised how many were free. I do not mind paying for software, but I also don't mind using software that may have ads running to pay the developers.
The always entertaining Kai from DigitalRev TV takes to the streets, armed with 3 different models of Canon 50mm lenses: The 1.8, 1.4, and 1.2L. Using phrases like "sphincter twitching" and "buying meth", he colorfully illustrates his points about choosing the right lens based on your budget and compares the look and feel of each model.