Think Tank asked me to check out this rolling bag and my back thanks them. This is a really nice bag to travel with.
Buy it here
Total Solar Eclipse 2017: A Guide to Viewing and Photographing it
This August 21st a total solar eclipse will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. This is a huge event and a great opportunity for us photographers.
The last time a total eclipse was visible from this country outside of Alaska or Hawaii was 1979 in the Pacific Northwest. February clouds unfortunately obscured it.
In this video, I’ll explain why this total solar eclipse is so special, share some online maps and electronic scouting tools to help you plan where and how to photograph it, go over what gear you’ll need to get the best eclipse images possible and talk about some camera settings and technical strategies to capture those images. (Links are below)
Read MoreLume Cube Video Review
This little light is impressive. It's built to abuse, ridiculously powerful, waterproof, tiny, affordable and energy efficient. After testing it out, it's earned a spot in my bag. In this 5 minute video review I'll show you why.
Get one for your next adventure:
Why I Prefer Fluid Heads For Photography, Part 1
I'm frequently asked what the weird looking tripod head in my training videos is and why I use it. I use fluid heads. Wondering what a fluid head is? Watch this video to see why you might prefer one too. If you know about fluid heads, but you think they are too expensive, heavy or complicated, watch this video to see me debunk that. I think that anyone who regularly uses a ball head will have a hard time going back after using a fluid head for just one photo shoot.
Update: Part 2, Connecting Your Camera
Here's a list of the gear I feature in this video with Amazon links.
Manfrotto MVH500AH Fluid Head (1.9 lbs /$135 It's an insane deal on a better head)
Spare Fluid Head Plate (for long lenses, etc)
Arca Swiss Clamp (I screw this to the head's mounting plate)
2nd Clamp (clamp this into the clamp above to fit lens foot rails at 90 degrees)
Induro Grand Stealth Carbon Tripod (choose the style & size)
Induro Leveling Adaptor (leveling bowl and flat mount that I use)
Alternate bowl and leveling adaptor (a little cheaper)
Leveling adaptor for non-bowl Tripod (if you want to use this with center-column legs)
Acratech Ultimate Ballhead (my ultralight setup)
Wimberly Sidekick (the gimbal ballhead adaptor I show at the end)
Cheaper alternative to Sidekick (I haven't used this, but it gets good reviews)
Sachtler FSB-6 (my favorite head, but 4.4 pounds and over $1200)
Gitzo GT3543XLS (my favorite tripod, so tall, light, versatile, and expensive)
Gearing Up For Kauai
Here's the photo gear I chose to take to Kauai. It's never an easy process.
Gear Links:
Digital Travel Scale
Zeiss lens wipes
Hoya Solas IRND Filters
Sony A6300
My complete updated gear list
What's in My Camera Bag?
Updated November 1, 2016:
I am often asked what camera gear I carry on my adventures. The answer really depends on where I'm going and what I'm looking to accomplish. If I'm shooting candid travel scenes in a crowded urban area, I'm going to take a different setup than I'd pack for an expedition or a commercial location shoot. Here is a description of what I currently use and why. I'll keep this post updated and...
Read MoreMy First Day With Google's New Pixel Phone
Our new Google Pixel phones arrived Saturday. Here's a video with my impression after using this flagship Android device for the first day. Yeah, the phone is amazing and it's camera is fantastic.
Here is a dropbox link for you to download a few full resolution shots from yesterday. These are straight out of the Pixel's camera with no edits.
Be sure to buy your Pixel phones direct from Google for the reasons I state in the video.
Must have accessories:
- USB-Micro to USB-C adaptor: You don't need to buy all new cords with these.
- Case: I'm using these nice cheap ones until Google gets it's nicer cases back in stock.
- Portable Quick Charge 3.0 Backups. Amazing deal on a compact one and/or a large capacity one. These will both take advantage of Pixel's super fast charging ability.
Here are some pics...
Read MoreGearing Up: South Padre Island with Pike
This Tuesday Stacey, Pike, a few friends and I head out for a Kitesurfing and photo adventure on South Padre, a barrier island just off Texas. It's a place with warm water and steady wind. At seven weeks old it's Pike's first big trip and I'm stoked to capture not just landscape and action photos, but also of to document his first beach island experience. How much gear do we need for this? We made this one minute video to highlight the challenge of packing for air travel with photo gear, kite gear and Pike's accessories. I'll be posting on Facebook and Instagram along the way.
Fast and Light: Skiing & Photographing Mount Saint Helens 2016
Join me and some northwest friends for a spring backcountry-ski and split-board trip up 5,800 feet to the crater rim of Mount Saint Helens. In this five minute video I cover the camera gear I carry for this kind of fast-and-light photo/video adventure and how I carry it to both protect my gear and maximize accessibility. I also briefly discuss my approach to photographing fast moving action such as snow-sports.
I keep getting the question, "what about the baby?" I had to discourage Stacey from carrying Pike part way up on snowshoes because of the weather, but we did take him kiteboarding on the coast last week. ;-)
Gear: Below is a list of links to the photo/video equipment I carried on this trip.
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At Lago Torre, Argentina.
2015: What Photo Gear Is In My Bag?
I am often asked what camera gear I carry on my adventures. The answer really depends on where I'm going and what I'm looking to accomplish. If I'm shooting candid travel scenes in a crowded urban area, I'm going to take a different setup than I'd pack for an expedition or a commercial location shoot. Here is a description of what I regularly carry for travel photography and why.
Read More