Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
I have been searching for over a decade, I am pretty sure there is no perfect bag for all photography uses.
Recently I have changed the way I been traveling and shooting, which has lead to some change in the kit I use and how I carry it. I have ended up with a few different bags which fit together in some kind of ‘bag eco-sphere’. Let me know in the comments which bags I might check out next, or if there are better options to choose from.
Mainly, I do photography for fun, and I like experimenting with random stuff to get unusual effects in my photos. For my birthday last year, a got a brilliant shiny cosmetic purse from a friend. It instantly became my favorite traveling companion, but I also immediately saw the potential for using it in my photos.
There have been a few occasions this year that I have used this little purse for photography, combining it with the LED flashlight on my smartphone. And I must say: I’m surprised by the funky lighting effects you can achieve with just two everyday items!
Late last year my wife and I had to say goodbye to one of our beloved dogs Sophie. She was far too young and her loss was devastating. After several months one of my breeder clients (Kristen from Zero Gravity Australian Shepherds) announced a litter coming. I have photographed many of her litters and have used her dogs as models in many of my concept shoots. We have always admired her dogs so we decided it was time to add a puppy to our home.
Ever had to carry a C-Stand from one place to another? If you do you know how cumbersome it is. It’s big. It’s heavy and those legs just seem to get stuck everywhere. If only there was a bag for them…
Enter Matthews. (they say they invented C-stand, but I am really not that old to know this…). Matthews came up with two bags to transport C-Stands; one to put on your shoulder, and one with wheels.
Travelling to make photographs can be challenging. One of the big tasks is figuring out what to pack. You want to pack as little as possible, but you don’t want to leave vital gear at home. In this video, landscape photographer Thomas Heaton talks about the equipment he’s travelled with to spend time shooting landscapes in Hawaii.
Thomas is very clear. This isn’t “travel photography”, this is “travelling to do photography” and there’s a difference. It’s not the kind of kit you’d want to pack for a trek up a mountain. There just wouldn’t be enough room left in the bag for all the extra kit you’d want. But, it is a handy set of gear for travelling between wherever you’re staying and wherever you’re going to shoot.
So elections have you down. Don’t be sad, it is a windfall for anybody needing construction material for your camera storage options. Recently some folks came up with a more modular idea to fill your Pelican style cases. Essentially, they are correlated plastic with some foam glued to them using some bent wire to fit them all together, like a Lego set.
Some gear needs extra protection especially when going on an outdoor production. Here is how to quickly make a hard case to protect your gear. I am actually going to use part of the packaging that the gear was sent with. While this is not a solution for every piece of gear, it is often a quick and solid way to protect your gear.
I recently started using the Feiyu Tech 3 Axis Gimbal. Being a small piece with some electronics inside, I wanted to protect it when going on productions, but the hard case was not yet in stock. I still needed the gimbal, so I went ahead and got it, figuring that I will figure the hard case later.
As many camera gear pieces, the gimbal came in a cardboard box. Luckily, that cardboard box was fitted with hard foam insert, and the different pieces of the gimbal (charger, batteries, cables) are nicely tucked inside that protective foam.
BOOM! I knew what to do.
This is a hands-on review of a bag that solves the age old problem of never having your camera with you. Many photographers bought a camera with great intentions, a camera that’s now gathering dust for one reason – it won’t fit in your pocket. So, it gathers dust and you shoot with your iPhone instead.
This bag is the CosySpeed Streetomatic and it’s currently available as a crowd funding project that needs your support. It’s $65/55, comes in blue, black or Khaki and the link is here.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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