Posts | Dan Bailey's Adventure Photography Blog

Notes And Photos From Denali National Park, Alaska

I spent last week up in Denali National Park, tromping around in the backcountry and shooting for one of my favorite clients. Each and every time I visit Denali, I’m reminded about how much I absolutely love the place and wonder why I don’t get up there more often. It’s without any doubt one of my favorite places on earth.

I could go on and on about how much I was moved by the magnificence of the wilderness, but that might bore you. Instead, here are some photos of my trip and a few notes that describe this particular trip.

Grizzly bear. Shot from the window of the park bus. So far, I’ve seen a bear every time I go into the park, but this was the closest. I think that the park service could go so far as to guarantee refunds to people who don’t see bears in Denali.

One of the best things about riding the park shuttle busses is looking around and seeing what camera everyone has. I sometimes find myself obsessed with this activity as I try and spot all the Nikons on the bus. Makes me feel good, like I’m part of a team.

On this trip, I kept my eyes open for signs of the elusive D800. Didn’t see any, but I did drool with fond memories over this guy’s well-worn Nikon F5 that was apparently imported from the past. (The F5’s advertising tagline was “imported from the future.”) Mine is sitting in a box back in Colorado.

Anyway, this enthusiastic young fellow, who’s name is Justin, almost missed the bus in his eagerness to go exploring at every stop. He reminded me of someone I know and also reminded me of the time two years ago, when in my own eagerness, I failed to make it back to my bus at the rest stop. It, and all my gear, drove off without me. I got it all back a few hours later.

Clearing clouds, seen from Eilsen visitors center at 8:30 AM. It’s said that weather inside the park is so unpredictable in the summertime. Not so, I think. You can always count on being teased by random bits of sunshine and then given large doses of clouds, rain, fog that play tricks on you and hide the mountains from view.

I was fortunate to see Mt. McKinley on my way into the park, but by the time I got back to Wonder Lake, it had disappeared. My hopes of capturing a classic sunset/sunrise photo of the mountain will have to wait until next time.

Tundra. I love the tundra landscapes in Denali. I could tromp around on the tundra all day long. Hey, wait. That’s just what I did. Three days of exploring soft rolling hillsides, with only the sounds in my ears being wind, rushing water and the occasional spattering of raindrops on my jacket.

Whenever my energy levels dropped, I found sustenance by eating handfuls of these little blue berries. So sweet and delicious, no wonder the bear like them so much! I wonder what they’re actually called.

This one is titled “Caribou tracks and a birch tree that refuses to succumb to the McKinley River.”

Shot this one with the Fujifilm X10. In fact, I used the X10 quite a bit on this trip; I kept it slung around one shoulder with my D700 around the other.

Since the X10 has such great macro capabilities, I often used it for shooting closeups and intimate details of the park.

Also, the image processor on the X10 is so good, I find that photos shot on overcast days need less tweaking in Lightroom than RAW files from my Nikon DSLR bodies. This photo is straight JPEG with absolutly no color or tonal correction.

Changing fireweed. Macro shot made with the X10. Shot in Aperture Priority, straight JPEG mode with no adjustments. I just love the way the X10 renders colors.

Early autumn colors are starting to appear on the tundra. Yes, I know, fall is on the way. Don’t remind me, I’m not ready for summer to be over yet. Another macro image made with the X10.

Evening clearing, or rather partial clearing off in the distance. Seen from my campsite at Wonder Lake.

Home now. Can’t wait to go back.

August 20, 2012

Notes And Photos From Denali National Park, Alaska

Creative Tips, Featured Images

Photographing In The Garden With Speedlights

Sunny day, yet I have a broken rib. Can’t really mountain bike or go scramble around in the mountains. Getting a little stir crazy, so what to do? How about shooting photos of flowers in my yard?

Highly inspired by my friend Carl Battreall, I decided to try my own hand at shooting flash lit garden closeups.

The technique is very straightforward. You isolate your subject from the rest of the world with a white background and then light it with flash. This removes its relationship to the rest of the environment and allows you to appreciate the intimate and individual quality of the object. Subject without context. Beauty on its own.

Your background can either be a white board, or a suitably sized softbox. I used my Photoflex TritonFlash to blast the subject from the back, which created the sea of white. Depending on how close I was shooting, I used the Photoflex Octodome NXT or the 24″ Photoflex WhiteDome.

Really any softbox will do, even something like the Lumiquest Softbox III, and the Lumiquest Softbox LTP would work well to create the white background, as would a white diffuser like a Lumiquest TriGrip, or a white pillowcase. Both are For the main illumiation, I used a Nikon SB-800 inside another Octodome NXT, which I placed anywhere from 45-90 degrees off axis to the camera.

Camera was the Nikon D700, lens was 50mm f/1.8, although a dedicated macro lens would obviously let you get closer. Triggering in this configuration can be done in multiple ways, but I used a single radio remote to fire the TritonFlash, which in turn triggered the SB-800, which was set to optical slave SU-4 mode. Exposures were all about 1/160 at f/22.

Once in Lightroom, I simply tweaked the whites and highlight exposure to finish blowing out any remaining shadows and textures from the softbox that might have shown up on the background.

I have to say that I was also inspired to do this after reading the book Photographing Flowers by Harold Davis that I recently reviewed. In it, Harold discusses techniques like this one, as well as a number of other great ways to explore your garden photography creativity.

August 13, 2012

Photographing In The Garden With Speedlights

Personal and Pro Insight

10 Photos I NEVER Want to See Again!

Can’t take credit for this idea. Zach Arias posted a similar list on his Tumblr site the other day, which I though was pretty funny. When I retweeted it, one of my own followers asked me to produce my own list.

So, here it is, my take on the 10 photos that I NEVER want to see again.

———-

1. Silhouette of a rock climber dude taking his hand off of the rope to help the other other rock climber dude onto the summit. As if…

2. Guy in a business suit rock climbing. And carrying a briefcase. On top rope.

3. Photo of a runner who is in the worst looking, most non-dynamic part of their stride. C’mon, that’s just bad editing.

4. Beautiful female model shot in a dirty alley in front of a dumpster. Please.

5. The photos that you, not the professional took at your daughter’s wedding.

6. ANY subject framed by an out of focus tree branch at the top of the frame.

7. Any photo with lots of clutter, no clearly definable subject matter shot that’s shot at midday.

8. An Instagram of your appetizer. Don’t share, just eat.

9. Any portrait where there’s a telephone pole, candle or tree sticking out of the top of the person’s head. Seriously?

10. My own senior picture.

What’s on your list? Comment and let me know. Enjoy the weekend.

August 10, 2012

10 Photos I NEVER Want to See Again!

Creative Tips

4 Techniques for Better Landscape Photos

There you are, trekking through the backcountry with your camera, visually overwhelmed by the beauty and the majesty of the landscapes that surround you. With a scene like this in front of you, you’re confident that you’re about to make something memorable.

However, when you try to distill it all down into a single image, you come up short. The result is an uninspiring photo that fails to recreate the magnificience and power that attracted you to the scene in the first place.

Don’t worry, this happens to every photographer from time to time. Capturing the landscape in such a way that your photos have punch and drama is an endless pursuit that we all strive to do during our entire photographic lives. Here are four techniques that I use to give my landscape photos more visual power.

1. Make use of bold color.

Our eyes are drawn to bold colors, specifically those in the ‘warm’ and ‘hot’ end of the spectrum. This stems from our evolutionary need to quickly recognize things like fire, and ripe food items in the landscape, both of which demand out attention.

By including, and focusing on hot colors, like reds, yellows and orange in your scene, you inherently help draw your viewer’s eye into the frame.

This is particularly effective when those colors are placed against the more cool colors, such as blues and greens.

Also, since our eyes are naturally drawn to those warmer colors, you don’t even need very much. Just a spot of red or yellow can have a strong impact, and in fact too much yellow can overwhelm the image if it’s not balanced against the rest of the elements in your frame.

2. Strive for simplicity.

What’s going on in this mountain photo above? Basically, we have a ridge and, well… not a ridge. Pretty simple. Very simple in fact. This kind of minimalist composition can go a long way with your photography. Give your viewers as little as possible and they’ll use their brains to fill in the rest. Anytime you activate your viewer’s brain, you’ve gone a long way towards creating a memorable photograph.

Also, note the strong diagonal line. That’s also giving this image a much more dynamic feel. Imagine this photo with the ridge going straight across the frame. Exciting? Not so much.

3. Lead your viewer’s eye through the frame.

Through careful placement of your subject matter, you can lead your viewer’s eye through the frame and direct how they look at your shot. Lines such as the mountain ridge in the previous photo work well for this technique. Here I’ve used three subject elements, the stream, the boulder and the distant mountains in the background, each of which acts as both a pathway and a visual tidbit that lets the looker stop, and take a breath before moving onto the rest of the image.

The stream leads them in, the rock lets the rest and the background leads them out, or rather back in, which is usually the case. Also, the yellow tundra acts as a magnet to bring the in the door. Once they’re closer, those lines and pathways take over. Essentially, I’ve combined a couple of these techniques in order to give the image more power.

4. Get closer.

When all else fails, get closer. Go macro. Move in tight and focus on the details. Give your viewer a much more intimate look at the world and show them something that they’ve probably seen before, but might not have necessarily noticed. This is the key to all great photography.

Note: All other compositional techniques and methods of creativity still apply; just shooting close won’t get the job done.

Want more tips? Check out my eBook, Making The Image- A Conceptual Guide to Creating Stronger Photographs.

August 9, 2012

4 Techniques for Better Landscape Photos

Personal and Pro Insight

An Open Letter to Darren Rowse, the Blogging Guy

Dear Darren,

I never intended to become a full time writer. Honest. Sure, I’ve penned a few articles during my career, but you see, I’m already a full time photographer. As you can imagine, that keeps me plenty busy, so what on earth could have compelled me to throw yet another all consuming venture on top of my already full plate?

Blogging, that’s what, and for the record, I blame you entirely.

Here’s how it went down. At the beginning of 2010, I found myself standing on the tail end of the global recession, clutching the charred remnants of my photography business. As if the that wasn’t a big enough hurdle to overcome, I’d just moved to Alaska, where I was suddenly the “new guy in town.” Work suddenly became very hard to come by, both locally and nationally.

In a move to help rebuild and diversify my business in the new economy, I started doing more online writing, or as you like to call it, blogging. To be clear, I wasn’t entirely new to blogging. I’ve had this blog since 2007, but with low traffic and no real direction during the first two and a half years, it was mostly just self indulgent image sharing, creative self expression and practice.

This is where you come in. In the middle of 2010, I picked up your 31 Days to Build a Better Blog eBook. I started working your suggestions into my blog and immediately saw an increase in traffic. It doubled in a single month. The next month it doubled again. In four months, it was 10 times what it was before I read your book. Last month it was 20 times higher than it was before I discovered your book.

I would thank you for this, Darren, but the truth is that because of your eBook, I have now become obsessed with blogging. I spend an extraordinary amount of time each week writing; probably too much sometimes. I probably need professional help. I start almost every day writing, and in fact, there are probably times when I should probably be out shooting and yet there I am, pounding away at the keyboard, and to what ends?

Very successful ends, I’m proud to say. You see, blogging has become a viable and imperative aspect of my outdoor, adventure and travel photography business. It provides a creative outlet for me to embellish the stories of my imagery and my adventures, as well as a theraputic exercise where I work out my own personal issues in the photographic realm and hone my writing skills. And of course, it allows me to share my knowledge, my experience and my genuine love for photography in a format that provides help to other photographers, which is something that I enjoy immensely.

It also acts as an important marketing arm of Dan Bailey Photo. My blog has brought me new clients and professional contacts, some of whom I might not have found otherwise. It’s brought me professional recognition and led to my paid position as senior contributor at The Photoletariat, and a long, friendly discussion with a potential book publisher.

I’m also excited to say that blogging has brought me an entirely new source of photography related income, which, in two years, has slowly built from nothing, to levels that now rival my stock agency income during any given month. In that way, blogging has allowed me to take more control of my photography business in an increasingly competitive economic climate. It even prompted me to me write three of my own eBooks, and a fourth that I hope to have published this fall. Seriously, who would have though you can actually make money with a thing that’s called blogging? It almost sounds dirty.

Finally, it’s brought me a wonderful readership and community of photographers who are really the ones responsible for my success. Some of them even reside in your own country, and I’ve never even been to Australia. To them, give my heartfelt thanks for all the support, because without my awesome readers, I’d be writing everyday for noone. In fact, I’ve even invited some of them to write guest posts on my blog.

As you can plainly see, Darren, this is all your fault. If it weren’t for your 31 Days to Build a Better Blog eBook and your open and genuine willingness to share your insights about how to become a successful blogger in your ProBlogger book and on your website, I’d be out there acting like a regular photographer, instead of trying to find success as some kind of new world, hybrid social media photographer-writer guy.

So, go ahead, mate, have your laugh and know that you complicated my life enormously with all of your talk about blogging. Heck, use me as an example if it makes you happy. Go ahead and retweet this letter and tell the whole world how you lulled yet another poor soul into becoming a blogger. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended. I don’t care how many people you tell, so long as it helps others.

Oh, and since I can’t seem to stop, how about letting me write for your DPS blog sometime?

Cheers and best regards,

Dan Bailey, Anchorage, Alaska

August 8, 2012

An Open Letter to Darren Rowse, the Blogging Guy

Camera Gear, Reviews and Recommendations

The Photography Gear My Readers Can’t Live Without

Yesterday I asked my followers to tell me was the one piece of outdoor photography gear that they could not live without. Besides the camera, that is. And the lens. Here’s what a few of you said:

Hot Shoe Mount Bubble Level

Utah photographer Bret Edge, who recently opened up his own gallery in downtown Moab, identified this as his most essential piece of gear. He was quickly seconded by Younes Bounhar, another one of my favorite landscape shooters. Judging by the incredible quality of their stunning imagery, they get a huge return on this inexpensive little device.

Pelican Case

New Zealand photographer Jason Blair listed this as his most essential item, saying “without it, I wouldn’t have a camera.” He’s got a point. There is simply no better and more secure way to transport your camera gear than inside a padded hardshell case. Pelican Cases are the industry standard for everything from photo and video gear to guns. They’re watertight, dustproof and feature a neoprene o-ring and pressure release valve.

Pelican cases come in a variety of sizes. The 1200 model is big enough for a compact kit and will fit a DSLR with one or two extra lenses, while the 1500 model will fit a few lenses and/or speedlights along with your camera. I’ve relied on this size for years to safeguard my equipment while traveling. Pelican cases come with their trademark “pick n pluck” foam inserts, while some have adjustable deviders. The advantage of the pick n pluck is that you can customize the case perfectly to fit and protect your equipment.

Photomatix Pro 4 HDR Software

There are quite a few different HDR software choices out there, but Los Angeles based landscapes and travel photographer Richard Wong listed Photomatix as his favorite. This program streamlines the process of merging multiple images into a single HDR photograph using tone mapping and detail enhancement. It’s a relatively low cost creative tool that lets you explore HDR photography and make your images pop.

Gitzo GT1541 Tripod

Landscape photographers Pete Miller of Colorado and David from Okinawa both answered with their Gitzo Tripods. David recently traded up his Manfrotto tripod for the Gitzo 1541 Carbon Fiber Tripod, while Pete’s choice is the Gitzo 3541LS. If you want a great set of legs, there are not many options out there that rival a Gitzo for stability, weight and compact design.

50mm Lens

Quite a few people listed this one as an essential item. The 50mm lens is indeed the classic lens that photographers keep falling in love with over and over again. Everyone should have one; they’re probably the most inexpensive lens that you can buy, but since it’s so useful for a wide variety of shooting applications and subject matter, the 50mm lens is probably the most bang for the buck you can get when it comes to photo equipment. Both Nikon and Canon make 50mm f/1.8 lenses that are light, fast and only cost about a hundred bucks.

F-Stop Tilopa Camera Pack

Grand Junction, Colorado photographer Randy Langstraat, who can often be found exploring the mesas, slot canyons and rock art of the Colorado Plateau, mentioned his F-Stop Tilopa Camera Pack as his most essential item. It’s what he uses to carry all of his gear into the backcountry.

Me? I’ll go with the Op/Tech Reporter Strap. It’s gone on every single camera that I’ve ever owned. I modify it a little bit to only carry one body that I can buckle for total security around my neck. It will simply not come off if I’m hanging off of rock faces or leaning out of out of airplanes and helicopters. Also, it’s got great elastic cushioning that alleviates pressure around your neck when using heavy DLSR camera bodies and big lenses.

What’s the one piece of photography equipment that YOU can’t live without? List in the comment section. Also, check out the photography gear that I can’t live without.

August 7, 2012

The Photography Gear My Readers Can’t Live Without

Featured Images

Shooting Mountain Bike Racing With The Fuji X10

This weekend I ran support for my wife during her ride on the Soggy Bottom 100, a grueling 100-mile mountain bike race on the Kenai Peninsula here in Alaska. I was hoping to race myself, or at least ghost ride with her during last leg, but with a cracked rib that I gave myself by riding way too fast across a wet bridge a few days earlier, I opted out on the 10,000′ of climbing and descending on mud and rocks.

Instead, I spent Saturday hanging around the checkpoints and taking pictures for fun with my Fuji X10. Up until now, I hadn’t shot a ton of action sports with the X10, so Saturday gave me a chance to see what it can really do.

As I’ve said in previous posts, the X10 in an incredibly capable little camera. The autofocus system is quite fast, and although it’s not perfect, I’ve been learning a few tricks that can help maximize its performance.

Prefocusing works great, especially when you have an idea of the distances that you’ll be working with. For this shot, I was just holding the camera as close to the bikers as I could as they raced by, which is something I do all the time with my big cameras. With the X10 on Shutter Priority mode at 1/1000 sec shutter speed, I set the focus before each rider came by. It wasn’t exact, but since it’s already close, it doesn’t have to waste time running through the entire focus range looking for subject matter; it locks onto the bike pretty quickly.

Another thing that makes a huge difference, whether you’re shooting action or not, is to just keep the camera on continuous shooting mode. This lets you keep firing and capturing minute differences in action, expression and subject placement in the frame without having to stop and let the camera write to the memory card.

With it’s fast write time CMOS sensor, the Fujifilm X10 fires at 7 fps at full resolution, and 10 fps at medium resolution, so it’s more than fast enough to capture entire sequences at shooting speeds that rival most DSLRs. I don’t have a battery grip, so 7 fps is faster than my D700.

However, let us not forget that the technical details and specifications of a camera, whether it’s a full on DSLR or a compact camera that fits in your pocket, are only tools that play a part in the telling of the story.

Ultimately, the feel, emotion and narrative of your imagery is what matters, regardless of what camera you used to make it.

What excites me so much these days is that the technical performance of today’s compact cameras like the X10 are good enough that they fit in nearly seamlessly with my shooting style.

I keep finding that for the features that it has, including the zoom, macros and full manual controls, the X10 gives me just about everything I need to tell the story of my visual fascination with the world, even when I want to go completely unencumbered.

In the past, I have always resigned myself that I’d be carrying 10-15 extra pounds of metal, glass and electronics no matter where I went in life for the rest of my life. Happily, this is no longer true. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE my big Nikons and won’t give them up anytime soon, I don’t have to carry them everywhere anymore.

As I keep learning the little tricks that help make cameras like the X10 even more usable for shooting action and adventure sports, I’m sure that I’ll be leaving the big cameras behind even more.

And it’s not like the X10 is the only high performance compact camera out there, it’s just my own personal favorite. The Nikon J1 also has incredibly fast autofocus, and the Panasonic Lumix LX5 has RAW capability, great macro and Leica glass.

More than ever before, compact cameras are seriously worth looking into, even if you’ve already got lots of big cameras.

If you missed my post last week, right now the Fujifilm X10 is on sale at B&H photo.

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August 6, 2012

Shooting Mountain Bike Racing With The Fuji X10

Camera Gear, Reviews and Recommendations

Review: The Lowepro Photo Hatchback AW Camera Pack

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Lowepro has just released The Photo Hatchback AW. It’s a sleek new daypack with multi-functional gear storage and a separate camera compartment that you access from a zipper panel on the back of the pack.

Made for outdoor photographers on the go, this pack gives you versatile options room to carry a your camera gear and everything else you might need for a day spent adventuring, hiking or exploring out in the world.

The Photo Hatchback will fit a modest amount of camera equipment, as well as all of your outdoor essentials: jacket, food, water bottle, notebook, sunglasses, iPad and a few other small accessories. The larger 22L will even fit a Macbook Air

The Photo Hatchback comes in two sizes, 22L and 16L. The 22L size will fit a regular sized DSLR body, a couple lenses, a flash and another accessory, like a pair of radio triggers, memory card case or a small point and shoot.

With the 16L version, you might have to lose one of your lenses or flash unit. Overall they don’t carry a ton of gear, but for light trips, this is about all you really need. It won’t fit a bigger lens like a 70-200 f/2.8, but there’s enough room to carry it inside the top. The 22L does fit the larger speedlights.

Organizational options are pretty good here. In the top of the roomy main compartment, you’ll find a pair of small mesh pockets, and a zipper pocket with key chain clip; great for a passport, train ticket or some cash. The deep double panel outside pocket is sized for a tablet, notebook or a small flash modifier, like the Lumiquest Softbox III.

Two stretch side pockets on either side of the pack will fit a water bottle, jacket, snacks, baguette, a can of bear spray, or whatever else you want to cram in there. I usually stuff a Gorillapod in one side and a windbreaker in the other.

As with all of Lowepro’s AW series packs, the Photo Hatchback sports a waterproof rain cover that tucks away into a flap at the bottom of the pack. You don’t have to worry about getting caught in downpour or a summer mountain shower. You may get wet, but your gear will stay dry.

The Photo Hatchback makes a great pack for traveling. Being the same size as most standard day packs, it works as carry-on luggage, either under the seat or in overhead bins. In addition, the back panel camera access keeps your gear secure from wandering hands while you’re wandering in foreign places. As long as you’re wearing the pack, your gear is out of sight and out of reach. Plus, it has a subtle appearance that doesn’t shout “camera bag!”

Don’t need to carry the camera gear? As with the Flipside Sport AW, the entire camera compartment in the Photo Hatchback lifts right out. Undo the velcro flap and you’ve got a regular full sized day pack. Even more usable for traveling.

Edit: The Photo Hatchback recently won a 2012 Popular Photography “Pop Award” for being one of the best new pieces of photography gear.

My Review

So, what do I REALLY think of the Photo Hatchback? I’ll be honest. When Lowepro first contacted me about trying out this pack and writing a review, I wasn’t really sure how it would fit in my lineup. I’ve already got numerous technical packs of multiple sizes and design, so I didn’t think that a pack that was targeted towards the causal user would get much use.

How wrong I was. I’ve been using the 22L Photo Hatchback for a couple of weeks now, and I love it. I think it’s an awesome pack that fills a very defined need.

You see, there are plenty of times when I don’t need a full-on technical camera pack. Maybe I’m just out for a day hike. Maybe I’m flying my little yellow Cessna. Riding the park shuttle bus. Cruising around town on my bike. Maybe I’m just on vacation.

The Photo Hatchback gives me flexible options for carrying all the stuff I’d need for a day trip or a relatively short outing, and at the same time, it keeps my camera gear separate and secure. i.e., it doesn’t just swim around the pack, or make me need to bring a second camera bag.

Although someone who’s been using Lowepro gear for many years, and yet is also extremely hard to please in this area, I’m especially excited about the trend that their current products are following. They’ve really been stepping things up with their designs and paralleling with modern backpack technology. The Photo Hatchback is no exception.

Since I’ve had it, I’ve taken it on a bear viewing excursion, a glacier photography hike, a couple of bush flying adventure, and of course, on a run to the coffee shop. For everything I’ve used it for, The Photo Hatchback has worked great. It has a nice streamlined profile, clean design and it’s certainly built to last. The 16L version is even more streamlined. It doesn’t have lots of compression straps or ice axe loops, but it’s not intended to be a technical pack. Like I said, it’s a day pack with a camera compartment. Easy and simple.

That said, it does has a capable suspension system with comfortable straps, a sliding chest strap and a 1″ waistbelt. It ventilates well and is easy on the shoulders, even for a long day on the trail. Like color? It also comes in blue and orange.

A Camera Pack For Everyone?

I really think that Lowepro hit the mark with this pack, simply because it’s so simple and yet so versatile. Out of all the camera packs that I’ve used and reviewed, it occurs to me that for the great diversity of photographers out there, the Photo Hatchback may very well have the broadest appeal of any pack that Lowepro has made in recent years.

Why do I think this? Because the vast majority of photographers out there are enthusiastic, regular people with a passion for creative image making. They’re not out shooting assignments, they’re out shooting for fun. They’re not racing up 14-ers, hanging off of rock faces or skiing steep couloirs with their camera gear, they’re simply out adventuring and exploring the world at their own pace. Hence, they don’t need a highly technical pack, they just need a decent and secure way to carry their gear.

Also, they don’t have battery-grip bodies, huge f/2.8 zoom lenses or a ton of big glass, they’ve got smaller, mid range DSLR bodies with one or two regular sized lenses, maybe even a compact system like a Sony NEX or a Panasonic Lumix G. When they head out the door with their cameras, and whatever else they need for the day, a simple, funcational photo day pack is likely just what they need.

And you know what? That’s essentially what I need too. It’s what we all need. Like I said, I’m not always in “pro” mode, sometimes I go casual, and when I do, I just want something simple. The Photo Hatchback fits that bill perfectly.

Seriously, I wish they had this kind of pack when if first started shooting over 20 years ago. My very first camera bag was a totally amateur-looking square shoulder bag. Something like this would have been way cooler and much more functional.

Whether you’re a beginning photographer looking for an affordable camera pack, or a veteran shooter who needs a slightly more casual bag to compliment your closet full of technical packs, and whether you like to hike with your camera, travel, cross country ski, ride your bike, or do urban street photography in the vicinity of caffeine distribution centers, I think that you’ll find the Photo Hatchback to be an extremely utilitarian bag.

Pack your gear, throw some stuff in the top and off you go. Who cares where you end up, so long as you’ve got enough gear for the entire day.

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August 1, 2012

Review: The Lowepro Photo Hatchback AW Camera Pack

Press, Interviews and Info

Fujifilm X10 and X100 Cameras On Sale Now

During the dog days of summer, we can always count on two things: 1. Network TV news desperately sensationalizing anything in order to bring people back inside when we’d all clearly rather be outside playing, and 2. Stuff going on sale.

Right now you can save decent money on the two smaller Fujifilm X cameras, $50 on the X10 and a whopping $200 on the X100. If you’ve been thinking about picking either one of these, now would be a great time.

X100

There is speculation that the X100 is being discontinued to make way for a replacement at the September Photokina trade show. (Possibly an X200?) However, these rumors are unconfirmed, and honestly, I’d be a little surprised to see Fuji dump this wildly popular model so soon.

The X100 is an unbelievably astounding little camera and it has sold quite well. With it’s APS-C sized sensor, hybrid viewfinder, fixed 35mm f/2.0 lens and its rugged, stylish body design, the X100 not only looks and feels awesome in your hands, it takes brilliantly sharp images. Street and travel photographers, photojournalists and portrait shooters love the X100, and for good reason. It’s about the closest thing you can get to a Leica for a fraction of the price.

With the effort that Fujifilm has put into developing and promoting the X-lineup, and especially the X100, I just don’t see shaking it up so quickly. Maybe a minor update, but what do I know. It’s not uncommon for cameras to go on sale in the summertime, so until we actually see a replacement, we won’t know whether this was just a summer sale or unit clearance. Besides, the X100 page at B&H clearly says that this deal is good until August 11. So there.

Whether they plan to upgrade the X100 this year or not, it’s still a one-of-a-kind camera and if you’ve had an inkling to grab one, $200 (17%) is a pretty darn good savings.

X10

The X10 is definitely NOT on it’s way out. Trust me. It’s only been out for a year, and Fujifilm is still actively marketing this capable little camera. If you’ve so much as wandered anywhere near this site, then you already know how much I love the thing. As much as I covet the X100, the zoom and overall pricepoint makes the X10 much more usable for carting it around in the outdoors and shooting everything from landscapes, to macro to full on adventure sports. That said, I may still get one yet.

Like I said, right now the Fujifilm X10 is $50 off. At any rate, if you haven’t taken your summer vacation yet and are still looking for a compact camera to bring with you, I’d definitely consider one of these two models.

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July 31, 2012

Fujifilm X10 and X100 Cameras On Sale Now

Reviews and Recommendations

The Best Rechargeable AA Batteries For Speedlights And Stuff

Categorize this in the “Stuff I use that isn’t really camera gear but that’s just as essential” folder.

The problem with AA batteries is that you have to throw them away when you’re done. It’s bad for the environment. Yes, even the ones that have little trees on the side of them. That’s just not cool, especially for us outdoor photographers who rely on it for our jobs, sanity, peace, freedom, serenity, enjoyment, escape. Don’t feel too bad, though, we’ve all done it.

Unless, of course, you use rechargeables. In the past, rechargeable AA batteries sucked. They never lasted very long, and the more you used them, the worse they got. That was until Sanyo came out with the Eneloop batteries, the first low self-discharge NiMH cells. (Panasonic owns the brand now.)

On average, Eneloops will hold 90% of their charge for up to one year and they can be recharged up to 1500 times with no significant memory loss that is usually experienced with other AA NiMH batteries.

This make them great for use in flashes, especially if you have multiple speedlights that don’t get used all the time. Say you’ve got three flashes, but most of the time you only use two. When you need it, though, you want that third one to work, whether it’s next week or six months down the line. Plus, NiMH batteries also give faster recycling times than alkalines when used in camera flashes. Sometimes twice as fast.

If you surf around most of the forums, you’ll see that a huge number of photographers, and speedlight users rave about the Eneloops. They’re pretty much the best batteries that you can use for your flashes, and they’re easily available. They’ll also save you lots of money over the years, because buy them once and they’ll literally last for years.

You can also buy Eneloops with the Charger as a set. Amazon has their own OEM version now. They’re just repackaged Eneloops and they work great and cost less. Here’s the Amazon Charger- you can use with any of these NiMH Eneloop style batteries.

If you can’t find Eneloops where you live, try the Sony Cycle Energy. They’re the same batteries, with different OEM label. The Cycle Energy batteries have performed flawlessly for me, and I’m starting to use them in all of my AA devices.

I use the 2500 mAh Cycle Energy batteries and the Sony Power Chargers. The charger actually comes with a pair the 1000 mAh silver top cells, which I just use in stuff like my wireless mouse, Pocket Wizards, headlamps, bike lights, GPS, toys, etc… For high capacity devices, like flashes and

When it comes to chargers, the important thing to know is NOT to use so called ‘quick chargers.’ These kinds of batteries perform best when they’re allowed to charge over the full duration, which is usually about 7 hours. Quick chargers, which only take about 2-3 hours, will not give you same performance.