Hey Everyone! I hope you had a Fantastic week! Me? Well thanks for asking it was great! This week I want to Revisit a Blog that I did in 2015 about Tripods, Tripods, Tripods! If your new to photography and you'e talked to some more experienced photographers you can find that Tripods can be a very controversial subject  Some don't even own one and others live by them and have one everywhere they go.  I guess I fall closer to the later but I don't take one everywhere.  Like all things there are pro's and con's to be considered when using tripods.  Let me go over why I like to use a tripod when I can.  When I'm doing landscape work it helps me see the scene it also slows me down and lets me work the shot and think over what Im doing without running and gunning like most of us do.  Its also a must for any type of long exposure photography whether it be astro photography , waterfalls, or time lapse.  I also use a tripod when doing portraits.  This is where I differ from a lot of portrait photographers.  I like the tripod because it is like a book mark.  Let me explain what I mean.  If I have a subject posed and I see a fly away hair that I need to take care of with my camera on a tripod I can simply walk over take care of the fly away and go back to my camera and the only thing that has changed is that the fly away is gone and SNAP I can take the photo.  Without the tripod you see a fly away you walk over with your camera fix the hair and go back to the approx place you were recompose, refocus and take the shot.  Its a lot less work with the tripod and less time spent recomposing the subject.  Well there's my spin on the controversy.  Lets talk about parts and pieces.

Tripods come in all sorts and sizes.  They are made of all kinds of materials from aluminum , plastic, carbon fiber, even wood if you can find one old enough.  Aluminum is the industry standard and there are many really good aluminum tripods.  Carbon Fiber is the new kid on the block and they are lighter in weight with the same strength as their aluminum counterparts.  I have many tripods most are aluminum and one is of carbon fiber.  Aluminum is cheaper and for my money it is the best choice for most people.  Unless you are carrying your tripod for long distances aluminum is the best choice in my opinion.  

As the saying goes "Size Matters".  I personally have had tripods that could reach as high as 7 feet and as small as 6 inches high.  Not only size should be considered, but the weight that the tripod can support also.  No matter what tripod you pick you must be able to support your most heavy camera combination. So if you just have a small point and shoot or mirrorless camera system a small tripod will do.  But if  you have a big boy combination with heavy lenses then you must go big.  Each tripod has a maximum camera weight rating and you should consider this. With your heaviest camera and heaviest lens weigh you rig. You should have a maximum rating on your tripod to handle this with ease. My main tripod will hold 17 pounds but I use a mirrorless crop sensor camera and my heaviest combo is only about 3 pounds so I'm well with in. But if I had a full frame DSLR and a big 70-200 that wouldn't work on my tripod. It would be too flimsy and shake while taking the photo.

How your camera connects to your tripod is another thing you must think about when getting a tripod.  We've talked about size, material, of the legs what about the tripod head that sit atop the legs of the tripod.  There are many types of heads but the two basic design are Pan and Tilt and Ball Head.  The pan and tilt head does exactly as it says it pans back and forth and tilts up and down.  The ball head has a more versatile system where everything sits on a ball and can be moved in any direction and angle.  I use the ball head for all of my tripods.  Atop of the tripod head is the part that hooks up the tripod to the camera.  Long time ago you just screwed the camera onto the mounting plate of the tripod head but that was a pain.  Now they have quick disconnecting mounting hardware that a plate hooks to your camera and stays on and a mounting bracket hooks to your tripod head and with a quick move of a lever the camera is secure and with another move its off.  There are a few styles of quick disconnects the industry standard is Arca Swiss but there are others like Manfrotto quick disconnects. I use a Arca Swiss type of bracket on my camera's. I also use a bracket that is called an "L" bracket on all of my cameras.  As the name suggest it is a bracket that is shaped like an "L" and fits your camera.  The beauty of this bracket is that I can be taking a photo in Landscape mode and with a flip of a lever I can turn my camera to Portrait mode with out changing my tripod position. Lets talk about how the legs extend. There are two different ways that they can work there are Screw type and clamp type of locks for you leg extensions. I use the screw type just because I've always had them. I have had the clamp ones and they seem to me to be a little finicky but people swear by them so I'm sure they are fine. Then there are the feet to consider. Many tripods come with different kinds of feet for different surfaces . Some are spikes to stick in the ground when you're doing landscape and some have rubber feet when your inside on your  nice wooden floors. Being able to change the feet are a big plus when choosing a tripod.

Believe it or not I have just skimmed the surface of the "Three Legged Monster" There are many things that we could talk about.  For me the main thing I want to convey is that if you have a tripod and don't use it you should give it a try.  Using a tripod can slow down your process and have you taking and thinking more about what your photographing instead of just the point and shoot mentality that we have gotten use to.  Tripods will also make your photo's sharper by eliminating hand shake. 

As you can see Tripods have been a part of photography from the beginning of the art and will be for a long long time. So get your tripod and lets get out and shoot!

Hey Everyone! Hope everyone is have a great week!  I am.  This week I want to discuss the things that you should do after you get your new camera. We usually think that we've bought a new camera that it should be as up to date as it can be. Well that's not always the case. Your camera might be new and shiny but depending on what you got it could be years old. So one of the first things to do is check your firmware version and make sure you have the latest firmware version.

 Firmware.  Back in the film days we really didn't have to worry about firmware because everything was mechanical but now in the electronic and computer age everything seems to have some sort of program in them.  And for some reason there is always an update to be had.  Firmware ( in simple terms) is the program that electronics use to do whatever they do. When you update your firmware you are altering the program that was in the device that your updating. Usually fixing some sort of bug or adding some sort of feature.  Much like Lightroom or Windows updates they correct bugs or improve stuff. In your camera this could mean better focusing or faster focus.  Maybe they add some sort of new software to make your camera like new.  As long as the hardware can handle the upgrade the possibilities are endless.  Some company's put out lots of firmware updates and some do not.  Making sure your camera has the latest and greatest update can make the camera perform like brand new saving you from having to upgrade or buy a new one. If you haven't checked your firmware you should. If you  have never updated the firmware you may tell a big difference in the way that it works.  Installing the firmware is easy and all of the camera companies will have a step by step procedure for you to follow to make sure you have the latest and greatest.  This usually involves installing on your computer some sort of program that when your camera is connected to your computer the program updates the firmware.  On older cameras it was installing the firmware on a SD card and inserting it into your camera and going through a series of procedures to update the firmware. In any case it's fairly easy to do .

But now a days its not just camera bodies that get the firmware update its also Lenses.  Newer lenses have small computers in them also that can be tweaked to give that lens a sharper focusing and quicker focusing.  So check your lenses especially if they are fairly new.  The firmware updates that you do to them can make them really nice lenses.  If you have a new body that has super fast focusing powers but your lens is still using the old way of focusing a firmware update to that lens could make it perform just like a brand new lens. I just got through checking all of my lenses for the firmware updates and they were all up to date. Its a good feeling to know that all of your equipment is up to date and running as efficient as it can.  I think this should almost be an annual event or even a simi-annual event to check the firmware of all of your electronics.

 The next thing you should do is read the manual.  I know nobody likes to do this .  New camera's can do all sorts of things that we might not know they can do until we read the manual. Another good alternative to this is to watch a video on how to set up your camera and go through all of the settings. This is usually one of the first things I do because now a days camera's are so complicated and have so many options that Bell & Howell /CannonHere is the new addition to my film cameras . 1961 Canon Canonet 19. learning from someone that has more experience using your make and model of camera and how to set it up is a great starting point. Whats nice about a video is you can rewind as many time as you want to get all of the facts right to set up your camera. You can find these videos on youtube or on places like Creative Live. I usually use Creative Live because I buy my camera's used and they have all kinds of video's on my particular camera and can usually get a print out of all of the settings and where to set.

Accessories. Make your camera yours. Maybe a new camera strap or a fancy lens cap.  Or a new camera bag. Making your camera yours is a great way to make your camera more enjoyable to shoot. I don't do a lot but I always have a camera strap system put on my cameras . I usually use the Peak Design system that have the little buttons that you attach to your camera to put on the strap. or a plate on the bottom of the camera that will attach to a clip attached to my backpack. If your new camera that is in the same system as your old camera say your own Nikons and you buy another Nikon your accessories might work for your new camera like a remote shutter release system. Maybe an "L" bracket to put on your camera . I usually have these on all of my cameras.  Make it yours. Oh just thought of this is to get a screen protector for your display to keep it from getting scratched because believe me it will get scratched. Just like you protect your phone screen you should definitely protect your camera display.

After all of this done you should shoot, shoot, shoot! The more you shoot the more familiar you will be with your new camera. Being very comfortable with your camera and not fumbling with it only comes with hours of practice . So shoot everything and anything.  Getting used to all of the dials and buttons and knowing where they are will help you get the shot when it counts. Make photography more natural instead of a process of figuring out a new gadget. So until next week take your new camera and get out and Shoot, Shoot,Shoot!

Hey Everyone! Hope everyone is healthy and safe today.  This week I want to talk about something I don't talk about a lot Table Top Photography. This type of photography can be great fun especially on the cold days of winter.  You don't really need lots of equipment but you can buy lots of gear to do this if your a gear head like I am.  But you don't need to.  You can use Sunlight through a window or many flashes.  The one thing that you will need is your imagination.  I have done everything from still life to food photography and all are great fun to do.  When I first started I went on YouTube and found channels that showed you how the shot was created and then I would try it .  I did everything from Splash photography (dropping things in water) to motion photography (dragging the shutter) .  This is a great way to start to get your Photography juices Wine glass Splash flowing.  Then you can start altering the process with using items that you have at your house. You can use almost anything from bed sheets to cardboard that you have laying around.  Here are a list of things that might come in handy when doing Table top Photography.

1. Table. Of course you need a table. Any table will do but a portable table that you can move and maybe set up and put away when not using could come in handy.  It doesn't have to be fancy it could be anything from a TV tray to a fancy table .  I actually use a steel table that I found in a dumpster maybe 20 years ago and its still going strong.

Dice 2. Some sort of lighting.  This could almost be anything from a table light to fancy strobes.  I have used them all .  I even have some constant LED lights that I picked up recently that I have been using that work great.  But almost anything.

3. Camera. Yep any camera will do from point and shoot to your iPhone.  But the camera that you normally use will be the best because your used to it.  Being able to shoot in manual will be a plus.

4. Tripod. A tripod comes in handy for a couple of reasons .  First it keeps your camera steady but more  Red Heart importantly it keeps the frame constant. If  you have your camera on a tripod and have the scene set up you don't have to reframe when you're adjusting the object that your shooting. You just adjust it.  You don't have to pick up your camera and put to your face and readjust .  

5. Lenses? Almost any lens will do.  I tend to use a 50mm a lot when I'm doing table top photography. But a 24-70 would work great also. Really any lens will do . Macro lenses are also nice to use to shoot small stuff. Little things. 

What about shooting fine art? You can do this on the table top also. You can take simple photo's and take them into Photoshop and add some layers of texture to them and you have some really nice pieces that you could print and hang in your house as fine art. They are really cool to do and once you get the hang of it and the photoshop skills you can just fly thru these and make many.

So as you see tabletop photography can be fun and you can really build your photography skills up by just playing with your camera at home. So until next week pull out that table and shoot some stuff.