Hey everyone! This week we'll talk about why photographers are emotionally connected to their gear.  You have all heard the chants "I'm a Nikon guy" or "I'm a Canon guy," along with boos and hisses for the other company, especially when you're with a group of photographers.  Now I know that a lot of this is only just playing around, but is it?  I think as photographers that we get a emotional connection with our gear.  We have favorite lenses, lights, bodies, and it's usually the same brand.  And I think it actually makes good sense.  As someone who has switched from full frame Nikon to crop sensor Sony, I have some insight on why we are emotionally connected to our equipment.  So here goes a list.

1. Investment.  As someone who has GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), I have invested a lot of money into gear.  When you buy into a system say like Nikon or Canon, you tend to buy all of their lenses that go with that system.  You slowly build up your arsenal of lenses, and before you know it you've got $15,000 of stuff that you need to insure in case you drop one.  It just gets crazy how much money we invest on gear, and to replace or switch to another brand would be very expensive.  Believe me I've been there, done that.  We would have to sell all of our gear at a loss and then buy new gear of the other system.  We get protective of this gear like they're our babies.  So if we have Canon system, it's the best thing ever and anything else is inferior. So that's one reason that we are so committed to one brand. My Camera's

2. Experiences.  With our cameras we get to go places and take pretty photos of whatever we specialize in.  Maybe it's pretty landscapes or portraits or wildlife.  And our cameras got us to these places.  We've made such a big investment in these small machines that we must take them to different places and use them.  And its great!  I think my camera is my passport to everywhere.  It's taken me to places and I've done things that I never would have done if it wasn't for my camera.  It's like a travel companion that I take with me everywhere.  It has seen and done the same things that I have, so you have the shared experiences together.  And the photos really do look great!  And you look at them, and they bring you back to the time you took them.  So you think it's because of the camera that you got to have that experience.  And maybe it was.

AMT2016-sony-a6300-review-0423-2Photographer: Anthony Thurston 3. What other people think and say.  "Wow, that's a pretty picture! You must have a good camera."  Have you ever heard that?  And you probably said something like, "Well, I have a Nikon camera" -- blobby, blob, blob -- and you started going on with the specs and your shoulders went back and your chest started to stick out and you started to feel proud.  I don't care what you say, other people's opinions do matter, even if they are wrong.  Because you're a photographer, and you could have taken the same photo with an iPhone and they wouldn't know the difference, but you would.  And I get it.  I've shown up at local events with a big camera taking photos, and people would stop and ask if I worked for the local paper.  Or people have stopped while I was in the woods photographing something and asked if I was a professional photographer just because of my gear.  It's like being mistaken for a movie star or something, I guess (never has happened to me LOL).  But it makes you feel good inside, and you think that your new gear has given you a new persona.  And maybe it has.  When you're without your camera (which you should never be), you're just an everyday Joe.  But when you don your camera you're now a professional camera guy/gal on assignment for whatever your mind can conjure up. _MSP6316

Confession.  I love my cameras!  I'm a proud Sony shooter!  And I don't think that it is wrong to be emotionally attached to our gear.  I have the first lens that I ever bought for a Pentax camera.  It's so old that it has a screw mount.  But I will never get rid of it.  I have memories with that lens.  One memory is from when I was in high school and set the lens on top of the car while I was unlocking my car.  Yep, you guessed it.  I got in and drove off to work.  I got there and noticed it was missing.  I panicked, and I backtracked and found it in the gutter by my school.  Not a scratch on it.  So yes, we as photographers are emotionally attached to our equipment.  What camera gear are you attached to?  Think about it.  And until next time, keep shooting and get outside!

Hi Everyone!  This week I'm going to talk about all of my camping systems and when I use them.  You would think that you would only use one, a tent, but I have several.  The ones I choose depend on what I'm doing, where I'm going, and who I'm with.  If I'm with my wife, I camp in a certain way, and if it's just me and Forrest (my dog), I will camp another.  There are two types of campers.  There are those where the campsite is the main attraction.  What I mean by that is that they are more interested in the camping at the campsite. They are into setting up the campsite, making the fire, cooking, drinking, the whole campsite experience.  Where they are camping is secondary to the campsite.  The other type of camper is what I am.  I'm just looking for a place to sleep and eat, and I'm ready to go the next morning.  Where I am is more important to me than the campsite.  With that said the people that I camp with can be the first type of camper, so compromise on my part is always happening.  So what about the different systems I use?  Well, there are many.  First, tents.  I have several tents, and this is what I probably started camping in.  They are versatile and all you need is a flat piece of ground to put them on.  They come in many sizes and shapes.  Second, hammocks.  I have discovered hammock camping in the last couple of years and found them to be very comfortable.  I have made some myself.  Third, sometimes I camp out in my truck.  I have a bed topper and have made a bed platform so I can sleep in the bed of my truck.  And last but not least I have my Teardrop trailer that my wife and I purchased a couple of years ago.  So I have all these different types of camping systems.  When and why do I use them?  Well, here you go.

Tents.  Tents are one of the most versatile camping systems.  I used a pup tent when I was a Cub Scout.  I keep a tent in my truck for emergencies if I get stranded somewhere.  But to tell you the truth, I don't use tents often because I'm getting older, and sleeping on the ground isn't as comfortable as it used to be.  I mainly use them when I'm backpacking somewhere and I don't know the terrain were I'll be sleeping.  I have many tents and they serve different purpose .  I have one that's a dome tent (the one I keep in my truck) that's a durable tent, and it weighs about 5 lbs.  This is not the tent that I backpack with though because it's too heavy.  I have another that is very lightweight, just under 2 lbs., and that's my backpacking tent if I'm by myself.  But if Forrest is with me, then I have another tent that's a little larger and weighs about 2.5 lbs. so he can sleep with me in the tent.  So different tents for different situations.  

My hammock.  This is my preferred way to sleep when I'm camping.  It's very comfortable, cheap, and easy.  When I'm backpacking this is what I want to use.  If I know there are going to be trees (and that's almost anywhere in the Southeast), the hammock is what I will be using.  I have made a couple, and they have integrated bug nets with tarps for cover from rain and sun.  They are fairly lightweight so they are good for backpacking.  But if Forrest is with me, there is no room for him.  So if Forrest goes backpacking with me, no hammock.  But I'm trying to make him something that he can sleep in while I'm in the hammock.

The truck camper.  This is my newest way to camp.  I built a platform to sleep on and a drawer that holds all of the camping supplies.  I've only used it a couple of times.  This is mainly used to car camp.  While doing my project of visiting all of the state parks in North Carolina, Forrest and I will be doing a lot of car camping, so I guess this type of camping we will be using more of.  I can still use my hammock when we car camp, and Forrest can stay in the truck.  We've done this once before and it worked out well.

My teardrop camper.  My wife and I used to do a lot of tent camping when we were younger.  But I just couldn't see my wife sleeping in a tent when we got older, so we bought a Teardrop Camper.  It is pretty neat but is definitely Glamping (glamour camping).  When my wife and I go camping now, this is the type of camping we do.  It has all the perks.  Stove, sink, TV, AC, DVD player, just about everything.  My wife and I will set up an awning in the back where the kitchen is and we play cards and relax.  We don't use it as much as I would like to.  The problem with using the camper is that you usually have to make reservations way in advance, and the weather or other things can come up that messes up your trip. Last year we had six camping trips set up for the camper and only made one.  Bad weather or other things messed up all the other trips. Hopefully this year will be better.  We have a trip planned for two weeks from now.

So those are all my types of camping.  I hope you get a chance to get out into the wilderness and do some camping.  Until then get out and shoot!

Hey Everyone! This week I want to discuss video.  Now I'm not an expert at all and really don't know a lot about shooting moving pictures.  I have been a still photographer for most of my life and have only recently started shooting video, mostly for my own personal use.  I do have a YouTube channel with 30 or so short videos.  They are mostly of hiking and camping with some photography and photo editing thrown in for good measure.  But I do admire those who can tell a story through video.  There is a lot of forethought that goes into a small movie or video.  You have to have a story and a timeline in your head, and then there is audio that goes along with it.  That is a whole other world that I'm not familiar with.  A couple of my photography friends in my camera club shoot great video, and I'm inspired by what they do to try and do something similar. But it's hard to concentrate on still photography and video at the same time.  It's either one or the other, or you just do both poorly.  I'm still working on that one.

One of my personal projects for the year is to visit all of North Carolina's state parks.  This project is to, one, get me out of the house;  two, make more photography; and, three, do some hiking and camping.  While I'm doing this project, I had an idea to record my adventures with short clips of the adventure with my dog Forrest.  So I will have some "Forrest Goes to..." adventures.  Here's a link to the latest one I did, Forrest Goes to Fort Macon.  Hope you enjoyed the video.  What were the tools that I used to make this?  I currently have two Gopro cameras:  one older Gopro Session 4 and a newer Gopro7.  But I also use my phone, my Sony A6500, and my Canon G7XII.  On this particular video, I used all of the above in one form or another.  They all came in handy at different times.  The Gopros are great for action-type scenes, like Forrest hiking or the camera mounted to my truck to show us traveling.  I might even mount the camera to Forrest one day to get his eye's view of what's going on.  I haven't quite figured that one out yet.  The Sony A6500 and the Canon G7XII are great for still shots, like on a tripod for an interview.  And my iPhone, well, it's just always with me so it's great just to pull out when something happens and I don't have the other cameras with me.  I do have mounts for the GoPros and mini-tripods to mount all of these cameras on.  I have a cheap microphone that I can hook up to my iPhone to use as an audio recorder, but honestly I haven't done much talking in my videos yet.  All of these things fit into a little bag that I can take with me when I go out.

For video-editing software I use iMovie.  It's not the most advanced, but that's why I like it.  It's simple and I can do quite a bit with it.  I can export straight to YouTube from the software or export a file from my computer files.  I shoot in 1080 right now and don't see the need to shoot in 4K video for a couple of reasons.  One is storage.  4k takes up a lot of space on my computer and computing power for rendering the video, which might be too much for my current computer.  I am only putting the videos on YouTube and Facebook, and the quality doesn't need to be 4K.  The other reason is that all of my cameras, from phone to oldest GoPro, will shoot in 1080, and not all of them will shoot in 4K.  I get licensed free music from YouTube that you can download and use for free for the background music.  This music sets the mood of the video and helps me create the clip.

And all of that is the easy part.  The storytelling is the hard part.  You have to have a story in mind of how you will shoot it, camera angles and such in mind before you start videoing.  When you have all of your raw footage, then the editing begins and that's where the story starts to unfold.  Do you go in chronological oder, or do you just tell the story with maybe even flash back moments?  All of this is done in the editing.

I could go on and on about the powers of moving pictures, but you know the power.  You see it every day in television, movies,  and almost anywhere.  And you have a camera with you all the time.  That's how I started, with my phone on hiking trips.  So pull out your phone and start shooting video.  Have fun with it.  Shoot your cat or dog (not literally! LOL), put those shots to music, and you'll have your first movie.  That's all for now.  So until next time, get outside and shoot!