This Week in Photo (TWiP)

AlphaMirrorless 039: Winter Weather Shooting And Questions

This episode of the AlphaMirrorless podcast Juan and Andy discuss shooting during winter weather and cold conditions and we answer a bunch of your questions.

We don’t always have all the answers, but if we don’t we will research it and try to give you the best answer we can. So what have you got to lose, go ahead and send in your questions to us by going to this form.

Links mentioned on the episode

* Custom SLR ProDot

* Really Right Stuff Tripod Spikes

* NEOS Boots

Wishes of the Week

* Juan: Wish I had more time to whittle down my Images in my LR catalog

* Andy: Wish I get the family photo right this year!

Picks of the Week

* Juan: Sandisk Extreme Pro SD USB-C Card Reader

* Andy: Apple’s new Macbook Pro

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Juan Pons: Website, Facebook

* Andy Williams: Website, Facebook

* AlphaMirrorless Facebook Page

* Muench Workshops

Brad Malcolm is President and co-founder of Athentech Imaging, makers of Perfectly Clear. In this interview we get into the how’s and why’s of batching software processing. And some hints of where this tech may lead in the near future.

In Brad’s spare time, Brad enjoys hanging out and relaxing with his 4 year old daughter and wife. He also loves sailing and drinking fine single malt scotch. Preferably together.

About Perfectly Clear

Perfectly Clear is award winning automatic image correction technology that is used to bring out the natural beauty in your photos. It’s trusted by large printers around the world to make perfect over 30 million prints every day, professional photographers to save time editing, and mobile app users to make it easy to look one’s best on the go.

Understanding some fundamentals of composition is one of the keys to creating great photographs with your mobile phone. One of the cool things about using a mobile camera is that you’re free from having to worry about choosing the lenses and other things. Instead you can focus on the photo. In this quick episode we give you a few tips that you can use today that will result in an instant improvement in your mobile phone photographs.

In the visual arts, composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject. The term composition means ‘putting together’ and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged using conscious thought.

TWiP 492: Goodbye Casey Neistat

Famed vlogger Casey Neistat retires! DJI releases more drones, Google wants to turn your phone into a scanner and Apple’s newest product requires zero electricity!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Casey Neistat officially ends his epic daily vlogging run on YouTube

* DJI announces the Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones

* Google wants to turn your old photos into digital prints

* A look inside Apple’s $200 photo book

* Lumenzia: Luminosity Masking

Picks of the Week

* Christine: Ben Sasso – The Creative Manifesto

* Greg: Casey Neistat ends the vlog

TWiP is brought to you by:

FreshBooks

This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks, the super–simple cloud accounting software that’s giving thousands of freelancers and small businesses the tools to save time billing and get paid faster. Try it free at freshbooks.com/twip.

TWiP Patreon

TWiP needs your help. We’ve started a Patreon campaign in hopes that you will help support the network so we can take TWiP to the next level. That means, new shows, more hosts, more TWiP! Please consider donating a few bucks at TWiP.pro/DONATE

 

* Christine Alward: Website,  Instagram,  Google+

* Greg Benz: Website, Facebook, YouTube

* Frederick Van Johnson: Website, Twitter, Google+, Instagram

Credits

* Pre-production by: Bruce Clarke

* Post production by: Suzanne Llewellyn & Vince Bauer

* Bandwidth provided by: Cachefly

TWiP Weddings 051: Lightroom Tips with Jared Platt

This week we are pleased to welcome Jared Platt back to TWiP Weddings. Jared is a photographer, writer, and instructor who has probably forgotten more about Lightroom than most people remember. Back on Episode 42, Jared joined us to discuss workflows and we had so much to talk about, we never managed to get into Lightroom so Jared is back for a deeper dive into Lightroom and we’ll share our tips and strategies for working quickly and efficiently in Lightroom.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

* Jared’s Perfect Exposure Mini-Workshop

* Bryan’s interview with Jared Platt

* Jared’s classes on CreativeLive

Picks of the Week

* Bryan: LR/Transporter

* Jared: Evlaa

* Bruce: Chronosync

TWiP Weddings is brought to you by:

FreshBooks

This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks, the super–simple cloud accounting software that’s giving thousands of freelancers and small businesses the tools to save time billing and get paid faster. Try it free at freshbooks.com/weddings

Connect with Us

We want to hear from you. Your questions and comments will provide direction for the show and will inform future topics. Send in your question and it may end up being answered on the show. Submit your questions for the show by sending us an email at [email protected]. You can also post a Tweet using the hashtag #twipwed. You can also follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/twipwed. You can also interact with us on our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/twipwed/

Connect with our Hosts & Guests

* Jared Platt: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

* Bryan Caporicci: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram

* Robert Evans: Website, Twitter,  Google+, Instagram

* Bruce Clarke: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook. Instagram

Going strapless is all the rage these days and that’s what today’s gear is all about. Spider holster is a small company you may or may not have heard about here in upstate NY. They have been around the photography scene making cool camera accessories since 2009.

They are probably most well known for their SpiderPro Camera holster. A unique product that offers a comfortable and secure way to carry your camera without having to deal with a strap.  Other companies like Peak Designs make similar products, but personally, I have not found one as easy to use as the Spider.

Their setups range from the basic holster and plate like the one I am reviewing today to a full featured custom belts with twin holsters complete with accessory and lens cases. I first discovered them on youtube back in 2010 with this crazy video showing a photographer jumping up and down with two dslrs attached at his hip.  It was effective marketing for sure as I ordered my kit the next day.  I used one of these systems for 5 years shooting abandoned locations and weddings. It was great having everything on my hip and ready to go. Two bodies, flashes, batteries, and a spare lens. It was a great time saver not having to drop a backpack and root around for something or having to run and grab something I needed, always at the decisive moment of course. I ended up selling the system to a friend when I moved to the mirrorless format in 2013.

Up until now, Spider Holster’s focus has been on the DSLR market. I’m not to keen on other designs out there and the regular Spider plates were way too bulky for the smaller mirrorless designs.  Moving to mirrorless and giving up my Spider Holster setup left me out in the cold. But now they have introduced a brand new line geared toward the mirrorless and lightweight pro camera crowd. The SpiderLite Camera holster. The company says the SpiderLight Holster & Plate is designed specifically for Mirrorless cameras and small DSLR and that it is lightweight, durable and extremely versatile. The perfect companion for anyone that wants an easy draw-from-the-hip, no strap solution to take their camera everywhere.

Fitment of the plate to the camera is straight forward. It attaches to the bottom of the camera with a simple #20 thumbscrew.  One of which I wish was a bit larger. It can be painful to tighten if you have large hands.  The plate features and integrated Arca swiss cold shoe. You are all set if your tripod supports it. I have a manfrotto that uses the special manfrotto design.  The manfrotto plate easily attaches to the bottom of the spider plate and only adds minor bulk to the size.  Once fitted, the plate is comfortable and does not get in the way of your hand on the camera.  The holster is a simple belt clip design with a few extra tricks up its sleeve.  Under normal use a special internal clip keeps the holster frombeing easily removed.  To remove the clip a simple pull out and up does the trick.  It is a simple yet effective mechanism.

The belt clip itself features two modes. A quick draw mode, where the lock is disengaged. You draw your camera out with just one hand. Great for controlled shooting environments. Mode two is the Secure Position where the lock engages every time your camera is put in the holster. To pull the camera out, you just flick the lock up while drawing out the camera to release it. This mode is specifically for active environments.

When you first get a Spiderholster, you are going to be extremely careful with it. I found after about a month of using it continually I became more and more comfortable with my cameras just hanging out there.

When the company sent me this for review I got just the bare essentials in the clip and the plate. They make a host of accessories so you can customize your setup to your liking.

One of the options I particularly like and will be getting is the backpack adapter.

On Today’s episode of TWiP Family I talk with Lucy Baber. Lucy is a mother and family photographer in the Philadelphia area. I love hearing about personal projects and using photography to shine a light on a topic someone cares about. That is exactly what Lucy is doing. Lucy writes, “My new project is called 100 Black Dads, and it was born out of my need to contribute to the current Black Lives Matter movement with my voice as a photographer.  My goal is simple: I want to change the conversation about black men in America.  The black men I know are not “criminals, drug addicts, and rapists”.  They are hard-working fathers, they are nurturers, and at the end of the day they are getting down on the ground and building Legos and having princess tea parties with their kids just like every other dad I know.  As a lifestyle family photographer, I’m using my voice to help tell their stories in a way that is authentic, optimistic, and culturally sensitive.”

On today’s show we discuss how her project started, how it has changed since the idea came to hear and what her hopes are for the future of the project.

More about Lucy and her project:Website, Instagram, Facebook

More about Jenny: Website, Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, The Family Photographer

This is my last episode as host of TWiP Family. Thank you to Frederick Van Johnson and everyone at the TWiP network who  helped create and share TWiP Family.

Listen to my new family photography podcast, The Family Photographer.

AlphaMirrorless 038: Being Light, Nimble And Quick

This episode of the AlphaMirrorless podcast is all about being Light, Nimble And Quick. Juan and Andy just returned from leading another photo workshop in Cuba and they where often heard saying we needed to be “Light, Nimble And Quick”. What exactly does this mean? Well, Juan and Andy talk about the different aspects of this by discussing the gear (and maybe lack thereof) and technique of being Light, Nimble And Quick.

If you want to find out more about the giveaway, make sure to check out the announcement post on the AlphaMirrorless Facebook Page.

We don’t always have all the answers, but if we don’t we will research it and try to give you the best answer we can. So what have you got to lose, go ahead and send in your questions to us by going to this form.

Links mentioned on the episode

* Mindshift Gear Trailscape 18L

* Really Right Stuff Ultra Pocket Pod

* Really Right Stuff New TFC-14 Series 1 Tripod

* Really Right Stuff TQC-14 Series 1 Tripod

* Black Rapid Metro Sling Camera Strap (Black)

* Luma Labs Camera Straps

* Muench Workshops – Things to know about your camera

Wishes of the Week

* Juan: Wish I had had the 6500 in Cuba

* Andy: Filename change in the a7rII firmware

Picks of the Week

* Juan: Peak Design Sony E/FE CaptureLENS

* Andy: CamKix Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote Control

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Juan Pons: Website, Facebook

* Andy Williams: Website, Facebook

* AlphaMirrorless Facebook Page

* Muench Workshops

A.D. is a multi-award winning New York based travel photographer specializing in a style he call’s “abandonscapes”. He has been featured nationally on PBS as well as several magazines such as F11 and Nevada. Currently, he is the sole contributor at TheExplorographer.com, as well as the creator and editor in chief at a new website called Travel Obscura.

TravelObscura.com is a website where a myriad of amazing photographers and travelers have gotten together to collaborate on an amazing resource magazine style website geared towards the adventuring photographer.

To supplement his travel and website he develops photography tools which he sells on his web site as well as selling limited editions of his work printed on metal. AD also markets his work to travel agencies and advertisers and is an advocate of historical preservation through photography.

Some of A.D.’s work:

TWiP 491: The Gravity of Karma

On this week’s episode – GoPro recalls its Karma drone after several units experience issues with staying in the air. Plus we share our thoughts on Snapchats’s new Spectacle shades and Microsoft plans to bring 3D to everyone.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* GoPro recalling the Karma Drone after some units lose power while flying

* GoPro Karma recall information

* This is what it’s like to buy Snapchat’s new spectacles

* Windows 3D – inside Mircosoft’s plan to bring 3D to everyone

* The Angry Millennial Show

Picks of the Week

* Jose: Colored Gel Portraits & Retouching with Jake Hicks

* Tim: Rosco CalColor Filter Kit

* Frederick: DJI Mavic

TWiP is brought to you by:

FreshBooks

This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks, the super–simple cloud accounting software that’s giving thousands of freelancers and small businesses the tools to save time billing and get paid faster. Try it free at freshbooks.com/twip.

TWiP Patreon

TWiP needs your help. We’ve started a Patreon campaign in hopes that you will help support the network so we can take TWiP to the next level. That means, new shows, more hosts, more TWiP! Please consider donating a few bucks at TWiP.pro/DONATE

* Jose Rosado: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

* Tim Engle: Website, Instagram, Google+

* Frederick Van Johnson: Website, Twitter, Google+, Instagram

Credits

* Pre-production by: Bruce Clarke

* Post production by: Suzanne Llewellyn & Vince Bauer