What Photo Gear

Sometimes the angle in your shot can make or break an image. And photography is pretty much all about the viewers, and being able to draw them in and getting them to ‘experience’ the scene.

In this short video, award winning commercial photographer Chase Jarvis shows you how he gets some killer point-of-view shots.

Yes, it can be downright scary strapping your expensive gear to anywhere but your hands - but the results speak for themselves. If done right, you can really get some awesome shots.

And next up, are a pair of video’s about traveling with all your gear. This first video is a 30 minute video - and Chase shows you the big picture of traveling with a boat load of gear internationally. With tips on getting through security at the airport. Understanding Airline carrier rules and all that good stuff.

The second video below, is a lite version of the above video and focuses on packing a ‘light’ (by pro standards) kit.

From: Chase Jarvis’ Blog via WhatPhotoGear

Here’s a great little codec for Windows Vista users who shoot Nikon NEF files - the Nikon Raw Codec for Windows Vista.

If you shoot hundreds or even thousands of NEF files per day or week, and if you’re looking to view your NEF images without converting them, or opening them up in Photoshop or Nikon’s Capture NX - then this codec could be for you.

It’s not a converter or an image editor though, so you will still need Capture NX or something similar - all it does is that it allows you to view your images using the Windows Photo Gallery, which if you’re working with hundreds, or even just dozens of images can save a lot of time. Without this codec, you would need to open your images with Photoshop or Capture NX or some other program capable of reading NEF files - otherwise you would be unable to view the image at all.

From: Nikon RAW Codec for Vista via WhatPhotoGear

From time to time, I plan to feature some of the more astounding and inspiring galleries I find across the web. Not only are there some truly fantastic photographers out there, but sometimes it takes just one photograph to inspire us.

And what a great way to start off your Monday morning - Manuel Librodo - is one of the more amazing portrait photographers I have seen. His mastery of available light photography combined with his Photoshop retouching skills results in some really amazing photographs.

Originally from the Philippines, Manny has only just started shooting for about 5-6 years and it’s amazing how good he is now. Incidentally, he will be here in Canada (Quebec) for a workshop this coming June. But you can actually check out this TrekEarth Page for Manny’s Sharpening Technique from the early years. Of course, his workflow has most likely evolved since then, but it’s an interesting technique that you could build and adapt into your own workflow.

From: Manuel Librodo Galleries on Pbase via WhatPhotoGear

Photoshop is an amazing tool. It can salvage a terrible photo and turn it into something spectacular, it can take an already amazing photo and make it even more jaw-dropping. But, unfortunately, retouching a photograph isn’t as easy as clicking on a “fix this” button.

In fact, it can be a lot of work. Most of the time, photographers and photoshop editors do such an amazing job that we don’t even notice an image has been manipulated. But sometimes, well, these Photoshop artists leave a bit of evidence. Well, more than a bit actually.

The recently launched blog - Photoshop Disasters - is tracking down some of the more popular and very obvious Photoshop mistakes out there. And we’re talking about movie posters and magazine photo’s here.

I guess it’s true that Photoshop retouchers are much more in demand in Hollywood now than even make-up artists. Maybe they just can’t keep up with all the work, and they’re getting sloppy!

From: Photoshop Disasters via WhatPhotoGear

Image from:  dlisted via Photoshop Disasters

The great folks over at Camcorder Info have just published their in-depth review of the Canon Vixia HF10 ; Canon’s current top of the line hybrid HDD (Hard Disk) and Flash High Definition consumer level camcorder - and they’ve come up with some pleasantly surprising conclusions - even calling it “the first great AVCHD Camcorder.”

Almost everyone was pretty much unanimous in saying that Canon’s HV20 Camcorder was the best consumer level high definition camcorder last year - due in large part to the poor performance of AVCHD camcorders, especially with motion. But the HV20, if it had one flaw, was that it still recorded to old-fashioned tape. Which for some people, me included, felt we should have abandoned in favor of less cumbersome media like a Hard Disk Drive or flash cards.

But in terms of image quality, the HV20 was still king. It could make that video of your pet dog look like it should be on Discovery Channel’s HD Theater. But now, even with the minor update to the HV20 - the Canon HV30 ; it looks like Hard-Drive High Definition camcorders using the AVCHD codec have finally improved and are right up there in terms of image quality. Of course, editing the video is still not as easy, and it requires a lot of processing power - but it’s getting there.

The Canon HF10 gives up some controls, and is a bit more dumbed down compared to the HV20 and HV30 - but the big news here is the image quality. Personally, I can’t wait to see what Canon will have in store for the follow-up to their current top of the line HDD High Def camcorder - the Canon HG10 (which uses an ‘older’ AVCHD compression method which just doesn’t compare to the HF10’s)

The Canon Vixia HF10 can be purchased via Amazon by clicking here.

From: CamcorderInfo via WhatPhotoGear

Maybe you’ve seen the D3 take a drop from a second-story apartment to a brick sidewalk, and then have it coated with chocolate milk and apple sauce and then have it cleaned off with a bucket of water. And well, the D3 is certainly one rugged little camera. But what if you wanted to take it underwater though?

Well, you can’t just jump into the ocean with your D3 hanging by your neck. Actually you could, but then that’d be one less D3 that you might as well have given to me.

The great news though, is that Liz Hanks, forum member of WetPixel.com - the website dedicated to Diver Photographers has put together a nice little list of current underwater housings for your beloved D3.

From: WetPixel.com via WhatPhotoGear.com