Not quite a year, or is it?

I suppose, given that we got a free day this year (Feb 29th), it might be considered a year since I last posted, but as it's not the 9th until tomorrow, I'm saying it's not quite. ;)

Anyway, yes, I've not been posting.  As usually happens, work has been getting in the way (not that I'm complaining, I've shot some beautiful people over the last year and produced a good number of images I'm rather proud of).

I've been teaching some workshops too, and have also recently relaunched an old site under the new guise of learning photography, so I will generally be posting there from now on.  I'll also be rewording and updating some of the stuff on here and shifting it over there in the form of new posts.

So, head on over to http://www.johnaldred.com/ and start following there instead. :)

iPad Camera Connectivity

After doing a little reading up on Apple's website, they have announced that they will be releasing a "Camera Connection Kit" for the iPad.

According to the information on the iPad website...

"The Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. The Camera Connector lets you import your photos and videos to iPad using the camera’s USB cable. Or you can use the SD Card Reader to import photos and videos directly from the camera’s SD card."

So that solves at least one of my problems.  I generally use 8Gb 60MB/sec Sandisk Extreme CompactFlash cards for shooting stills on the D300s, but as it has a dual card slot, I have a 16Gb Integral SDHC card that I use for shooting the HD video.

So, I can whip the SDHC card out of the camera, slot it into the SDHC reader on the iPad, and then view the footage as soon as the data has copied over (no indication of transfer speeds released yet though).  Or, presumably I'll be able to play straight back from the card itself if necessary.  Depending on the ultimate speed available when transferring from SDHC to the iPad, I may have to invest in a faster SDHC card for this purpose.  As the D300s requires a relatively low speed to record and playback 720p HD video in realtime, I went cheap with a class 4 card (a mere 4MB/sec).

The other adapter is a little more confusing to me as such little information (none, basically) has been released on the iPad.  On my D200, the USB port can operate on two different modes; either USB Mass Storage or Peer 2 Peer mode.  In Mass Storage mode, when hooked up to the PC, it simply shows up as an extra removable drive in explorer.  In P2P mode it actually recognises it as a camera device (the same as it does with my Samsung Omnia windows mobile phone).

On the D300s, the camera only seems to operate in P2P mode (if there is an option to change that, I've yet to find it, although I haven't really looked all that hard).

Some cameras are Mass Storage mode only, and some cameras are P2P only.  Will the iPad be able to acknowledge and access both?

If it will access images from digital cameras USB Mass Storage mode, does that mean then that I will also be able to hook up a USB hard drive that has its own external power source (without using the iPad dock)?  Or a USB CompactFlash reader so that I can transfer still images that way instead of draining the camera's battery?

To Grip or Not To Grip

To grip or not to grip – that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer wrist pains while shooting a lot of portrait orientation images for extended periods of time, shorter battery life and feel slightly off balance with longer lenses is entirely up to you.

This post was inspired by a question I saw on the Talk Photography forums, and I thought I would detail a little about the reasons why I chose to shoot with a grip, and why I can't live without it any more.

I started off, photographically speaking, with a Nikon N90s (that's F90x to some of you), a fantastic film camera if you didn't want to spend an absolute fortune (at the time) on an F4s or F5.  America considered the N90s their "lowest end professional 35mm SLR", the rest of the world considered the F90x the "highest end amateur/hobbyist 35mm SLR".  Whichever way it was worded, I loved my N90s (I still have it, although I haven't used it in a few years now).

This was the only 35mm SLR I've owned that I didn't purchase the grip for (although I wish I had now).  I did get the MF-26 replacement back for it though, which added some great features to the camera.

After making the expensive decision to go digital I went for a Nikon D100, along with the MB-D100 grip (a US$1750 purchase at the time).  The primary reason was not the same as why I now choose to use a grip, but I did learn to love it.  Originally I'd bought the grip to give the D100 a 10-Pin port to which I could attach my MC-20 remote.  The D100 body didn't have one built in, but the grip did, although the MB-D100 did have its issues, according to some.

For a while, the majority of my shooting was still done without the grip, as most of my lenses were relatively short (all of them shorter than 80mm), and I felt it just got in the way unless I was on a tripod with my MC-20.  Eventually though, I picked up a Nikon 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 (a much better, sharper and more solidly built lens than the two 70-300mm Nikon "G" & "D" offerings that replaced it in their product line).  This is where the grip started to become invaluable.

The D100 had outstanding battery life, as I never used the popup flash, so the only advantage to me of having the second battery in the grip was to add extra weight.  Some of you may consider this a disadvantage, but it just made the whole rig feel that much more steady in my hands, and really helped to balance out the weight of the longer zoom attached to it, resulting in what I believed to be better images.

After I while I picked up the 300mm f/4 AF-S and this just reinforced my thinking regarding the weight & balance.  So, from this point on, the grip was permanently attached to the D100 body.  I ended up getting 2 more D100 bodies, both with the grip, so that I could shoot a couple of different lenses without having to switch them out mid-shoot, and had one as a backup body in the bag (by this point, the D100 had dropped to around $600 used, including the grip, which is the way I went when acquiring two more).

So by now the virtues of using the grip to help better balance the weight in my hands with longer lenses had well and truly embedded itself in my mind.  Even with shorter lenses, I was starting to get used to it, and the extra shutter button & command dials certainly made life easier if I was shooting a lot of images in portrait orientation.

When I made the decision to upgrade, I sold off two of my D100 bodies, along with their grips and picked up the Nikon D200 along with the MB-D200 grip, using my remaining D100 as my backup body.  As most of my photography by now was wildlife, the D200 resided in my bag with the 300mm f/4 permanently attached, along with the grip, and it was such a reliable camera that I rarely felt the need to pull the D100 out any more.

Incidentally, while the MB-D100 provided extra features to the camera, such as the 10-pin port, and voice memo recording, the MB-D200 provided no other features than the extra set of shutter release, command dials & AF button that already exist on the body.

Since picking up the 300mm, I really hadn't used the 75-300mm lens that much as the two just didn't compare at the 300mm end and that is where I spent most of my time.  But, the times were coming where I needed something that would cover that mid-to-long range at a quality at least as good as the 300mm.  So I took the plunge and bought the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens (the original one, not the recently revamped VRII - and I'm not going to get into arguments why one is better than the other) and also the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 (I didn't feel it was worth almost double the price for the f/3.5 version after reading all the reviews comparing the two).

The 70-200VR is a heavy lens, probably about the same as the 300mm f/4, and the grip again proved its worth.  The 10-20mm is a short stubby lens, but now that I've had a good few years to get used to the grip, I find it difficult to shoot using a lens even this short without one, especially as I shoot "left eyed" (definitely watch this video if you also shoot left eyed).

More recently I upgraded to the D300s, along with the MB-D10 grip.  I'm in two minds about this grip, because there are things I do and don't like about it, although Nikon have gone back to having the grip provide the camera with extra abilities.

My biggest gripe with this grip is that it only holds a single EN-EL3e battery.  Your original battery still resides within the camera body itself, which means that when it dies you have to remove the grip completely to replace that battery, although you do have the option of not using a battery in the body at all (meaning you're back down to using a single battery), and also the ability to tell the camera which battery to use first (I always tell it to use the battery in the grip first, then default to the battery in the body, that way I can switch out the battery in the grip, but I've still got some in reserve when needed).

But, this design does have its advantages.  The MB-D10 grip uses a tray on which you mount the battery before sliding it inside the grip.  Two trays come with the grip, one for using an EN-EL3e battery, and one for using 8x AA batteries.  Using the AA batteries, this bumps your speed up to 7.7fps.  There is also an optional BL-3 tray available that can be used with an EN-EL4a battery giving you a full 8fps shooting speed (assuming your shutter speed is fast enough).  The EN-EL4a battery also has a life expectancy of at least two and a half EN-EL3e batteries before requiring a recharge.

The MB-D10 grip also allows the D300s to improve its base "High Continuous" shooting speed from 7fps up to 7.7 or 8fps depending on which battery you put inside it.

The other new feature on the MB-D10 grip is that it gives you an extra little joystick for zipping through the image review, menus or (probably more importantly) selecting your focus points while holding the camera in portrait orientation.  A very handy feature when shooting sideways up and don't want to (or are unable to) leave the viewfinder or contort your hands to adjust.

In short, I originally went with the grip out of the pure necessity to add the MC-20 remote cable to a body that didn't have a 10-pin port, and I just got so used to shooting with it, that it's a must-have item for me now.

Of course, there is always the argument that it makes you look like you're using a pro body and people will think you actually know what you're doing. ;)

What's in the bag? - My Strobist Kit

One thing people always seem to want to know is what's in another photographer's kit bag, especially these days when it's of the strobist variety.  Being a Nikon strobist, I'm often asked what I take out with me on a typical job when I'm using speedlights, but there really is no typical job in my experience.

Short of taking everything, which kind of defeats the purpose of traveling light and using small strobes, there's no way that I would be able to put together a one-size-fits-all set of gear.  Sometimes I may only need a single SB-900, other times I may need a dozen.  I might only need a single lens for the whole shoot or I may require 2 or 3.  I may or may not require softboxes, light stands, background stands & backdrop, snoots, grids, gels & holders, flash brackets, clamps, laptop & USB hard drives for tethered shooting, or any one of a hundred other things.

That is not to say that I don't always have a bag prepared and ready to go should the urgent need arise, and that's where this post comes in.

I have a few different bags that I use, but the one I carry most often is my Tamrac Cyberpack 6.  I bought this bag about 5 years ago and love it.  It's got plenty of space in there, and feels fairly solid on my shoulders when carrying it around.  Fully laden it can get very heavy, so I tend not to fill it whenever possible, especially if walking long distances during the course of a location shoot.  It has a laptop pouch in the back of it that I rarely fill unless absolutely required for this reason.

But, to get to the list.  I find this generally covers many initial scouting requirements and will also suffice for quite a bit of basic shooting, enough to keep the clients happy.

Note : Some of the items in the list link to Nikon USA as they don't seem to appear on the Nikon UK website for some reason.

The Bag Itself
• Tamrac Cyberpack 6 Photo Laptop Backpack

Cameras, Lenses & Associated Equipment
• Nikon D200 + MB-D200 Grip with Nikon 50mm f/1.8D attached
• Nikon D300s + MB-D10 Grip (no lens attached)
• Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S
  
• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
• 6x Nikon EN-EL3e Batteries (2 inside each body and 2 spare) 
• 4x 4Gb Extreme III 30Mb/sec CompactFlash Cards (for the D200)
  
• 2x 8Gb Extreme 60Mb/sec CompactFlash Cards (for the D300s)
  
• 1x 16Gb Integral SDHC Card (for recording HD Video on the D300s)
  

Lights
• 1x Nikon SB-600 Flash
• 2x Nikon SB-900 Flashes
• 16x GP2700 AA NiMH 2600mAh Rechargeable Battieres (4 for each flash and 4 spare)
  

Light Modifiers
• Lumiquest 80-20 Bouncer
• Lumiquest Mini Softbox
• Lumiquest Softscreen (built-in flash diffuser)
• 2x Lumiquest FXtra Speedlight gel holders
• Assorted Rosco gels, cut to swatchbook size for using in the FXtras
• FalconEyes "Flash Gun Bounce Kit Set" (snoot, 2x grids, and a flag/reflector)
  

Other Bits & Pieces
• Manfrotto 3001BN tripod & 3030 3-way Head (Bought this a few years ago when they still marketed as Bogen) - I'm usually hand-held with flash, so I don't need anything overly heavy or stable; it's just to rest the camera on. When I am shooting from a tripod at a client's location, it's usually indoors with the Sigma 10-20mm and MC-20 remote so no wind or shake to contend with really anyway.
  
• Hotshoe bubble level (Not really needed any more on the D300s, but still used on the D200)
  
• Various Hoya & B+W UV & Polarising Filters
• Nikon MC-20 10-Pin Remote Control
  
• Nikon MC-21 10-Pin Extension Cable
• A couple of Lastolite Tri-Grip reflectors & diffusers
• A couple of Microfibre Lens Cleaning Cloths
• A stack of business cards

That's essentially it, and somehow I manage to fit all that lot inside the Cyberpack 6 backpack (well, most of it).  I will generally also carry along the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens along in its own bag and just hang it over my shoulder (if it's not attached to a body at the time).  If I am taking the 70-200VR along, sometimes I'll remove the 300mm f/4 AF-S from the bag, so I can fit another SB-900 in there if needed.

This setup doesn't really account for any umbrellas, light stands, softboxes or environmental portraits, but it does the job nicely.  If I'm going straight to a business location, such as an office, with all the equipment and doing all the shooting there, I will usually pop the laptop into the back of the backpack so I can shoot tethered. Then I'll either take along a second bag containing light stands, flash brackets, umbrellas, reflectors, a couple of big white bedsheets to act as large diffusers, etc. or I'll just repack a single bag to suit the job.

So, there you have it.  That covers most of my arsenal of strobist lighting gear and other gadgets & doohickies.

Winter wonderland

Ok, so wonderland is probably a bit of an exagerration, but we've have had a fairly nice amount of snow here over the past couple of weeks.  The snow wasn't originally the primary focus of this post, but it has ended up being longer than I'd anticipated, so I'll get back to the original point of this in a future post.

The photo below was shot a couple of days before Christmas at about 4am (it had just finished snowing and I wanted to get out with the camera before the general public had trampled dirty footprints all over it).  It also gave me the chance to do a bit of playing around with long exposures and HDR.

So, this was shot on the Nikon D200 with the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 lens (this lens and its counterparts being the originally planned point of this post).  It's a tonemapped HDR composite of 7 shots from 1/250th to 15 seconds in 2 stop increments.  The camera was setup on a tripod and I used my trusty Nikon MC-20 remote shutter release to capture each shot.  I was not in bracket mode, and manually adjusted the shutter speed for each shot (so make sure you have a rock solid tripod with you for this kind of thing).

To detail the process just a bit, it's a composite of 7 images, all f/8 @ ISO200 and, as mentioned above, each being 2 stops apart from 1/250th of a second up to 15 seconds.  The NEF files shot by the camera were brought into Photoshop for some initial modifications to the white balance, saturation and vibrance and then they were all exported out as JPG files at 100% quality.  The initial adjustments were made to a single image that gave me the best overall visibility & detail for the snow & tunnel, then those identical settings were applied to the other 6 images.

Those 7 JPG files were then loaded into Photomatix to perform the HDR magic.  After some adjustments inside Photomatix, the resulting TIF file was then brought back into Photoshop for a final slight curves adjustment resulting in the image above.

White balancing this one (or these 7) was a little tricky due to the mixed lighting around the area.  Other than the street lights, there was no extra light added to the scene to help with the exposures, and this area is sheltered from the headlights of cars passing by.  The street lamps are a mix of LED street lights and the traditional HPS lights, giving pretty extreme colour temperature variances throughout the shot.

I decided to lean my white balance more towards the warmer tones of the sodium street lights.  I think this helps to lead your eye towards the tunnel and beyond through it.  The blue tones from the LED illumunation just helps to add to the coldness of the snow surrounding it.

So, anyway, that'll do for now.  I'm hoping to get out there and do some more playing around with HDR techniques in the future, but it's way too cold to be going out right now, and I'm getting a little bit sick of snow to be quite honest. :)

Welcome to Kao's photo blog

So, I decided to setup a blog for this year's Talk Photography Photo52. Despite being very experienced on computers and the web, having been on the development teams of a couple of fairly large opensource PHP based projects and written many specific scripts and web-based applications for clients, I've never actually written on a blog before this. So I thought it was quite the leap for me.

Now that I've had a bit of a play around with it, I thought it'd be a good idea to setup a blog for other photo related topics that come up in the course of my daily life. Some days there are none, and some days there can be quite a few. Hopefully there will be enough that I can post to this blog regularly.

I'm going kick things off with the lovely Christmas present I received from my wife this time around. Thanks to Nikon's free SB-900 offer on the purchase of a D300s (see the pic at the top right), she went ahead and got me one for Christmas. It's been a couple of weeks now that I've had it and I have to say, it's a very sexy piece of kit.

I've not had that much of a play with it yet, but more than likely all of the photos for the Photo52 will be shot with it. Just for your info, the shot of the D300s and 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens was shot with the Nikon D200 and 50mm f/1.8D lens. Lit using an SB-900 placed directly overhead in a 24" softbox, with another snooted SB-900 pointing into the business end of the lens to try to light things up a little inside there and stop it looking like a big black hole in the image. Just a quicky shot in the living room, so nothing special.

More soon.