PhotoWalkPro

The other day I saw that my buddy Scott Kelby had debuted the new iPhone App for Photoshop World and since I recently registered I thought I would give it a whirl.  I figured that it would be good but I wasn’t prepared for just how good.  This is a great app!  Granted, it’s not something that I’ll need after the conference is over but I guarantee you that it will get a lot of use up to that point.  The thing that most impressed me is the way everything is so logically laid out.  It just makes using it so intuitive. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of months ago, HDR Soft, the creators of the vastly popular Photomatix Pro HDR software, released a new version of their software called Photomatix Light.  This new version is meant to take all the heavy lifting out of the HDR process by reducing the number of sliders and making things much more automatic for the beginning HDR enthusiast.  I hadn’t given much thought to the product but after receiving quite a few inquiries from my readers I thought perhaps I should give it a try. Read the rest of this entry »

I know, I just talked about my books yesterday and I certainly don’t want to sound like some shameless self-promotion hound but I saw this after writing yesterday’s post.  A few months back I sent a copy of my 50D book to Jason over at CanonBlogger to get his opinion on the book.  I mean after all, he is the CanonBlogger.  Yesterday evening I got word that Jason had posted a review on his site.  He gives a pretty thorough accounting of the book and even called me out on one item that differs from his processes.  To see the review and to read Jason’s great articles and check out his podcast, head over to CanonBlogger.com

Read the rest of this entry »

A little while back my office computer had a bit of a meltdown.  Actually, it was my main hard drive that went belly up, leaving me in a little bit of a pinch.  The truth is that my office computer hadn’t been getting that much of a workout because I do most of my work on my MacBook Pro.  The rest of the family all have laptops and so we do what we need to get done through my Apple Time Capsule, which not only acts as a back-up for my Mac, but also connects the rest of the family computers to the Internet, the printer, and the Drobo storage unit.  So the sudden loss of my office PC wasn’t really bothering me too much except for one thing, I had a lot of data stored on other drives in the computer that I didn’t believe I had backed up anywhere else. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago I received a copy of Ralph Clevenger’s book, Photographing Nature.  I finally got some time to sit down with it this past weekend and boy am I sorry I didn’t open it up sooner.  As a person who loves landscape photography, I was extremely impressed with the content, layout, and beautiful illustrations in this book.  Ralph brings a world of experience to this project with his knowledge as a former biologist and as an instructor at the Brooks Institute and guides the reader through the finer points of photographing every aspect of the great outdoors.

I really like the way that Ralph kicks things off with the first chapter.  It’s not really about photography as much as it is a statement on how to treat the environment that you are trying to capture.  It’s the age old message of “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”.  It not only covers the ethics of nature photography but also a look at some of the special tools that he uses to help get his shots without damaging the environment, like his plamp, which lets him carefully move and hold leaves or branches out of the way without damaging them.  It’s something that a lot of photographers don’t necessarily think about but probably should.

From there the book moves into a subject that is near and dear to my heart, camera gear.  Chapter 2 takes an in-depth look at what type of equipment it takes to take great nature shots, from cameras to lenses to all the little accessories that make photography easier and camera bags heavier.  You even get a look into some of the camera bags and gear that Ralph takes on his many different assignments.

Moving into the third chapter, we get a great lesson in light.  Because after all, there is nothing more important for making a photograph than great light.  And not just the natural light that rises and falls with the sun but also placing light into the scene using modifiers and flashes.  Yes, that’s right, using flashes.  I have to say that Ralph opened my eyes into the use of a flash for shooting all sorts of subjects, including landscapes and wildlife.  Something that I really hadn’t given much thought to before but I will now.

The rest of the book guides the reader through the process of photographing plants, flowers, insects, animals, landscapes, birds, and so much more.  There are also chapters dedicated to composition, preconception, shooting on the road, and even some thoughts on post-processing.  I also like the Q&A sections at the end of each chapter that answer many of the most common questions that would come up for each topic.  Each chapter also wraps up with a list of assignments to help you get started practicing the lessons and start moving yourself towards making better nature images.  This is a concept that I put into my books and I am glad to see Ralph include it in his.

The bottom line on this book is that if you want to be a better nature photographer, you won’t find a better resource than Photographing Nature.  I think George Lepp put it best in his forward, “Some folks are born teachers, and some born photographers, but the accomplished photographer who can also teach is a rare gift indeed. Such a man is Ralph Clevenger…”

You can find this book at Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, or Peachpit.com.

I recently had some new gear to test out, including the new Trek-Tech TrekPod Go! Pro monopod.  So what better place to test out this combination walking staff and monopod than than the Worldwide Photowalk.  I already have a monopod but it does have its limitations.  For one thing, it’s kind of heavy and the other is the speed with which I can attach and remove my camera/lens.  It’s actually more of a lack of speed since I have to hold my camera and then twirl the monopod to screw it into the tripod socket.  That’s why I was so drawn to the features of Trek-Tech’s TrekPod Go! Pro.

First of all, the TrekPod is fairly light at just 30 ounces.  The Pod will shorten to a length of about 43″ and extends to a maximum height of 62.5″, which is perfect for someone as tall as me. When packed in it’s travel case, it’s just 24″ long.  The Pod also has a padded collar and wrist-strap which means that you can carry it over your shoulder when you have a camera attached or have a comfy grip when using it as a walking stick.  That’s about where the similarities between the TrekPod and other monopods end.

There are three kick-butt features that really make the TrekPod unique.  First off, there’s the quick-release system.  Like most quick-release systems, there is a small piece that screws into the bottom of your camera or lens which then attaches to the head.  The thing about this system is that it uses something called a square-tooth anti-rotation system (STAR) that locks the camera onto the head and prevents the camera from rotating, but also allows it to be mounted in any direction.

Most quick-release plates only fit onto the head one way.  To ensure that the camera stays firmly and quickly afixed to the Pod, there is a rare-earth magnet in the top of the mount, which quickly grabs the camera STAR mount and holds it tight.  To finish the lock-down there’s a collar that swings around the camera mount and locks everything together.  The system is fast, secure, and incredibly solid.  By the way, if you are wondering about having a strong magnet so close to the camera you aren’t alone.  I took a memory card and placed it directly on the magnet for 10 minutes and didn’t loose a single image.  After all, magnets only effect magnetic media, not electronic storage so all the images should be completely safe.

The quick-release system is perched on another great feature of the TrekPod, a ballhead.  The big problem with most monopods is that you have to tilt the staff to aim your camera.  With the ballhead, you simply turn the lever on the side to loosen the ball and then point your camera at your subject and re-tighten the lever.  I use a ballhead on most of my tripods and having it on the TrekPod just adds a new level of functionality to the system.

Okay, so the quick-release and the ball head are pretty cool but this last feature is what really caught my eye and made this a piece of equipment that I would definitely take on a photowalk.  On the bottom segment of the staff is a piece of Velcro that, when released, let me spread out a small set of tripod legs that supported the rest of the pod and let me use it for my group shot.  See, I hate carrying a tripod on photowalks because the only time I use it is for the group shot.  Having these small legs on the bottom of the pod kept it functional as a stand-alone support for my camera and still useful as a walking stick/monopod.

Likes -

Magnetic Quick Release Mount

Ball Head

Tripod Legs

Supports up to 13.5 pounds of camera gear

Lifetime Warranty

Dislikes -

The four-piece construction – The TrekPod comes in a really nice carry case but must be assembled from four separate pieces before it can be used.

The locking rings – The rings can be a little confusing when trying to remember which way to turn them to loosen and tighten the different segments for assembly and adjusting the height.  This is probably more due to the limited time I had to use it and would probably become more familiar over time.

Conclusion -

The Trek-Tech TrekPod Go! Pro is an incredibly versatile piece of photo equipment that will really come in handy for anyone that enjoys hiking and photography.  The quick-release system allows for quick and easy transformation from walking staff to monopod and back again.  When deployed, the tripod legs add a huge measure of stability to the staff and, while not as flexible as a full-blown tripod, it is usable for situations where you need more stability or even a group shot of your photowalk group.  The TrekPod Go! Pro is available directly from Trek-Tech for $229.99.  If you have been considering purchasing a monopod, or even a hiking staff, you should give some serious consideration to the TrekPod Go!

If you would like to see a video demo of the TrekPod Go! in action, check out this video.

UPDATE -

I just found a great price on the Trek-Tech TrekPod GO! Monopod/Tripod/Hiking Staff with MagMount STAR Ballhead, Pan and Tilt Head, and T-Pod with Storage Pouch for $183.50 with free shipping.  That’s a savings of about $45 from the normal price.