PhotoWalkPro

It would have been easy to just re-hash the Lightroom 2 book and add in new features from Lightroom 3 but then that just wouldn’t be Scott Kelby, now would it? I’m always amazed at how each book series update he does seems like something brand new and this latest book is no exception. From the moment I first opened the cover until I turned the last page, I was pleasantly pleased to see so many new features in this book. So let’s talk about the real meat and potatoes of this book.

The book starts out just like you would work in Lightroom, by importing images. It’s hard to believe that there is so much to know about just getting your photos from your camera into Lightroom but everything is well covered in this Chapter. The Import function was completely overhauled for Lightroom 3 and the book uses a step-by-step approach to guide you through importing from camera, computer, even video. There’s also a great section on using the new tethered shooting section.

Next it’s on to the Import module. Once again, everything is laid out in a step-by-step fashion including how to create custom metadata templates for copyright, custom naming templates, and tips on navigating through your images. The next chapter is all about organization. There are tons of different strategies for organizing photos in Lightroom and Scott shares his personal methods for sorting, searching, and keeping all of your shoots organized.

The next chapter is very cool. It’s full of tips on how to customize Lightroom to get the most out of the program. In it, you will find things like setting up two monitors, customizing panels, setting the loupe magnification, and even adding your studio logo to the top of the program banner.

The rest of the book follows the same pattern of instruction, covering the Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web modules, each in great detail but with a simplicity that never leaves you feeling overwhelmed.  If that was all there was to the book, it would be well worth the money but wait, there’s so much more. First of all, every chapter ends with a section of Lightroom Killer Tips. These are short little tips and hints that you probably won’t find in any other book.

The final chapter is by far my favorite because it really pulls everything together. In it, Scott has taken his 7-Point System and adapted it to Lightroom. There are four different projects where Scott walks you through his entire process for adjusting images, including a fashion shot, a landscape, a travel photo, and a sports shot. By following along you will discover just how easy it is to take your good shot and make it great by applying his 7-point system in the develop module. It’s this personal insight into Scott’s Lightroom workflow that really takes this book over the top and gives you the benefit of his vast knowledge of this powerful program.

The bottom line is that, even if you were pretty comfortable using Lightroom 2, version 3 is a whole new ballgame with lots of great new features and this book is the perfect guide. Not only will you learn all of the features and tools that Lightroom 3 has to offer but also Scott’s keen insight on how to leverage them all to your advantage. It’s definitely another winner for Scott and Lightroom users everywhere.

Photo by Mike Palmer

This past weekend the folks on my photowalk saw me sporting a new piece of gear but it wasn’t a camera or a lens, or even a new bag. Nope, what I had resting on my hip was a SpiderPro Camera Holster and let me tell you, it’s pretty slick.  The holster system is actually comprised of several components that, when combined, make for a camera carrying system that feels natural and keeps your camera handy when you need your hands free.

Here’s how it works, the key to the system is the Spider Holster. It’s all stainless steel and hardened aluminum and provides the resting place for the camera on your hip. There is a two position lock system on the side of the holster that requires you to lift slightly to remove the camera from the holster when it’s in the down position. When you move it to the top position you can freely slide the camera in and out of the holster without having to touch the holster.

The other key components to the system are the Spider Plate and Spider Pin. The plate mounts to the bottom of your camera using the tripod socket and a hex screw. One of the things I really liked about the plate was the thought that the engineers put into it. There are a lot of camera accessories that use hex screws and include the appropriate allen wrench but the folks at Spider went the extra step of creating a storage compartment for the wrench so it’s hidden right inside the plate and always handy. As someone who has lost more than my fair share of wrenches in the bottom of my camera bags, this is one feature I can really appreciate. There are also additional 1/4-20 holes in the bottom of the plate if you want to mount it to a tripod without having to take it off the camera. The only problem with the plate is that it might need to be removed to pull out the camera battery depending on what type of camera you are using. But having the wrench handy makes this a pretty quick operation.

The second component that pull it all together is the Spider Pin. This little piece of stainless steel is made with a small ball on one end and a 1/4-20 screw on the other. The pin screws into one of the threaded holes on the plate and serves as the mounting point between camera plate and holster. The ball portion of the pin slides easily into the groove of the holster and gravity and the locking system do the rest. The pin can also be screwed into a tripod mount on a lens foot if you are using a longer lens.

Those are the basic pieces to the system but if you want to go all out with the Pro system you will also get the Spider holster Belt. The belt has one feature that makes it different from most other belts in that it has a camera pad on one side to keep your camera from banging and rubbing your leg/hip. It also has a small elastic cord that slips over the bottom of the holster and holds it securely in place on the belt and keeps it from shifting. The thing I liked about this belt was the safety button on the clasp. Like many belts with plastic buckles, you need to squeeze in the sides to release the buckle but this one requires you to press a small button on the front before the sides can be squeezed in. Just another one of those little finishing touches that make this system so secure.

My Thoughts -

I wasn’t sure how I would like the system since I had never worn a belt system before, but after wearing it for a day I have to say that it felt completely natural. The belt fit securely around my hip and the velcro size adjustment made sure that it wasn’t too loose or too tight. The camera plate mounted securely to the bottom of my camera (I was shooting with a Canon T2i with a 15-85mm lens) and didn’t interfere at all with the way I held the camera. Fitting the camera into the holster was as easy as placing the pin in the groove of the holster and letting the camera drop down to my side. When I let go, it lay comfortably against the pad with the lens facing rearward. Removing the camera was almost as easy, just grab the camera and lift up slightly on the locking mechanism while sliding the pin back out of the holster slot. While it did take two hands to remove it, it was a fairly natural motion to grab the camera and release the lock.

As someone who doesn’t like using a camera strap that much, I really liked having the freedom of hanging the camera in the holster while I rummaged around in my bag for a filter or a bottle of water. When I was ready to shoot again, it was right there where I needed it. I also spent a little time just walking around with my camera hanging in the holster to see how it felt. The truth is that I hardly even noticed it was there. Everything was extremely well balanced and the belt and camera pad did an excellent job of keeping things where they belonged.

The Bottom Line -

I don’t know if this system would work in all shooting situations but if you find yourself constantly needing to use your hands between shooting, I think you will find that this is an excellent system for keeping your gear close at hand and ready to use at a moments notice. I can really see this being handy in a studio where you are constantly having to put your camera down to adjust lights. If you are a sport shooter who uses two cameras, this system will rock your world. Unlike a shoulder strap like the Rapid-R, the camera will not shift or slide as you bend down or kneel over.

The Price -

The Spider Pro Camera Holster system runs $109 US and includes the belt, holster, plate, and one pin. You can also purchase the components separately. This means that, If you already own a belt system like the LowePro Street & Field Belt, ThinkTank Pro-Speed Belt, or even the ThinkTank Steroid Belt, you can buy an adapter for the holster for about $19.99 and then just but the plate, pin and holster.

You can find out more information about the SpiderPro Camera Holster system including instructional videos at the Spider Holster website.

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

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