VIDEO: Zhiyun Weebill S - HONEST first Impressions!
As a Photographer and Videographer, I am always looking for ways of improving my output and having the right tools for the job is always important. The Zhiyun Weebill S is a new gimbal that features improved motors to help keep your footage steady. Take a look at the video to see my honest first impressions.
VIDEO: Burnout Killing your creativity? This is how to deal with it!
It is all too common for us creatives that from time to time, everything just get’s a little bit too much and we end up exhausted! This is Burnout and it is very dangerous for creative people! Not only does it stifle our creativity, but that loss of passion can lead to even worse things such as turning work away, becoming withdrawn and even depression.
This video looks at how creative people, such as Photographers and Videographers can cope with Burnout and turn it around into something positive!
Don’t forget to hit ‘Subscribe’ while you are there.
REVIEW: LowePro 'ProTactic' 450 AW II
For a long time now, I’ve been on the hunt for a camera bag that can carry everything I need for my commercial work. It also needs to offer great protection, be versatile and look good - and The LowePro ProTactic 450 AW II certainly seems to meet a lot of those requirements, but will it be perfect? Read on to find out…
As you will see from the various images, I do a lot of travelling with my equipment and also shoot a variety of Urban and traditional Landscape photography, so the bag needs to be able to stand up to various challenges. Due to this, I was looking for something that could handle everything nature could throw at it, yet be discreet and stylish enough that it wouldn’t look out of place walking through the city streets.
Build Quality
I’ve purchased LowPro products in the past so I can say confidently that I have always been a fan of their build quality. However, the ‘450 II’ seems to take this to another level. With significant improvements over it’s already popular predecessor including upgraded zippers, more armoured protection and overall improvements in the build quality. The 450 II looks almost indistinguishable from the last version. However, there is increased padding in all of the key areas and some improvements to the exterior webbing etc.
The bag is surprisingly lightweight considering it’s the size and load capacity. More importantly, ‘FormShell’ technology adds critical protection to key areas without adding significant weight. The versatile exterior webbing is well constructed and I had no issues with hanging modular components on the exterior. The ‘All Weather’ element also does it’s bit. On several occasions since using the bag, I’ve been caught out in severe weather conditions and to this day, I haven’t found any kind of water ingress.
Features
It probably goes without saying that the main feature of the bag is obviously, well, it’s a bag! It’s designed to carry camera gear and it does that job incredibly well. The main compartment can pretty easily fit two DSLR’s - a few lens and a variety of accessories. More importantly, you can fit a DSLR with a 70-200mm lens attached! The bag is also surprisingly ‘deep’ - my little Eos-R seems to disappear into the bag and with a little bit of clever packing, this allows more storage space as you can ‘stack’ items.
The ‘Craddlefit’ interior segments allow you to fully customise the interior to suit your needs. This is ideal if you want to make use of the top or side access panels and one great use I found for this was leaving the 70-200mm lens on one body to be accessed through the top and a another body with a shorter lens in one of the side compartments - meaning I always knew where to go to grab what I needed in a hurry! The ‘smart’ interior segments even have little pouches in them which make for ideal places to keep memory cards, lens cloths etc.
However, the clever interior features don’t stop there! There is a 15” laptop pouch situated on the back panel of the bag (nearest your back) which comfortable took my MacBook pro and even has a couple of additional zipped pouches which I found great for storing external hard-drives etc. Obviously carrying a laptop eats into the interior space a bit but I still found I could carry two DSLR’s, a couple of lens and accessories even with the ‘computer’ parts filled.
Moving to the exterior, the most important features are the straps and I can say with confidence that I found them to be very comfortable and never have they felt like they were ‘cutting’ into my shoulders, even when fully loaded. There is also a detachable waste strap that is equally high quality - However, I removed this through personal choice as I rarely have the need to use a waste strap. One feature that I did find myself using was the chest clip - which effectively clips the two shoulder straps together across your chest so that the straps don’t slip off your shoulders. I found this perfect as if you are walking over long distances or up steep hills etc. bags can slip - not with the chest strap clipped in! It also helps distribute the weight and stops you from feeling too fatigued over long distances - very nice.
There are two pouches on the top sides of the bag which I found perfect for ‘accessories’ including spare memory cards and a multi-tool etc. The pockets can expand to a fairly decent size but are mainly for smaller items. One of the obvious ‘stand out’ features of the exterior is the webbing, which means that the bag can have numerous it’s ‘strapped’ to the exterior and I personally found that I kept LED lights, my gimbal and a monopod on the exterior and always felt confident that they weren’t going to fall off! On the sides, there is a tripod holder and space for a water bottle and thanks to the new ‘Sliplock’ accessories - the exterior is just as versatile as the interior.
Conclusion
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a fantastic bag. I love how deep the bag is and the protection that it gives my beloved gear. Maybe not the most important feature but the looks are really impressive too. The bag looks stealth and doesn’t scream ‘steal me’ - well not to the untrained eye at least! The comfort of the bag is top-notch and the durability is pretty much class-leading.
You really have to go a long way to find any negatives but obviously, it is a fairly ‘premium’ product and therefore, carries a premium price tag. However, I would argue that it should easily last you 5-10 years so it’s more of an investment. One thing I would love to see is a more versatile ‘pouch’ like compartment but LowePro does offer the ‘Whistler’ bag which has this area covered, so this may be something to consider.
Overall, I couldn’t really be much happier with this bag and think it is a great choice for anyone looking for a professional-grade camera bag that is also versatile, comfortable, durable and stylish!
Find out more and purchase at: LowePro
REVIEW: Manfrotto 'Manhattan - Speedy 10' Messenger Bag
Choosing the right camera bag for your needs can feel like a bit of a pain to be honest. Not only do you have to commit to which kind of ‘style’ you want, whether it’s a back pack, messenger bag or all out camping-hiking hybrid monstrosity! But also, you then have to worry about how well your expensive gear will be protected, does it shout ‘steal me!’ is it water proof! Well, if you’re in the market for something a bit more comfortable, discreet and stylish, I may have just the thing for you…
The big decision…
Probably the most important choice to make when purchasing a new bag is what ‘style’ of bag you need. The two main things I do are corporate shoots, which need a lot of gear and lighting etc. The second is typical ‘street’ and landscape kind of work. For these, I need very different bags. For the corporate work I need something with a lot of space, practicality and comfortable to wear for many hours. For my street work, I need something small, lightweight and discreet, and that is where this bag comes in.
The ‘Speedy 10’ is a messenger style bag that works perfectly as an ;every day carry’. It is discreet enough that it doesn’t 'look too much like it’s filled with expensive camera gear. However, it is stylish enough that you will feel comfortable going to a corporate meeting or walking into a bar/restaurant with this bag - it really does work for all scenarios.
Comfort and Practicality…
As you can see from the pictures, the Speedy 10 has a main compartment for a camera and two lenses. However, the adjustable inner compartment offers enough flexibility that you can pretty much fit any camera body/lens combo that you need. It is also spacious enough that you can easily fit a 70-200mm lens and even has a laptop compartment that I found particularly useful for my iPad Pro.The padded lining and zipped compartment offer a good amount of protection and the water resistant out layer offers a bit of piece-of-mind if you are caught in a sudden downpour.
In terms of comfort, the bag is an absolute pleasure to use. The padded strap and easy access to all pockets/zips etc. make the bag almost ‘disappear’ as you never find yourself struggling with awkward clasps etc. This is particularly useful as the last thing you want is to be fighting with your bag whilst trying to get to your camera and then missing a shot! The bag in general is well thought out and little touches like the water resistant base are simple ideas but critical when you are carrying thousands of pounds worth of gear around with you.
Discreet yet Stylish…
As a photographer that shoots mainly in the city centre, I can’t state enough that you do not want to advertise the fact that you are lumping around really expensive camera gear. This bag looks like it could easily be another ‘work’ bag and doesn’t scream ‘camera gear’ at your local thief! Yet, the bag is stylish enough that you wouldn’t feel out of place walking into a fancy bar and just as importantly, it also doesn’t shout ‘photo-nerd’ so embarrassment levels are kept to a minimum!
Final Thoughts…
I’m a big fan of this bag and can really recommend it after months of using it. If you a re looking for a messenger style bag that ‘does it all’ - you really don’t need to look much further than this. In terms of ‘downside’ - I guess at around £80 it is more on the ‘expensive’ side - However, with a bit of internet hunting, you’ll find much better deals out there. Overall, the bag is great and is well worth considering if you are in the market for a new bag.
Find out more and buy here - Manfrotto
DxO PhotoLab 3: The future of photo editing software?
The photography market moves quickly and innovation is at the heart of it. One company that is driving that change is DXO and with their latest offering - DxO PhotoLab 3 - they certainly mean business. The new software is feature rich and hosts a range of innovative updates.
Learning a new piece of software is always intimidating. However, DxO make it really simple as the layout is very intuitive and with two main working areas - ‘Photo Library’ & ‘Customise’ - it’s pretty easy to guess what each one does! The depth and the power of the tools on offer in PhotoLab 3 is pretty easy to understate - it certainly has you well catered for! Once again, all of the tools and controls are self-explanatory by their nature and allow you take full control over your edits.
So how did I find using the software and will I be switching from Lightroom? The software is fantastic and I really like the speed and the range of tools on offer! The optical corrections seems spot on, which is great as I am slowly moving over to the new Canon ‘RF’ glass. One of the clear highlights for me was the ‘U Point’ Local adjustment tools - they are super accurate and make local adjustments really simple and effective - a real joy to use.
The colour management tools are also excellent and for someone like me, that likes to really tweak colours, it has me well covered! The DxO ‘Smart Lighting’ tool is also very impressive. I usually like to take complete manual control over my editing but it was certainly fun to see the software do some of the ‘heavy lifting’ in terms of brightening dark patches etc.
So will I be switching from Lightroom - Honestly, if it wasn’t for the hundreds of thousands of images in multiple Lightroom catalogues, I would switch in a heartbeat! The DxO software just feels faster and more, well, modern. If I was starting out again or looking to improve on my software experience from a photography point-of-view, I really don’t think you can go fdar wrong with PhotoLab 3, go find out more at the link below!
VIDEO & REVIEW: DataColor Spyder X Elite - Monitor Calibrator
Buying a new Monitor Calibrator doesn’t have a particularly sexy ring to it - it’s probably not something that you are going to shout about all over social media. However, I honestly believe that it is one of the most important pieces of kit that a Photographer/Videographer can own.
Picture the scene, you’ve just landed your first gig with a huge international client, the shoot went well and you send the images off to their internal design house only to get laughed out of a job because the colours were ‘all over the place’! I know, I’ve been there and it’s not a place I want to go back to! Step in the ‘monitor calibrator’ - for the uninitiated, it is a device that reads varying hues, colours, tines etc. from your monitor and via the power of software, creates a new preset for your monitor that is absolutely spot on - no more laughy clients!
The Device
DataColor isn’t exactly new to this game, so you’d expect them to know how to build a decent device. I’m pleased to say, they certainly have! To anybody that has previously used a Spyder - the design will feel familiar. However, the beauty in the device lies in its speed, it is significantly faster than previous iterations which means there are now even fewer excuses for an uncalibrated monitor!
The unit is well made and feels like a quality product. I’m a fan of the white design with the red accent and as it is designed to sit by a monitor and take ambient light readings, it’s good that DataColor has taken their time with the design. The packaging is well made and the device comes with everything you need from a hardware point of view.
The Software
The hardware is only half the battle. DataColor’s software is really where the package comes into its own. I was using the ‘Elite’ version but having been a DataColor user for a number of years and I have always found their software to be intuitive and simple to follow - and there are no changes in that department!
The software is feature-packed and can cover everything from a basic calibration to a full, in-depth calibration, studio match for matching multiple monitors and can even calibrate other items such as projectors.
Using the software is so simple, I genuinely believe a child could do it. The software, even in ‘full’ calibration mode, has a simple walkthrough and regular prompts to explain what you need to do with both the software and the hardware. The on-screen prompts not only tell you when and where to place the calibrator - but it will also check you make and model of your monitor and to ask what controls you have over brightness and colour temperature.
Once you have followed the steps and the monitor has run its calibration process, you will be able to save a preset based on that current update. You will then be presented with a report based on the range of colour gamut the monitor has achieved - which is always useful. Finally, you get the option to see the difference the current calibration has made - which I personally find really useful.
The tip of the iceberg
To say that the Spyder X Elite can do more is an understatement! Depending on your needs, the options for calibration and the reporting that you receive at the end can go into way more detail. However, for the majority of us - the full calibration is simple yet deep enough to get great results.
The final verdict
The Spyder X Elite offers such a well-rounded set of calibration tools that there really is no excuse to have an un-calibrated monitor. It is not cheap at around £250 (prices will vary). However, I honestly think that if you are producing professional work for paying clients, it is essential that you are ensuring that you have highly accurate colours.
The improved speeds and ease of use make it a joy to use and calibrating your monitor is no longer an arduous task. Overall, I highly recommend the Spyder X Elite and believe it would make a great cornerstone of any amateur and professionals workflow.
Find out more at the DataColor website.
5 Tips for Photographers - Making the Most of Autumn
Ask any landscape photographer what their favourite season is and there is a pretty good chance they will say ‘autumn’. There is just something about the golden colours, the low sun (if we’re lucky) and the cool crisp mornings that makes everything better, and more importantly, more photogenic! So how can you make the most of autumn? Well, I have compiled five tips that will allow you to take your photography one step further this year.
1) Make the most of ‘Golden Hour’
Let me just get the most obvious tip out of the way first. By now, I’m sure most photographers understand the sense of shooting at ‘Golden Hour’ to make the most of either sunrise or sunset. During the summer months, sunrise in particular is a bit of a nightmare, as it can mean a 4.30am start or earlier. However, the sunrise times in autumn return to far more reasonable times making it much easier to be motivated to get out and shoot. It goes without saying that the thing we all love most about this time of year is the beautiful colours of the trees, but throw in the warm glow of sunrise/sunset and it can really elevate your images.
2) Get experimental!
Autumn is a fantastic time of year to shoot but many of the images can be lost in the crowd of very ‘similar’ images. This offers photographers a great opportunity to get experimental. Composition is one area that can be great to play with, shooting low to the ground and making the most of the blanket of leaves, for instance. One area that I will be looking to experiment with is ‘off-camera flash’. Having recently used the PocketWizard flash triggers, which I normally use for my automotive work, I see lots of potential for illuminating backlit subjects using off-camera flash whilst shooting into the sun. Hopefully, this will create some really unique images and offer a lot of versatility in terms of lighting subjects.
3) Make use of planning tools…
Planning at this time of year is essential, in particular as the weather can be very hit or miss so every opportunity needs to be grasped. There are several tools that I utilise to make sure I have planned ahead before going out to shoot. The most obvious is a decent weather app. I have used Yahoo Weather for years and found it to be fairly consistent. However, I have also used apps such as AccuWeather and Dark Sky. One particularly useful tool is the Photographers Ephemeris - which allows you to see the angle of sunlight at any particular time of day - essential for understanding what will be bathed in beautiful light and what will be in shade. Finally, I use Google Maps and in particular, Street View to explore different areas, especially if they are further afield so that I have a good idea what to expect when I get there!
4) Expand your editing skills
One of the best ways to take your images to the next level is to improve your editing skills. It’s always really important to capture a scene as well as possible ‘in camera’. However, it’s about what you do with it next that is equally important. Paying attention to the warmer hue’s and the saturation can really help your image ‘pop’. I do the majority of editing in Lightroom and will often make a few final adjustments in Photoshop. With regard to autumnal images in particular, I like to bring out the orange and red tones to make the most of the autumnal feeling. I also like to adjust the tone curve to add a softness to the image, but it is always better when Mother Nature adds a bit of mist! A great place to learn new skills is YouTube and I will be uploading new videos on my own YouTube channel soon.
5) Print your work…
This may not seem like the most obvious tip at first. However, by printing your photos, you are committing to an image and ensuring that you are producing your best possible work. I never feel that an image is complete until it is printed and you can see the fruits of your labour. It also helps you pre-visualise an image and make sure you are making the most of a scene and envisaging the final image, hanging on your wall. More importantly though, it is the warm fuzzy feeling you get weeks, months or years after taking an image you are particularly proud of and you happen to glance back at it and get that satisfied feeling. Autumnal images always feel the most sentimental to me and many others and therefore, make a great option for printing and hanging.
In conclusion, whether you’re experimenting with PocketWizards, planning a trip to the countryside using the Photographers Ephemeris or simply printing a few images you are particularly proud of -autumn is a great time of year to be out shooting! Good luck!
REVIEW: Skyreat ND/CPL Filters for DJI Osmo Pocket
The chances are, if you are reading a post like this, that you already know the importance of ND & CPL filters. However, if you’re still unsure, the common explanation of filters like this are ‘sunglasses for your camera’. Basically, they cut down the amount of light coming into your camera so that you can take more control over your settings. However, choosing the right filters can be a headache in itself, so hopefully, this review will take away some of that pain for you!
For a while now, I have been looking at filters for my DJI Osmo Pocket and I have been comparing many brands. However, Skyreat really appealed to me as they offer a great product and a fair price.The pack in particular that I decided on, covers all of the most common scenarios and as an added bonus, also contained the circular polarising filters (CPL) so it seemed like a no-brainer.
Starting with the ND filters, they come in ND4, ND8 and ND16, which should be great for all but the brightest of scenarios. The purpose of the ND filter in videography terms, is to cut down enough of the light coming into the camera so that you can match an appropriate shutter speed to your frame rate. The commonly used ‘180 degree rule’ means that if you have a frame rate of 25fps - your shutter speed should be 50, if you are shooting at 50fps, your shutter speed should be 100 - and so on.
As you will quickly ind, in particular when shooting at apertures such as f2 - like the Osmo Pocket, trying to bring that shutter speed down without and ND filter is almost impossible. However, the flexibility and range of these filters, has you covered. As an added bonus, they also come with the CPL equivalents, which allows you to cut glare from water and shiny surfaces and will make grass, trees, the sky all look more vibrant and add contrast in over-exposed scenarios. This is a huge bonus rather than having to go and buy a separate filter system.
Most important though, is the quality of the image when using filters such as these. I have not had any issues in this department and must add, that the build quality overall is excellent, in particular when considering the very reasonable price. I will be doing some demonstrations with the filters on my YouTube channel eventually, so you may wish to subscribe for more. Like I say though, the quality has been excellent and i have no complaints in that department.
The magnetic attachment is solid and Skyreat have thoughtfully provided a handy carry case and lens cloth, so you really have everything you need to take your pocket cinematography to the next level. Overall, it is a great kit to have and I highly recommend them.
if you wish to purchase a set, I have an affiliated link below which means I will recieve a tiny percentage of the sale price, but more importantly, it will not cost you anything additional!
Modern Nostalgia: A Backwards approach to Photography
I have been struggling with my photography lately. Call it ‘Photographers Block’ or maybe actual apathy but either way, something just hasn’t gripped me like it use to. Recently, I went out for an evening stroll, mainly just to clear my head but with the intent of grabbing a few photos. I found myself drawn to the same old things, dereliction, grime, dirt and basically anything on the more run-down side of life. As I stared at the old shop frontages, the run down streets and pictured how they would look with my heavy-handed edits, it suddenly dawned on me, I am a nostalgia whore… I pimp myself out to anything that has even a remote whiff of sentimentality.
This is nothing new, I’ve pretty much spent my whole ‘photography life’ trying to make my images look like they are from another time. In fact, Birmingham itself has a weird duality of personality between being this historic relic that should be preserved for future generations and every available derelict space being knocked down to make way for the ‘latest in modern living’. In fact, there are people out there so attached to the past that they simply must live in converted old factory units, as long as they come with all of the trappings of modern life - even I couldn’t resist that level of ‘authenticity’.
However, having more than a subtle nod to the past seems to be the new craze in Photography, well not new, but certainly more prevalent than ever. I see images all over social media that could be plucked straight out of the back-catalogue of any 1970’s photographer worth their salt. Even more, I see people returning to shooting film to try to achieve that authentic feel, something than simply ‘can’t be recreated in Lightroom’ so instead they are returning to the darkroom. This got me thinking about why so many of us are so determined to add a feeling of Nostalgia to our images and why we would even waste thousands of pounds on modern equipment, only to apply filters to make the image quality, well, worse.
As I continued my walk, thinking deeper and deeper about why I am personally drawn to a whimsical sense of past, a thought crossed my mind and seemingly got stuck there and wouldn’t budge. Quite simply, maybe we just always associate the past as being better than the present. Now that may not ring true for everyone and it certainly isn’t intended to be so sweeping, but I do think that most people have a tendency to remember the past in a more favourable light. Music, food, sport, fashion.. everything was better when you were younger, right? Well the truth is, probably not… But that doesn’t mean that we don’t hark back to a time when our lives were less stressful and our fashion choices a little simpler.
However, there is one important person that we are missing out and that is the viewer. Why do nostalgic images appeal to the non-photographer viewer? Well, from what I see it is simply that, we like old things because they remind us of a better, simpler time… a time pre-Brexit. I love the work of Fred Herzog, but have no attachment to 1960’s Canada. I’m constantly amazed by the work of Saul Leiter but have no reason to feel sentimental about New York nearly 70 years ago. Even Gregory Crewsdon and Todd Hido have their enigmatic ‘can’t really place a time on them’ style of images beguile me and they are working very much in the present!
So what does it all mean… Well, for me personally, I doubt I will be changing my style anytime soon, though the more I see the same style of images, the more I know I need to do something different. Whereas I hugely enjoy the work of many photographers that shoot with film, find beautifully nostalgic scenes or even just apply film grains to give their images more ‘feels’, I do think the nostalgia bubble will eventually burst. The main reason for this? Well you can only fake authenticity so far.
However, these are just the ramblings of a photographer trying to cement a style and work out the ‘why’ - and I will continue to dream of living in my modern abandoned factory unit with just the right-level of ‘voice activated heating’ whilst looking at bare-brick walls with images of run down 1970’s American petrol stations in the desert… Maybe one day… What are your thoughts on this? Please leave a comment below.
Bullring & Grand Central After Dark - The Sequel!
Back in May 2017, I was very kindly invited to visit the iconic shopping centre along with a great group of photographers, to explore the site after closing hours. It was a fantastic experience (read about it HERE) so when I was recently invited to do it again, I simply couldn’t say no! However, it wasn’t just the potential of plodding through the centre away from the hustle & bustle of the daytime that drew me, I also wanted to see how my ‘eye’ had changed and see how the photographs would differ from my original visit.
Things started out the same as last time as I was accompanied by some of Birmingham’s best photographers, which always makes me feel slightly out-of-place but soon after, the Bullring’s team made us feel right at home and gave us pretty much free rein of the store. However, this time we had access to a pretty much empty Grand Central as well! An opportunity that none of us could resist, so that’s where we started!
I’ve never really appreciated the scale of Grand Central until seeing it pretty much empty. The huge voluminous atrium feels overwhelming with all of the daily commuters removed. Occasionally, a person would pass through the space and offer a stark contrast of scale, being dwarfed by the huge span of the Grand Central roof. However, it was the closed shops, restaurants and stands that really caught my eye. There is something almost eerie about a lifeless place that you are so use to being busy, it almost feels like being in a post-apocalyptic film, where you are the only survivor (along with a bunch photographers, a PR team and a security guard!).
After exploring the space for a little while, it was time to turn to photography and I was quickly drawn to the abstract reflections in the store fronts. Something about the colours drew me in and I started to experiment with abstraction, layering reflections and colours on top of vaguely familiar items, such as chairs and tables. All too soon, our time in Grand Central was over and we passed through LinkStreet and back to the main event, the Bullring.
In contrast to my previous visit, I was drawn more to the details this time around (though I took my fair share of ‘wide’ shots - an opportunity not to be missed!). The dimly lit store created pools of light and shadows from the stores that had left lights on - which immediately drew me to the areas of contrast. In particular I was drawn to silhouettes of the often over-looked plants and foliage in the centre. We descended through one side of the centre and made our way towards the ‘Selfridges’ side of the Bullring.
As we neared the end of our adventure and made our way back up to ‘street’ level, again it was the scale that really caught my attention, it’s all too easy to overlook the sheer scale of the Bullring. As we said our goodbyes and I made my way home, it was clear that once again it had been a fantastic opportunity, but I also found it interesting that this time around, I’d been more drawn to the details and abstraction - maybe a reflection on my own growth as a photographer - or more probably just an attempt not to go for the ‘typical’ kind of shots. Either way, it was a fun way to spend a few hours photographing a hugely popular area with all of it’s inhabitants removed!
Thank you to The Bullring & Grand Central and thanks for putting up with me @veritymilligan, @alpha.brum, @ocuk and @frasermcgee