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Top 10 Items in a Photographer’s Bag

1. Nikon D700 D-SLR
2. Nikon 35mm f/2 AF-D
3. Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D
4. SanDisk Extreme III Compact Flash Cards
5. Interfit 48? 5-in-1 Bounce/Diffuser
6. Nikon SB-28 Speedlight
7. (2) PocketWizard Plus II Wireless Transceiver
8. Tiffen Lens Cleaning Papers
9. Lens Cleaner Liquid
10. Open Light Studio Business Cards

A little explanation about why I chose those particular lenses: the 35mm is a great walk-around lens that is so very freeing, and the 85mm is such a fantastic portrait lens, along with even being able to use for product shots or other general closeups (we’ve utilized it instead of a macro lens on many an occasion). Personally, I love prime lenses because of their ability to open up to a wide aperture, along with being lighter, simpler, and more lower priced than zoom lenses while having better optics. We could go and buy the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens instead of these two fixed lenses, but it costs $1800 and is so dang heavy that I don’t even really want to carry it on my camera. You can get both of these lenses for less than $1000 (and they open up a full stop or more than zooms), so it makes sense on every level to me. On another note, I didn’t put a 50mm only because I feel like the 35mm provides that extra field of view that makes it much more useable as a main walk-around lens.

The diffuser and bounce disc is such a great invention that I pretty much would always carry it around because it is so beneficial in any situation where you’re needing to soften harsh light, or fill in the eyes of a subject with the reflector. I love it, and I wish I could always carry around an inflateable assistant to hold this for me, but alas, those haven’t been invented yet. If you’re a portrait photographer of any kind, it is amazingly important that you shape the light, and a bounce/diffuser disc is a simple, light, inexpensive way to acheive this.

The PocketWizards along with our SB-28 is the only way to utilize a flash when you don’t want some blaring fill light (especially when utilized along with the bounce disc). They’re great because of the freedom and creativity you’re allowed in shooting and lighting. We bought the SB-28 flash because it has the transceiver plugin built into the flash, plus it’s heavy duty, and we could buy it used from B&H Photo for less than $100.

I personally think the lens cleaning tissue and liquid is just a safe backup to always have because I want to ensure top optical quality. Generally, I don’t want to be using my shirt and spit to clean off debris, finger smudges, etc on the lens. Finally, I think you should ALWAYS carry around business cards if you’re actually serious about your work and building your business, whether it’s wedding photography, architectural photography, pet portraiture, or food photography. You never know who you may run into on the street or need to make some contact of some sort.

It’s interesting to note that I didn’t include any sort of tripod; this is because as a wedding photojournalist, I rarely use one; VERY RARELY do I use one on any wedding or portrait session.

Just a note on our D700: it’s a great camera. Fantastic low-light capabilities on it’s 35mm-equivelent digital image sensor make it a no brainer for wedding photographers like us. I won’t go into detail on why we shoot with Nikon instead of Canon because I don’t have time, and in the end, it seems to me mostly a matter of personal decision because both companies make amazing cameras/lenses. I wouldn’t recommend spending the money on the D700 when starting out as a photographer because of the cost, but it is a good improvement once you’ve been able to add a few lenses to your bag and are on your way to making decent money as a photographer.

Lastly, I’ll just highlight the 85mm as THE LENS that you should have if you’re shooting portraits. It’s so amazingly crisp and clear, and it actually is very very sharp even when opened nearly all the way open to f/2.2. I usually have this lens on my camera over 50% of the time at weddings because it is so gorgeous. When you’re a wedding photographer like us, gorgeous images are key. Well, now that I think about it, beautiful images are always key. So I’ll restate it one more time: if you’re a portrait, wedding, documentary, product, family photographer, you should get this lens.

(you can view the full article along with images at the Open Light Studio Blog)

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A Guide on using Filters for Photographers

Do you sometimes wonder why a professionally taken picture can look so full of impact? Sometimes you would realize a picture may have colors are “so bright” or a sunset that almost feels “warm” or a sky that is so “clear” and “blue” or even a portrait shot looks so “gentle” and “soft”.

The secret here is the clever use of filters. In analog (film) photography, a lens filter is attached to the front of a lens. Light passing into the camera is affected by the filter and this creates different effects in the final image.

In digital cameras, the built-in image processor mimics traditional filters to create the effects you would normally get. However, D-SLR cameras still uses physical filters as this allows for greater control of the effects of the filters.

If you are using a camera with threaded lens or a DSLR, here are several descriptions of some common photography filters that you can use to create interesting effects

UV Filter

If you use a SLR camera or a camera with threaded lens, a UV filter will be almost essential to keep on your camera all the time. It is a colorless filter and its purpose is to keep out ultraviolet light in the atmosphere and reducing atmospheric haze to capture images clearer.

Polarizing Filter

A polarizing filter cuts out reflections by preventing light waves from certain angle from passing through to the camera’s sensor (or film). This means that it also affects the light coming from water particles (i.e. clouds) in the sky at the same time enhancing the image by deepening the colors that comes through. It also is useful in shooting through surface of water and glass which are reflective.

A polarising filter gives you deep, rich and high contrast colours

Neutral Density Filter

A neutral density (ND) filter reduces the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor without affecting anything else such as colour. This allows you to create effects such as slow shutter speed. ND filter also come in graduated form which is particularly useful if you want to balance out the amount of lighting coming from the sky, which is generally brighter to light from the ground.

You can use an ND filter to reduce the amount of light and slow shutter speed to create effects like this

Warming Filter

Sometimes your pictures can look dull on a overcast or cloudy day. Your camera may capture an image that can appear cool. Warming filters help to add a little warmth for a more desirable effect. Sometimes strong warming filters can give that extra touch to a bright sunset.

Cooling Filter

Cooling filters does the opposite of warm filters and are less commonly used for photography. But, it helps to add saturation and impact to a dull sky.

Blue filter can give you a cool, misty morning feeling

There are also other less common filters such as the Soft-Filter (which is great for portraiture), Intensifying-Filter (to increase individual color saturation) and Infrared Filters (which enhances the effects of infrared radiation to create surreal light effects especially on green foliages).

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A Birder’s First Camera

The advice often given to first time birding camera buyers is, “Get the best camera you can afford.” As with most simplistic answers, that one contains just enough truth to be dangerous. A more useful answer would be a return question like, “What do you intend to use the camera for?” Different situations benefit from different equipment. Birding covers so many diverse activities from sitting on a patio watching the backyard feeder to an Antarctic expedition observing penguins. What you intend to do with the camera will determine which is best for you. While cost is an indicator of quality, a more expensive camera might not be the most appropriate for a particular need.

Bird photography requirements

There are a couple of generic requirements that a good birding camera must fulfill. A birding camera needs a lens with strong magnification. Getting close to birds is difficult and you will need a lens capable of capturing a good image at a distance that won’t spook your subjects. Ignore the 3X or 5X rating on cameras. It is a relative measure that gives little objective basis for comparison. More useful is the focal length. On digital cameras that is normally stated as either effective focal length or 35 mm equivalent focal length. Those measurements compare the magnification to what a 35 mm camera would offer. As digital camera sensors essentially magnify the actual focal length of a camera anywhere from 1.5 yo 2 times, the effective or 35 mm focal length measurement gives a standard for comparison. Consumer camera lenses that offer 450 mm – 600 mm effective focal lengths are good choices.

Another feature that a birding camera needs is manual focus. Under normal conditions the automatic focus on digital cameras does a great job. Unfortunately, birds often hang out among branches and leaves. Your camera can’t know which of the many possible subjects to focus on. Therefor, you will sometime, or often, need to manually focus on the bird to get a good shot. If you primarily observe shore birds that many not be as important a consideration. Otherwise it’s essential.

Camera manufacturers often advertise the number of megapixels their cameras will capture. That’s mostly a marketing gimmick. For current consumer level cameras anything more than 10-12 megapixels, and perhaps less, provides no measurable advantage and some experts feel that larger megapixel sensors produce more image noise or graininess. 

All modern digital cameras that cost more than a couple hundred dollars are extremely capable and will produce excellent images under most conditions. A $300 camera that you have with you will do you more good than a $3000 one that got left behind because it was too heavy or complicated to take along. Yes, the more expensive camera will do a better job under difficult photo taking conditions. It will offer more controls. The photos it takes will provide more editing latitude. It will also, at a minimum, weigh and cost two to three times as much. For the casual or beginning photographer the disadvantages of cost, weight and complexity will often outweigh the technical advantages. For smaller or less fit individuals the weight alone can be the most important consideration.

Photography Intentions

That brings us to the question of intentions. If photography is the primary intent of for your birding outing then a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) offers more creative control and will give you better photos in poor light as well as more post processing options. Under average daytime lighting conditions the image quality advantage diminishes to minuscule for image printed around 11” X 17” or smaller. If you want to make posters, shoot in minimal very early morning or late evening light then get the DSLR camera.

If photography is a secondary goal to observation and identification then a point and shoot camera with a long zoom lens might be a better choice. These are classified as super zoom cameras and can take excellent images under adequate daytime lighting. The advantages of a super zoom are lighter weight, lower cost and lower complexity. Their single lens can can do the job of two or three DSLR lenses, meaning that you only need the camera not a whole bag or backpack full of equipment. Street prices run from $300 – $400 for models that offer manual zoom capability. They are a particularly good choice for people moving up from a pocket point and shoot camera. The provide enough manual controls to keep a dedicate learner busy for a couple of years and are not unreasonable to haul around along with a good pair of binoculars. Super zooms also include movie capture modes, which as of Jan 09, only two DSLR’s offer. While the movie mode isn’t a substitute for a good video camera, it is a nice bonus to grab an occasional movie clip.

A good super zoom camera can make a good bridge camera. If you think you want to get into photography but haven’t actually done a lot of it, then the lower cost is a big plus. If you later decide to upgrade to a DSLR you won’t have wasted your money. There will always be situations where the super-zoom’s lower weight and wide focal length capacity make it a good choice. It also makes a great camera to lend.

I you already have extensive photography experience then a DSLR would be the better choice. It is a more capable camera. It will give usable photos at a higher ISO setting (lower light). You won’t be intimidated by the extra controls and buttons. You may already own 35 mm camera lenses that will work with the camera. You’ll be used to dealing with multiple lenses. If you enjoy digital darkroom work then a DSLR shooting in raw mode will give you more information to work with. You will also be familiar with the high price tags that quality lenses carry and won’t suffer as much from sticker shock.

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40-per-second, Experience Casio Ex-fh20 Shooting Speed

People always be interested in the image which can not be captured by their naked eye. Macro photography, high-speed photography always attract people’s attention. But the high cost of the equipment makes a lot of people recoil. The majority of digital camera fans can not afford to the high cost of lens linkage components (electronic shutter linkage, and various types of flash light, etc.). However, Casio has come out with high-speed shooting EX-F1 at the beginning of this year, which has shocked the digital camera aspect. It’s unbelievable that 60-per-second of the still image shooting. While we are still surprised by the high speed shooting of Canon, Nikon SLR that sounds like machine-gun burst, the Casio EX-F1 has already gone beyond.

However, EX-F1’s price is too high to consumers, there’s no advantage as a SLR which is now depreciatory day by day for its price is more than 1000 dollars, after all, high-speed photography is not suitable for the majority of camera users. But, shortly before Casio launched Casio FH20, the same series with Casio EX-F1. Which is integrated 20 optical zoom lens, 40-per-second burst 7,000,000 pixels still pictures, and it’s only about 600 dollars.

In the past, the products always be tested with the appearance, imaging, hardware configuration, the introduction of the main features of product is only a brief space. This time, when we got this Casio EX-FH20, there is only one word in my mind: speed. Our test will be carried out around this word.

Of course, a choice of high-speed memory card is also necessary. We selected the 4G capacity SDHC memory card provided by PQI as the storage medium, in the course of photos stored, it’s full accord the request.

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What Accessories Do I Need For My Nikon Cameras?

Honestly, I don’t think it matters what cameras you are buying whether you’re looking at Nikon cameras or Canon SLR cameras, you still are going to need the same types of accessories when you shop digital cameras online. These accessories are manufactured to make your life that much easier when taking photographs, and this is true for amateurs and professionals alike. I think most people can take a good picture, but if you want to take a great picture, there are things out there that can help you do so!

Let’s begin with the camera itself. This is going to depend on what you can handle and what you want to use the camera for. If you are a professional photographer, for example, you need something like a large format camera. On the other hand, if you are just starting out, you should be satisfied with a simpler SLR like the Canon SLR cameras or Nikon cameras. Not only are these great cameras to use and buy, but they have super names behind them as well. Nikon and Canon are actually the top two bestselling camera brands in the world. Price also might be a factor as well. Usually with a compact, you can expect to pay between $50 and $100, or more. For an SLR, you could spend anything from $150 to $1,000 depending on the features.

After you get the camera you want, now it’s time to look at accessories. I would really suggest getting yourself a camera bag or camera case this is especially good if you plan on taking your camera with you everywhere you go and you want to keep it safe. Even though your camera will come with a lens cover, it’s still a good idea to store your camera when not in use, as there are other parts of the camera that can get ruined from dust.

Next, you should take a look at tripods. These are great if you plan on doing a lot of still photography and you don’t want the picture to come out blurry. When a photo is taken and even a small amount of movement comes from your body, the picture is always going to come out blurry. It doesn’t matter if you have the noise reducer on or off or the macro on or off. The camera can only do so much for you! Tripods are three legged stands that you place your camera on and lock into place. Then, the camera is safely secure and you can take photos without causing blurriness. There are also newer tripods with two legs and four legs as well, and they come in various brands, colors, designs and types of materials. A few brands you should be looking at are Slik, Gitzo, and Manfrotto.

Next in line, you need to figure out if the lens that came with your Nikon cameras or Canon SLR cameras is the only lens you’re going to need. Again, I think this depends on the user, not the camera itself. If you plan on taking a lot of photos and you want to do things like wide-lens, panoramic and macro shots, your camera might have these options, but buying a lens dedicated to these types of photos is key. Of course, compacts won’t have interchangeable lenses. Only medium format SLR and large format cameras do.

Last, if you plan on printing these photos out, you will need a photo printer. A lot of the good and popular name brands out there like HP and Sony have printers that are specifically designed for printing photos, so they are another option to consider when you shop digital cameras.