The Photography Thread

[Ish]

Got some new camera kit today.

Bought the Nikon 50mm 1.4 prime. There's a new one out in December I realise but I really wanted a very fast prime for my holiday (off to Egypt and Jordan on Saturday). Its a first class piece of kit - the images are pin sharp and the bokeh is stunning.

Also got a Jobo 80Gb Giga Ultra One hard drive thing for backing up memory cards and a Giottos mono pod.

If anyone's interested (or has any comments / suggestions) my kitbag for Egypt looks like this:

D80 (of course!)
Tokina 11-16mm 2.8
Nikon 50mm 1.4
Nikon 55-200mm 4-5.6
SB-600 Flash gun
Monopod
(then of course various chargers and cleaning equipment, spare batteries, memory, backup etc.).

I'm trying to cover the various focal lengths and take fast lenses where I own them. I'd like a fast zoom but even if I had one I don't think I'd want to lug it all over Egypt! Though I am going to the Galapagos in April and I'm tempted to invest in one for that.

The real thing I'm struggling with is the bag. On the one hand I've got my Slingshot 100 which is fantastic - holds all that stuff in a compact fashion (etc. the monopod) and is unobtrusive but doesn't let me carry much other stuff. Bottle of suncream and that would be it though I could clip a water bottle to the side. On the other hand I've got my big Tamrac which also carries all that stuff (and more!) and, has a top section which I can put other day gear in like suncream etc. Both will fit on my flight has had luggage.

I'm leaning towards the Tamrac. I can comfortably sling it over one shoulder and its just normal rucksack sized really. I think I'll end up with bursting pockets with my SlingShot (that said I could always pack my SlingShot in my luggage just in case!).

Oh decisions decisions!

My holidays are usually chaos incarnate when it comes to packing - its amazing how the photography has shocked me into planning and organising.

[Anpanman]

Good luck with the hols, would love to go to Jordan one day.

Out of interest which monopod to you have?

[Ish]

It's a Giottos Monopod. I have one of the Giottos tripods (quite a new model, it got good reviews hence why I bought) which I'm very happy with and this one looked to be the same kind of construction in monopod form.

It is!

I've attached the camera but not really used it yet. Its solidly built and reasonably light.

[Ish]

Oh and Alastair - I like both of those Noble shots. I'd be interested to see if you have any with the same kind of crop as the top one but with the car facing the camera.

[Garf]

Ish - regarding the kit for Egypt - do you have any filters ? Would either (or both) an ND Grad or Circular Polariser be of use out there ? Just a thought.

On the bag front, sounds like the Tamrac might be better suited - I have a Crumpler shoulder bag, but yesterday I was looking at bigger bags, with a bottom section for camera stuff, and then a top bit for non camera bits. One of those was a Tamrac (Adventure 6 or 7 I think..), and it was very nice.

Enjoy your holidays, and am looking forward to seeing the photos

[Ish]

I've got a polarising filter which fits both the 50mm and 55-200mm but not an ND grad. Just got a UV filter on the wide angle - I was going to get a polariser but I've heard that they don't work terribly well on wide angle lenses. Anyone know better?

Good think though, thanks for that. I think I'll invest in another.

It's one of the Tamrac Adventure sacks that I've got. The one that takes a 15" laptop (though I'm not taking the laptop to Egypt). Pretty much settled on taking this one. Its just more practical as a day sack.

[Anpanman]

I've used polarising filters on Nikon wide primes and zooms without any problems and in Egypt too.

[Ish]

Ordered two for delivery Thursday morning - a second 52mm threaded one and a 77mm threaded one for the wide angle.

Christ this holiday has cost a fortune in photographic equipment. I'll be on a beans on toast diet until Christmas.

Cheers for the tips guys.

Also took out some "proper" insurance for my kit this week - worldwide for accident and theft. I supplied serial numbers and replacement costs for all my kit - when I totalled up the amount I'd spent in the last two and a half years I really had quite a fright.

[funkydan]

Wow, that's a nice selection of holiday kit Ish, a good plan getting the insurance - I have mine insured and it's just nice to have that peace of mind. Have a great holiday and be careful not to get any sand in the camera sensor or lens when switching lenses outdoors!

I should be getting a couple of new bits next month - hopefully a Lowepro Slingshot 200 and a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. I'd love to get the Nikon version of the lens but at it's cheapest it costs £779.95! I know you get what you pay for, but that Tamron has had some quality reviews and at around £250, I can afford it.

I may be doing some bigger gigs in the future at Brixton Academy - just waiting to hear from my connection, but I could well be shooting Roisin Murphy (ex-Moloko singer), Goldfrapp, Feeder and Prodigy, if all goes to plan - fingers crossed eh! If I can sell some of the photos from those gigs, I'll be putting all proceeds in my new lens fund

[Garf]

Christ this holiday has cost a fortune in photographic equipment. I'll be on a beans on toast diet until Christmas.

Must admit, I sometimes think I should get a cheaper hobby - maybe I could prop up the UK banking sector

[Alastair]

Oh and Alastair - I like both of those Noble shots. I'd be interested to see if you have any with the same kind of crop as the top one but with the car facing the camera.

Nope, afraid not.

[Magnakai]

That top noble shot's especially lovely Al. What kind of lighting setup were you using? Have you got any softboxes or umbrellas? Some of the highlights seem a bit harsh, but I guess it is a big metal car!

I've just got myself a set of cheap eBay wireless triggers - but one of them arrived DOA.

Ish, I think you'll be fine with a relatively tight aperture. You'll probably end up mostly shooting at f5-8 anyway in that kind of light. Then the 50 will be perfect for evening stuff.

Dan, who's your hookup? I'm really envious, that should be great fun. Let me know if you can finagle a second pass

I've been (relatively) busy photographically. Shot a few portraits and assisted on a wedding. I haven't really made any money from it though. I shot Panico at the Proud Galleries last weekend.

I quite like this shot of the lead singer:



and this one of the guitarist:



I'm also working on my website, learning HTML and CSS as I go. Woop woop!

[funkydan]

Dan, who's your hookup? I'm really envious, that should be great fun. Let me know if you can finagle a second pass

Nice shots there mate, really like the portrait - who he?

As for my hook-up, it's the online magazine that I'm on the photography team for (the one who used my Big Chill Festival shots on their site). I just basically looked to see what gigs were coming up over the coming months and then asked the mag to see if they could get press passes for those gigs for me (which they are in the process of trying to do). There were a few more on the list as well and I don't expect to get them all (Kings Of Leon at Wembly Arena no chance!! But you never knows ya luck!) but 2 or 3 of the shows would be nice

There's a new club in London called Matter and the mag is in charge of the official photography so hopefully I'll get along to one of those nights soon - last weekend (Saturday), the headline band was Hot Chip!

[Alastair]

That top noble shot's especially lovely Al. What kind of lighting setup were you using? Have you got any softboxes or umbrellas? Some of the highlights seem a bit harsh, but I guess it is a big metal car!

When you say top Noble shot are you referring to the rear 3/4 view? There are 3 more shots above it in my page view so I'm not too sure.

Setup is 4 flashes and ebay triggers. A stupid hint but make sure the battery that arrived with it has the cellophane taken off. I was mad as hell that one wasn't working until I realised that

No softboxes nor umbrellas. Just diffusers on the flash heads themselves. The flash I had camera mounted didn't have a diffuser so may have been the cause of the hotspots.

Good luck with the website. I had to learn in a hurry too and mine's ****e! Like you first shot there too.

Good luck to Dan with getting a big gig. I've given up with music as I found it was super hard work for no pay and I didn't even get to enjoy the gigs as I was focusing too hard on the shots.

[Magnakai]

Nice shots there mate, really like the portrait - who he?

Ta very much! He's the lead singer - one Eddie Pistolas (seriously!) Good work on getting in on the online magazine. Are they paying you? I really have no idea how to make money from live gig shots - I love doing them, but monetising it is a mystery to me.

Al, sadly it's not that simple, though I did double check to make sure. I certainly wouldn't put that past me. It's on, and the red LED lights up to let you know that it's receiving the signal, but it just doesn't trigger the flash at all. The insides look fine too.

Anyway, here's one from a portrait session I tried shooting on Monday before I got seriously rained on:




I've got to say this about my Crumpler bag - it literally had a pool of water collected on top of it, but the insides stayed perfectly dry. Pretty impressive!