How I Carry My Photo Gear

The ideal camera bag should fit comfortably while allowing you to carry your gear in an unobtrusive way. As such, you'll want to give careful thought as to what system will work best for your individual needs. Since I shoot a wide variety of subject matter, I required a versatile and rugged solution. I also wanted something with a waist strap to take some of the weight burden off my back. Before finding the right bag, my shoulders would ache after long hikes in the woods. 

Rather than leaving necessary gear at home to shed weight, I started to research photo backpacks. At that time, I decided on the Lowepro Mini Trekker AW which offers enough room to fit a camera body with attached 400mm lens, plus a 70-200mm, a 100mm Macro, a Flash, various filters, batteries, and accessories. It also includes a rain cover for surprise downpours, padded shoulder straps, and a supportive waist strap. Best of all, it qualifies as a carry-on for both domestic and international flights.  After eight years of heavy use, I'm still using the same bag!  Lowepro has since refreshed this line with the new and improved Pro Runner AW backpacks.

Along with the backpack, I use a large toploading holster. Since this sits on my hip it's perfect for quickly accessing my primary camera. The attached lens depends on what the most fleeting subject is. For example, if I'm in bear country, the 400mm is attached to the camera in the top loading holster. If an animal suddenly appears I can quickly access it without taking off my backpack and unzipping it as my subject disappears.

I reverse this setup when focusing on landscapes. In these situations I keep my wide angle lens ready while the telephoto is close by in the backpack. In short, the holster is what I work out of, while the backpack allows me to comfortably transport the essentials.

When flying, I never want to check my expensive photo gear for fear that it could be broken or stolen. This two bag system has made air travel much easier. The backpack is my one carry-on piece of luggage while the holster qualifies as a small personal bag. They both fit under the seat, or in the overhead compartments.  This system even worked on a small passenger plane in Costa Rica.

My tripod is the only piece of photo gear that gets checked. Since it can be used as a weapon most airlines have policies against bringing then on board as a carry-on. Of course it's an essential piece of gear that can't be left behind. Here's how I transport it:

First, I remove the ball head and pack that in my carry-on photo backpack. Without the ballhead the tripod is a few inches shorter and fits inside a duffle bag. I then pack all of my clothes around the tripod and wrap it with a few sweaters or pants. This extra padding will protect it from being destroyed when it's tossed on and off the luggage belt. Should this bag get lost or stolen, I'll still have all of my camera gear and the clothes on my back.

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Photo Marketing 101: Get Social!

Are you a photographer, or are you a marketer? If you’re familiar with my Photo Marketing 101 blog series, you’ll know that I want you to tell me that you’re both. In today’s world, everyone is a marketer. It’s up to you to market yourself, and the internet makes that easier to do than ever before.

In Part 3 of this series, we discussed different ways to ensure that your website gets the attention that it deserves. One tool that is perfect for driving traffic to your website, and reaching a wider audience online, is social media.

Social media has created a whole new side of the internet that marketers all over are struggling to understand.  Here is what we know:

• Social media is exciting
• Social media is open
• Social media creates new opportunities for communication, networking, purchasing, sharing, and – of course – marketing

It’s time you get involved. If you already have active social media accounts, congratulations. But your job is not done, so stick with me.

First, it’s important that you have a strategy. How are you going to use social media to drive visitors to your website, interest in your services, and new business?

Linking is vital. Use lots of them.  Link to things you find interesting, link to other people in your area, and link to your own website as often as possible.  These links will bring new visitors to your site, and will tell search engines that there is interest in your website.

Don’t dominate the conversation, join it. Share things that you think people will enjoy. Answer questions, and create a dialogue with people you follow and people who follow you. The more active you are, and not just posting links to your site, the more respected you will be in the online community.

Facebook and Twitter are two places to start. They are the most popular social networks, and will open your brand up to the largest populations. But for photographers, there are other social media sites worth checking out. Flickr is the most popular photo sharing service outside of Facebook, and YouTube is a great place to hang out if you produce video slideshows of your work. Take some time to check out multiple networks, but don’t spread yourself too thin.  Pick 3 or 4 of them, and visit them often so as not to look stale.

It’s important to keep your message consistent across all platforms. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, you should think of yourself as a brand. Whatever that brand is should be clear in each one of your social media profiles.

And of course, just as you should link to your website from your social media accounts, you should include links on your website to your social media accounts. If a new visitor to your site likes what they see but don’t purchase right away, an easy option to follow you on twitter might lead to new business further down the line.

Next time we’re together, I will take a deeper dive into social media, and offer ideas on specific promotions you can try to create interest in your photography.

Homework: This week’s assignment is simple. If you’ve got a Twitter account, share your username below. If not, create one at http://www.twitter.com/ and share your username in the comments below.

I’ll start: @nyip & @zheller

Lit Portraits in Super Duper Bathrooms

Photo: Patrick Cavan Brown

It's not every day that a photographer is given the assignment to shoot lit portraits in a series of fantasy bathrooms, but that was just one interesting episode out of the life of Weaverville, NC photographer Patrick Cavan Brown.

This was a most unusual assignment, photographing in the themed rooms at Super Duper Publishing (click on the link to take video tours around their Greenville, SC headquarters, called the Super Duper Castle). Here's how the photographer describes his approach to the job.

Shooting in bathrooms presents certain logistical challenges . . . the first is size. These were not large bathrooms like you would find in a typical office building, but rather small ones like you would find in an apartment building. The second? Mirrors mirrors everywhere! Put the two together, small rooms with lots of mirrors, and you’ve got yourself a good old-fashioned fashion headache . . . but solving problems is what we do, and what sometimes makes it fun.

As logistical solutions, I used boom arms reaching through doorways, light stands tucked into corners and behind doors, and I even bounced lights off of mirrors to create kickers . . . all fun stuff.

The following video shows the sped-up action of one of his location shoots. Dare we say Mr. Brown was flush with success when he finished the assignment?

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Squrl Away Your Online Videos

When I come across a terrific video online, I usually want to share it with someone else, or watch later on a big screen.  Whether it’s an informative photography clip, a breathtaking short film, or an inspirational presentation, there is a wealth of great content on the web.  Problem is, you have to sift through a wasteland of un-curated material to find it.  Previously, this involved a rather sloppy system of random bookmarks and links I emailed to myself.  Today however, I’d like to report on a new solution for creating your own collection of online videos.  It’s called Squrl, and I’ve been testing it with great results over the past week.

Here’s how it works:

1)      Create a free account and add the “Squrl It” button to your browser’s toolbar.  When you find a video you like, just click this button to add videos to your queue.

2)      You can curate your videos into different sections similar to dedicated channels for various types of material.  I’ve created areas for photography, music, inspiration, and more.

3)      There is also a “Discover” tab to browse current material from various outlets like Hulu, Vimeo, and Youtube.  I find this a rather convenient feature since it eliminates the need to go to each site separately.

4)      There are many ways a user can play a video including desktop computers.  If you prefer to use an iPad or iPhone, there are also apps for that.  Airplay is also supported for those who use Apple TV.  As such, you can watch on your TV instead of a smaller device.

5)      The videos stay in your Queue unless you actually delete them. 

6)      If you choose to be social with your videos they do offer Facebook and Twitter integration.

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NYIP Contest Watch

NYIP's Contest Watch provides information on international, national and regional photo contests that you might want to enter. Here are the lastest photography contests to check out:

Sony The Art of Expression Photo & Video Contest 

Outodoor Photographer Magazine in conjuction with Sony are presenting this contest. You can win on of four Sony cameras plus have your winning image published in both Outdoor Photographer and Digital Photo magazines. There are three photography categories you can enter: One World In Focus; The Expressive Portrait; and  All About Light, plus The Narrative Video category for videos. You'll want to head on over to the Web site, not only to learn more about the contest, but also to pick up some great tips from world-renowned photographers in videos created specially for this contest. The deadline is July 13, 2011.

United States Department of Labor Picture It!: Safe Workplaces for Everyone

 

This contest challenges photographers to capture an image of workplace safety and health and share it with OSHA. The goal of the contest is to kick off a national collaboration to raise awareness of workplace safety and health. Prizes will be awarded for the most outstanding portrayals of occupational safety and health in terms of artistic value and ability to raise awareness of safety and health to the general public. Check out their Web site for more specific criteria. Winners will have their images appear on the Labor Dept. Web site as well as having their images on display at OSHA and receive certificates.

 

United Airlines Latin American Photo Contest

 

 United Airlines in conjunction with Amigos de las Americas have launched their seventh Annual United Latin America Photo Contest and are looking for photos that capture the beauty and character of Latin America. You could win two coach-class round-trip tickets on United to a destination in Latin America. Just submit your photos of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua Panama or Peru by June 15th.

National Hot Dog & Sausage Council Hot Dog Photo Contest

Yes, that's right! It's a hot dog photo contest! It is summer, after all! According to the Council, ""The hot dog is ready for its close-up and we need America to help us give it the attention it deserves." Enter your photo into three categories: People noshing on their favorite dogs; Places – images of hot dog restaurants and/or photos of hot dogs being served and enjoyed in unique locations; Hot Dog Art – images of creative creatures, scenes and anything else inspired by and featuring the hot dog. You could win a $250 grocery store gift card plus have your winning photo on the Council's Web page.

 

 For tips on how to enter and win photo contests, check out NYIP.com's Contest Tip Collection.

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