WHAT'S IN MY BAG? EPISODE 5

Well....This one isn't exactly in my bag, purely because it doesn't fit!

It's my workstation at home. It's where I get to see my photos in all their glory! This is where all my editing is done, when I get home from shooting. It's my computer. It's my Apple iMac.
Now not to boast but my wife and I have the 27" screen which makes photo viewing awesome. In saying that, the 21.5" monitor is fine.
This piece of hardware has such a crisp display, large hard drive and good memory - which is important for any visual arts application, especially photography.
I switched from windows to mac a few years back and have never looked back. In my opinion macs have such a better layout and user friendly controls. However that wasn't always my view. Remembering when my wife and I first switched, we initially found it hard to adjust to the different, and sometimes - opposite, layout. After a few days we were converted forever.

Like always make sure you get what is right for you. If you've been looking at mac's, check to see if TopBuy's price helps you out here.

Any questions? Let me know.
Catchya
Josh :)

WHAT'S IN MY BAG? EPISODE 4

Now that I have my camera body, lens and memory card, I can go out shooting. But one of the other things photographers need (in addition to the above) is a good tripod. Not because we are lazy but because the human body moves. Even when you try to be still, you still move. "Camera shake" is one of the most common reasons for blurry photographs. So before you blame your camera, maybe you should invest in a tripod?
But which tripod should you invest in? Well.. everybody is different. Not what you want to hear, right? It's OK there are a couple of rules of thumb to go by -

• Firstly, make sure your tripod head (the part that your camera sits on) is able to support your cameras weight.
• Secondly, and it might sound silly but, sometimes a heavier tripod is better than a lighter one. Especially when the wind picks up. Your tripod is next to useless if it can't stand up.
• Finally - how easy is it to set-up? Sometimes you will need to set up in a hurry, when the sun is setting or water is flowing and if you can't set-up, you'll miss the shot.

Currently I shoot with a Manfrotto 190xdb 804rc2 tripod kit (pictured left). Whilst it has served me extremely well over the years. It can sometimes be a bit slow to set up which is mainly due to the twist knobs which extends the leg intervals. Some of the other Manfrotto models feature quick release clips, as opposed to the knobs. Much easier! The head can also be a little tricky to level in a hurry, considering you need to level the 3 axis independent of each other. My next purchase will be a "ball head" (eg below). This gives you the ability to set-up and tighten much quicker than the former.

Whilst I cannot specifically recommend a model to get which includes all my wants as I have only experienced 1 tripod and 1 head. I can recommend Manfrotto as a brand, after having mine for a number of years. And believe when I tell you - I have given mine a thorough workout. It even spends a lot of time in my car boot, on the way to shoots, getting thrown around and it is in awesome shape.
Check out some of the Manfrotto tripods and find the one that suits you.
Questions? Let me know.
Catchya
Josh :)

WHAT'S IN MY BAG? - EPISODE 3

Now we have discussed my body and lens in previous posts. We now move onto the memory cards I use.
Possibly one of, if not, the most important piece of equipment a photographer has - it records the images you take. So I guess you'd want it to be reliable.
Ever since I started shooting I have used Sandisk memory cards. In particular a 16GB version, which holds roughly 550 images (when shooting with my Canon 5D mark 2). You can get larger capacity cards if 16GB isn't bigger enough. Sometimes this may be the case if you plan on shooting in locations where you are unlikely to be able to upload your images at regular intervals.
Another thing to keep in mind is the speed of the card ie how quickly the memory card records the photograph info, the camera has sent it. This is important is you plan on doing timelapse or long exposure photography, where you card is continually being written. In situations like this I would recommend purchasing a card from the Sandisk Extreme Pro range. These cards write at up to 90mb/s, giving you ample time for writing between shots. Because there is nothing worse than you camera telling you it is "busy".
With that said, if you are just getting into photography, I wouldn't go straight to an Extreme Pro memory card, as they can get a bit pricey, compared to the Extreme range.
Any questions let me know.
Catchya
Josh :) 

WHAT'S IN MY BAG EPISODE 2?

Part 2 in my series of what's in my bag, takes a look a my lens. Yes. That's singular. At present I only use one lens. But it's a versitile one.
To go with my Canon 5D mark 2 camera body, I don't go anywhere without my Canon 24-105mm f4.0L lens.
This is one of Canon's pro "L Series" lens. Don't worry though, you don't have to be a pro to buy one. But you could be after you do!
As you can tell from the short description - this is a a zoom lens. But don't let that fool. As a landscape photographer I like to have a reasonably wide angle lens to make sure I get as much of the scene in the frame as possible. Coupled with the full frame sensor of the camera, I can fit plenty into shot!
With the flexibility of having the zoom, this lens caters for many shooting situations. Plus it is resistant to moisture and dust, which gives you peace of mind that you can take it outdoors and it won't fail.
Living on the coastline I shoot mostly around water, sand and salt. I can tell you that during most shoots I get sprayed because I put myself in precarious positions and my lens has never missed a beat (touch wood).
I remember the first frame I took with the body/lens combo and it blew me away. I couldn't believe the 3 c's - colour, contrast and crispness. Funnily enough I was a family portrait (not a landscape) snap of my wife with her mum and sister.
If you are looking to take your photography a little more seriously, these days you can pick up a Canon 5D mark 2 with 24-105mm f4.0L combo at a bundle price and I thoroughly recommend you do.
If you have any question don't hesitate to ask.

Catchya
Josh :)

What's in my bag?

Every now and then people ask what equipment I am using so I have decided empty out my kit bag a do a series of blogposts on the gear that is in there. And NO, the bag on the left isn't mine.

Firstly I will start by saying that my kit is probably pretty empty compared to some other photographers.
In my opinion having every lens that is on the market doesn't make you a better photographer (necessarily). Of course, if you are a portrait photographer you are not going to spend $1,000's on a fisheye lens. Likewise, if you are a landscape photographer - you will not sink all your hard earned into a specific portrait lens.
So whilst (at present) my kit is modest, it works for me in what I want to do - landscapes. I say "at present" because my interest will no doubt change down the track. Mainly because I have a my first child on the way and the kit will probably see an introduction of a more portrait based lens. Fingers crossed.
If you follow my work you would hear me talk about my camera quite often. I'm a Canon boy. But don't hold that against me! My first camera was a Canon. A Canon 20D. It served me well and I still have it.
But nowadays (and for a few years now) I use a Canon 5D mark 2, which I guess - if you use Canon and you are interested in photography and you are wanting to take your photographic options to the next level then................you should upgrade to one of these.
Don't get me wrong - just because you have a great camera doesn't mean that you will have great photo's. Right? Weeeeeellllllll...........(in my opinion) This bad boy does a pretty good job at improving your photography straight away. I still remember the first shot I took with this rig (as a reasonable novice) below. I was in awe of what I was looking at on the screen. Such good contrast and colour and this was shot with a very cheap lens.

First RAW frame of my Canon 5D mark 2 © Josh Pitt

  As a landscape photographer for one - it has a full frame sensor, enabling you to fit more in your shot. What does that mean you ask? Well maybe not all of you. But for the ones that did - have a look at this article. Learn something new? Great!

Earlier I mentioned taking your photographic options to the next level. Next level. Next level. Next level. It's two of those buzz words that gets thrown around a lot these days in photographic circles and sometimes I think maybe a little too much. But for lack of a better term I will use it today because I guess it is appropriate to what I am saying. Which brings me to my second major reason I love the Canon 5D mark 2 . It has 21.1 megapixels to play with. This enables the photographer to have the ability to produce reasonably large print sizes. Particularly important if you are looking to sell your work! Believe me I know by experience. Having worked for over 6 years in fine art photographic sales and everyone want BIG prints, but sometimes BIG never seems to BIIIIG enough. But this camera will allow you to service the majority of client print size needs. And do it well.

Understandably not everyone has a budget for a semi-pro/pro camera, thats cool. The most important thing is to find the right camera for you and a lot of the time your budget dictates what you get. With that said, I would urge you to get a DSLR (digital single lens reflect) camera of some description. I guarantee it will open up the world of photography to you. And of course try out some of the manual settings. 

Find the right camera for you here, at cheaper than normal prices.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Keep an eye out for more of my kit shortly.
Catchya
Josh :)

Where do I shop for camera stuff?

From time to time people ask me where I get my camera equipment from? Well...... I actually get it from a variety of different places, but definitely online most of the time. (Sorry retailers, but as photographers, we need to save as much money as possible to spend on travel or more equipment!).
Sometimes a lot of photographic products are limited to only a few distrubutors worldwide, which has its pros and cons.
Whilst having only a few distributors definitely guarantees that you are buying brand new, genuine products, it has the obvious downside of "less competition" meaning - often pricing is set buy the manufacturer and there is no room to move, for the distributor.
As mentioned earlier - photographers need the best of both worlds - cheapest prices but still know they are getting genuine products.
Recently I have revisited a website that I used waaaay back when I purchased my Canon 5DMk2. I had looked all over the internet and in store before I actually stumbled across a company called TopBuy.com.au. Even nowadays my Canon 5DMk2 retails for $2,808.95 at Camera House , whereas TopBuy.com.au currently has it listed for $2,144.75 including delivery, you can even save an extra $20 if you pay direct deposit and not use a credit card. Don't worry you can get warranty's and (touch wood) my 5D is still going strong after a few years.
There are also many of the pro lenses, memory cards, bag, batteries and heaps of other camera stuff.
I'll be honest, it's not where I go for all my camera equipment, because they don't have everything, but I definitely visit here first before checking anywhere else. 
They do refer to themselves as an Online Department Store, sooooo they do have a wide variety of other things too.
But I hope this gives you a bit of a leg up to getting the camera or accessory that you have been wanting, but haven't seen it at an affordable price.
Catchya
Josh