My Review of BlackRapid CURVE (RS-7) Ballistic Nylon Camera Strap, Curved Ergonomic, Black

Originally submitted at Adorama

Black Rapid Strap RS7 Black Fabric, Curved Ergonomic, with ConnectR-2 and FastenR-2

BlackRapid CURVE (RS-7) Ballistic Nylon Camera Strap, Curved Ergonomic, Black

Great supportive strap

By Steadyhand from New York, NY on 4/23/2013

 

5out of 5

Pros: Well Padded, Strong Construction, Does not Chafe, Comfortable

Best Uses: Comfort, Long Photography Sessions, Supporting Camera, Street, Wedding, Stabilizing

Describe Yourself: Semi-pro Photographer

Was this a gift?: No

I have had other BlackRapid Straps and loved them. I especially love the RS-7 because it is simpler while retaining the functionality that these straps are known for. The slight curve make a nice fit that will allow be wear it as a sling or on one shoulder.

Tags: Using Product, Made with Product

(legalese)

My Review of BosStrap Extra BosTail – For Additional Camera Bodies or to Replace Your Other Strap’s Tripod Socket Fitting

Originally submitted at Adorama

BosStrap Extra BosTail – For Additional Camera Bodies or to Replace Your Other Strap's Tripod Socket Fitting

BosStrap Extra BosTail – For Additional Camera Bodies or to Replace Your Other Strap’s Tripod Socket Fitting

Little gadget that works well

By Steadyhand from New York, NY on 4/23/2013

 

5out of 5

Pros: Adjustable, Strong Construction

Best Uses: Supporting Camera, Stabilizing

Describe Yourself: Semi-pro Photographer

Was this a gift?: No

This little gadget is great to offset my BlackRapid strap from using the tripod bolt. I now strap this to my battery grip and use the clip to the BlackRapid strap to hook onto it. It makes it easy to keep my tripod mounting plate on at all times.

(legalese)

My Review of Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB WiFi Class 10 SDHC Memory Card – write speeds of 22MBps

Originally submitted at Adorama

Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB WiFi Class 10 SDHC Memory Card – write speeds of 22MBps

Game Changer for Event Photography

By Steadyhand from New York, NY on 4/23/2013

 

5out of 5

Pros: Writes/Reads fast, Easy To Use, Stream Quickly To Ios, Reliable Performance

Best Uses: Event Photography, Street Photography

Describe Yourself: Semi Pro

Primary use: Business

Was this a gift?: No

I use this card in the SD Slot of my 5D Mark 3. I use it to stream a reduced sized image to my iPad for quick review, editing and posting to social services. I used it once at Wedding recently. I could hear the cheering from the table that had the iPad as images were being populated soon after taking them.

For street photography this is fun as well as you can stream photos to your iPhone, edit them and post to the net.

(legalese)

The Next EOS M?

Canon Rumors

FEBRUARY 24, 2013 CANON EOS-M FOLLOW ON OUR FORUM

Canon’s next mirrorless?
Along with last week’s 7D spec list, we also received what is said to be the next EOS-M camera. A lot of people haven’t jumped on the EOS-M system yet, whether it’s the bad rap the AF gets, or the lack of lenses in the system, sales are quite weak for the little EOS camera. Most people seem to want something a little bit higher end, or at least be able to add accessories to improve the usability of the camera.

Specifcations

24mp APS-C Sensor
New generation AF system
DIGIC V
Removable Electronic Viewfinder (Very high resolution)
Optional grip attachment
5fps
Slightly larger than the current EOS M
Introduced with 3 more lenses
$999 USD
Now, all of that sounds like pretty much everyones wish list, so take this CR1 rumor with a grain of salt. I will say that the next EOS M camera is definitely pointing to being higher end from other information we’ve received. An entry level EOS M system camera could be coming in early 2014 and sit in the sub $500 category.

cr

More from canonrumors.com

EOS M Autofocus Performance Won’t Improve via Firmware [CR2]

EOS M Firmware Coming Soon

New Canon EOS M with EF-M Mount

Canon DSLR Body Rumors for 2013

Is Canon EOS-1S the Name? [CR1]

Announcement Day July 24, 2012? [CR2]
Tags: EOS M mirrorless

My Image is Photo of the Week

I won one for the street, lol!!

This afternoon, I get a series of twitter alerts for every calumetphoto in the country tweeting the announcement that Calumetphoto chose my photo “guiding light” as the photo of the week.

This is maybe the 5th time they’ve chosen one of my images. They have a new blog where they post some questions they emailed me last week. The timing is awesome. Below is the write up and the link:

Congratulations to this week’s Photo of the Week winner Dave Ortiz from New York.

We love this urban black and white shot and that’s why we’ve chosen it as Photo of the Week this week. We’ve asked photographer Dave Ortiz a few questions about his photograph, his photographic inspiration and his gear choices. Read below to see what Dave used to capture this stunning city scene.

What kind of photography do you enjoy doing the most?

I love shooting street photography. I wrote a review of Thomas Leuthard’s first ebook on Street Photography and said “Street is to photography what Jazz is to music.” There is a wave of emotions that can be felt in street photography. Despair, joy, hope, anxiety and love are all available. I have shot homeless people, landmark buildings, crowds and commuters. There are sub-niches within Street photography that allow a 360 degree view of our surroundings-of which we too often take for granted.

Who are some of your favorite photographers and artists?

This is a tough question to answer. Some would quote Bresson or other classic photographers. I feel I am more a product of my peers and have enjoyed the input of many friends. +Vivienne Gucwa was an early influence to me on the benefits of the online experience for photographers. I met her shooting Manhattanhenge in NYC and she introduced me to the Google Plus photography community. It changed my view of photography and my life. At Google Plus I made a group called the G+ NY Photowalkers with two other photographers. We would pick a date and meet somewhere in NYC and shoot it to death. With groups from 20 top 40 photographers of varying expertise levels, it was rare to find a duplicated image. Everyone’s perspective flourished. I developed many friends there and reunited with old ones. +Steve Maya, +Angel Figueroa, +Chris Gachot and +paula layton are just a few of the many friends I gained from being an active member at G+. +Ibarionex Perello, +Juan Pons, +Rick Sammon are three photographers that have shaped the way I perceive photography. They are awesome, giving and make themselves available to the community.

This is an (amazing) iPhone 5 image. What do you like most about shooting with an iPhone? What other gear do you enjoy shooting with?

Although I carry a Canon 7D daily, I love the practicality and mobility (pun) the iPhone 5 gives me. The apps available are critical to my enjoyment of mobile photography. Flickr and Facebook have become a simple process to update my images. Instagram, despite the recent drama still gives the same enjoyment. I shoot all of my mobile images using 645Pro and edit them in SnapSeed. I have begun to shoot portraits and weddings commercially. I shoot canon’s 5D Mark II for those events and this months next event will be the first I shoot with the 5D Mark III.

To see more of Dave Ortiz’s work connect with him here:

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steadyhand/
Twitter: @steadyhand
Instagram: @steadyhand
Facebook:http://on.fb.me/YmK5qS

- See more at: http://blog.calumetphoto.com/2013/02/photo-of-the-week-26-february-2013/#sthash.OzO0rBEo.dpuf

ABS-Always be shooting, ALWAYS BE SHOOTING!!

Round Lake in Monroe, NY on a foggy afternoon.

Good morning,

One of my passions has been mobile photography. This year, I have joined up with some family to shoot a mobile image daily. Thus far, I have been able to live up to the commitment. Having the mindset to “always be shooting” has really changed my life. My commute, my home, everything around me is constantly being framed and composed.

Alec Baldwin has a small role in a fantastic movie called Glengarry Glen Ross. Literally he is in the movie for 5 minutes at the start of the play made into a movie. He steals the entire movie. He stresses to a beleaguered group of real estate salesmen the necessity to be “closers”. “Always be closing. ALWAYS BE CLOSING!!”

When you do anything for 21 days you form a habit of it-at least that is what I heard. Shooting daily now has become a great habit. It changes your outlook on the mundane. You are constantly looking for something worth shooting. It is extremely difficult early on since there are things you walk past in your life that just dont look worthy. Shoot it anyway. The worst that can happen is that you delete.

Below are the original and edited submission of an image that has spurred a creative streak in me. This on the shore of Round Lake in Monroe, NY on a VERY foggy afternoon. It was selected by Flickr to be on it Explore page that day-something that has never happened before. It has sparked my desire to finish a short story that I have had in my head. 
These image was shot with a iPhone 5 and edited in Snapseed and Noise Master.

Always be shooting,

Dave

Peter Hurley guest blogs on scottkelby.com

It’s all about the Jaw from Peter Hurley on Vimeo.

Watermarking, Why Do You Do it?

Icons or watermarks, there are a lot of people that systematically mark there images. Im one of them-at least, I was until recently. Thomas Hawk is a social photography pioneer (I should watermark that statement). Whether it’s Flickr, 500px, or Google Plus, Thomas is at the forefront of the community. We have mutually encircled each other In Google plus-you place people in circles of similar people you are a fan of, inspired by, or enjoy what they do in the internet. If you are encircled by someone like Thomas Hawk you are certain to gain exposure from it. I happen to have recently been added to one his circles for photography. It’s like winning nobel prize. He shares his circles with the hundreds of thousands that have encircled him to give people an opportunity to enjoy what he enjoys-this is my interpretation.

In thanking him, he gave me some feedback that spurred a passionate dialogue with my wife, and some introspection on my part. He responded to my comment-something he does often at all hours of the day and night. In his response to me he wrote, David your watermark is heavy-or something along those lines. I replied and asked if heavy was good or heavy bad. He then replied sometime later, heavy-bad for me, sorry. I never thought of how a watermark on my image-something i created in Lightroom when i first bought it years ago and forgot about- may be interpreted until then.

I was on the morning train to work when I read his last reply. I turned to my wife, my commuting buddy (with benefits) and made a pouty face mimicking my son Noah. Imagine someone just told you that your breath smelled. You’re shocked at first. You cup your hand to your face and test the air you exhale because your breath didn’t smell bad to you. That’s when you turn to your wife and ask her “smell my breath” (provided she’s not the one that made the revelation of your foul smelling mouth). Imagine the horror you feel after she confirms it with a devilish grin. That is how I felt when my wife confirmed Thomas’s feeling.

She came to the same conclusion after seeing three images. I chose one on my iPad and she shrugged an said “thats not bad”. The next warranted no verbal response. She merely shrugged indifference. The last image however, she gave an involuntary “whoa boy”. “What is it”, I asked. She looked me in the face and said sadly, “I think is obnoxious. Have a breath mint.”

Fundamentally, my images are my own. My style is all my own. This conviction has been solidified by my co-organizing some NY based Photowalks for fellow G+ photographers. You can look at an image an have 15 people surround it. The majority of the shots will seem similar, but, there will be something different.

There is and has always been an underlying concern of digital piracy. Since the first sites you old post to. This is MY image and you are not going to take it. When I post my images online, I typically send them directly through Adobe Lightroom. Facebook, Flickr, and my Zenfolio gallery are typically populated this way. Google plus currently is the only place I manually submit images to-until someone creates an add on for that, of course. One of my settings on automatic is to watermark the image with my name.

My style is my watermark going forward. I don’t want my image to compete with my branding. I want my images to tell a story. I don want that story to be “this is MY image. Look, but, don’t touch”. Thomas Hawk inspired this blog post. Thanks for inspiring me to look at my body of images differently. Thanks for continuously being supportive of the photography community and of me at all hours of the night.

Steve Jobs, Dead at 56

Steve Jobs is dead at 56

By Philip Elmer-DeWitt October 5, 2011: 8:12 PM ET
Leaves behind “a company that only he could have built,” says Tim Cook
Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook today sent the following email to all Apple employees:
Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim
Posted in: Apple, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook

Book Review: Going Candid by Thomas Leuthard

I finished reading +Thomas Leuthard’s Going Candid-This book is a free glimpse into the passion and lifestyle woven into the fabric of Street Photography. I liked it very much. It focuses on the the raw and communal approach to street photography that I have experienced first hand co-organizing the G+ photowalks in NY with +Chris Gachot and +Leanne Staples. Thomas’s book isn’t so much a “how-to” book on the genre. It’s more a “Go ahead and just do it. You know you want to” book.

Thomas takes a comprehensive approach to the art of taking the photo and more importantly how to share an distribute the images you have captured. I believe the book is completed pre-dates G+ and the phenomena it has become. Nevertheless it is applicable in every sense.

Personally, I have been a student of every type of photography. Rick Sammon says it best. “I specialize in not specializing” he says. I like all types of photography, true. Street photography has become to me what Jazz is to music (in my opinion). Soulful, deep, emotional, and rooted in to the pulse of society. Jazz is not a genre to become a rich musician, but, when you are good at it, you can become legendary. Thomas Leuthard’s Going Candid is his sheet music to a composition of work that deserves applause.

Going Candid merits being published, but, it wouldn’t be in line with the concepts some Street Photographer share. Its not done for money. Download this book if you are interested in shooting street, or have anxiety about shooting in public, or want another perspective of a really good photographer.