Tag: Toolbox
We’re always searching for the perfect camera bag, but much like the
Holy Grail, this can prove to be an elusive, if not impossible quest.
The result is often multiple bags in a storage closet. Owning several
bags can be a very good thing, however—unless you’re asking an annoyed
spouse.
Photographers are always concerned with sharpness. They’ll often search
for reviews and lens comparisons to make sure that their optics produce
the sharpest image possible. Yet even the best-engineered lens in the
world will deliver soft photographs when the camera isn’t as steady as
it needs to be. Whether you’re shooting landscapes or portraits, a
sharp result is sometimes only possible when the lens and the camera
are seated on a stable platform, be it a tripod, monopod or beanbag.
With the growth of file sizes and the sheer number of archives created
in digital photography, transferring and storing files has leaped from
a simple home-computing environment to something resembling more of a
business scheme (albeit on a smaller scale). Hubs, routers and
network-attached storage (NAS), once confined to corporate IT
departments, are now common components in the digital photographer’s
realm as well.
There’s no time to fumble with a camera when scaling steep mountains or
cycling through deep canyons. With action sports attracting more
devotees every year, the gear for capturing these athletic feats on
camera is becoming more affordable. Of course, choosing the right
sports video camera depends on the kind of action you’re into and what
kind of video quality you’re looking for. Most helmet cams now are
about 1.5 inches wide, up to six inches long and weigh less than a
pound. So capturing your mad dash down a black diamond trail is as
simple as strapping the camera on your helmet and hitting record.
For more than a decade, inkjet printers have provided photographers
with a relatively inexpensive way to produce high-quality prints at
home. The speed and convenience of being able to print your own images
at your desktop, whenever you want, along with the control that doing
it yourself offers, makes home printing well worth the investment in a
printer, ink and paper.
While
you may have a memory card that fits into your camera, it doesn’t
automatically mean that you’ll get the best performance from
either the card or the camera. A 1 GB CompactFlash card may promise
storage for hundreds of JPEG images, but when that same card relegates
the camera to performing sluggishly, we may well feel that we’re more
decked out for sweeping off the porch than dancing at the ball.
Although professional photographers are always searching for and
approaching new clients, a large percentage of their income often comes
from images they have shot in the past. Whether measured in months or
years, a photographer's body of work is vital to the success of his or
her business, as is the lucrative client booked for this week. That's
why it's essential for professional photographers to archive and
protect their images.
