During a recent wedding shoot I got asked a few questions regarding my GoPro storage and travel case so I decided to write a quick post about this case, which I have to say is (literally) made for the purpose.
I purchased this case a few months ago after having considered a Pelican Case for quite some time – the GoProCases are not genuine Pelican cases but to me it is very clear that they are of the same high quality (see specs below)
I do not believe that they have any direct connection to either Woodman ltd. or GoPro.
The version I decided to purchase is called XB-550 and the specs are:
FEATURES:
Watertight, crushproof, and dust proof
ABS solid wall design – strong, light weight
O-ring seal
Manual Pressure Equalization Valve
Stainless steel hardware
Customized foam cavities for organization of accessories
Lifetime Guarantee of Excellence from manufacturer
Made in the USA.
Exterior Dimensions (MM) (L x W x H): 255 x 230 x 174
So as said: very similar to Pelican Cases but with rigid pre-perforated foam instead of the Pelican supplied ‘pick-n-pluck’ foam.
The Case: (please note that I have attached the GoPro )
Go Professional XB-550 Case
The interior of the case consists of a removable top ‘layer’ of hard foam which is pre-plucked to fit the following:
1 x GoPro Hero camera in housing with attached angled mount
2 – 3 backdoors
LCD touch screen
Battery Bacpac
A handful of mounts and attachments and extra memory cards
This is the top-tier with my equipment:
Top Tier of XB-550 GoPro case
As you can see on the image above there is a void below the top tier which I am using for ‘all the rest’ of my GoPro equipment such as additional mounts, WiFi remote, cables, charger etc.
On the photo below I have neatly tucked it away in two GoPro bags (believe me it is never this neat and tidy when in use)
Cables, charger, mounts etc. neatly tucked away
Conclusion:
I am sure there are many many other solutions out there and for the budget cautious I am sure there are also many cheaper ways to archive a similar result as this.
I am overall very happy with this product and have now used it for around three months and it has survived everything from rain, cold, mad driving and not least.. me
My only complaint with this case is the shiny surface which I am not a big fan of (call me vain, if you like) and I do prefer the matte surface which we know from Pelican’s products otherwise, this is a great product which I can highly recommend.
If you would like to read more about these cases have a look at GoProCases homepage (Aus) or USA they have cases that can fit up to 12 GoPro cameras so there should be something for everyone.
How do you store / carry your GoPro cameras? Share you thoughts by commenting below
Thanks for reading
Morts
Disclaimer: Please note that I have no relation to either GoPro, Woodman Ltd or GoProCases – the words and opinions expressed above are all my personal opinion and I have not received any endorsements from any of the before mentioned companies
One of the major advantages of shooting fully digital (as opposed to shooting slides as I did back in the past) is that you have full control in post production to edit and process the look of your images.
I took this image in Myanmar recently and have not done any other editing than converting it to BW as I find that many portraits could benefit from this conversion.
It is shot on a Canon 5D MK2 with a 24-105mm (1/320sec f.4.0 ISO1000) converted from RAW to Jpeg
Behind the scenes videos or simply BTS as they are also known have always been very popular online. I am personally a big fan of the technical ones where gear and technic are in focus. The little clip above is made by the creative souls from camp4collective who I have been a big fan of for quite some time. This video takes you on a little trip to my favourite country Nepal and shows you some stunning footage shot with Canon DSLR’s using the magnificent Kessler Pocket Dolly. Sit back and enjoy.
Making nice, natural an good-looking portraits does not need to be either expensive nor difficult. The photo above of the lovely Bernadette was taken with an absolute minimum of equipment: two heads with softboxes and a reflector.
The head on the right side was equipped with a standard 60×60 softbox and was shooting on 1/8 and the right head had a 60×80 softbox with grid installed and was set on 1/16.
The reflector is a standard model of ebay with a gold/silver side in the size 80cm.
No post-processing has been done to this image besides compressing it from the original RAW format…
So….. Why do I tell you all of this?
Some weeks back I asked you all what you would like to see on this blog and one of the things that kept popping up was BTS, setups and simple lighting solutions. Yes, I am using expensive lighting products from Profoto and Elinchrom but.. If you do not have a few K to spend then there are other solutions; standard 250w-1000w studio sets can be bought on Ebay for a few hundred dollars and the are the PERFECT introduction to portrait photography (and product photography)
To assist bit with the basics I have also included a L-diagram below with the basic set-up I used on this shot.
For in-depth information and great articles about Lighting 101 I recommend you to visit STOBIST where David Hobby can teach you everything you need to know and much much much more… -Always worth a visit!
It has been a long time since I did a shoot in a studio but yesterday I was back! the PhaseOne studio in Sydney is by far one of my favourite studios to work in; It is the good ‘ol warehouse style without any massive windows or natural light sources, which is perfect should you want to construct a good LX-setup.
I worked with one model yesterday; the very talented Miss Bernie Quinn, a young very talented Jazz singer who also happens to be a good friend of mine.
We had a good six hours of casual fun with various outfits, set-ups and creative brainstorming sessions and during the next week you will be able to see some of the shots on this blog with comments and information about the set-up and gear used.
One of the main advantages about shooting in a studio is that you have loads of various gear and lighting equipment nearby should you require to change the set-up during the shot. When you are working for clients on their domain you will need to prepare for the shoot in advance by spending a lot of time talking to the client to exactly specify what they expect you to deliver. I am currently packing for an assignment for a Sydney-based Interior design company which I will be shooting on Saturday. During my four talks with the client I have got the issues clarified, where amongst these were the most important ones:
-What/where am I shooting (is it a big showroom or is it separate set-ups? -and HOW MANY?)
-What format are the photos supposed to be delivered in and their usage (medium format or will RAW suffice)
-Time-frame I can work within (it is being done within normal opening hours!)
- Power supply available? (5amp? 10amp? 3pegs?)
- What lighting is installed in the showroom and can I control it independently?
There are obviously several other questions that I need answered but the ones above allows me to start the planning in advance and to hire/buy the equipment needed for this shoot so I am ready when I start the job. Also all gear will be tested and cleaned prior to Saturday. (If you are a CPS customer they can usually clean/service equipment and have it back with you within the week! – I am sure Nikon has got a similar service)
My current equipment list for this particular shot looks like this:
- Two bodies (Full-frame DSLR)
- 24mm fixed lens (Canon f1.4)
- 35mm fixed lens (Carl Zeiss 35mm ZE)
- 85mm fixed lens (Carl Zeiss 85mm ZE)
- A macro lens for the close up shots (Canon 100mm)
- Fisheye
- MacBook Pro 15″ (to tether and for instant proof)
And probably a TS lens from Canon as well..
To some people this might seem like an extreme bunch of equipment and some people would probably argue that I would be able to do the job with much less… However, as you never get second chances with clients there are no room for error.
In addition to the equipment above I might bring a Canon 7D for some filming (BTS for you guys ) and a few tripods, lightstands etc.
My question to you is: If you could only bring ONE lens on an (indoor) interior assignment what would you bring?
After the shoot I will post some photos from the campaign here on the blog for you guys to see, and hopefully also a bit of video.
Long time ago when I started to plan my recent trip to Denmark I decided to produce a little time-lapse clip with the crossing of the Great Belt Bridge between the two main islands Funen and Zealand. The total length of the bridge is close to 7km and with the East Bridge having the third longest main span of a mere 1630meters. This is the longest free span outside Asia.
I had planned the shoot in details but somehow managed to screw it up partly due to a technical glitch and partly due to a weak Bowens Magic Arm that failed.
As you are unable to stop during the crossing of the bridge I decided to use my Apple Iphone so I, at least, could get some footage of the crossing (which sets you back around $102/return)
I used the time-lapse application and set the frequency to 1s/5sec which with an average speed of 65miles/h would give me a 10sec clip when played back with a 24frames/sec.
The result is far from impressive but it gives a good impression of the majestic bridge pillars and the beautiful conditions Denmark offers at night time.
- Always bring back-ups of EVERYTHING
- An Iphone is a fun tool to play around with and can produce decent results
- Denmark is an expensive country
- Bridges are aways good subjects!
If this had been a client-paid project I would of course have brought several back-up cameras, arms, laptops etc. It is always important to learn from your mistakes and instead of seeing it as a negative thing see it as a new opportunity.
As part of the user interaction of this page I would like to invite you to submit YOUR requests and wishes of what you want to read about here on this blog.
I do now have more than 3000 unique visits each week which is more than I could ever have dreamed of five months ago when I decided to close down Photorism and dedicate my work to this blog instead. This is why I ask YOU for help now!
Tell me what is important to YOU and what would make it even more interesting for you to interact and participate on here.
Submit your ideas and wishes to me either via TWITTER, by commenting on this post or via email (post@MortenLindholm.com)
The word is YOURS! (All ideas will be posted here on the blog – spam will be deleted)
Thanks for your input
Kind Regards
Morts
PS. Photo does not have anything to do with this post, I just like it!
On Tuesday 21 June 2011 six british photographers were assigned different areas of the City to photograph. Some used tripods, some went hand held, one set up a 5 x 4
All were instructed to keep to public land and photograph the area as they would on a normal day. The event aimed to test the policing of public and private space by private security firms and their reaction to photographers.
All six photographers were stopped on at least one occasion. Three encounters led to police action.
This is what happened.
Produced by the London Street Photography Festival 2011
Directed and produced by Hannah White
Edited by Stuart York
(all rights & text: Shoot Experience & Stuart York)
I have previously mentioned Terje Sorgjerd and his absolutely outstanding time-lapse videos. His latest video is called ‘The Arctic Light’ and was filmed on the archipelago Lofoten in Norway during a two week trip earlier this year.
The movie was uploaded to Vimeo yesterday and has been watched more than 100.000 times and has been shared via online media platforms several thousand times.
If you have not watched it yet, please sit back, relax and enjoy!
