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

So, you have found that one item on Ebay that you just cannot live without – how to you guarantee that it ends up in your camera bag and not in someone else’s? If you follow the easy steps below there are a very good chance that you will succeed!

1. DONT bid before the last 60sec of an auction. Its easy to get caught up in the ‘bidding-war’ on items with starting prices of $0.99 but it’s a very stupid idea to participate in this ‘feverish and emotional’ act.  Every time you place a bid on this item everyone else who placed a bid are notified and encouraged to place another bid.. I’ll explain the 60sec rule later.

2. Know what you are bidding on. Nothing can replace knowledge – whether you are looking for a brand new in box camera body or a second hand lens it is absolutely essential that you know how much it cost you if you had bought it in retail or even via other similar auction pages. Remember to factor in the delivery and postage charges when deciding on your ‘max limit’

3.  Research and investigate the seller. Ebay has got a brilliant user-rating system which is a good indicator of a seller/buyers reputation – use it!  I usually  ever buy from someone with less that a 99.8% positive seller feedback score and I always read the negative feedback left for a seller as this is a good indicator if anything should be ‘fishy’. Do not settle on other payment terms than PayPal as that is currently the most safe and it has got you covered should the buyer turn out to be a cheat.

Explanation of the 60sec rule:

Latest numbers show that Ebay have got more than 100.000.000 active users world-wide, which basically is the amount of potential ‘competitors’ you are bidding against – so even before you start reading the product description your odds of winning an item is very low. If you follow this simple rule I can guarantee that most of the items will be your – I have successfully used it for years and have won very close to 95% of all items I have been interested in.

The idea behind the rule is simple: Bid only once and bid the absolute highest you are willing to pay for an item. When you find an item you are interested in, save in you watch list and ensure that you have notifications set-up on your smartphone (works on iPhone as well as android) and computer. Ebay will then advise you when the auction is about to end and you can prepare you attack. Having decided on you absolute maximum amount you will simply have to wait until there are less than a minute left of the auction and start you preparations: enter the amount in the box and submit when there are 2-6sec left – By doing this and winning you might just end up paying a few $ more than the second highest bidder and thereby securing yourself a bargain – or probably more likely a reasonable priced piece of gear as most bargains tend to be snapped up as ‘buy it now’ or via a fixed price.

What is your best bargain on Ebay? tell me below.

Thanks for reading

Morts

Following my despair when I was unable to locate a lens-doctor here in Australia who could assist with de-clicking my Samyang 35mm f1.4 lens I decided to give it a go myself, which turned out to be not just very easy but also worth it all!

Before I run you through the process it is important for me to highlight that I do not recommend anyone to this unless they are fairly confident in exposing the inside of their lens – I do not take any responsibility should you stuff it up

If you are already asking yourself ‘what difference does this make’ or ‘whats the purpose of this’ then this is probably not an ‘operation’ for you.

To be successful is de-clicking your own (Samyang 35m) lens you will need:

• 1 x philips screwdriver size poo (used for optical devises – can be purchased in most hardware stores)
• Plastic gloves (you do not want big fat fingerprints on the inside of your lens elements)
• A nice and tidy work environment (dust free and preferably dry too)
• a tiny bowl or container for all the little screws and parts (you do not want to lose any of them)

So lets get’s started:

Step 1 -remove and expose the 'inside'

• Using the screwdriver unscrew the three screws- remembering to put them aside so they do not get lost (they are tiny!) – lift the steel mount off and gently remove the black plastic cover (this is actually the iris-ring) + the inner silver ring (more screws), which will expose something a bit more interesting.

• When moving the black ring a tiny(!) steel-ball and spring will pop out, this is where the ‘clicking’ comes from – and your lens will look similar to this:

Be very cautious when dissembling the lens barrel and note how it's put together!

• Now is when the difficult part starts: putting everything back together again – The true trick is to remember exactly how everything fits back together and not to have lost any of the tiny screws.  Be very careful with the screwdriver as it is easy to scratch the back glass element which will be a disaster !

• When fully assembled you will (hopefully) have a fully functional lens with a smooth de-clicked iris which is perfect for video work (note it does not have any advantage when shooting stills/timelapse/etc!) You might find that the iris ring is a bit soft (I do not have this issue, but I have seen rapports online that some people find it too smooth)

Also, let me say that I would probably never do this with a dearer lens; the Samyang 35mm can be purchased 2nd hand for around $300-350 so my loss would not be that much should I end up with a broken lens barrel. I would never attempt this with an expensive Carl Zeiss lens!

If you have successfully de-clicked your lens feel free to comment with your ideas and tips, or maybe you have advise on how to make the process easier.

edit: please not that this lens does exist in a (pre-de-clicked) version, however I have not had any luck finding it any where (after 12 months)

links to companies/professionals who offer to do this service are also welcome in the comments below

Thanks for reading

Morts.

If you are a reader of Fstoppers then I am sure you have heard about this little follow-focus tool developed by Daniel Bauen and Mark McJunkin? and funded via Kickstarter. Basically it is a small rubber gasket that fits around most standard lens sizes attached to a ballhead handle. A very clever take on a product that usually cost several hounded dollars! I have been watching the video presentation over and over again and have been wondering if there are any even cheaper way to solve this issue and have discovered that a very similar product already exists – in my own kitchen!

I then spent a further ten minutes on google and ebay and got my suspision confirmed! – I was not the first person to realise this! bugger!

…and the product?

A standard silicone jar opener like this one from Trudeau does the job extremely smooth and produces great results – and at a price of less than $6.00 – I bet you to find a cheaper solution!

I have also discovered a great video with the device in action:

Let me know what you think?

thanks for reading

Morts

I have earlier posted a blog about the award-winning photographer Terje Hellesö who won several major photo competitions with submissions which either was not shot by him or which had been manipulated from photos from online photo libraries. It now turns out that there are many other of his kind out there; During the last week I have hears of no less than three other cases which in at least one particular case exceeds the ‘Terje-gate’ in manipulation, cheating and sheer weird-ness.

The first case was brought to my attention via Twitter where American wedding photographer Megan Kunert was accused of using other photographers works as her own. Her ‘fame’ literally rose overnight as her abuse went viral not only via Twitter but also via Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs and LinkedIn. At some point during the process the good old Mr. Hobby from Strobist sent a tweet to his almost 70k followers -and then hell broke lose. It might have been an innocent act by an ignorant hopeful aspiring photographer but instead she has been forced to not only apologise to everyone whose photos she used but also see her ‘blooming’ photography-dream disappear. Today all her social media accounts have been shut down and there are no traces left of her activities..

The second case is not directly related to photographers but to blogging. Duane Lester spent several days working on a blogpost for his very popular webpage just to see in printed in the Oregon Times a few days later. word-for-word and even with Duane’s typos included. Duane decided to confront the editor (or red-neck hillbilly editor) and record it all on tape.  The clip has now been seen by more than 200,000 people on youtube and I am sure the good folks over at the Oregon Times regret their ‘little’ mistake. See the clip here.

The last case is a case I have had a very hard time getting my head around. It has suddenly turned very complicated and extremely weird. In a nut shell, Photographer Jay Lee found one of his images being used by a one-woman law firm in Canada. He contacts her and files a DMCA copyright declaration with her host and this is where things go pear shaped; Jay Lee receives not just an email from the lady named Candice Swager but also a a threat of a lawsuit due to loss income, invasion of privacy and a lot of other legal stuff. The discussion are now out in the open and so far nothing has been settled… However, on her Facebook page another poster just revealed that another one of her webpages contains copyrighted photos taken by another photographer.. Guess we have to start all over again! – A lawyer who does not know the Copyright laws?  A bit like  a bus with a driver who does not know the traffic rules?

If you want to read a bit more in details about the above cases I recommend you take a look at these online blogs: SLRLOUNGE and PetaPixel .

Thanks for reading

Morts

As always around this time of the year photographers all around the world are sourcing the internet for ideas to what to put on the Christmas wish list before it is handed over to the loved ones. Below you will find a few ideas and suggestions which will hopefully appeal to most photographer out there. Today I will give you five ideas that won’t break the bank.

5 ideas under $50.00

Steve Simon; The Passionate Photographer $30.00 Books always makes great presents, and I am sure Steve Simon’s book will make many a photographer happy this year. I have only had this book for a few weeks but have already fallen in love with SS’s approach to the subject. This book is the perfect present if you are a serious amateur who wants to improve your basic skills, but is also suitable for advanced users who are lacking that ‘final touch’ . Available as paperback and e-book here

Camera Creatures Dapper Dog $25.00 Are you specialising in children’s portraits? If you do then this is the perfect present for you. A one-size-fits-all-lenses soft plush dog which is guaranteed to get the kids’ attention and ‘click’ the picture will be captures before the little ones even know. Various shapes and sizes available via CameraCreatures

Eye-Fi Connect X2 wireless SD card 4GB $45.00 The future is here! Stores video and photos as a normal standard SD card but does also have the option of transferring you filers wirelessly to any WLAN device in real-time. This allows you to keep shooting endlessly without running out of memory. A perfect gift for any happy-snapper. Find it here

Trigrip Reflector 70cm Gold/Silver $39.00 To me this is one of the most under-rated pieces of equipment; I use it on every single shoot. A reflector is probably the easiest way you can improve your portraits without breaking the bank. Every photographer should have at least one of these in their kit. Silver/Gold is my personal favourite but it comes in various mixes (black/silver/white/gold/coloured). Can be purchased via most high-end photo retailers or via Ebay. If you can get the version with a grip go for it!

A Photography Course! Even the most hardcore pro-photographer can benefit from learning something new! Believing that you already know everything is the biggest mistake you can ever make. To continuously develop your creativity a course, presentation or a tutorial is a great way to see the your work from a different angle. There are plenty of DVD’s around which are (mostly) really good but try to have a look in your local photo magazine, email newsletter or simply search online.

May all your wishes come through

Morts

Link to the video: http://vimeo.com/22590645

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.

Thanks for reading

Morts

Bernie Quinn, Jazz Singer

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!

Thanks for reading

Morts

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)

Thanks for reading

Morts