Some call it a Multi-Element Diopter, some an Achromatic Filter and others a close up lens.  Very confusing but really it’s just a high quality filter made up of two elements that allow you to get really close to your subject and still focus.  Think of it the same way you do a pair of reading glasses…you know, the ones you put on when you can no longer hold your book close and still focus on the words.

Don’t confuse this with the inexpensive close up filters made of a single piece of lower quality glass.  This filter is made of two pieces of high quality glass and doesn’t degrade your image the way the cheap ones do.  Spend the extra money; you’ll be glad you did.

The cool thing about this gadget is it can be used with any lens 70mm or longer.  Put it on your telephoto lens and get really close to that Dahlia or stick it on the front of your macro lens and magnify things beyond life-size!  It’s that easy.  Put it on, get close and focus.  (One word of caution, it will make your low quality lenses look even worse so use it only with your higher quality lenses.)

How do they work?  As you get closer to your subject it gets bigger in your viewfinder (and on your sensor).  The problem is that you can get close to something to make it big but that doesn’t mean that you can focus on it.  A Multi-Element Diopter lets you get closer than normal (to make something big) and still focus (to make it sharp).

There’s one SMALL catch; once you put it on your lens you’ll loose your ability to focus on anything that’s not close.  Kinda like looking across the room at something through your reading glasses.  No biggie, put it on only when you’re going to shoot macro, after all it’s a macro accessory!

Much like your reading glasses Multi-Element Diopters come in different strengths.  And much like your glasses they are “rated” in diopter strengths.  Simply put, as the number gets higher you can get closer and still focus, resulting in more magnification.

I know that by now you might want a little shopping advice so I narrowed the list down to two that I’ve used and love.

Canon 500D Close Up Lens (+2 Diopter Strength)
Marumi DHG Achromat (+3 or +5 Diopter Strength)

So, grab one, put it on your lens and start getting close!

If you are interested in learning more about macro photography and want to learn to create big images of tiny subjects, I will be teaching a Macro Photography workshop from June 30 – July 5, 2013. Hope you can join me!

Most equipment tends to make us sloppy or lazy in our craft.  We zoom our lens instead of moving.  We set up our tripod at eye level instead of bending our knees.   We take hundreds of images on 32GB memory cards hoping we get a few good ones.  Sound familiar?  We all do it.

In our effort to make photography more convenient we are losing sight of how to be better photographers.  So if equipment isn’t the answer, what piece of equipment will help us become better photographers?  It’s cheap, it’s simple and it’s going to make you work…it’s a 50mm lens.  You may already own one, heck; you may have a zoom lens that includes this focal length.

It’s not expensive, glamorous or exciting.  You won’t see people drooling over one in catalogs but it will change the way you approach photography.  A 50mm focal length* records the world in much the same way that your eyes do in terms of perspective and angle of view, which is its biggest strength and greatest weakness.

In my view, photographs are interesting when they capture the world in a way that we can’t see with our eyes.  So then, why would I recommend using a lens that sees the world the way your eyes do?  Because it makes you do three things you need to do more: Move, Think and Work!

Put a zoom lens on someone’s camera and watch them; they often remain stationary and just zoom through their focal lengths until they arrive at a composition that is acceptable.  Switch it out with a 50mm lens and you’ll observe a progression.  First you’ll see a mixture of terror and frustration that is eventually followed by a significant behavioral change: The photographer starts to move!  They will change the height of the camera, the angle and distance of their position and their connection with the subject.  They will move with the concentration and intensity of a prizefighter; adjusting, reacting and repositioning as they photograph.  They will think more about the light on the subject or the background behind it.

Once acquired, this new approach will change your photography regardless the lens you use. Your sharpened powers of observation and new found approach to each subject will result in photographs that are interesting, compelling and unique.

*One note about focal length.  A 35mm focal length for those with APS-C sensors (“crop sensors”) will result in a 50mm effective focal length.  If you don’t own a camera with a full frame sensor use a 35mm lens or the equivalent on your zoom lens to get the effect of a 50mm lens.

You can catch Tony at one of our upcoming Photo Weekends in 2013 in these cities:
Las Cruces, NM
Cleveland, OH
Portland, OR
Portland, ME
Chicago, IL
Nashville, TN
Duluth, MN

Tony is also leading these Workshops in 2013:
Intermediate Photography
Macro Photography
Photography of People

First, I want to make a distinction between an office inkjet printer and a photo inkjet printer. While you can print pictures on photo paper using an office inkjet model, you will generally get better quality and longer lasting results using an inkjet printer that was specifically designed to print images. Among the advantages of a photo inkjet printer are individual ink cartridges, more paper choices (size and surface) and more permanent ink. If you already have an office inkjet, you may want to start learning the printing process with it. But when you’re ready for more control over your results, consider a dedicated photo inkjet printer.

When you go shopping for a photo inkjet printer, there are three characteristics to consider:

• Size
• Ink
• Computer connection

Size

The most fundamental question you can ask before you start shopping is: How big do I want to make my prints? You may also consider how much space you have available to set up a printer.

Size refers to the largest sheet of paper the printer can accept. If the printer uses roll paper, then size refers to the width of the roll. This characteristic effectively divides photo inkjet printers into four groups:

• Letter (8.5” x11”)
• Tabloid (13” x 19”)
• Wide format (17” x 22”)
• Floor standing (24” – 64” wide)

There are inkjet printers that make only 4×6-inch prints, but these models often cost as much or more than a letter-size printer that can make bigger images as well. So I don’t recommend 4×6-inch printers for serious photographers.

Letter (8.5”x11”) printers are an inexpensive way to get started with making your own prints. They don’t take up much space and can produce outstanding results if you don’t need anything larger than an 8×10.

Tabloid (13”x19”) printers are probably the most popular size. They allow you to make prints bigger than an 8×10, yet don’t take up too much space on a desk or table. Some have additional options such as the ability to print on roll paper (for long panoramic prints) or printable CDs or DVDs.

Wide format printers (17”x22”) can make prints up to 16×20 easily. Some models have more than one paper tray to allow easy swapping between media. Others use roll paper for less waste. But a wide format printer is just barely a desktop model. You need a big, sturdy surface to hold one of these units.

Floor standing (24” and up) printers (often called “large format” by printer manufacturers) are designed for producing large prints in large quantities. They are production level machines using rolls of paper to cut down on paper handling as well as cost. While you can print on sheets of letter-size paper with floor models, you must load the paper by hand, making the printer much less efficient to use. (Some photographers “gang print” multiple 8x10s on a larger area of paper and cut the prints apart later.) You also need a lot more physical space to set up one of these printers, which needs a special stand to support it.

Ink

Once you’ve decided on how big you want to print your images, your next choice is the type of ink the printer uses. There are two kinds: dye or pigment. Dye ink is liquid color; pigment ink has tiny solid pieces of color suspended in liquid. Dye ink has a slightly shorter expected life before fading than pigment ink does, and dye ink costs a little less than pigment ink. Historically, dye inks were able to reproduce a wider range of colors (called color gamut) than pigment inks, but this difference has largely gone away with modern ink formulas.

When you choose a printer, you’re also choosing one of these types of ink. You can’t swap dye for pigment (or vice versa) if you’re using the printer manufacturer’s inks. The nozzles that spray the ink are designed to work with either liquid or solid colors. Using pigment inks in printers with nozzles designed for dye would mean lots of clogs. (There are third-party companies that make alternative sets of ink, but again you waste ink and time switching between dye and pigment on a regular basis).

After you decide on the type of ink you prefer, you also need to decide how many different colors of ink you want. Over a decade ago, the first photo inkjet printers used only four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Today’s models usually have a minimum of six up to twelve different colors. The additional colors (such as lighter versions of cyan and magenta) help with reproducing subtle changes in tone, such as across a sunset sky, or printing more vivid hues (such as red or green). Some printer models forgo one extra color in order to include a “gloss optimizer.” This is not an ink color but a clear coat printed over the whole image to make all parts of the image equally “shiny” when printed on glossy paper.

Also consider the size of ink cartridges the printer uses. Cartridges with a larger capacity mean the ink costs less per milliliter. This is one of the advantages of the bigger printers; they usually accommodate bigger cartridges so you change them less often and the cost per print is lower. If you expect to make a lot of prints, then cartridge size should be a factor you consider.

Black & White Printing

If you intend to make black and white prints, then you want to pay special attention to the number of black inks that come with the printer. Better quality b&w prints come from using more than one black ink cartridge. Many photo inkjet printers now include two or three black inks to produce monochrome prints: black, medium gray and light gray (the names vary with the manufacturer).

Some companies tout four black inks but this is misleading. A few printers have two different types of the darkest black ink, one for printing on glossy papers and a second black ink for printing on matte surfaces. Some models have both photo and matte black ink cartridges loaded in the printer at the same time, the source of the “four blacks” statement. This is convenient because you don’t have to manually change the black ink when you want to print on a different kind of paper. (Note that this glossy or matte black swap applies to color prints as well.) But the printer is still using only three blacks when it makes a print.

Computer Connection

While you contemplate print size and type of ink, don’t forget to check how the printer model you’re considering connects to your computer. These days you can choose between a wired or wireless connection. All printers provide a USB connection standard. (You may have to provide your own USB cord.)

Some printers are available with wireless connectivity. If you make use of a smart phone, tablet or other mobile device and want to be able to print from them, look for compatible mobile printing technology included with the printer.

A few wide-format (17” wide paper) and floor-standing printers (24” wide paper rolls or bigger) may have an option for Firewire connections (useful if you have a Mac). More often, these large printers come with an Ethernet connection. Ethernet is a larger “pipe” that can carry more data at once, so it speeds up the process of transmitting your image file to the printer. Ethernet is most useful for networking multiple printers shared among multiple computers.

While there are many other technical specifications, such as resolution and print speed, advertised by the printer manufacturers, these numbers are difficult to use for making reliable comparisons between brands. Each company employs different methods to measure print speed or count ink droplets, so referring to these characteristics is not actually helpful. In the end, any photo inkjet printer on the market today can produce great color images that will look outstanding when displayed on your wall or in an album.

Additional Resources:
Choosing a Photo Printer by Amadou Diallo
Factors to Consider when Choosing a Small Photo-Quality Inkjet Printer by Andrew Darlow

Images from Amazon.com

Kathy Eyster will be teaching two sessions of our Basic Photography workshop in 2013. Consider joining her in one of these courses:
Basic Photography in Missoula, MT – May 4 – 10
Basic Photography in Missoula, MT – August 10 – 16
She also teaches the printing segment of our Summer Intensive course which runs June 3 – August 16, 2013

Kathy is also instructing an upcoming PHOTOfocus course on February 23-24.
Understanding the Basics of Adobe Lightroom 4

I know that drive failure is inevitable and that when a disk fails that all of the photos that it contains might vanish. The real question is not “when will my hard drive fail” but rather I need to ask myself “what steps can I take right now so that I am properly prepared for my primary hard drive’s inevitable demise?”

The experts at the American Society of Media Photographers suggest that professional photographers adopt a “3-2-1” backup strategy. They define the core goals of their robust, and redundant, strategy this way:

1. We recommend keeping at least three copies of any important file. For every photograph that is stored on your primary [working] drive we recommend keeping at least two additional copies on some other type of backup device.
2. We recommend storing these backup copies on at least two different media types to protect against different types of hazards.
3. We recommend that one copy of each file should be stored offsite and stored offline.

Moral: it takes multiple copies of your images, stored on multiple devices placed in multiple locations to truly be prepared for a major catastrophe.

After much thought, I have finally found an inexpensive solution that meets all of these goals and suits my needs. It has taken a lot of experimentation but I have finally pieced together a rock solid backup system that requires nothing more than two external hard drives, a high-speed Internet connection, and some simple software. My current backup system protects all of my digital images and it costs less than $2 per day!

Part I: Preparing the Hardware for On-site Backup

I needed to purchase a pair of new three-terabyte external hard drives for the on-site portion of my backup system. On-site here means for the backup copy that sits on my desk right next to my computer. Before I explain more about the backup system let me point out that I have been shooting digitally since 2003 and that I am currently storing almost 100,000 images on my computer’s primary [working] drive. To meet the “3-2-1” backup strategy goals I need additional copies of every one of these 100,000 digital images on my backup disks. I needed to buy a pair of three-terabyte external disks because I have already amassed a fairly large image library on my computer’s primary storage drive. If your image library is much smaller than mine then you do not need to invest in such large external disk for your backup system.

Likewise, for my backup system I saw no reason to invest in fancy RAID drives, Apple Time Capsules, or data duplication machines like the Drobo. Professionals running busy studios, or photographers with enormous image libraries, might need to invest in beefier hardware but a pair of ordinary “plain Jane” external drives are sufficient for my current backup needs. My backup drives do not need fast rotational speeds, stylish plastic housings, or the latest technological bells and whistles. There is no reason to spend extra money on eSATA, or Thunderbolt, external hard drives that are going to used solely for a backup system.

Getting the right hardware was the first step but no matter what you buy you still need to . Since I am a Mac user I needed to use Apple’s Disk Utility tool to prepare my new hard drives using the HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) file structure. Windows user will need to format their new backup drives using the NTFS file structure. Windows users working with hard drives that are larger than 2 terabytes might also need to convert their new disks to the GUID partition table before they can do anything else.

Along with formatting the new disks, I find that it helps me to keep their purpose clear in my mind if I give the new drives meaningful names. I like to give them clear names using my computer’s operating system before I begin configuring my backup software. Photographers tend to be wonderfully creative people, but simple drive names like “Backup Disk 1” and “Backup Disk 2” are all that’s required here.

Giving the new disks good names helps me to remember that these new external hard drives are for backup purposes only. These disks exist solely as a place to store additional copies of the files that l am keeping on my primary image storage disk. Hopefully, naming the disks something like “Backup Disk 1” and “Backup Disk 2” will remind me that I must never try to use these disks for any other purpose. These disks are for backup only.

Part II: Configuring the Backup Software to Make Daily Backups

Once configured properly, it is my backup utilities job to “clone,” or “mirror,” everything that I store on my primary disk over to one of the backup drives at least once per day. Good backup software can learn that its task is to copy all of the files from my primary image storage disk over to one the new backup drives everyday. The whole process should happen without my involvement. Once configured properly, I trust my backup software to copy all of my additions, alterations, and deletions from the primary drive over to Backup Disk 1 and Backup Disk 2 automatically.

When I add new photos into my image library, I copy them from my digital camera’s memory card to my primary [working] hard drive. I do not need to copy my new photographs from the memory card to either of the backup disks. Copying the new images from the primary disk over to one of the backup disks is my backup software’s responsibility.

If I decide to enhance one of my photographs using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop CS6, or any other program then I only work on the file that is stored on my primary storage drive. If my backup software is doing its job than all of the changes that I make should be passed along to one of the backup disks automatically.

When I decide to delete a bunch of lousy photo from my image library I delete the files from my primary image storage disk. My backup software will take care of removing these images from the backup drives at the appropriate time. The critical point is that I never go and mess around with any of the files that live on Backup Disk 1, or on Backup Disk 2, using my computer’s operating system or my image enhancement software. Only my backup software is allowed to make any changes to the files that are stored on my backup disks.

What software do I trust for these tasks? For Mac users, Carbon Copy Cloner is my backup utility of choice but there are plenty of other solid options. Apple’s integrated Time Machine backup utility is a good option too for photographers working with OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion). Windows users can build reliable backups using third-party applications like Cobain Backup. There are lots of reliable backup utilities out there for every operating system. No matter what software you choose for this project, the goal–copy my files from the primary storage to a backup disk everyday–remains the same.

Part III: The Weekly Backup Drive Shuffle

Once my new external drives are properly formatted, and my backup software is all setup, I can let the software do its job. The first day I let my backup utility copy everything from the primary disk over to Backup Drive 1. The next day I disconnect Backup Disk 1 and run the backup job again only this time I tell my software to put the files on Backup Disk 2.

As soon as the second backup is complete I now have three copies of all my precious photographs! At this point, I have the original file on my primary [working] disk and an additional copy of this file on each of the backup drives. If my primary hard drive were to fail right now I would be upset but I now have multiple copies of images and photographs stored on multiple devices, so I should not lose anything!

Remember that “3-2-1” backup strategy? Well, right now I have achieved the “three copies on multiple devices” goal but if I keep all of these hard drives in my office then I am still putting my files at risk. Keeping both of my backup drives in the same room as my computer is still “putting all of my eggs in one basket” if something catastrophic were to happen to my house. To really gain some peace of mind, I need to store one of my backup drives far away from my office.

Now that I have two complete backup disks, I can start the “weekly backup drive shuffle.” In my world, Backup Disk 1 gets used for about a week and then I leave it over at a friend’s house. While Backup Disk 1 is stored at my buddy’s house I use Backup Disk 2 for my daily backups. A week or so later, I go over and drop off Backup Disk 2 and switch it out for Backup Disk 1. Switching the backup drives around each week is cheap and easy.

Storing one of my backup disks outside of the house adds an additional level of safety to my backup plans and it gives me a good excuse to go see my friends every week or so. If I wanted even more security I could pay to store the “off-site” drive in a bank’s safe deposit box. The important part is that by storing one of my backup disk outside of the house I am dramatically increasing the odds that my photos would survive a catastrophic event like a break in, a power surge or a house fire.

Episode IV: A New Hope

Online, so called “cloud” backup technology is in its infancy right now. This is a new frontier and there are still wrinkles in the system that need to be ironed out. Online backup holds tremendous promise, but it is no substitute for my pair of rotating external hard drive backup system.

The truth is that most of us do not have fast enough Internet connections to continually protect terabytes of data. Unless you have a fiber grade Internet connection then it will be
months of non-stop uploading to transfer a complete copy of your entire image library to an online backup account. Likewise, it will take weeks of non-stop downloading before you could recover a large image library from a cloud account following a major disaster unless you are fortunate enough to have a lightning fast Internet connection.

Although there are shortcoming to an online backup system I believe that cloud backup is well-worth my time and money. Continually storing one of my backup disks off-site adds a lot of protection to my backup scheme. Keeping a backup disk off-site, and offline, is good, but even with my weekly hard drive swap game there is no guarantee that my best images will survive a major natural disaster.

Fact: We live in a warming world where natural disasters grow more plentiful and more probable each year. The planet is not pleased with us and no place is truly safe from forces far beyond our control.

If a natural disaster strikes my hometown then I expect to loose my primary [working] disk and both of my backup drives. If I miraculously survive the catastrophe, and the world is not plunged into darkness, then I will eventually buy myself another computer. Following a Hurricane Sandy size disaster, I should expect that all of my current hardware will be gone but my online backups will survive.

In the end, all hardware is replaceable, but my most valuable images–those “once in a lifetime” family moments–they can never be replaced. Fortunately, companies like Mosaic Archive are making online backups for photographers easy and affordable. Mosaic even offers a “drive mail-in service” to get things started.

This is a great option. Basically, you create an account and then you ship them an external hard drive that contains copies of all your photos. They connect this external drive to their server and transfer in all of your data. Since the external drive is actual plugged into their server the photos transfer into your account at a much faster rate than they would through the Internet. In the end, you get the security of redundant cloud based storage without the need for months of continuous uploading.

In the end, what online backup really buys me is more peace of mind. It comforts me to know that even if all my local backup plans fail that my most precious images are still safely stored on multiple servers which are themselves backed up across multiple countries.

Conclusions

Is all of this completely paranoid? Yes, but the price that companies like Mosaic currently charge for online backups is so low that I think all of this is totally worth the effort. I have some photos that are of such personal value that each layer of additional protection is well worth the extra hassle and expense.

If all of this seems like a lot of effort then please carefully consider the dismal alternatives. If you have taken no steps to prepare for the inevitable, then what will you lose when your computer crashes? What will you lose when a power surge fries all of your hard drives? What will you lose if a flood washes through your home or a tornado touches down in your neighborhood?

Could you really re-shoot your favorite pictures or are those precious moments simply irreplaceable? Are you willing to sit back and wait for those images to vanish forever? There are no guarantees in life but I believe that the time and effort that I have invested in building, and maintaining, my backup system is time well spent even if a disaster never strikes.

David Marx will be teaching several sessions of our Lightroom for Photographers workshop in 2013. Consider joining him in one of these locations:

Lightroom for Photographers – San Antonio, Texas (5/9—5/12)
Lightroom for Photographers – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (5/30—6/2)
Lightroom for Photographers – Chicago, Illinois (6/6—6/9
Lightroom for Photographers – Cedar Rapids, Iowa (7/25—7/28)
Lightroom for Photographers – Nashville, Tennessee (8/1—8/4)
Lightroom for Photographers – Wichita, Kansas (8/8—8/11)
Lightroom for Photographers – Duluth, Minnesota (9/5—9/8)

Along with enjoying the convention, seeing familiar faces and connecting with others in the industry, the trio got to enjoy some time with Gabe Biderman from B&H and RMSP instructor Tim Cooper. Gabe and Tim have teamed up before to teach a workshop in Vegas, but for several lucky people in Vegas, a Photo Walk was the order of the day.

I had time to do a little Q&A with Gabe about their walk. Lights, Lensbabies and lots of good times pretty much sums up the experience, but here is what Gabe had to say about the event.

You and Tim Cooper led a photo walk in Vegas during Photoshop World. I heard it was pretty well attended and went well. Help set the scene for our readers. How many people attended? Where did you take the group? How much of Vegas did you cover? Were you able to shoot at night?

We had 50 people meet us at the PSW registrations booth – Tom from PSW signed them in and then AJ from Lensbaby and Jason from B&H signed out a Lensbaby for them to try.

After we gave them the itinerary, introduced the players, and gave them a quick Lensbaby demo we took them to the Tram that dropped us off at the Excalibur and the heart of the strip.  The castle and skyscrapers of NY/NY were great subject matters…unfortunately the Lion and fountains of the MGM were under construction.

We walked them through NY/NY and under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the grand fountain of the Monte Carlo, and then through the slanted Aria in City Center where we started playing with reflections and car trails.  As we continued to walk around the modern surreal scape of the City Center we finally found ourselves at the Bellagio Fountains!  It was a long, hot walk but we finally made it!  We placed ourselves in the center and in 5 minutes the fountains started to come to life!  The fountains go off about every 20 minutes, so most of us were able to shoot it twice. We wrapped up around 8:45pm

What were the highlights?

Bellagio was probably the main highlight as we could really play with time and movement.

The Lensbabies were another highlight – so many people had never used them, so seeing these new visions was pretty epic.

The theme was to capture the Neon Strip in a new way – at night (long exposures) and with Lensbabies.

Was this your first Photo Walk? First with Tim?

This was my first Photo Walk with Tim, and it was a sneak peak of one of our shooting nights of the Vegas to Zion workshop.  We do a similar walk that lasts four hours instead of two.

We critiqued on the go – looking at the LCD screens on the back of their cameras.

A Photo Walk is just that – you casually walk and take pictures for a set amount of time. On our workshop you have four hours of lectures each day as well as critique time and then a four to eight hours of shooting at night with feedback.  We also get access to some of the coolest location that are difficult to shoot at:  Neon Boneyard, two Ghost towns, and the secret spots of Zion…plus a few fun surprises!

What location(s) in Vegas – which you haven’t photographed – do you really want to explore with your camera? How would you shoot it?

I’m always discovering something in Vegas, or its environs, that inspire. I’d like to find more locations to shoot from above – so from the tops of hotel/bars.

Courtesy of Joe Massa

If you are even a little bit familiar with Rocky Mountain School of Photography, you probably know by now that we kicked off our 24th session of Summer Intensive (SI) on June 4. The first week of SI is always a flurry of activity with students getting situated in town and our staff running around making sure everything is ready. Once things are underway however, it becomes clear that all the effort is very, very worth it.

One aspect that makes the first week so much fun is that we get to reconnect with a handful of people who represent our Educational Partners. One of these people is Joe Massa with Manfrotto. Since Joe has been making the trip to Missoula to welcome our students since 2005, and is an integral part of our program, we thought it was about time to give him a shout out on the blog.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from?
I’m NYC born and raised. The child of 2nd generation Italian immigrants. I grew up along with the computer, so naturally my first career was in technology as a Novell Netware systems engineer for Wall Street technology firms. After about 10 years I got bored with technology and wanted something low tech and creative.  I got into photography just at the birth of digital imaging…  Funny how life works…

You recently drove across the country to speak to our SI students. How was that? Have you made the drive from NY to MT before? Will you ever do it again?
This was my fourth or fifth cross-country road trip.  I like the freedom that a road trip provides. There is adventure at almost every exit if you are open to it.  There is also a lot of nothing in between.  Air travel has become so unpleasant that I only do so if driving is not an option.  I consider the time it takes to get someplace as part of the vacation and plan my route according to certain attractions I might never otherwise get to.  On this trip to Montana it was “The Great Platte River Archway” monument outside of Lincoln, Nebraska.  It is a terrific museum and attraction on the pioneer movement and the westward expansion of the United States.  I also figured that if we hustled across the country we could spend two days in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.  I’ve always been fascinated with the diversity of landscape in this country and a road trip is really the best way to see America….  As the old ad claimed…“See the USA in your Chevrolet!”

©Marcy James

When I think of Manfrotto, the bomb-proof tripod my grandpa gave me comes to mind, but there is more to it than that. What all does Manfrotto do? What other companies or products do you rep?

In addition to Manfrotto Tripods, we have:
Gitzo Tripods
Manfrotto Lighting Supports
Avenger Grip supports
Kata Bags
Manfrotto Bags & Apparel
National Geographic Cases
Metz Flashes
Gossen Meters
Rotatrim Cutters
Manfrotto Video Supports
Manfrotto on Camera LED lighting
Elinchrom Studio Lighting
Lastolite Light Modifiers

©Marcy James

You’ve been coming to Missoula to talk to our Career Training students for 8 years now. What is your favorite part of the visit?
I fell in love with Missoula the first time I got off the plane in 2005. I arrived at night and in the morning I awoke to find myself surrounded by mountains and some of the most beautiful scenery I had scene up to that point. I met Liz Dybdal and the staff at the school and they were just the nicest people.  Up until then, everyone I seemed to meet in the industry wanted something.  RMSP was thrilled to get literature and the fact that I was there to speak about my product was terrific.  All I seemed to have to do was show up and everyone was happy.  That was my first year with Manfrotto and I was soooo nervous getting up and talking to over 100 people. That first year I had about eight tripods, no bags, and no prepared presentation.  Over the years, the gear has grown, the presentation has gotten better, and I am not only comfortable up there, but it’s something I look forward to!

I consider everyone at RMSP not only colleagues, but my friends. So for me the best part of the visit is spending time with my friends.

General impressions of Missoula?
I love Missoula. The people, the pace of life, the location.  A wave of calm overcomes me as soon as I get into the airport (assuming I fly in).  I’m not naïve to think that Missoula is a utopia and not without some problems,  but coming from NYC,  and for me personally,  there is no place I’m happier.

Our students?
Quite simply … the students are the best.  I love helping people become better photographers because that’s how I learned – asking questions and paying attention to the answers.

With the help of Career Training assistant and underwater shooter Jimmy White, and Larry Cohen at B&H Photo Video in NYC, we have compiled this list to help you map out the landscape of what is available for shooting underwater and to hopefully get you pointed in the right direction. Like all things photography related, the options are seemingly limitless, so this is just meant to be a primer. Naturally, specific equipment needs will vary based on your own personal goals and needs. If there is something missing from this list that you use or can’t live without, let us know in the comments below.

POINT AND SHOOT
To help you navigate these waters, I have broken this post up into three sections according to the type of camera: Point and Shoot, DSLR and Specialty. Since they are more affordable, available and hold mass appeal, I’ll kick things off by highlighting a few point and shoot cameras, specifically the Nikon CoolPix P7100, Canon G12 and Olympus XZ-1 models because of their underwater options and abilities.

Nikon’s CoolPix P7100, when combined with the Fantasea FP7100 housing offers a great solution for not just underwater shooting, but for protection from sand, mud, dust and anything else the elements can throw at you. In addition, there are gels, wide angle lens attachments, and a light kit available that works great with this camera/housing combo. This camera boasts 10.1 Mp, a 1/1.7″ CCD sensor, and captures HD videos (720p). If you are looking for an affordable, yet expandable way to get into shooting below the surface, the P7100 kit might be a great option.

If you are already the proud owner of a Canon G11 / G12, but want a way to experiment with shooting underwater, the Canon WP-DC34 Housing, allows you to enjoy your G11 or 12 to a depth of 130 feet. Or, you can opt for the Ikelite housing for the G11/12 and extend the depth rating to 200 feet. Many reviews for this housing spoke to how strong and durable it is. In fact, “built like a tank” were the exact words one reviewer wrote. With 10MP still image capture, RAW and JPG capture modes, 1280 x 720p HD video, DIGIC 4 image processor and an ISO range up to 3200 the G12 is a very capable camera above or below the surface of the water.

From Olympus, their XZ-1 camera and PT-050 housing are a great combination for underwater work. Since this housing was made specifically for the XZ-1, all of the camera’s functions are easily accessible through the housing. Among the list of favorite features various users have mentioned, it’s the 67mm lens screw that stands out. This feature allows the user to add filters or change lenses seamlessly while underwater.

DSLR CAMERAS
If you are looking to dip your toes into the subject of underwater photography, a point and shoot system with the appropriate housing is the way to go. But maybe you are reading this with greater ambitions, and are in need of the added features and improved image quality that a DSLR camera can provide. What does the landscape look like for shooting with your DSLR underwater? Well, the conversation becomes all about housings and lighting when talking about taking your DSLR into the water.

Rather than dissecting the pros and cons of each piece of equipment, I am going to refer to RMSP graduate and professional underwater shooter, Jimmy White for a glimpse into his gear and some of his personal thoughts. As a standard set up, Jimmy uses a Canon 5D Mk II, with an Ikelite housing and twin Ikelite DS-161 Substrobes on articulating arms. When shooting wide-angle, which he says is about 50% of the time, he use Ikelite’s 8″ Dome Port coupled with a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 (not the 16-35mm II).  When shooting macro he uses Ikelite’s Focusing Flat Port coupled with Canon’s 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

As he puts it, “with this set up, I can access approx 98% of my camera functions, and it has a maximum depth of up to 200 feet (way deeper than I’ll ever go).” When it comes to lighting, Jimmy also adds “good strobes are super important if you are going to photograph in depths greater than 25 feet.  At around 10 feet you’ve lost most of your reds and that becomes more pronounced as you go deeper so there is little light penetration (anything other than greens and blues) past 25 feet. So you are really bringing most of your light with you.”

SPECIALTY
The last category I will touch on is the Specialty category, although, I should probably just call it the Go Pro category. If you are unfamiliar with the Go Pro line of cameras, they are (according to GoPro.com) “the world’s leading activity image capture company.” In layman’s terms, they are the little cameras that surfers, bikers, skydivers, skaters and other outdoor enthusiasts like to strap to themselves before getting radical. While few can argue how popular the Go Pro system has become since coming on the scene (aka: 2.3 million Facebook fans) they don’t necessarily appeal to everyone. Since the big attraction to these units is for people to capture images of themselves, the fixed position, and constant jarring motion of the footage can be hard on the stomach.

There are many versions of this camera, each one being suited to a different sport. The surf edition is capable of capturing HD video at 1080p at 30 frames per second, 960p at 48 or 30 fps, and 720p video at 30 or 60 fps, as well as 5, 8 or 11 megapixel digital still photos. Even cooler, the HD HERO2 Surf Edition “supports live streaming from the web and Wi-Fi video preview and playback on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.”  Even if the style of footage isn’t your cup of tea, you have to admit these little devices are quite capable … and very cool.

And what would the “specialty” category be without some information about the iphone?
As the favorite camera of many, many users, Apple’s iphone camera isn’t just an add on to the phone part of the device. But is it possible to take an iphone underwater without risk? Thanks to the folks at Aquapac, the answer is yes! With their waterproof cases designed specifically for the iphone, you can capture great photos and video underwater. How cool is that? While I have not tried this case for myself, their website says that users can still talk and hear no problem with the phone in the case, and “everything works normally through the case including the camera and the capacitive touchscreen*.”  However, that little asterisk at the end of that statement led me to a disclaimer saying that the … touchscreens don’t work underwater, but that with the iphone 4 users can use the Home button to snap photos, and to capture video you have to start filming above water. If you are interested in giving this case a try, you’ll definitely want to check out the videos on their website (follow the Aquapac link above). And then let us know how it went in the comments below!!

I hope this primer piqued your interest in the world of underwater photography. If you are inspired to give it a shot, or have been shooting with some of these tools for a while, I would really love to hear your thoughts, opinions and experiences from your own equipment.

And by the way, Larry Cohen with B&H is a tremendous resource for underwater shooting. For further education, check out his in-depth video and read through his blog. Very inspiring!

Macro photography of flowers and plants can be beautiful all by itself through the lens of a Tony Rizzuto or an Elizabeth Stone. But to me, the presence of a living creature like a bug or spider adds interest, enhances the aesthetics of the images (okay, maybe that’s just me), provokes a reaction (good or bad), and begs questions (like, “Is THAT how they do it?”). Both plants and bugs play important roles in life and in the image.

Bugs use plants to rest, hunt, mate, stalk prey, eat their meals, clean themselves, and more, so that’s where I usually find them. A plant can be a precipice, a shelter, a blind, a lookout, or a place of respite, and it plays a central role in how the viewer sees and interprets the primary subject, the bug.

It’s the plant and how it compliments the bug that can often make or break the image aesthetically. If I were an entomologist I may not care how prominent the plants are in the picture. But as a photographer I often want the plants to play a useful role or be subtle, sometimes blurred (bokeh), in the background or for the most part absent so as not to compete with the centerpiece of the image, the bug. Flash helps a lot in this regard as it lights well only what’s close to the subject and darkens much of the background eliminating distracting elements. Those prominent background elements that remain can be softened, darkened, or eliminated in post processing and it helps if the lines, shapes, and colors of the surrounding plants help highlight the star attraction.

In my macro shots the bug nearly always gets the top spot in the composition (using light, color, and the rule of thirds), but the plant or flower is equally important in a supportive role to the ultimate appeal and impact of the image. As it’s been said often in photography circles, background is everything, and for that reason I owe a debt of gratitude to plants for their contributions to my images.

Most of these (except the mating butterflies) were shot with my MP-E 65mm lens. I needed a slightly wider view and used the 90mm for the butterfly duet to get them both in the frame.

The focus distance on this lens is miniscule. At 1x magnification the lens is 4 inches away from the subject; at 5x magnification it is 1.6 inches. You can either choose to zoom the magnification by turning the ring until you find your focus or set your preference and move the camera in and out. The amount of magnification is well marked (1x-5x) and the zoomed barrel holds its place even when pointed downward. The short focal distance may be no big deal when shooting flowers, but there are lots of bugs out there that can be scared away when you get so close, especially when you’ve got a flash on the end of the lens, too.

Focusing with the MP-E is all manual, which is the usual way I shoot up close anyway. Finding and holding the focus of your subject at such a close range can be particularly trying without the use of a tripod and slider, but it is possible if you’re willing to try and fail many more times than you are successful. Of course, using a tripod and slider is preferred if your subject is stationary and accessible, but if not then your best chance is using live view to find your focus, using a flash (Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash works best for me), and bracing yourself and/or camera against something when shooting. Oh, and remember to breathe – it’s only natural to want to hold your breath while you wait for the subject to come into focus.

© Steve Russell

Shooting at such a close range also means a very shallow depth of field, which makes it that much more important to shoot with your lens in the same plane as your subject if you want as much of it in focus as possible. The slightest angle can mean that, for example, the head of a bug will be in focus but the rear part will not. It’s really hard to tell if you’re in the same plane when you’re shooting, so take lots of shots and always zero in on the part you absolutely want in focus no matter what (usually the eyes) and hope for the best on the rest.

The MP-E has an aperture range of f/2.8-f/16, but the manual will tell you that the “effective” aperture is much deeper. I won’t try to explain why, but the manual will. A reviewer I read finds its “sweet spot” somewhere in the middle, but I’ve only shot at f/16 and can’t say for sure.

© Steve Russell

The MP-E is heavy, so heavy in fact that it comes with a tripod collar. Where it will try your strength is when holding your SLR and lens out from your body as you wait for the subject to come into focus.

Capturing the extreme detail of something you’ve never been able to get before makes it all worthwhile. Just for fun one of these days when I have a static subject, there is no wind, and I can use my tripod, I’ll take it to the next level and add some extension tubes to my MP-E. Imagine that.

Imagine walking around the city markets and rural coffee communities of Nicaragua, the Western Hemisphere’s second poorest country next to Haiti, with a big black camera and large, white 70-200mm lens hanging from your neck. Or changing from telephoto to wide angle to macro lenses on dusty, steep slopes of a coffee farm. As nice as it was last year to have my best lenses with me, the inconvenience, lost spontaneous opportunities, potential for sensor contamination, and being an attention and theft-magnet persuaded me to simplify for my 2011 trip.

I invested in a Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens and it performed well, if not admirably, for telephoto to macro shooting given the conditions. All of my project shots (documenting the usability of a new coffee-harvesting bag) and from-the-hip stealth shots in town were taken with this lens. I used my Canon 7D with a 580EX II Speedlite for indoor, low light, and shaded coffee field shots. Full disclosure time: I threw in my Tamron 90mm macro lens and Macro TwinLite MT-24EX (“twin flash”) at the last minute in case I had spare time to chase bugs, and boy did I, but that will be for another blog post.

The 7D has an APS-C sensor with a 1.6 crop factor so my 18-270mm lens was effectively 28-430mm, which was wide enough for groups and landscapes with little distortion, and long enough to capture things at a good distance. It was perhaps best at the “normal” mid-range for portraits and shorter-range shots where I could take advantage of a wider aperture and better bokeh. For shooting macro, well, it was okay in a pinch when I added a 20mm extension tube and twin flash (with adapter ring), but the magnification I can get with my 90mm macro lens was three times better. Still, being able to shoot a subject at a distance of only 3” at 270mm is remarkable to me.

More valuable than an extra lens was my Speedlite. The farmhouse offered only window light indoors, and the light out in the fields was often blocked by coffee bushes and trees. Despite the risk of an artificial light appearance and the illusion that it was darker outside than it really was (more due to my ineptitude at adjusting the ISO), the clarity and focus of this year’s field shots were much improved. The Speedlite stayed on my camera’s hotshoe except on two occasions when I had time to stage group shots and use my Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 remote units.

Here are some sample images taken on my trip, all shot with the 18-270mm lens. If you’d like to see more (actually…many more), you are welcome to peruse them in the “Nicaragua 2011…” galleries on my website.