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Equipment: Tripods and Slings

Okay, guys, I know that we all love equipment talk, and I get so many people ask so many questions. First of all, the hybrid photo dot pro website is a vlog site that is the whole of the hybrid heroes. And the reason that we we love to refer to them is that I would love to take credit for testing and recommending all this equipment, but I can't. Ah, lot of my recommendations come from the hybrid heroes and the Hybrid Heroes is 28 photographers from all around the country. And their role is to help us figure out how, as still photographers, that we move into being hybrid photographers, meaning, How do we shoot still photos and make money? But how do we shoot photo plus video plus audio and combine them together to make an e product that makes money? Now, we also get from time to time videographers that decide that they need to learn photography, and they want to learn how to be a hybrid photographer because they need the photo skills. Well, that's great for us because they bring a whole...

different set of talent and skills in that we need so We're gonna take a single approach today to equipment that there are many different ways. And let's let's talk about the good old days, right? The good old days there was once upon a time there was this guy named Will Crockett, and he traveled the universe shooting factories. My job was really weird. I would travel all over the world with sets of equipment, and I would be the guy that would shoot factories before they would get sold. So let's say that you had a factory that made paint in Frankfurt, Germany, and you need to sell it. Well, this was before the days of the Internet. Well, you would send out a photographer that had a whole cadre of equipment. We're talking four by five. We're talking about medium format, some 35 millimeter. Mostly, like I was, we'll see a like a guy and we go out there and we'd shoot those factories, and then we would make that this beautiful catalog, and then they would sell that that beautiful building based upon that catalogue. Well, those days we would make decisions on equipment based on what was the best piece of equipment that I could get and I would base it on. What's the equipment that I can pack in a box and I can put on an airplane and I can fly it across the world? All right, that's a different piece of equipment. That's a different set of requirements than what we have today. Today. We're trying to make this bridge right. I love he used that word bridge we're bridging from photographers that are shooting portrait's and for work as well. So if you take Will Crockett as the portrait photographer now you can see there's a handful of my portrait's. Except for course, I have to pay a lodge to Mr Louis Malle gone, wouldn't you know? I asked the creative live people toe. Just have access to my website, take whatever pictures you wanted to. And, you know, the one picture that they picked was this one. Guess who took it. It's Louis. Yeah, it's Louis. So when Louis came in the other day, he said, Did you tell them to do that? And I said, No, I did not, brother. They took it So once again, proud of the fact that we're able to pass on other photographers and when I'm hoping to do in this section here is passed on to you how to make some smart decisions on how we're gonna buy equipment here too. So we've got a handful of of equipment up here. Some of it I like, and I use some of it I don't like very much, but I use it now when it comes to equipment that I don't like. But I use We will not talk about that in public because that's not fair. Now there is a difference between my opinion and fact. Now remember, I do get paid by manufacturers to test equipment. Typically, it's to test groups of equipment. One of my favorite clients in the entire universe is psychotic and see Connick from time to time will ask me to test their meters against other meters and their meters against their own meters to try to find out what the difference are and to maybe suggest what will work better on future meters, that they'd also like to know what tools that I like and what tools I'd like to change. That's terrific, right? See, the equipment that I have in front of me is based upon the bridge. The bridge of you've already got some equipment. You've already got some equipments and you need to be able to make that into the the ability to shoot. Hybrid. You saw that talking portrait that I made of you today. We gotta get you to their right. Tell me the camera that you shoot with right now. What is it is a and 70 0 70 A terrific camera. Len is wise. Give me your two most popular lenses. I have 7200 mark too. And that does not come off one body. It stays on the body. You so and then I have Ah, 100 macro. 50 millimeter 18 and kit 1 18 1 35 So besides the kit lens, you've got good glass. So you understand the quality you buy good glass, right? If you're on a budget, Yes. Skimp on the body you spend on the glass all the time. Camera wise. Chris, I know you've got two different versions now because you already bought your first muralist camera. Yeah, you got it. The Fuji XY two. So Fuji X e two is what old? Sorry. That's a 12 here. Not quite sure. What else do you have and then limits? GH two got it using. I'm still kind of learning that one. But wait a second. You get to mirror less cameras. Yes, it's true. Wow. What did you ever shoot did chew? DSLR came from a five d nice l glass whole works, but I do a lot of landscape stuff, so it just got to be, you know, very heavy on my back. Am a wallet around a lot? Andi video As good as it is, it's not as easy for me to switch back and forth, you know, sort of little things that make a big difference. One true. True, we'll come back to that theme Canon five D When we went to the five d to the five d mark, too, we picked up audio. When we went to the five d Mark three, we improved our audio. We improved our sensor. We improved a lot that overall, in my opinion, when it comes to overall photography, it I don't think you can find a more well balanced camera than the in fact, I prefer the candidate are too over the mark. Three for a couple of reasons, but what a beautiful camera, right. And of course, the glasses. Wonderful. So can you use a DSLR for hybrid photography? Of course you can. The question is that as you move in tow hybrid. And as you realize, as I have realized, that hybrid photography is going to be your primary product, you're gonna shed your DSLR. Or at least you're going to rely on your DSLR a lot less as you go along. So I get beat up in some of those Web forms. Is being anti DSLR. Whatever. I'm not man, not at all. I'm all about the right tool for the job. And you just saw how how terrific that video look there just in black and white right out of the camera. And we'll talk about more about that when we get into the pre processed pre processing section of the show. But when I want to buy tools, I want to buy tools that are gonna have a couple of things. One is I would like a photo tool that I'm gonna buy to do more than one thing. I don't like them to be something that does one job and one job on Lee. That means you're gonna forget it. It's not really gonna earn its pay. It's problematic for me. Then I want to be ableto have a tool that's gonna last. I would much rather spend extra money on a tool that's going toe last longer, even if it's gonna be heavier, because weight is a bit of an issue for me. Of course, it was kind of funny here. I'm being kind of a fat guy. But listen, I got to tell you that I do have problems with a leg and a hip from an accident, and I have to make sure, for instance, I no longer can carry a camera bag on a shoulder, right. So when you see me moving around through an airport or on a photo shoot, you'll see me wearing one of two things. A backpack, right? We will love the think tank brand of everything that they make. My luggage is think tank, but I'll use a think tank backpack, but also use this toe handle my cameras right Sunday. It's hopefully we're gonna have great weather here in Seattle on Sunday. Sunday is going to be one of the rare days that I get to spend an extra day and I get to treat that young man that works for me every day, right? He wants to go and he wants to go shooting around with the guys because he hears the stories. Chris, he that without right? I blogged on the place. I go to Seattle and Mark Toll happens to be here. One of the Panasonic photographers, he's one of the hybrid heroes. He's a fabulous photography is a better photographer than I'll ever be. I get to spend four or five hours just shooting with him, and I want to shoot with him because I want to see what he shoots, that I want to see how we shoots. I want to see when he approaches something. What's the tool that he grabs Teoh to go ahead and get that? Those are all things I learned and I absorb. And then I come back and I tell Louis I tell the rest of the staff and then Louise fascinated, he goes. So that's what you guys do. You think like you guys like what you guys said No, because you really photographers right when it for real. Photographer wants to go learn something. How do you go learn it? You buy a book to go to seven. I said, what do you do? Everything. Plus you gotta shoot. Right? So the other thing that these tools have to do is these tools have to be comfortable enough for me to take and to shoot. If they're big, they're heavy. They're cumbersome, their delicate I'm not gonna take him. I'm not gonna take him right. I'm not gonna play with them. All right, let's talk about the first tool. That makes a ton of sense, right? Ah, lot of times I'll get sent equipment from manufacturers, and the first thing I do is I laugh. I said, Wait a second, I'm will pocket. And you're sending me a green tripod. That's this big. And it's called Amy Photo. And it's got a little cute little thing on the side. And I go, Really? That's that's what that's gonna be, uh, so I'm gonna set this up over here. So will he can get a shot of it before I make fun of it. Right? We'll come back after we make fun of it, because I actually love this whole thing. I love this tripod like like a monster. I do. This is a tool from hold fast. Hold fast. This is called the money maker and their right. It is this. This is also another tool that I made fun of. I was at a convention, and it just so happened right next to the booth that I was speaking at was this company, and they make all kinds of funny little leather kinda harnesses and have all these little hooks on them said. But these are rate if I'm out on a shoot, for instance, those of you that saw last year put it right here for Willie. Last year I had a wonderful shot of the world's largest powdered milk factory. It's in the middle of the desert in California, as you expect it would be right, because it's dry. If you're gonna dry milk, you want to put in the desert. Well, one of the things that they wanted to do is they needed to add to put a tank in the ground, and when you put a tank in the ground in the state of California, you got a problem. You got a problem with the e p. A. They want to make sure. Hey, what you put in the ground over there. So what they wanted to do was they wanted to set up 14 cameras and 14 cameras would automatically take a picture every 15 minutes, and then they would wirelessly send him to a website, and then anyone would be able to The construction folks as well as the owners of the company would be able to see the progress of the tank moving and where the tank was at. Right to make sure there was no contaminants in the ground. Well, that was terrific. Well, somebody also had to go around and get the other photographs, right? The photographs of the tank and high quality photographs. Okay, well, now you're talking about 110. 120 degrees. Well, I'm not want to carry around a backpack, cause that's gonna be pretty sweaty. Plus, all I needed really is three or four cameras. So what I would do? And of course, you're in that you're in the desert. You don't really want to be changing lenses cause the dust. Right? So this strap allows me to have four cameras on it. I've got a clamp here that has another little strap that comes down, which I would put a pouch with a lens and then another one. Here. Put a pouch with the lens and I would have two cameras. One with a Y nagel, one with a short angle. So I was able to start my whole day just walking wherever I go in, when I want to make a shot. I just picked my camera. It's right there. Sure jangles when I walk. It looks kind of goofy, right? I don't really care how God look goofy anyway. Doesn't matter what I wear, right? So I was able to use the hold fast money maker in order to make some money. In fact, since then, I use it when I go travel. In fact, Sunday I'll be using the hold fast when you see me zipping around the streets of Seattle. So let's go back to making fun of the green tripod. Right? Who in the right mind wants a green tripod? I do You know why? Because when I set that tripod up there, I use that one and I use the next size above it. This is the me photo A Let's see 13. 50. So that is their medium size. They have one that's bigger, and they have one that's smaller. Now, this tripods got a couple of things on it that are really cool. A It's green. And that means my clients ask about it. And I love that. I'm gonna come up around the front here just a little bit, if that's okay when I'm setting up and I'm doing a portrait Executive shot, right. I gotta wear a suit. I got whatever my camera is. I want to do something different because I want that executive to say, What do you do with Green Tripod? Right. I've known you for years. Always use black tripods, all right, and small writes a piece of cake to just set right? Go. It's got all the different pieces right here. And I'm not trying to demo this whole thing. That's not my job. It all pulls back out. You set it up, you tighten the back thing up, okay? It works great. But here's the other big deal. Remember I told you I love to have things to do. Two things at once. Watch what this does. The sense cruise. This now becomes a mono pod. So now this little part on the bottom here on screws here isn't. It's just the joy and these air really inexpensive. Pardon me for not knowing what these things cost, but you just loosen this top part off. Pop this off. Take this little piece. I'm gonna put this just under the ground here, so Well, if you need a picture that you can grab that as you need it, you're just going to take this little piece right here. Gonna screw it on the bottom. And guess what you got. You got yourself model pod. You gotta love that, right? Look at that. Now I got to be a mono pod. So I went from a back from a single tripod to a mono pod that works terrific. And guess what else we use this for. This uses has three different purposes. Does this look familiar at all to you? Maybe Lorenzo walking looks like a walking stick. But you happen to remember that when we did the shoot over there on the set with the talking portrait you happen to remember how we extended the microphone. I use the mono pod from my photo tripod and I took by sin Hyo Nam name to be named to be named Lee laid later. Right? I take the bottom peace offer here. I love Mr Multi Purpose. Here's the bottom of the little piece here. Typically, I leave this off. Anyway, I don't really care much about this rubber piece, so I leave this little piece off, and then Louise, you got some girl of tape rolling around. Okay, if you wouldn't wouldn't mind flying me in some. This is gonna have a little switch, and we're gonna talk about this microphone just a little bit. Take taping up there, will you? Super, bro. Okay, tape's gonna go right there above the battery power. There you are. Ok, so then what? After this, Louis would take this. I'll take. I'll keep it. Louis would take it, and he would put a really cool clamp. You take this head off the bottom. Here, this comes right off the bottom, right? It takes the head off this thing. He's gonna put a clamp on their hippie ex. Typical. Uses the Bogan Super Clamp. Oh, sorry. about that. They used to the Bogan Super Clamp or used to use the Bogan, the Man photo Micro clamp, and he will clamp this onto the bottom of that light stand. So later, when you see me shooting more over there, you're going to recognize there's my poll. Is that great? That's great. That means one product gets three different uses. Love that. Love that love, that way to go questions. By the way, anybody No, Look here, Right there. That tells you how tough that is. Go ahead, buddy. I have a question I know you like to use. You know, I guess. Like the trap parts. Last model parts last Mike Holder. Do you ever use it like as a type of itself? And do you have to worry about it being like a weight issue? If you're I guess if you're going with mirrors, cameras is not as heavy as hell are. Great question. You're right. When you put that together back as a a tripod, you got it. If you're using your you said 70 or d 77 77 d if you use it, you're 70 and 70 to 200. That little tripod, even though they say it's okay to use it. Don't. It's not strong enough. Not strong enough? No, sir. No, sir. They do make 11 level above. And is it strong enough? Kind of. Long as you put the tripod mount on. You know, the mountain on your 72 200 has its own mount. Don't use the one that's on the camera. Use the one that's on there. Then it gets the OK, but I'm not super comfortable with it, but not super comfortable with it. But if you're using one of the smaller DSL ours, right, If you're using a D 90 if you're using some of the smaller can and ex tease, right, the cannon X, you are just fine with those little me photo tripods. Yep. So you'll see we brought in all kinds of meat photo tripods in here. I got all kinds of colors inside here, and the color allows you to identify where they are. They're easy to find. It's also when we identify things into kits like if we know that we're gonna need four or five different stations when we go on a job way, use different me photo color tripod kids Because that's the orange kit. That's the green kid. That's the blue kit. This camera goes in the orange kid. This camera goes on the green kit makes life lots easier. Yeah, you wouldn't think something is silly as a colored tripod would be that important, right? You know, what's funny is when I called the guys from me photo up right there, the same guys from sick Konik. They felt that they were going to get an earful, right? Presented me a little because because, you know, they joked, Well, we're sending a pink tripod. Can't wait to see what to say about that. Because I'm a wise guy. Okay, so I get it, and I couldn't get enough of it. I said, this is just the best thing in the universe. And I said, Why are you making light stands? I said, I want green light stands because my clients would look at a green light stand and they go do that is really cool, right? That is really cool. So we're going from tripods, toe other things that we have to hold Now there are times when we have to hold video cameras and do some pretty tough shots and one of the tools that I use. I don't use it very often for this particular purpose, but it does have a multi purpose tool. This is called a cam troll. Prime Cam, troll prime. And I'm gonna mountain your camera on top of it, Chris, because I know you. You're using a GH three. Sorry, GH two. Yep. G H two. And what this does is this allows you to balance. Come on over here to this piece. Get rid of this year. I'm gonna get red. Blue. Would you might be in my pickup guy there. Would you mind just picking that up there so it doesn't go better. Okay. I want to leave this in here so that Willie can get a shot of that. Right? So what I want to do is I want to gently balance this whole thing so that it makes a lot of sense, because I'm gonna use this in a couple of different positions, and I'm going to use this for a couple of different things, right? So that I want to balance this so that feels good in my hand. Feels good, right? there. Watch this. I got four super sweet little legs. They're gonna pop on down this little bad boy. So I've also got Velcro on the bottom of this thing. Here to my apologies, Louis had it used for something else. Thanks, Louis, for having things prepared. Nice job, will. All right, so that'll fit right down there. So keep your camera stable. Right where you need it to be, Right? All right, Now, because I'm left handed, I'm gonna have that grip on the left hand. Right? So say, I want to do that little motion shop, right? I probably wouldn't be using this lens because I would be using a lens that has image stabilization already on it. And it just so happens that well, what do you know? I happened tohave a what? You know, 45 millimeter lens. Now, this lens that's on there right now we'll come back to lenses and a little bit. This is not a toy. And this is one of the wonderful things that I love to do with people who don't understand. Muralists is I love to joke with this particular lens. That's a 45 millimeter Olympus F 18 I believe Lewis, at It's a 18 all right now. It's very inexpensive. You look it up, you'll find out that it's pretty cheap now. It is beautiful. It is sharpest. Could be, and it's very lightweight. Issue could see, but it does not have image stabilization, so this also is a millimeter lens. This is the low mix version, right? People say, Well, why do you have so many lenses? It says, Well, there's time you want fast and lightweight and this is F one A and I'm going to shoot a bunch of portrait with this later said that love this. Let's This lens has made lack of money, lots of money. Well, this lens here is the lens that I use when I shoot products. So when I shoot factories and I have to shoot machinery, right, I need to make sure that I want to follow a conveyor belt. So a lot of times, what I'll do is how rotate this off to one side. I've got this balanced just kind of the way I want it. There you go. Okay, Now let's say I've got a conveyor belt that I have to move. All I want to do is I wanna gently pick it up and I want to turn it on. In fact, I need to lean it just a little forward. Sorry. Backward and just turn it on. I'm gonna watch. Then I could just do my movement. Right? Here we go. Here we are. Beautiful. Got my hand movement, right. Very inexpensive. Very trustworthy. But will, you don't like tools that just do one thing Exactly right, Man, the things that I do with this thing are wonderful. First of all, this is what keeps the Louis in line when it's time for his flogging, right when he doesn't have taped logged in there. And it's time for a beaten to get scan troll. He does. Just kidding. This is got a great way here with this little plastic on it to clamp onto it. So clamps will hold on to this. And it allowed me to do a lot of things, including make a control panel. And when you get a chance to go to the photo channel, that pro. And if you were to see the video that I did all about the looming GH three. There's always sorry there's a video on on Creativelive called It's Got Something Do With Assembly of the GH three camera set up on GH three camera. Please forgive me. We did one. It's on the photo channel and one of the things that you'll see is that we have taken a grip and we mount this actually about this grip to the tripod. And this gives us a control panel this way. A control panel that gets we get to mount on their We could mount our audio mixer, weaken mount our power we want to. We can mount a second camera. We can mount another light If we need it, we could mount another battery. This is a wonderful multiple tool can troll prime great products. Great product, Lovell and Ron, if you're watching, thank you very much. Another tool here's a tool that's not very comfortable to use, but I use it all the time. This tool from Quantum that holds my camera and my ring light. Now remember, we use a ring like a light. Now, a lot of times people get all nervous about ring lights, right? Well, sure this is a ring light. And most times when you use a ring light you shoot through a ring like you gotta remember Now in the day and age of led lighting, this is no longer a ring like this is a light ring. I could take this and unsteady Isn't those big one by one? Led. He's over there. I can use these to power up my light. Smarter. These work terrific.