Not Just A Shutter Click...

On 25th September 2010, I made the decision to create a blog. For the first year it was a diary, a collection of things I was up to... but as my writing skill improved and words started flowing more freely I started to open up and discuss the areas of being a photography business...

The marketing, the sales, the psychology, the way we interact with and affect our clients...

It is the parts of being a business owner that I am so deeply passionate about...

... but I outgrew my platform. Trying to mix part diary, part adventures and part business advice wasn't flowing the way I wanted.

So its 2013 (almost) and I am starting the year with a new platform.

www.notjustashutterclick.com

A dedicated platform that I can talk business, marketing and psychology, and to get discussions and feedback about the subjects (this is where I need your help, by getting involved)

There is no one true road to success, there is no one right way to run your business...

...but this is my journey, these are the methods I have found invaluable to by business growth.

I hope you come along for the journey.

My personal blog will remain at www.daniriot.com and will keep this one alive for a bit during the transitions. 

Introducing: LAT56°...

Us photographers spend a lot of time and effort finding the perfect kind of bag to keep out cameras in. from rucksacks to peel cases there is a mass market for this protection. The same can be said about our other gear too, Lighting comes in a case, so do some background systems. So thats all our gear sorted, right?

Well, not really.

Being a professional photographer isn't all taking pictures. Its also business meetings, traveling or even trips to the shops. What is protecting your valuables then? Your laptop, Your suit, your Notepads and pens.

Luckily, there is a brand that is solving those problems for us… That brand is LAT56°.

LAT56° is a Scottish-based, award-winning product development company, specialising in the design and manufacture of technical luggage for the business traveller, or in our case, the photographer. All of their products are made from Military-spec moulded EVA foam + durable waterproof luxurious nylon fabric. Which means you don't just look good, but they offer the best possible amount of protection.

Here is the lowdown on a selection of their products.

LAT56° Red-Eye Overnight Bag.

This is where the LAT56° heritage began, With the overnight garment carrier. It is a lightweight, compact carry-on approved overnight garment carrier. Ideal for that three day conference you need to attend in Geneva, San Francisco or Singapore. The Red-Eye includes a patented feature called the 'Suit Packing System’. This proven, lab tested crease-free process involves rolling your suit with a bespoke textile garment bag and torso shaped hanger. An additional kit chamber is incorporated for your demanding overnight business trips. Making sure that wherever you need to be, you will always look your best, whether shooting a wedding, or meeting that corporate client.

LAT56° Messenger Case.

My personal favourite as an everyday bag, making sure that your bag is as impressive as your personality while wandering town popping into Press Days and Model Agencies. Designed for the modern-day commuter. This is a unique hybrid of the traditional courier bag and the laptop briefcase. This will give you safe passage through any urban jungle environment. It’s smart. This personal courier offers numerous internal pockets to make life organised when on the road. Available in both small and large versions which will accommodate 13 inch and 15 inch MacBooks and laptops respectively.

LAT56° iPad Traveller Bag.

When size and weight are everything to you and you only need the bare bones to be with you the iPad carrier is your best friend. It's your travelling PA. Protects your technology and keeps you organised, not to mention looking smart. Transports and protects iPads, tablets, e-Books, kindles, netbooks (up to 10.2”) and other small electronic devices meaning you can stay connected when on the road. Main compartment has a host of pockets for all your belongings such as smartphones, digital cameras, USB drives, pens, business cards & more. Includes a rear external discreet security pocket which is perfect for carrying your passport and boarding card thus preventing your pockets overflowing when rushing through the airport to catch that last flight home.

LAT56° Backpack.

Because camera bags come in both rucksacks or shoulder bags its always a pain to have two of the same kind. Luckily LAT56° also offer both options. Engineered to the requirements of the business traveller, it acts as a shield for the modern commuter’s tools of the trade. It offers a unique & practical clamshell opening with a bombproof NASA-spec memory foam laptop compartment (sizes up to 15.6”), large main compartment with several document pockets, 2 side pockets and an airport security checkpoint friendly laptop compartment. Now you can travel on business in comfort and still look the part. If James Bond had a backpack it would most definitely be this.

LAT56° Padfolio.

When you really want to impress and have everything that matches, why not go all the way with the LAT56° notepad? Take this into a meeting room, sit it on the table and they will know you mean business. The portable work-desk will become a trusted escort. The design offers four document stash pouches, five cards slots, three executive pen holders, and a USB flash drive holder. Our trademark water resistant zip securely protects your critical documents from the outside world.


And thats not all, LAT56° offers much much more, from glasses cases, washbags, wallets, and even their patented padded coat hanger, part of their crease free travel options.

To find out more and to purchase any of their bags, vista the LAT56° Website. And follow them on Twitter: @Lat56Luggage

Visit the new blog at: www.notjustashutterclick.com

10 Gifts For Photographers This Christmas...

You know how it always is with photographers, whether you are one or even if you just know one. They will buy things for themselves, on a daily basis if they can afford it, always talking about the new toys and gadgets they have bought at the cost of what they could have spent taking their loved ones for a night out or even a weekly all inclusive holiday to some sunny climate with their whole family...

But don't think a years worth of selfish purchases means they still don't expect christmas gifts from you. So what do you buy someone who seems to have everything? Well, here are some of my suggestions.

1. Camera Lens Mug

What is it? It is a mug that has been shaped to look like a SLR lens. They come in different models, but more importantly brands, make sure that you buy the right lens for the camera your gift receivers uses, There is a massive camera brand rift between photographers, and choosing the wrong one will have consequences, ranging from having the hot coffee in the mug violently spat in your face, right to the inconsolable sulking and huffing. And you know how world ending it is to have a sulking photographer on your hands.

Appreciation level? 3/10: Well... Umm... to quote Jeremy Clarkson on a christmas episode of Top Gear... If you know someone really likes the Ferrari Enzo... They want a Ferrari Enzo... not a picture of one on a tea towel. The same theory can be used here, a photographer wants a new lens, not a lens shaped mug. But... photographers do drink a lot tea or coffee, so this is a much more practical gift than the tea towel example. Some of the lens mugs even come with a lens cap which makes a perfect holder for the many Jaffa Cakes they will eat too.

How Much? £10 - £30

Where? Amazon

2. iPhone Lenses

What is it? iPhone lenses are attachments for the popular Apple communication device (I'm sure there are ones for other phones too, but every 'real' photographer will surely be an Apple user). They come in all different shapes and sizes, from full case multi lens dials to single stick on magnetic ones, with a range of different lens styles from fish eye to colour effects. Which one you get is purely down to your budgets.

Appreciation level? 6/10: Walk up to some professional photographers and say you shoot all your stuff on iPhone and you are likely to get slapped. They will all profess that it is sacrilege... but don't worry, secretly and deep down they can't help but take little snaps on their phone. So even if they pretend to hate this gift, you can be assured they secretly love it.

How Much? £15 - £200

Where? Various Places for Various Brands

3. LensBaby Control Freak 

What is it? Welcome to the world of Tilt-Shift. Tilt-Shift photography is a rather big trend at the moment, it's a selective focus technique that can create interesting fashion images or even make real life locations look like a miniature set. The Control Freak is a very good value for money option compared to the more traditional tilt shift lenses on offer.

Appreciation level? 9/10: They will love it. Every photographer likes new composition techniques to play with. Be careful though if you are buying one for someone you spend a lot of time with, because you will either not see them much for a while, or if you are out with them, everything will take longer to get around as they will be fiddling with their cameras a lot more.

How Much? £200

Where? Amazon

4. Adobe Creative Suite Keyboard Skins

What is it? Just like most computer programmes, the Adobe suite is full of shortcuts. These handy little slip over keyboard covers transform the boring black buttons with letters on, for a rainbow array of "press my magic function" buttons instead. They come in different styles for different programmes, but most photographers will want the Photoshop one.

Appreciation level? 7/10: Do you have one of those photographer friends who is always telling you of the hour or days worth of sleep depravation they have to endure with their coffee induced shaky hands and monitor glare square eyes just to make their images ready for the world to see? Chances are they are spending so much time on retouching because they haven't learnt the shortcuts yet. This product will speed them up a bit and might give them extra time to appreciate you. Although, they will probably use this spare time selfishly looking through catalogs of new gear instead.

How Much? Range from £9 - £35

Where? Photojojo

5. The Photographer’s Ephemeris

What is it? Light, Light, Light... it's all about the Light. It's true though, light is everything in photography. The Photographer’s Ephemeris is a handy little phone, tablet or desktop app that can show your photographer friend when sunrise and sunset will be and at what direction the light will come from from anywhere they point to on a map.

Appreciation level? 7/10: Gone will be the days of guesswork and missed opportunities. Buying this app will help your gift receiver a greater chance of getting good light every time they leave the door. Providing of course they don't miss the train or get stuck in traffic.

How Much? £8

Where? The Photographers Ephemeris

6. GorillaPod

What is it? Its a twisty grippy tripod thing. They say it can attach to anything, but I bet it won't attach to the roundness of the photographers belly after munching on all those mince pies. It is good though. Trees, walls, and lamp posts are not difficult adversaries to the grippy GorillaPod. They also come in different sizes depending on what your photographer friend needs to attach to it.

Appreciation level? 7/10: Quite a lot of the time a photographer will leave the house without a tripod due to their weight and finger trapping abilities, and it's guaranteed on those days they will decide they needed one. The GorillaPod is small and light, so it should fit in a camera bag without a problem, providing of course they haven't already filled their bag with biscuits.

How Much? Depending on size: £20 - £100

Where? Calumet or any other reputable camera retailer.

7. Adobe Creative Suite Pillows

What is it? A soft and cuddly pillow designed, shaped and coloured  to look like Creative suite logos. Come in 7 different styles to match seven different programmes.

Appreciation level? 4/10: If you have one of those friends who says they have sleepless days editing, what could be better than when they do finally get a chance to sleep, they have to crawl up with a constant reminder of why they were so tired in the first place... actually, now that I say it, they probably don't want a constant reminder of the bane of their lives. They are pretty though... and soft.

How Much? £15 each

Where? MySuiteStuff

8. The F-Stop Watch

What is it? It is a watch... with F-stop numbers instead of hour numbers... Umm... it has a strap... and... OK, its just a damn watch, Cant really say more than that.

Appreciation level? 2/10: This is one of those gifts you can only give to people who either have everything in the world already, or is one of those irritating people who say "I don't need anything for christmas" over and over. At least that way when they say "Why have you got me this weird watch?" you can just tell them its their own fault for not suggesting anything.

How Much? £30

Where? Photojojo

9. The DIY Twin Lens Camera Kit

What is it? Lo-fi film cameras are quite on trend at the moment, and what can be better than building your own? Not only will you get the vintage film treatment when complete, but can also learn the internal workings of a camera, and all without an engineering degree too.

Appreciation level? 6/10: We have already learned a photographer likes toys. Well, they are also tech nerds too. So this gift will pander to both these emotions. Be careful though because your photographer friend will want to build this straight away, and will ignore you for the remainder of Christmas Day, and when they finally get it working, all the pictures they take will be of you... drunk... and annoyed at the loneliness you have had to deal with. Just try not to stamp on it in rage.

How Much? £20

Where? Photojojo

10. Leica M Digital Camera

What is it? The Leica M is the daddy of pocket sized cameras, or at least it will be when it is released early 2013. It is possible to pre-order this camera though, meaning you can guarantee whoever you buy this for will be one of the first in the world to get their hands on one. The current, and replaced version, the M9 is the choice of celebrities, even Justin Bieber has been spotted with one.

Appreciation level? 11/10: Yes, 11... just like in Spinal Tap this gift would just be 1 more than what the scale was built for. If your photographer friend isn't already indebted to you for the remainder of their lives, prepare to have their soul under your thumb forever. It might look like an expensive purchase, but its quite a cheap investment for the years of slavery you get from them.

How Much? £5100 (but this is for body only, you will need lenses too)

Where? Clifton Cameras 


So there you have it, christmas gifts sorted. All that's left now is the wrapping.


Visit the new blog at: www.notjustashutterclick.com

Orbis Ringflash Adaptor...

Everyone loves a good ringflash. It is one of those unmistakeable lighting techniques thats full of power. And recently there has been a surge of flash gun attachments that offer a low cost solution to getting the ringflash look… here is one of them, The Orbis Ringflash Adaptor.

ISO and stops.
Orbis states in their instructions that optimal usage is at ISO 400, and as a studio photographer that seems a bit high. We decided a bit too late that the Orbis would probably perform best outside as a key light addition, but by this time we had lost all outside light. On a curiosity point we wanted to measure how many stops we lost while using the convertor… and it is massive. With our Canon 580mkII on full power and the light meter set at 1/200 at ISO 100, the bare directional flash throws out a F29 reading, but with the convertor this drops drastically to F4!!. This does seem like a massive drop, but at the same time ISO100 is well below the Orbis operating window, it's just a shame that ISO100 would be my preference in the studio.

The Look.
Theres one sentence that was used over and over again during our session. "It's just not very ring flash looking". Admittedly this is due to the fact that we use a real tube driven ringflash in the studio, and the Orbis cannot really compete with it. But I know Orbis won't mind me saying that, as a convertor is never going to be the real deal, both in look, and more noticeably in price. The light output is fairly even though. the catchlight isn't massive, and you do get a slight dark halo around your subject, but I'm sure with a bit more practice and use this can be worked around. Even though you can use TTL to meter your light, its not perfect due to the amount the light stops down, so a flashmeter is a godsend, but at the same time, every slight movement means having to take more and more meter readings.


Connection
Unlike most ringflash convertors which slip over the flash gun when it is mounted to the cameras hot shoe, the Orbis goes in a different direction by mounting the flashgun off camera and vertically. Orbis give their reasoning as that it takes away the added pressure on your cameras hotshot from all the extra weight. And that sounds like a great move on paper, but in reality your flashgun is connected to the arm on a non included flash cord connected by a 1/4-20" screw, so the pressure on this connection to me feels just as precarious and balancing on the edge of failure. Sure a flash cord is much cheaper to replace than your cameras hotshot, but I would be inclined to have a spare cable or  two in your bag as I feel you will go through a few of these over time.

Ergonomics. 
Theoretically we were testing two bits of kit here, the Flash convertor and the mounting arm. These bits both sell and ship separately. Orbis released the convertor first, what had to be hand held. But this proves difficult, having to hold your camera with one hand and the flash in the other which leaves no hands left for focusing or zooming. You could of course give the flash to your assistant and have them follow you around, but your not always going to have that extra person around. So Orbis followed it up with an arm, this goes vertically down from your baseplate and makes your camera feel very cumbersome and heavy. We feel a sidemount would have been a better choice so the weight could have been more manageable. I think Orbis need to bite the bullet and sell both these elements as a kit, as it does become unusable fast without the arm.

Mixing.
We tried mixing the convertor with some studio lights. We knew mixing it with other flashguns would have been fine and power outputs would have been sympathetic, but using high poser studio lighting in conjunction doesn't really work.

Overall.
The big question, would I buy it? It is expensive as a convertor but it is cheap as a ringflash… but in reality, it isn't a ringflash. So this product is the most expensive of its competitors. Although saying that the light quality and the usability is better than other convertors I have used, so I think it is worthy of its pricetag. I really don't think this product is for full time studio photographers, it just doesn't hold up to other studio lighting. But this convertor is perfect for strobists. For anyone who lights with flashguns a lot, this is an interesting and well performing addition to your kitbag, that is going to give you that extra edge over other strobist images.

Visit the new blog at: www.notjustashutterclick.com

Introducing the Hasselblad H5D...

A Hasselblad camera is not a reward for having achieved a successful career. A Hasselblad camera is the tool with which you build your successful career to begin with.
There is never any time like the present to start building for the future. And if you think 35mm is good enough for this stage of your career, then you’d better hope that your clients are also willing to settle for “good enough”. The best clients, however, are almost never willing to settle for “good enough”. And why should they, when there are photographers out there who can provide the best? And providing the best is what Hasselblad and the new H5D are all about.

The next step in the evolution of the world renowned Hasselblad H System, the Hasselblad H5D provides a powerful addition to any photographer’s toolbox and provides you with the competitive edge you need in today’s crowded marketplace. The H5D features Hasselblad’s legendary image quality, a new stylish and more compact design, an updated lens line, new electronics, improved AF precision and speed, increased stability and performance, a new Macro Converter accessory, the new HCD 4.8/24 mm lens, and a range of other new camera functions and improved features, including:

• New compressed RAW files for faster and smoother workflow
• Even better focus correction with True Focus II
• Print-ready JPEG mode for quick preview and printing
• New Camera Configurator
• New improved grip surface
• Larger and more ergonomic buttons
• Larger, easier to read display style
• New menu and graphics design
• New programmable buttons
• New and improved weather sealing
• New, more durable eye cup
• New sensor unit safety lock
• New and faster processors for more rapid internal communication
• Support for new capture modes
• New and more accurate focus algorithms
• New motor drive algorithms
• And more.

Pre-production models of the H5D will be available for demonstration at Photokina on September 18, 2012. The H5D is scheduled for commercial release in December 2012.

You can register for more information as it becomes available HERE.

Visit the new blog at: www.notjustashutterclick.com

Minoura Bicycle Camera Mount...

I have a few loves in my life, the biggest being photography, but one of the others is cycling. Until now, the only way to mix the two was with the GoPro camera, but the biggest problem with a GoPro is you cant see what you have captured until you plus it into a camera or screen. But this has changes now, with the introduction of the Minoura Quick Release Camera Mount.


Cycling company Minoura has a beautiful accessory called the Quick Release Camera Mount. It’s a simple product that turns your bike into a tripod biwheel without sacrificing any aesthetics. It holds your camera securely to your handlebar using a standard quarter-inch threaded bolt, and features a front-wheel-style quick release clamp that allows you to quickly mount and unmount it.


The rubber contained cork sheet pressing up against your camera prevents moisture or vibration from slipping and turning.

You can use the mount for other devices as well (e.g. a phone). All you’ll need is a simple 1/4” thread adapter to attach the device.

Holds camera or VCR on handlebar instead of tripod
Quick release clamp allows mounting only when you need it
1/4" threaded bolt can mount any type of camera
Stainless lock ring holds camera securely
Rubber contained cork sheet prevents slippage even under wet
Do at your own risk using while riding

Dor more details visit the Minoura Website

Visit the new blog at: www.notjustashutterclick.com