Iceland 1 - Day 7 March 21, 2014
Since Sneifellsness is such a vast and beautiful are we decided to make one more trip to this area. One of the primary locations we wanted to visit were the waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Hraunfossar (Lava Falls) that is a series of cascades of bright, turquoise blue water that comes out from under the moss covered lava channels that are below surface level. Further upstream is Barnafoss (Children’s Falls) that has rapid moving torrents. Folklore indicates that two young boys disobeyed their parents and and fell to their deaths when crossing a narrow stone bridge that spanned the river. The mother cast a spell on anyone who crossed the bridge, that they would fall into the river and drown. It is believed that this bridge collapsed in an earthquake soon after the children died. A ne bridge in the same area gives viewers and excellent view of the river and the ravine it flows through.Our first stop was a roadside waterfall cascade on Laxa i Kjos (Salmon river in Kjos). This river is known for the salmon that run and for the fishing that is plentyful. However, in July there is a very significant run of large sea-trout.We next stopped at another small waterfall on Hvalfjarðarvegur or Route 47. This river and waterfall that had a number of sheep pens (empty of sheep) on the right as viewed from the front of the falls.
Next stop was a unique church. The church was closed but the facilities were open. Some of the folks had to be supported while walking to the church as it was becoming impossible to walk, The winds were gusting to 80 or more miles per hour.
We continue - determined to reach our destination. En route we see a number of Icelandic horses and decide to stop for some horse images. This was a very brief stop - the winds are up over 100 MPH - warnings are posted and we have no choice but to return to Reykjavick.
We spent the afternoon in the hotel waiting woe the winds to abate. After dinner a few brave ones headed to do some night photography along the shoreline and the city. The Viking ship sculpture at night is very photogenic.
Next we wanted to photograph the new massive church as a background elect to an older church from across Tjörnin the city pond. Tjörnin is a natural small lake supported by some geothermal heat and is home to many species of duck, geese and a few swans.One last spot. The Hallgrímskirkja a Lutheran parish church. It is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest structure measuring 244 feet in height. It isis named after Hallgrímur Pétursson a Icelandic poet and clergyman.The architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937. He designed the church it to resemble the basalt lava flows found in Iceland and took 38 years to build ending in 1986.The large pipe organ designed and constructed by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn has 5275 pipes and weighs 25 tons.The sky is totally overcast and there is no chance of seeing an Aurora. We head back to the hotel to retire for the night.
Iceland 1 - Day 6 - March 20, 2014
An early morning wake-up call with the hope that we will get a sunrise and beautiful light on the icebergs at the black sand beach. We drive to beach to see a host of large trucks and may sub’s, a horse trailer and security personal. The guards asked me if we were a part of the photography crew, not completely understanding what he had said I said yes. So he told us where to park, we did. On getting out of our vehicles and setting up with our cameras we were informed that we could not go on the beach as they were getting ready to film a TV sow or a movie - I am not sure. Not a very big disappointment as the could cover was still there and the likelihood of a good sunrise was nil.
Fortunately there is another similar beach on the other side of the lagoon so we plowed through a snow embankment and arrived at the alternate beach.Photography was decent at best till the sun peeked out. No golden light as the sun was at a 25 degree or more elevation. Even so the photography was good for the group.We went back to the hotel for breakfast and to check out before heading back to Vik and then on to Reykjavic. We stopped at a few locations along the way and photographed despite poor weather conditions.The first was a small church (they are all usually small churches) at the base region of Havannadalshnukur glacier near Skaftafell. We spent a little time here and took a group shot of the participants and Olgeir in his blue jumpsuit. Walking to the rear of the church we spotted a ptarmigan but before one could get a shot it flew away. It appears that the locals put out bird feed for these birds. There aren't many trees in Iceland even though Iceland was mostly forested. It is not the climate but mankind that completely deforested the land. Not the country is doing its best to plant trees and recover the forestation. A small copse of trees en route.The next stop was an odd shaped mountain that is usually reflected in a crystal clear lake. Unfortunately this lake had a layer of ice and snow. Even so the scene was great as the skies had clear up by now with just some puffy clouds.
Lunch at Vik and then an attempt to photograph the “Three Sisters” in the Vik Reynesdranger beach region. The mist and the direction of the sun made this virtually impossible. We swung around to the west side. This was not much better but we were able to get a few half decent images. Vik is the wettest town in Iceland. Average annual rainfall is about 90 inches.Next a quick trip to the Dyrhólaey peninsula that is a nature reserve at the southern-most point of Iceland. Here the puffins nest on the cliffs as do Fulmars and Kittiwakes.From here when you look east toward Vik you get a good view of the black lava sea stacks of Reynisdrangar called the “Three Sisters”.
Going further to the West we stopped at a few locations to get some more landscapes and reflections in small lakes and pools.Finally arriving at the hotel in Reykjavic..
Iceland 1 - Day 5 March 19, 2014
After a quick breakfast we check out of our storm shelter and headed out to Hali. There is so much to see and photograph along the south coast of Iceland that two days do not do it justice. From a photographers point, at a bare minimum you need a week during each season. Our first major stop was the ice blue ridges of Svinafellsjokull (Pig Glacier) at Skaftafell. This is a beautiful glacier that has claimed a few lives. As you approach the glacier entrance sign shows the names of two who went missing 2007. The sign was erected by their family and friends. Unfortunately due to ice on the ledges, the path that leads to an elevated vantage point was closed. Yet there were many suitable spots to photograph from and some of the group trekked to the far edge to capture images of the glacial valley and the mouth of the glacier. From here we set out to Jokulsarlon. This is a large glacial lagoon where Vatnajokul, the largest glacier in Europe, calves and sends its magnificent large blue and crystal clear icebergs into the ocean.
With many images under our belt we were anxious to get to the black sand beach which is at the very end of Jokulsarlon. There the Vatnajokul icebergs get pushed and deposited onto the black sand beach by the mighty waves and tides of the ocean. The photo opportunities are endless and one has to be careful of the huge rogue waves that come ashore so fast that it is virally impossible to out run them. I did experience my first soaking this morning. Knees down I was wet and my boots were full of freezing cold sea water. I guess I can say it took a dip in the ocean in Iceland in the winter. Fortunately this was soon before we had planned to wind up and head to our hotel to cheek in. I had to use the reception facilities to get out of my wet clothes and change into a fresh set of dy ones. I guess I was not the only one in the group who experienced the wrath of the tides in Iceland as many stories of rogue waves were told at lunch. Our plans were being formulated to come back for sunrise the next morning.We had a great lunch. Most of us ate the traditional Icelandic soup while others had mushroom soup. The weather started to turn for the worse so some of the group wanted to just relax while others wanted more ptography despite the weather. We headed out along the coastal route going North East. En route we photographed some farm houses and a church. We saw a herd of reindeer or caribou on the right side of the highway so pulled over. None of us had really long focal-length lenses but it was still fun photographing these creatures.Reindeer and Caribou look a bit different, but they are the same species Rangifer tarandus. Reindeer were domesticated in northern Eurasia about 2000 years ago. These animals have unique hairs which trap air providing them with excellent insulation buoyancy. A old home in ruins was a great object of interest. At this juncture the weather really turned for the worse so we headed back to the hotel. The winds were gusting and the clud cover was dense. The likelihood of any night photography or Aurora photography was just about a zero.We had dinner and retired to the rooms. Some of us sat around in the kitchen area drinking a few beers and just relaxing.
Iceland 1 - Day 4 March 18, 2014
After a fairly late night with the Aurora displays we checked out of our hotel and started our drive to Hali. We had great plans to photograph the falls, farms and other interesting vista. It was raining and snowing as we left Reykjavik and slowly but surely started getting worse as we moved South.Our first stop was Seljalandfoss. Seljalandsfoss is a very popular tourist attractions and also one of the most photographed in Iceland. These falls are located between Seljalandsmúli and Hamragarðar. When driving on route 1 you need to turn at Seljalandsmúli on a side road. The falls are about 3/4 of a mile with ample parking.The Seljalandsá river drops about 200 feet off the cliff edge forming Seljalandsfoss (foss means waterfall). In addition to Seljalandsfoss, there a few additional streams that drop similar heights to the west of the main falls. A path provides access behind the waterfall that gives photographers and tourists many unique views.Small breaks in the rain allowed for some brief shooting.Next stop was Skógarfoss. This is one of Iceland’s larger waterfalls 70 feet wide and 200 feet high. Skógarfoss is a fall along the river Skógará.The wind and the way the fall droops there is always high volume of spray. In sunlight, that we unfortunately lacked, the spray results in a a single or double rainbow. According to Icelandic folklore there are treasures and gold buried under the waterfall.The rain and snow is getting worse and photography is near impossible. Some of the group would not be denied the opportunity so they braved the elements and got some record shots.We leave the foss in driving sleet, snow and high winds. We stop at one more waterfall called Falls at Forsa.Now the snow is more like a blizzard, visibility is down to a 50 feet or so. We drive using the yellow road markers to guide us. Eventually arrive in the town of Vik. This is the southern most tip of Iceland. Lunch and then on to Klaustur where we normally fill up as there are no gas stations in Hali. The conditions are getting worse and the wind is just brutal. We drive on to the next small town of Skaftafel. The wind spend signs show 88 MPH steady winds and the gusts are over 100 MPH. If you are on FaceBook check out a short video of this experience on E.J. Peiker's timeline. We drive a few miles and are turned back by the police - the road is impassable. Fortunately Skftafell has a small hotel and they have 5 rooms available, we are 15 in all so it is hole up time. We had dinner at this hotel and managed to get some sleep. Wakeup call was for 5:45 and departure 6:30.In the most part this day was a wash-out.
Iceland 1 - Day 3 (March 17, 2014)
It is day 3 of this trip and we head out to the region known as Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This is a rugged region of Icelandic west coast that juts out into the Atlantic between Faxaflói bay and Breiðafjörður. The two coasts north and south separate by a range of mountains that run along the peninsula and culminate ending up at Snæfellsjökull, a large volcano and glacier at the land’s westernmost point. This is the largest volcano on this peninsula. This is the mountain that was featured in the Jules Verne book “Journey to the Center of the Earth"
Travel to this region is shortest when you take the 6 kilometer long tunnel that traverses under the ocean. Once through the tunnel, on the way Snæfellsnes to our first stop was the unique single crater volcano named Eldborg (The Fire Castle) is actually it is a caldera rather than a volcanic crater.
Next, we ant to the town of BÚÐIR. This is a former fishing village in the Búðavík bay. The settlement was abandoned in the early nineteenth century and today has just a hotel and a church. The church is a black church surrounded by a lava field. It has three white-framed windows and was constructed in 1703. The church has a surrounding wall made of lava and topped with turf.
Our next location was an costal area Arnastapi at the foot of Stapafell. It is a small fishing village and harbor. The rocks and cliff sides are rookeries. This time of year the primary nesting sea birds were Fulmars with a few Kittiwakes. Arctic terns also nest here and are known to dive-bomb when threatened. There are lots of photo opportunities in this area and one has to be very careful of massive rogue waves. The waves are very unpredictable and if you are on a beach or near the ocean you must be extra cautious.A quick snack and then on to another hunt for the Aurora. There were faint signs while we were driving so we stopped and set up. This was truly rewarding.
Iceland 1 - Day 2 (March 16, 2014)
Iceland continues to be cloudy, stormy and very windy. We planned of doing the Golden Circle route despite adverse weather conditions. On the way to Þingvellir we stopped at Mosfellsheiði (Mosfellsheidi in English).Þingvellir (Thingvellir in English) which is the is the National Park where the Althing, open-air parliament that represented all of Iceland, was convened in 930 and continued remained active until 1798. It became a national park in 1928 and has a special tectonic and volcanic environment as a rift valley. It is in this area that you can see the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates particularly in the faults which traverse park. The largest of the fault cracks is the Almannagjá. Þingvellir is on the northern shore of Þingvallavatn, that is the largest natural lake in Iceland.As we walked along the fault cracks we noticed bus loads of tourists arriving so decided we would go ahead to the largest waterfall Gullfoss and beat the crowds that were bound to visit the famous Gyser before going to Gullfoss.For a change Gullfoss was not as windy so the group was able to get some excellent images from the various vantage points.Next stop was for lunch at the Geyser. Here again the crowds were impossible - it was school vacation week in England and hence the crowds.After lunch we headed out to photograph the Geyser. A few quick eruptions and then we are in the middle of one of the fastest developing snowstorms. No one outside was spared. A few (sensible) members of the group decided to stay back in the restaurant - smart move. By the time one could walk from the gyser to the concession store photographers, cameras and tripods all became one big white snow covered mass.Heading back around the Golden Circle we stopped and photographed a small church in Faxi called Haukadals Kirkja (Kirkja means Church - interesting that the Hindi word for church is Girja and sounds similar to Kirkja).Next stop was a coral of Icelandic horses on Route 35 before heading to another waterfall.
This is Faxafoss which is not very high but has some lovely form.With the weather continuing to be problematic we heads towards a potential Aurora location. As the sun was going down we stopped overlooking a valley with a lovely little church. This is the church at Lake Ulfljotsvatn that is south of the Thingvellir national part called Ulfljotsvatn Kirkja. The original church or churches were was established 1200. The current church was built in 1914 and will be 100 years old this year. The lake is frozen but it is deceptive. It is believed that centuries ago the priest and people traveling to attend mass drowned on their way trying to cross the lake as a shortcut to church.
The Aurora is always a waiting game so we waited and waited. All there was to photograph was the full moon.One can only have so much patience and with no signs of the skies clearing we returned to the hotel.
Iceland 1 - Day 1 (March 15, 2014)
We arrived about 1/2 hour early and the luggage was already on the carrousel when we go to baggage claim. It was raining, torrential at times when we got the the car rental building, all very smooth and efficient. Getting the rentals was another story - it took over an hour to get the 4 suv’s despite pre booking and payment. The 7 of us finally get to the hotel where we have been moved because the hotel we originally were booked in was overbooked. In one way tho seas great because this is a very luxurious 4 star hotel. We checked in and went down to have an excellent buffet breakfast. We met up with the rest of the group who had come in a day earlier.
Though it was still raining we headed out to the Reykjanes Peninsula. The word Reykjanes means Smoky Point in Icelandic. We traveled paper and semi paved roads through lava fields to Grænavatn a green tinted lake that was created within a volcanic crater. The wind was constant and blowing furiously 50 MPH or more. It was virtually impossible to hold a camera still. The next stop was Seltún a geothermal field with mud cauldrons, hot pools and steam vents.
We spent a short while photographing the lighthouses of Reykjness. One is a yellow/orange lighthouse named Hopnes after the lava spit of the same name.
After a lunch at a local village N1 we drove to another Geothermal Area Gunnuhver where once again the wind intense. The smell of sulfur is everywhere and the vapors here are dense. Beautiful mineral tones adorn this field. The geothermal is is named Gunna a legendary woman who was accused of murder and thrown into the boiling hot spring.
The final stop of the day was the ocean area called Valahnúkur. This is a beautiful coastline with high jagged cliffs all formed by volcanic eruptions and lava. As it was the whole day, here too we were greeted with high winds and major ocean spray making photography a challenge.
On our way back to the hotel we drove by the tallest lighthouse in the region built on Bæjarfell hill. With the forecast and dense clouds we decided not to venture out for Aurora activity this evening.
So what's in the bag for my Iceland workshop
I had indicated that once I had figured out what to take and how to configure and pack my thinkTANK Airporter International V2 I would share the details with you.
So here is what it looks like all packed and ready to roll.
Then I had to unpack everything to show you what I had packed. Good exercise, as one can pack a lot but repacking the same amount never seems to work. Fortunately it all repacked just fine. Because of its construction, the bag is heavy when empty but that does not bother me. The contents are secure and the wheels are very smooth. One of the features I really like is the extra handle on the bottom of the bag between the wheels to facilitate loading the bag in overhead bins when traveling by air.A tighter view of the main compartment:
So here is what is in the kit.
Bodies:
- Canon 5D Mk III
- Canon 7D
- Panasonic GH3
- GoPro Hero 3 Black
Lenses:
- Canon 70 - 200 f/2.8 IS
- Canon 24 - 70 f/2.8
- Canon 16 - 35 f/2.8 II
- Canon 40mm f/2.8
- Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Nikon mount with a Canon adapter
- Panasonic 12 - 35 f/2.8
- Panasonic 7 - 14 f/4
I typically carry all the lens hoods and the BosStraps separately in my suitcase.Intervalometers and Motion Control:
- ASTRO intervalometer and motion control device
- Promote Control for HDR, Timelapse and other remote functions
- Hahnel Giga T Pro
Filters:
- Lee Big Stopper 10 Stop Filter
- HighTech 8 stop ND Filter
- HighTech 100mm filter holder
Accessories:
- 2 Panasonic batteries and 7 Canon batteries
- Canon and Panasonic Battery Chargers
- 2 GuraGear Memory card carriers with CF and SD Cards
- 1 Hyperspace Disc drive and downloader adapter
- Kirk Panorama nodal slide rail
- Spare Lens caps
- A large Cleaning Cloth in pouch
- Lens Pen
- Dust blower
- Delkin USB UDMA Card reader and cable
- Various cables and connectors for the intervalometers
- Set of Allen Wrenches
- Roll of Gaffers tape
GPS:
- Canon GPS Receiver GP-E2
- Garmin eTrex GPS device
Flash Lights:
- Surefire Head Lamp
- Sure Fire 900 lumen flashlight
- Maglite (2 AA halogen bulb)
International GSM Compatible Blackberry Phone.Not Shown in the image is a 15in MacBook Pro in the outer sleeve of the bag.That is a lot of equipment and there is still room in the various sleeves and pouches that I have left empty.Check out this previous blog post for some new products and a link to purchase.
Issues with downloading my book - RESOLVED
There was a problem with Payloadz and PayPal that was giving various "merchant" errors. This has been resolved and the PDF version of my book can be downloaded without this aggravation. My apologies.http://store.payloadz.com/details/1996482-ebooks-other-time-lapse-imagery.html
Introducing Astro - a single axis motion control device
The Astro is a fairly simple and compact intervalometer and single axis motion control device for time-lapse and panorama photography.The unit is powered by 2 AA batteries. The unit can be positioned in one of two orientations, horizontal for rotational panning and vertical for tilt panning. Rotation can be in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. It is rated to support unto 22 pounds of camera gear when properly mounted and balanced on the central pivot point in the horizontal pan mode and 6.5 pounds in tilt mode. It has a maximum speed of 6° per second in panorama mode or 360° in 55 seconds. It is rated for operating temperatures of 32° to 104° F or 0° to 40° CThe device can be ordered with cables specific to the camera you use. A 2.5mm jack connects the Astro cable to you camera. A cable with 2.5 mm jacks on either end is provided to connect your iPhone or Android phone for additional functionality. The IOS and Android applications are under development and not available as of the writing of this book.Programming the astro is very easy. The unit has three rings stacked one above the other and a status LED that also serves as a marker.
- The uppermost ring controls the “Duration” where you set the total duration of the time-lapse from 15 min to 12 hrs.
- The middle ring controls the “Rotation” that is the total rotational angle from the start of the sequence to the end.
- The lowest ring sets the triggering “Interval” in seconds.
You mount a plate that matches yourtripod head to the bottom of the Astro. Mount a ball-head on the top or mount your camera directly to the to 1/4 20mm screw. Connect the cable to the Astro and your camera. Program the Astro in three steps and press one of the directional start buttons. The unit will turn on, follow a move, settle shoot cycles to the end of the sequence.Depressing either of the two start buttons during a sequence will terminate the sequence.The Status LED provides the following information:Single Green: Indicates each movement.Rapid Orange: Smartphone Mode. The unit is waiting for a smartphone program transfer.Rapid Red: Indicates an error in starting the program.Continuous Red: Indicated a canceled program.Rapid Red: Indicates a low battery.Two Astro units can be coupled using “L Brackets” to achieve 2 axis motion, panning and simultaneous tilting.For testing 2 Eneloop Rechargeable AA batteries were used. The Astro was fitted with a 1/4 20 to 3/8 adapter and a Feisol CB-50DC bullhead on top. A Really Right Stuff plate was attached to the base. This combination was mounted on top of a Gitzo tripod and the Really Right Stuff BH55 bullhead. I first tested the Astro with a Canon 7D and a 16 - 35 mm f/2.8 L series II lens in pan mode and the the unit's performance was effortless and accurate through the duration of the time-lapse sequences. To take it up a notch, the Astro was mounted with the 7D and a 70 - 200 f/2.8 L series lens. The lens foot plate was used to balance the camera lens combination on the Astro. This is about as heavy as you would use to do a time-lapse sequence. Once again the performance was very good. I did notice a slight backlash in the last frame. This is easily solved by eliminating the frame before assembling the final sequence.Since the L brackets are not yet available the Astro was mounted in a vertical orientation by dropping the Tripod's ball head 90 degrees. For this test the camera body was a Canon 5D MkIII and a the 16 - 35 mm f/2.8 L series II lens.You can get the Astro now by clicking on the button below. The pre order price is $249 and the retail price will be $280.
thinkTANK - announces two new products
Think Tank just announced the release of new products aimed at enhancing your workflow and increased mobility.Also look out for my update on the thinkTank Airport International V 2.0 and a new post on the Retrospective Shoulder Bag. Think Tank Photo’s new Modular Pixel Pocket Rocket (PPR) is belt-mountable, which enables you to easily whip out CF and SD cards and to keep them securely and conveniently at hand when shooting. The Modular PPR is easily secured by a sturdy hook-and-loop panel to any Think Tank Photo modular belt or to any belt. It holds six CF cards and three SD cards, as well as other small accessories, such as a smart phone or lens cloth.Click here for the Modular Pixel Pocket Rocket (PPR) The App House 8 and the App House 10 are two hybrid bags for quick access to a small or standard-size Apple tablets and can be used either as shoulder bags or mounted on belts. Streamlined and secure, their small size, removable shoulder strap, and double-lock belt-mount make it practically effortless for you to carry and access your tablet and stay connected around town or when traveling. Key features include: Dedicated pockets for carrying a smart phone, device accessories, plus other small items; a dedicated, easily accessible smart phone pocket with soft liner; and an internal organizer with elastic and zippered pockets for connection cables, card readers, power cables, portable charger, pens, or other personal items.Click here for the App House 8Click here for the App House 10 For all other thinkTANK products CLICK HEREAll orders over $50 entitle you to a free gift. In case you are wondering what your choices are see the screenshot below:
Elinchrome D-LiTE-RX4 - Review
Elinchrom’s new D-Lite-RX 2/4 200/400 ws strobes are excellent low sync speed semi portable studio worthy strobes. The ”it” designation is for Intelligent Triggering.
Each strobe head is made from a rugged impact resistant plastic that has a rubberized top handle with a holder for a spare fuse.with many new exciting features. The kit contains two strobes, power cables, two Portalite square soft boxes, with bayonet mounts. Included is one reflector.
Each head has a built-in Skyport” receiver and a four channel Skyport transmitter is included with the kit.The transmitter is an optional item for single units. All heads are fan cooled when needed. The kit includes a pair of Manfrotto light stands and all carrying cases.
The heads are available in 200 and 400 Watt versions. My units are 400 Watts. The control panel is well configured as shown in the image below.
Specifications:
The power switch is illuminated when the head is powered on. A two position LED indicates the power setting, with two buttons to increase or decrease the power in 1/10 increments. Another button allows you to set the modeling light at full power, minimum power, proportional power or off. There is a strobe trigger button called the Eye-Cell and is programmable for Auto, Manual or Pre-Flash modes. This is very useful when using a hot-shoe flash to trigger the D-Lites. Finally there is a button to turn on or off the audible beep. The units have a decent recycling rate recharging in .35 to 1.6 seconds based on the power output setting. A great feature is "Auto Dumping". When you lower the power output the nut will automatically dump the excess charge and indicates it is ready with a beep.
Set-up
Assembling the Portalite soft boxes takes up most of the time. There is one addition I would like, a secondary diffusion panel inside the Portalite Softbox. The rest is easy. The units come preconfigured to work with the Skyport set on the Frequency Channel 1 and Group 1. Changing channels and groups is easy and accomplished pressing the power up and down buttons together, then toggling the function using the modeling lamp mode button and using the individual power up or down buttons to
select the following:
- Groups 1 through 4
- Channels 1 through 8
At any time you can do a Master Reset to factory defaults switching off the unit, holding the power up and down buttons and switching on the unit again.
The unit has two umbrella mounts. one is a centered tube that will accept 7mm diameter umbrella shafts that are on the Elinchrome EL umbrellas. If you do not have EL umbrellas you can mount an off centered umbrella in the secondary mount near the tilt handle.
For most of the work I do in studio I find these to be an excellent choice. The units work flawlessly. I have two sets in my studio and for the past 8 months these have never missed a beat. The power output and color temperature are consistent and the supplied cases are ideal for transportation to allocation shoots.
I highly recommend these units to anyone looking for an excellent high quality starter system. My preference is for the 400W units.
These can be purchased for $949 for the 400WS heads and $849 for the 200WS heads. Individual heads are also available but the best price breaks are when you purchase a kit.
Time-Lapse Imagery - interactive PDF version available
The interactive PDF version of my e-book Time-Lapse Imagery is now available and can be downloaded. You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat reader for your computer in order to read this book.Download the interactive PDF by clicking on Add to CartThe iBook version can be downloaded from the iBook store
Adobe Acrobat can be downloaded and installed using this link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Syrp Newsletter and NAB 2014 discount information
My friends from New Zealand and makers of the Genie Time-Lapse Motion Control Device publish a wonderful newsletter. This issue includes my book and that deserves a big thank you. Also a passcode for a $150 savings at NAB 2014.Here is a link to the latest issue and you might just want to subscribe to it.Syrp News 23rd february
thinkTANK Airport International™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag
Just got my thinkTANK Airport International Camera bag and am in the process of configuring it for Iceland. At this point I have two DSLR's, a 70 - 200 f/2.8 IS, a 16-35, 50mm Zeiss, 40 mm pancake, 24 - 70 f2.8, GoPro Hero 3 Black, batteries, intervalometers, and a compliment of ND filters. and more in the bag. I will be including a third Panasonic GH body and two Panasonic lenses.First impressions - the bag is built like a tank and has great depth so I can really pack in a lot. The zippers lock, using a combination lock system and a rear security cable can be used to secure the bag to any immovable object while traveling.I will include a few images showing the contents when the bag is fully configured.If you are looking for thinkTANK bags and accessories use this link. For a purchase of $50 or more ThinkTank will send you a special gift free.
The winter of 2013 - 2014
I can't remember a winter like this one. Days and days of freezing cold. The heating bills going through the roof and no end in sight. Another storm tonight. This started with 10 to 12 inches of snow and now just and inch - but of course it is a storm so has a name "TITAN". Oh well if it is an inch the Titan is not so mighty.
The image was captured two weeks ago in New Hampshire along the Kankamagus Highway in New Hampshire. (click on the image to enlarge). This is the Swift River - mostly frozen. I loved the interplay of light and shadow and the awesome textures. The image was further enhanced with Macphun Software - Focus 2 Pro. (See my previous blogpost for details)
Macphun releases Focus 2 Pro
Focus 2 Pro launched today! The software is a substantial upgrade from the standard version that many of you already use. Focus 2 Pro lets photographers of all skill levels easily add creative focus, blur, tilt-shift effects, motion blur, and other enhancements to images. It’s FAR easier to use than Photoshop or other labor-intensive techniques, at an affordable price.
TWiP - 348
The production version of TWIP 348 is on line. It was a pleasure and honor to be a co-host on TWiP. It truly was a great session with Frederick and Syl. The great news is that my book "Time-Lapse Imagery" is in the Apple iBook store as of this morning. I am thrilled.Check it out hereIf you are not subscribed, please do so in iTunes for the audio podcast.More on Frederic Van Johnson at http://frederickvan.com and http://mediabytes.comMore on Syl Arena at his blog http://pixsylated.com/blog/ and his work at http://sylarena.comDon't miss out the interview with Blunty. Frederick sat down for a chat with YouTube star Blunty about cameras, photography and life! Check out Blunty at http://www.blunty.tv
Topaz Simplify - 50% Discount
Effective now through the end of February you can get Topaz Simplify at a 50% discount. Topaz Simplify allows you to turn your photos into watercolors, paintings, and other fine art.Click Here to purchase and get your discount.