First Flight With My ThinkTank Airport Security V2 Bag
Yesterday morning I got up really early to catch my flight to Chicago. I had checked all of my gear and closed up my ThinkTank Airport Security V2 bag the night before. I was a little nervous about flying with so much gear, as I didn’t want to have my bag gate checked and tossed under the plane. It’s a good place for luggage, but not for camera bodies, glass, flashes, and the like. My flight out was on an Boeing MD-80 and my flight back is on a 737, both of which are good size planes and can accommodate the Airport Security bag fairly easily.
Getting Through Security
I learned something very valuable yesterday. Your packing and organization can make a HUGE difference in how quickly you can get your carry-on bag screened with all of your gear in it. There was a guy about 3 people ahead of me in line who had a gear backpack with a video rig in it. Attached to the side of his bag was a HUGE video tripod. His bag went through the x-ray machine and they stopped him.
Apparently, his bag wasn’t very organized because the TSA pulled everything out of his bag to check it out. What a royal pain. He couldn’t do anything but stand there and wait. After witnessing this, the wheels in my mind are spinning out of control thinking I’m going to go through the same thing. Fortunately for me, my gear was packed neatly and organized well in my ThinkTank bag and TSA screeners didn’t even bat an eye.
Arrive & Check In Early
One thing that I know from the Misses being a former airline employee is that the best thing I can do is get there early. I checked in for my flight the night before and got my boarding pass. American Airlines boards by Groups, and I knew if I got in Group 1 or Group 2 that I would have plenty of overhead space to store my bag. If you’re one of the last to board the plane, you’re likely going to get screwed when it comes to overhead space. Now you’re stuck with two options: 1. Try and plead to the flight attendants to put your bag with theirs or in the closet in First Class; or 2. Your bag gets gate checked and goes under the plane in the cargo hold.
If you’re going for option 1, remember to be very polite and explain that you have thousands of dollars worth of photo equipment and you would like to do your best to avoid having something get damaged. If you bring the attitude, so will the flight attendant and you’ll be stuck with option 2.
The Bottom Line
I had minimal trouble with my ThinkTank Airport Security V2 bag on it’s maiden flight and I’m really glad that my thoughtful wife and kids got me the bag as a Father’s Day gift back in June! I’m also flying with my ThinkTank Artificial Intelligence 15 V2 laptop bag, which is small and unobtrusive for my MacBook Pro. It’s a killer combo for the traveling photographer. Not to mention that ThinkTank’s stuff is built very well… it’s made to last the abuse of traveling. If you haven’t checked out their gear yet, you’re really missing out.
Lightroom 3 Beta – It Just Keeps Gettin’ Better!
If you’ve been using Lightroom for as long as I have, then I’m sure you’re just as in love with this program as I am. Lightroom 2 brought about several changes, including the Adjustment Brush, which kept many photographers from going from Lightroom to Photoshop so often. Lightroom 3 Beta is no different, and boasts an impressive feature-set and some very cool improvements.
Today I’m going to highlight some of the things that I really like and find the most useful about LR3 Beta. What I’m NOT going to do is a full-on, in-depth review. There are plenty of good reviews out there. I just want to bring to light some of the things that I have decided will be worth the money to upgrade to Lightroom 3 for.
Import Dialog Box
First of all, the new Import Dialog box just plain rocks! I really love the options that it gives you, and it even simplifies the interface to those who are new to Lightroom.
Basic Import Dialog Box
Full Import Dialog Box
Lightroom 3 Beta has brought about easier ways to publish photos to services like Facebook, Zenfolio, Flickr, and more. I really dig that I can take care of that right from a panel in the Library Module. What a convenient feature!
This is HUGE! You’re starting to see more “effects” show up in Lightroom 3 Beta, and Adobe kicked it off with the Film Grain effect to simulate film grain in your digital photos. If Adobe keeps adding features like this, more and more photographers will be using Photoshop less and less. Film Grain is found under the Effects panel in the Develop Module.
Another huge improvement here! In Lightroom 2, you weren’t able to export Slideshows that included music that you could add to the slideshow in Lightroom. That is now a thing of the past. Now you can export slideshows as videos, which includes the music that you add in the Slideshow module. Now you can put them on discs, upload them to the web, and your client doesn’t have to be sitting in front of your computer with Lightroom open to see the slideshow you put together for them.
I really wish that I had more flexibility with plug-ins: I would really like to feel like I’m still in Lightroom while using my Nik Software plug-ins. One thing that really drives me nuts is that if I want to use any of Nik’s plug-ins, I can’t do so using the original file. I have to use a copy of the file in PSD (my choice) format, which takes up more space on my hard drive and creates a duplicate file. This is because of the nature of Lightroom’s non-destructive workflow, but I still think that I should have a choice here, Adobe.
Will I shell out the cash for the upgrade to Lightroom 3 when it’s released? You betcha! There are enough improvements that really make it work the upgrade and I’ll gladly do so. If you spend as much time in Lightroom as I do, I think you will find it just as useful. If you haven’t already downloaded the Beta version to take it for a spin, check it out here!
Tuesday Happenings & A Bonus Tip!
Well, we made it through Monday and now Tuesday has arrived! This week has been very, very busy for me as I get ready to head for Chicago on Thursday to shoot Tammara and Tony’s wedding! I’m really excited and looking forward to an incredible weekend and wedding, but leaving the sunny San Diego weather behind will be hard! I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted on what’s happening and how things are going, so stay tuned. Here’s a few other things that are going on:
- Tomorrow, I’ll have a post up about my initial thoughts and impressions of Lightroom 3. I’ll talk about what I like, don’t like, and what improvements have been made since Lightroom 2. I hope you’ll join me tomorrow!
- If you’re going to be in San Diego on November 20th, you might want to check out the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Unleashed seminar at the San Diego Convention Center. Dave Cross and RC Concepcion will be on hand covering all the latest and greatest when it comes to CS4. Find out more and register here. And don’t forget that NAPP members receive a $10.00 discount on their tuition for this seminar!
- Thursday will mark my very first flight with my ThinkTank Airport Security V2 roller. I’m flying on American Airlines and I’m booked on a big plane for both flights, so we’ll see just how well it fits in the overhead bin and under the seat. Should be fun!
Bonus Tip: Check out the image above. I included it in the post as it’s part of today’s tip. If you want to make your photos look more interesting, try and find a perspective that most people don’t see. Shooting from a position in which everyone views things make them dull and boring. Try kneeling, a different angle (just no turning your camera 45 degrees, it drives me nuts), or getting up really high. Your pictures will be much more interesting and appealing!
That’s it for today. I’ll see you guys back here tomorrow for some Lightroom 3 gouge! Have a great day!
The Digital Photography Book Vol. 3 Review
Scott Kelby has really done a wonderful thing with his Digital Photography Book series. The first book in the series (Vol. 1) opened up a lot of doors to people who were afraid of DSLRs. His no-nonsense approach makes it easy for readers to understand what he’s teaching without a lot of complicated technical jargon. It’s no surprise that Volume 3 falls right in line with Volumes 1 and 2, and Volume 3 picks right back up where Volume 2 left off.
The Digital Photography Book Vol. 3 is really where the rubber meets the road if you’re serious about photography. Scott shares a lot of excellent tips, tricks, and photo recipes that will guide you through camera settings, lighting setups, and more; all designed to help you get the shot.
He covers all types of photography in Vol. 3: sports, product photography, portraiture, travel, wedding photography, and landscapes. Scott also provides invaluable tips on how to avoid common (and even some uncommon) photography problems that stand in the way of making great pictures.
Almost all of the Digital Photography Book Vol. 3 builds upon the foundation laid in Volumes 1 and 2. Volume 2 really got hot and heavy with off-camera flash, and Vol. 3 really covers it good. One thing that I would liked to have seen Scott cover more is the relationship between foreground and background exposure while using studio strobes or off-camera flash. His photo recipes covered aperture settings, but didn’t get into a whole lot of ‘meat and potatoes’ when it came to setting up your camera and lighting. Granted this isn’t a book about lighting, but it would have been great to have it covered in the book.
Overall the book seems to be aimed at photography enthusiasts and people who are looking very seriously at making a living with their photography. Chapter 2 is titled, “Using Your Studio Like A Pro”, which gives a very strong indication of the book’s target audience.
One word of caution: Scott mentions in all three volumes that if you want your photos to look like the pro’s do, you’re going to have to spend some money. Vol. 3 is no different. After reading this book, you’re going to want to go out and spend some hard-earned cash on some new toys. However, Scott does provide a few alternatives to some expenses that would put most of us in the poor house.
The Digital Photography Book Vol. 3 is 243 pages of photography goodness covering gear, tips, settings, and more. It’s $20.00 very well spent and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking into photography as a serious enthusiast or working toward making a living with their camera. You can pick up you’re copy of the Digital Photography Book Vol. 3 at Kelby Training or your favorite book store.
Tuesday’s Photo Quick Tip: Plan & Pack Accordingly
Here’s a quick tip to help make your life as a photographer easier:
Do your best to find out exactly who, what, when, where, and how you’re going to be shooting BEFORE you head out. This way you can pack only what you need and therefore travel fast and light. There’s nothing worse than carrying around a bunch of gear that you wind up not using at all. It’s a hard thing for me to do, but I force myself NOT to bring my ThinkTank Airport Security roller when I can bring only what I’ll use in my Tamrac Messenger shoulder bag.
This is a great tip to keep in mind. Your shoulders and back will thank you for it!
Request From A Fellow NAPP Member
I received an e-mail yesterday from a fellow NAPP member named Danny Douglas and he asked if I would post the original poster up on the blog again. Here you go Danny, this one’s for you my friend.
In the final print, Navy leadership decided to remove the noose from the photo as it was a little bit TOO edgy for them. Interpretation being what it is and seeing as how that was the only thing changed on the poster, I can’t really complain. The poster’s message and integrity still remain intact and therefore I’m ok with it.
Well, that’s it for me today folks. I’m heading out to sea for a few days so I’ll be absent for the rest of the week, but I’ve got great things lined up for next week! Have a great week!
Monday Photo News
It was an incredibly busy week this past week and I’ve been shooting and processing quite a bit. Got most of it done and so I have just a little downtime before I head to Chicago and it all ramps back up again. I didn’t get to do anything super-exciting like go to PhotoPlus in NYC, but nonetheless I have been holding the fort down here in San Diego and I’ve got some cool little tidbits of news for you.
- Nik Software (a San Diego-based company) has announced Viveza 2, which from what I have heard, will be an awesome upgrade to an already awesome program. Viveza gives you total control over color and light, which is great for Lightroom users because you don’t need to go to Photoshop or use the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom to make adjustments to color or light in just one area of your photo. Can’t wait to see Viveza 2 as I’m already a big fan of Viveza! Check it out right here.
- I’ve been playing around with Lightroom 3 Beta and so far I’m very impressed. The new Import Dialog is very cool, as well as the ability to export slideshows in video format with audio included, which you couldn’t do with LR2. There are some new features in the Develop Module under the new Effects Panel, which includes upgrades to Vingetting and a new effect called Grain, which allows you to add a film grain-type of effect to your photos which is so highly popular these days. Check out Lightroom 3 Beta for yourself right here.
- On Saturday I received my Demb Big Flip-It that I ordered. During the wedding that I shot last weekend, I only used bounce flash and I wish that I had been able to throw just a little more light forward to help freeze some movement without casting harsh shadows. I checked out a couple of other options including the new Lumiquest QuikBounce, but I decided on the Flip-It based on recommendations and the QuikBounce seemed a little flimsy to me. Check out the Flip-It here and I’ll have a full review up soon!
That’s it for today. I hope you guys have a great week and an awesome Monday (as awesome as Mondays get anyway)! 
Poster Contest Print and Giving Thanks
Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) while he presented my suicide prevention poster team with prints for our winning poster entry. It was a great honor just to be selected as the winner and know that our message will soon be distributed throughout the U.S. Navy Fleet to aid in the prevention of suicides. The prints were incredible and Matt Poling and Chuck Long each received a print too, as well as one for the ship.
It was pretty surreal being recognized for something that isn’t my normal job in the Navy. Although I volunteer as the ship’s photographer, I usually don’t do it on a daily basis. Among the competition for the poster were several folks who happen to work in the mass communications field and they shoot photos and work in Photoshop every single day. It’s their job.
However, good photography and knowledge of Photoshop only played a small part in our team’s success. Since the three of us had lost a Shipmate to suicide and have had first-hand experience, our desire to send a powerful message was the real driving force behind our work.
In light of all of this, I would like to send out a few “thank you” notes to some people who gave me the tools that helped put our entry on top:
- First of all, thanks to my wife Kelie and my kids who stand behind me and support me in all that I do. Thanks for letting me take your picture, try different lighting setups, and carry a camera with me everywhere we go. I love you guys more than anything in the world!
- Next, to my Mom, Dad, Ryan, Chris, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, my whole entire family, Chain of Command and friends who support me, encourage me, and believe in me. Thank you!
- To Scott Kelby and all the folks at theNational Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) for all the great training, resources, and insight you provide. I’ve learned so much more about Photoshop by being a member!
- To David Hobby, THE Strobist, for providing the best resources on lighting available on the Web. I have a learned a TON about lighting from reading his blog and having discussions with other Strobist readers.
- And last but not least, to all the photographers (hobbyist, amateur, and pro) that have inspired me. We have a great community of people and I’m glad to be a small part of it. Thanks to you all!
With that, I’ll wrap up this post. I’m up to my ears in post processing from events over the past week so I’ll be busy this weekend! I hope you have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday with some news and who knows what else I’ll come up with! See you then!
(Photo above by IC3 Billie Jean Pruiett.)
End of the Week Photo News
There’s a lot of really cool stuff going on around the photo industry, and I thought I would bring you up to speed on the latest and greatest. New gear, cool discounts, and other happenings have made for some exciting times recently. Here’s some of the things I have found most interesting:
- Nikon has been busy, after recently releasing the D300s as they just announced the new D3s (pictured above). It’s essentially a D3 with 720p HD video, a built-in sensor cleaning system, and super-high ISO capability; 102,400 to be exact! If you already own a D3, it doesn’t make much sense to upgrade. However, if you were looking to move up to a camera of this caliber, then the D3s is the way to go. Unless you’re a wildlife photographer shooting in harsh conditions, a pro sports shooter, or a newspaper photographer, then you probably don’t need this camera and a D90, D300s, or D700 would suit you just find. MSRP is $5199.95. You can read more about it on Nikon’s website. Finally, a D3 I would buy!
- MpixPro is now offering Custom Printed DVDs! This is a great way to deliver digital negatives to your client and present them in a very professional way. They look so much better than disc labels printed on an inkjet printer and they only cost $7.00! All you have to do is upload the file to MpixPro and they send you the blank DVD with your image printed on the front. If you’re an MpixPro user then you will really appreciate this great product.
- Speaking of Mpix, they are offering free shipping on frames until October 20th! If you need custom frames for yourself or your clients then head on over and take advantage of a great offer! Just enter the promo code: frame10 at checkout.
- I recently had a chance to work a little bit with Jason D. Moore of Jason D. Moore Photography in the Walk4Hearing Silent Auction. Jason is a super-nice guy and an excellent photographer as well. On top of that, he’s an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop which means he really knows is stuff when is comes to the digital darkroom. Check out his work and stop by and say “Hello!” Tell him I sent ya.
That wraps things up for me for this week. I’ve been incredibly busy and it’s not stopping now. I’m shooting a wedding tomorrow in Ramona, CA so I’ll be busy for the next couple of weeks. There’s a whole lot that goes into shooting a wedding, and I’ll be documenting some of that here on the blog. Additionally, I’m going to begin featuring some video tutorials on photography techniques. These will be short, down, and dirty but my goal is to show you how to get the job done. Stay tuned for those and I’ll look forward to sharing some wedding shots with you! Have a great weekend!
About Stephen
Stephen Zeller is a San Diego-based portrait photographer, with his primary focus being families and children. He enjoys sharing what he's learned with other photographers in addition to creating stunning images. Be sure to check out Stephen's Galleries!
Client Proofing @ Zenfolio
Where I Get My Gear…
