Working in the Rain

As a sports and landscape guy, working in the rain comes with the territory, one can't simply say no thank you and not cover the event.  With some preparation, you and your gear can stay pretty dry, and you'll get moody and exciting photos as well.

The Gear:

Canon 1D MK II
70-200 2.8 USM. 

The Camera Protection:

Kata Pro-light Rain Cover
Think Tank Photo Shapeshifter Backpack
Think Tank Photo Skin Set with Skin Belt

The Person Protection:

Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero
Marmot Precip Pants
Marmot Precip Jacket
USCG Foul Weather Parka II (if really nasty out)

What To Do:

The 1D is weather sealed for a good bit, as is the 70-200 2.8 if you place a UV filter on the front.  For minor drizzles and light rain, this is all the protection you need, however covering a 1/2 Marathon, like the Flying Pirate 1/2 on the Outer Banks, brings up prolonged exposure to the elements so more protection is needed.

The Kata slips over the lens and body, and has two arm holes for accessing the camera.  Clear PVC plastic lets you look at everything.  Unfortunately, said plastic get all smeary in a downpour and it requires a bit of Velcro on the lens hood to really stay in place.  Think Tank makes their Hydrophobia series, which has integrated eye pieces.  I would really like to tryout the Hyrdophobia and review it sometime as its features are more skewed towards the processional for full time protection rather than a quick fix.

The Marmot Precip jacket and pants are light weight waterproof and breathable.  The jacket contains pit zips so you do not overheat, this is the same rain gear I use for hiking and backpacking.  Over 8 years old they still bead water and are very comfortable.  I hate hoods so I use the rain hat.  The hat allows for better coverage of your face and camera as opposed to a hood.  It also doubles for sun protection on clear days.

You will want to use a lens hood to protect the front element from rain and spray, also keep a microfibre cloth handy for wiping drops off as well as clearing the view plastic of the Kata. 

With this setup you should be able to keep dry in the middle of monsoon season.

How Was It Done? Vietnam Medics

I am starting a new series: How Was It Done.  Here I will show my workflow from start to the finish project. Michelle and I went to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC for the weekend, while there we checked out the various Smithsonian Museums, always a pleasure.  My goal here was to capture the feeling of a Vietnam War Press Corpsman.

Straight out of camera raw file.  Notice the white balance, funky colors, but good bones to work with. Our camera information: Canon 5D Mk I, Canon 24-105. 28mm, F 5.6, 1/15s and ISO 1250.

First step was to correct the yellow tinge in both photos,  This was done clicking a known medium grey color, in this case the boot.  Next I used several adjustment brushed to lighten up areas, darken highlights and bring focus to the medic and the soldier.  I also wanted to brighten up United States Army and the chopper pilot.

Much, much better already, and would be a nice color photo as well, but we will now do some more post in Photoshop.  I brought the raw file in and first did a Levels Adjustment.  After the Levels, I used a High Pass Filter, set to Hard Light and using a layer mask, painted so the soldiers/medic, pilot and a few other details were selectively sharpened.  High Pass is my preferred way to sharpen.
Lastly, I clicked on level, and went though the Red, Green, and Blue Channels to see which channel provided the best black and white version.  In this case, Green was the best, I then added a Green Filter with some minor tweaking for the final images. 

The final photos below.  What do you think?

New Gear from Think Tank

Our friends at Think Tank Photo just announced the impending release of four new pocket storage devices for your DSLR Batteries, Strobist Gels, and SD Cards.

DSLR Battery Holders -- The number one sin in photography is running out of power.  To help prevent that from happening, in May, Think Tank Photo will release the DSLR Battery Holder 2 and the DSLR Battery Holder 4. These slim, collapsible, compact designs secure two or four standard size camera batteries.  Features include: Compact carrier for two or four standard DSLR batteries; compresses flat when not in use, easily stored hook and loop closure with top fold design.  http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/dslrbatteryholder2.aspx  and http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/dslrbatteryholder4.aspx ?code=AP-684

Strobe Gel Wallet -- For all the Strobists out there, Think Tank Photo announces that in May it will release the Strobe Gel Wallet.   This wallet stores photography gels in a neat and organized manner and keeps them protected. The wallet minimizes clutter by folding up and stashing away in your bags, cases, or backpacks.  The five pockets have a large capacity.  This enhances the ability to store and locate gels easily instead of having them mound into one big stack.   Features include:  Clear pockets for gels make identification easy;  folds flat when not in use;  business card slot; can be tethered to any Think Tank product, clothing, or belt; hook and loop closure with fold-up design; includes tether with clips for security.  http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/strobegelwallet.aspx ?code=AP-684

SD Pixel Pocket Rocket -- In May, with the release of Think Tank Photo’s SD Pixel Pocket Rocket, you will be able to keep your most important photography storage device, your SD cards, secure and organized. The SD Pixel Pocket Rocket keeps those very small but valuable SD cards safely stored in one place.  No more lost SD cards, and no more found SD cards in the bottom of the washing machine.  Additionally, it can be tethered to bags, clothing, briefcases, and backpacks for additional security.  Features include:  Compact carrier for nine SD cards; clear pockets make identification easy, folds flat when not in use; business card slot; hook and loop closure with fold-up design; tether with clips for secure attachment.  http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/sdpixelpocketrocket.aspx ?code=AP-684

My Gear

Below is a summary of gear that I use. Most of my equipment is a combination of value and performance.

Camera Bodies:

Canon 1D Mk II, Canon 5D Mk I. 

Lenses:

Canon 70-200 F2.8, Canon 24-105 F4 IS, Canon 17-40 F4, Canon 50mm 1.8

Lighting:

Canon 430 EXII, Vivitar 385HV

Flash bracket 

Stofen omnibounce

Lumiquest Promax Bouce

TTL Cord

Support:

Manfrotto 3001 Tripod, Slik CF Monpod

Kirk BH3 Ball Head, 5D L Bracket, 70-200 lens plate

Bags:

Think Tank Retrospective 20 

Think Tank Skin Set with Skin Belt

Think Tank Shapeshifter Backpack   

Filters:

Promaster Digital HGX Circular Polarizer

DIY vari ND Filter

 

Welcome

Welcome to the companion blog of Wrenched Photography.  Here I will be posting equipment reviews, workflow, tips and tutorials as well as random musings.

First off, if you are in the market for a camera bag, please use the Think Tank link to the left. This will get you a free bag or padded belt when you spend over $50 and I will get a small percentage of the order, to help maintain the blog.  I love Think Tank Bags and will reviewing them here.  This is the only advertising you will see on this site, or its mother site.