Category : blog

 

Well I don’t actually carry these, I guess my lenses do, they help me identify my lenses in the various bags and cases I use.  These Rear Len Cap Stickers are terrific, well made, printed beautifully and look a lot better than my previous solution, a Dymo label Maker!  Field Made Co in Canada create these and they have them for almost all systems.  My Fujifilm XF stickers were $22.64 and included the ones below:

8-16 F2.8 R 10-24 F4 R OIS 14 F2.8 R 16 F1.4 R 16-55 F2.8 R 16-80 F4 R OIS 18 F1.4 R 18-55 F2.8-4 R OIS 18-135 F3.5-5.6 R OIS 23 F1.4 R 23 F2 R

27 F2.8 33 F1.4 R 35 F1.4 R 35 F2 R 50 F2 R 50-140 F2.8 R OIS 55-200 F3.5-4.8 R OIS 56 F1.2 R 60 F2.4 R Macro 80 F2.8 R OIS Macro 90 F2 R

They have since come out with the 100-400 also it was $6.00 and change.  They are classy looking and easy to see even with my aging eyes!  Check them out at Field Made Co!

 

 

Above is a toolkit I carry everywhere but not in the actual camera bag. The Nylon bag is the Viperade VE18 EDC pouch and is available from Amazon fro $23.99, of course the tools are not included above that!  The tools in this kit are: left to right; A Benchmade Sur Freak Knife, Victoroinox Swiss Champ, SOG Power Pint Multi Tool, Top; Smith Sharpener, and bottom the Victorinox Mini Champ Alox.  With this set of tools I have been able to tackle about any repair, I’m capable of doing, in the field!

 

 

These are my battery carrying choices, in the top image they are closed and obviously on the bottom open and showing the contents.  Since I shoot Fujifilm I have two different size batteries to contend with and I carry at least 4 of each.  The plastic are from Lensgo also carries extra cards of all sizes except Express cards that one is from Amazon and runs $12.36 and the Think Tank also from Amazon run $12.75, I have dozens of those!  Both of these work great, but the Think Tank’s are easier to pack.

 

 

I always have a flashlight in my bag, these are two of my favorite; The Nebo Inspector is amazing for only $16.41 (Amazon) it is very bright and charges with a USB-C!  The Streamlight Wedge in Coyote Tan is my favorite it is very bright and was a gift form Jack Graham, they run $86.33.

 

 

Extra table top tripods come in handy and the small one from Neewer (Model ST-DT24V) I got it from Adorama and it is in and out of stock, but worth the wait. It is well made and great to hold LED light panes wet doing close up work.  My heavy duty table top is the Leofoto Ranger LS-223 CFX, it is the build quality of a Really Right Stuff tripod and in fact I use the RRS BH-40 LR head on it!  It comes it’s own excellent head, I just wanted to use the RR stuff head.  Was around the $120. range, can’t figure out where I bought it?!

 

 

I love the little Litufoto LED lamps the are powerful and are very adjustable in both brightness and color temperature!  The charge fast with USB-C cords and only cost $24.99 each.  I always carry two.  Great for close-up lighting and even as fill for portraits indoors or out!

 

 

Scott Kelby has a great Youtube video about using an iPhone, or any smartphone, for serious photography, it was a talk he gave at B&H.  He also has this excellent book on iPhone photography, available everywhere, hey he’s Scott Kelby, I got mine from Amazon for $29.95, worth very penny!  For most travel and light packing days I am now using my iPhone 12 Pro Max as my back-up camera, it is that capable and I often have to look at the Exif data to see what camera shot what!

 

 

To improve my handholding I bought a G-Grip that slides on a small bracket you glue on your case, it provides a bluetooth connected shutter button which make shooting much easier and your grip more secure! You can check them out at ggrip.com  $69.

 

 

…..and finally I’m really serious about this so I have a  SmallRig tripod and Shinewee PCA 90 tripod adapter for you iPhone and I use both often for long exposures and to treat the iPhone like a real camera, which it is!  Not pictured but I also have a Small Rig case for attaching other things to the iPhone for Video work!

 

Well,  I hope this was fun, I enjoyed sharing it!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To finish off my sharing of my images from past, I decided to share a few sports images.  I used try do a lot of sports, but not some anymore.  Above is one of my favorite shots of the great running back Earl Campbell.  I have often seen it take 7 people to bring him down!  I asked this defensive back for Cincinnati, ” Is it really that hard to tackle Earl?”  His response was,  “have you ever heard of AmTrak?”

 

After having been the Washington Redskins official photographer for a couple of seasons, I later went back to cover a game with the Tennessee Titans.  This was one of my favorite shots, it was my first NFL game using an auto-focus lens!  Wow, was that’s a lot easier!

 

When covering NASCAR I had to learn to really do good pans.  (Moving the camera and lens following a subject)  At 170 mph it is tough.  The first 200 shots are empty frames or front or back bumpers, but with little practice you start to get it!

 

The same principle is used for a race horse, this was a practice session a the Kentucky Derby, which I covered 9 times.

 

I had the opportunity to cover 10 Masters Golf Tournaments during my Nikon days.  It was at the Masters that I got this shot of tiger Woods.

 

One of the most fun things to do at the Masters was go down to the Interview room and photograph the luminaries that were often there.  this was a great opportunity to photograph 3 of the greatest golfers ever, together, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas and Gary Player.

 

Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

Male Lion resting on the Serengeti Plain of Kenya.  Shot with a 80-200 Nikon lens and a Nikon F3 camera on Kodachrome film.

This series of images are from the early 2000’s and before, and all shot on film.

 

This is the old school house at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, in Middlesboro, Kentucky.  Nikon F2 camera and a 18mm lens, shot on  Kodak Tri X film.  Of special interest to me as the last year I taught school, my 6th grade class had a wood burning stove much like this one, the last school room in Kentucky to have a wood burning stove for heat, was torn down the year after I left teaching.

 

There is two ways to make this kind of shot; 1. Wade out in the swamp and find a group of baby alligators and make close-up shots while keeping one eye peeled for momma!  Or 2. The safer way is to go to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine and have them bring you a couple of babies and put them in a black dish washing pan with a little water and then sit on the ground, while eating your sack of McDonald’s breakfast, and photograph them in safety!  You can guess which way I shot these!  Nikon F3 and a 200m Micro Nikon lens, Ektachrome film, and no casualties!

 

This was shot in Kenya from a van, Nikon F3 and 80-200 lens shot on Kodachrome film.  I had the chance to photograph a lot of Elephants they are magnificent creatures!

 

I found this tree frog on the outside of our sliding glass door, I carefully captured him and placed him on a house plant with a lamp back lighting him and then shot this image with a 105 Micro Nikkor lens on a Nikon F2.  with Ektachrome side film. He was released back into the wild of my backyard!

 

Shot at Schwabachers Landing in the Gand Tetons N.P.  Nikon F4 and 24-70 zoom lens, on Fujifilm Velvia film.  One of my favorite spots that is now getting very crowded with as many as 100 photographers!

 

While shooting an assignment at a recording studio the florist delivers roses to the receptionist.  I asked if I might have a rose from her dozen and peeled off two rose pedals to place on the Yamaha piano keys.  The redline at the back of the keys added to the shot!  Nikon F3 with a 55mm Micro Nikon lens, and shot on Velvia film.

 

I don’t miss film, we have so much more control over the process now!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

Bryan Peterson and I were taking a group on a  tour of the South of France, on this day we were in the lavender Fields and it was spectacular.  The aroma of the lavender was really something!  Using a Nikon D700 (just released) with a 24mm lens I shot this scene at 1/20th of a second @ f 11 at ISO 400.  It was used in the Nikon catalog of that year as the lead image for the D700. Shot on July 5th, 2013.

 

In November of 2012 I was teaching a workshop on Zion National Park and found    this line of trees in the Canyon near the river.  I loved the symmetry of the trees and the back ground of the canyon red rock walls.  Nikon D800, 24-70 @ 48mm  1/5th of a sec. @ f 11  ISO 400.

 

Flying in a Cessna over the Swanee River in Florida for the America From 500 Feet Project, May 26th 2007 I shot this image with a D700 and the 24-120 lens @ 40mm 1/400th of sec. @ f 4.5 sec. @ ISO 1600.  I loved the rivers winding through the swamp creating a great S pattern. Wes and I had a great time discovering America together!

 

Another of those images that I really love and can’t tell you exactly why!  I  think it is the wonderful combination of colors and the simple composition. I shot it May 13th, 2011 in Arkansas at a Train Museum on assignment for Nikon.  With a Nikon D7000, 24-120 @105mm and 1/4 sec @ f 16 and ISO 320.  i would love to know  how you react to it!?

 

While shooting Lobster Floats at a fishing dock in Acadia N. P. Mike Roberts offered to let me try his 18-135, I did and had one ordered as soon as I got back to the room that night, it turned out to be one of my favorite lenses from Fujifilm!  X-T1 with the 18-135 @ 69mm  1/10th of a sec. @ f 16 and ISO 320.

 

 

While covering the Reno Air Races in Sept of 2011 in early morning we went out to shoot a collection of antique airplanes in first light.  As I recall Bill Pekala, Moose Peterson, Scott Diussa and I were there with three or four others, and we had a great morning.  This was my attempt at photographing parts of airplanes as art. Nikon D7000 with the 24-120 @ 112mm and 1/6 of a sec @ f 11  ISO 200.  I love silver skinned airplanes in this kind of light!

 

 

I think this was shot in Nova Scotia, I think?  I just loved the rope leading your eye up to to the boats bow.  This is another of those images that just grabbed me, not sure why, but it was shot with the X-T1 with the 18-135 @  40mm and 1/20th of sec. at f 11  – ISO 1600. I know I was with a great group of friends and we had a blast!

 

O.K. thanks for joining me again, and I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim