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My Camera Equipment Rides in its own Seat – What The?

Equipment, Media, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

Well… put this one squarely in the truth is stranger than fiction category. With my Iceland trip now only a matter of weeks away I have started to stress just a little bit about the weight of all my camera equipment (as if I wasn’t stressing enough about the Volcano screwing up my well laid travel plans) and the thought of having to again deal with the airlines  somewhat inflexible rules for carry on luggage. This time however, I decided the best defence was a good offence and contacted my carriers for this trip to make them aware of my desire to carry on all my camera equipment – all 25+ kilograms of it. I wont belabour the point, but after quite a few phone calls to various numbers, several messages to staff at various locations around the world I finally managed to get hold of someone in London who could assist.

After much to and fro email with said individual from Iceland Air this evening about the weight of my camera equipment and my express desire NOT to check my very expensive equipment into their general baggage hold I have been presented with a rather amusing solution. Iceland Air’s carry on luggage is strictly enforced at five kilograms (that is barely enough for a large laptop, bag and accessories); which sees me a good twenty plus kilograms over the limit. Checked luggage gives you twenty kilograms, but I am not checking my camera equipment – end of story. Here is where it gets interesting : You see, it costs nine United Kingdom Pounds per kilogram for ‘checked’ excess baggage to fly from Heathrow airport in London to Keflavik airport in Iceland one way, but only one hundred and forty quid to book another full return seat on the plane – do the math (I did and had a good chuckle). So, yes, my camera equipment is now riding shotgun to Iceland with me in its own fully paid for window seat (I have ordered the Kosher meal for it and requested an OJ on arrival *cheeky grin* ).

In all seriousness however, what this means is that with another full seat at my disposal from Heathrow to Iceland I can now take even more equipment with me (See my entry about what to take to Iceland). The Canon 300mm F2.8L IS Lens is now back on board for the Iceland trip; and I may just take the 85mm F1.2L MKII for the hell of it and probably the Canon 5D body as an additional back-up. I will be sure to get a picture of my Lowe Pro camera bag enjoying its meal on the flight…

Canon Travel Thermos

Equipment, News and Updates, Uncategorized

For the life of me I could not find my favourite small coffee thermos the other day – in frustration I gave in today and ordered one of these Canon Travel Thermos from Canon Mugs. These are apparently exact copies of the promotional thermos that Canon gave away at the Winter Olympics earlier this year. From what I can tell from the limited reports online these are quite good quality and are stainless steel lined. I normally get a little nervous ordering online from China (you really never know if anything is going arrive), but in this case its not a lot of money and you can pay via PayPal which is generally quite secure. I will report back when it arrives.

Wildlife Portraits Project – Mandrill

News and Updates, Photographs, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs

The fifth photograph in my Wildlife Portraits Project  is of a juvenile Mandrill taken at the Melbourne Zoo. This was shot with the Canon 1DSMK3 and 300mm F2.8L IS lens wide open at ISO800 through a pane of glass on a very overcast day (with very low light levels).  The 1DSMK3 and the 300mm F2.L IS is an amazing camera/lens combination. Even wide open this lens is about as sharp as one could want on the full frame 21.1 mega pixel 1DSMK3. In this instance, the camera has nailed focus right on the eyes and provided a silky smooth bokeh to separate and isolate the Mandrill from his surroundings. I really like this photograph for the ‘madness’ in this critters eyes and that ‘just groomed’ look to his hair. The small twig he is chewing on adds a little more interest to the photograph than if he had just been sitting there and completes the composition to my eye.

Time Lapse of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland

Iceland, News and Updates, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

Sean Stiegemeier has posted a really stunning time lapse video of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The video is from a number of different locations around the volcano site so you get a really good impression of the surrounding landscape – its both beautiful and haunting. I cant embed the video because its on Vimeo and for copyright reasons, so just click on the link in this post to be taken directly to the video. Well worth a couple of minutes out of your day to enjoy.

iPhone / iTouch / iPad Website

News and Updates, Uncategorized

The internet is a rapidly evolving beast. The idea that we would be browsing web pages on our phones and other small handheld portable devices was science fiction only a few years ago. Fast forward to 2010 and its the norm to check everything from the weather to stock prices to our favourite websites and blogs on our phones and other portable devices. To this end my primary portfolio website is now available in a friendly iPhone / iTouch and iPad format. Just go to my normal site at www.jholko.com on your mobile device and you will be automatically redirected to the mobile site. Enjoy.

Wildlife Portraits Project – Peacock

News and Updates, Photographs, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs

This fourth photograph in my Wildlife Portraits project was an offhand opportunity grab shot I took a couple of years ago now. I had gone to Montsalvat with my son Julian to shoot some portraits in the grounds and amongst the buildings when this resident Peacock decided to put on a show for some of the nearby females. Fortunately, I had a suitable lens on the camera and was able to rip off a few shots before he lost interest – this one being my favourite.

Adobe Lightroom Three – Whats New Videos

Equipment, News and Updates, Uncategorized

With the release of Adobe Lightroom three slowly inching closer (it is coming, right… Adobe?) Adobe has some useful ‘Whats New’ videos to help existing Lightroom users get quickly up to speed with new functionality, workflow enhancements etc..

To date I have resisted the temptation to download the Lightroom 3 Beta V1 or V2. The idea of working with BETA software is not very appealing to me, nor are the potential implications for merging BETA and full release version catalogues. However, I really like the new enhancements that have been added by Adobe into Lightroom 3 and am eagerly awaiting the full release. Unfortunately, there is still no mention of soft proofing being added into a 3.0 release; which means still having to round trip through Photoshop to soft proof the image and choose an appropriate rendering intent for the printer. I do hope Adobe adds in this key feature as Lightroom cannot truly be the ultimate tool for photographers from ‘input to output’ without soft proofing capability. Soft proofing is far more important to me as a photographer than the ability to directly upload my photographs from Lightroom to websites such as Flickr.

Wildlife Portraits Project – Snow Leopard

News and Updates, Photographs, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photographs

The third photograph in my 2010 Wildlife Portraits Project is a of a Snow Leopard in profile. Probably my favourite of the big cats for its cute factor alone; I have had several attempts over the years to get a good photograph of a Snow Leopard. Unfortunately, they have not eventuated  for various reasons; usually because the Leopard was in hiding or at least partially obscured. The Melbourne Zoo enclosure for the Snow Leopard is not what I would call photographer friendly (or even Leopard friendly for that matter) with its thick bars and dense undergrowth it presents a challenge requiring a degree of patience (and luck). This photograph was one of the last I took for the day as the light was fading. I like it very much for the clean overall profile and the keen glare in the Leopard’s eye.

Snow Leopard in Profile

Photographing the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland

Iceland, Landscape Photographs, News and Updates, Photographs, Travel Photography, Uncategorized

As time ticks past and the volcanic eruption in Iceland continues I am becoming ever so slightly more confident that I just might get my chance to photograph this spectacular natural event when I arrive in late July this year – all fingers are still crossed. Irish photographer Peter Cox has recently returned from the eruption site and has written a short essay on how best to photograph the eruption – available on the Luminous Landscape. Thanks Peter! Your essay is very timely and appreciated.

There is also an interesting short essay on a Reuters photographers experience photographing the eruption – specifically on freezing the lightning that is created from the ash particles rubbing together.