A Little News

Here is a bit more detail about setting up your camera as a remote with an eye to the tight wad in all of us. My set up is as basic as it gets. As I mentioned in the first post, I obtained a shutter release cable from Ebay. The important part is the ten pin connector on the camera end. Cut the wire leaving plenty to use for splicing then tie it in to a mini phono jack from Radio Shack. The Mini phono jack plugs into your Pocket Wizard. You can set the PW in your camera’s hot shoe or use velcro to mount it somewhere else or simply bungee it to your support. Whatever works best for you. The final step is to set your camera on the infinity setting on the setup menu for the auto meter shut off. This keeps the camera awake and ready to fire at all times. Mount your camera using your Variable Friction Arm (I erroneously called it a Magic Arm in my first post) and lock it down with cables to make sure it doesn’t fall and you are ready to shoot. You must make absolutely sure of your focus before you walk away. If the camera is mounted anywhere that there are people, you should probably use a little bit of gaffers tape to cover the focus ring so no curious folk adjust your focus for you. ALWAYS secure the camera in such a way that it cannot fall and injure anyone. ALWAYS ALWAYS TEST YOUR SETUP before you walk away. You will never know frustration like remote frustration if you think you are shooting and you come back at the end of the event to find not one single frame fired. Below are some detail shots to give you a better idea of how to set up your rig. As I mentioned in my earlier post, kudos and thanks to Jonathan Palmer for setting me up with this really cheap way to do remotes. Without his assistance I would still be remoteless.

Photos copyright Gary Cosby Jr. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

This is my favorite sports season. Spring in Alabama is anything but dull. Baseball, softball, soccer, tennis and crazy weather come together in a medley you simply couldn’t pay to get anywhere else. Literally, I shot snow Saturday morning and kids playing soccer in the park Sunday afternoon. They were wearing shorts enjoying the 60 degree weather. All within about 30 hours. Ahh, Spring.

Baseball, softball and soccer all present an opportunity to use a remote camera. Now, I know what you are thinking, only dudes with deep pockets can afford a remote setup. I used to think the same way you are plus I only had one camera. That kind of puts a crimp in the whole remote shooting thing. Let us assume that you either have a second body or can beg, borrow or steal one for an afternoon sporting event. One hurdle down. Second hurdle. Do you have a set of Pocket Wizards? Yes!? Wow, now we are really cooking. How about a remote cord that will keep your camera awake? Oops! Don’t have a couple hundred bones to lay down on that one. Don’t worry. I have really good news.

My coworker Jonathan Palmer let me in on a little secret. You can build your own cable for about twenty bucks. I ordered a really cheap electronic cable release that cost about $13 from Ebay. It came from Hong Kong and didn’t look like much. I brought it to Jonathan and he got out the surgical tools first cutting off the switch end and keeping about three inches of the cable and the end that connects to the camera. We then used some inexpensive connectors from Radio Shack and soldered the whole deal up and Shazam!, I now have a remote cord. My D2h is a very accommodating piece of equipment and comes with a setting that allows me to leave the meter on at all times which keeps the camera awake so it is ready to shoot.

Have a hot battery because the camera will consume an entire battery during the course of a game. Now all that remains is a way to mount the camera securely. This need is met by a Magic Arm from Manfrotto. I got the Magic Arm and a camera platform new for just a bit over $100 dollars. This allows me to clamp the camera somewhere and just walk away. I carry a Pocket Wizard and fire manually from anywhere within PW range which is enough to shoot from anywhere around a baseball field.

The key to using a remote camera is that you have to prefocus on specific location and wait for the action to go there. I use the remote on a base where action happens frequently. Second base or home plate are both good choices. That allows me to use my other camera with the long glass to follow the play around the field and my remote camera then picks up my security shots. I use the 80-200 on the remote. Another note. Make sure you secure the camera if it is mounted in any location where it could fall on a person or into the field of play. There are a variety of cables that can be used to do this. ALWAYS make sure the camera cannot fall and injure some! After that is done, you are ready for some action. My only real challenge is to not get so caught up in shooting that I forget to fire the remote.

For the next post, I bet you would really like some detail on how to do this remote cord so I will give some detail.

Photos copyright Gary Cosby Jr and The Decatur Daily. The opinions in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

My friend Corey Wilson seems to have attracted a lot of attention since his post on shooting in the Deep Freeze in Green Bay during the NFC Championship game. On the Fred Miranda Forum there is a great debate raging over the competence of the camera and the photographer. For any of you guys coming in from that forum or the several other interested parties, let me fill in some blanks for you. Corey has been working in the cold conditions with Nikon gear exclusively for the last five years. His paper has talked about changing over to Canon as some other Gannett papers have done but they have not taken the plunge.

There was some speculation the Corey took the cameras straight from the locker room to the field but as I understand it, he was in a photo workroom prior to the game. While I am sure it was heated, I do not think it was a situation where it was humid nor do I think the Packer’s locker room would have been excessively humid prior to the game for the simple reason that it would have made the players that much colder upon entering the stadium to play football. Since other cameras coming from the same workroom as Corey’s did not fail, I can only assume that the workroom was not the source of the problem.

Corey states in the earlier post where he detailed his personal preparation that there was not much to do for the camera to prep it for the cold. One of the comments posted indicated that some photographers will tape hand warmers to their camera battery compartments in cold weather to help the battery from becoming sluggish in the cold weather. To my knowledge, none of the shooters from the Press Gazette did that. From what Corey describes in his post about the blank frames, I would diagnose a battery problem rather than a camera problem. I know I used to have the same problem shooting with the D1 cameras when the battery would drop below as certain ampere rating. This usually happened after about a year of use and the battery would not fully recharge. My guess is, and it is only a guess, is the batteries were falling victim to the cold and causing the cameras to fail.

Some speculated on Fred Miranda that the problem may lie with condensation in the camera. This could also be a problem, particularly if the condensation were in the battery compartment. In that kind of weather, the only source of condensation would be the photographer’s breath. There is some possibility that Corey’s breathing with face pressed to the camera back as a sports photojournalist is constantly doing could have introduced some moisture into the system causing the freeze ups. This is only speculation but if you think about it, you will remember seeing guys with facial hair with frozen mustaches or beards solely from the condensation caused by their breathing. Who knows, maybe my man is a heavy breather.

What I really think is that Press Gazette guys just ran into some bad luck whatever the source might be. I know Corey personally to be very attentive to his gear and a complete professional so I am pretty sure his competence does not come into play. Personally, I don’t think that a poor performance demonstrates an inherent flaws int he D3; although, I am not likely to have an opportunity to test that theory in balmy North Alabama.

This is the first of two posts by my friend and former co-worker Corey Wilson who is now a staff photojournalist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Corey shot and survived the Packer’s NFC Championship game in Green Bay last Sunday with temps dipping to -4 degrees with a wind chill in the -25 degree range. Corey shares his experience of surviving then shooting in extreme cold. Enjoy!

On January 20th I had the opportunity to photograph the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In my fifth year as a staff photographer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette I cover the Packers as my beat. I’m at all home games and I share half of the road game duties with my co-worker Evan Siegle. The Packers are our franchise topic to say the least. Unfortunately, this big game didn’t go very well for the young Packers team. The Giants won 23-20 in overtime and man was it cold. REAL cold. Like third coldest game in NFL history cold. Like minus-five degrees air temperature and minus-twenty-five wind chill cold!

These adverse conditions present a lot of problems for a photographer. Not the least of which is, “How am I going to survive this cold?” Frostbite can take hold in just a couple minutes to exposed skin. My wardrobe planning began several days in advance. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous. However, I photographed a game in Chicago on Dec. 23rd where 40 m.p.h. winds drove the wind chill to 20-below zero. Anyway, layers are what you dress in when you live in the extreme north. It seems I wore clothing (in weight) than I actually weigh (in body)! The key is to stay 100% away from cotton. It doesn’t insulate as well as polyester and other fibers and it doesn’t wick away moisture if you sweat a bit under all those layers! Here’s a rundown of what I wore.

Top:
Long Johns
Polyester long sleeve tight athletic shirt
Wool sweater
North Face wind breaker hooded shell
Down-stuffed winter coat

Bottom:
Long Johns
(2) pairs of athletic wind pants (jeans get too tight)
Ski pants with a liner

Feet:
Knee-high nylons (for wicking)
Thick wool socks
Heavy Columbia-brand winter boots.

Head:
Bomber-style hat with rabbit fur in the front, ears and down the side panels.

Hands:
Columbia brand arctic gloves I found at Dick’s for $35.
(I had to wear a thinner wool glove on my right shooting hand so I could feel the shutter release.)

WHEW! I think that’s about it. Oh yeah! And let’s don’t forget I had foot warmers in those boots and 8 hand warmers in my pockets to relieve my hands after EVERY single play.
Much like the players, it’s easy to let the preparation for the cold be a distraction. You actually think more about the survival and lose focus on being a photojournalist and the opportunity that is before you.
Fortunately I have been through this dozens of times and it is less traumatizing each time.
Strangely, there’s little preparation to do for your cameras and gear. There is really no danger of “wet” precipitation at those frigid temperatures. Even if snow falls, your cameras and lenses are already at the same temperature so nothing melts on them.
Now with all that taken care of, let’s go kneel down for 3 ½ hours on the frozen ice chunks along the sidelines at legendary Lambeau Field!!

Photos copyright Corey Wilson, the Green Bay Press Gazette. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Decatur Daily or The Green Bay Press Gazette.

If I could have my dream package of gear it would go something like this: Two Canon EOS1D Mark IIIs, a 16-35 f2.8, a 24-70 f2.8, a 70-200 f2.8, a 300 f4 and a 400 f2.8 with a 1.4 extender. I would have at least two Canon dedicated strobes and I would pack additional Uni400Jr strobes with Jack Rabbit battery packs and there would be Pocket Wizards galore. I would also throw in an EOS 5D for full frame work and a tilt-shift lens just because they are really cool. All that gear would put me at the new car price level and it is, and probably will remain, just a nice dream.

So what do you really need to have a good chance at success? This is a really important question because I can tell you from experience that it is very frustrating to be shooting with several other photographers at an event and not have the gear to keep up. This is more common for me at big sporting events than anywhere else because so much of sports photography is focused around having excellent big glass. Leaving that aside for a moment, what basic gear do you need to be a successful photojournalist?

Obviously the first thing anyone needs is the camera body. Here I will say to spend your money wisely because several manufacturers offer excellent camera bodies in their entry level pro cameras and you may not need to spend the multiple thousands to get a pro body. You might find an EOS 20D or 30D that is lightly used or if you are a Nikon shooter and can’t quite swing the new D3, the D200 is just falling out of the first string being replaced by the D300 and you will be able to find bargains here too. Just be cautious when you buy used. You may be sinking your money into someone else’s money pit. A good, reputable online dealer like KEH in Atlanta would be a excellent place to find quality used gear.

As far as lenses go, the zooms are really sexy right now but they come at a steep price. When I began in photojournalism I shot primarily with a 24mm, and 85mm and a 18omm and, amazingly, didn’t even feel I needed a zoom. Prime lenses like these are available from Canon and Nikon at a fraction of the cost of a zoom and the primes usually offer faster maximum apertures than their zoom cousins. (That is called a double bonus!) The trade of is, of course, a little less flexibility especially in fast moving situations. Prime lenses are also quicker to learn. I remember early in my career how I could see in my head what a shot looked like through each lens. When I transitioned to zooms, it took a couple of years to really become intuitive with them as I had been with my primes. Then we transitioned to the DX format and there was another learning curve and I am still not totally comfortable with my wide angles and the DX. It is just a stubborn wish that the 17mm was actually 17 mm but an absolute delight that the 300mm is closer to 450mm. There are trade offs to every choice.

Regarding lenses, don’t buy ones you don’t need. That would seem obvious but when buyer’s lust is upon you all reason is cast aside. When you are drooling over that 300 f2.8, it won’t matter too much that you primarily shoot up close to your subjects. Carefully evaluate each purchase and do a little mental cost/benefit analysis over each piece of gear. Determine how you work, or how you plan to work, and make purchases that will benefit what you do. Be careful that you don’t spend yourself into a hole because there is a huge difference in owning a camera and the camera owning you. When I began thinking about purchasing some gear for a little freelance work on the side I continually discarded the idea because of the debt I would incur which meant I would have to work all the time just to get out of the hole I dug.

There is a tremendous debate raging over whether Canon or Nikon is better. I have a slight preference to Canon because their cameras have been slightly better in the AF department and dramatically better in low-light situations. However, with the intro of Nikon’s D3, that difference may have just evaporated. It really comes down to two questions. First, do you already have a lot of money in one system? Second, does the system fit the way you shoot? A person with skill will make fantastic photos with either system. A person without skill will struggle to make a picture with either system.

One final thought when you make purchases. Have an eye to the future. Try and see yourself down the road a little way. If you are working for a small newspaper and have to supply your own equipment, do you see yourself in two years still working for the small newspaper? This matters. If you say yes, you may want to spend just a bit more on your gear than someone who will be working in a larger market where equipment is supplied for him. At any rate, have fun out there keeping the U.S. economy rolling! (PS. This big baby at the bottom I have nicknamed the Widowmaker because if you are married and you bring this big boy home unannounced your mate is gonna kill you!)

Photos copyright Gary Cosby Jr. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Last week I got a loaner 400mm f2.8S from Nikon Professional Services to shoot a couple of big football games. That lens is so stinking sharp that you can cut yourself on the images. It makes me drool. At more than $7,000, I don’t think the paper is going to buy one any time soon and I know it is not in my financial realm. But having a lens like this one begs the question, “How important is your gear?”

Before I bought my first camera bag many years ago, someone gave me some really good advice. Whoever it was told me not to buy a large camera bag because you will surely fill it up. I didn’t heed that excellent advice and before long I was carrying around a camera bag version of the mega-SUV and breaking my shoulder. By the time I became a pro, I had just about decided that I could do without a bunch of that junk. Over time, I have become a minimalist. This is what is in my bag.

There are two bodies, a D2H and a D2Hs. There are two lenses, a 17-35 f2.8 and an 80-200 f2.8. There are two strobes and three Pocket Wizards and a few ball bungees. There are also nine megs worth of card space which I am always looking to expand. In my trunk, I also have a 14mm f2.8 Sigma which I don’t use much and I really don’t like at all. There are also two light stands, two umbrellas, an extra strobe and an ancient 400mm f3.5 manual lens that only works at f3.5 except on really hot days when you can get it to stop down to f5.6.

Do I wish for more stuff? Oh yeah! Especially that 4o0mm f2.8s. But realistically, if I could do any one thing to my bag it would be to sub the 17-55 for the 17-35. There are too many times when 35 is not enough and 80 is too much. Other than that I would only add another Pocket Wizard and another strobe. I am finding that having the ability to create light, sometimes even a lot of light, is the most valuable thing outside of my actual camera bodies. Oh yeah, a new D3 would be pretty nice too.

Not to dive into the endless debate between photogs over which system is better, Canon or Nikon, I would say this. I have used both systems and each has its advantages and disadvantages. IMO, Canon has an edge but that may be short lived with the new D3 and D300. I have owned both at one time or another and don’t hesitate to use either. You can make nice images with either system because it is not the system that is making the picture. The bottom line in equipment is this, photographers make pictures, the cameras are his tools. In other words, what is behind your eye is more important that what is in front of it.

Photo copyright Gary Cosby Jr. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.