Great job from THK photo products!

Last year I bought a Slik Sprint Pro II Tripod from BH photo and was delighted with it. I've used it for a year till I brought it to a company event and unfortunately, while I was packing up my tripod just fell apart, like literally just fell apart. I loved the tripod because it's the most compact tripod I have. Inspecting the tripod closely I noticed that the rubber feet have slipped off, causing the lock to not catch the leg when folding away...thus loosing a spacer of some kind which caused the entire leg to fall apart. I felt so bad because I really loved that tripod. My Manfrotto ones are really sturdy, not too portable though. So I was browsing the web for repair facilities for Slik and I found the THK photo products website.

THK photo products is the distributor of Tokina, Hoya, Slik, and Kenko...popular brands for photography equipment. So I looked at their website for warranty and repair information for Slik tripods. Slik Tripods have excellent warranties. Mine was 3 years from the time that I bought it. 3 years is a long time. So I emailed their customer service and surprisingly got a reply within minutes...I'm surprised that customer service reps actually reply that fast! I had received an email from Mr. Glenn Nash from THK photo telling me info where I can send it and what I need. He was very informative. He even told me that if I cannot find my original receipt that I can just email BH photo for that, which I think is excellent. So I packed my tripod and sent it away!

Got my tripod in the mail like 3 days ago, a week and a half after I sent it...which in my opinion is pretty good service for repairs. It came out almost as good as brand new. From what I noticed, it's actually better than when I first got it because they glued those rubber feet in their proper places.

This is what I call excellent customer service. Basically what we need for every retailer we buy our stuff from. So THK photo products...Kudos to you!!!

Back to the studio

Yesterday I woke up and realized that I haven't used the studio in while now. About 2 and a half months to be exact. I have been taking a lot of outdoor shots since I got my mountain bike and totally forgot about the studio. Also, my table in the studio (the one I use for table top shots), was full of crap. So I basically spent my afternoon shredding old bills and mail that were in my table.

Come 8pm my studio was pretty much clean and ready to go. I had been partying the night before so I was still feeling the wonderful hangover I got in the morning. Had a quick dinner then I was off to taking pictures in my studio.

I setup my first shot and as I noticed, one of my speedlites that I use for fill light wasn't firing. The batteries were all drained. Luckily I have a fresh set of batteries ready to go so I replaced them so I can continue on working. That just explains how long my studio was vacant.

I took some shots of some vegetables we bought from a farmers market earlier in the day. After a couple of shots, I was tired...my back was hurting. That just tells me that I have to do this more often. All in all it was a good day to go back!

Bug shots

Went to my fiancee's moms house to celebrate her moms birthday over the weekend. Brought along the trusty 50d equipped with my favorite 70mm macro. For the lighting, I equipped it with a Canon MR-14EX. Right now is the perfect time to capture bugs outdoors. I suggest doing bug shots with a tripod, as I was too lazy to bring one, these were just shot handheld...not too bad though.

I had ton of bug pictures taken, though these were the only ones I uploaded.

Gutfest 2011

While in Tennessee, I brought along my trusty old rebel and equipped it with my 35mm prime. I had thoughts of bringing in my 70-200 IS USM but I was thinking it was an extreme music festival...so there's a pretty good chance my camera and lens might be knocked off my hands and into the mosh pit, and boy that's not going to be a pretty sight. So I brought along a kit that is light and portable and at the same time cheap...just in case something happens to it.

The 35mm is an awesome companion to a full frame and even on a crop body camera as it becomes a 56mm, pretty close to a normal 50mm lens for full frame. A very popular focal length among photographers. Though for band shots, you kinda have to move a bit closer to the band to fill up the frame, which I don't really mind.

I took pictures of this awesome band from MD called Partdeath. Great set! They kinda brought life to the audience. Too bad I cannot take pictures of my own band...this is the next best thing to that.

It was pretty dark in there and I didn't want to use a flash as much as possible, though I did sometimes. I had my camera accidentally set to aperture priority which put my speed below 100/sec...not too good for moving subjects. I would've set it to manual or shutter priority so I can set my speed higher, but things happen. Though the pictures came out pretty well.












Check them out here!

Taking shots in Tennessee

Went to Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. Been busy doing stuff so I haven't had the chance to do a lot of photography lately. So I guess it's about time to show some shots from the state.

Tennessee is a pretty place to take pictures. Lots of open fields where you can basically see miles away from where you are. The most exciting thing in my opinion when we were over there were the storms. Lightning was everywhere! It did freak out my friends. Too bad I wasn't stationary to take those awesome lightning shots, but that's fine.

Here are some of my shots:


Our car in a bridge somewhere


On our way home approaching a storm!


The next door neighbor where we stayed in

My recent outdoor shots

I thought once that I wasn't really into taking outdoor shots, especially the time that I had my own photo studio. So basically I spent day and night taking studio shots of whatever. Pins, pots and pans, fruits, whatever I can get my hands on. It's really helpful especially during the winter months when it's around -10 degrees outside. Then I get to a point when I basically run out of idea, like a well during summer months. And that's when I thought that I needed a break and need to shoot something different. Something that I don't need to setup lights for.

Then me and my fiancée decided to get mountain bikes...and that's when the fun started.

I started biking again. I haven't had a bike in about 15 years...a very long time and I decided that I'm getting one this year and boy that was a very good thing.

I started biking around our neighborhood, exploring every bike trail close to us. I was amazed on how many photo opportunities I was missing every time I see something new. So I decided to take my camera with me. I usually pack up a wide angle, and a telephoto...nothing in between, so it's usually an extreme wide and extreme long combination. Though I suggest that if you are doing this to make sure that you pack your bag very carefully. Also there's always a risk of falling from your bike so be very cautious when riding with your camera equipment in your back.

So far I have been very delighted with my shots. A lot of them were shot in HDR, so I usually pack up a tripod too.

Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Ballhead

Couple of months ago I bought a ballhead for my tripod. It was the HorrusBennu LX-2T. I've used it in the studio and outdoors and never really had a problem with it, except for the usual slippage when I'm using a heavy lens. All in all I got my moneys worth for it.

Till I bought a heavier Manfrotto tripod a couple of weeks ago and installed it, I accidentally tightened the ballhead a bit more than what its supposed to be with the panning lock in the lock position...basically stripping off an internal part in my ballhead. I guess it was a sign that I basically needed a ballhead that has more stability in it and better built. So I went online to look for the best ballhead I can find for my money.

I came across, Manfrottos, Benros, Sliks, and the cheaper Vanguards, and Smith Victors. I was looking for a while till I found the Giottos ballheads which caught my attention. It came down to choosing between the Benro and the Giottos. The Benros are cheaper overseas...in between 80-150 dollar price range, but I have to wait at least 2 weeks till I get it. So the Giottos was basically the best choice.

Giottos ballheads are created to be hollow inside to cut down on weight, which makes me interested in actually getting one and trying it out myself. So I decided to get it from BH photo online and it came in 3 days later.

The ballhead came in a very nice packaging. With a bag and an Arca Swiss compatible mounting plate. The ballhead had a very impressive feel to it. The ballhead has 3 controls...the ball lock, and the friction knob on the other side of the lock, and a panning knob at the bottom.

So I decided to try it out. Mounted the plate into my camera and off I went.

My positive impressions were:

The ballhead felt very well constructed. Very professional feel to it. Pretty light.
The knobs are really responsive. the locking knob bites really good to prevent slippage.
The panning is really smooth.
Includes bubble levels on the locking knob on the locking plate, on top of the locking plate itself.
The friction knob does what it's supposed to do. So you can make minor adjustments without loosening the locking knob all the way.
Holds a big 70-200 2.8 lens in place. No slippage.
The lock on the locking plate and mounting plate prevents the camera from slipping out of the mount when it is not tightened all the way.

The only thing I didn't like about it was the last thing that I mentioned. It's good if you have Giottos made plates for this ballhead. If not...the locking mechanism becomes an obstruction as it will not lock if you are using a generic mounting plate. I have 3 generic plates and one Giottos made, so the choice for me was easy...I removed the locking mechanism with an allen wrench.

Compared to cheap Chinese made ballheads, this is way better for like double the price. The panning lock seems to be tougher than those in cheaper models. I'd easily spend more money to get a higher quality ballhead. Plus you'd save yourself the headache when photographing macro, when the slightest slippage will cost you a shot.

Basically, if you can't spend money on some high end Manfrottos or Gitzos ballheads, the Giottos is a cheaper alternative that will save you a lot of money and frustration.

Get it here!