Category:GearTalk

Hiking

GearTalk: a Hiking Trip to the Peak District

My last GearTalk was on the equipment I took with me on a two month epic journey round South America. Obviously, the needs for a four day hiking trip in England’s Peak District are very different and I was keen to come up with a more streamlined solution. There was to be no ‘basecamp’ on this trip so I would be carrying everything, the clothing and the camera gear, on my back whilst going up hill and down dale. The Evok CP 26l that came with me to […]

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GearTalk: with Tim Maher

I meant to get this post done in the studio before I set off but life got in the way sorting out all the last minute details and I ran out of time. I’ve been on the road now for a couple of weeks and am a little wiser, at least in regards to my gear, but still finding it hard not to run out of time. Without wanting to sound too pleased with myself, it looks like I, Tim […]

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Sony A7 series, the right camera system, at the right time

I’ve been shooting professionally for many years. In my film days, I’ve shot on various Hasselblads, Mamiya 67’s (I still own an RZ, sitting forlornly in a box behind me), the funky Pentax 67, several Canons, the occasional Nikon… In the digital age, I’ve been a Canon user from the beginning, starting with the 11 MP Canon Eos 1Ds in the early 2000’s, upgrading the camera body regularly, right up to the Canon 5DMk3. Alongside these upgrades, I’ve been building up my lens […]

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Feisol CT3442

Feisol is my travel tripod of choice

Just by the fact that this site exists, you may have noticed that I like to do a bit of pre-production. The initial plan was simply for me to take a creative sabbatical around South America with my cameras. It was only later that I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the research I’ve done to get the best out of this adventure. This time it’s time to talk about my thoughts on choosing a travel tripod. Being a […]

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Workflow and Time Management: Part 2, FCPX

Just to be clear, I am not an editor. I have sat in on several projects with various editors and have stumbled through some of my own personal projects to a passable level. What I have learnt from this is that editing is both an art and a craft. And when you are not in control of your craft, it can be a long hard slog to reach your artistic goals. I have wasted many an hour to achieve something that […]

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Workflow and Time Management: Part 1, Capture One

I have no idea how many parts there will be about workflow and time management. Just thinking about all the different elements that I will need to manage when on the road gets my heart rate up. Imagine I’m travelling from place to place for two months, taking stills and video most days. That’s a lot of material! It needs to be filed, backed up, good stuff selected, processed, retouched / edited, uploaded, posted to various platforms, archived… A system needs to be in […]

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Teamwork, Fonts and Jazz music

Getting an idea like ‘From HEL and Back’ is the easy part. Daydreaming over where you want to take the idea is the fun part. Putting all the elements in place so as to be able to realise the idea is usually the bit where it all falls apart. Stubbornness and attention to detail are a big help. But what really makes the difference is having the right people in your corner who can take one look at a concept, then shape, polish and spit on […]

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