This week, Lauri Novak walked us through how to back up images on our smartphones. Then, Sara Kempner told us about putting the experience ahead of everything when it comes to photo excursions.
Ken Lee reviewed the Robus RTH-1050 ball head, while Julie Powell gave suggestions on how to get your work featured in publications. Finally, Bryan Esler talked with Olympus Visionary Peter Baumgarten about how he sees the world differently.
Locking it down: Reviewing the mighty Robus RTH-1050 ball head - I had the opportunity to try out the Robus RTH-1050 ball head, using it for two consecutive nights of long exposure photography in a remote auto salvage yard. Robus is a new name to me, but seeing it reminded me of the Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head in some respects. As the BH-55 is regarded as one of the highest quality ball heads, I was intrigued. Big and beefy The Robus RTH-1050 is a beefy thing, weighing 1.8 pounds. All knob controls and moving parts feel precise with no wiggling or looseness and inspires confidence. The manufacturer states that it has a load capacity of 55 pounds — five pounds more than the BH-55. While I don’t have anything that heavy to test it, it’s easily believable. Also, there are no flimsy rubber parts that will deteriorate over time. This ball head appears built to last. Trial by wind The first test of the Robus ball head was on a night with perpetually powerful gusting winds. I paired it with a Feisol CT-3372 tripod, using it in place of my BH-55 ball head, which I would ordinarily use in such adverse conditions. I used my heaviest combination, a Pentax K-1 with a 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, together weighing 4.52 pounds. But at that, it’s not even a tenth of the ball head’s load capacity. Still, would it stand firm during long exposures of 12 minutes with these powerful gusts of wind? Arca-compatible The ball head comes with an Arca-compatible quick release plate to attach to your camera via a standard 1/4-20 D-ring mounting screw. This plate enables you to quickly take your camera on and off, great for switching cameras. Since I had my own quick release plate attached to my camera — an L-bracket — I used that instead. Locking it down One of the first things I noticed is that despite me having to use the new Robus ball head in the darkness, I was able to do so automatically without having to think about the various adjustment knobs. Everything works well and is logically placed. The locking knob is large and knurled. I have large hands, so this is a welcome feature. Regardless of position, when I turned the locking knob all the way, everything felt like it was cemented in place. In fact, even when I turned the locking knob most of the way, the camera did not move when pushed. This is largely a function of strong design and a ball head with a large 2.2” diameter. Dialing in the tension The large locking knob has a black tension dial within it. Otherwise known as a friction control, I consider this to be a crucial feature of any ball head. This ensures that when you unlock the locking knob, you can still retain control of your camera position without it easily flopping over. The tension dial in the Robus works so well that it almost acts like another locking knob. In its tightest position, the camera does not budge even when pushed! Curiously, although I set the tension dial to my liking repeatedly, it continually moved, increasing its friction. This resulted in me having to adjust the tension dial quite a few times throughout the night. Thankfully, it never adjusted to a lesser amount of tension. It always tightened. My guess is that since the dial protrudes slightly, I was mistakenly turning when making the adjustments on the large knob. Portrait orientation The RTH-1050 has a 90-degree notch, allowing you to quickly switch between portrait and landscape orientation. I typically prefer to use the L-bracket for portrait orientation because no matter how beefy a ball head, having a camera tilted to the side introduces more weight on one side, and therefore, increased instability. This is particularly crucial for long exposure photos, and all the more so when dealing with uneven surfaces, darkness and howling winds. Despite these conditions, I tested the ball head anyway. It held firm despite uneven sandy surfaces and the wind. I photographed two 9-minute long exposures in portrait orientation while closely monitoring the tripod. For less arduous circumstances, I would not hesitate in using the Robus ball head for vertical orientation regularly. Panoramas The Robus ball head also features a 360-degree panoramic base, which is marked for precise location. A small knurled knob locks this into place. This moved smoothly and precisely when tested, and didn’t wiggle or budge when locked down. Level headed To aid in leveling the horizon, there is a bubble level on the top of the head’s Arca-compatible quick release. When a large camera is mounted, it obscures most or all of the bubble level, so if you need to produce level horizons, you will need to do this before mounting the camera. In practice, night photographers rarely use the built-in bubble levels that come with tripods or ball heads, often relying on either the camera’s leveling sensors or using a larger bubble level mounted on top of the camera’s hot shoe, such as the Vello Three-Axis Hot-Shoe Bubble Level, sold as an accessory. This is because in practice, bubble levels that come with ball heads are tiny and are difficult to adjust precisely. This is compounded by having to adjust this in the dark. How does it hold up? The Robus RTH-1050 ball head performed admirably with gusting winds and uneven sandy terrain in the field and inspires confidence. When this is locked down, it’s not going anywhere. It compares extremely well in general size and ability with the venerable BH-55. At 1.8 pounds, it might not be your first choice for hiking or travel. This is aimed more at photographers who need to mount heavy equipment or require extra stability. The only peculiarity I encountered was having the tension dial shift the amount of friction, apparently when adjusting the locking knob. Thankfully, this always shifted to greater tension, and therefore, the camera was never in danger of unexpectedly flopping over. With a 55 pound
Looking to get your work featured in publications? - Are you looking to get your work featured in publications? Granted this is not something for everyone, but many photographers have been asking for some tips and tricks that could help you get published. Why get published? Well, it doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure. If you’re trying to build your own following or build your own business, it can help build credibility. I seem to have been very lucky with over the last few years in getting images selected and in particular, being a featured photographer and artist in quite a few publications. Sadly many hard copies (or paper) magazines and publications have disappeared and are now digital-only, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for content. The truth is, you probably aren’t going to get rich doing this, but that’s not the only reason for doing it. If truth be told, I have had precious few paid spots, but I still get a kick out of seeing my stuff in print. So hopefully these tips and tricks may help you get your foot in the door. Is your work a good fit? When sourcing publications to submit your work to, make sure your work is a good fit for their overall style and aesthetics. No point sending Goth fashion to fairy rags, right? Often many of the magazine or publications you follow are for a reason. You like what you see and it often inspires you and suits your style. These are a great place to start. If you aspire to a particular genre, that’s great, but you may need a small portfolio, to begin with. Do your research Don’t just send random emails. Sometimes editors may, in fact, be in charge of several publications and just sending willy nilly to anyone and every one proves you’re not serious. Most publications have a Facebook group with details on how to submit. There is frequently information within their publications as well. Often joining their social media fan groups is a great idea, too. They often have competitions (some for prizes, some for glory only) and ask followers to post images on the page. I have been asked to submit images for future publications by doing just that. It can also give you a feel for what they might be looking for. And just because you images are not selected for the very next issue, it may be that they have been selected for another. Join THEIR click Many publications have an entire fandom, with social media private groups and events, workshops and more. It can pay to move within these circles. I am a paying member of a few artistic groups who regularly put out incredible publications. I still have to submit images, but I am a regular contributor and has helped me build my own following. Getting to be a regular contributor to these publications has led to shoutouts, mentions in social media and coveted featured spots. Like I said — it doesn’t hurt your profile. Only send your best work If you are sending in images for a publication, don’t send just random images — make sure they are your best current work. Consider sending in one or two from a series, with links where they can see more. Give an artists statement and biography as well, especially if you’re not a regular. List where they can see more of your work. But keep your emails short and to the point. Often publications are looking for single items, but occasionally they want more of a series. Know the rules It’s a good idea to know exactly what is expected of your submissions. Many publications have quite strict rules on maximum or minimum sizing, PPI and resolutions. Often they may ask for no more than one or possibly five images, while others don’t care. Some publications actually have a web portal for submissions and won’t accept via email. Some magazines will only accept images that have NEVER been seen on any form of social media, too. So watch out for those. Often there is no formal contract — you are agreeing to their terms and conditions by submitting. So read their rules and terms. Make sure your images are for one use only type deal (as well as any promotional coverage you may get). Check that you’ll receive full credit and link backs (where applicable). Find out if they will mention hair and makeup artists, designers and models. Many do not, so I always mention them when I put up a post. Make sure you get all names and links correct. It’s one thing if they make a mistake — just don’t you make it too. Payment This goes both ways … more often than not you will not get paid. Sorry, but it’s true. Some publications actually ask for payment to submit! It doesn’t mean they aren’t legit, it’s just how they work. Make sure you read the rules and regulations. If you don’t control your copyright, consider going elsewhere. Likewise, if they won’t even give you a tear sheet of your page, and can only see it IF you buy a copy … well I think that’s a bit rude. I once submitted to a magazine (one I normally don’t, but my model asked me too). As I didn’t receive a tear sheet and I didn’t pay for a copy, unbeknown to me they put the wrong credit on the wrong images and even got my name wrong! Of course, they apologized and put a retraction in the next edition, but my name was not in print with my images. Most magazines will at least give you access to a free digital copy. A final word Some publications will offer payment in the form of free advertising space or link backs and such. These can be handy too. Often, once you have submitted you may hear nothing for months (or ever) and you can assume for whatever reason your images did not win them over. Try
Innovative technologies drive Peter Baumgarten to see the world differently - If there’s anyone that understands Olympus cameras and the company’s vision, it’s Peter Baumgarten. Based on Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, Peter is known in the photography world as someone that captures amazing landscape and wildlife imagery. His outdoor photographs let you view the world in ways you wouldn’t think were possible. Loyalty and innovation While Peter wasn’t always a professional photographer, he’s had a longevity with his brand of choice — Olympus — dating back to his days as a teenager, when he got his first OM-1n film camera. Today, Peter is an Olympus Visionary, a title he’s held since 2014. And he’s since gone digital — namely with the new OM-D E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X cameras. So what kept him loyal to the brand he started with so many years ago? “At the end of the summer my dad said to me in his thick German accent, ‘Peter, you don’t want to be spending your money at the arcade, you want to spend your money on something useful.’ He was a bit of a photographer, so he suggested that summer that I buy my first camera. So I went with him to our local camera store and picked up the Olympus OM-1N. That was my first camera that I used and I was hooked on photography.” After putting the camera away for 20 or so years, he picked up another camera — an Olympus point and shoot. And since then, he’s continued to use Olympus cameras. “What kept me with Olympus was [that] I was so impressed with the innovations that Olympus was coming out with in the digital age. Every time I upgraded from one digital camera to the next one, there were new innovations that were coming out,” Peter said, making specific mention of Olympus’ dust reduction system. As someone who has used Olympus cameras for the past few years, I have to say that the dust reduction system is a groundbreaking feature — but one that’s not often talked about. In my three years having an Olympus camera, I’ve never once had to clean the sensor. Ever. New technologies that lead the charge But dust reduction isn’t the only value Olympus brings to the table — far from it. Going back to his early days as a photographer, Peter referenced a book by Freeman Patterson that taught him the art of seeing. “That’s been the big thing, is how can I see the world differently? Most photographers strive to do that, and they talk a lot about that,” he said. “What they often don’t talk about is how your camera sees the world differently. Your lens choice, and then the features built into the camera allow you to see the world in ways that your eyes just can’t see.” For Peter, the Live Composite feature found on several of Olympus’ cameras is one of those features that truly changes the way he captures scenes. “Live composite is certainly one of those features, where you can gather up to six hours of visual data streaming onto the sensor, under darker conditions. And not completely blow out the highlights.” While Peter started using Live Composite for star trails, the feature has also been embraced by several photographers for things like car trails, moving clouds, fireworks, lightning and more. In addition to Live Composite (and sometimes in combination with), Peter’s favorite new feature is Starry Sky AF, introduced with the E-M1 Mark III earlier this year. “When Starry Sky AF came out, I thought, ‘I’m all over that.’ It was absolutely amazing. Even under partly cloudy conditions that’s partly obliterating the stars, it works. It really simplifies it and gives me a much higher success rate. Because I know the stars are sharp — they’re guaranteed to be sharp. “Those kinds of features allow me to see the world in ways that my audience doesn’t,” he said, also making mention of features like Live ND, focus bracketing and focus stacking. Compact, lightweight setup When it comes to being out in the field, Peter sees another benefit of the system — its compactness. “I don’t know that I could get half of the [wildlife] shots that I am able to capture with a bigger camera system. Or I’d be less likely to carry it with me, anyway. So for me, the size, the feature set and the rugged build … just that I can have it completely soaking wet. A wave crashing over me or rain or snow … it never phases me.” For landscapes, Peter relies on a few different lenses, but loves the 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO. “I can get more of my field of view in frame. I can have a nice foreground point of interest, yet still easily capture the horizon and a bit of clouds.” Peter also uses the 8mm f/1.8 fisheye and 12mm f/2.0 lenses, in addition to the 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens, giving him “the greatest sort of focal range to capture a variety of different scenes.” Know the light For anyone getting started in landscape photography, Peter emphasizes the need to understand light conditions. “It is absolutely critical. You know, it’s almost cliché to say that photography’s all about the light. But it’s become a cliché because it’s absolutely true,” he said. “If you go out when it’s convenient — in the middle of the day — you’re not going to get great landscape shots. You have to go out when Mother Nature dictates that the light is right. “And when you get there, work the scene. Stick around long enough to really work through how best to present that. You’re trying to make an artistic statement with your images, and to present the scene in a way that someone else, who might be standing right beside you, isn’t seeing. That requires time and patience and planning. Getting there before the good light hits.” To see more of Peter’s photos, visit creativeislandphoto.com or follow him on Instagram. Don’t forget to enter
Mobile Mondays: Are you backing up your mobile device images? - Lately, I’m sad to say I’ve seen several of my friends lose images due to not having a proper backup system in place. Here at Photofocus, we have plenty of articles that can help you with your photography workflow. Our Flipboard storyboard is an easy place to find them all. This did get me thinking, though, about backing up mobile images. How many of you actively backup the images you’ve taken with your phone and/or tablet? What are my mobile backup options? Many of the services and phones we use for mobile data and Wi-Fi come with backup options. This is a good place to start. Your Android or Apple phones and devices are likely already syncing your data automatically as long as you’ve turned that on in your phone settings. This is worth checking into. Backing up mobile photos on your Android device This information is taken directly from the official Google Photos Help page for backing up your photos and videos. Google gives everyone 15GB of storage — shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. High-quality images are not limited in terms of the number that can be uploaded and don’t count toward your storage. Original photos, however, do count toward this limit, so you might need to upgrade your plan. Turn back up & sync on or off Before you start, make sure you’re signed in. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Photos app. Sign in to your Google Account. At the top, tap Menu. Select Settings Back up & sync. Tap “Back up & sync” on or off. If you’ve run out of storage, scroll down and tap Turn off backup. Things to keep in mind about this setting: Changing backup settings will affect all apps that use Back up & sync, such as Google Drive. If you have Back up & sync on, deleting the Google Photos app from your device will not turn it off. To turn off Back up & sync, follow the instructions above. Change your backup settings Choose the Google Account to back up photos and videos: Under “Backup account,” tap the account name. Change your upload size: Tap Upload size. Back up device folders: Tap Back up device folders and select the folders you want to back up. Back up on mobile data: If you don’t want to wait for Wi-Fi to back up your photos, under “Cellular data back up,” tap Photos or Videos. Charges from your service provider may apply if you upload using your mobile network. Back up while roaming: Under “When to back up,” tap Roaming. Check if your photos are backed up On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Photos app. Sign in to your Google Account. At the top, you’ll see if your photos are backed up, or if it’s still waiting to back up. You can view if the backup is complete or if you have items in wait to back up. Backing up mobile photos on your Apple device The easiest way to make sure your photos are backed up for your Apple device is to make sure your iCloud account is backing up and syncing your data. For an iOS device, go to Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos and enable the setting. This will make sure that whenever you are connected to Wi-Fi and the battery is charged your photos will be uploaded to iCloud. With iOS 11 or later, syncing will happen over a cellular connection as well. You can see these photos across your Apple devices, including your computer, tablet and AppleTV. Just make sure iCloud Photos is turned on for each device. Keep in mind that you are limited to the amount of space you have in iCloud. Meaning, if you subscribe to the free tier, you only get 5GB of storage. Other backup options You can choose to use other storage services such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Amazon Prime as well. Make sure you set up your account to backup and sync or automatically upload the images from your device. If you use an Apple device, you might also want to look into the Google Photos app. Like the Android version, it’ll back your photos up automatically. It’s also a great option to free photos from your phone. The free version doesn’t back up originals, but it’ll be great for most photos. Remember when we used to have to connect directly to our computers to download our images? You can still choose this method as well in order to make sure you have your images somewhere other than your phone memory. Backup your backup Now that you have your images safely backed up from your mobile device, it’s important to go one step further and be sure you have a plan in place to keep your backup backed up. Just because your files/data and images are in a cloud storage space, doesn’t mean something can’t happen. I also recommend using an external hard drive to store or a RAID data storage system to ensure you don’t lose anything for any reason. If you need ideas or help setting up your backup plan, check out our Flipboard storyboard where you can find quite a few helpful articles on the subject.
Lessons from the field: Putting the experience first - (Editor’s Note: We welcome Sara Kempner to Photofocus. Sara is an outdoor photographer specializing in fine art landscapes, lifestyle and sport and recreation imagery. She is based out of the Comox Valley, BC, Canada. When not taking photos you can find her on her mountain bike or snowboard while out enjoying all that Vancouver Island has to offer.) This summer, the photography world was abuzz with Comet Neowise gracing us with its presence in the night sky, coming within a mere 64 million miles (or 103 million kilometers) of Earth and visible to the naked eye. Everywhere you looked on social media there were epic photos of the comet over various parts of the world, its branching tail streaking majestically through the sky. Since I was too young to fully appreciate Hale-Bopp in the late ’90s, I knew that I too would have to venture out and try to capture this unique phenomenon before it disappeared for another 6,800 years. The shoot I picked a night where the forecast looked promising and I bribed my husband Shane with a couple of beers to come and join me on the late-night adventure. Having him there ensured that I could focus on shooting, not on all of the little noises in the bush that become amplified when you’re alone at night in the forest. We live on Vancouver Island, BC, which happens to have the highest concentration of cougars in the world so I definitely prefer to have a buddy for night shooting, more for peace of mind than anything. We got into the car and took off around 11 p.m., fighting off the instinct to crawl into our warm, cozy bed. I drove us about 40 minutes away to the base of a former ski hill behind town. The road up was rutted and rough but I knew it would be worth the jarring drive once we got there. The previous night there had even been reports of some Aurora in the area, (not common for where I live) so in my mind I was going to get an epic shot of Neowise and the Aurora overlooking our town. This image would go viral, sell like crazy and help launch my career. It was sure to be the perfect night! The mistake We got out of the car and started hiking the steep, rocky path upward to gain some elevation above the tree line. Not too far into the hike I came to a jolting stop, realizing that something didn’t feel right. My pack felt light. Sure enough, to my utter embarrassment and horror, I’d left my tripod leaning in the doorway at home. Other than my camera, my tripod was the next most important thing I needed for astrophotography. There was no way to take the long exposures needed to capture the night sky without it. I couldn’t believe what a rookie mistake I’d made! After a couple of minutes of self-loathing and cursing, I decided we might as well continue on. I had promised Shane a spectacular view to drink his beers at and I had to see if I was missing the epic photo opportunity that I’d built up in my head. Headlamps ablaze and me still cursing under my breath, we continued up to the viewpoint I’d scouted out previously. The recovery As we arrived at the top and took in the view below us, I let out a sigh of half relief and half disappointment. As fate would have it, there was a low-lying band of clouds over the horizon that was covering Neowise. The Aurora weren’t out at all. My husband sat in his folding chair and enjoyed his beers with a view over the whole town. Determined to capture at least one image, I balanced a boulder on top of a tree stump, and then gently placed my camera on top of the rock. Using some gear from my bag, I managed to prop my camera up and carefully set an exposure. I got a picture of Shane in his chair, an image I titled “Brew with a View.” For the next couple of hours we sat and enjoyed the quiet of the night together. The lesson While the evening didn’t turn out as I’d planned, I couldn’t be disappointed. I got to take my husband somewhere he’d never been and we shared the experience of watching shooting stars over our town, feeling like we were up above the whole world and totally alone in nature. One of the biggest lessons photography has taught me is to always put the experience first, and the capturing of images second. I could have easily had a hissy fit and gone home when I realized I’d forgotten my tripod. But, a good adventure always comes first, and any time spent out in nature is a win for me. The photo I took is not technically sound, and is far from my best work. But in the future when I look at it, I will remember the beautiful night we had together atop a mountain, not the potential shots that I missed out on. And, hopefully, it’ll also be a reminder to never forget my tripod again!What you missed on Flipboard this week
Each week, we publish a variety of curated storyboards with some of our best content! Here’s what was on the docket for this week. Be sure to follow us!
