Camera Straps and BlackRapid Turn-In Program

So I happened to be on PetaPixel today and saw an article about a photographer using a Peak Design Capture system and about how it failed and the camera fell not once, but twice in a 30 minute period.

Now, personally I use BlackRapid straps and fortunately I've never had one fail on me before and dropped a camera. However, I have had them come loose and I've almost dropped a camera before but luckily I caught it before anything bad happened.

I don’t want this video coming off as me bashing on Peak Design. I've personally never used the product so I don’t know how good or bad the system works. I wanted to stress the importance of checking whatever camera strap you use, making sure it's functioning properly, and you know how to correctly use the strap. 

The second part is more of a coincidence and when I pulled up YouTube there was a video from BlackRapid that was posted a few days ago about their camera strap turn-in program. Basically (if you live in the US), you can mail BlackRapid your old strap, fill out a form online, and BlackRapid will give you a 40% off, one time use, code to buy anything from their online store.

Whats even more awesome is that the program is not only good for BlackRapid straps but any sling style strap from any manufacturer.  

Since this was too much of a coincidence for me I figured I should take the time and let everyone know.

You can read the article on PetaPixel here

Check out BlackRapid's Turn-In program here.

Composite Photo Number 1 (Monster FMX Flip)

Going to do a two part composite series. This first video is how to do a "locked off tripod shot." What I mean by that is, setting up the camera on a tripod, capture things traveling through the scene then putting them all together in one image. In this image it happens to be a rider on the Monster Energy FMX team doing a backflip between two ramps.

I go through the steps I used to put this image together and show in Photoshop how its done. One of the things I stress in the video, and that I want to stress here, is when you're doing composites take your time and be as precise as possible. The more precise you are the better the composite image will turn out. 

Check out the video below along with the final image.

Miss ECSC 2018 Preliminary Round 2

Miss ECSC might have kicked off with preliminary round #1 a few months ago but Preliminary round #2 took place just a few weeks ago on May 12th at Bucketheads Bar and Grill in Virginia Beach. The top 4 of each round advance to the semi-finals in August at the 56th Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championship presented by Vans and Fueled by Monster Energy.

Preliminary round #3 will be tomorrow, May 27th, at Eagles Nest in Virginia Beach.

YouTube

Im planning on starting to upload more videos to YouTube but I need your help. I've got some ideas for videos that I'm currently working on but I want to get ideas from other people as to what they want to see. I want to make videos that I like but I also want the videos that I make to help other photographers as well.

If you have any suggestions for videos send me a message and let me know. Check out my About Me page for all my contact info or leave a comment on the video below.

USS Monterey Homecoming

After coming home from several deployments on a ship I finally had the opportunity to be on the other side of homecoming. Here are a few photos of the USS Monterey returning from a seven month deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet area of responsibility. 

Harbor Park Baseball

Couple weekends ago I went down to Harbor Park for a weekend of baseball. One of the cool things was they had a high school game between Tallwood and Oscar Smith. Its really awesome to let high school teams play on a minor league field. Also ended up shooting a Tides game which is always entertaining to shoot.

Flying Pirate Half Marathon and First Flight 5K

Photographed the Flying Pirate Half Marathon and First Flight 5K a few weeks ago and just wanted to post a few of the photos from the races. Enjoy.

Miss ECSC 2018

Miss ECSC 2018 Preliminary Rounds actually started back in February but I failed to post an update on it, so here it is. The next round is actually coming up on May 12th if you want to come out and check it out in person. Check out the event information HERE. 

With that being said here are the contestants and winners from Round One at Peabody's.

Modeling Update

Just another modeling update from some recent studio work. Still hoping to get outside and do some shoots in the near future.

Modeling Update

Its starting to warm up in Virginia so Im hoping to get out of the studio and start shooting on location but here are a few more from recent shoots I've done in studio. Enjoy.

Spring Sports (Finally)

After another long winter of indoor sports, I finally got to go outside and photograph a few soccer games. Looking forward to the nice weather and a lot of great games this spring. Enjoy.

MEAC Tournament Championship

As promised here are a few of the photos from the MEAC Championship games. Enjoy.

MEAC Tournament (Part 1)

Over the last week I've been covering the 2018 MEAC Tournament at the Scope Arena. Its been a fantastic tournament so far with great games and the updated lighting at the Scope have made it a much better time to actually photograph. Here are a few of the photos from the games during the week. Ill have a separate post with the photos from the Championship games. Enjoy

Wrestling Update

Only did a couple wrestling matches this year but I did cover a couple regional matches and the state championship. Here are a couple shots from the matches. Enjoy.

Basketball Update

Been shooting a lot of basketball lately and here are a few of the recent games I've done. Got to shoot a couple games at the Norfolk Scope which was pretty nice because of the new lighting that has been installed which is fantastic. Enjoy.