Zambretti Weather Forecast Algorithm

Date:10 Aug, 2023

Time: 7:45am (valid for 12 hours)

Mostly fine.  Showers clearing.   

Location: 46°35′45″N, 112°1′37″W

Altitude: 4,058 feet (1,237 m)

Time zone: (GMT-7)

Days Running: 97

Current Accuracy: 82%

Cleaning up and Re-inventing.

Just deleted a bunch of old stuff.  Not sure what is to come.  Maybe nothing at all.  We will see.

Humane Society Day!

Humane Society Day

All Images © chris martin photography

Humane Society (32) - Staff

Today we feature the shelter Development Coordinator, Kelsee and her pup Roo. This is how Roo began the session - clearly not concerned about letting us know exactly how she felt about this whole thing. Thanks to our amazing handler Tanner, she came around - although quite serious at least half of the time.

 All Images © chris martin photography

Humane Society (30) - How To Shoot 3 Puppies In A Row

I actually do nothing.  I set up the stuff and the position myself on the floor - ready to snap away.  The amazing people at the Humane Society do all the handling and we use two to get all of our shots.  I do get to be a mini-trampoline for curious puppies who like to pull my hair, jump on my back and lick my ears and my lens, but that is hardly work.  This week we decided to throw a gelled speedlite on the background and that added just a tad more complexity.  So, here is how it came together...

1st shot

Immediate boredom

Bring out the toys + handler blocking the gelled speedlite

simultaneous attention - seemingly impossible

where is #3?

new idea

somebody didn't get a toy

who is blocking the light again?

getting close

almost there - everybody needs to look this way!

Yes! - No! The gelled light didn't fire!

Got it, but..., how about just 1 more?

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

And that's all there is to it - piece of cake!

All Images © chris martin photography

Pet Portraits

Yesterday I posted a shot of the makeshift mini-studio we had to set up due to the weather.
Here are some shots form the session today.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
ISO-100, f/9, 1/125sec.
1 key light in front (softbox or beauty dish w/ grid), 2 background lights

All Images © chris martin photography

Micro-Home Studio

Session tomorrow.
Winter is here and too cold for the garage studio.
11' x 12' x 8' alternative - yikes!

All Images © chris martin photography

Think Tank Photo - Retrospective 20 - In My Bag 1

(On Location) technical photo/video: Dell XPS 1330 & cables, 7D, 70-200, 24-105, 10-22, PWs, 580 EX II, Tascam, headphones, batteries, hard drive, lens cloth & pen, card pouch, card reader

(Africa) portrait/interview sessions: 40D, 7D, 70-200, 24-105, 10-22, PWs, 580 EX II, Tascam, headphones, LQ softbox III, speed strap, gels, nano clamp, mini-ballhead, batteries, 5-in-1, journal, leatherman, lens cloth & pen, deet & sanitizer

All Images © chris martin photography

Keeping It Simple - Back To Africa: Getting the Gear There

Previously I declared that I once I got to Africa I would be shooting out of the Domke F-2.  Well, um, maybe.  I had completely forgotten about having to carry a laptop on this trip since I will be there so long.  So now, add a Dell XPS M1330 laptop to the gear needing to be transported.

One option is to carry the laptop in the backpack I will also be carrying in addition to my camera bag.  The problem here is that I hate wearing a laptop, in a backpack, directly against my back or placing the backpack down on the laptop.  Not only is it very uncomfortable, but in my mind I hear the screen snapping in half with each step.

So now the battle begins for what camera bag as a carry-on.  This whole thing is about keeping the gear for this trip as simple as possible.  That would mean just the backpack and the camera bag so I’ll just put the laptop in the Domke.

Apparently, I won’t put the laptop in the Domke.  Coming back into the picture now is the Think Tank Retrospective 20.  Where I live, every flight into and out of home is on a small regional jet.  For the last few years I only travel with bags that I know will fit both under the seat and in the overhead and that includes the Domke F-2, the Retrospective 20, (the Tenba Camera Messenger), and the North Face Surge.

After reading some great stuff on Flying-With-Fish I have adopted a similar approach and the plan for getting gear there is to split the gear in either two Mountainsmith Cube Kits or one Cube and one Think Tank Chimp Cage, placing one in the backpack and one in the camera bag.  

This disperses the weight, gets my travel essentials next to me in the camera bag and leaves room for extra clothes and toiletries in the backpack.  When on a trip like this, you need to be able to carry the stuff you have to have, plus some backup stuff in case you and your checked bag never see each other again.

Not only does the Retrospective 20 easily handle the laptop, but it will also swallow a Mountainsmith Cube Kit, or better yet the Think Tank Chimp Cage, portable hard drive, audio recorder, G12, iPod, glasses, etc.

Now I am re-thinking the shooting bag.  It really doesn't follow my “Keeping It Simple” plan to take one camera bag to get gear there and then another camera bag once there.  As long as I was testing the Retrospective 20 for what is could carry on the plane, I thought why not see what it could handle for shooting out of.

To my surprise, it will hold everything I plan to be carrying each day: 40D w/ 24-105mm f/4 attached (on the left), 7D with 70-200mm f/2.8 IS attached (in the middle), 580 EX II and 10-22mm on the right, PWs and other small accessories in the front.  It even has straps on each side in case I feel I need to take other small modulars for a little more capacity.

I guess it just got simple again, but bad news for the new Domke – it will be staying home.

There is also all of the Think Tank “little stuff” - they go nearly everywhere with me:

Chimp Cage (top left) – This has seen hundreds of different items inside based on the trip

Modular Pouch (bottom left) – where my G12 or PWs live

DSLR battery holder (top middle)

Battery holder (middle)

Camera strap (right) – different colors on different bodies.

Keeping It Simple – Back to Africa: The Shooting Bag – Domke F-2 Two Body Configuration

I like camera bags.

This is about the bag I will be shooting out of in Africa this time and not what bag I will use to get the gear there.  I have a camera backpack, but I never, ever shoot out of it anymore.  I had three primary shoulder bags that are used for completely different reasons.  I have added a fourth and that will be my shooting bag for this trip.

The Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home  – my wife has stolen that bag from me.

The Tenba Camera Messenger  – up until recently this was my main bag.  It has a good amount of room including lots of little pockets and storage areas, is very durable, and I feel my gear is very safe.  I have been able to get my Dell XPS M1330 in there with a limited shooting kit.  I often take this bag when traveling by air as it goes under every seat of every small regional jet there is.  The only downside for me is that it is a little like carrying an Igloo Playmate cooler.

The Think Tank Retrospective 20  - This is another favorite when traveling by air, but often used more as a briefcase for the laptop, small shooting kit and other travel stuff

The Domke F-2 Ruggedwear Shooter’s Bag  - I decided on this bag for the upcoming trip because it had “Shooter’s Bag” in the name.  Not really.  I picked up a Domke a few years ago and literally said out loud, “Are you kidding me?”  I guess I just didn't get it.  I have changed.  When this arrived, I filled it with gear and placed it on my shoulder and said “Wow!”

When I took it to Seattle a few weeks ago and used it when shooting a wedding, I came back saying “Wow, O’ Wow!”  This is the bag for me.  However, and I must admit, it wasn’t perfect.  For the Africa trip, I am taking two bodies.  I have a different configuration for a one body shoot-out bag.  Neither that nor the above configuration works for a two body shoot-out bag..

Enter Flying With Fish and a great suggestion – the Mountainsmith Kit Cube!  I had previously picked one of these up after reading the Flying With Fish blog.  I also use the Northface Surge backpack, as my briefcase, and the Mountainsmith Cube fits inside perfectly as well.  After reading that other Domke inserts would not provide the two body configuration I was looking for, I thought what about the Cube?

 Canon 7D with 70-200 f/2.8 in front, Canon 40D with 24-105 f/4 in Cube, plus an extra slot.

Remove the Domke insert, replace it with the Cube and not only does it become a two body solution, but I have a nice extra slot for a flash or the ultra wide I am also taking.  I do have to remove the grips, but that makes everything lighter anyway.

For me, this is the perfect solution for 5 weeks of shooting in Tanzania – comfortable, practical and blends into the surroundings better.

Coming soon - How to Get the Gear There.