Photography Bay » Chris Gampat

7 Tips for Shooting in Troubling Lighting

Chris Gampat — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:40:20 +0000

If you’re an event, wedding or concert photographer you know the pains of shooting in low light all too well. Some of the main problems are focusing, white balance issues, high ISO noise, and ensuring that you capture the correct motion. All of this can be pretty tricky, especially if you’re trying to get a variety of angles to ensure that your shots don’t all look the same. Here are some tips for shooting and how to save your work in post process.

1. Shoot RAW

This should truthfully go without saying, but there are many added benefits of shooting RAW. It allows you a whole different scale of versatility in post processing vs shooting JPEG. This will further allow you to get the shot that you wanted instead of that one that came out of the camera.

2. Use a Fast Lens with Manual Override or Manually Focus

These two things combined together will really save you. If you let the lens auto-focus and then you touch it up a bit, you’ll ensure that your subject is sharp and rest of the image is blurry due to bokeh. Faster lenses are usually better because they allow for the most light to hit the sensor and are also great for faster shutter speeds to capture motion.

Otherwise, turn off your auto-focus.

3. Over/Underexpose Depending on the Shot You Want

I tend to underexpose my images to capture the motion and in post-process adjust the shadows and highlights. Photoshop is great for this, but Lightroom and even Photoshop Elements can really be all you need to get the image to where you want it. I refrain from saying a balance image because what you may want isn’t always balanced according to a histogram. In this shot, I wanted to capture his motion just a little bit as it makes for a more dramatic shot. So I slowed down the shutter speed just a tad.

4. Don’t Worry About White Balance…Yet

Your camera is bound to not capture the correct colors or the colors you want (which is what white balance is.) Leave this setting on auto and don’t mess with it too much, especially if you’re working under colored stage lights. It may annoy you that your colors are off, but try to figure out how you want it to look and then fix it in post-process.

The above image is closer to what the actual event looked like. However, the background colors are off because it is an on-screen display.

5. Crank Your ISO Up Modestly

While noisy images can be used to a certain point, you also need to find a balance between the capabilities of your fast lens and the ISO noise. This will help to capture faster motions (which tend to happen often). If you’re doing long exposure shots (which are great at concerts) then remember to lower your ISO down and crank it back up when you’re done.

In bad lighting, noise in the out of focus areas can look fine as in the shot above.

6. Convert to B/W or Use Crazy Color Processing

One of the great things about high ISO images is that they look great in black and white. But if you don’t want to do this then try warping the colors to make them look like something totally different but still very interesting. It will make your viewers stare at your shots longer.

I couldn’t get this shot to where I wanted it color wise but it’s close. The colors are wacky and crazy, but it’s an awesome shot nonetheless. Don’t let that get you down and throw out an awesome shot. You worked for it, use it.

7. Only Sharpen After You Noise Process

The reason for this is because of the problems that occur in noise processing. I’ve noticed that my images become a bit softer after noise processing. To get that level of detail back, it is essential that you sharpen a bit. Sharpening also tends to add noise but not too much unless you sharpen all the way.

What tips can you add for shooting in troubling lighting?

Happy Holidays One and All

Chris Gampat — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:47:02 +0000

Just a quick message from me to all of you readers letting you all know that I wish you have a safe, fun-filled and happy holiday. Thank you for making this year awesome.

And also please keep in mind and try to help those less fortunate than us. It’s their holiday too even in these harsh economic times and even worse weather.

6 Tips for Beginner DSLR Users to Keep in Mind

Chris Gampat — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:50:43 +0000

There are certain things that people constantly and always tend to mess up when they first start using a DSLR after moving up from a point-and-shoot. Afterward, they tend to look at their images and wonder what went wrong. These are things that shouldn’t be looked past and in order to get the maximum cash value from your DSLR, you should keep these starting tips in mind while shooting.

1. Don’t Shoot in Auto

In truth, I’m compelled even to say don’t shoot in Program (P) or any of the gimmick modes like sports or portrait. The most powerful and used settings on a DSLR are manual (M) and aperture priority (A). These modes require some work on your part, but you’re most likely going to be able to get the results that you want instead of sitting there wondering why the camera isn’t responding to you the way you want. The auto modes tend to be more unpredictable in their mannerisms, and can even give you results that aren’t satisfactory at all.

[If you don't know what these modes are or how to use them, I highly recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. The best $17 you'll spend on your photography hobby. -Eric]

2. Your Aperture Changes As You Zoom When Using the Kit Lens

This is a big one. When you’re using your kit lens, keep in mind that your aperture (F stop) will change as you zoom in and out and therefore you will need to adjust your shooting accordingly. You can find out how it will change by looking at the specifications on the lens. For example, a kit lens may be F3.5 at it’s widest angle (zoomed out) and perhaps F5.6 at it’s most telephoto angle (zoomed in). Because of this, you can’t always just point and shoot the DSLR. You’ll need to compensate.

Keep this in mind before you machine gun shoot.

3. Compensate Your Shutter Speed, ISO, Aperture

I’ve seen lots of beginners shooting in manual go from shooting one thing in a certain lighting to another thing in totally different lighting without changing their settings at all. Look at your light meter, it will tell you whether you are underexposed (dark) or overexposed (bright). Ideally, you want to get it right in the center of the meter. That requires turning your dial wheels until you come to the results you want.

Keep these in mind:

(Brightest/Slowest shutter speeds) 30″ – 1/8000th” (Fastest and darkest shutter speeds)

(Brightest and most light sensitive ISO) 3200 – 100 (Darkest and least light sensitive ISO)

(Brightest, and least depth of field) F1.8 – F22 (Darkest and most depth of field)

4. Check That You’re Totally in Focus

Like someone using their point and shoot, users of DSLRs don’t always check that their subject is totally and sharply in focus. To be fair, you can’t always see that on your LCD screen. Zoom in on the LCD after you’ve taken the shot and ensure that what you intended to shoot is in focus. Do this before you start rapid firing off on your subject. Otherwise, you’ll have loads of photos that aren’t in focus and more to throw away.

5. Remember That Your Metering Changes Depending on Settings

This will explain metering much better than I can, but keep in mind that when you point your camera at a different subject that it require different metering because of light changes. This means you may need to change your metering mode or adjust your exposure compensation (read your manual, these are important).

6. Keep Your Eye in the Viewfinder

If you keep your eye in the viewfinder, you will usually be able to find all your settings. Some photographers use the back LCD to check their exposure settings rather than using the viewfinder. When this is done, you just might miss the shot. You can read most of these settings in the viewfinder and it will allow you to make changes as necessary. All it requires is a bit of muscle memory in terms of remembering the buttons.

What tips can you offer to beginner DSLR users?

5 Quick Tips For Shooting In Cold Weather

Chris Gampat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:34:08 +0000

Brrr! I’m not too sure about the rest of you, but it’s getting pretty frosty here in NYC as the holiday season is rolling around. One thing that you see while walking around is people fiddling with their cameras trying to shoot in the cold weather. Perhaps they’re wearing gloves, or their glasses are frosted up, or they’re hands are shivering amongst other things. To help you and those other folks out, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind how to shoot in the cold with a point-and-shoot and a DSLR.

1. Wear Gloves with Cut Away Fingers

Chances are that you’re wearing gloves and that pressing the little buttons on your point-and-shoot has become tedious. I pity you if you’ve got a touchscreen camera in this situation. Something I’ve seen aspiring photographers do is wear gloves with the upper parts of the fingers cut away. Most of their hands are now staying warm and they’ve made the compromise for taking better photos and operating their cameras with better ease of use.

For the most part, a DSLR can be operated with gloves on as the buttons are generally big enough. My 5D Mk II has no problems with my gloves. When I shot the above photo, I was wearing thick gloves while shooting my Olympus E-510. The thick gloves didn’t help much so I found myself getting rid of them while shooting.

2. Put the Camera Down on a Flat, Stable Surface

Eric has a posting on more principles of photography marksmanship, but I’ve always recommended ditching a tripod and using your environment when you need one. Your camera has a self-timer, everyone does. Try using it to take the photo you want. This way you can set up your shot perfectly. If you’re out and want to take a picture of you and a loved one (and don’t have a Samsung TL225 or TL 220) then you will probably want to do this instead.

3. Hold The Camera With Two Hands

If you say that you’re not cold and that you get stable shots while hand-holding with one hand: congratulations. However, it is generally a well known fact that if you hold your camera with two hands, your auto-focus will have a better chance at hitting the intended target due to the extra stability. This becomes even more critical in low light at night. Facial recognition usually works well enough, but not all cameras do this well at night. To aid it, hold it with two hands. You’re also less likely to drop it this way too.

4. Protect Your Camera From Condensation

I’ve seen condensation get on the lens of cameras because people are going in and out of warm and cold places. Your lens is important, and getting moisture in there will mess with the electronics and motors. Try to keep your camera one temperature. As a starting tip, try keeping it under your jacket. Most entry-level DSLRs are small enough to do this. Otherwise, if you’re a female your purse will do well.

5. To Get Closer to Real Life Results, Raise the ISO

While strolling around Bryant Park the other night and upon realizing that the S90, G11 and entry-level DSLRs are eating up the consumer market share, my eyes felt like they stepped into the equivalent of a room being flashbanged by the NYPD. The reason for this is because everyone is using their flash. Whether it’s an Olympus E-620 or a Sony A230, people are using them just the way they would a standard point-and-shoot.

To be more subtle, raise the ISO. Your results will be closer to what it looks like in real life without the washed out colors. Unless you truly know how to use a flash, try to avoid it. Most pros will recommend that you never use on-camera flash. I’m one of them.

What tips can you add to shooting in cold weather?

“24fps for the 5D Mk II is coming in the Spring”

Chris Gampat — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:01:55 +0000

We already know that a 24p update for the 5D Mark II is coming next year. At least now we know that we can cross it off for early on in the year. See Matthew_BH’s comment on the bottom.

The image is from the Online Tradeshow hosted by PDN.

Retake Review: The Cotton Carrier

Chris Gampat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:36:27 +0000

Not long ago, I completed my field review test of the Cotton Carrier. After creator Grant Vetters read my review, he admitted to a manufacturing flaw that made the camera hard to unholster. Grant sent me another unit to test and this time I’ve achieved different results.

Previous Issues

Just to refresh your memories, my previous issues with the product was that unholstering the camera from the slots (both on the vest and the side-belt holster unit) proved to be hard to do. However, I did say that this can keep your camera very secure and you will have no problems feeling that your camera is secure. Jumping around with the camera holstered didn’t allow it to swing around the way that other holsters allowed.

Second Take with the New Unit

Grant told me in a previous email that the camera can and should ideally unholster as smooth as butter. This is true with the new unit sent to me. This issue also alarmed me a bit as I thought that my 5D Mk II would come out from the holster too easily. Jumping around with the camera holstered quickly solved this problem. The camera is secure as ever and it still allows me to take it out of the holster with one hand. The camera doesn’t swing around either (on the vest or the side holster.) This will be appreciated by photographers that need to move quickly from location to location, like sports or wedding photographers.

I tried a true torture test: I hung upside down with the camera holstered on my chest. It still failed to come out or swing around. Only until I really moved around vigorously was I able to get it out of the holster without the use of my hands. That’s the type of security that is very much appreciated by photographers out in the wild.

It still personally felt more secure with my 50mm F1.8 while hanging upside down because it’s the lightest of my lenses. My 24-105mm F4 L IS is a bit heavier but the Cotton Carrier was still able the handle the weight well. The 80-200mm F2.8 L felt a little more like the camera was going to fall out, but it didn’t. Once I was right-side up again, these problems went away and the system worked totally fine. If I needed to use it while shooting the Yankee parade again, I would. It’s a pleasure to keep on you though not the most fashionable item.

Who is this for (Second Take)?

Wedding Photographers: It’s still worth the investment and you can rest assured that you won’t miss the shot with your D3s around your chest holstered safely.

Events Photographers: You may prefer the side holster unit instead of the vest. The reason why is because this is really all you may need.

Photojournalists: Still a no, but it is an enticing product.

Sports Photographers: Having one camera on a monopod and your R-Strap on will still better suit your needs. However, this still can prove useful to you providing you don’t get a flawed unit.

Portrait Photographers: You’ll still love this.

Wildlife Photographers: Combine this with the Spider Holster and you’ll be set. Ditch the tripod.

The Cotton Carrier System retails for $139 on their website. They also sell the Vest Unit alone for $99 and the Side Holster for $59.

Reader Question: EP-1 for Fashion Photography

Chris Gampat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:17:09 +0000

Today’s question hails from Ron all the way in the Netherlands. It is in regard to using the Olympus EP-1 for fashion photography. Granted, something like a Canon 5D Mk II is better suited for the job, but let’s try to help Ron the best we can.

Hello Chris,

I really enjoyed your article on the best lenses for the PEN EP-1. I was hoping you could help me. I want to start doing fashion photography and bought the EP-1. I intentionally didn’t buy one of the standard DSLR’s used for fashion shoots. I also have the 17 mm 2.8 and the 14-42 mm Olympic lenses.

What I’d like to know is:

- Is the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 20 mm 1.7 lens a big improvement over the 17 mm 2.8 Olympus lens? Big enough to buy, that is?

- Which lens(es) would you recommend for fashion photography? For use in studios as well as outside? Usually, models are not further away than, say, 9 feet (about 10 meters). Is there a great Four Thirds lens for both studio work and outside? Perhaps a telezoom? Or do you recommend two separate lenses?

Thanking you in advance for your reply,

Best,

Ron Sterrenburg.

Almere,
The Netherlands.

Ron is possibly referring to my articles on how Micro Four Thirds can be an entire system or my actual lens picks for the system. Either way, it is interesting that one would pick the EP-1 for fashion over something like the 5D Mk II, but the EP-1 can most likely hold its own. One of my friends has done some fashion photography with an Olympus E-3 as well as some Olympus professionals that prefer like the articulating Live View screen. The EP-1 arguably has the better sensor.

Now to the questions:

- Is the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 20 mm 1.7 lens a big improvement over the 17 mm 2.8 Olympus lens? Big enough to buy, that is?

In all complete honesty Ron, the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 lens is possibly the best I’ve ever tried and had the pleasure to use for the system. I like it a lot more than the 14-140mm F4-5.8 actually. You want this lens, trust me. You really want it. Coming from some experience in shooting celebrities/models then getting the shots to your editors, I know that they will all tell you the same things, “Get the focus sharp and blow out the background.” F1.7 will allow you to blow out the background more than your 17mm F2.8. As an added bonus, you will have the equivalent of a 40mm field of view. However, you may want something with more of a reach. In that case, I’d actually recommend that you get your hands on a portrait lens of some sort.

In this case, you may want the Sigma 50mm F1.4 for the Four Thirds system and use the adapter. As an alternative, the Olympus 50mm F2.0 is a wonderful portrait lens and also allows for focusing in the macro range. Some professionals have said that it isn’t fast enough to be a portrait lens, but I’ve never had a problem with it.

If you never want to buy another lens again in terms of a prime, try getting your hands on the PanaLeica 25mm F1.4. When I used to use Olympus, this is the lens I craved so badly but couldn’t justify spending the money on because of my work. You, on the other hand, may be able to.

You need the equivalent of an overall zoom. For studio work, I usually use my Canon 80-200mm F2.8L or my 24-105mm F4L IS. I recommend using the PanaLeica lens, otherwise the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 can do the job for the most part since they are never further away than 9 feet. Once again, you’ll need an adapter. Also keep in mind that only Olympus Four Thirds lenses can autofocus on Micro Four Thirds cameras.

If you don’t mind the weight or price, the Olympus 35-100mm F2 on your EP-1 will be able to get the job done fine. You probably won’t need to buy the PanaLeica or Sigmas I recommended either. If you couple this with the Panasonic 20mm F1.7, you should be all set.

If it helps any bit, the above photo was shot with a 40-140mm kit lens on an Olympus E-510 at last year’s Photo Plus. It’s a wonderful image and is usable in most accounts. Most of my studio work was done with that lens and camera, actually. If your environment allows for it, you can possibly get that Panasonic 14-140mm lens mentioned earlier.

Thanks for the email, Ron. Let us know how it turns out for you. If you have any questions, email them to ChrisGampat@photographybay.com.

7 Things To Never Do With Your Camera

Chris Gampat — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:14:09 +0000

Readers, friends and family alike always ask questions about what they’re doing wrong with their camera that is making it not perform to their satisfaction. Some of these things are almost common-sensical with regards to electronics but others may not seem that easy to figure out. Here’s a couple of things to keep in mind so that the new camera you get for the holidays will last you a bit longer.

1. Don’t Leave it in the Car

Besides the simple reason that your camera may get stolen, if you leave your camera in the car the electronics inside will get fried or frozen. Inside of your camera is an imaging sensor that can overheat or freeze up. Allowing this by keeping it in the car (the equivalent of a icebox or a sauna) you expose all the electronics to nature’s fury. This will cause the LCD to not work, the sensor to malfunction and a host of other problems. Don’t do it, no matter what.

2. Take It Off Auto White Balance

If you ever take a photo and it comes out too blue or too orange, it could be because you’re shooting with auto white balance. While in auto white balance mode, the camera does its best decide the color temperature, otherwise known as white balance. To avoid this, take it out of auto white balance and change up the settings a bit. Consider the type of light you are in and use one of the camera’s presets.

Indoor tungsten lighting is the worst for auto white balance. Cameras really have a tough time getting it right, so set the white balance to the little bulb to make that very orange light a little closer to white. Most cameras’ white balance presets can get you pretty close to the right color balance. If you want to get precise though, you can use a custom white balance tool like ColorRight or Expodisc.

3. Don’t Turn it On and Off (Let it Go to Sleep)

Turning your camera on and off will essentially kill the battery. The reason for this is because activating the electronics, the LCD, the sensor cleaning system and moving the lens all requires the most power from your camera’s little battery. As efficient as it claims to be, this will quickly kill it. Instead, let the camera go to sleep on its own. Check out this list of tips on how to conserve your battery life.

4. Don’t Shoot One-Handed

This is possibly the biggest reason I’ve seen for out of focus/blurry photos and the most occurrences of dropped cameras ever. Always hold your camera with two hands no matter what. If you want a picture of yourself and someone else, give the camera to someone so that it will get in focus, not be blurry and it won’t fall out of your hands.

5. Calibrate Your Viewfinder

We all don’t see the same, this goes for wearers of glasses and those that see perfectly clear. I know this as a blind photographer. The reason why your images aren’t coming out in focus when you’re manually focusing (or you aren’t seeing clearly when autofocusing) is because you probably haven’t calibrated your viewfinder perfectly. Use the diopter and keep focusing. Adjust the diopter until you finally achieve perfect focus while manually moving the focusing wheel on your camera.

6. Don’t Keep Your Camera Out Around Alcoholic Beverages

Back in college, the most common problem I saw with cameras was being dropped in the cup that was just used for beer pong, or dropped on a hard floor as a result of excessive consumption. If you’re feeling a bit tipsy, keep that camera away. Chances are that it will end up to be as much of a mess as you will at the end of the night. The tougher cameras can take the abuse a bit better, but they will only take so much.

7. Don’t Use Gimmick Modes

When I took photo classes, the women around me were ecstatic to be able to shoot in black and white mode vs having to do it on their computer. Unless you’re shooting RAW + JPEG, this is unacceptable as it doesn’t allow you to get the best shot you possibly can. Similarly, other modes like portrait and sports should only be used until you learn how to use aperture priority and shutter priority modes. (To learn how to use those modes, take a look in your camera’s manual or check out the excellent book by Bryan Peterson, Understanding Exposure.) Further, digital zoom will always mess your photos up by reducing the resolution.

Practice good habits and don’t make bad ones. What tips do you have to add?

6 Tips for Taking Better Pictures With Your Cameraphone

Chris Gampat — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:41:36 +0000

Just because your camera doesn’t have a large sensor or a nice lens doesn’t mean that you can’t take great pictures with it. As much as I love taking my Canon 5D Mark II out with me, she (her name is Dahlia) can be a bit bulky at times in my messenger bag. On top of that, I can’t exactly fully justify the purchase of a Micro Four Thirds camera or a Leica X1 in this economy. So at times, I find myself turning to my T-Mobile G1. Here’s how to take better photos with a cameraphone.

Note: The above photo was shot with my T-Mobile G1.

1. Don’t Use Digital Zoom

For us professionals, we know this by now. Digital zoom blows up the pixels, and this can simply be done on your computer using Microsoft Picture Viewer, Infranview or some other program that you may use. The cameraphone is essentially a tiny handheld with a prime lens. That being said, get up close and shoot your subject.

Digital zoom can make your images look terrible. When I was shooting my sister’s graduation, I saw many people using their cameraphones to take pictures and also using the digital zoom. Because of the low light environment, they were essentially blowing up a noisy image. People complain enough about grain, minimize it by not using the zoom.

2. Light Your Subjects Well

Always remember that content is king. That being said, lighting is essential to your photography. For starters, don’t shoot into the sun because you won’t be able to see your subjects well unless the camera makes them very noisy. If you shoot with the sun behind you, you’ll have your subjects squinting at you. Leave the camera’s exposure (or brightness) settings on the standard mode. Making the shot brighter without proper lighting just throws off the color balance of the entire shot. Also remember to keep your white balance on Auto and the metering exposure on Center-Weighted.

Don’t be scared, this can be done by just exploring your settings a bit further.

3. Explore Your Settings

The potential of your cameraphone can be unleashed if you’ve go through the settings a bit. That doesn’t mean that you need a iPhone or a G1 though. I used to do this with just a regular flip phone. Experimentation is key and if you don’t know what you doing, you can always remember that Google is your friend.

4. Hold The Phone Correctly

It is always best to hold your phone with two hands. It doesn’t have image stabilization built-in. If it does, it’s digital that won’t do much of anything at all. The slightest movement can make your pictures look blurry. The phone may be very lightweight, and your hands are probably steady, but you still want to get the best quality possible. Flip your phone horizontal and hold it the way you hold your point-and-shoot. Otherwise, try to hold your phone with two hands.

5. Use The Highest Resolution

Using the highest resolution will guarantee the best images that can be edited later on if needed. Your cameraphone may call these settings economy, fine or superfine. Superfine is usually the highest setting.

6. Explore Apps in your Phone’s Market

This is where the smartphone users will be at an advantage. The Apple App Store has a plethora of these. Android also has quite a bit, such as FXcamera. Give them all a try and figure out which ones suit your needs the best. Some wonderful images come out of phones using these apps.

Field Test Review: The Cotton Carrier

Chris Gampat — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:40:04 +0000

The Cotton Carrier is another product that is meant to help you with carrying your cameras around just like the Spider. Designed kind of like a lightweight vest, the advertising for the product will appeal most to wildlife and landscape photographers. However, it may also have some appeal to wedding or sports photographers. I used the Cotton Carrier while shooting in Central Park and while also shooting the recent Yankee parade celebrating their win during the World Series. My findings, after the jump.

What is it and How Does it Work?

In a nutshell, the Cotton Carrier is a camera holster/vest system that is supposed to eliminate the need for using a camera strap. It accomplishes that goal very well and ensures the security of your camera and lens. Of course, this is geared much more towards prosumer, semi-pro and professional level APS and Full Frame camera systems. As you see in these photos, I still used the camera strap. The reason for this is because of convenience, as you’ll read about in a second.

It goes around and off your torso by simply unlatching the buckle that I am seen fiddling with in the photo above. Afterwards, depending on how large your torso is you’ll need to adjust it to give you a nice snug and secure fit. I’m a small person around 5″ 7′ and weighing around 140lbs so I really needed to pull it in tightly.

Afterwards, you attach a bracket unit to the tripod socket of your camera and then slip it into the front slot as you see above. It is fairly easy to put into the socket which means that you can holster you camera with ease. Now, you can put your jacket on and go shooting around at your leisure. There are also other sockets that can be attached to the vest for carrying around more than one camera.

Getting it out can be an issue. As you can see, I needed to use both hands and some thumb strength to do so. That’s fine if you’re a wildlife or landscape photographer. However, if you’re a sports or wedding photographer and you need that critical shot, just hope that you’ll be fast enough to pull it out.

Field Test and Experience: Central Park and the Yankee Parade

Walking around with the Cotton Carrier on with a peacoat and messenger bag over it is actually quite comfortable. It is a welcome relief on your neck as you no longer have a tank swinging around. However, for easy quicker access I found it better to just keep the strap on just in case. The reason for this is because I sometimes had trouble getting it out of the holster. That wasn’t fun at all.

When your camera is holstered, you don’t feel any extra weight on your chest and you can securely carry it around without fear of your camera swinging around or getting knocked out, which is very nice. This is extremely useful when trying to navigate and cut through crowds of people such as what I experienced at the Yankees parade. That’s nice to know when you’ve got lots of angry fans that are swished together trying to get extra space and you don’t want to hold your camera or have it around your neck. However, it will get bumped. In that case, holding your camera out with extra long lens to show people that you mean business will easily get you through.

If you’re trying to get a candid image of a squirrel though, you’re probably better suited with a Spider holster or an R-strap because of the quicker access to that camera that is allowed. Both products will not hurt your neck either.

Truthfully, the Spider holster and Cotton Carrier may be used to compliment one another. For example, if you need quick access to your 40D with telephoto lens then this the Spider will allow for this. However, if you’re trying to get up close to take a portrait of someone’s dog while in the park then you may want to use a nice, heavy expensive prime lens. In this case, you’d probably switch to your 5D Mk II in your Cotton Carrier.

While running to get photos of ducks in the water though, you can be assured that the Cotton Carrier will not allow your camera to swing around vigorously. I tried jumping around from rock to rock with this thing on and my camera still would not move. It was secure as ever. The only thing you need to remember is that you need extra thumb strength to pull it out so you don’t miss that intimate shot of the handsome Mallard nuzzling with his mate.

This may apply to weddings as well if you’d like extra comfort of not having your cameras swinging around with the Spider. I can’t see the Cotton Carrier used with the R-Strap as the strap will get in the way of the camera mounted to your chest.

Who is this for?

Wedding Photographers: You may really enjoy this product and for the price it’s sure worth the investment and the health insurance money if your neck hurts from carrying your D3s around. Place it in the Cotton Carrier and you’ll be fine.

Events Photographers: I shoot events with one camera just fine. However, if you have a backup then the Cotton Carrier will suit you well enough if you don’t want your camera to be swinging around. Again, for ease of access you’re better suited with an R-Strap.

Photojournalists: No, it’s just impractical. We usually bring around one camera in which case the standard strap or hand grip will suit you just fine.

Sports Photographers: This may suit you well when you’re moving from spot to spot. However, having one camera on a monopod and your R-Strap on will better suit your needs.

Portrait Photographers: This is for you. When you’re too busy setting up lights and positioning your subject and don’t want your camera to move you’ll be happy with this. Of course, you may also be using a tripod but if you don’t then you’ll like this a lot more.

Wildlife Photographers: Combine this with the Spider Holster and you’ll be set. Ditch the tripod.