PShizzy: The Blog

So, in our last “Spending Smart” segment (I guess it’s a segment now, since so many people liked it), I discussed the art of budgeting and the very important first step: setting a budget. It’s really easy to get a lot of stuff when you don’t have a limit. This is why people go into credit card debt. They don’t see money disappearing or their pockets emptying. They just dismiss it as something to consider later. A budget is a way to consider now, and work within that construct in order to achieve a goal. Ok enough about that last segment.

Today I’ll go into the process, almost step by step, as to what I do when I want to buy gear. As much as I love photography as an art, I’m also a gadget and gear person. I accepted that I like stuff, but I do my best to be frugal about it. So this is what I do: [Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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It’s obvious that part of getting ready for your shoot is to pack your gear up. For some people this may be chore, for others a ritual. For me, it’s almost a challenge. But I’ve figured out a system for my bag(s) that I really like, so much so that my bags are almost always packed the exact same way. This isn’t new, I’ve had it this way for years. (for those that know me, yes I will be linking to “the video” again). And today I’ll share it with you. [Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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No one likes to budget. This is just the truth. Budgeting means you have to compromise, and accept that you won’t get what you want. It’s important to understand that what you need and what you want are very different things. A budget isn’t just a number that you have to stay under, it’s a commitment. So what do you have to commit to?

[Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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Before we begin, I explicitly asked permission to post the following message. I will not disclose the identity of the person asking the question, unless they ask me to. I plan to make this a series on my blog, where I offer my honest opinion and insight on a photography related question posed to me. Remember though, these are just opinions, not hard rules. Feel free to email me or contact me privately, and I’d be glad to answer your questions in a future post.

Without further ado:

Hi Max,

I see your work often and it’s spectacular. I shoot lots of soccer and lacrosse and have limited experience with basketball.

I’d greatly appreciate some advice from you.

My son is playing on an AAU Basketball team and the coaches want me to shoot games this weekend. I’ve done a few tourneys with my 1D Mark IIN using F/2.8L 70-200. I don’t travel with strobes and don’t see it practical at the U-15 level, especially if I’m not intending to sell images to families.

That said, are there any circumstances where you shoot any basketball games w/o strobes in dingy lit basketball gyms?

The noise is killing me. I do use CS3 and it helps, but still want less noise. [Read more →]

Tags: equipment, photography by PShizzy
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For those that don’t know, gaffer tape is in pretty much every working photographers bag. It’s to a photographer what duct tape is to a handy man. In fact, it’s so versatile, that I’ve used it to:

• Mark spots for my floor remote
• Keep my prefocused remote lens properly focused
• Keep the eyepiece on my cameras (because the Canon eyepiece is 20 bucks!)
• Temporarily mend a rip in my cargo pants (a big one)
• Taped over my IS and other controls on larger lenses, it prevents me from accidentally switching on or off something
• Keep my cameras LCD screen from being scratched while in my bag (just put a piece right over the LCD)

Gaffer isn’t perfect though. It’s not cheap, not compared to duct tape. At 20 to 30 dollars a roll, it can get pricey if you go through a lot of it. And worst yet, the big rolls are bulky and inconvenient to take with you. Some stores offer mini rolls of gaffer, that are great to pocket or toss in a bag, but those are 10 dollars or more a roll, and only about a couple of yards worth of tape. I can go through that in one outing. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our own small roll from the larger roll, so that it’s both convenient and inexpensive?

[Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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