Category: Photowalk

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Great Time at My Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk

 

Once again I led a photowalk in the Detroit area for the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. This time I decided to try a different kind of location as opposed to the usual urban scenes of the city. We did our walk at the Franklin Cider Mill.

 

When I chose this location I figured it would give us a chance to see some fall colors and some more rustic imagery. 

What I didn't realize at the time was that one of our walkers and good friend Jamie Feldman knew the owner.

 

We had unprecedented access to the entire location including some behind the scenes looks at how the Cider process happens from start to finish. 

 

The weather started out on the cold side, but after about an hour the sun came out and it tuned into a great day for shooting. 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the shots from our walk and I can already tell it's going to be hard picking winners.

 

Thanks goes out to all that attended my walk!

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Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk 2011 is Here

It's time to signup for Scott Kelby's Annual Worldwide Photowalk! The 2011 Walk will happen this October 1st & 2nd. Once again I plan to lead a walk here in the Metro Detroit Area. Since this is the first time he's done this in the Fall I've chosen the Franklin Cider Mill as our photowalk location as the fall colors should play very nicely for some great shots.

More details to follow, but don't wait! Sign up here now as my walk usually fills up the 1st day!

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Review: The XShot iPhone 4 Case Tripod Adapter

I love it when a company puts a lot of thought into a problem and then comes up with a solution that is so simple you smack your forehead and say "why didn't I think of that?" I've reviewed various iPhone tripod adapters in the past. When XShot asked to send me their new one, my 1st thought was "ok, whatever. sure." I was already in the mindset of "been there, done that." That all changed the minute I opened the box. XShot not only designed the iPhone 4 adapter that many of you have asked me for (one that works both vertically AND horizontally" but they did it in a stealthy way that I didn't even get at first glance. The first thing I thought was "cool". Just put your iPhone 4 in and you can attach it to your tripod in either orientation. I thought that was going to be the end of the review. Problem solved. Moving on… Then it really hit me as to what they did. They didn't just design an iPhone 4 tripod adapter. They designed an iPhone 4 CASE that can be attached to a tripod. 

It's a case stupid

I truly had a "duh" moment. I was thinking that while the adapter was nice I'd have to take my iPhone 4 out of my existing case and put into this "adapter" each time I wanted to use it. It's better than that. This was designed to be an iPhone 4 case first. It's a hard case offering protection to your iPhone 4 and the very necessary cover over the exposed antenna gap. There are two low profile slots on the bottom and the size that allow you to slide on the supplied tripod mount "quick release" clip. AWESOME! You get two clips in the package. This also means speedy changes from portrait to landscape by leaving the clip on the tripod and just sliding the iPhone on or off in the orientation you want. 

Well done XShot! You really were thinking on this one.

You can get the XShot iPhone 4 Case here.

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My New ThinkTank Streetwalker HardDrive Backpack

While planing my trip to Egypt I figured I'd be carrying a little more camera gear than usual to capture this amazing location and while I love my Kata backpack it just wasn't big enough for this trip. My need was to have a backpack that would carry two camera bodies, all the lenses I wanted, my Wacom Intuos 4 Small Tablet, accessories and oh yeah my MacBook Pro 15" and my iPad. I HATE checking luggage and I would never check my gear anyway. However, if I can carry one bag of gear (my smaller personal item that must fit under the seat in front of me) and the larger bag for clothes (going in the overhead bin, wheels inward) then I'm a happy guy. Having been totally satisfied with my larger ThinkTank Airport International 2.0  Roller bag I decided to look to ThinkTank for a backpack this time. I ordered the Streetwalker HardDrive Backpack and when it arrived I was a little freaked out at how long it was. Sizewise it was perfect in that it could hold everything I wanted to take on my trip. However, I just wasn't sure if it would fit under the seat of a domestic flight. I took the chance and headed out with the bag figuring worse case scenario would be that I would check my clothes/suitcase. 

 

It fits!

I had no problem fitting it under the seat. As a matter of fact it even fit in that skinny area under the seat that my normal laptop bag never fits in. I was also able to fit the MacBook Pro and iPad in the laptop area. However, had it been an inch longer the flight attendants may have complained of it being a potential tripping hazard. Although this backpack can accommodate a tripod on the front I didn't push my luck 🙂

 

What's in it this week?

I brought along a few goodies for the trip 🙂

Yes I can still lift it and wear it comfortably on my back. 

 

How would I redesign it?

No product is perfect for all users. Although I'm really digging this bag I would make a couple of changes in the next version (again to fit my needs). First off tablets (both computer and graphics) are becoming more and more popular. The outside pocket on the front would be perfect for an iPad if it were just a little wider and deeper. Although the main camera compartment zippers can be secured with a lock (optional), the computer area doesn't have any security features at all. Granted I'm traveling with more valuable photography gear this time than computer gear (and I never let it out of my sight anyway), but that doesn't mean that my computer gear isn't valuable and crucial to my trip. 

 

The Bottom Line

If you need a well made backpack that can hold quite a bit of camera gear AND your laptop, look no further. The ThinkTank Streetwalker (the name sounds so…) HardDrive is available here for $179.

 

P.S. many of you are waiting for my 1st impressions/review of the Nikon D7000. In a word it's AWESOME! More later, but here's my first shot taken last night after walking into my hotel room in the dark at ISO 6400. I'm doing the happy dance with this camera! It's everything I wanted it to be. More  later as I have more shooting to do 🙂

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Another Successful Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk

Although we got rained out on Saturday, we didn't let that stop us and those that could make it on Sunday (plan B) came out for a great time. This year we walked the Detroit Zoo for a change of scenery. In 2008 and 2009 we did Downtown Detroit and since not a lot has changed in 2 years, I wanted to try a different locale. The Zoo is one of those places that you can go every day and get something different because not only do you have the change in seasons, but you also have the "animal activity" factor. Depending on when you go and the mood of the animals you'll either catch some great shots of them interacting with each other or sleeping 🙂 It will be great to see what everyone submits, here are a few of mine for kicks:

 

 

 

 

 

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Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk is TOMORROW!

 

Although my walk is completely full with a waiting list, there are still plenty of walks you can sign up for around the world. Just head over to photowalk.com and who knows, you may capture the winning shot tomorrow.

If you're going on a photowalk tomorrow don't forget:

  • your camera (I know, but I had to say it)
  • extra charged batteries
  • extra memory cards
  • water
  • more water
  • umbrella
  • the lens you think you might want, but don't want to carry, but will be mad that you didn't bring
  • a tripod if you really want a super sharp shot, unless you just don't want to carry it (I hear ya).
  • comfortable shoes
  • lens cloth
  • GPS (I'm a geotagging freak, ignore me)
  • take the stuff out of your bag that you know you won't need (it's heavy enough as it is).
  • a good attitude
  • your best smile
  • a backup point and shoot camera just in case your pride and joy has technical difficulties

 

Have fun!

 

P.S. Things come up! 

If you can't make it, that's fine. We understand. No hard feelings. If you can't make it though there is someone else dying to have your spot. So please login to the site and click the Leave this Walk link above the map to free up your slot for the next person on the waiting list! It's the right thing to do!

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Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk 2010 is here!

It's time of year again and I'm excited to announce that once again I'll be leading a Detroit area photowalk on Saturday, July 24th, 2010. This year I'll be taking my group on a photowalk of the Detroit Zoo. As usual there are only a limited number of slots, so you should probably sign up NOW. You can do so here. If by the time you read this the walk has already filled up (we were first to fill up last year), go ahead and get on the wait list. Each year people sign up and then something comes up and they have to drop off. So if you're on the wait list you'll automatically be slotted in to the next available slot.

 

Terry's Personal Favorite

Not only are the photos once again competing for Scott Kelby's eye as his top picks, but I'll also award a prize or two for my personal favorites from this year's walk.

 

More details to come as we get closer.

 

Not in the Detroit area? No problem. This is a "worldwide" event. Check the site here to find the one closest to you.

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Nike+iPhone – (Nike+) Shoes = Flexibility

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I’ve been a fan of the Nike+iPod kit since day one. Although I don’t consider myself to be a runner. I am a  walker and therefore like to keep track of my walking goals and progress. When the Nike+iPod kit first came out it was a two piece kit sold by Apple and Nike. What you got in the box was a sensor that went into a special compartment in the sole of your Nike+ shoes and a receiver that attached to the dock connector on the iPod nano.

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With this combination you got music while you ran or walked, voice prompts let you know your stats and distance to go and stats that would automatically get uploaded to your Nike+ account on the web each time you’d sync your iPod. It’s GREAT!

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I’m an iPhone user though

When the iPhone came out two years ago I wasn’t really interested in carrying both an iPod and my iPhone. After all the iPhone has an iPod built-in. So I kinda got away from using my Nike+ kit. Sure I was still walking, but I just wasn’t keeping track anymore. Well when I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, I was very happy to see that like the iPod touch (2nd gen), Apple had built-in support for the Nike+iPod integration. Now I could carry just the one device and I would no longer need the receiver attached to the dock connector. Cool! I still have my original Nike+ shoes and I started using them again. This is when I realized that I’m not always going to want to wear these shoes everywhere I go. I have nothing against Nike shoes (you should see my closet), but I just didn’t want to be limited to the one pair of shoes every time I wanted to walk and track my progress.

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Detroit Winner of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk

Well today is the big day! Today Scott Kelby will unveil the winning photo from his Worldwide Photo Walk that took place on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. While I have no idea who the winner is or who the runner ups were, I thought I would share my pick for the Detroit walk that I led and the other 9 runner ups. Now keep in mind there are no prizes for my picks. However, I thought the folks in my walk would appreciate knowing which pictures were my favorites and which ONE I submitted for the over all selection process.

 

Let’s start with runner ups:

Missing Stairway

Missing Stairway by Sten.sjoberg

 

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The Joy of Photography by David Birdsong

 

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Guardian Light by Thom Briggs

 

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Go by James Howe

 

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Water water everywhere by Michele

 

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A City of Fighters by XAOSQUEEN

 

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Space Available by Nick Edwin

 

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Spirt of Detroit by Abdul Aquil

 

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Hand by MDecker

 

My Top Choice and the Detroit Winner is…

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Sky by Bill Stevenson

 

Congratulations Bill and to the runner ups! It was a tough choice and I was only able to submit one photo. There were several awesome shots to choose from, but there was something about Bill’s shot that kept me coming back to it.

Like I said, I have no idea who won or who Scott will pick as the runner ups for the overall walk, but these are the winners from my walk hands down.

 

  

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Another Successful Photowalk

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Not sure how all the other cities did, but my Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk – Detroit was a big success! We had an absolute perfect day weather wise and a great group of photographers.  We went on a 2 mile walk throughout downtown Detroit snapping shots of some great landmarks and interesting landscapes. I can’t wait to see everyone’s shots.

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I got a couple myself that I liked, but nothing really outstanding. I was too busy enjoying everyone else that was there.

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