Gitzo Head

To get tack sharp photos you need a to make sure your camera doesn't move when the shutter is open, and when doing a landscape with a few second shutter speed a tripod is a necessity, and when you're using thousands of pounds of gear you need faith in that tripod.

I've been using a Redsnapper RSH-12 head for a while now and have to admit I haven't been too impressed; the RS-284 legs are fantastic for the price and sturdy as a rock so maybe my expectations were too high, but the head just didn't do it for me. Heavy, too much movement and a cheap feel to it just made me nervous any time I put my D3 and a big lens on.

I've been an advocate of Gitzo for a while now and have figured if you can afford it and use a tripod enough, Gitzo is the way forward, so I took the plunge and bought a Gitzo head to replace my current Redsnapper.

Enter the GH2780QR:

A little imagination goes a long way, especially in the studio.

Photography is art, and art is all about imagination, if you get that spark of inspiration you're already half way towards a great photo.

I recently ordered an  el-cheapo watch for a project (not a photographic one), it finally arrived yesterday and before I did anything else I decided to get some shots while it was still in immaculate condition.

Night shooting in Derby

Never being one to shy away from bad weather I braved the frankly awful gales and biblical rainfall to get some night shots around Derby city.

My team: the Redsnapper tripod and head, D3 and Tokina 28-70 f2.6. Weatherproofing: passed!

f/22 6/1 200 ISO

New kit pt3

More new kit before I could even post anything else interesting.

I had decided to spend no more money for a little while. Working in a camera shop and not spending money is hard work though... sooo many temptations!

New kit pt2

...and the second part of my new line up!

Nikon's legendary 105mm micro (macro).

New kit pt1

2 new pieces of equipment for my bag.

First off a mid range lens, the legendary Tokina 28-70 f2.6 lens!

Sunrise on the Park

Bit late adding this one!

I didn't go out on Thursday night (a rarity for me) and managed to wake at a reasonable time on the Friday morning. I'm lucky enough to live less than 5 minutes from a park, so I figured I'd take a walk with my camera and see what I could get.

The first thing that I noticed was how thick the fog was, unfortunately though the light was flat and the photos were a bit bland. After wandering for a good 30 minutes waiting for some good light I'd finally resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen and that I might as well take photos of something else. So I switched to my 70-200, packed up my tripod and went to see what I could get.

f2.8 1/60