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Posts Tagged ‘photography’


HDslr Gear on a Budget: indiGo Jib from indiSystems (part 1)

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Always trying to give myself more visual and creative options I knew I needed to add a small portable, travel friendly Jib to my kit. After lots of research I’m torn between the Kessler Crane Pocket Jib, the EZFX Jr Jib and waiting for the Cinevate offering (sure to be great but not available till September) so I thought it might be worthwhile to see if I would be ok with a less full featured version while I figured out what functionality I really needed and would actually use before committing to one of the “Pro” models above.

The big question for me was, are these “budget” alternatives to “Pro” level HDslr accessories at all useful or are they so inexpensively (ok…cheaply ;-) built that they serve little purpose other than to frustrate the user. Will buying a less expensive version allow a shooter to get an idea of whether he/she will actually use the gear on shoots and then justify moving up to Pro quality? Are they functional enough to emulate the “real” version with some added effort and a bit of compromise? Over the next few weeks/months I’ll be testing and reviewing not only Jibs, but Sliders, Rigs and other “budget” accessories in an attempt to answer these questions for myself and hopefully other “convergence” or “crossover” shooters out there struggling with the same decisions.

But a travel friendly location Jib is next on my personal shopping list so let’s start there… Continue Reading →

Rigging for Travel: One-Bag Convergence

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Originally published in PhotoMedia Magazine CURRENT ISSUE, GREAT GEAR, SPRING 2011 — BY RIC KASNOFF ON APRIL 3, 2011 AT 7:11 PM

20101122_karin_japan_185Not all that long ago, flying with camera gear to a location for a shoot was fairly painless and could even be considered fun most of the time. Flash a business card or a photo organization membership card, and you were easily able to skirt the baggage limits. Slip the curbside baggage handler a $20 bill, and you could get all the bags you wanted on for free. Sadly, those days have disappeared with the advent of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), baggage fees and oversold flights. Continue Reading →

Lighting tips: a case for Mannequins

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Loving your Light Test Dummy…

Ever since Jim Harmons’ Portrait lighting class at Brooks Institute sometime last century I’ve had an ongoing love affair with “Light Test Dummies” (mannequins or girlequins if we’re being PC). From the simple plastic heads we started with to the lifelike descendents I use in my test studio and lighting classes today, I couldn’t imagine being without at least one (I have three currently) of these invaluable learning and testing tools. Continue Reading →