Taking photos of your children

Taking photos of your children is probably one of the easiest and hardest things to do. It’s easy to take photos, but it’s difficult to take good photos. At the time of writing this article, my kids are 6 and 4, two of the most beautiful girls in the world and they certainly know how to wrap Daddy around their finger. On occasion I like to combine my favorite hobby with my favorite girls and that has provided a big learning curve for me.

There are a couple of reasons why working with your own children is difficult:

1. Children don’t listen to instructions in the same way as an adult. They aren’t being difficult, they’re being children and accepting that is important.

2. Children have a very short attention span as you are probably aware. They can spend an hour playing with something obscure and 2 minutes playing with a toy that you spent a small fortune on.

3. You don’t have limited control over the background when taking photos. You can’t decide when and how your children will be cute. They do that on their own and it tends to be where they want, when they want and how they want.

4. Photos with children are often unplanned. I.e. they do something cute and you try to grab the camera as quickly as possible, hoping that the lens is appropriate.

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APSC vs Full Frame

Preface

This is not meant to be contentious article but it will probably result in the wrath of many. It’s for this reason that I would like to make the following clear:

What it is not:

• It’s not intended to be an APSC vs Full Frame argument from the perspective of trying to prove that APSC is better than Full Frame. Many may see it this as the purpose of the article, but it’s not. When looking at Medium Format vs Full Frame vs APSC, the argument of “what is better” comes down to a number of requirements including purpose and budget. In the absence of budget, one could argue that having all 3 would be the right outcome, but very few people have live in an environment where budget is not a constraint.

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Photographers Anonymous – Why I hate camera forums!

I just wanted to say thanks and tell you how much I hate you all. It may seem harsh, but as a member of Photographers Anonymous (PA), life isn’t easy dealing with this addiction every day…every Tuesday night we meet up, talk about our problems with photography purchases. Once in a while, a person slips up and they show up with a new body or lens, but we support them, we don’t judge, that’s what we do because we’re a family in it together.

But this isn’t about them, this is about me. This is about my problem…

I recently nearly spent a small fortune on new photography gear. This is largely as a result of the members here. Yes, I know, it’s easy to blame it on me, it’s my credit card, but it’s your fault and it’s time for you to take responsibility for your actions.

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Pad & Quill Roll Top Backpack Review

I started looking for a new backpack for work a couple of months ago as I wanted to find a backpack , while still maintaining some form of retro modern look. This turned out to be a surprisingly difficult task.

The challenge with backpacks is they aren’t really designed to have an executive look, and most of the bags look about as executive as my daughter’s Dora the Explorer backpack. You get black backpacks, but they are not really at home walking into a boardroom. Add the challenge of finding something to carry 15″ Macbook Pro and an iPad Pro and this becomes more difficult. Granted I could have gone for a conventional messenger, but with the amount of travel (and riding on a motorbike) I tend to do, my back and shoulders are starting to suffer as a result.

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Tap & Dye Legacy Spring Clip Strap Review

Introduction

Prior to getting my Fuji X-T2, I used a Black Rapid strap on my Nikon D750. A neck strap and a full frame body with pro glass is painful. With the arrival of my X-T2, I decided to go back to a neck strap as the small size of the X-T2 meant it was feasible. Sadly, most OEM straps are somewhere between “terrible” and “if this was the last strap on earth” so I decided to venture out and seek a aftermarket strap.

My key criteria for the new strap were (in no particular order):

– Something leather that fitted the XT-2’s retro theme

– Easy removal of the strap as I don’t like having a strap attached permanently

– Neck pad or some form of wider neck for heavier lenses (as opposed to the platted leather straps)

– Good quality

That’s where the Tap & Dye Legacy Spring Clip Strapcame into the picture.

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ThinkTank Retrospective 10 Review

There were not many things I missed after moving from Nikon to Fuji. I missed my TTL Flashes, I missed my 1000+ shot battery life, and I missed my Think Tank Retrospective 20. I sold the retrospective 20 when I sold my D750.

Fortunately I had my Retrospective 5 and let’s be honest, whilst the retrospective 20 was great for my full frame DSLR and a couple of full frame lenses, it’s simply too big for a mirrorless beauty like the XT-2.

The fact that I loved my Retrospective 5 and 20 should give you an indication of what I think about this bag already. It’s the same bag, but bigger than the 5 and smaller than the 20. Same construction, same material, same incredible quality.

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