If you are interested in HDR (high dynamic range imagery) then check out this video of Trey Ratcliff – he is lecturing at Google on the whole concept and practice of HDR. Really cool to watch if you want to get into HDR. It is an hour long so grab a banana, drink, and a notepad. I think I watched this twice.

If you are getting paid to photograph there are a ton of things that will qualify you as a professional – and there are a few things that will destroy your reputation if you don’t plan ahead.

If you have one camera and one lens and call yourself a professional then hang your head in shame. What happens if you are photographing a wedding – and suddenly your only camera takes a nose dive onto the cement? Then you are a up a creek without a paddle – a photographer without a camera is just a bystander.

This rule can also apply to batteries, lenses, flashes, and memory cards. If your only lens suddenly won’t focus or cracks and you are about to photograph the CEO of a major corporation then that is bad news. Sure you can grab a credit card and run to a camera store – but sometimes that is not an option.

For any paid gig – I always have a back up camera, lenses, flashes, and gear in the truck of my car or a secured location where I can get to it if the worst happens. This past week my brand new camera had to be sent in to the shop – fortunately I have 2 other DSLRs ready to pick up the slack. If those fail I do have a film camera, a point and shoot and even some Holgas.

So invest in a second camera body – and make sure it is one you like to use. A few years ago my backup camera was so old and out of date that when I actually had to use it – it was a painful experience. The next day I bought my Nikon D90. And I now frequently will photograph with both my backup camera and my main camera (the Nikon D300).

Also have some backup lenses. I had to send in my Nikkor f/2.8 70-200mm lens for some cleaning and repair – while it was gone I had several lenses that would help cover that focal range. And if I had a big event I can plan ahead and rent a second lens as a backup.

LowePro Memory Card Wallet

Ok, this might not apply to people who have just one memory card and never approach the point of filling it up. However, if you are photographing a big event – such as a wedding – chances are you use several memory cards. How do you keep track of the ones that are full and the ones that are empty?

I learned this little trick a few years ago – my memory cards start empty before I put them into the memory card wallet. I don’t know how many times I put a “fresh” memory card into the camera and start photographing only to realize there are 100 photographs from a previous photo shoot. So I format the cards before I put them in the wallet.

In the memory card wallet I put the branding label face up – to the right you see two memory cards – on the bottom is the shiny gold label – that means the card is empty. When I fill up a memory card I put the card inside the wallet with the white label face up – as you can see on the top of the photograph.

This is an easy method to keep track of memory cards and helps minimize mistakes. You definitely don’t want to erase photos till they are copied to your computer and backed up.

And if you are copying the photographs to a laptop while in the field or – don’t erase the photographs on the memory card till you have created a second copy of those either on a second hard drive or a blank DVD.

Another tip – keep the memory cards on you all the time. If your bag gets stolen with the memory cards inside that could be more damaging than losing the equipment itself. Equipment can always be replaced – photographs can’t.

How much have you invested into photography? $300? $3,000? $30,000? What would happen if someone breaks into your car and steals your camera equipment?

The long answer is – it depends! That is because it depends on if you are a professional or if you are just a hobbyist.

If you are a hobbyist then you should have renters insurance or homeowners insurance and you should be able to file a claim if your equipment is stolen, lost or damaged (check with your insurance to know for sure).

If you are a professional (even part time) then you should have business insurance. For two reasons first – most homeowners or renters insurance won’t cover your equipment if they find out you are making money off of your equipment. Second, you want to have some liability insurance in case someone decides to sue you. Imagine someone trips on your tripod or your lighting gear – and people are pretty sue happy these days. So cover your assets!

A fellow photographer had her car broken into and the thieves stole about $20,000 worth of camera gear and even a laptop and she wasn’t insured. That can just destroy a person. Don’t let that happen to you.

Get get some insurance!

I already received my first question on for dav.d photography tips. Woo hoo! Now is my chance to screw it all up! Kidding of course.

“David, I frequently shoot events and carry my gear with me. I am looking for a setup that will allow me to change lenses with just one body. I am looking heavily into the Think Tank Photo gear. Any thoughts?” Alex

I absolutely love Think Tank Photo’s bags. I own a few of them already – my latest bag is the Think Tank Streetwalker Pro which is great to carry a pro sized DSLR with a lens attached and a number of lenses and flashes. And like all the Think Tank Photo gear it has a ton of little pockets to store memory cards and accessories.

However, using bags at events is always a bit of a challenge. And depending on the event I would recommend different bags. For events like weddings, parties, or events where there are a LOT of people I want to be able to sneak through the crowd without bumping into people – and backpack just gets in the way.

For these situations I use the Shootsac which can hold 3 lenses and memory cards, batteries and other items in 6 pockets. 3 of the pockets are designed for lenses and the other 3 are for the other items (including a lot of business cards). And the Shootsac lays flat against my body – they should design a better strap for the bag – it rests on one shoulder and it can get a bit sore after a few hours. I will admit that the Shootsac borders on looking like a purse – you can even buy different covers for the Shootsac that will personalize the bag for you.

The big advantage of the Shootsac is sneaking through crowds without knocking them over or bumping things off tables. Not good at weddings or parties.

For other events – like sports – or outdoors I will use my Think Tank Photo Streetwalker Pro – or my LowePro FastPack 350 – the LowePro is cool because it’ll hold a 17″ laptop, pro camera with 70-200mm lens and 4 other lenses or flashes. And it has a big pocket for miscellaneous items.

And finally, I have never used it, but I hear people rave about the Think Tank Photo belt system. You buy a belt and then you can attach a number of modular components. It is very customizable, however, it is one step more nerdy than wearing a photo vest. However, if you are shooting sports and you need a lot of gear with you – and a backpack isn’t going to cut it – the belt system would be ideal.