Well, amazon.com has a huge selection of Canon lens hoods.

Why would I suggest you use lens hoods? Two main reasons. First the lens hood helps cut down flare and improves contrast in a photograph. If you have bright lights shining at the lens then it does wash out an image. If you want to test this use your hand to shield light from the sun or bright lights. And you will hopefully see the contrast difference. Second, I use lens hoods as protection for my lenses. I don’t believe in using UV filters on the front of my lenses for protection. And (knock on wood) lens hoods have acted as perfect protection for the front glass element of my lenses.

Why would I spend $300-$1500 on a nice lens with excellent glass and precision optics and then place a piece of plastic or a cheap piece of glass in front of the lens?

The only filter that I would use is a circular polarizers. The circular polarizer helps make blue skies bluer and clouds more contrasty and bold. It also helps make colors more saturated. Polarizers also help reduce reflections on water, green plants and even objects. They are the one filter Photoshop can’t imitate.

So there is my mini-soap box on lens hoods and circular polarizers.

I love my new camera bag – I have as many camera bags as some people have purses. This is my rolling bag that carries all my essential cameras, lenses, and some flashes.

And why I am blogging about it today? The security features built in to the bag. There are two locks for the bag. One lock is to keep the bag closed and the second lock can be used to attache the back to something stationary. Just my luck today I am showing the back locked to a plastic chair at an event from the weekend. In the future I will be doing my best to lock the back to something more solid.

Typically I like to keep things locked out of sight – maybe in the truck of the car. If that isn’t available you have to hide your bag at an event – maybe there is a backroom that limits access to the general public.

The best security is to keep your gear on you. If you can’t, then keep it out of view and as many obstacles such as locks to keep it safe.

Lock up your camera gear!

Think Tank Photo Airport Security 2

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.

Excellent question and of course there is a small debate whether you should cover your LCD screen with a plastic protector. My Nikon cameras came with plastic covers and I use them ALL the time. If I want I can pop the cover off and put it back again afterwards. Over the years there are scratches, nicks, and even some dust.

I have had my Canon 5D Mark II for a week now and it did NOT come with a plastic cover and there is now a crack in the LCD screen. I am writing this post out of shear “ticked off-ness” cause it has only been a week and I am brought to great sadness. I’ll get it repaired – it hopefully will only be $15 to fix – but it is possible it’ll cost a lot more money. I am living with the regret that if I had found a 3rd party plastic cover my LCD screen would not be broken.

Do plastic covers get in the way? I don’t think so – I am use to them. And to be honest the best way to enjoy my photographs isn’t on an LCD screen – but on a wall print!

So here is what a broken LCD screen looks like – photographs are going to be so beautifully displayed with that scar running through the high definition display. Remember people, using a plastic cover on an LCD screen is like insurance (or using condoms) no one likes to use them but the are necessary to avoid accidents or in the case of insurance pay for those accidents.

Canon 5D Mark II broken LCD screen

Another view of my broken Canon 5D Mark II.

Canon 5D Mark II broken LCD screen

And here is my Nikon D90 – with the plastic cover. I have never had a problem with the plastic cover – I can see through it and I know my camera is relatively safe. This is how to protect your camera.

Nikon D90 with the plastic LCD cover

And this is my Nikon D90 without the plastic cover. It takes less than a second to pop off and a second to pop back on. Yes the images look great with the plastic protection, they look better without the plastic protection, and they look their best on a computer monitor or as a wall portrait!

Nikon D90 without plastic LCD cover