Welcome to the new site

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Regular visitors will notice a change here at ThePhotoVideoGuy.ca  I have moved away from Wordpress and Netfirms to Squarespace.  Despite a lengthy presence using Wordpress, I had too many issues and my site was hacked one too many times.  So, while the move was non-trivial and more expensive, I have made the transition.  It's possible some content in older posts didn't make it.  If you see a missing element, let me know and I will try to fix things.  I am afraid that Wordpress just became too much of a target to keep using it and while the people at Netfirms were always pleasant, getting help was becoming a lot of work just to get folks to listen.

So thanks for coming by and I promise to continue to produce information of interest to you.

Special Offer from Think Tank

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Regular readers know that I am big fan of the bags from the folks at Think Tank. My friends at Think Tank Photo, who are celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary, just announced a special offer.  Whenever you order one of their Urban Disguise Shoulder bags between now and May 15th you will receive a Shoulder Harness V2.0 backpack harness by mail for free.  This harness is pretty amazing for it easily converts your shoulder bag into a backpack.  It’s great for freeing up your hands to sprint through airports for flights, for example.  To partake of this special offer, simply order the Urban Disguise bag of your choice and download and submit the online form.  Think Tank will ship your new harness right out.  And, don’t forget that by using my special URL you will receive a free gift from Think Tank with your order as well as free shipping.

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/shoulder-bags/urban-disguise.aspx?code=AP-743

REVIEW : Nikon swings for the fence with the D7200

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REVIEW : Nikon swings for the fence with the D7200

Nikon has been busy.  Not only have they been building a string of successful full frame cameras, they've been pushing hard in the crop sensor space with the new D7200.  While there has yet to be a successor to the D300S, Nikon has not dropped the ball at all.  How can I say this?  Read on... Let's start with the core specs.

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Canon Punches at 4K

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Canon Punches at 4K

Canon's EOS Cinema lineup has up to now had one 4K solution, the C500.  Brilliant but pricey piece of kit, where other video camera manufacturers have been pushing harder sooner.  Blackmagic Design has the URSA and Sony has the killer PSW-FS7 but both came in at a lower cost than the C500.  Canon has announced two new cameras, and a new recording format to try to establish a leg up in 4K.

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Unabashed Plug - John G Moore B&W Lightroom Presets

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Last year I started following this photographer from Glasgow by name of John G Moore.  I like his work.  In addition to his work with people, he does some fabulous landscape work and he tends to post these as black and white images. Since then, we've communicated back and forth and I am unabashedly giving my friend John's Lightroom Presets a push to my readers.  There are 30 BW presets in the kit, it sells for nine pounds ninety nine via PayPal and the stuff is great.  John recommends you do all your edits before applying the presets, and you can of course still tweak after that if so inclined.  It's Lightroom after all.

If you like making black and white images, and want to accelerate your work with excellent presets head over to John's website and purchase the package.  Here's an example of an image of Kettle Lake near Caledon Ontario using John's Anselmo-2 preset.

Kettle Lake JGM Anselmo 2

I Don't Think My Lens is Sharp...now what?

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I Don't Think My Lens is Sharp...now what?

My recent post on microshake and micro blur has generated a lot of very positive feedback and I thank folks for their grace and courtesy.  This article discusses steps to take when you've done all you can and believe that the issue is the combination of lens and camera.  It get's a little deep, so be brave and read on... So you've decided that your hard earned lens is not as sharp as you think it should be.  You might be right.

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But It Looked Great on the Camera LCD...

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But It Looked Great on the Camera LCD...

It happened again this week.  A former student sent me an email, "I should give up or get a different camera.  Everything looked great on the LCD but when I got the pictures into Lightroom they weren't tack sharp.  I don't know what I am doing wrong and it's making me depressed." We've all been there.  Let's look at getting to a happier place.

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The Value Proposition of Luminosity Masks

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We hear a lot about using luminosity masks.  I hear the term thrown around a lot, but when I dig in, folks often understand that they are great tools, but don't know where they come from, what one can do with them and how to make them.  In fact, I have encountered nice people who are paying $$ for Photoshop actions that make luminosity masks.  Ok.  I'm going to teach you to make your own as well.

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The Profoto B2 Off Camera Flash

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The Profoto B2 Off Camera Flash

Last year, I made the shift in battery powered strobes to the Profoto B1 system including the TTLc remote control.  Of course it does more than TTL, you have full manual control and access to the incredible assortment of Profoto light shaping tools.  Reviewers around the world loved the system and pros such as Joe McNally, Dixie Dixon and Tamara Lackey have moved to the Profoto system from alternatives.

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DXO Smart Lighting and Clearview - you probably need these tools

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DXO Smart Lighting and Clearview - you probably need these tools

I have to start this post with a "thank-you" to Mr. Thomas Stirr who writes for the most excellent Photography Life website.  Thomas recently posted his experiences using a function in DXO Optics 10 called Clearview.  I seriously kicked myself.  You see, I have hundreds of photos shot on September 1st from a helicopter and on top of a cliffside at the Grand Canyon.

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REVIEW : Phottix TTL Radio Control Systems

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REVIEW : Phottix TTL Radio Control Systems

Photographers have a love / hate relationship with flash.  On camera flash looks like crap, but as soon as we get the flash off camera, triggering it and getting good images seems to become an exercise in black magic.  Oh I know, every manufacturer has a "wireless control system" usually based on infrared, which as we know is Latin for "doesn't work in the real world."  Or only works for guys like Joe McNally.  Radio controlled remote TTL is the answer for the rest of us

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