“My fingers are killing me, they are so cooled!” I hear this A LOT from photographers even though they have gloves. And if I got paid a dime for every time I’ve taken photographers to a store to get “better” gloves, well I wouldn’t need to write a blog anymore. Seriously, folks with tens of thousands of dollars in camera gloves have the cheapest, single pair of gloves, I just don’t get it. Many get those hand warmer packets which sometimes work but are always an environmental issue with me. Now I post this piece on Gloves every year but I see I didn’t connect the dots for many and wanted to do so now with a very effective way the group came up with in Yellowstone in January. Glove Levels!
The gloves and mittens you see here, I don’t just own these, I take them ALL with me whenever I think it’s going to be cold. And when I go out shooting, I have the ALL with me to keep my hands warm according to temperatures. When the wind comes up, you put on Level 1, when there’s wind and cold, Level 2 and when it’s really, really cold, Level 3 and since I’m the only one who owns the mittens (besides my wife Sharon), I have a Level 4. And there are times when I will wear a Level 1 under my Level 4 so I guess we could call that a Level 5. Now if you only brought a Level 1 and I’m wearing a Level 5, who do you think is going to have cold fingers? Bottomline is pretty darn simple, you think you’re going to need gloves, have Level 1 through Level 3 with you IN THE FIELD so can enjoy the great shooting at hand. Here’s my recommendations for Level 1 through 3 gloved for this year.
Our sons got into xcross skiing and I found the Swix gloves and fell in love. From past experience, I bought 3 pairs of gloves for different temps. Though this year I had to replace none of my gloves, I went looking to answer the question, “What gloves this year?”. I’ve got to tell you, I was pretty disappointed in what I found. It’s like gloves and glove technology took a back seat in design. Gloves A (Level 1) (Swik Universal XC Ski Glove) & B (Level 2) (Swik Icon Universal Insulated Glove) are the style I wear the majority of the time. This first pair (A ) is when it’s just starting to get cold. This next pair Swik Icon Universal Insulated glove(B ) is what I wear probably the most of all of these. The Swix Icon Universal Insulated Glove (same glove as I recommended in years past) simply rock with lots of warmth and flexibility. They have a special material on the top to cut the wind. These are the gloves I always have in my jacket and take care of my hands the majority of my shooting. When going to extremes like when the air temp hovers around zero of lower, I turn to ice climber gloves (Level 3). These seem to change every other day and this season is no different. The pair I got years ago is now gone (but still serve me well), the closest is the Rab IceFall Gloves (Glove C ). They do look bulky but I found them to work really well. They keep the digits warm, permit basic operation and ability to push some buttons. You can push all the buttons on the camera body. You can even run a video camera with them. Unlike years past, I could point you to REI for all the gloves but not this year. What’s up with that?????
My favorite though is ones my family gave me years ago for ultimate in cold weather protection. These gloves mittens I love to shoot with! Actually, they are custom made trapper mittens that are strictly for cold weather use.
How cold? Well, at 12degrees my hands were almost uncomfortably warm, not perspiring but almost too much warmth. Working in places like Yellowstone or the Arctic in the winter, these mittens are so perfect. Yeah, I can squeeze off the shutter, no, can’t work any other feature on the body. No, can’t buy these at REI. They are a two layer mitten, a heavy wool removable liner, and outer Beaver fur. I just can’t wait to get out in the cold and put them to use! Thanks, family!
Many ask about “Photographer Gloves” you see nearly everywhere. The only pair I’ve tried I feel I can mention with all good conscious is the RUCPAC Glove. I’ve had many a photographer walk up to me with their “Photographer Gloves” on to say, “They suck!” Now this is a personal thing (which others have made the same comment), but “finger tipless” gloves just don’t work for me. If they do for you, great, but since they don’t for me, I have no recommendations. One other hand warmer I can highly recommend to you is
the DSLR Parka Cold and Rain Protector. This is my third year using it and it is so simple but sooo effective! It’s really simple, you place your camera/lens inside and place your hands inside and you shoot. You can shoot easily down to zero with no gloves easily with this. You can put a flash through the top slot and see everything through the viewfinder and LCD with the clear, back panel. It’s really simple to attach or remove and get your hands inside to your gear. The inside lining is soo soft as well, it just screams “come in!” It fits anybody, any lens as well as any size of hands. If you’re shooting with a Nikon AFS lens, be sure to have it set to M/A and not A/M. Otherwise, this is the perfect outdoor photographer accessory. I’ll have it the end of the month at Bosque for those cold mornings. Oh, BTW … it makes a great sound blimp too!
I’ve takin my WD 1TB My Passport Wireless SSD for its first road trip and I’m impressed! Cutting to the chase, ya, it’s fast! What makes this storage system unique is it’s both SSD and wireless. Why would you want this? Let’s say you have to go light, really light with tight space. You could use the WD 1TB or 2TB Wireless MyPassport along with an iPad Pro and easily handle all your photo uploads, finishing and sending. The Wireless MyPassport has a built-in SD reader that with the My Cloud WD app, you can do all your normal work with just these two devises. Now is it fast? Here are its specs:
WD My Passport Wireless SSD Specs
Storage Capacity 1 TB
Connection Interface 1 x USB 3.0 (USB Type-A)
Maximum Read Speed 390 MB/s
but whether hardwire or wireless, it does fly, way faster than I thought it would be for sure. At the same time, they are rugged! They are about twice the size of a normal 1/2TB drive but with their built-in power, reader and wireless and ability to be dropped (which I’ve done on purpose from five feet a dozen times now), they take a lickin and keep on tickin! I will say they are a specialty drive for sure and their price reflects that but in the field, rugged, fast drive, they are matched by none!
We had a marvelous Live Broadcast last night, thanks to ALL who joined in live! I spent the 44minutes going over how I finish an image in ACR, Photoshop and Luminar. You can watch the rebroadcast here. It might just give you ideas about your landscape photography to help move it forward!
We’re just back from a great week in Yosemite and I couldn’t wait to print the image above! Why of all my images from Yosemite did I print this one first? You all know how I love snow, I spend a lot of time in it and more to my love, photographing it. I’m always amazed to meet folks though who have never seen or experienced snow so, besides myself, I want to bring that experience to them. I have a big set of tricks and techniques I’ve come up with over the years to accomplish that. For example, having a darker background lets the falling snow pop out more. The one thing I was lacking in all my shooting up until now was the ability to bring out the fine detail of the slow, silent, soft snowfall on a windless day. Another important tool has been added to the arsenal and seeing how well it did is why I printed the top photo PDQ when I got back in the office!
What came to the arsenal is the gorgeous files of the D850 and in this instance, coupled to the amazingly sharp 70-200f4. First I wanted the fine detail of the bare oak limbs outlined in white to pop in the photo. Ya, I realize it’s not everyone’s kinda photo but it’s mine. Then I wanted the softly falling snow to come through, even finer detail. Shooting at f/4, 1/40 (ISO64) using shutter speed and DoF to make these elements pop is an old technique of mine. But the D850 took it to a new level for me! FEELING the falling snow in the 24×30 print jumps out in a way it’s not before. I’m so excited to take snow to a new level so now there is no question, got snow?!
I had someone email asking me to do a podcast on how I “store’ my gear when I’m back in the office. While not enough to make a podcast, I wanted to answer their question. Taking care of our gear is an essential part of being a photographer. The Ruggard Electronic Dry Cabinet (80L shown or smaller 30L not shown). This is where the equipment is the majority of the time and since the first time I posted this great case, many have emailed to say they bought and love it. The rest of the time gear in its appropriate Think Tank, either a roller or MP-1. The main thing is the gear is cleaned if it doesn return to the office clean, first thing. You can watch my cleaning videos here sensor cleaning and my KelbyOne Class on Gear Maintenance that fills in the rest of the holes. Hope it helps.
The video says it all for us, we LOVE the Video Tripod Mngr 44! Here are the specs for this bad boy:
Standout Features:
*Crush-resistant ABS twinwall reinforcement provides impact protection
*Shock-absorbing wheels roll smoothly and hold up under the toughest conditions
*Protective zipper flap keeps zippers running smooth after years of use
*Holds cinema sized tripods, stands, sliders and/or modifiers up to 40”
*Included lock and cable to secure the main compartment and your case to a fixed object
*Rectangular stackable shape for portability and space saving
*Multiple tie-down straps secure your tripod, stands or slider when transporting between locations
*Coffin-style opening gives unencumbered access to gear
*Eight exterior handles for team lift and easier lifting and loading
*YKK® RC Fuse zippers, 1680D ballistic nylon and ABS Twinwall reinforcement are the highest quality materials in the industry
*Bolster cushions provide support for different sized gear
*ID plate can be registered on the Think Tank website to help your lost or stolen bag be returned
*Large interior mesh pockets for organizing your tools and accessories
*Adjustable lid straps keep bag open and accessible
*Rear skid rails and tall wheel housings allow you to load and unload from a vehicle with ease
*Easy-to-clean internal bottom lining for those messy location shoots
*Clear pocket for documents and easy identification on top panel
*User replaceable wheels and hardware
SPECIFICATIONS-
Interior Dimensions:
9.8” W x 40.2 H x 9.8” D (25 x 102 x 25 cm)
Exterior Dimensions:
12.6” W x 44.5” H x 12.6” D (32 x 113 x 32 cm)
Weight:
17.8 lbs. (8 kg)
