Photography

Podcasting

What would you recommend as essential gear for the photographer getting started in podcasts?

Photographer's Essential Gear for Podcasting: Microphone, Webcam, Headphones

What is essential gear for a photographer that wants to get started in podcasting? This one's right up my alley because I do the behind the shock podcast. And the first thing I would do is answer your question with a question. What do you mean by podcast? So traditionally a podcast is Audio Only and is available only in podcast applications like apple podcasts but in today's day and age like I do a lot of podcasts include a video component and that video is either placed on YouTube or it's also available in podcast apps. If the podcast app supports video, that's what I do my videos in both places, but you have to decide. Do you want that video component? So for this conversation, let's assume you want both. Number one, you need a good microphone. And I stress that because even in a video format, the audio in my opinion is 80% of the quality. If you have breaking up Zoom video or pixelated, Zoom video many people will still watch or listen to it as long as the audio is good but it could be the most pristine picture on Earth and if for some reason, the audio sounds bad, it will become ear fatiguing and people will tune out. And so for that reason, I would That you by ashore microphone. A short mv7 and I will put a link to it down below for a camera for your video. I would recommend not using the built-in camera of your laptop or your iMac or something like that, by a good webcam. The cheapest one, probably that you'll be able to get as a LogiTech C920, but you could also get a Logitech Brio or if you've got a camera, like, I use my Canon 5D Mark for, as my webcam. If you've got a nice camera, you can buy an HDMI interface, take HDMI out of your camera and run that into the computer as well. One other thing you will need is headphones, because if you're recording with guests, you don't want their audio coming out of your speakers and going into your microphone causing an echo and same on their end. Your guests will need to have headphones other than that, you'll be pretty well set and good luck podcasting.

To get started in podcasting, you will need a good microphone (I recommend the Shure MV7), a webcam, headphones and possibly an HDMI interface if you have a nice camera. Good luck!

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For a photographer looking to get started in podcasting, the essential gear will depend on the type of podcast you want to create. Traditionally, podcasts are audio-only and available on podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts. However, many podcasts now include a video component that can be shared on platforms like YouTube or in video-supported podcast apps. Assuming you want to incorporate both audio and video, here are the key gear recommendations:

1. A good microphone: Audio quality is crucial, even in a video format. Invest in a reliable microphone to ensure clear and crisp audio. A recommended option is the Shure MV7, which provides excellent sound quality.

2. Camera for video: Avoid using the built-in camera on your laptop or iMac. Instead, opt for a good webcam like the Logitech C920, which is a cost-effective choice. Alternatively, if you have a high-quality camera like a Canon 5D Mark IV, you can use an HDMI interface to connect it to your computer for video recording.

3. Headphones: When recording with guests, it's important to use headphones to prevent audio feedback and echo. This ensures a clean and professional sound. Make sure your guests also have headphones for their end of the recording.

With these essential gear items, you'll be well-equipped to start your podcasting journey. Good luck with your podcasting endeavors!

What's Inside a Pro Photographer's Camera Bag?

So one of the best questions ever is what's in your camera bag. I love looking through people's camera bags and this is the think tank Airport International Version to the current version is a version 3 Minds older but I love this bag. I live in this bag, it's fantastic outside stretchy pocket. I keep a badge holder so I don't have to ruin my concert photo passes and I keep my flashbender which again this is what I use on my flashes when I do meet and greet. I keep a spare single black rapid camera strap. They also have some over-the-counter type earplugs in here that work really well. This camera also has an outside pocket where I keep my pens and stuff, and there is a cable lock in here so that you can lock stuff up to the bag, which is actually really nice. We're going to get into that more in a minute. On the outside, you have a TSA locked for the zipper and on the back of the bag, this is actually the best part. When I go to the arena, sometimes I have to leave this in a conference room, where other photographers are. Well, there is a complete Locking System to lock this bag up to stuff. Let's take a look inside. Inside this bag holds an awful lot of stuff. I'm just going to clean this here. It's got pockets, I keep great cards, remote triggers memory cards, and then the bulk of the bag, we'll start at the front, go back, that's a Canon EOS R5. Canon, EOS are 60 70 to 200 2.8. This is my Chargeable, double a batteries, my normal camera batteries and under here hidden is a sigma 15. Mm 2.8. I don't use it much anymore. You'll know why in a minute, then I have my custom molded earplugs. My Canon are to EF mount adapter and my pro-grade digital card reader for offloading pictures. When I'm on a job and they need him right away. This is a 15 to 35 2.8, a 24 to 70 2.8. Of cleaning cloths, double black rapid strap and a sigma, 150 to 600 variable aperture and last but not least, I carry with me masks. You have to have those everywhere to Canon 600 flashes and that's pretty much everything that's in my bag. So thanks for the question.

The best question ever is what’s in your camera bag? My bag holds a Canon EOS R5, a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 lens, a Sigma 15mm 2.8 lens, a custom molded earplugs, a Canon EF mount adapter, a pro-grade digital card reader, a 15-35mm 2.8 lens, a 24-70mm 2.8 lens, double black rapid straps, a sigma 150-600 variable aperture, cleaning cloths and masks.

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One of the best questions to ask is, What's in your camera bag? I love exploring what people carry in their camera bags. Personally, I use the Think Tank Airport International Version 3. It's an older version, but I find it fantastic. It has an outside stretchy pocket where I keep a badge holder for my concert photo passes and a flashbender for meet and greet sessions. I also carry a spare single Black Rapid camera strap and some over-the-counter earplugs that work well.

The bag has an outside pocket where I keep pens and other small items, and there's a cable lock inside to secure belongings. The bag also features a TSA lock for the zipper. The best part is the locking system on the back, which allows me to secure the bag to objects when I need to leave it in a conference room with other photographers.

Now, let's take a look inside. The bag has various pockets where I keep SD cards, remote triggers, and memory cards. In terms of gear, I carry a Canon EOS R5 and a Canon EOS R6, along with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. I also have rechargeable AA batteries, regular camera batteries, and a Sigma 15mm f/2.8 lens (although I don't use it much anymore).

Other items in my bag include custom-molded earplugs, a Canon RF to EF mount adapter, and a ProGrade Digital card reader for quick picture offloading during jobs. I also carry a Canon 15-35mm f/2.8 lens, a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, cleaning cloths, a double Black Rapid strap, a Sigma 150-600mm variable aperture lens, and masks (a must-have these days). Additionally, I have two Canon 600 flashes.

That's pretty much everything that's in my camera bag. Thanks for the question!

How often do you swap lenses whilst on assignment? Or do you use more than one camera instead?

Photographer's Lens Swapping Strategy: A Little Bit of Both

How often do I swap lenses while on assignment? Or do I use more than one camera body? And for me, it's a little bit of both. I'm Alive music photographer and so, I'm limited how long I can photograph generally for any band on stage, it's their first three songs and then I'm done until the next band takes the stage. So having a wide variety of focal lengths is advantageous at quick notice. So for example, I carry a cannon R5 on my right hip 45 megapixels, and it can in our six on my left hip 20 megapixels, and that are six. Always has a wide angle on it generally, nowadays. That's the cannon RF 15 to 35 2.8 and the reason is in case something like this happens periodically you'll be in the photo pit and you might have the R5 up to your face with a 24 to 70 2.8 or a 70 to 200 2.8. And suddenly the bass player comes up and sticks. The head of his bass, in your face, being able to drop the one camera and grab the R6 from my left, hip with a femoral. In the 35 enables, you to capture something like this on the right hip. I always have the Canon R5 and by the way that left hip, I'm not going to crop it a lot because usually, if somebody's in my face, I'm just lucky to even get them in it at 15 millimeters on the right hip. I will look at the stage at the beginning of the night and decide how far back is the drummer, how spread out is the band? How high is the stage and decide? Should I start with a 24 to 70 or a 70 to 200? And whichever one I think is best I'll start with If I switch lenses perhaps between songs depending on how I think it went. And so for song, number two, I'll use the opposite lens, 7200 24, to 70. And then song 3, I will go with out of those to the one that I think performed the best. So it's a little of the both for me.

As an event photographer, I use both a Canon R5 and R6 with a variety of lenses depending on the situation. Generally the R6 has a wide angle on it and the R5 will either have a 24-70 or 70-200 lens attached. Depending on how the band is setup and the size of the stage, I will decide which lens to start with for each song. I may switch between songs if needed for optimal performance.

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When on assignment, I often swap lenses and also use multiple camera bodies. As a live music photographer, I have limited time to capture shots during a band's performance, typically the first three songs. Therefore, having a variety of focal lengths readily available is advantageous.

I carry a Canon R5 on my right hip, which has 45 megapixels, and an EOS R6 on my left hip, which has 20 megapixels. The EOS R6 usually has a wide-angle lens attached, such as the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8. This setup allows me to quickly switch cameras if unexpected moments arise. For example, if a band member comes up close and sticks their bass head in my face, I can drop the camera in my right hand and grab the EOS R6 from my left hip with the 35mm lens to capture the moment.

On my right hip, I always have the Canon R5 with a lens like the 24-70mm f/2.8. On the left hip, I use the wide-angle lens since I don't crop those shots much due to the close proximity of subjects. Before the performance starts, I assess the stage, the band's positioning, and the stage height to determine whether to start with a 24-70mm or a 70-200mm lens. I may switch lenses between songs based on how I feel the shots are turning out. For example, if I used the 70-200mm lens for the second song, I might switch to the 24-70mm lens for the third song if I think it will perform better.

So, in summary, I employ a combination of lens swapping and using multiple camera bodies to ensure I can capture the best shots during live music assignments.

Out of 100 photos you take on an assignment, how many of them do you end up happy with the result?

Intriguing Insight: Photographer's Hit Ratio Revealed - Only 10% of Shots Turned Into Clients

Out of 100 photos that I shoot on a job. How many am I happy with? In other words? What's my hit ratio and that's going to vary show to show is Alive music photographer, one show, maybe great lighting conditions, another show, not so much or I may be doing an all-day Festival. Where half of the day is in the daylight and a half of the show, is your normal outdoor lighting. So, it's going to change a little bit. Normally, let's take an example of three bands at a show to openers and a headliner, all shoot, Anywhere from 100 to maybe 300 of the opening bands depending on whether or not, they're the James Taylor type standing at a microphone, singing or more the metal type that are swinging hair and jumping in the air. The headliner, I might do 300 to 500 shots, so it's not uncommon for me to come home from an evening at a show with 500 images. 700 images, 1000 images. Generally, I'm probably in the 10% range that I will turn into a client. If I have 500 shots that I'm keeping out of 1,000 that I shot at a show, 500 get tossed. I keep 500, I might give the client 50. Now, the truth is, for me, personally, I might like a hundred of those 500, that's 20%, but usually 50 is what I'll turn into a client. And the ones that I would consider portfolio. I'm lucky if I get one per show. Thanks for the question.

I usually keep 10% of the photos that I shoot at a show, but out of that 10%, I'm only likely to get one photo that I consider portfolio-worthy.

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Out of 100 photos I take on an assignment, the number of photos I end up being happy with varies depending on the specific job. As a live music photographer, different shows have different lighting conditions. For example, one show may have great lighting while another may not. Additionally, if I'm shooting an all-day festival, half of the day may have daylight conditions while the other half has typical outdoor lighting.

To give an example, let's consider a show with three bands: two openers and a headliner. I may shoot anywhere from 100 to 300 photos of the opening bands, depending on their performance style. For the headliner, I might capture 300 to 500 shots. So, it's not uncommon for me to come home from a show with 500, 700, or even 1000 images.

Generally, I end up keeping around 10% of the shots I took to turn into a client. For instance, if I shot 1000 photos and kept 500, I might give the client around 50 images. Personally, out of those 500, I may personally like around 100, which is about 20%. However, I typically only select around 50 images to deliver to the client or consider for my portfolio.

In summary, the number of photos I am happy with out of 100 can vary, but on average, I aim to deliver around 50 images to the client and consider one photo per show for my portfolio.

What was the first camera body and lens you owned ?

From beginner's mistake to low light photography passion

What was the first camera body and lens that I own? Well, it was an original, Canon xti. I bought it from a Ritz Camera years and years ago. It came with a kit lens, which was 18 to 55. But the first lens that I bought with it was a 72 300 F-35 to 56 and interestingly, that is the biggest mistake I've ever made in photography. I was photographing from up in the football stands at a high school football game. My son's marching band during halftime. Time and I didn't know photography. Well. So with a variable aperture lens I would have a Perfect Exposure at 70. Mm. And then, I went zoom in on my son and all those pictures were way under exposed, that mistake of buying a variable aperture lens. And not realizing the act of zooming was going to change my exposure turned out to be the best education that I got. It forced me to really learn and exposure triangle and understand what was was happening. And it's kind of what caused me to fall in love with low light action photography. And it's the reason I photograph live music today. Thanks for the question, Ryan.

The first camera body and lens that I owned was a Canon xti with the kit lens, 18 to 55. The first lens I bought was a 72 300 F-35 to 56. It was a variable aperture lens which caused me some problems but it also forced me to understand the exposure triangle and fall in love with low light action photography.

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The first camera body and lens that I owned was the original Canon xti, which I purchased from a Ritz Camera store many years ago. It came with a kit lens, the 18-55mm. However, the first lens I bought separately was a 72-300mm f/3.5-5.6.

Interestingly, this lens turned out to be the biggest mistake I made in photography. I was photographing my son's marching band during halftime at a high school football game from the stands. I didn't have a good understanding of photography at the time. With a variable aperture lens, I had a perfect exposure at 70mm. But when I zoomed in to capture my son, all the pictures turned out underexposed. This mistake of not realizing that zooming would change the exposure taught me a valuable lesson.

It forced me to learn about the exposure triangle and understand how different settings affect the outcome. This experience sparked my love for low-light action photography and eventually led me to photograph live music events today.

So, the first camera body I owned was the Canon xti, and the first lens I bought was the 72-300mm. It may have been a mistake, but it provided me with a valuable education in photography.

Canon: My Favorite Camera Brand, But Your Mileage May Vary

What's my favorite camera brand? I am a Canon shooter but let me clarify the word favorite for just a second. There's a lot of camera brands. Canon, Nikon Panasonic, Sony Fuji the list goes on and on, and each one of those brands has ambassadors, professional photographers that make sellable images with that gear. All the camera brands, have the capability of making amazing images. So why would one brand be your Everett or my favorite. Well in my case, when I was first buying a camera, I walked into what at the time was Ritz Camera. Remember them and the person behind the counter brought out two camera bodies for me because I didn't know anything about photography. And one of them was a cannon and one of them was an icon, and I picked the Canon for one simple reason. It felt better in my hand and to this day, the ergonomics, the menu structure the way, the camera works. It makes sense to my brain, but that doesn't mean that a z9 from Nikon doesn't make sense in the hands of a moose Peterson. So my favorite camera brand is Canon, but your mileage may vary. Thanks for the question.

My favorite camera brand is Canon because of the ergonomics, menu structure, and how it works with my brain, but others may prefer a different brand.

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My favorite camera brand is Canon, but let me explain what favorite means in this context. There are numerous camera brands out there, including Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Fuji, and many more. Each brand has professional photographers who create exceptional images with their gear. All camera brands have the capability to produce amazing images.

So, why would one brand be considered a favorite? In my case, when I was purchasing my first camera, I went to Ritz Camera. The person behind the counter presented me with two options: a Canon and a Nikon. I chose Canon because it felt better in my hand. To this day, I appreciate the ergonomics, menu structure, and overall functionality of Canon cameras. However, this doesn't mean that a Nikon Z9 wouldn't make sense for someone like Moose Peterson.

Ultimately, my personal favorite camera brand is Canon, but it's important to note that your preference may differ. Thank you for the question.

Steve Brazill answers your Photography questions. See all the advice Steve Brazill has and get answers to your own Photography questions.

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Steve Brazill is a music photographer based in Southern California. He is also the host of the Behind the Shot Podcast. Music has been a special force in Steve’s life for as long as he can remember. As a radio host, emcee, and voice actor, he’s been around the music and entertainment industry for many years. You can find him on air at KCAL FM where he also handles their concert photography. Steve is one of the photographers at Toyota Arena where his goal is to combine his love of music and photography and tell viewers a story about the show. 