LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Jack Graham Photography Website
Ultimate Iceland Photography Workshops Website
FOR COMPLETE 2015 Workshop info click the following link:2015 WORKSHOP_REG_DEP_FINAL
Workshop Discounts—Click the following link:2015 WORKSHOP DISCOUNTS v3
The holidays are here!!!! It really feels like that time of year as well. I live only about 20 miles from Mt Rainier and the few days without clouds allowed a magnificent view of this now snow-capped mountain… amazing.
I am going to list a few ideas for gifts for either yourself or for other photographers. Every one is a product I own and use. I can honestly tell you they will help you make better images and enjoy photography.
First, for some shameless advertising! My workshops are filling quickly (take advantage of the discounts!). Locations in the American Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Iceland ( winter and summer!), the Eastern Sierra in October, Grand Teton NP for fall color and again for winter photography, The Palouse region of Eastern Washington, Death Valley NP in February and again in November… as well as some new spots like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Arches and Canyonlands NP. It’s also our year to get back to NE Ohio for our fall in Ohio featuring a full day with the Amish workshop in October then off to Zion NP.
I am fortunate to co-lead some of these workshops with my good friends and expert teachers and photographers Guy Tal and Bill Fortney.
Why not give a gift or treat yourself? As always contact me for more information. jack@jackgrahamphoto.com
Heat 3 Smart Gloves (USE CODE JGP10 for 10% off and free shipping)
I personally tested and purchased these last month in Wyoming–yes it’s cold in December in the Tetons! Without reservation I can tell you these are the best gloves for warmth while allowing complete access to my camera dials and buttons. They were originally designed for the European Special Forces for warmth, grip and dexterity. They are the perfect extreme winter gloves for photography. I have looked for the best winter gloves that allows me full functionality of my camera while keeping as warm as possible. They simply do the trick.
They performed way above my expectations. Are they cheap? — NO! Are they the best? — YES! There is nothing like being warm when working in the field in extreme conditions.
Featuring the highest quality construction, the outer shell is made from an Elastic Microfiber with water-resistant and breathable qualities much like Gore-Tex. The palm has full goat leather for added grip, warmth and durability and the insulation is Prim aloft for optimal warmth. With a mitten and glove design, a zipper across the palm opens up to expose the fingers for working your camera. A magnetic clip holds the mitten top in place and the thumb cap uses Velcro. Heat packs can be installed on both sides of fingers and in the wrist. A draw string around the wrist of the extra-long cuffs keeps snow out and wrist safety harnesses are included. The thumb and index fingers are conductive for touch screen operations. The ultimate cold weather glove with the ultimate dexterity! —HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
E_BOOKS
There are literally thousands of really great E-Books available these days.
FOR THE GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHER:–I would strongly suggest you consider Bill Fortney’s new e-book series on general photography. These books are geared to the beginner to the advanced amateur. They are easy to get through. I would compare these to the series of books published quite a few years ago by John Shaw. Bill takes you, step by step, through all the areas of photography one needs to be proficient at in order to make consistent quality images.
In addition, for you Fuji XT-1 enthusiasts, Bill has a “Complete Guide to the XT-1” He will walk you through every menu setting carefully explaining the hows, whys and suggested settings. This is a MUST for Fuji owners.
Also check out his “Americana” e-book— it is impressive.
TAKING THINGS FURTHER— I strongly recommend buying and reading over and over every e-book written by Guy Tal. Click HERE for his selection. Guy is a thinker as well as an amazing photographer. There is not a better communicator of the art than Guy. You’ll get insights into all of the photographic processes as well as Guy’s intuitive insights into photography. You’ll be not only a better photographer for reading and learning from these books, but have a different way of looking at the world.
MY FRIENDS at HUNT’S PHOTO and VIDEO
Bataflae26L
I LOVE MY GURA GEAR—Yes I belong to the bag of the month club too, just like lots of you folks. However, just like The Really Right Stuff equipment, and Singh Ray filters etc… you do get what you pay for in bags. NO, they are not the cheapest. Which bag do I use? Well, it all depends. Frankly I have one of each of Gura Gears Bags and they all serve a specific purpose.
They use the best zippers and material available. You will not be disappointed.
LONG EXPOSURES
I am noticing an increased interest in LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY both in my workshops as well as in images I view online. You’ll need 3 things to become a good long exposure. First is a good tripod and ball head. I recommend you buy the best early in your photography life and save a lot of money. I use the REALLY RIGHT STUFF Tvc-33. And the BH-55 head. Like the gloves, they are not cheap, but I know they are going to outlast me! Second you will need a good remote shutter release system.
I use the HAHNEL GIGA PRO 2.4Ghz wireless timer (I use the Canon on my Fuji XT-1… make sure you order the one for your camera).
MOR-SLO ND’S..
Third and most important is using good quality ND filters. I see all kinds on my workshops. The bottom line is if you buy filters from anyone other than Singh-Ray you will most likely run into some color shift or lack of quality. Singh-Ray just makes the best. Again, are they cheap? —NO! Are they the best? —YES! They stand behind their products. I use a MOR-SLO 10 and 15 stop ND. I also would recommend the Vari ND. (If you call them use my code JACK10 for a 10% discount).READ MY ARTICLE ON LONG EXPOSURES ON THE CURRENT SINGH-RAY BLOG
REMEMBER.. The best way to photograph America is by using Robert Hitchman’s PHOTOGRAPH AMERICA NEWSLETTER…Tell Bob I sent you!
MISC STUFF
The best lens cleaning cloths–yes they are for auto detailing, but they are the best I’ve found for removing dust and water from my lenses, (Made by 3M).
I protect my Fuji Lenses in my GURA GEAR camera bags with pouches made by FOTO TECH…check them out!
FotoTech Extra Thick 4 pcs DSLR camera Drawstring Soft Neoprene Lens Pouch Bag Cover size S M L XL for Sony Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Panasonic with FotoTech Velvet Bag. They are inexpensive and offer good protection…
Protect your ears with the 180TEC Fleece Warmers!-these are really are great!180s Tec Fleece Ear Warmers—
FUJI BATTERIES--For under $30 you can get 2 batteries, a wall charger and an auto charger from Wasabi–click this link!—Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack) and Charger for Fujifilm NP-W126 and Fuji FinePix HS30EXR, HS33EXR, HS50EXR, X-A1, X-E1, X-E2, X-M1, X-Pro1, X-T1
What a deal—and they last as long as the factor ones from FUJI!
NOTHING TO DO WITH PHOTOGRAPHY—but this is really cool!
BOOKS
I don’t know about you but there is something about looking at a print in a book rather than on a monitor. Check out these two awesome NEW books:
THE EARTH is MY WITNESS by Art Wolfe… Art’s most comprehensive collection yet.. A must have for any photographer—buy it and get inspired!
THE EARTH”S LAST GREAT WILD PLACES by Thomas Mangelsen. Tom is one our greatest photographers and his new book is impressive. I highly recommend this as well.
FINALLY—— (and I will pour one after this blog post posts!)
I love a good gin and tonic. SO we pour 3/4th of the drink using store-bought shelf tonic-using good gin? That doesn’t make sense. —- I use Fever Tree Tonic-–very hard to find but you can find it on AMAZON .COM.
Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water launched in the UK in early 2005, the brand name chosen due to fever tree being the colloquial name for the cinchona tree in which quinine, a key ingredient for tonic, is found. The highest quality quinine was sourced from the Rwanda Congo border and blended with spring water and eight botanical flavours, including rare ingredients such as marigold extracts and a bitter orange from Tanzania. Crucially, no artificial sweeteners, preservatives or flavourings were added.
©Jack Graham Fuji XT-1/ Fuji 55-200MM/ ISO 3200,
F 5.6 at 1/4000 sec
HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!—-JG
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