Patrick Zeller

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artaios
25/05/2021
Mount Rushmore - Gigapixel

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Mount Rushmore – Gigapixel

Der Roadtrip – USA Midwest

Wie die Zeit vergeht! Heute vor fünf Jahren waren wir auf unserem bisher größten Roadtrip von Chicago aus in den Westen unterwegs. Auf dieser Tour haben wir viele einmalige Eindrücke mitgenommen.

Unser erster Stopp war an den Sioux Falls. Danach gin es weiter über die Badlands in die Black Hills, wo auch das Gigapixel des berühmten Mount Rushmore entstanden ist. Weiter ging es in den Yellowstone Notional Park und von dort zu den Crater of the Moon. Am Ende haben wir von Denver an jedes US State Capitol bis zurück nach Chicago mitgenommen – beeindruckende Architektur und Kultur![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Das Gigapixel – Making of

Es sind unglaublich viele Bilder auf diesem Tripp entstanden, aber bereits im Vorfeld hatte ich mich auf das Gigapixel von Mount Rushmore gefreut. Tatsächlich musste ich aber danach erst noch ein Upgrade meiner Workstation abwarten, bis ich zwei Jahre später die Bilder in voller Pracht bearbeiten konnte – die 16GB RAM waren einfach nicht genug. Mit einem Upgrade auf 64GB war es dann später möglich.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Hardware / Ausrüstung

Bei der Aufnahme hatte ich die Wahl zwischen meiner Canon 5D MkIV oder meiner Canon 80D. Am Ende habe ich mich trotz geringerer Auflösung jedoch wegen des Crop-Faktors für die 80D entschieden. Als Linse hatte ich mein Canon EF 100-400 IS II zur Hand. Als Panoramakopf verwende ich seit jeher den Nodal Ninja Ultimate MD2 mit RD8-II.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Software / Tools

Die Bilder sind mit drei Belichtungsstufen als HDR berechnet und über PtGui gestiched. Der Himmel und der äußere Rand wurden mit niedrigerer Auflösung ergänzt und das Bild abzurunden – wenn ihr schon mal versucht habt einen einfachen, blauen Himmel oder einen mit bewegten Wolken zu stichen (zusammensetzen der einzelnen Bilder) wisst ihr warum. Durch die Wolken und damit wechselnden Lichtverhältnisse war es schon schwer genug ein weitgehend einheitliches Bild zusammen zu bekommen. Denn die manuelle Aufnahme der Bilderreihen hat über eine Stunde benötigt.

Die Datei ist im PSB Format über 9 Gigabyte groß und lässt sich aufgrund der Größe erst garnicht als JPG exportieren. Das Endergebnis habe ich dann mit KrPano zu einem Multi-Layer Flat Gigapixel Panorama verarbeitet und veröffentlicht.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Das Ergebnis

Hier seht ihr nun das Ergebnis. Zoomt einfach mal rein und entdeckt die ganzen Details auf diesem Gigapixel:[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZwYXR6ZWxsZXIuY29tJTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkZwYW5vJTJGbXRydXNobW9yZSUyRmluZGV4Lmh0bWwlMjIlMjB3aWR0aCUzRCUyMjEwMCUyNSUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjcwMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]

Nachwort

Ich denke heute würde ich von der Bearbeitung einige Dinge etwas anders machen, aber auch PS und LR bieten fünf Jahre später deutlich mehr Möglichkeiten – wer weiß, vielleicht gehe ich ja tatsächlich die RAW Aufnahmen irgend wann noch einmal an.

Bis dahin, viel Spaß und hinterlasst einen Kommentar oder schreibt mir, wenn Euch gefällt was ihr hier seht.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=“1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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artaios
30/03/2021
So bereitest Du dich als Model für ein Shooting vor (m/w/d)

[vc_row css=“.vc_custom_1617659409775{padding-right: 20% !important;padding-left: 20% !important;}“ uniqid=“606b853bdef77″][vc_column width=“2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=“So bereitest Du dich als Model für ein Shooting vor!“ font_container=“tag:h2|font_size:60|text_align:left|line_height:1″ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617659018920{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}“][vc_custom_heading text=“Top 10 Tipps und Tricks“ font_container=“tag:h3|font_size:30|text_align:left“ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617659030968{margin-top: 0px !important;}“][vc_column_text]Tipps fürs Models vor dem Shooting – Wir beide haben einen Termin. Du hast bei mir ein Shooting gebucht oder wir haben uns auf ein TfP geeinigt. Ein Headshot, Beauty, Portrait, Sport oder etwas ganz individuelles. Egal wie, Du wirst während unserem Treffens im Mittelpunkt stehen, ob Du willst oder nicht. 😉

Jetzt ist nicht jeder von uns ein geborenes Model (falls es das überhaupt gibt) und das macht auch gar nichts. Dafür bin ich ja da um Dich zu coachen und anzuleiten. Denn mein Job ist viel mehr als nur auf den Auslöser der Kamera zu drücken und mit dem Licht zu spielen.

Du bist nervös und etwas unsicher? Keine Sorge, dass geht fast allen so und legt sich aus Erfahrung aber ganz schnell, sobald wir einmal anfangen haben.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=“1/3″][vc_single_image image=“1473″ img_size=“medium“][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=“.vc_custom_1617659290968{margin-right: 20% !important;margin-left: 20% !important;}“ uniqid=“606b8590552af“][vc_column width=“1/4″][vc_empty_space height=“85px“][vc_single_image image=“1638″ img_size=“medium“][/vc_column][vc_column width=“3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=“Vorbereitung“ font_container=“tag:h2|font_size:60|text_align:left|line_height:1″ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617198537855{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}“][vc_custom_heading text=“Was kannst Du tun?“ font_container=“tag:h3|font_size:30|text_align:left“ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617198545631{margin-top: 0px !important;}“][vc_column_text]Mein Job ist es, dass Du am Ende genau die Bilder bekommst, welche Du möchtest und hoffentlich noch ein wenig mehr!

Während dem Shooting sind wir ein Team, und als solches nimmst Du eine wichtige Rolle ein, wenn nicht sogar die wichtigste. Um bestmöglich vorbereitet zu sein habe ich hier ein paar Tipps und Tricks gesammelt, mit welchen Du dich optimal vorbereiten kannst.

Wichtig ist aber, am Ende musst immer DU dich dabei wohl fühlen. Die Tipps sind eine Empfehlungen. Und wenn Dir etwas unklar ist oder Du dir unsicher bist, melde dich bitte immer zeitnah bei mir und wir klären das.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=“.vc_custom_1617659298751{margin-right: 20% !important;margin-left: 20% !important;}“ uniqid=“606b859e303a6″][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=“10 Tipps um dich optimal für ein Shooting vorzubereiten:“ font_container=“tag:h2|font_size:40|text_align:left“][vc_separator][vc_toggle title=“1. In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft“ size=“lg“]Versuche in den 2-3 Nächten vor unserem Shooting ausreichend Schlaf zu bekommen. 7-8 Stunden sollten es auf jeden Fall sein. Damit unterstütz Du deinen Köper bei der Regeneration.

Lass es dir am Abend vor dem Shooting gut gehen. Mache leichten Sport, ein Wellness-Bad oder gönne Dir ein Besuch in der Sauna.

Ausgeschlafen siehst Du deutlich vitaler und aktiver aus.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“2. Wasser / Trinken“ size=“lg“]Dein Körper besteht aus 70% aus Wasser! Sorge dafür, dass es beim Shooting 71% sind 😉

Konkret heißt dass, trinke mindestens in den 72h vor dem Shooting ausreichend Wasser. Genug zu trinken ist nie verkehrt, aber es hilft deiner Haut und deinen Lippen beim Shooting gesünder und natürlicher auszusehen.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“3. Nicht zu viel Sonne“ size=“lg“]Vermeide in den zwei Tagen vor dem Shooting zu viel Sonne oder gar ein Besuch im Solarium. Ein Sonnenbrand oder eine Rötung machen sich nicht gut auf den Bildern.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“4. Brille oder nicht?“ size=“lg“]Das hängt ganz von Dir ab. Aber wenn Du sonst Brillenträger bist und während dem Shooting keine tragen möchtest, dann trage bitte schon daheim deine Kontaktlinsen, so dass man während dem Shooting keine Abdrücke der Brille auf der Nase sieht.

Im Zweifel beginnen wir lieber ohne Brille und tauschen später die Kontaktlinsen gegen die Brille.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“5. Haare / Rasur“ size=“lg“]

  • Einen Bart solltest du vor dem Shooting noch einmal rasieren. Wenn Du zu Ausschlägen neigst bitte rechtzeitig vorher und die Haut gut Pflegen.
  • Hast du gefärbte Haare, dann lass dir diese bitte eine Woche vor dem Shooting nachtönen. Es sollten ein paar Tage zwischen Tönung und Shooting liegen, so dass man mögliche Farbreste nicht mehr sieht.
  • Wenn gewünscht, solltest Du deine Achsel und Beine am morgen des Shootings rasieren.
  • Da wir bei einem Beauty-Shot oder Head-Shot viel Aufmerksamkeit auf den Kopf legen, bietet es sich an hier die Gesichtshaare (auch die kleinen, hellen) zu entfernen und die Augenbraun in Form zu bringen.

[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“6. Nägel“ size=“lg“]Achte auf gepflegte Fingernägel. Bei Bedarf auch die Fußnägel nicht vergessen. Sie sollten gleichlang geschnitten sein.

Vermeide zu verspielte Muster oder kitschige Designs. Ich empfehle Klarlack oder eine einheitliche Farbe.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“7. Makup“ size=“lg“]Wenn wir mit Blitzlicht arbeiten kann Make-up ganz schnell zum Problem werden. Bis jetzt ist es zum glück nur selten vorgekommen, aber manches Makeup hat unter Blitzlicht den Effekt eines Reflektors, so dass wir damit überhaupt nicht arbeiten können. Im Zweifel hilft dann nur ab- oder um-schminken.

Für Notfälle hab ich immer eine Dose transparentes Fixierpuder von Kryolan (Affiliated Link zu Amazon)dabei.

Grundsätzlich gilt: Männer ohne Make-up!

Aber auch hier kann es ausnahmen geben. So können Glanzstellen ebenfalls mit dem oben genannten Puder etwas kaschiert werden oder man verwendet Ölabsorbierendes Papier aus dem Make-Up Bereich, wie zum Beispiel diese hier, speziell für Männer Men Blotter Face Ölabsorbierend (Affiliated Link zu Amazon)[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“8. Kleidung / Outfit“ size=“lg“]Überlege Dir bitte schon einige Tage vor dem Shooting was Du tragen möchtest. Im Regelfall haben wir die Zeit vor Ort uns mehrere Optionen gemeinsam anzuschauen, daher bringe bitte immer eine Auswahl mit.

Achte darauf, dass die Kleidung sauber und gut gebügelt / faltenfrei ist und auch beim Transport nicht zerknittert wird.

Lege Dir die Kleidung schon am Abend vorher raus, so dass du vor unserem Termin nicht kurzfristig in Zeitdruck kommst.

Sind auch die Schuhe sauber und poliert?[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“9. Posen“ size=“lg“]Wenn Du noch keine weitgehende Erfahrung als Model hast, dann übe einzelne Posen und Mimik frühzeitig vor dem Spiegel.

Mehr dazu aber auch noch weiter unten…[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=“10. Eigene Wünsche / Kommunikation“ size=“lg“]Hast Du ganz besondere Vorstellungen was Du möchtest? Gibt es ein Bild auf Instagram oder Pinterest, dessen Lock dir ganz besonders gefällt?

Dann spreche mich bitte frühzeitig darauf an und schicke mir Beispiele!

Offene Kommunikation vor, während und nach dem Shooting ist absolut wichtig, damit wir alle zufrieden sind und das Beste bekommen. Ich kann nicht alle Wünsche erfüllen und manche Dinge sind auch absolut nicht mein Style. Aber ich verspreche Dir, dass wir über alles sprechen können und ich Dir klare Rückmeldung gebe, was du erwarten kannst.

Im Gegenzug werde ich auch offen mit Dir sprechen und es tunlichst vermeiden irgend welche Versprechungen zu machen, welche ich nicht halten kann.

Deal?[/vc_toggle][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=“.vc_custom_1617659312655{margin-right: 20% !important;margin-left: 20% !important;}“ uniqid=“606b85a9990a3″][vc_column width=“1/4″][vc_single_image image=“1439″ img_size=“medium“][/vc_column][vc_column width=“3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=“Pose und Mimik“ font_container=“tag:h2|font_size:60|text_align:left|line_height:1″ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617198565616{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}“][vc_custom_heading text=“Sei Du selbst!“ font_container=“tag:h3|font_size:30|text_align:left“ use_theme_fonts=“yes“ css=“.vc_custom_1617198573734{margin-top: 0px !important;}“][vc_column_text]Wichtig ist, dass Du am Ende des Tages Du selbst bist. Aber auch hierfür kannst Du dich ein wenig vorbereiten. Denn nicht immer passt das innerliche Bild, welches wir von uns selbst haben, mit der Außenwirkung zusammen.

Was meine ich damit? Am besten kennst Du das vermutlich am Beispiel deiner eigenen Stimme. Wenn Du diese in einer Aufzeichnung hörst, klingt sie für dich seltsam, komisch und anders. Das selbe trifft auch oft auf unsere Körperhaltung und Mimik zu. Du hast sicherlich schon Bilder von Dir selbst gesehen und warst ganz überrascht, wie Du auf einem Foto aussiehst.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=“.vc_custom_1617659321751{margin-right: 20% !important;margin-left: 20% !important;}“ uniqid=“606b85b68127a“][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=“Die gute Nachricht:“ font_container=“tag:h3|font_size:20|text_align:left“][vc_column_text]Wie mit deiner Stimme, so ist auch dein Aussehen ganz normal. Es wirkt nur manchmal für Dich ein wenig ungewohnt, alle anderen um Dich herum kennen und schätzen Dich so, wie Du bist.

Um aber am Ende die Bilder zu bekommen, die du dir auch wünscht, empfehle ich immer ein paar Wochen oder Tage vor dem Shooting am Spiegel zu üben. Probiere gerne deine Kleidung an und teste einige Posen. Wie sieht es mit der Mimik aus? Welches Lächeln passt am besten zu deinem inneren Bild? Was ist mit deinen Augen? Versuche diese mal einen zehntel Millimeter zusammen zu kneifen.  Was fühlt sich natürlich und richtig an?

So vorbereitet kann eigentlich nichts mehr schief gehen :-)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Patrick
27/09/2019
And the Oscar goes to...

…well, at least not to me. However, I just got awarded with a 2019 IPA – Honorable Mention and this means about the same – at least to me. 

What is IPA?

At a Friday night, it is a kind of beer (which I personally don`t prefer). But for a photographer, it is the international photography awards. Besides the National Geographic, the Pulitzer Prize and the WPI awards, one of the highest decorations and awards in the world of photography. So even if it`s not the Oscar, it is for sure comparable.

The Award

Of course, technically, it is not an award. It is an Honorable Mention. But compared to our example with the Oscars, this would be at least an Oscar nomination – which is already a great achievement. And to me, it means the world!

For those who win the real prize, there is a lot to get. The Award is separated between professionals and non-professionals. I attended as non-professionals. In this category, you can win prices up to $5k, and professionals can win $10k. Additionally, you can win the Lucy Trophy, an exhibition and a lot more. You can find a list with all the details here if you are interested.

My Entry - the arch

The Arch is a shot I took back in 2017 when my family and I drove south to St. Louise for the great solar eclipse. We had to drive down there in order to be right in the center of the path of the core shadow because that`s where you get the best show.

If you never had the chance to experience a solar eclipse, do it! But it must be a 100% one. Because even if it`s 99%, it means that you can`t watch  it with your  bare eyes.

So, by now you probably have a good guess what`s my „Arch“, right?  And you are absolutely correct. It is the „Gateway Arch“ in St. Louis. The 630ft or 192m high piece of art from the 1960`s. 

This is a shot straight up from the bottom, leaning at one side of the arch. If you look at the middle of the picture, what is actually the top of the arch, you can see the windows of the observation area. I can highly recommend going up there if you ever make it to St. Louis.

Based on the nature of this shot, I entered „The Arch“ in the categories „Fine Art“ and „Minimalism“. You can probably see why 😉

What does it mean?

As I previously said – to me – the 2019 IPA Honorable Mention means the world! It was a huge surprise as I never anticipated getting anything out of my entry. So even if it`s „just“ an Honorable Mention, it is still an award of its own and – well, a great honor.

Besides that, it doesn`t do a lot to me at this point. No money, no trip to the Lucy Awards, no exhibition and no world-tour. But you know what? This is totally fine!

I am doing this as an amateur, as a non-professional. I do it because I love photography and I am always trying to get better and be one of the best in what I do. I love the challenge and I love the competition against my own expectations. 

Life is a journey and one of my personal goals is the concept of life-long learning in order to experience and cherish life at it`s best. So this is proof to myself, together with my latest 35Awards, that I am on the right path…

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Patrick
14/07/2019
My first Competition - Top 100 USA!

The 2018 "35Awards"


I entered some of my pictures for the 4th International Photography Awards, hosted by 35AWARDS, at the end of 2018 and added some more early 2019. It was the first competition I ever attended.

What should I say? I had not high expectations, and this was more like an experiment to me. As more than 112,000 photographers from over 172 countries took part in the competition, I knew right away that ít wouldn`t be easy to win anything. And don’t forget, I am an absolute newbie. So I was super surprised when I just looked at the results.

The Results

I was able to win a total of three awards! Even none of my single shots made it into the Top10 per Categorie, so this is still amazing for me. However, this means that all of my awards are for my overall performance. Top 100 and Top 35 Photographer at 35AWARDS 2018. Doesn`t this sound great?

So, two of the awards feel very significant to me, one is more like a comforter prize.

  • The award in the category „TOP 100 USA“ honors me most of all, in which I came 80th. The 35Photo`s website lists almost 16,000 registered photographers in the USA.
  • The next category is „Top 35 Chicago„. Unfortunately, I don’t know my exact ranking here, but there are still almost 200 members.
  • The least essential award for me is „Reached the 2nd stage of voting„. After all, 17% of all participants received this award.

The Future?

All of this is super exciting for me, and I am thrilled now. During the last months, I already signed up for multiple competitions in 2019 and entered different pictures for several categories again. I will continue during the year as the competitions show up and I can`t wait to hear back the results.

Thank you all for your continued support. I will keep you posted on my Blog as well as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Patrick
04/04/2019
Mobile SSD - SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2TB

Review: SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

It`s the one thing we Photographers can`t never have enough. No, I am not talking about money. It`s all about storage. Fast Storage!

So let`s see what the Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD can do for us.

SanDisk released the Portable (SSDSDSSDE60-2T00)  from their EXTREME series already a while ago, but I had no need so far, as I was always pleased with my Angelbird PKT SSD2GO. I will talk about this one separately.

*Affiliate Links Amazon:

However, with Marvin, the Mavic 2 Pro* and 4k video I am as most of us always for the look of new, better and faster storage solutions. And I had the unusual idea to re-organize the whole content of my current Synology DS218+*. The NAS runs on two mirrored 2TB disks at the moment and is about 75% full. That`s why I decided to use a separate, external 2TB disk to backup the data and bring it back in a new structured way.

Don`t get me wrong, of course, I have multiple additional backups of my NAS. I run a nightly rsync to another NAS and do real-time sync into my 2TB Google Drive. That`s the basic of backups – three versions on three different locations!

But this shouldn`t be only a one-time shot. I mean, if I invest in a new portable drive, I want something useful — a keeper for following tasks, maybe even a replacement or addition to my Angelbird SSD*.

After some research, I ended up with the choice of the SanDisk or the Samsung T5. Both have about the same specifications, are at the same price range and have excellent customer reviews. Honestly, I ended up with the SanDisk because of the different and sporty design.

Specifications

As the name already says, it is an SSD, a Solid State Drive. So it has no spinning or moving parts inside which makes it super robust and fast. By using a USB3.1 Type-C connection to your MAC or PC, this drive claims to reach up to 500MB/s read speed – more about this later!

It comes with a USB-C cable that includes an adapter from USB-C to USB-A.

It is also IP55 dust and water resistant and should survive up to a 2-meter drop.

And of, of course, it is small and light. Actually, it is a lot lighter than I expected, which is partly due to the plastic case that gives it light but also a very cheap feeling. Not comparable to the solid aluminum-block of an Angelbird – which also costs significantly (3x) more.

Here is a side-to-side size comparison between the SanDisk Portable SSD and a Compact Flash Card, an SD-Card and a Micro SD. 

All available versions, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and my 2TB come in the same form-factor and with the same specs. In the world of SSD, sometimes more storage equals faster file-transfer rates due to parallelization, but not in this case.

The drive weights only 38,9g or 0.086lbs. 

It can be operated between 0°C and 35°C (32°F to 95°F) and stored at -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F) what makes it a great companion for all adventures.

Read / Write Speed

If you do everything right than the drive keeps it promised speed and maybe even more under best conditions. But what does „everything right“ mean?

Three golden rules:

  • Use the super short and solid (massive screened) USB-cable that comes with the drive and connect it to a USB-C port.
  • Use only the USB-A adapter, if you have to.
  • Under no circumstances should you use any low-quality cable or extensions cord.

If you follow those rules, the disc provides enough speed for a truly „mobile“ workflow and enables you to even live-edit pictures and videos from the disk.

USB-C
USB-C with Adapter to USB-A
USB-C via a 1m / 3ft extension cord

I run several tests with different tools and different settings, but the above screenshots of CrystalDiskMark are easy to read and represent the overall outcome excellent.

The first picture shows a connection directly via USB-C with the short cable that comes with the drive. The Read speed slightly exceeds the promised 550MB/s. As the drive never mentions write speed, I am also positively surprised that this is just about 10% slower.

The middle picture shows the connection via the delivered adapter from USB-C to USB-A, connected to a USB 3.0 port. USB 3.0 can deliver up to 625 MB/s, so this shouldn’t be the limiting factor. However, the speed is still noticeable reduced and about 100MB/s slower than the drive proofed to be capable of.

The last picture is my worst nightmare scenario. I used a short USB-C extension cord to connect the drive because my native USB-C port is on the back of my desktop computer and hard to reach.  I run the test several times and with different cables as I couldn`t believe the results. With this short extension, the drive delivers suddenly less than 10% of the promised speed and is even slower as an old USB2.0 connection. The odd thing is, old hard-drives (none SSD) can provide 50-100% more than the SSD in this setup.

Conclusion

There is not a lot bad to say about this drive. It looks nice and sporty, is small and robust enough for all kind of outdoor adventures and provides the promised speed if you take care of the connection. With available storage of 250GB and up to 2TB in a price range of $70 to $330 it is a solid, mobile storage extension. 

Just the very cheap rubber haptic of the plastic makes me sometimes thinking about how nice and premium my Angelbird feels. 

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Patrick
13/03/2019
My experience with Canon CPS Gold Service

CPS

...stands for Canon Professional Services and is Canon`s dedicated in-house service for imaging professionals.

To benefit from Canon`s program, you need to own some of their gear to get "points" to qualify for a membership.

I am a „Gold Member“ since 2016 and currently just one single point away to qualify for the Platinum Membership. Of course, Platinum comes with even more benefits but also costs more than Gold. 

As I am just an amateur or hobbyist, I feel quite comfortable paying $100 a year for Gold, as Platinum would increase those costs to whopping $300. And to be honest, Gold is all I need at this point.

Benefits

But why would I go with a pricy membership like CPS at all?

It depends… first of all, as you sign up, you get:

  • 1 CPS Pro Camera Strap for posing in public 😉
  • 1 Body Cap
  • 1 Rear Lens Cap
  • CPS ID CARD

I believe, the only thing that is really interesting here, was the Camera Strap, which I never used. But if we go more into the details, we get to the exciting stuff and the actual reason why I am writing this blog:

  • 5x Canon Maintenance Service (CMS) for DSLR & EF Lens 
  • 20% Repair Discount for up to 10 pieces.

Maintenance and Repair

I am in a fortunate position that one of Canon`s CPS location is just 20 Minutes away from my home at the North-East in the suburbs of Chicago. Not that living elsewhere would be an issue. However, I feel more comfortable to drop off and pick up my expensive gear instead of shipping it.

So it was time to get the annual maintenance of my 5D Mk IV and a couple of lenses, as well as the replacement of the upper LCD of my 80D. I dropped the 80D a while ago. It wasn`t too bad, but bad enough to break the LCD. Bad luck!

But that`s precisely what CPS is for, right? And the best part: If you are not a CPS Gold or Platinum member, the „Canon 18-Point DSLR Maintenance Service“ would cost you about $130 per camera body and the „Canon 11-Point EF Lens Maintenance“ is about $90 per lens.

So just for this service, the annual membership fee pays off several times!

And the repair of the LCD? Well, it`s Canon, and of course, they charge you for their original manufacture parts and labor. But again, the Gold Membership saves you %20 what was in my case about 2/3 of the annual fee. The good part is, every repair includes a full maintenance program automatically.

In my case, I had one repair including free maintenance and four maintenance, so I have still one service left for later.

Service

I make it short: I have never experienced better customer service! Periode! 

It was Monday morning when I called the CPS Hotline to make an appointment for drop-off. And they offered me more or less anytime during the week. So I made an appointment for the same day at 2 pm to stop by during a late lunch break.

First of all, I was welcomed by a friendly receptionist/security and directed to the CPS entrance right next to the front-desk. In there, we reviewed my gear and my order and talked about if everything is fine.

Of course, there is the 80D and the LCD… and I got my estimate right away within 2 minutes. Bang! I accepted and even before we continued with the other items, I got my receipt and order confirmation via e-mail on my phone.

Next, we had a look at the gear that required maintenance. CPS checked my shutter count, only 22k out of 150k – good! So the time lapse didn`t hit it too hard yet. After that, they had a visual check at the aperture blades and the image stabilizer. Then they took the lenses quickly to the back to make a first test of the optical alignment of the glass.

Unfortunately, they noticed a misalignment of my EF 100-400 II at the 400mm range in the upper left corner. I never saw it before, and they confirmed that it`s just slightly out of the specs. Again, they provided me with an estimate right away. However, I opted out for the $230 fix at this point.

Overall, the whole process took me about 30 minutes. But it was not 30 minutes of waiting or wasted time. No, it`s been 30 minutes of excellent service from knowledgable and well-trained professionals, and I left with relief that they would take good care of my gear.

Before I left the building, I received five confirmations in my e-mail account, including a PDF with all details like service description and my serial numbers. Every e-Mail also included a link to a Youtube video, where Canon explains their service process:

The next day: Pick-up

My Gold Membership includes an expedited service of two business days. However, I already received a call at 1:30 pm the following day – exactly 23h after I left Canon in Itasca. They told me that everything is ready and I can stop by for pick-up anytime. Alternatively, CPS can ship it for free.

Their office hours are Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. 

I stopped by after work, about 10 minutes before they close. Again, there was no rush, and they treated me great. All of my gear was single wrapped into plastic bags. And even those bags felt like high quality. I received a detailed report per item explaining precisely what was done and, unfortunately, confirmed the issue with my 100-400mm. 

At home, I unwrapped everything and checked it. Wow! All like brand new!

Conclusuion

I am a hobbyist with photography. An amateur! I never made any money out of it but spent a lot of hard-earned dollars over the years in equipment. However, adding another $100 a year for the Canon Professional Services (CPS) Gold Membership doesn`t break the bank and provides a lot of benefits. 

Besides those smaller perks I mentioned at the beginnend, the by far biggest benefit and money safer is the 5x maintenance service. Paired with Canon`s world-class customer experiance, it is absolutly worth joining this club – if your owned gear quallifies you for it.

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Patrick
11/03/2019
Manfrotto Super Clamp and Magic Arm

Review: Manfrotto Super Clamp and Magic Arm

In this post, I would like to introduce two very helpful tools from Manfrotto.

- Manfrotto 035 Superclamp*
- Manfrotto 4N Magic Arm mit Feststellknopf*

The Italian manufacturer Manfrotto has, with no doubt, much useful equipment for photography. I am personally a huge fan of their air-cushioned light stands and I am using them in several sizes in my home studio.
Well, who knows me, knows the I am always curious and on the watch for new gear – or as my wife Tanja says „men toys.“ So I browsed B&H to check what other Manfrotto gear they have within their portfolio. And what did I find? Something that covers multiple of my use-cases right away. The Super Clamp and Magic Arm. Both can are great on their own, but they work perfectly together. 

Manfrotto Super Clamp

A helper for everywhere! No matter if you want to attach a camera, a flashlight, umbrellas, hooks or other Super Clamps to it. This is indeed a  versatile and robust tool you can rely on in many different situations. You can attach the clamp to nearly anything between a thickness or diameter of 13-55mm (0.5″ – 2.1″). Pipes, branches, plates, doors, walls, shelves – you name it! The Super Clamp holds up to 15 kg (33lb).

The Super Clamp has a quick-release fastener for standard studs and an additional M6 (3/8) thread for universal usage.

I use the Super Clamp on my 2×4″ ceiling beams in the home studio in my basement as well as on tables. As soon as the weather gets better I can well imagine using the Super Clamp outdoors on trees or fences.

Manfrotto Magic Arm

It`s all about engineering. And the Magic Arm is an excellent piece of Italian craftsmanship. With two ball joints on each end and a pivot joint in the middle, the aluminium arm gives you maximum flexibility for all situations.

It has an official weight limit of 3kg (7lb). Well, this is probably true if you use it in very extreme angles like widely spread. Based on my experience, it easily holds a lot more than just this.

If you use the Magic Arm together with the Super Clamp, it just „snaps“ into the clamp and an additional screw ensures a solid lock. 

Conclusion

Let`s keep it short: This is one of the most versatile and useful tools in my bag, both for my home studio as well as for on-location shoots. 

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Patrick
02/03/2019
How to repair a cooling fan of a Profoto D1 Flashlight

!!! Warning !!!

Flashlights use high voltage capacitors which can store a high current for a long time after the device disconnected from a power plug. Besides the risk of losing warranty, do not open your light unless you have extensive experience with this kind of work. If you have the slightest doubt about what you do, send the flash back to the manufacturer for maintenance or repair.

The Video was recorded in German language

The history of this Project

About two years ago, in 2017, I decided I want to spend more time of my future with studio photography. However, oh boy, those flashlights can be expensive! $$

One sunny day, right around the birth of my daughter Mika, I saw an offer in the Chicago Photo Society Facebook group. One guy was selling two of the Profoto D1 500w as a set, including light stands and umbrellas. He also had the Profoto Air Remote TTL-C available – a required remote to trigger the flashes.

The deal was good but still above budget.

However, after several unsuccessful negotiation attempts, the guy came back to me and said that he is leaving Chicago the next day for good to start a new life in Florida. Therefore, he needed to sell the package now and accept my deal if I pick them up within 24h.

Coming home...

Of course, I quickly tested the functionality onsite before we closed the deal.

Coming back home, I cleaned everything and run a full test. Thereby I noticed that one of the internal cooling fans got quite noisy. This is a clear sign of a worn down bearing. Also, with that said, based on my experience, there is not a lot you can do to fix this issue.
So I opened the first D1 Flash to identify all critical components and to find the right size and performance for a replacement fan.

I can`t emphasize enough how dangerous and life-threatening it is, to open electronics and don`t know exactly what you are doing!

Well, I identified the pieces, ordered them online, and everything else is in the video above 🙂

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Patrick
27/02/2019
Hello World!

This is the Anchor we are going to lift

Whoa! I had been planning for years to start a blog and to share all those things and experiences that I associate with photography.

This is my anchor now. My fixed starting point. We are going to lift it, to start the journey with this blog.

I already have a whole list of topics I want to write and report about and every day I think of new things.
Be it experiences with techniques of image processing or with new equipment, be it reviews about services I use. Or my workflows for data backup. I am excited to talk about how I designed and printed a proper lock (holder) for my Peli (Pelican) transport boxes with a 3D printer. And not to forget "Marvin", my little Mavic 2 Pro.

I also have to decide whether I want to run the website and the blog in English, German or bilingual. To be honest, I have no idea yet and would be very happy about active feedback.

Stay tuned, there will be a lot of really cool stuff here very soon.

- Patrick

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