It's already February and I haven't had time to create a Newsletter. January we had several camera club presentations and a week in Florida for Space Coast event.
The workshop and classroom groups were excellent and we all had a great time learning together.
I got home Sunday, the 28th of January, about 5 PM, and Annette and I caught a 5:30am Monday morning flight for Montana. Yep, another great week at the Triple D Game Farm.
Space coast Birding Festival was a well organized event. You need to put this on your calendar for 2019. We taught in three wetlands: Orlando Wetlands Park, Viera Wetlands and Merritt Island. It was cold and windy for this time of year which brought its own challenges.
Many mornings and evenings had great sunrises and sunsets. The above sunset at Orlando Wetlands was one of the nicest that week.
We got to photograph birds and gators, as well as a double rainbow in the late afternoon.
As we found subjects the group focused on techniques and enjoying nature.
I want to thank Laurilee Thompson of Space Coast for having me at the event again. I also want to thank Gary Farber and Hunts Photo for sponsoring me at the event.
Next week I am back in Titusville, Florida for our Florida Wetlands Workshop. We had a couple drop out so two slots opened up. If you are interested please look at the info below and signup.
If you have an interest in the above and can join us next week please follow the sign up link below.
http://www.vinnycolucci.com/florida-wetlands-photography-workshop
As I mentioned, Annette and I just got back from Montana where we spent a week in the cold and snow, photographing at the Triple D. We love teaching workshops there and the cold weather was certainly a test of working in the snow.
We have two spots open in our 2019 Winter Workshop at Triple D. Follow the link below for details.
http://www.vinnycolucci.com/triple-d-wildlife-winter-workshop--feb-7-11--2019
While at Triple D we got to see how our equipment held up in the snow, cold and ice.
We carried Nikon D5, D500, D850 and D4's. Our lenses were Nikon 200-500 f/5.6, 70-200 f/2.8 and 28-300.
Annette and I had the Nikon 200-500 on Wimberley Heads and Gitzo GT 3543LS tripods. All camera gear worked perfect. We had no battary problems in the cold and shot several days on a charge. We both took over 12,000 images over 3 days.
On this shoot I tried Nikons' New Spot Metering with Matrix highlite protection. Here is how I set my metering on most shots at this event: Manual metering. I picked my shutter speed, say 1/1250 sec so I could freeze the actions. I picked my aperture, f/5.6. I set my ISO to Auto, (something I have never done before). I added 1.3 stops of light for the snow. The auto ISO held exposure even as the light went down while I held my setting in manual. If I used regular spot metering, I spot metered off the snow in manual, adding 2 stops of light, and used Auto ISO to hold my original manual exposure. Look at the images above. Great exposure from these Nikon systems.
The Wimberley head also worked perfectly in the cold weather. I have to say this: I have been using Wimberley products since 2004 and have never had a problem. I know you can get cheaper gimbals and I don't mean to make anyone mad, but with the amount I shoot, and the amount my gear gets used, these Wimberley Heads just don't fail. They work as well as the day I got them. I have tested and tried some knock offs and all of the ones I tested started to wear out. I'll just stay with my Wimberley.
We were also using the Gitzo Tripods. These are high end tripods that we have been using almost a year. Gitzo has always built great tripods. These new systematic tripods are better than ever. The G-Locks with the new O-Ring design worked perfectly in the cold snow. The legs never stuck and the O-Rings kept moisture out of the legs.
Two of the camera stores that I deal with have special pricing on Gitzo tripods just for Vinny Colucci Workshop people:
SouthEastern Camera in Raleigh NC offers a additional 10% off all Gitzo and Manfrotto products
Give them a call and ask for Tony.
Hunts Photo also has a Vinny Colucci Special on Gitzo Tripods. 15% off their price. Contact Alan below for these and all the Vinny Colucci Workshop specials.
Alan Samiljan
100 Main St.
Melrose, MA 02176
(781) 462-2383
My hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 8:30-5:00pm eastern
Here is a link to the Gitzo GT 3545LS tripod as well as a link to special prices for all Gitzo Tripods.
GT 3545LS
https://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?productid=GT3543LSUS&sp=VD5iZ
All Gitzo Tripods
People are still calling me on the MegnaBeam Wildlife Kit Flash extender I wrote about last issue. This has been a great device for extending your flash range. Here is a link for my followers on a great price on this product. Check it out.
https://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?productid=MMBEAMW01&mfg=MagMod&show=yes&sp=MvjXj
I will be writing in my blog more often. Within two weeks I start with a detailed explanation of the new Nikon metering system as well as using Auto ISO in manual metering in any camera.
Please go to the link below and sign up for my by monthly travel blog on photography.
When at the Space coast event we had a sign-up for the newsletter drawing. The three winners are the following.
Steve Van Meter: $50.00 Hunts Photo gift Card
Mike Schneider: $50 Gift Card Hunts Photo
Paul Lauduck: Mindshift Camera Cover
I am away until 2-23 and will ship the prizes when I return to the office.
Until next time, we wish you Great Light!!