Wa Wa Wee Wa: The R-Strap Rocks!

Most Excellent Blog Fans, the R-strap is a fantastic piece of kit and after using it for a couple of days, I can highly recommend it to anyone who regularly schleps around town (or country) with their camera onboard. Seriously.

I have worn mine for two days running and I don't have the aches and pains I usually get from wearing my camera in the variety of other positions I mentioned in my previous post. It took a little bit of getting used to on the first day (having £1, 500 worth of camera equipment dangling upside down near my butt is kind of weird!) but once I got into the swing of things it was a revelation. Just being able to glide the camera up for a shot and then release it back to its "resting position" without having to fumble with straps was worth the purchase price alone. I did find that my larger lens (the 85mm) tended to swing around quite a bit but I think this may be to do with how I have the fastener locked rather than how the R-strap is designed.... I probably just need to play with it a bit more.

The neck strap doesn't cut into my neck or shoulder even with my lady bumps and lumps :) :) and I like that the camera is nestled discretely by my side (I don't scream "person with camera approaching" anymore). For the studio photographer, who can regularly put their camera down without fear of it being 'permanently borrowed' by a passing stranger, I can't see any real benefit in buying the R-strap. Or for the photographer with a willing assistant to hold and carry things, it probably isn't a must-have. But for anyone else who is tired of paying out for expensive physiotherapy sessions (or sick of trying to coax a partner into giving them an après-shoot massage) and wants a hands-free camera carrying system: the R-strap is for you.

p.s. if the R-strap peeps read this, I wouldn't say no to another one please!

Also, if anyone is wondering, HM Revenue & Customs did catch up with me and I have to pay £12.80 in duty.

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Posted in "R-strap" "Black Rapid R-strap" "Camera Strap" "RS-4"

Quick Draw Messy

Disclaimer: Anyone not interested in camera accessories is probably going to find the following post particularly mind numbing. For all those who want to revolutionise the way they carry their camera- read on!

Today in the post I received something I have been eyeing off for ages: The Black Rapid RS-4 Strap. Ever since I got my DSLR in April last year, I have been perplexed on how to carry it comfortably when out and about for a day's shooting. I have tried the "around the neck" method (which is fine for awhile but after a few hours my neck really starts to ache plus it screams"TOURIST!!"), the "across the body" method (my preferred way of carrying but it is kind of unwieldy and isn't great for those shots when I need my camera quickly), the "hand-held" method (this works okay but I am always fearful someone is going to grab it out of my hand as I am wandering along) and the "shoulder strap" method (this doesn't feel overly secure and the strap has an uncanny knack of slipping off my shoulder at regular intervals). Enter the wonderfully simple "why didn't I think of it and earn a million bucks" Black Rapid R-strap by Ron Henry and his kickar*e crew of innovators.

Basically, this bad boy connects to the tripod socket on either the camera body or lens and, once attached, allows the camera to hang upside down with the lens pointing outwards (not as scary as it sounds) by your side or in the small of your back. The strap is worn diagonally across the body and when you are ready to shoot, the camera simply glides up the strap and into shooting position in one smooth, fluid motion. It is simple, frees up both hands, distributes the weight of the camera/lens evenly across your back rather than weighing heavily on your neck or shoulders and keeps the camera discretely tucked away until you are ready to take a shot. While I only have the 50mm and 85mm lenses, the R-Strap comfortably takes the weight of the 70-200mm (and larger) glass.

Of course, as is the case with most innovations, it does have its teething problems. Some complain that the hook/fastener-R doesn't work well when shooting vertically and when using a vertical grip. You can check out feedback here. By far the greatest influence in me springing for the R-strap, however, was the feedback from two of the world's leading travel photographers (and whose blogs are an absolute must-read if you are into travel photography or even if you aren't they are still a fantastic read and their images are incredible): David duChemin of the PixelatedImage and Matt Brandon of the Digital Trekker. Both are sponsored by BlackRapid but their reviews of the R-strap are pretty impartial and neither are shy about talking about the R-Strap's shortcomings. Both have pimped their R-strap to work better for their style of shooting (this is, of course, not recommended by BlackRapid!). You can read about Matt Brandon's, umm, incident involving his new Canon 5D Mark II and the R-strap here (caution: a stiff shot of whiskey for all photographers may be required before reading ;))

The RS-4 contains a small front pocket where you can keep additional memory cards, business cards or cash for that mid-shoot coffee break. Unfortunately there are no stockists in the UK yet (although there is one in Labrador, Australia, for you Aussie blog readers) so you need to purchase from one of the US dealers or from BlackRapid themselves. It was $48 (US) plus shipping to the UK and took about a week to arrive. I haven't yet received a letter from HM Revenue and Customs but assume I will get stung for duty in the next couple of days. Personally I don't think the strap is ridiculously expensive especially compared to every other piece of camera equipment I need to purchase (strobes, tripod etc) and it is a small price to pay for comfort and maneuverability.

I am going to take the Nikon and the R-strap out tomorrow for a test run- will let you know how the R-strap performs.

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Posted in "R-strap" BlackRapid "Camera Strap" "innovative camera strap"

Shaun Witherup

Shaun Witherup, young, hip, South African-born pro skater, was my stranger encounter from yesterday. As I was cruising around Covent Garden I spotted Shaun taking a break down an alley near Neal's Yard. At first I couldn't muster up the courage to ask for a photograph but as he got up and walked away, I pulled myself together, gave myself a stern talking to, and went back and asked. So glad I did. Shaun is one of the UK's top street skateboarders and a lovely guy to boot.

Shaun rides for Adidas, King Apparel and a host of other sponsors and the word on the sidewalk is that he has "one of the biggest ollies this side of the Atlantic!". Unfortunately Shaun was unable to show me his ollie, big or otherwise, as he has done the ACL* in his right knee (a painful, painful injury) and is out of action for the time being. Shaun started riding relatively late (for a skater) at age 16 and hasn't stopped. The secret to skateboarding is apparently co-ordination: hence Shaun is a brilliant skateboarder and I am not :)

Thanks Shaun so much for the chat and the photographs.



*Anterior cruciate ligament (This is for the benefit of the A-listers: to show I still remember my stuff- kind of!!)

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"Hi, my name is Vanessa.....Can I take your photograph please?"

Okay, so I don't really introduce myself like that to strangers very often- I try to, but most of the time it comes out a garbled "Hi,I'mdoingthisproject,wouldyoumindverymuch,umm,wow,this isn't coming out right (nervous giggle), if I took your photograph?". As you can see, the initial stages of my asking a stranger for a photograph are incredibly woesome. It is a combination of nerves, not wanting to embarrass myself , over thinking things, a fear of rejection, not wanting to disturb or put people out....It doesn't stop me though: photographing strangers is something I do each time I take my camera out of the house and it fills me with equal amounts of pleasure and frustration.

Pleasure: because photographing people is what I most love to do, and Frustration: because of my own shortcomings. Sometimes I have the "vision" of what I want a photograph to look like, but my lack of technical skills and/or inability to "direct" a stranger hold me back from getting the photograph I really want. The photographs above and below are a perfect example: They are of a London cabbie I photographed last Sunday, before the snow. (side note: London seems now to be defined as 'before the snow' and 'after the snow'!)

As soon as we jumped in the cab I knew that I wanted to ask for his photograph and the whole way home I was jangling with nerves thinking "how am I going to ask if I can take his photograph, what do I say, how will he react etc etc". As soon as Mr Messy had paid and was out of earshot (he requests that I not ask strangers if I can photograph them when he is about!), I was up at the cab window and asking the cabbie if I could take his photograph for my project. He smiled and agreed. Problem is, I was so focused on photographing his face and getting his eyes in focus that I forgot to move back and get a good composition. Both photos would have looked a lot better if I had moved backwards and photographed not only the person, but the environment as well ( i.e. a bit more of the cab). In my defence, we live on a very busy road and I was conscious of traffic coming both ways and the need to not get hit by a car in pursuit of a photograph. I was also concerned about holding the cabbie up and losing him money, hence I snapped these in about 10 secs.

I have been thinking a lot about why I am drawn to photographing strangers and I think it comes down to this: I love people and I love finding out their stories but I am intrinsically shy. Asking someone if I can take their photograph "opens the door" and allows conversation: a connection (however fleeting) is established. It gives me a reason, an "excuse", and allows me to meet many different people, with many different stories. Without a camera, I am lost.

I slipped into Convent Garden today for a coffee and met a guy while I was standing around sipping my takeaway. I asked if I could take his photograph and he said "Sure, but you didn't need to ask....you could have just done it". After I was finished, we had a bit of a chat and he explained that he has a few friends who are photographers and they just take photos of people without asking, and pretend they weren't really doing it, if caught. I am all for candid street photography on the proviso that it is done with dignity and respect. There are times (especially in a crowd or a parade for example) where it would be impossible to seek permission from someone to take their photo. Other times, the moment will be lost if permission is sought. However, increasingly, candid shots aren't the kind of photographs I want to take, nor enjoy taking. For me, photography is about telling a story and seeking someones permission to take their photograph and then engaging them, is part of telling that story.

Almost as confirmation of this, about 5mins after I left my first stranger of the day, I met Shaun Witherup, a very cool, young, professional skateboarder whose photos I will post tomorrow. I had a great chat with Shaun and hearing his story was fascinating. It is moments like this (and strangers like this) who make all the nerves, all the doubts, all the mustering of courage, all the rejections, all the frustrations, worthwhile.

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Posted in "100 Strangers Project" "Photographing Strangers" "Messy Musings"

This is London....In the Snow (Part 2)

More snow photos from yesterday: A girl IN THE SNOW (above)

A lady pushing her bike IN THE SNOW (below)

A snowman IN THE SNOW:

London Eye IN THE SNOW:

Houses of Parliament IN THE SNOW:

Big Ben IN THE SNOW:

The bronze Burghers of Calais sculpture (by Rodin), Victoria Tower Gardens, IN THE SNOW:

A bush, with flowers, IN THE SNOW:

My office assistant, WWW, facedown, IN THE SNOW:

My other office assistant, Tilly, and WWW, IN THE SNOW:

Man riding bicycle along embankment IN THE SNOW:

Buxton Memorial Fountain, in Victoria Tower Gardens, IN THE SNOW:

Large puppy running full pelt towards your blogger IN THE SNOW:

Large puppy with even larger stick IN THE SNOW:

Large dog and smaller dog in front of Houses of Parliament IN THE SNOW:

Bush with wattle-like yellow flowers IN THE SNOW:

Victoria Tower Gardens IN THE SNOW:

Big Ben IN THE SNOW:

Telephone Boxes IN THE SNOW:

Churchill sculpture and Houses of Parliament IN THE SNOW:

Another Big Ben photo IN THE SNOW:

Fun IN THE SNOW:

More fun IN THE SNOW:

A Morph-like Snowman IN THE SNOW:

A small dog in a jumper OUT OF THE SNOW:

Bicycles IN THE SNOW:

A Scooter IN THE SNOW:

A street IN THE SNOW:

A post box IN THE SNOW:

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Posted in "London in the snow" "snow photos London" "London snow" "London in the Snow photos"

This is London...in the snow

Well, Most Excellent Blog Fans, it has been an exciting, beautiful couple of days in ye olde London town. I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever seen anything so stunning as London today..... Grey, dull London suddenly transformed into a minxy, magical winter wonderland. Everything looked amazing- it was like London was Cinderella for a day.

I spoke with one Russian lady of a certain age who said "I have lived in London for 35 years and never have I seen anything like this. It is beautiful- just like being back home".

These are a few snaps I took today as I was out wandering (and loosing all feeling in my toes: sneakers are not practical in this weather....This is where Hunter wellies become VERY useful, apart from looking stylish in the slush!) I headed to Big Ben and Houses of Parliament which was teaming with reporters and people taking photographs (saw loads of Canon's out today with most popular lens being the 70-200).

Houses of Parliament:

One of the many snowmen I spotted- this was certainly the best- most looked rather deformed!

I am loving these brave girls- stylin' it up even in below zero temperatures!!

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Posted in "snow" London "Snow in London"

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

As I am typing this post, it is snowing outside :)

This makes a happy Messy particularly as I can snuggle up in my WARM apartment. Yes, blog fans, the Messy household is once again WITH HEAT. The wonderful (and photogenic- he was one of my early "100 Strangers" subjects) Clayton from CWL Services (gas and heating specialists) came late last night and fixed our recalcitrant boiler. 30 mins, a bit of tinkering, and Clayton had the boiler running like new. Clayton is my new favourite person (he even asked how my photography was going and we like that :))

After my first hot shower in 5 days, today I was ready to up camera and bang off a few rounds. Mr Messy and I headed to Soho to one of our favourite coffee shops, Fernandez&Wells. While we were sipping our latte's the first snow started to fall- it was wonderful being tucked up in the coffee shop while tiny flakes of snow swirled and whirled outside the window. A toasted comté cheese and tomato croissant and creamy latte helped to starve off the 11am hunger pangs.

********** I was going to post a few thoughts I have about photographing strangers but for the last 1 1/2 hours I have been out playing in the SNOW!!!! When I first started this post it had only snowed a wee bit but since around 7:30pm it has been bucketing down! We have been out having snowball fights with our friends- SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! I took some photos but my battery died a few photos in and I couldn't be bothered trekking home to get a spare battery(Photographer rule no #: always pack spare batteries!) Anyhoo will post photos tomorrow. I am off to thaw out in my HOT shower :) :)

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Posted in "London" "Snow" "Fernandez and Wells"