Cool Product

Have you ever been on location and need a little desk space?  Do you shoot tethered?  I just saw a product advertised to solve those little problems.  The Tripad is a simple plastic and glass device that fits over your tripod and is strong enough to support a laptop.

I have a quad arm unit from Manfrotto that fits on top of my tripod and I use in my studio, but it is large and bulky and costs a lot more than this unit.  I found that I could not use it in my real estate shots because I may be crowded into a tight corner of a bedroom in order to get the proper angle on a shot. 

I sometimes photograph homes for a Realtor client.  Many times I will arrive at the location and discover that there is no furniture in the home and I have to place my laptop in the kitchen and then I can't tether to see the shots I am getting.  When I saw this product the big light bulb went off over my head.

Then, after saying that I could have invented this (you all know that feeling),  I placed an order.

Best of all it costs around a $100 plus shipping and compared to a lens that is a drop in the bucket.  As you can see in the photo on the right it also includes slide out arms to support a mouse and a cup of java.  I'm not so sure about the propriety of having a mug of liquid next to my laptop, but sounds like an idea.

Tripad in use

Now, don't go out and buy one just yet.  I have not received mine and I would not want to steer you down the wrong path.  Mine should be here in about a week and I will update this blog post to tell you if it will actually work.  Their web site has several videos and pictures showing it working, but I want to know if it will fit on my tripod.  So, stay tuned.  If you want to check it out yourself their web site is: http://www.gotripad.com/tripad/.They also have a similar product that fits on the top of your rolling luggage and makes it into a desk at the airport.  Oh, so simple, but so innovative.

Do you have any little inventions that you use in your daily photography?  Let me know and I will note them on my blog.  Who knows, some of these manufacturers might give away some free products.  I will note that I did not get this product for free (or even discounted). But, when I see a product that I will use I will tell all you other photographers about it.

Update: I have now received the product and it does exactly what they advertised to do.  The unit fits over my tripod easily and does not interfere with any of the levers on the tripod. It is a sturdy hardened plastic hybrid and it does hold my laptop (a 15" ACER), although I would not want to place a lot more weight on it.  The only thing disappointing is the time it took to arrive.  In this time of instant gratification it took several weeks to arrive.  It was shipped via UPS, but they then delivered it to the Post Office for home delivery.
All in all, it is a product that will help me in my real estate shots as I move my tethered laptop/tripod from room to room. 

Tips for better shooting

When you think you have the shot-move in closer.  The most important tip I can think of for the emerging sports shooter is that you MUST fill the frame.  Don't use Lightroom of Photoshop to enlarge your images, use your legs or your zoom.  Any time that you enlarge a print in Photoshop or Lightroom you are making the image softer.

The photo on the right was taken with aCanon  EF 400mm F/2.8L II USM lens on a Canon 7D at 1/320 of a second using a Canon 580 EX flash at f/2.8 at 400mm from across the field during a game with Valley Vista High and South Mountain. 

This is not a cropped frame. 

The photo on the left is Centennial's QB Justin Sanchez back for a pass taken with a Canon 400mm f/2.8 at 1/400 sec. at f/2.8 once again from across the field at 400mm.

See what happens when you fill the frame.

Accounting for Photographers

For the past several years I have struggled with finding and then using an accounting system that is suitable for my photography business.  Last year I used Quickbooks Premier and while it was certainly adequate for all my business needs it was fairly hard to learn and required a bit of work to make modifications to utilize my forms and other documents into a simple to use workflow.

This year I found a new online accounting software called Kashoo.  I was skeptical at first about using an online service.  I read a few reviews and signed up for a 30 day free account.  The cost (when I signed up) was $ 9.95 per month and after my free trial I paid the whole year in advance.  This cost provides all your accounting services for up to 10 businesses.  Both my wife and I have a business so I thought it would be a great idea. 

The screen shot to the right shows the free trial page and the pricing information along with the contact information for their on-line support.

Kashoo is a fairly standard accounting software package the provides a double-entry system (it handles most of the balanced entries).  It does not do everything that a full featured program like Quickbooks, but it will do most of the accounting required for a small business and it is amazingly easy to use.  Kashoo also has very good support and responds promptly to questions.

They have a blog and several articles about general accounting and specifics about their software.  I had a question about depreciation and they responded by the next day with the transaction to use.

My first serious requirement was to prepare an invoice for a photo shoot I was doing.   Kashoo provided an invoice template that could be customized with my logo and had the ability to print out several paragraphs of a scope of work. These paragraphs can be expanded much further than the invoices included in Quickbooks and that initial problem led me to look around for other accounting options and how I found Kashoo. 


Kashoo also has a nice Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet.  It also tracks taxes payable, accounts receivable and accounts payable.  They start out with a standard Chart of Accounts and they allow you to add accounts of your own to match your own requirements:

Kashoo does not do everything and I wish it had more powerful reports, but it does allow all it's information to be exported to Excel where you can slice and dice it any way you want.I still don't believe that they include additional business units to be added at no cost.  I would suggest you look into this before they figure out they can actually charge extra for something like that. (I hope I did not lead them to make a change in their policies). 

This is my opinion only.  I don't get any payment for a good review or a referral (although I would certainly take a couple of months free if it were offered).  This way I am under no obligation to give a good or bad report and can be absolutely open and honest on any opinion.

2011 A Year in Review

Who would have thought that 2011 would result in the most diverse images of my life.

Michael Cici of the Air Force Academy

In February there was the Coca Cola Classic with some of the best college baseball teams in the country.

Stealing second base

Monica Puig, winner of the tournament

Also in February was the USTA Pro Circuit $25,000 tennis classic where I had the chance to photograph a remarkable 17 year old from Puerto Rico, Monica Puig.  She went through days of elimination bouts to win the tournament.

Josh Hamilton scores on a slide to home

Record setting crowds

As usual I started out in February and March photographing Spring Training at Surprise Stadium.  The Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals played thirty days of exciting Spring Training action. 

Centennial's Paige Mills

By April I was shooting high school softball with some more amazing women athletes.











This sports shooting led to even more high school when I was selected by the MaxPreps Professional Photographer network to shoot for them in the upcoming football season.

Diandre Harding running for a touchdown

QB Taylor Nezdoba

Working with the Willow Canyon Booster club I shot many of Willow Canyon's home games and their team and individual shots.

Surprise Party 2011 Photos from Friday Night

A great time was had by all at the Surprise Party events last weekend (December 2-3).  The Friday night events were highlighted by a hot air balloon glow and several bands.
For this post I will let the pictures tell the story.

In a balloon glow each balloon is tethered to the ground and the balloon's are kept inflated by heating the air inside with powerful burners.