Review LED Light Godox LA 200

This is a powerful LED light that’s solid for studio work and light enough to take on location. I appreciate the Color Rendering Index is a high 96 for clean color with no shifts. It produces lots of light 230 watts. It’s easier to show you how this light works than to write about it, so I invite you to check it out. See what I like, a lot, and a small issue or two to watch for…

Review LED Light – Godox LA200 Single color 5600k. Godox also makes a LA150 and bi-color versions.

If you have any comments or questions about this review let me know. BTW, I was able to keep this LED Light at no charge.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob

Want to look a little closer at the specs or order the light, here’s a link – http://amazon.com/dp/B09T34Z67L

platypod and black friday

platypod and black friday

Flower with shiprock new mexico

Flowers and greenery sneak through the dry desert in front of Shiprock in New Mexico.

As an Ambassador for Platypod tripods I thought you might be interested in the Black Friday deals they’ve just launched. You can find savings on five different gear bundles.You can save from $25 to $126 depending upon which bundle you choose. Plus, free shipping on orders over 100 bucks. Look here for all the deals.

Platypod can help you get low in the field or tighten up your studio shooting space. Here’s an image I made with the camera on a very low angle to feature the flower against Shiprock in New Mexico.

Here’s a BTS shot of the Platy going low…

Platypod ultra with olympus E-M1 Mark III camera

An Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 M.Zuiko Pro lens on the OM-D E-M1 Mark III mounted on the Platypod Ultra

If you have any questions, let me know.

Yours in Creative Photography,      Bob

platypod deal

platypod deal

You’ve probably heard me mention the Platypod as a camera support tool I’ve been using. They liked my stuff I shared with them so much they made me a Platypod Ambassador. As such, they share the cool deals and there’s one going on for the holidays.

Here’s the skinny

This is the Platypod Max Macro bundle. (link includes other Black Friday deals still available as well). It starts with the Platypod Max. It includes Litra lights and ways to get them into position with goose-neck arms. Leveling screws and ways to attach your Platy to railings and trees. All you need to add is a ball head which is easy using the built in 3/8’s threaded post. In addition, you get the Platypod Ultra which is great for getting stability out on the trails hiking when weight is a concern or when you are on location.

The $279 deal has all of this included so you can start to McGuyver too! Save $148

I wrote an article about McGuyvering with this stuff earlier this month. Check it out.

By the way, you save $148 bucks with this package.

If you have any questions give me a shout!

Yours in Creative Photography,         Bob

macgyver your way to camera support

macgyver your way to camera support

If you have been following my Instagram feed you have seen I’ve been making the most of my Platypod camera support system. The Platypod people saw what I was doing and hired me to supply them with some images for their marketing. Here are some Platypod Black Friday deals they shared with me.

My Platypod story

I bought a Platypod at a convention. Used it once or twice then kinda forgot about it. It was a bit of a pain because I was using a tripod head from my other tripods rather than having one dedicated to it tending to use it only for special needs. I broke it out again and started using it and just kept finding new ways to put it to use. Getting super low angles was now really easy especially since my cameras have a tilting or flip screen. Not having to be on your belly to see your camera view is an awesome feature.

I finally got a dedicated tripod head for my Platypod and that has made a huge difference in my usage rates.

Thinking of it as a second tripod

When I stopped thinking of the Platy as a stand alone camera support I started using it even more. It now hangs from my bag all the time. It can be the single tripod I have with me. Or, more often, I use it as a second support and carry my Fotopro Eagle E6L as well. I set the Platypod up with a camera to make time-lapse images and the Fotopro gets another camera body for different compositions while the time-lapse images are being gathered.

Platypod in the middle of the creek for a low angle. The flip screen makes seeing what’s in the camera a piece of cake.

Fotopro Eagle E6L tripod. Light, versatile and works well in conjunction with my Platy when I want to have two camera supports while hiking.

Having time-lapse photos to work with allows for creative image making I call ‘compressed time’ photos. An image from the beginning of the session can be the foreground while the sky might some from a later image from the sequence.

platypod with mirrorless mover 20

Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 with Platypod Tripod. Now I have camera support with me at all times on the trail and can take a second tripod as well.

I’ve found the number of keepers I get from a photo session on a hike is probably three times as many with a second support. I get to tell a lot more stories from a single session.

Studio work

I’ve found uses for the Platypod in the studio as well. You can mount it on your tripod and add Goose-necks by using the threads made for the removable feet. That allows you to position LED lights for creative lighting. Especially good for macro shooting. If you think about it a little the well machined plate makes it easy to add all kinds of accessories to your gear.

Platypod mounted on tripod in the studio. Allows for hands free lighting support by adding Goose-necks.

A deal

It’s Black Friday and Platypod asked me to share some deals with you. Check them out. There is a limited supply so you might want to check them out right away. If you have any questions let me know!

MacGyver would be proud of what you can rig up with the Platypod!

Yours in Creative Photography,        Bob

sunrise time-lapse at watson lake with platypod

sunrise time-lapse at watson lake with platypod

PlatyPod tripod is a utility tool I’ve started using more often. I bought mine about a year and a half ago and set it aside for a bit, as it was not front of mind. I started using it again and found quite a few new and different ways to support my camera and lights. Now, the Ultra model stays clipped to my Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 camera bag.

Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona

sunrise photo watson lake prescott arizona

Sunrise image selected from time-lapse captures

Having outfitted my car for camping I was able to be on site for sunrise and moon-rise shoots. I’m sharing some of the sunrise footage I made with my Lumix G9. Capturing time-lapse images adds to possible output. Of course, there’s the time-lapse processed at multiple playback speeds. Multiple images can also be processed together for noise reduction or other creative uses. Individual images can be selected for processing different times.

Time-lapse

Link to sunrise video. It is magical seeing time compressed. There is a different perspective when everything is shown faster. The world can be viewed in many different ways. Being a stills photographer/Lens Based Artist I seem to be drawn to what can be shared starting with individual captures. Putting the photos together gives me another creative outlet.

Low to the ground

platypod tripod at watson lake prescott arizona

Platypod Ultra tripod with a couple leveling bolts in place.

When making this set of images I wanted the camera to be low to the ground which, is a perfect use for the PlatyPod tripod. With no legs the camera is not affected by wind and stays steady Many regular tripods can get low as well, but end up with legs splayed.

Yours in Creative Photography,       Bob

FYI I am currently creating paid content for PlatyPod.