0
$ 0.00 0 items

No products in the cart.

The heart of each Camera Pack is the Internal Camera Unit which carries your kit. The Camera Inserts are interchangeable and each pack is compatible with various Camera Inserts.

f-stop Camera Inserts collection

We will visually guide you through the diverse Configurations that you can achieve with each individual pack.

Overview

Not every pack is compatible or recommended to go with each Camera Insert. For instance, the Shinn 80 L is designed to accommodate large camera/video equipment. To fulfill this purpose, both the pack as well as the Cine Master insert have greater depth compared to other packs. The Cine Master Camera Insert is significantly deeper than the Pro XL Camera Insert. Therefore, when you are using an XL Camera insert it will not fill out the pack fully. As a result, you can avoid any movement of the Camera Insert in the pack you can attach it to the side attachment loops inside the pack ( next to the Aluminium frame)

Chart showing which f-stop Camera Inserts are compatible with each f-stop camera backpack

Camera Insert Compatibility Mountain Series

[metaslider id=26578 cssclass=""]

Camera Insert Compatibility Ultralight Series

[metaslider id=26584 cssclass=""]

Fitting Guide - Camera Inserts

Furthermore, when choosing your Camera pack, you also want to consider how much extra room you need for additional equipment such as clothing, food accessories, etc. Gain a sense of the available extra space in the Packs with a variety of compatible Inserts.

Learn more about how to select the best Camera Insert for your needs.
https://shuttermuse.com/f-stop-icu-size-guide/


Recent Posts:

How would you carry all of your camera gear plus a lot of camping gear? You might do what f-stop Ambassador Pia Steen does when she wants to pack camera gear and camping gear. She loads up her Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® with everything from cine setups to long lenses.

“If I sometimes just need that little extra space I have it and don't need to worry” 

Intro

One of Pia’s passions is landscape photography which requires a lot of planning, time, and patience. Pia is often on multiple day tours and workshops. So she needs a pack with the capacity to carry EVERYTHING for several days, including clothing, a jacket, a sleeping bag, a camping stove, food, etc.  Then, when planning short hikes away from camp and plan, Pia unpacks, reorganizes and just takes the essentials for that day’s hike.

Nature has always been an important and big part of her life. Pia has used f-stop for over a decade and uses multiple Packs - each one for a different purpose! However, the Shinn is a pack she regularly chooses over her Tilopa 50L DuraDiamond® for trips or excursions.  . 

Pia Steen with the Packing Cell Kit and Camping Kit
Pia Steen with the Packing Cell Kit and Camping Kit next to her the Shinn DuraDiamond

One of Pia's mottos to get the best light is "Better to be two hours too early than just two minutes late". She has been using f-stop for more than 10 years now and her newest addition is the Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® ⁠
Today, she brings all with her that she would need to wait for the perfect light. She pulls out her stove and boils water to make some tea while watching the day’s light develop.

“The emotionality of every moment is like a breath of life. Creating a memory from that ephemeral is a gift.” ​ 

Pia’s Kit

The Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® might be designed to accommodate cinema gear, but its biggest strength is its versatility, which Pia takes full advantage of. She utilizes the Shinn’s spacious capacity and all-day comfort on her multi-day hikes and workshops. "Better to be two hours too early, than just two minutes late" she laughs.

Often running multi-day tours and workshops, Pia needs a pack with the capacity to carry everything for several days. This often includes a change of clothing, a jacket, a sleeping bag, a camping stove, and food, all packed alongside her photography gear.

The usual ”Landscape Outdoor Kit":

For her multi-day trips or Landscape Photography where she is expecting to carry more than usual, she is using the Shinn 80L Duradiamond® to give her enough space for a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, Bivy Tent, food, etc. 
On this occasion she used the Shinn 80 L along with the Slope Medium Camera Insert which gives her additional room to fill with camping Gear from Stove, Gas, and cups in her Packing Cell KitAside from this, she brought a small box of Cookies (or other snacks) Tripod ( attached to the front of the pack with Gatekeepers), Gloves, a Down Jacket, Memory Cards, a Card Reader, a Cleaning Kit, Batteries and an f-stop Accessory Pouch Small and Accessory Pouch Medium.

f-stop Shinn 80L DuraDiamond®  camera backpack and the f-stop Pro Small Camera Insert
Pia with the Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® with the Slope Medium Camera Insert 

Tip's from Pia: 

The Shinn DuraDiamond 80 L with the XLarge Insert and the Medium Slope on the side
the Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® filled with the Pro XLarge Camera Insert and the Medium Slope Camera Insert next to the bag. See more f-stop Camera Inserts

Whether you pack a Shinn 80L DuraDiamond® like Pia or a smaller Mountain Series backpack, you will find multiple attachment points across the entire Mountain Series range. ⁠ One of the things that Pia loves about her Shinn and our other Mountain Series packs is the multiple attachment points, which can be used to carry and attach larger items such as sleeping bags and tents to the packs. 

Join us as our Ambassadors share tips and tricks they have learned over years of traveling, with Life on the Dāsh, and check out how fellow Ambassadors get organized.

Pablo Durana - Filmmaker, Climber and Gear Junkie - Did you ever wonder how to pack for climbing and filming on a 1,000m/3,200ft sheer rock wall? You need a passion for climbing, and you need the right camera gear. You also need the accessories required to keep everything organized. f-stop ICON Pablo Durana made exactly such a climb, and he had to rely on very sturdy gear. His pack and camera are essential tools for his work, so they need to measure up to his high standards! 

Meet Pablo

First of - let us tell you a bit about Pablo.- Pablo seems happiest when it's remote and conditions are miserable. Usually it’s very hard to find him at home since he is on projects all the time. But adventure isn't the only driving element for the trilingual Colombian native. He also focuses much of his energy on social justice issues. Pablo is a director of photography with high attention for audio and also an experienced FAA Certified drone pilot. 

"Documentaries have an incredible ability to educate and to inspire," and it's another big reason he became a cinematographer. Pablo has covered a wide range of absolutely amazing projects. If you want to learn more about him and his work check out his Ambassador Profile.

The Gear

His trusted Shinn 80 L DuraDiamond® Adventure and Cine Camera Backpack does the heavy lifting protecting his CINE gear, cameras, lenses and everything else he needs. Aside from his Shinn he uses a variety of Accessories. Even his old Satori ( the "old" version of the Tilopa DuraDiamond®) is still in use! Its about 8 years old by now and his gear has to take up with his extrem adventures. One of his favorite accessories is the Navin DuraDiamond® Camera pouch which he usually carries on the hip for quick access to his camera, or drone! When Pablo goes out shooting there needs to be a lot of room to attach things and additionally all of the gear for Pablo has to be pretty rugged and take a lot of beating!

Pablo on "El Gigante"

Check out the video below for some special behind the scenes footage showing how f-stop ambassador Pablo Durana managed his gear. Climbing the wall on "El Gigante" required careful attention to every detail, and Pablo used f-stop accessories to organize his gear. 

An Afternoon with Pablo

"Sure! I'll be home the next 3 days. I just need to do some gardening," Pablo replied when Lena first reached out to meet up. Feeling lucky to catch him between projects, Lena, our Visual Storyteller in Residence, headed over to his home to meet him right away.

Well, "gardening" turned out to be climbing high in the pine trees around his home. Pablo lives in an area under threat from wildfires in northern California, so "gardening" for Pablo means climbing trees to cut out dry limbs and protect his house from fires. As a pro climber, Pablo made this look quite easy. Instead of his usual load of camera gear, he climbed with a chainsaw. He even helped the neighbours trim their trees. 


The wildfires spread widely and quickly in California this past year. You can still see the remains of the distruction with burned trees through the Lake Tahoe area serving as a silent reminder of the danger. The last fires came to within a few meters of his home, and could have lost everything. So, cutting out dead limbs (fuel for a fire) was a necessary safety measure.

When you would visit Pablo and when he's at home between projects, Pablo enjoys a quick ride to a nearby little river to take a swim. That’s actually what he recommends to everyone who visits. There is a beautiful little meadow in walking distance or a short bike ride. The meadow is his little hidden gem. The walk is short, but Pablo rides his bike when he just wants a quick dip. In the summer, he enjoys moving outside to sleep or just to hang out in the "meditation tent." Waking up to bird songs or seeing the shadows of some squirrels or chipmunks on the walls of his tent brings a smile to his face. Being outside and having a close relation with nature is really important to him .

A little Gear Talk with Pablo

Lena and Pablo spent most of their time together in "gear talk." Pablo has been a loyal advocate for f-stop for many years. He got his first f-stop bag, a Satori, about 2009. The Satori was a previous version of today's Tilopa DuraDiamond® 50L bag. Pablo took his bag to Mt. Kilimanjaro and still uses it today. That pack has seen a lot of different places through the years, and since it is Pablo using it, the bag had to take quite a beating. With the extreme adventures Pablo loves, his equipment needs to keep up with him and function in the extreme environments from the deepest caves to the highest peaks.

Pablo also needs functional and high-quality accessories. The Navin Welded pouch is one of his favourite little pouches. With the New DuraDiamond® material, it is much stronger and resistant to environmental extremes. You definitely can see his Navin is well used. Pablo has taken it to the deepest caves humans have explored, it even went on his expedition to El Gigante - video below!.

Pablo still has his first SHINN, one of the orginal editions of that pack in malibu blue (which is no longer available). He took it to Antarctica - among other places. When asked when he got it, he answered, “Oh gosh, I still can’t even remember.”

Since he usually carries a large quantity of camera and outdoor equipment with him, his travel bag of choice is the Tilopa 50 L DuraDiamond® with a Large Camera Bag Insert. He packs the main body with his film camera, the more delicate lenses, additional hard drives, and he adds his Laptop in the Laptop sleeve in the back panel of the Tilopa. Other equipment you can find in Pablo's pack when he flies is a walkie talkie, all sorts of lithium batteries, and other essentials he needs close at hand like documents. Pablo prefers the Tilopa 50L over the Ajna 37L for air travel, because he definitely needs the extra room he gets with the Tilopa. Pablo tries to keep the Tilopa 50 L as compact and slim as possible, so the front pocket is almost empty with only documents inside. But when he is shooting, he definitely uses the outside pockets of the pack.

We asked Pablo what benefits do you get from f-stop bags that you can't find in other bags? He told us, "These packs are burly, comfortable and efficient. Period."

Pablo uses his f-stop accessories and pack components in a wide variety of ways. For instance, he uses the hip belt attachment options to carry "El Mosquito" which he carries in a Navin (yes - he named his foldable wing drone!). On the other side of his hip belt, he frequently attaches his medium accessory pouch which he calls his "Media Pouch." His media pouch serves as a catch-all for his media requirements and accessories. It's convenient for Pablo, because on a project, he can simply hand the pouch off to a digital imaging technician for editing or to upload files, etc. Other f-stop accessories Pablo repurposes are lens barrels. He uses one for his time-lapse head. 

Pablo's most important rule is “label everything.” When working on big productions, some creatives might have the same gear pr gear gets lost in all of the activity. So Pablo advises everyone to put their name on everything. (He definitely spoke from experience.)

“When you’re traveling everything needs to have its specific spot or you start loosing things or as well you are searching for hours for something." - Pablo Durana

Something small light and sturdy

A Day Out With Alex Hansen can be either a backcountry trip or a one hour hike for fun. Lena, f-stop Visual Storyteller in Residence, got to meet Alex between projects in Boulder, Colorado for such a quick hike. Alex has been working on some exciting projects, too. Alex and fellow photgrgapher, Matt Meisenheimer, recently went on a cinematic tour in Hawaii. Some video from that amazing trip is below! 

Alex Hansen's drive for photography excellence and adventure stems from time spent in the world’s biggest mountain ranges. Alex’s goal is to distill the beauty in the subtle moments we so often experience while out in nature. From extending ridgelines, to carved out river basins, he has a passion for capturing these places in a raw and emotional way.

When choosing the right pack Alex focuses on packing as light as possible.

His choice for a quick hike where he doesn't need much with him is his Navin DuraDiamond® Welded Camera Pouch. For longer hikes or Back Country trips he brings the Ajna 37 L DuraDiamond®

Springtime in Boulder - Colorado

In May 2022, Alex and Lena (on here 5-week journey around the US) got a chance to meet up in Boulder, Colorado. After a meet and greet for lunch, they went to Lena's car to make the drive to a location Alex spotted for a short hike. Alex noticed the back tire of Lena's Jeep was a little light on air. Okay, so maybe not just light on air. It was flat.

Turned out there was a hole in the tire, and it had to be changed. Alex ended up helping Lena for the next 2 hours in the middle of the city. The tricky part was to find a working jack and finding the tire tool in the car. They managed to find a replacement tire and get the flat changed, but the delay force a change in plans. So, they agreed on a quick hike the following day before Alex had to leave for a project in Peru.

Alex is familiar with The Flat Iron, and it was a short hike from the parking area. He just "scrambled up on one of them the other day." Hiking with Alex is quite relaxed. He always smiles and has jokes on the side. A lot of photographers would probably shy away from going out shooting in the middle of the day, but for Alex it's more about the joy of spending some time out and enjoying taking photos. "If the light is super harsh you can just focus more on the details around you and take the sky out of the frame" as he phrases it. "Basically we are out here to have fun! And that's probably one of the most important things that I try to think about and consider. Often times have to take ourselves very serious while working as a photographer - But the days in the afternoon where you can just go out and shoot, have fun and not necessarily care about the outcome is really nice. I try to force myself to do that more often - even if its just an hour in the middle of the day. It helps to keep the joy there for photography and just have fun and thats quite important!"


When you're out shooting with him, you'll notice that he is looking through the viewfinder quite a lot.. Either you see him shooting or he is actually checking images and reviewing them. "The colors and depth are much more detailed as compared to reviewing images on the screen." he mumbles while reviewing through the viewfinder His number one tip though is "Don't review your images while walking on rocky terrain! It could end bad for you or your camera ," he says and grins.

Alex Hansen in Interview on a Hike out with Lena Oberhofer  with the Navin DuraDiamond® Alex's favorite camera pouch for short Hikes

Matt and Alex on tour - Life on the Edge | Kauai 

Recently Matt Meisenheimer and Alexander Hansen were on on a backcountry hike in Hawaii. This trip was quite fitting since both of them work at Backcountry Journeys. Kauai's Na Pali Coast, where mountains meet the sea, it is one of the most dramatic and beautiful coastlines in the world. Matt captured the mood high up in the national park with his drone and camera while Alex got some photos of Matt, too. It was perfect to have two talented creatives in a place like this. Both of them beautifly matched in the scenery with the f-stop cypress green Ajna 37L and the Tilopa 50L. 


Make sure to check out the video below produced by Matt Meisenheimer of their trip featuring Alex Hansen as he explores and photographs the coastline at sunset.

A Brief Summary of Gear

Wherever Alex goes he brings gear suited to his trip or project.

For the hike out in Hawaii, or overall longer backcountry trips, Alex brings the Ajna 37 L DuraDiamond®. He uses the bag to carry water, cameras, lenses, some snacks, and additional clothes. 

His friend and collague Matt Meisenheimer's set up looked a bit different with his Tilopa 50 L DuraDiamond®. Compared to Alex, Matt preferes a bit more room for his gear - a drone, microphones, and camera gear - and the thicker shoulder strap padding

For an hour hike the Navin DuraDiamond® Welded pouch is Alex's all time favorite bag. Just one camera body and attached lens and off he goes. Since he doesn't like to carry anything in his pockets he also puts his creditcard or key in the top Zipper. Weight is essential for him, therefore he thinks through what he packs and which pack to bring as little gear as possible. With the Navin he is on the lightest side possible - but still has enough Battery life and storage with the Battery grip on his Camera and 2 SD card slots for the whole day. 

The only thing is that he missed during the quick hike out with Lena was a water bottle and some "safety" snacks. "Lena was like - let's go up that hill or lets go down that hill - now my stomach is starting to grumble". He says while in interview. Next time they are out he'll probably bring the Ajna! 



Gear Used in this Story



AJNA 37L DuraDiamond - Cypress (green), Cypress Pack Only

$ 349.99

Select a Color: Cypress (green), Choose Option: Cypress Pack Only

Navin DuraDiamond Pouch

$ 69.99

Modular Expansion Solution



For those seeking a useful way to spend their time while at home, don't worry, we got you covered. 

Yes, it is super important to stay indoors now, but that doesn't mean that we cannot have fun, or learn something new.

We've compiled some fun activities that you can do at home to help make your time as interesting and as productive – as possible.
 

FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES

Ski Movies by Josh Berman and Level 1

To enjoy in the comfort of your home and watch some adventure on your screen, f-stop Ambassador Josh Berman and his Level 1 Production have their first 9 films ready for streaming completely free and the rest of their library is available for download if you'd like to add them to your permanent collections.

Level 1 are an award-winning production house and a group of talented filmmakers, photographers, and designers, trekking the globe to capture compelling images of the best skiing action, and cutting them up to deliver premium content and stories to a big screen, TV, or computer near you!

You can find the films here: https://level1productions.com/blogs/news/binge-on-more-than-9-hours-of-ski-movie-history

Nebula" a documentary film by Reuben Krabbe and Jay Trusler

f-stop Ambassadors Reuben Krabbe and Jay Trusler wondered what would happen if they shot ski photos using a telescope. That motivated them to create this amazing documentary called "Nebula" where they talk about an incredible journey to create a groundbreaking photograph. 


You can find the film here: https://geni.us/Nebula_Film

Extreme Sports Films from Almo Films

If you would like to add some adventure and deep dive into extreme sports films with extraordinary stories our f-stop Ambassadors Morgan Le Faucheur and Ben Nardini from ALMO Films have the right thing for you. Each of their 9 films will take on a unique screen journey and allow you to enjoy it. 

Almo Films are a group of creatives who have gathered years of travel, hours of filming, meetings with amazing people and crazy projects in their luggage. They've also been very lucky to collaborate with artists, brands, and athletes from the whole world.

They are convinced that a collective made of talents will always prevail.


ALMO is not only made up of fifty or so creative and skilled partners, but it’s also a huge international community of nearly 25, 000 people.

You can find their films here: https://www.almofilm.com/en/documentaries/ 

BOOKS / E-BOOKS

Book by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer

For everyone who’s looking to gain more photography knowledge and skills, f-stop Ambassadors Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer published their amazing book “52 Assignments: Landscape Photography”. Through 128 pages Ross and Mark give various concepts for composing and creating eye-catching landscape photography in all its forms.

This book is small enough to fit in your camera bag and allow you to discover new approaches that will throw a whole new light on your landscape photography.

Ross Hoddinott is one of the UK's leading natural history and landscape photographers. He is the author of eight photography books and a multi-award winner.

Mark Bauer is also one of the UK's leading landscape photographers, specializing in atmospheric images of the southwest of England.

PRINTS

If you are interested in transforming your home or office walls, here are some amazing art pieces from our Ambassadors.

Prints by Melissa Findley

f-stop Ambassador’s Melissa Findley extensive scope of work includes Travel, Adventure, Portraits, Landscape, Lifestyle, and Charity. Melissa’s ventures in charity and raising awareness include donating funds from photographic prints and zines to both Cambodian and Nepalese charities, so if you are interested in a beautiful picture for your wall, you can get one here: https://www.melissa-findley.com/prints/

Prints by Christiaan Hart

Brighten up your home or office walls with unique neon themed classic Hong Kong prints by f-stop Ambassador Christiaan Hart. Museum grade quality, acrylic face mount prints available in different sizes, shipping worldwide. 

Australian photographer Christiaan Hart has traveled throughout Asia to cover International sporting events such as Grand Prix, Formula E, Professional Golf Tournaments, ATP Tennis and Rugby 7's. Aside from Sport, Christiaan also specializes in commercial and corporate events.

You can find the prints here: https://www.christiaanhart.com/shop

Prints by Joshua Snow

f-stop Ambassador Joshua Snow offers all his images as fine art prints and offers 40% off all fine-art prints and free ground shipping on orders over $300.00. Make sure to use “Quarantine40” at checkout.

Joshua Snow is a landscape photographer, originally from upstate New York but now based in Moab, Utah. Joshua has an amazing portfolio, and you'll see several of his photos featured throughout this page.

You can find the prints here: https://www.wildlightexposures.com/galleries

EDUCATIONAL TUTORIALS

Online Classes with Francesco Gola

Learn how to transform your rough RAW image into a wonderful jewel, learn how to plan or learn the fundamentals of landscape photography with f-stop Ambassador Francesco Gola.

Francesco is an Italian engineer who's fallen in love with photography. Born in Italy in 1981, as soon as he started taking pictures he fell in love with long exposures of seascapes. Francesco is offering online one-on-one Skype lessons for all of these topics on the links here:

http://www.francescogola.net/workshops/photography-post-production-skype-classes/

http://www.francescogola.net/workshops/scouting-planning-skype-classes/

http://www.francescogola.net/workshops/theory-technique-production-skype-classes/

The business of photography” by John E. Marriott

f-stop Ambassador John E. Marriott has an online course called “The Business of Photography” and it’s a perfect choice for anyone who has a passion for photography and wants to learn how to monetize it. The Business of Photography offers honest stories, tips, advice, and guidance provided by the instructors and gives you back-door access to the inner workings of six successful photography businesses. As an addition to the course, John offers a promo code with $50 off the course. Feel free to submit the promo code TAKE50 at checkout.

John E. Marriott is one of Canada’s premier professional wildlife and nature photographers, with images published worldwide by National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Canadian Geographic, McLean's, and Reader’s Digest. He is a contributing editor Outdoor Photography Canada magazine and the host of the popular web series EXPOSED with John E. Marriott.

You can find the link to the online course here: https://offbeat.teachable.com/p/the-business-of-photography

Tips and tricks about wildlife photography by Pia Steen

f-stop Ambassador Pia Steen has a photography blog where she shares amazing tips and tricks about wildlife photography, portraits and offers workshops. There are many interesting articles for reviews and adventure stories.

You can find the link to the blog here: https://piasteen.de/blog/

Important note: The blog is in German

SOCIAL MEDIA

Zero Footprint Project with Morag Paterson and Ted Leeming

f-stop ambassadors Morag and Ted have a great and creative project called “Zero Footprint” where all photos are taken without the need for travel.  The project perfect for these times and raises awareness of travel and its link to the impacts of climate change. People can post their images to the “zero footprints” Facebook page together with a few words on their individual projects.  Selected “Voices” will be contacted and offered to do a full article in the prestigious “On Landscape” photo magazine, with any successful authors receiving a 12-month subscription to the magazine.

Morag Paterson and Ted Leeming have been working collaboratively as artists and photographers for ten years.  While their visions are independently motivated a mutual exchange of ideas transpires, melding observation and comment on man's relationship with the environment with a fascination for transformation and metamorphosis, examining both tangible energy - as a human commodity -and those forces that are still on the edge of human exploration and understanding.

You can find the link to the projects here: https://www.leemingpaterson.com/Projects/Environmental-Zero-Footprint/

Photos can be submitted on their FB page @Zero Footprints Community or emailed at [email protected]

25th Anniversaty of the Vebier Xtreme by Dom Daher

f-stop Icon Dom Daher did a project 25th anniversary of the Verbier Xtreme, the world's most famous big mountain ski and snowboard competition, which is also the FWT final. To celebrate this, they brought 25 candles (well flash light hold by famous skier and alpinist) around the mountains and 3 riders went down by night.

Dom Daher is a Red Bull photographer for more than 10 years (red level), a member of the Sandisk extreme team since 2009, and senior photographer in charge of the whole photoproduction on the Freeride World Tour since 2008…

Covering a lot of sport from skiing to surfing (a way less now) to running and cycling so the community is quite diverse.

Here is the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve9VWDEniQY&feature=youtu.be

f-stop Social Media Campaigns

Instagram live Q&A's with f-stop and its Ambassadors.

Every Wednesday and Friday we have Q&As on Instagram live with one of our Ambassadors where you can ask them any questions that you might have regarding their projects, gear, pro tips, etc. You can find out all of the details about every Instagram Live Takeover on our stories on @fstopgear.

f-stop Legacy campaign

Being in the market for more than a decade, we decided to take a moment and look back at the memories created together. Over the next couple of weeks, we’d like to share our storied adventures, and to start, find our oldest f-stop gear still in use.
To help us do that, we'd like you to share a photo with your oldest f-stop piece including the year it was received, and post it on your social media channel using the following hashtags: #packflashback; #fstopgear; #fstopcommunity

Now that we've got some time on our hands, I've started spring cleaning at a full force. If you want to join me, I'll show you tips and tricks for keeping your f-stop gear extra clean in the article below.

The first step is to organize all the "artistic mess"    

It's at upmost importance to me to have one camera pack and ICU to carry all my essential camera equipment in. As you can see, that's currently not the case. Since right now nothing is in the correct order, it's time to re-organize. Before doing so, it is time to clean the camera pack and ICU.Of course, I take all of my photography equipment out of the ICU and then I suction the internal part by using a vacuum cleaner.I use the vacuum cleaner to clean the main compartment of my camera pack as well.I have a habit of keeping the rubbish piled from snack bars, paper napkins, plastic bags etc. in the bottom pocket of the pack. If you also share this habit, don't forget to take it out of there and into the recycling bin!

I also go the extra step and use high-pressure air to clean out both the ICU and the pack. If this tool is also available to you, I'd highly suggest you use it too.After all that cleaning and organizing,it's now way easier to access my work space. My Small Accessory Pouch is always equipped with First aid, suncream, power bars, Painkiller, keys, and USB cable. I never travel without my memory cards from angelbird.com

I always pack my rain jacket, headlamp, tape, thin short rope, f-stop rain cover for my camera bag, and homemade rain cover for my camera. My essentials are always packed in the Accessory Pouches so when I switch packs, I can easily grab a pouch and be sure that all my necessities are always in my camera pack. It's a very important step to organize the gear in the ICU. To keep the cables and camera remotes organizes, I use f-stop ICU gate which are perfect for keeping smaller pieces of equipment from moving inside the ICU.

Don't forget to take care of the hardware of the pack. My last step is treating the zippers with silicone spray. This helps them stay in good condition for a longer period of time. I am done for today! It took a while, but everything looks much organized now. 

f-stop ambassador Gustavo Cherro providing handy techniques for shooting wakeboarding.

1. THINK FAST, BUT BE PATIENT


Do not panic if before the first jumps do not get good results, your mind and ability will understand the athlete's times and as the day progresses, everything will improve. Do not hurry 

2. UNDERSTAND THE ACTIVITY


Try to meet the athlete, observe his movements and learn about him, if possible, interact with him and deepen that knowledge. This will help you get better results.

3. THE BACKGROUND


A stunning background can transform a simple photo into one that is extraordinary. Take advantage and be "ironic" with the environment, a rider running out of his environment will always impact more visually.

4. MAKE UP THE IMAGE


Is one of the most important aspects of a photograph, the composition of an image is what makes it great.  Many times the place of the shot is predictable, and this allows us to preview and compose in our mind the image before it happens.

5.ANGLES


The best way to get cool and different pictures is to get out of the boat and shoot from a different places. from land, from some jump ramp, from some high point, even from inside the water.

f-stop ambassador Gustavo Cherro providing handy techniques for shooting wakeboarding.

6. TECHNICAL RESOURCES


Try to vary resources and techniques when photographing, use low speeds, make half screens, make sequences, choose different lenses.

Australian photographer Christiaan Hart has traveled throughout Asia to cover international sporting events such as Grand Prix, professional golf tournaments, ATP Tennis, and Rugby Sevens.

Aside from sports, Christiaan also specialises in commercial and corporate events. In 2015 Christiaan was one of two official photographers to cover the BTS (behind the scenes) and event happenings at the APEC CEO summit in Manila. High-level attendees included U.S. president, Barack Obama; Alibaba founder, Jack Ma; and Chinese president, Xi Jinping; as well as many other world leaders and CEOs of major global companies.

Other commercial jobs have seen Christiaan travelling with F8 Photography around Asia to cover Ducati motorbike press launches and large-scale company events in interesting locations such as Burma, Manila, and Thailand. 

For the past 18 months, I have been using Sony camera gear on all my assignments, including sports, commercial, events, and personal projects. 

I’ve personally found Sony very reliable and overall a fantastic system that performs every time. Part of the reason I switched to Sony was the autofocus system and the flexibility of having the electronic and mechanical shutter for different shooting environments. A lot of my jobs involve travel around Asia, so packing light is sometimes essential. The Sony system definitely helps in this area, as the camera bodies are compact, which allows more space for other equipment. 

Shooting sports is a major part of my job. The Sony a9 has definitely provided options to be able to capture shots more easily than some other brands potentially could. For example, the tilt screen enables me to shoot at lower angles more easily and the electronic viewfinder is helpful for reviewing images in harsh sunlight. The autofocus system, which is super fast, locks onto subjects instantly. The camera body is lightweight, which is good for keeping the weight down during those long days in the field.

Every shoot is different and requires different gear, but my go-to system is the Sony a9, 16-35mm f/4, 24-70mm f/2.8, and the 70-200mm f/2.8. This setup generally covers all focal distances needed on my assignments.

For my upcoming trip to Bali, Indonesia, I will be making the most of the f-stop Tilopa. Actually, this will be the bag’s first real test! I’ll be working on and off boats and beaches shooting water sports. Having easy access to gear is essential and having the option to be able to fit it all in the one bag is perfect.

The Tilopa is ideal, as it will accommodate pretty much all of the gear I will need each day. From the airport in Hong Kong to the beaches in Bali, the Tilopa will be home to the following gear for the next seven days. 

1. LIGHTING IS THE KEY!
 

Make sure to have good lighting while you are making portraiture. The light can be natural (ambient) light or artificial light. It all depends on how you want the end product to look. 

2. GET THE RIGHT BACKGROUND
 

The background can change the mood of the photo, so make sure to have it right.

A white background is a good start, or you can create your own background pattern by adding shadows that fall on the background. Another option is to let the shadows be a foreground pattern that fall on the model. 

3. SEQUENCE SHOTS
 

Take sequence shots to show the personality of the model. 

4. FOCUS ON THE EYE THAT IS CLOSER TO THE CAMERA
 

This will make the eyes stand out. Also, focusing on the nearest eye will keep the "out of focus area" behind the point of focus.

Henry CK is an artist, photographer, and filmmaker based in Hong Kong. He has been attracted to photography since childhood and taught himself to be a professional photographer through self-mentorship. Henry CK specializes in the music and entertainment industry, creating images and videos for emerging artists, bands, and musicians.

f-stop Ambassador Matthew Vandeputte (@Matjoez) is a timelapse photographer and YouTuber who specializes in the 'niche within a niche' called hyperlapse photography. Creating this unique engaging content started as a hobby which got out of hand, and now he is commissioned by brands to create timelapse videos, and has written two e-books on how you can do this yourself.

To celebrate this and spread the knowledge, we are giving away both e-book guides to timelapse and astro photography, and a Dalston pack. But before you enter the giveaway, here are 5 tips from Matthew to improve your timelapse photography and a look inside his bag...

MATT’S MINI TIMELAPSE KIT:

TIP 1: USE A STURDY TRIPOD

This may seem simple, but seriously spend a bit of extra money on a tripod that won’t be wobbly or shake around in the wind. It saves you so much time in post production from stabilizing. It is always better to get it right in camera. When you can't bring a large tripod, even a compact tripod can be stable.

TIP 3: USE FILTERS

Something that a lot of people don’t do, but it makes your footage look so much better, is use an ND filter to drag your shutter. So ideally when you are shooting with a 2 second interval, you shoot with 1 second exposure. Now most lenses don’t stop down enough to get that shutter drag, or that extended exposure, so you are going to want to put a ND filter on your lens to make sure you have the cinematic looking footage.

TIP 4: TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA STABILIZATION

If you are using stabilization in your lens or camera, make sure to turn it off, because if your lens has a stabilizer and it is on a tripod, it will actually hunt that motion that is not there, and your footage will wobble. I know it’s counter intuitive, but anytime you put your camera on a tripod, turn off your image stabilization

TIP 5: HOW MANY PHOTOS SHOULD YOU SHOOT?

If you live in a PAL country where video broadcast is twenty five frames per second, you want to shoot at 250 photos minimum per sequence, whereas if you live in a country like the USA (NTSC video broadcast) you want to shoot 300 photos minimum per sequence, because that gives you at 30 frames per second, 10 seconds of video and I call that the bare minimum for a nice timelapse shot.

GET LUCKY: ENTER TO WIN @MATJOEZ'S NEWLY PUBLISHED GUIDES TO TIMELAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY AND ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY, PLUS HIS FAVORITE f-stop DALSTON BAG HERE! 

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram