Hacking Peak Design's Anchor as JerkStopper when Shooting Tethered

I really like shooting tethered directly to a computer whenever I have a chance because it's very easy to see on a big screen what needs to be corrected and which light needs to be moved. Unfortunately, tethering has its drawbacks and there are at least 3 nightmare scenarios that can happen when you pull the tethering cable by coincidence: (1) the camera will be pulled as well causing it to fall on the floor (the worst sound ever!); (2) the cable will get disconnected from the camera; (3) the tension caused by the cable and the connection will cause the socket/terminal in the camera to malfunction. There are 2 ways to fix the first problem: either get a really stable tripod or get a wifi connection for your camera. The other 2 problems can be easily fixed either with DIY twist ties as jerkstoppers (check out the video I posted long time ago here) or if you already use one of Peak Design products, their anchors.

I love Peak Design products and I have their anchors almost on every camera I own. I was recently shooting tethered and I was about to take the anchors off the camera when I realized that I can use the loop in the anchor for securely attaching my tethering cable, just like the jerkstopper products do. This will prevent the cable from being accidentally pulled out of the camera's terminal and it will reduce the tension put on the in-camera terminal. Here is a short video where I explain how you can make use of Peak Design's anchor for tethering.


[VIDEO] My Passion: Ride

Many people have passions for something, a hobby that s/he spends countless hours on learning, creating and perfecting. But a passion doesn’t have to be a hobby, it can be your work, an activity, a thing or a collection of things; as long as you put your heart and soul into it. I’ve been always fascinated with other people’s passion and I love to listen to their stories. Therefore, I have decided to start producing short videos - the series titled ‘My Passion’. 

This is the first video about Kevin, a guy living in the mid-south of the USA. Every weekend he wakes up before the sunrise to pursue his passion - to ride.


Why I am hated - a short documentary edited with free software

Those of you who follow me on social networks are probably aware that I was working for the last 3 months on my very first movie - a short documentary. I'm stoked to announce that the movie is finished and I'm very excited to share it with you.

I think that one of the most interesting things about the movie is the fact that I used only free software to put it together. I used Audacity to edit audio, iMovie to cut and put the video together and Blackmagic Davinci Resolve (Lite) to color grade it.

The short documentary is about Kelsey Hayes who is a special effects artists and a prop master based in Jackson, TN. He also attend on a regular basis various comic cons around the US.

Video Review: Domke Protective Wraps from Tiffen

I got last Christmas a set of Domke Protective Wraps, which are produced by Tiffen. You can get these on Amazon for about $15 in 3 different sizes (11", 15" and 19") and in a variety of colors. They are designed to protect lenses and camera bodies when storing photo gear or transporting it, for example in a backpack. I think these are great but I don't think they will completely protect your gear. I explain why in the video review.

Something different: Timelapse video - making pierogi

I have something different for you this time - a video timelapse from my kitchen. My wife and I are Polish but we currently live in the US (Memphis, Tennessee). This was our first Christmas in the US but unlike the US Christmas, Polish Christmas is mainly celebrated on the Christmas Even which is on December 24. We organized the Christmas dinner with a couple of Polish friends here in Memphis, everyone cooking something.

There are many traditional Polish Christmas dishes, one of them are pierogi (dumplings). My wife and I made so many of them (around 400!!!) that I had to record the process of making them, just for fun :) The result is this video:

DIY JerkStopper with Twist Ties to Prevent USB Tether Cable from Disconnecting from Camera

Shooting tethered (when your camera is connected to a computer with a USB cable) is great because you see photos immediately on a big screen. However, the tether cable can often get unplugged during a shoot. There are JerkStopper tools you can buy to securely attach a USB tether cable to your camera to prevent dislodging. However, I found a very easy DIY and free way to securing USB tether cable to a camera, using an item that is in every household - plastic twist ties.

Nikon Coolpix P7800: How to trigger off-camera flash/speedlight

Nikon Coolpix P7800 (and P7700) both have a 'fully functional' hotshot (that's what the manufacturer claims) and a pop-up flash. It might however not be easy to trigger an off-camera flash or speedlight using Coolpix P7800 (or P7700). I show you 2 ways to trigger an off-camera speedlight with P7800 and  how to use P7800's pop-up flash to trigger an off-camera speedlight.