Good Morning Everybody,
Once again, we awoke to a wonderful Florida sunrise. Yes, the weather has been beautiful. I was planning an easy post for today, but as we get closer to the wedding this weekend and Photoshop World next week, I realized that I should be checking out that my gear is all ready to go. Then I realized that I was using a brand new “pack” in my gear bag and I thought the new layout just might be a nice post for our DPT readers.
That being said, let me tell you what I’m talking about.
Check Out My New Gear Bag Layout!
I’ve been a BIG fan of the LowePro Roller 2 case for years. It’s an integral part of my gear – always has been. Anyway, last year, LowePro introduced their latest version of the gear bag by the same name. All the new features looked way cool – you can check them out right here – but what struck me most as I began laying out my new bag, I realized that I had about 25% more room than I had before!
That meant that I could cram a few more items into my case. As it turned out, I was able to add 3 more compartments to the 9 in my original layout giving me a total of twelve separated compartments. Oh, my original layout was covered right here a few years ago in my post “Video Tour Of My Gear Bag” right here.
Not only that, but the case is deeper allowing me to get more on the inside instead of hanging off the outside of the case. And, on top of that, the front pockets are expandable allowing me to get a few more smaller items packed there too.
So how about the tour – here we go…
1. The LowePro Roller 2 bag closed is just as compact as the original. Here is a shot of the bag ready to roll.
2. Do you see the two small zippers in the front of the bag – they’re easy to spot. Well, the smaller zippered compartment is where I store my Ed Pierce Target and any smaller items that I need on the job.
The larger zippered compartment is just large enough for me to store my SunSpotz reflector and model release forms. I used to carry that SunSpotz on the outside of the case. That was OK, but occasionally it would get in the way. This is now a much cleaner layout. Check out the image below.
You can see that the SunSpotz’s fit is a bit snug, but not bad at all.
3. Inside the case LowePro was somehow able to open up a few more square inches of space without making the bag any larger. Maybe they are using some kind of “black magic” that actually shrinks the gear slightly when placed into the case ;~) OK, just kidding, but their new case is the same size as the old case and I was able to add 3 more compartments. Let me show you.
Clicking on this image should give you a larger view, BTW.
Anyway, I’m a pretty happy camper with the new layout – and guess what, it still fits in the overhead compartment on Delta jets :~)
Sedona Experience Update! Now Limited To Only 6 Participants.
Last week I briefly announced our plans for my upcoming “Sedona Experience” class [link] coming up in June. I had originally planned to keep the number to 12 participants but after giving it some additional thought these last few days I decided to limit that number to 6 participants. I think this is a better number for what I want to achieve for each of the attendees.
I want these 3 days to be a completely immersive learning experience, eating, sleeping, breathing photography. A group of 6 should be perfect and allow tremendous hands on interaction and instruction for each attendee.
A deposit of only $495 will reserve your place in class. You can register right here. My studio will contact you regarding the remaining balance.
I am currently working on the website giving the full details. With the wedding this weekend, that may or may not happen – but you can still check out the work in progress right here.
FREE Fusion: The Time Is Now filling up fast!
Hey gang, just a quick mention of our upcoming Webcast with Ariane Fisher of Story Mix Media in two weeks – April 7, 2011 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. You can REGISTER RIGHT HERE. I just got off the phone with Ariane and she is really excited about the webcast. She is even throwing in 2 video highlight edits as door prizes. Each one is worth $200 – Thanks Ariane.
We will be fielding questions form the live audience and following questions on Twitter too. To Tweet your questions, be sure to use @DigitalProTalk #FusionNow. We will select the winners from those Tweeting in. It should be fun.
One last note – Ariane tells me she just recently posted lots of resources for the photographer wanting to check more into Fusion before our webcast. Here is the link to her post right here.
______________________________________________________
Hey gang, that’s it for me today. More wedding festivities this afternoon, tomorrow, and finally the wedding on Sunday. I’m hoping to get a chance to visit Lexjet today and if I do, I‘ll give you the update on Monday. And, speaking of Monday, I’m been collecting quite a few juicy tidbits for you so I hope to see you then.
If you have a wedding this week, may all you pixels be perfectly exposed and your bride’s smiling. Have a great one everybody.
Adios, David
I'm sitting in sunny Atlanta this morning – what a beautiful day. Actually the last couple of days have been absolutely wonderful. This beautiful day is having a little trouble brightening up the sad faces of the Atlanta Falcon’s fans after yesterday’s heartbreaking 4 point loss to San Francisco. But hey, there’s always next year. We keep wondering about the Cincinnati Bengals too ;~) 
Well, I scoured the 2012 DigitalProTalk page view statistics to see the most popular posts. Some posts were literally off the charts with the number of reads. My review of Tamron's 28-300mm VC was the clear winner. Like I said in the post, it’s one of my favorite lenses – check it out in the first link below. A lot of the top posts were related to gear but that’s to be expected. If you missed any of the posts throughout the year, you can catch them in today’s post. I’m planning to also post the Top 12 Business Day Thursday posts and Top 12 Image of the Day posts in the near future – stay tuned. 
