Photography Archives • Lightforge Photography

Novoflex VR Slim Panorama Head Review

For years I had been shooting alongside photographers who use panoramic heads. For my style of photography I never really saw the need. I would shoot the odd single-row panorama, but I was totally fine doing so with a standard tripod head.

As more panoramas started creeping into my work, I encountered more issue with panoramas that would not stitch properly. Ridges in the distance would not align or my foregrounds had zig-zag patterns of misalignment running through them.

Fujifilm GFX50s – First Impressions

This is not a fully fledged review. If you are after a comprehensive analysis by someone who has spent weeks with the GFX you will be bitterly disappointed. What you will find here are honest first impressions by a not-so-very-technical guy who makes a living with photography. Chances are that I got some things wrong in the little time that I had with the camera. I will trust you take my musings with a grain of salt.

In the spirit of full disclosure you should also know that I am a Fujifilm X-Photographer. The Fujifilm NZ team was so kind to provide me with a sample GFX and assorted lenses for some personal testing. Why they trusted me with kit equivalent to the value of a mid-range car is beyond me, but hey, you know the one about gift horses!

Frankenpack – A Pain-Free Photo Backpack Mod

How to combine an ergonomic day pack and a camera insert to create a pain-free alternative to classic photography backpacks.

I’m 38 years old, and I’m a bit of a wreck. A lifetime spent behind a desk combined with bad luck playing the genetic lottery will do that to you. I love tramping (aka hiking, if you are a non-Kiwi), but years ago I was not enjoying the experience any more. Back and neck pain had finally caught up with my sedentary lifestyle. It was time to find a new carrying system.

I fell in love with Aarn Packs, a New Zealand outdoor gear company that specialises in ergonomic backpacks (or bodypacks, as they call them), after exploring the market for a while. Considering that they completely reinvented backpacks, that’s a bit of an understatement. I started using one of their bigger overnight packs and my pain just went away.

Secret Spots

A few weeks ago a friend and I were exploring the old war bunkers and gun emplacements at Godley Head in Christchurch. At one of the sites we ran into a guy who mentioned that there had been secret concerts there in the past. We thought to ourselves what an amazing location this would be to listen to music and take in the environment.

Landscape Photography Gibberish

When I started out in landscape photography I did not have a clue what I was doing. I mashed the shutter button on my camera in the expectation that, surely, the result would look exactly the way I remembered the scene. Then there were all those smug veteran photographers with their amazing images that all looked so effortless. I always wondered how much of these unique looks were achieved straight out of camera, and how much of it was done at the computer. Since no one shared their processes or RAW images in any great detail, I just decided that my photography sucked.