PixelatedImage Blog

Every once in a while I announce a new sponsorship partner and each time it’s as exciting for me as it was the first time. The more I meet the leaders within the photography  world the more I like them, the more it all feels like a community not just an industry. I was reminded of this early this week after a long call to Vermont when Pocket Wizard joined my ranks of sponsor-partners.

I haven’t been on a trip in the last few years that Pocket Wizard has not accompanied me on. I don’t always use them, but when you need’em you need’em and they’ve never failed me yet. It’s no secret I make flash photography a last resort, but that’s changing as I become more and more comfortable with what my PW remotes allow me to do. And now with the new MiniTT1 and Flex TT5, and the new functionality they bring, I’ve never been so excited to pack my lighting kit. New high-speed sync and E-TTL capabilities mean more play and experimentation with less effort and time, which is always at a premium on location. It means being able to work seamlessly with my camera, not as though the camera and the strobes are two independant systems. And it means less walking back and forth to adjust the output on the stobe when all I want to do is shoot. Sure, you can do this in other ways, but doing it with RF under the African sun, and not with quirky IR systems, means more reliability.

Furthermore, like many of you, one of my mentors where lighting is concerned is Joe McNally. His teaching has helped me see new possibilities in my own work shooting for international NGOs in places like Africa. Frankly the lighting challenges on assignment, as Joe knows, require non-studio solutions. They need to be quick and intuitive. So being able to more easily adapt some of Joe’s theory and methods to my own needs means I can more readily meet my client’s needs without the technology getting in the way.

Other features, like the smaller size of the units, make them even more appealing for someone already carrying way too much gear to the field. Replacing my Plus II transceivers with TT1 and TT5 units means room for another strobe, or just lighter bags. In fact, the new units talk to the old ones so it means my current system isn’t replaced, it’s expanded.

The Strobist revolution has been one of the best things to happen to hobbyist photography in years – it has re-calibrated us, pushed many of us to consider light in new ways. It’s given assignment shooters some new perspectives which have led to new solutions to old problems. For me the single greatest benefit I’ve reaped from the Strobists is being introduced to the Pocket Wizards. They just work for me. I think that’s the highest praise you can give to a piece of technology – when it works for you, time and time again, and does it so well that it doesn’t get in the way, just kind of disappears in use and allows your energies to go to the job at hand – creative image-making.

I’ll do a more in-depth review of the new Pocket Wizards soon. For now I simply wanted to welcome Pocket Wizard to the family. For more information on Pocket Wizards, see their website at www.PocketWizard.com or head over to the Strobist community and get in on the off-camera flash revolution.

I have sponsored relationships with several leaders in the photography community. I choose them, they do not choose me. Their sponsorship does a couple things. It keeps my overhead lower and allows me to remain accessible to NGOs specializing in helping orphans and vulnerable children. It also allows me to connect the best products and services to my readers, including monthly giveaways. I recommend these products because I use them myself and am a fan. My relationships with these companies are unconditional and my reviews and reactions to their products are not driven by the sponsorship. Just thought I’d remind y’all. These folks are friends to me, as are my readers. And friends introduce friends to other friends.