December 2020 – Evolution Darlington

In going about their business or hobby, photographers will have a solution to lighting, a range of lenses, and be carrying all this in a good strong bag. This snapshot article will consider 5 pieces of equipment essential to the photographer.

A 5-in-1 Reflector

With photography, the amount of light is not only one thing to consider it is everything that is important to a final image. Light can determine whether a picture appears too dark or too light and whether details are hidden by darkness or obscured by the reflection caused by too much light. A reflector provides the means to reflect light to the area where light is needed. Ideally, a photographer will want a reflector to be the same size as an area he wants to reflect his light onto. That is, if there is room to accommodate it. Reflectors are particularly useful for outdoor portraits where the light is predominantly coming from above. In these instances, it can create, for instance, dark circles under eyebrows. A reflector will reflect some of this light back to light up the face and fill in these areas of shadow.

A 5-in-1 reflector to look at is a collapsible steel ring covered with diffusion material. Its reversible cover provides the choice of different reflective surfaces that provide white or silver for a strong fill, gold for a warmer one, or a black surface that eliminates light and brings shade back into a scene where it is too evenly lit. Reflectors will allow photographers to turn full sun into a bright shade. These kinds of reflectors are not expensive to buy for those working on a budget.

Portrait Lens

A 50mm lens makes an excellent lens for taking portraits because it will take photos that are well exposed in low light. A recommended lens of this type is known as the 50mm prime, or “Nifty 50”. Canon have something similar with their 50mm f/1.8. These lenses, due to their wide f/1.8, are small and again good for those on a budget who still desire quality images.

Macro Lens

There are times when a photographer will want to take very close-up subjects without them blurring. For instance, if photographing products for a catalogue or wanting to capture the beauty of the inside of a flower. One of the advantages of the macro lens is that you can capture details of an object like no other lens can and often more than the naked eye can see.

Macro lenses that come recommended include those by Tamron, Canon, and Nikon. For example, the Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Macro, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, and the Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 G IF ED VR Micro, to name a few.

Wide-angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses in both photography and cinematography are lenses that have a focal length significantly smaller than those of normal lenses. They are perfect for capturing more of the action while close-up and for taking panoramas of landscapes. I can remember being without one and attempting to capture the full length of a peninsula while standing on a beach near Barmouth, North Wales. It was only possible to achieve closer images of the peninsula by taking it separately in two halves. Miraculously, when the two photographs were developed and put together, they almost matched up perfectly. Where the one half of the peninsula finished, the other begun, and the sky and sand with its stones almost entirely matched up. This may have been more luck than judgement, but you do not have to adopt a Heath Robinson approach to achieve a panorama when a wide-angle lens can be purchased. Incidentally, this photograph now sits proudly on a wall inside my house in a see-through frame that contains actual shells from the beach around its perimeter.

Camera Bag

Every serious photographer needs a good camera bag to protect their equipment from harm. Most will come with pockets that separately and protectively house the camera and all its accessories. The reason for camera bags not coming cheap is because they are made from high-quality materials to protect the camera itself as much as the equipment. Lenses can often be worth more than the camera and so need to be treated with equal care. Perhaps not surprisingly, the lightest of drizzle, not really rain, can find its way inside a camera bag, and potentially damage valuable equipment. It is worth investing in a good bag or case specifically designed for the purpose rather than a cheaper alternative, that may look the same aesthetically, but is likely to be less effective in protecting anything of value.

In summary, as a photographer, always think about lighting, the different distances you might want to shoot, and protecting your equipment.

Cooking should be fun and not torture. There are times I enjoy cooking while relaxed and with some background music. Such times, I follow the recipes religiously, try new foods, and incorporate fancy combinations. Honestly, I only enjoy that freedom on weekends and days off.
The busy day’s schedule will not allow me to enjoy cooking at my own pace. Nevertheless, I have to eat a healthy meal. Along the way, I have learned cooking tricks that speed up my cooking and save time. For cooking, I can use an oven or oil burner, depending on what the recipe demands. Though to get the oil supply, I might have done some research on websites similar to https://hollenbachoil.com and explored a few local heating oil suppliers. I also have some tips up my sleeves on preparation, utensils, cleaning, cutting, etc. Let’s take a look at them.

Think About What to Cook

I always take a few minutes to settle on what I will cook. When cooking multiple meals, I identify the type of foods that takes longer to cook. For instance, as I prepare other meals, I boil those that require boiling. This strategy saves time and ensures everything is done by the time meals that take a long time are ready.

Heat the Oven

Any time I am cooking oven recipes, the first thing I do is heat up the oven. Using an already heated cooker speeds up things and saves me time.

Prepare

I make sure I prepare my ingredients and cooking appliances before I start cooking. Reaching out to ingredients in the middle of my cooking has been time-consuming. Assembling required recipes, preparing the cooking items, and ensuring the oven is ready are among the things I do before starting the exercise.

Clean Vegetables

I make sure I wash all my vegetables before I start chopping them. Those that can be washed or rinsed together are combined to avoid water wastage. Chopping the veggies and cleaning them after leads to loss of important nutrients.

Cooking More than One Meal at a Time

Cooking multiple meals at a go saves me a huge deal of time. After preparing all the ingredients, I do cook all the meals at a go. I make sure I give the foods my attention to avoid burning.

Use a Sharp and Finer Knife

When chopping, trimming or cutting my vegetables, I use a sharp knife. A sharp blade helps me cut smaller pieces of vegetables, which, in turn, cooks faster. Blunt knives take much of my time and can hardly achieve smaller vegetable pieces.

Grate My Butter

Is butter in my recipe? I cannot afford to wait until it melts down. Instead, I pick the grater and grate it into fine pieces.

Use a Meat Tenderizer or Mallet

Using a meat tenderizer or using a mallet to work on it softens it and reduces its moisture content. This saves the meat cooking time.

All-in-One Dish

There are those occasions I am extremely exhausted and out of time. I go for recipes that allow me to prepare one dish. Importantly, it reduces my dirty dishes and saves a big deal of time.

Use a Wider Pan

I came to learn that a wider pan cooks faster than the small ones. A wider pan allows the food to spread out and not lay on top of each other.

Put on a Lid

I have been placing a lid on my cooking pot. It helps my food cook faster than when left open. Moreover, it prevents the steam from getting out of the cooking pot and hastens the cooking process.

Use a Garbage Bowl

As time goes, I discerned that I expend a lot of time taking my waste to the garbage container. So, lately, I do use a garbage bowl to put all my rubbish in and then take them outside to the garbage container after I finish cooking.

Weekly Preparation

Sometimes I prepare several weekly ingredients and store (refrigerate) them for later use during free time. This practice speeds up my cooking and reduces dirty dishes.

Freezing My Sauce

I do not make a sauce for every meal; instead, I freeze my sauce and store it in clean containers or ice cubes. The practice reduces my meal prep time.

Clean as I Cook

Washing the dishes takes much of my time. I came up with the practice of doing the crockery as I cook. So, when the food is ready, my dishes are also set.

Being a full-time worker is demanding, and so is preparing a healthy meal for my family. I ensure that I use the ideal shortcuts when on tight schedules. Eating out is not a thing I fancy. I like it when I prepare my own fresh meals.

Evolution Darlington

Month: December 2020

5 Pieces of Equipment a Photographer Needs