The Plus II is Still a Scream!

We love seeing people use PocketWizard technology in unanticipated applications. The following is one which made us smile.

Jakob Schiller has written a fascinating story for Wired on photographer Billy Hunt. For a series of portraits, Hunt felt he wanted to shake up his subjects, getting them to step outside their usual poses when getting their portraits taken. He used audio to make this happen, bringing a new dimension to the silent art of photography.

Hunt had a karaoke boom box wired so when a certain volume level is hit, a PocketWizard Plus II is signaled, which then triggers a camera, creating a portrait of a person screaming.

Schiller’s article also includes a strange, two-minute video of people screaming for Hunt in slow motion. Be sure to read the full article, and also check out Billy Hunt’s portfolio on his site.

What’s in Travis Lawton’s Bag?

The Phoblographer published two posts of what may be a continuing series entitled What’s in My Bag. Initially, they featured photographer Travis Lawton.

Lawton takes the time to break down, in detail, the gear he packs into his big Lowepro Pack 350 AW. From his Canon EOS 5D Mark II to his accessories such as gaffers tape, it’s all here. Gear heads will love this post, along with the comments others have left at the bottom.

One of the other goodies Lawton packs in his bag are three PocketWizard Plus II radio triggers. “PocketWizard is still the reigning champ and has been for some time,” he writes. “These are what most pros use for reliability and performance.”

We love the What’s in My Bag feature, and hope The Phoblographer continues it in earnest. Photographers love gear, and what better way to learn about gear than to read what other shooters carry and use? Great job!

Lost and Found with King Davis

King Davis of Thomaston, Georgia is a registered nurse who works at a hospice. When not dedicating himself to the sensitive care many families unfortunately have need for, Davis dedicates his other hours to another passion: photography. Unsolicited, we received a great email from Davis regarding the following story.

©King Davis

Last year, he had been the owner of six PocketWizard Plus II units. When going through his gear bag, he could only locate five of the radio triggers. On February 26 of this year, Davis was shooting a session along the railroad tracks seen at right. He writes,

“As we approached the location, the model noticed some dark grey plastic half-buried in the Georgia red dirt. Yep, PocketWizard #6 right where I unknowingly dropped it out of a bag on a shoot from October 21, 2011. I’m thinking you can by now guess the end of this story. I took it home, cleaned away as much of the caked-on mud as I could, replaced the corroded batteries and sha-ZAM…fired the flash the very first time! Bravo on a great product! As a Christian, I see this as a timely metaphor for the celebration of Easter. As a company, you should be rightly proud of your electronic product that can sit exposed to over four months of rain, mud and cold and go right back into service without missing a beat. And as a photographer, I’m glad I chose to buy the best…your stuff is worth it!”

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On Location with Rick Friedman

What happens when you take 16 working pro photographers, a ton of lighting gear, one location lighting expert, and stuff them all into the biggest barn you’ve ever seen? The place really lights up.

LPA recently sponsored and hosted a location lighting workshop for members of ASMP New England with Boston-based photographer Rick Friedman. Rick’s got the energy dial set to maximum pretty much all the time which is definitely part of his success as both a photojournalist and photo educator. He’s also got a bag full of PocketWizard radios which he puts to work in all his lighting work – both with speedlights as well as with studio lights.

ASMP NE and LPA Design's presentation of Rick Friedman's Location Lighting Workshop at the Breeding Barn at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT. ©Chris Rakoczy

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Daniel Milchev’s Extreme Sports Shooting

Daniel Milchev flirted with photography as a child in Bulgaria. Now living in Vail, Colorado, Milchev has been a professional photographer for the past four years, focusing primarily on action sports.

Vail, and the Vail-area athletes, remain the big draw for Milchev. “There’s a lot of good skiers and snowboarders and bikers,” he says. Apart from covering the X Games, he feels he rarely needs to leave Colorado due to the abundance of extreme sports practiced throughout the state.

©Daniel Milchev

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G•Wiz Gear Bags

G•Wiz Trunk

PocketWizard is excited to announce two gear bags to organize and transport your PocketWizard radio triggers. The G•Wiz Trunk and G•Wiz 2x are made of durable rip-stop nylon. Padded interiors provide a way to protect your investment when traveling to and from photo shoots.

We’ve listened to our users and answered their requests for a safe, stylish way to assemble their PocketWizard units. Even if you primarily shoot in a studio environment, these contemporary-looking bags will protect your investment from dust, and you’ll always know where they’re located, along with any accessories you find yourself using frequently.

The G•Wiz Trunk features a zippered inside pocket, web loop, moveable velcro padded dividers, durable rip-stop nylon, and measures 7.5″ wide by 3.5″ high by 3.5″ deep. This bag is designed specifically for the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5, plus accessories.

G•Wiz 2x

The G•Wiz 2x features internal cable/battery pocket, external cable stash pocket, hanging strap, mini carabiner clip, and features durable rip-stop nylon. It can hold two FlexTT5‘s and a MiniTT1 or two Plus II or MultiMAX PocketWizard radios, in addition to batteries, cables or other goodies.

Visit your local PocketWizard dealer to check out the G•Wiz collection in person.

Garth Milan, From Rider to Shooter

Now based in Orange County, California, Garth Milan has moved around the United States since childhood, living everywhere from upstate New York to Puerto Rico to Florida to Washington State. After attending high school in California, he went to Cal State Long Beach to study Photojournalism.

At the age of 19, Milan was a motocross rider and nearly achieved professional rider status. A string of broken bones and other injuries made him reevaluate the odds of earning a living in the sport. Well-into photography by that point, he easily slid into a transition from participant to photographer. “It wasn’t just motocross, either,” he says. “It was other sports like wakeboarding, which was another one I was really into.”

©Garth Milan

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Matthew Poon, Versatile Shooter Down Under

As a fourth generation Chinese-Australian, Matthew Poon’s roots are deep in the Perth area, where he has worked at the same employer for the past twelve years since he was seventeen. Currently photographing the news beat for four publications belonging to the Community Newspaper Group (CNG) in Midland, Poon has wanted to be a professional photographer since his high school days. He’s achieved that and more. In 2009 he was named CNG Photographer of the Year.

©Matthew Poon

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Dan Bailey’s Big Adventures

While attending Berklee College of Music, Dan Bailey bought a camera. That was all it took. “I got really enamored with photography and I transitioned my mindset out of trying to get a job in the music business,” he says.

After getting a degree in Music Production and Engineering, he became an assistant editor at a stock agency in Boston for a year, then moved back to his native Colorado to pursue a career shooting. That was 14 years ago in Fort Collins. He has since moved to Alaska, where he’s been based in Anchorage for almost three years. “I’m trying to establish myself as a local photographer but also take advantage of what Alaska offers in terms of its photographic opportunities,” he explains.

©Dan Bailey

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Brad Trent, Ocean Master

Brad Trent published Part One of a two part post on Strobist. Trent chronicles a recent shoot he did of singer-songwriter Nadia Ackerman for her new album. Ackerman had an idea for the cover shot, which tied into the title of the album, The Ocean Master. Her idea was to be photographed floating in water. The only problem was Ackerman’s record label, management, and anyone else you can imagine with a stake in her career success provided zero budget.

Location fees and insurance liability issues prevented shooting at any indoor pool in New York. Since it was winter, they couldn’t do it in a river in the Atlantic Ocean. Trent is a pro, and his can-do attitude doesn’t fail him on this shoot.

©Brad Trent

Be sure to read the post and the 23 photos which illustrate it for all the details of this multiple set-up shoot. Behind the scenes photos also show Trent rocking a few PocketWizard Plus II units. Can’t wait for Part Two!

See more of Brad Trent’s innovative work at his site. Follow him on Twitter for frequent updates.