The iPhone has become a very important tool for my business in the last few months that I use it. With every firmware it’s getting better and it’s running quite smooth and stable now. Still discussed are the lack of some features (like copy-paste, MMS etc.) and the performance of the built in rechargeable battery. I’m OK with the limitations that the new iPhone 3G still has. For me the advantages are way bigger than the limitations.

Even if it is said that the battery performance of the iPhone is comparable or even better than of other smartphones, it is better to be prepared. If you charge your iPhone every night, the battery should last long enough for normal use. But in heavy use or on a very long day (shooting a wedding, anybody?) it might run out of battery.

Some time ago I bought an USB charger from Philips with a built-in rechargeable battery. So if there’s no power outlet around out in the field, you still can charge your iPhone. Great idea! It’s called: ‘Philips Power4Life SCM7880 USB Charger/Back up battery‘ and just received one of the ‘iF product design awards 2008′. It works very well. Fully charged it stores enough energy to charge the iPhone up to about 75%. Enough to survive.

Recently I found something maybe even better on USBfever.com It’s called ‘USB AAA Battery Charger with Torch‘ (I opened the battery cover in the picture above to show the 4 AAA batteries). It’s smaller, cheaper, weighs less and has a built-in LED torch. But mainly it uses replaceable AAA batteries instead of a non-removeable reachargeable battery like the Philips. You can buy AAA batteries everywhere or carry some spare batteries with you for multiple charges of your iPhone. And the USB charger has USB power IN and OUT. Means that you can either charge the 4 AAA batteries in the device by using an USB cable (power IN) or you can charge an USB device like the iPhone from the 4 AAA batteries through an USB cable (power OUT). Really sweet!

Last Friday night I was shooting some portraits in the storeroom of a restaurant. Dominique celebrated his 40th birthday and wanted to have a memory of his best friends. Great idea!

There was not a lot of space in the storeroom, but it was possible to work. The guests had a great time in my studio and there was plenty to drink ;-)

There’s a rumour going around that Dominique will portrait his friends again at his 50th birthday. I’ve already marked the date in my calendar :-)

Dominique in some relaxed poses before the party (from the test shots):

Happy Birthday, Dominique!

He’s a very nice guy, check out his business and visit the website of the confident gmbh.

Bei 33 Grad Innentemperatur hat Stefan (links) heute in Basel Aufnahmen für eine Chemiefirma gemacht. Ich (rechts) durfte bei diesem denkwürdigen Anlass dabei sein. Mit Schutzmantel und -brille. Morgen schwitzen wir weiter…

At 33 degrees Celsius indoors my friend Stefan (at left) was shooting for the chemical industry in Basel. I (at right) was honoured to be part of this memorable event. With protection coat and safety goggles. Tomorrow we will continue sweating…

Vorgestern habe ich Schwangerschafts-Aufnahmen in Basel fotografiert. Nicht im Studio, sondern in der Wohnung der Kunden. Für den schwarzen Hintergrund (schwarzer Samt ist dafür am besten geeignet, weil er am meisten Licht “schluckt” und keinerlei Reflexionen oder Falten im Bild sichtbar sind) brauchte ich ein Befestigungssystem. Im Studio verwendet man dafür zwei sog. Autopoles von Manfrotto (Stützen, die man zwischen Decke und Fussboden einspannt) und je eine Klammer mit Haltevorrichtung für die Rolle Hintergrundpapier oder die Stange mit dem Stoff. Das kostet schnell einmal ein paar Hundert Franken. Nur um den Hintergrund zweckmässig befestigen zu können.

Man kann aber dafür auch Montage-Stützen (CHF 36.-) und zwei Richa-Klammern (wenige Franken) aus dem Baumarkt nehmen. Darauf kommt horizontal eine grüne “Bohnenstange” (CHF 6.90), die mit einem Gummiband oder Gaffertape fixiert wird. Die Stange hat feine Kerben, damit sich die Pflanzen besser hochranken können :) Daran halten die Richa-Klammern, mit denen man den Stoff an der Stange befestigt, sogar noch besser! Sie drehen sich nicht oder rutschen ab. Perfekt!

Beim Improvisieren sollte man jedoch aufpassen, denn das System muss trotzdem absolut sicher sein. Man will beim Kunden ja keinen Sachschaden anrichten… Ausserdem muss man es schnell aufbauen und den Verhältnissen anpassen können. Dies erfüllt das oben beschriebene System. Für unter 100 Franken… Von dem gesparten Geld habe ich mir einen neuen Hintergrund-Stoff gekauft :)

Equipment for studio photography is normally very expensive. But if you look around and are ready to improvise a bit, you will find alternatives that save you some hundred bucks :)

The day before yesterday I was shooting maternity pictures in Basel. On location, not in the studio. For the background I needed to put up black velvet (that’s the best to make the background completely black, this fabric won’t give you any reflections). Instead of buying 2 Autopoles by Manfrotto, I found something very similar in a DIY superstore. For a fractional amount of the price… I also found some Richa clamps (big and small) to hold the green “bean-pole” where I attached the black velvet. Perfect!

If you improvise you just have to be careful that the system is nevertheless completely safe (you don’t want to damage the clients appartment) and the system is fast to set up and move around if you need to adjust for the shooting. My setup fulfilled these requirements. And that for less than CHF 100.- With the saved money I bought a new background fabric I needed :)

What cool improvisations do YOU use? Share it with other photographers by leaving a comment :)