After a prolonged absence from the competition scene, we are BACK IN THE GAME...wooooooo hooooooooo....

Read the blog, Follow the instructions carefully and you could WIN and 3LT X4 Eric with black Airhed 1...

This one is an EASY one. No questions to guess the answer to, just SHARE it on Facebook with the caption "SHARE THIS AND YOU COULD WIN $500 of Pro GEAR!", RETWEET on Twitter with the RT tag "RETWEET to ENTER" and One Lucky Winner will be picked from random to win $500 worth of Eric, Fully loaded with Airhed 1, Heelz & Budgie Smuglaz!!

You can SHARE or RETWEET as MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE, on your page, profile, company page, group - wherever!

www.facebook.com/my3leggedthing

www.twitter.com/3leggedthing

This week's competition has SPECIAL CONDITIONS because we are offering AWESOME PRIZES!

THis is how you can WIN and amazing 2nd Generation X4a JACK tripod, with a SPARE BLACKRAPID compatible release plate, a set of HEELZ and BUDGIE SMUGLAZ and a WICKED T-Shirt, plus 10 runners up prizes of 3LT T-SHIRTS!

The AWESOME POEPLE at THINKTANK PHOTO have also just thrown us in a RETROSPECTIVE 20, in PINESTONE for the WINNER!

WHAT A BUNDLE!

This week, we're changing the RULES slightly...

This week, we don't need you to answer a question. What we need is for you to RETWEET or SHARE this competition with your followers and friends. We will ONLY include people that RETWEET on TWITTER or SHARE on FACEBOOK . In your RETWEET and SHARE please paste a link to our friends @ThinkTANKPhoto (TWITTER) or http://www.facebook.com/thinktankphoto !

FEEL FREE TO "LIKE" and COMMENT too!

The WINNERS will be announced on FRIDAY 23rd DECEMBER, so you have 48 hours to GET SHARING!

To win this fantastic prize, all you need to do is answer the following question:

"What is the name of the Elemental Group's Tripod Company?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG. You MUST post entries on the ELEMENTAL EUROPE FACEBOOK PAGE

#SFFF

It is VERY important that you use #SFFF so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on MONDAY

It's TUESDAY, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 26 giveaway is ONE DAY EARLY - WOOOHOOOO

Because of the launch of the 2nd Gen, we've had a bit of a re-jig this week, and there are more comeptitions happening later in the week, so here we are, one day early.

We're giving away our very excellent X1LT BOB Monopod & AH2 Head - a brilliant carbon fiber monopod with a lightweight Magnesium Alloy Ballhead!

How much is the superb new GODOX TT560 flashgun from our sister company Elemental?

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday

WARNING: Probably best not to view this at work due to full frontal male nudity.

To see more, go to www.leonneal.com or click the link below.

http://www.leonneal.com/blog/2011/11/28/i-dont-beliebe-it/

Being that it's the beginning of CHRISTMAS, and we're launching our 2nd Generation (albeit a couple of weeks late), we're giving away a very special prize for this week's competition...

Firstly, this is how you win:

Our new 2nd Generation Carbon Tripods have a zip up leg muff, which is detachable. As yet, we don't have a name for this product. The competition this week is to name this product. The best name, as decided by the team, WINS!

THE PRIZE:

2nd Gen X1.1a Adrian and Airhed 1 Kit

AND

We will print your name on the product tags, and link to your facebook or twitter accounts from our website and social media sites. Our products are now sold all over the world, so this is a wonderful opportunity to put your name in front of millions of people!

just post up your entry on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on MONDAY 5th December

It's Wicked Wednesday 23! Hurrah!

We're giving away our very excellent X1LT BOB Monopod & AH2 Head - a brilliant carbon fiber monopod with a lightweight Magnesium Alloy Ballhead! Just answer the following question:

Which city is depicted on the front of our new t-shirts?

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday

It's Wicked Wednesday 22! Time for another competition - oh the excitement of it all!

We're giving away our very excellent X1LT BOB Monopod & AH2 Head - a brilliant carbon fiber monopod with a lightweight Magnesium Alloy Ballhead! Just answer the following question:

What is the launch price of our new X4 Eric Carbon Fiber Tripod Kit?

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday

We're giving away our very excellent X1LT BOB Monopod & AH2 Head - a brilliant carbon fiber monopod with a lightweight Magnesium Alloy Ballhead!

Which of our awesome 3LT® endorsed photographers was featured in this months Digital Photography Magazine?

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday

It's Wednesday, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 20 giveaway!

We're giving away our very excellent X1LT BOB Monopod & AH2 Head - a brilliant carbon fiber monopod with a lightweight Magnesium Alloy Ballhead!

The answer CAN be found on our website, FB page or Youtube Account... or somewhere else on the intermawebajig.

"What is the load capacity of our new X4 Eric Carbon Fiber Tripod?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

20^th October 2011

3 Legged Thing launch latest 2^nd Generation range

The world’s coolest tripod brand is launching its ‘2^nd Generation’ range this November 2011.

The 2^nd Generation Rock Legend Range’ incorporates all of the features of its multiple award-winning predecessor, but with lots of added extras, functionality and capability.

The 26mm range will launch in November, with the 3LT X1.1 Brian, and X1.1a Adrian – both with the new upgrades, plus two new tripods that they have designed – introducing the 3LT X4 Eric, and the X4a Jack.

The new 3LT range is systematic, and is designed so that components can be swapped and replaced with other products within the range, giving us the highest capability and functionality ever. There are six individual foot modifiers, to cope with changing stability in varying conditions and situations. 3LT have added bubble levels to the main furniture, a grub screw to the new mounting plate, new smooth glide leg catches and the brand new 8 core Stealth Carbon Fiber & Mag Alloy tubing.

The new AirHedz have a double bubble on the rear of the clamp, and the knurled knob is positioned under the lens, for much greater access. The smooth ball is 0.5mm larger in diameter than its predecessor, giving it a much more stable action. It’s also 70g lighter! A dial has been introduced that surrounds the main locking knob, allowing perfect one-handed operation. The new heads are sleek, and available in Blue or Black & Copper.

3LT’s patented new AirHed release plate is the first in the world to offer connectivity with Black Rapid sling strap systems, enabling the user to take the camera direct from strap to tripod, without having to undo the plate.

2^nd Generation offers the lowest shooting angle, with new 80° legs, bringing the smallest of the tripods to just 125mm from the ground.

As you’ve come to expect from the original series, all of the 26mm tripods feature completely reversible and removable centre columns, to gain back stability, and multi section centre columns for strobe stand conversion, or tri-mono use (use as a monopod, but with the support of a tripod). We use only the highest aircraft grade T6061 Magnesium Alloy in all of our products. The new friction locks are smoother, and require less drag to lock. Even the spring hook has been adapted from ABS Plastic to Mag Alloy, for greater endurance, and now has the additional option of a carabiner loop.

Our brand new 2nd Generation cases are armoured, for better protection against the elements, and are complete with tool pockets. They are also compatible with Black Rapid sling straps.

The 2^nd Generation has been designed for multi-functional use, with DSLR’s, HDV cameras, Micro 4/3 cameras, with adaptable formations, and more positions than ever before.

3 Legged Thing is formed of photographers, who design the tripods with photographers in mind. We don’t make tripods. We make tripod systems.

All of our products are designed and engineered in Stagsden, North Bedfordshire.

- Ends -
Editors info:

3 Legged Thing have been making waves since launching in January 2011. In 10 short months the unprecedented demand for products has forced 3LT to move to a new factory, and redesign the entire range for a global roll-out.

3 Legged Thing is a British Company, based on a farm in Stagsden, England. “3 Legged Thing” logo, the “Cog” logo, and “They Came From Stagsden” are all trademarks of 3 Legged Thing LTD.

With an aftercare service that is second to none, sales advice is provided by real photographers who can relate to customers.

For more information on 3 Legged Thing visit www.3leggedthing.com

For editorial content or reviews, please contact Danny Lenihan on 0844 272 7777. Email sales@3leggedthing.com or pr@farahmalik.com . Samples will be available from end of November.

Hi res imagery is available to download from www.ayearinthelifeofbrian.com  

It's Wednesday, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 18 giveaway!

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT X1a ADRIAN and Ballhead kit! - a superior Magnesium Alloy travel tripod system

The answer CAN be found on our website, FB page or Youtube Account... or somewhere else on the intermaweb.

"Name ONE of the retailers that will be stocking the 2nd Generation from November?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday. 

Last week, he attended the wedding of Sir Paul McCartney, and, using a 3LT One Legged Thing (Bob), managed two front pages....

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT X1a ADRIAN and Ballhead kit! - a superior Magnesium Alloy travel tripod system

The answer CAN be found on our website, FB page or Youtube Account... or somewhere else on the intermaweb.

"On the 3LT website, Director Tim McEwan is dressed up as a well known Super Hero. What is the name of the Arch Nemesis of said hero?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday. 

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT X1a ADRIAN and Ballhead kit! - a superior Magnesium Alloy travel tripod system

The answer CAN be found on our website, FB page or Youtube Account...

"In Jess's first video, how does Bob Marley like his donuts?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday. 

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT X1a ADRIAN and Ballhead kit! - a superior Magnesium Alloy travel tripod system

The answer CAN be found on our website, FB page or Youtube Account...

"In which 3LT video does Director Sarah Brown make a brief, if unwilling appearance?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on THURSDAY 29th September - YOU HAVE ONLY 24 HOURS to join this competition!

Leon Neal
AFP staff photographer (London)
www.leonneal.com

Read more about Leon's exploits around the world at his blog: www.leonneal.com

IT's Wednesday, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 13 giveaway!

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

Because it's our 13th Wicked Wednesday, we're making this question slightly harder. The answer CAN be found on our website...

"Which US Photography forum recently reviewed the X1 Brian?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, facebook or twitter, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

Because it's our 12th Wicked Wednesday, we're making this question slightly harder. The answer CAN be found on our website...

"Which member of the 3LT Directorship is this?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

The Amazon… she is an immense, lush, sultry, sweaty, dangerous rainforest, and a powerful, vast, convoluted river which both gives and takes of life.  Her forests cover over 1.6 million square miles and span the borders of eight South American countries.  Her over 40,000 species of plants and trees produce more than 20% of the world's oxygen and rivers carry more than one-fifth the fresh water in the world.  

The Amazon is also home to over 300 species of mammals, 1,500 species of birds and 300 species of reptiles, with an average of 120 new species discovered each year.  She is as impressive as inhospitable, and we humans cling to her shores in stilt villagesto protect again the floods.  Each year, when the rains come, her waters rise and fall with the rains, up to 30 feet, inundating thousands of square miles.  

Right now is the time of flooding in the Amazon Basin, and last week I made my first visit to photograph and write a travel story for Traveler Overseas Magazine.

Alissa Everett

Follow Alissa's travels at www.alissaeverett.com

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

Because it's our 11th Wicked Wednesday, we're making this question slightly harder. The answer CAN be found on our website...

"How many friction locks would you find on Brian?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

A few weeks ago I packed up and headed out of town to pick up on a photo series I’ve been working on for a while. My target was to spend a few days camping with Tibetan nomads on the Gangjia grasslands. The beautiful thing about western China is that there are still nomads living their lives in much the same way they have for thousands of years…for the most part. Add cars, motorcycles, cell phones, stereos and a few other modern gadgets to the mix and an interesting juxtaposition starts to take shape. Such is modernization on the Tibetan plateau.

To read more about this astonishing journey, click on http://www.brianhirschy.com/camping-with-the-nomads/ or go to www.brianhirschy.com

Working with good make up artists is so important when trying to push your photography. We spend money all areas of Photography, cameras, lens, flash kits and all sorts.  I wanted to do a super low budget shoot but just showing how important good a good model and good make up artist can be. All of the photos taken here are with a set up that costs less than £1000.

Dave's blog can be read here: http://www.davepiper.org.uk/blog/archives/5198

The rest of this incredible and inspirational blog can be read on Leon Neal's website here: http://www.leonneal.com/blog/2011/08/12/london-riots-august-2011/

Leon Neal
AFP staff photographer (London)
www.leonneal.com

IT's Wednesday, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 9 giveaway!

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question:

"After which iconic rock guitarist is the 3LT X2a Kirk named?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question:

"After which iconic rock guitarist is the 3LT X1a Adrian named?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

One of the first things to learn when covering Wimbledon is how to get around quickly.  During those first few days, you'll be expected to be shooting and covering two or three games that are happening simultaneously.  This would be a challenge anyway, but add the general populous in there too and it becomes seriously tricky.  Dividing up the courts are little alleyways and passages that seem fine before the gates open but once matches are under way, they become jammed solid.  Thankfully, the place is full of little rat-runs, cut-throughs and even a private tunnel that connects some of the main buildings and courts.




As Getty colleague Oli Scarff tweeted early in the fortnight, it's very possible to test the body's tolerance to copious quantities of Robinson's orange cordial, thanks to big tanks of the stuff being positioned in the press centre.  With the prices upstairs in the canteen being on the extreme far side of laughable, any chance to find cheaper/free food and drink becomes of major interest.  It's never good to rely on a conversation in the back of a taxi with a stranger as fact, but my co-passenger on one of the first mornings told me that the annual running costs of the whole tennis club are made back within the first two days of the Wimbledon tournament.  This could quite easily explain those small £2.80 bottles of orange juice.  Sheesh...

As is the norm at these events, Nikon and Canon are on hand to clean, service and loan equipment out, free of charge, so my sensors are currently so shiny that the images are at risk of slipping off them.  My favourite new discovery is the Nikon 200-400mm f4 lens.  While long zoom lenses usually have the air of the cheap "lazyboy" to them, this really does hold up very well and seems to be the perfect tennis lens.  While the more seasoned sports shooters will opt for the prime 300mm and 400mm, those of us with a slightly lower hit rate can be helped along with the ability to zoom out a little when it gets a bit fast and furious!  While the one that I used was razor-sharp and relatively lightweight to lug around, it's interesting to note that I was using the mk1 version, with the mk2 now being available.  I'll certainly be interested to give the current version a go!

One issue that can be a problem with equipment loans at these events is that the loans are officially on a 24-hour basis but unfortunately, you do get some who turn up with very basic kit, loan a big pile of kit and keep it for the duration.  This is fine if it's just a body or a lens but when it's a whole range of gear, it removes the chance for other shooters to experiment with new toys and gear.  Boooo to greedy types.

As with any of the events that are attended by Nikon and Canon, a clear indicator of the individual photographer's boredom level can be directly charted by how quickly he or she borrows either a fish-eye or a tilt/shift lens.  I hold my hand up to breaking out the tilt/shift as you can see on this blog, but that's the danger of having all of these goodies made available to you.  Why shoot that game all regular and straight when I can screw it up with a massively distorted focal plane?  Yay!  With Alex O'Brien and Rob McNeice leading Team Nikon and Frankie Jim's top squad at Canon, there was masses of free help and advice on everything you could possibly want.  I can now apologise to them for becoming such a regular but when you have such a valuable resource available to you throughout the day, it's dumb not to soak up as much knowledge while you can.




Working conditions vary drastically from court to court with the smaller ones allowing photographers to gracefully crawl around on their hands and knees behind the umpire, switching sides as the winner begins to become clear.  With the celebration usually being the key photo, it's important to try to predict which side the player will be on when they eventually reach match point.  For some reason, the powers that be have decided to put this bloomin' great net thing in the middle of the grass, ruining our pictures if something of note happens on the opposite side.  You'd think someone would have pointed this out by now...




On the exhibition courts, life is very different indeed.  Photographers work from pits on either side of the court that leave the camera's field of vision close to ground level.  Wooden benches, power points and LAN points are the only creature comforts so a long five-setter results in some serious aches and pains.  With the opening stages being a free for all regarding seating, a strict system is introduced from the semi-final stages onwards.  Being one of the big agencies, AFP are granted two positions in good spots on opposite sides of the court.  Working like this is reasonably simple during the quieter matches, but when it gets to the key matches, and media interest is high, it becomes a bit of a challenge.  If you want to shoot the chap on the left and the person to your left is following the chap on your right...  Well, you can see how we end up in this weird stacked system with photographers shooting under, over, around, behind and in front of each other to allow everyone the chance to get the shot they need.

A challenge that I thankfully didn't have to spend too much time on was celebrity spotting.  With the newspapers often more likely to run a picture of a famous person in the crowd than the actual tennis, some of the photographers on assignment for them will have to spend the whole match scanning the crowds for worthy targets.  With a daily list being produced on the guests that will be seated in the Royal Box, that leaves the rest of other seats that are unlisted ie, every other seat.  With a 600mm, the photographers have to sweep the thousands of faces until eventually someone of note is identified.  While the presence of the recently-married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was widely known, Kate's sister Pippa turning up was high on the list of faces to look for and fifteen minutes into one of the matches, word went round the pit that she was coming.  AFP doesn't rush to follow the celebrity crazes but the US interest in all things Middleton means that this was of interest to me too.  Sure enough, after some top spotting from photographers along the line, she was picked out, sitting with her family, up in the top levels.  Some of the newspaper guys then proceeded to ignore the game and concentrate solely on every toss of the hair or smile while I had to shoot the match but make sure I had enough of her too.  Needing completely different focal lengths, every break in play saw frantic scramble as we all dumped our sports lenses for our 600mm lenses.  Not much fun at all.


An interesting aspect of the tournament that I hadn't considered before, is the strange phenomenon of there being less for the spectators to see as the fortnight progresses.  In the opening days, every court is in use and there is the chance for everyone to see some really top-level tennis.  As the tournament progresses, these openly viewable games are rapidly reduced.  While those with tickets for Centre Court and Court One can sit in their allocated seats and enjoy the match, many of those that pay for ground passes dash along the paths when the gates open in the morning to go and sit on the hill and watch the day's events on the big screen.  While it's good to get the communal experience, it's quite an odd way to spend the day.




I didn't get to shoot (or even see) Rafa Nadal during Wimbledon fortnight, however, I did get to shoot some of the other stars of tennis, including Roger Federer.  Having been warned that he was hard to shoot, I had an idea what to expect but even with the heads-up, I was still amazed at how hard it was to get a frame.  His incredible abilities on the court mean that he never really seems to be stretching himself, so while others are grimacing and gurning as they reach for the ball, Fed has a look of total calm on his face.  This often even includes having his eyes shut as he hits the ball.  Combined with a very low swing that rarely sees the racquet close to his face, it results in very dull pictures.  The fact that he's a lovely man doesn't change the fact that being a rabid fan of his seems to me to make about as much sense as cheering on your fridge for chilling your food.  He seems to do the job so methodically and clinically that he just becomes a machine. 

Despite this, every game he played was packed full of travelling fans waving banners declaring that "India loves Roger" and "Taiwan loves Roger".  While I may be confused about their obsession, I have to admire the fact that they've asked a whole nation for their thoughts on Switzerland's ball-hitting appliance.


Saturday saw my chance to take to the hallowed turf of Centre Court as I shot the Women's Singles final.  With everyone assuming that Maria Sharapova would cruise to victory, it was an upset to picture editors everywhere as they were denied the chance to use a big picture of Shazza, when Petra Kvitova took the title.


If you think that I'm being cynical here, you only needed to look at the next day's front pages for confirmation.  Two ran with a story about a television star's relationship, some ignored it altogether and one ran with my picture of US actress Anne Hathaway in the crowd until pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge came through from the US and bumped the story off the front altogether.


While I'd hoped to get access to the big finale, I knew in my heart that I probably wouldn't get to shoot it, and my guess was proved correct on the final Sunday morning.  With sports specialists Carl De Souza and Glyn Kirk taking the reins, I was on features duty, but thankfully got the chance to shoot Novak and his new cup as he stood on the stairs of Wimbledon tennis club.


With Wimbledon 'n' dusted, I rang the Mrs to say goodnight from the flat AFP had rented in Wimbledon and we discussed the day's play.  It was only after fifteen minutes that Kirsten pointed out that we'd actually had a reasonably detailed conversation about sport.  Crikey.  Who would have thought that was possible?  With the 2012 Olympics drawing ever closer and the time to start pushing for our personal choices of sport to cover, maybe I've unexpectedly found the answer.






Leon Neal - www.leonneal.com
AFP staff photographer (London)
www.leonneal.com

In the days leading up to the arrival, I volunteered to step in and help out with the logistical organisation in Downing Street.  Some of those reading may base their concept of a photographer's working conditions on either the scrums they see on breaking news stories, or the pap fights outside nightclubs that fill the gossip pages.  The truth is actually far more organised than that, with the major events seeing photographers come together to work out the best way to allow a fair chance for everyone to get the shot.
In years gone by, a photographer wanting the front row would be forced to arrive in the early hours of the morning, if not have to sleep outside the venue overnight.  Thankfully, a powerful force of self-preservation has won through, resulting in positions being decided through a lottery draw with press cards going into the proverbial hat (or lens pouch, in many cases) and the photographers being allowed into the pen in the order that they are drawn.  This only happens on exceptional events in Downing Street such as budget day, elections or major visits such as this.  On top of the draw, there is also the issue of marking up the pavement into a grid so we can guarantee the maximum amount of people into the best positions.  With slim places at the front for the lucky few drawn early, through to the wider spots at the back for those balancing on the top step of their ladders, everyone has to be considered.  You see, we're not horrible scummy types as some media outlets like to imply, are we?
After marking up the street with Telegraph photographer Eddie Mulholland and Rex photographer Ray Tang, I found out that I wasn't even going to be working on the street anyway.  I was on 'pool' duty.  With two on the first day and one on the second, I was to be given more exclusive access to different aspects of the visit to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Downing Street.  I'd love to say it was due to my unbelievable photographic skills but in reality, like the draw for the positions outside, the pools are decided on a rotating basis and it just happened to be AFP's turn.  It was very pleasing to have been picked from within AFP though!

The first job of the visit was to cover the President's official welcome to his hotel for the next few nights, Buckingham Palace.  With Brenda acting as landlady, he'd no doubt been looking forward to her famous fry-up as soon as he decided to stay.  After an early start, I was led into the gardens of the Palace and onto the stand at the bottom of the lawns.  Having only been told that it was a rota pool job in the Palace, I had no idea what to expect.  My heart sank when I saw the distance we were looking at.  The lawns stretched on and on between our position and the door where they would appear.  With only a 300mm to hand, I thankfully was able to borrow a 1.7x converter from fellow AFP photographer Nicholas Kamm and with the aid of the 3LeggedThing 1LT monopod, I managed to rescue the situation.  After the stress of the Royal Wedding, I hoped I wouldn't be put in this situation again for some time!




With the shots still on the card, I jumped into a cab with AFP colleague Adrian Dennis, and headed on to the next job, Westminster Abbey.  With three pool positions, the group that I was with had possibly the most interesting of the choices, with the President and First Lady being given a guided tour of various aspects of the architecture in the heart of the Abbey.  While it might look lovely, it is dark.  When I say dark, I mean DARK.  The kind of dark that makes you think your light meter's broken as you dial the ISO up and up and up to get a balance.  Finally, with the D3s creaking like Das Boot, I settled on 6400ISO at 200th/sec at f2.8.  With all of the photographers in the pool looking at their gear and pictures with dubious expressions, the President arrived and duly walked past us as planned.  Just as we were thinking the moment had passed, he found a single shaft of light, beaming down onto the alter.  I'm sure you won't need many guesses as to where he decided to pose for a while.  Argh!  From the depths of darkness to the purest brightest light.  All you could hear was the frantic spinning and twisting of dials as we all scrambled to drop our exposures down to a decent level before he moved on.  Someone joked afterwards that it was one of those moments where you daren't look at the EXIF information on the image as you know you'll probably have ended up shooting at 60th at f18 on 1600ISO.  I will forever love RAW.

Wednesday started well, with the news that the previous day's shots from Buckingham Palace had done well in the papers.  The Grauniad ran the fourth shot above of the wind damage across two pages.  Yay!


With Obama set to pose up with Cameron on the doorstep, the mass of media on Downing Street was a bubbling swarm of chatter and discussion as I arrived for my internal rota jobs.  Due to the sense of occasion, I'd broken out the suit again and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of jeans and North Face jackets.  To remedy the situation, I decided to defect to US security instead.  With the help of a handful of bored colleagues, a pair of shades from Ki Price and a spare Lumedyne cable, I was ready for the West Wing.


When the Downing Street media team came out to collect those invited inside, I found that there were two pool jobs that morning.  One would be recording two "grip and grins" followed by a shot of a meeting around the Cabinet table, while the second would see Cameron and Obama holding a barbecue in the back garden and serving tasty treats to a select gathering of military personnel and their families.  On hearing which I had, I proceeded to spend the next half hour whining, pleading and hoping to swap with no luck.  With AP's Matt Dunham getting the barbecue, it would be handshakes all the way for me.


Once I was inside Number 10 with the Evening Standard's Jeremy Selwyn and a BBC cameraman, we sat down to wait for the job to happen.  Only a few minutes beforehand the press officer told us that we were to be joined by thirteen other photographers and cameramen from the travelling rota.  For anyone who's shot in there before, the "Terracotta room" has a sweet spot for maybe two people.  There is certainly not room for sixteen and knowing how little time we'd have, it was going to be all about forward planning.  With this in mind, Jeremy and I used our local knowledge of working inside Downing Street to make sure we were always going in first and always into the right position without wasting time.  The shoots last about 20-30 seconds from entering the room to being tapped on the shoulder to leave.  Thankfully, our experience paid off and we got what was available to us, however uninspiring!




With the shots edited and filed, I moved outside to get the exit picture as the President left Downing Street for the final time of the visit.  Thankfully, colleague Carl Court was called to Lancaster House to shoot another rota so I could slip into his central position.  As is tradition, Downing Street managed to present it's usual lighting challenges with the doorway featuring a wonderful concoction of pitch black shadows, a strip of brilliant sunshine and two men of different skin colour.  When camera manufacturers are trying to test their highlight protection and shadow recovery features, I can think of only one place that can give the gear a true run for the money!








As the US President's tour of the UK and Ireland drew to a close, it was quite a relief to think that things are going to be returning to relative normality after months of Royal wedding planning and VIP visits.  With June shaping up to be a month of tennis action, it's time to learn a whole new skill.

The pictures below are all shot using the orbis® attached to a SB900. Shot with a D90 @ 50mm.  Eddie and a  Frio were used to mount everything together.

Model & Make-up: Chloe-Jasmine Whichello

In a nutshell the Orbis® Flash is an adapter that shapes the light coming out of your speedlight / flash into a much nicer shape while adding a certain about of defusing at the same time. It has been called a budget Ringflash. Its important to not compare the orbis® to a 800watt mains powered Bowns or Profoto Ringflash,  in my eyes they have been designed to meet different needs. They both have good points and bad points. If you are in a studio environment and have the time to set up a proper ring flash, then the orbis® is never going to be able to stand up to the raw power. This is due to the fact that the orbis® powered by a speedlight pushed into the bottom, its only reflecting the light into a better shape. It’s only going to ever be as strong as what ever speedlight you are using. I am lucky enough to have the SB900 Nikon flash which does kick out a strong light. This has led to overheating problem when attached the orbis® though.  The studio is clearly not where the orbis® has been designed for.

A ringflash is a flash that is designed to wrap around the end of the lens  leaving a space for the lens to come though the middle, the idea is that, this should leave very little shadow , creating even and soft light on the subject, I think, it was a dentist that first came up with the idea. Its the sort of lighting that forensic photographers use. Its used a lot by beauty and fashion photographers as it can be used to show great detail. Ringflash lighting is clean and simple to use. Most people use a ringflash close up for head shots. Usually a ringlash is part of a lighting set up in a studio with a hair light or back light too, nothing stops you from using it on its own though.

For me, the orbis® really comes into its own when you step outside or need a very lightweight portable lighting solution. With the rise of the popular Strobist / off-camera flash look it was only a matter of time before the big company started to make lighting modifiers for speedlights. Nothing really has come though as good as the orbis® though, It shapes the light so nicely. As a photographer, this is the single most important factor. For the last couple of months the orbis® has lived in my camera bag, at first, I never really used it that much. I do love natural light. At times I never even carry my flash, this would mean carrying an orbis® would be even more silly.  I had the idea that the orbis® would only give me the Strobist look, something that I didn’t want. It was after a couple of weeks I started to really start shooting with the Orbis to see how versatile it is. Most of the time that I used the Orbis, it is mounted on Eddie ( 3 legged thing) and used as back light , side light or to create funky catch lights. Most of the shots taken don’t even look like they have had any flash at all. You can get some super soft lighting, and quickly do the super lightweight set up of the kit.

I have used the orbis® with the Frio, with a SB900 All mount on super lightweight Carbon Fibre Tripod from 3 Legged thing. Shooting Nikon is great as there is no need to buy any remote triggers, you can just set the Speedlight and Camera to fire remotely. You can do all adjustments in the camera menus. You can also pick up the orbis® camera mountings which nicely mount the flash,orbis® and camera all together. Great for shooting though the center of the orbis® in a ringflash style.

So its light, cheap and greats great light. But, it can be bulky as a portable bit of lighting kit at times, it does overheat the flash if used “pap style”, when mounted on the camera, it does create a bit of a funny weight problem. There is also a small problem of being able to fully use the lenses to zoom or focus as the orbis® sits over this part of the lense (when shooting though it) I get round this by mounting the orbis® on the Tripod and just shooting though the middle. Pretty much all lenses do fit, of course a 200mm f2.0 wont fit, but why would you need it to !!

To sum up, for the small downsides the orbis® has, it’s quickly turning into a vital part of my camera kit. While out on a shoot, just having it close by is a comfort, knowing how much of a creative tool it can be. I am very sure Nikon, Cannon, Metz and the other lighting companies starting kicking them self when they saw the orbis®. I would never dream of using my Speedlight without the orbis® attached now. I would love to see some colour gels for the orbis®, and I wonder if orbis® will ever make their own flash to fit the adapter in an even more snug way, I don’t know, I hope so as most of the downfalls are not the orbis®s fault but in fact limits of the flash units.

The photos of Chloe-Jasmine on this blog are all shot using the orbis®, the very top photo is using the orbis® as a ringflash, the next two underneath are using the orbis® as an off-camera flash, balancing with the window lights. These photos were taken on my living room floor and wall.  Mains powered ring flashes tend to be very powerful and hard to mix with natural light. Another point for the orbis®.

In a couple of days, I am flying off to teach on Bryon Paul McCartney’s art Nude workshops. I have given a great deal of thought to which kit get the nod and gets to come with me. Space is very tight when packing to travel and fly. The pros and cons of the orbis® are very clear. The shape and light that it gives, the creative ways that it can be used are enough to justify the size and bulk. Are are also taking an Elinchrom quadra if things need that bit extra. In Tuscany, there is always great light, we tend to use alot of reflectors to balance out shadows, but this year, I feel the orbis® will be taking care of the fill lights and helping to creative effect.  I am hoping that cooling the flash head in the Tuscan sun will not be to much of a problem, we shall see !

Overall, does the orbis® work.  Yes. Should you have one, very much so. If you are an events photographer, Sports, Wedding, Portrait or art photographer, there are very few reasons why you should not have an orbis®

http://www.orbisflash.com/

Do also check out the Frio and 3 legged thing Tripods. The Frio is very clever little clip that enables you to mount the flash to a tripod, it has a very simple and safe locking system. I was and do use the fabulous tripods from 3 legged thing

Be sure to check out the orbis® Flickr group ( link )

I always have a flash gun with me. An orbis® would be ideal for shooting in low light environments without wanting to overpower the ambient. My ring flash on its lowest setting is still really powerful – Christian Scott

IT's Wednesday, which can only mean ONE THING! WICKED WEDNESDAY week 3 giveaway!

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question:

"What is the name of the village from whence we came?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

And that's it. On your marks...

We're giving away our very excellent 3LT One Legged Thing, Bob - a superior Diamond Weave Carbon Fiber 5 Section Monopod worth £129!

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question:

"After which guitar legend is the One Legged Thing named?"

If you know the answer, and I'm sure you'll find it on the website, just post it up on TWITTER or FACEBOOK using the HASHTAG

#3LTWW

It is VERY important that you use #3LTWW so we can differentiate between normal tweets/facebook posts and competition entries. On Facebook, look for the correct competition THREAD and post your answer there.

We will make a random draw for the winner who will be announced on Friday.

And that's it. On your marks...

@3LeggedThing Now you have announced the BR arca swiss plate, what's next in the pipe line? And will it be anodised and shiny? #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:04pm via HootSuite

@maninsuitcase We've got something very anodised and shiny next, but are waiting for confirmation from the UK IPO before announcing ^DL

DecisiveMoment 2:02pm via Web

@3LeggedThing Are you going to be sending out samples for review? If so, please consider @DecisiveMoment #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:07pm via HootSuite

@DecisiveMoment We have a lot of products out on review at the moment. Email us to get on the list ^DL

geoffpugh 2:02pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing In a recent tweet u talked about not selling through resellers until later in the year. Can you elaborate? #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:08pm via HootSuite

@geoffpugh At the moment, we're struggling to meet the demand, without adding undue strain on the production facility. We'll get there! ^DL

geoffpugh 2:14pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing Your products look pretty rugged as well as light and compact. Have they had some serious testing? #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:18pm via HootSuite

@geoffpugh ALissa Everett took Bob and Eddie to Antarctica and tested in -60 degrees! http://ow.ly/5bXKG We've hammered them to death ^CC

SarahDollyPhoto 2:15pm via Echofon

@3LeggedThing which tripod would you recommend for a photographer on a budget? #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:24pm via HootSuite

@SarahDollyPhoto Our tripods start from £109, but we believe you should buy with gear safety and stability in mind, not price ^CC

paulkchr 2:16pm via Web

@3LeggedThing what about quick release plates and l brackets what is planned

3LeggedThing 2:26pm via HootSuite

@paulkchr We've got a new release plate coming out, which is @BlackRapid compatible. It will be ready in around 6 weeks ^DL

DecisiveMoment 2:17pm via Web

@3LeggedThing @geoffpugh If not selling through retailers/resellers, how do buyers get to "feel the quality" before ordering? #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:27pm via HootSuite

@DecisiveMoment you can always visit us in our 'chicken shed' in #STAGSDEN and fell the awesome quality of the 3 legged things. ^CC

paulkchr 2:17pm via Web

@3LeggedThing The should be a capital L bracket

3LeggedThing 2:27pm via HootSuite

@paulkchr As yet, no brackets in the pipeline. We've got some good ideas, but one stage at a time. Would love to hear your suggestions ^DL

DecisiveMoment 2:21pm via Web

@3LeggedThing So, whose idea was it to use "normal" names? Genius! Love the idea of taking Bob or Brian on a shoot! #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:31pm via HootSuite

@DecisiveMoment Actually I think it was Jess - There was a general discussion and Rock Guitarists won out. Jess started it with BRIAN

jamiebicknell 2:26pm via Twitter for Mac

@3LeggedThing Having recently owned one of your tripods, its obvious lots of work has gone into it,how long was it from concept to shipping?

3LeggedThing 2:32pm via HootSuite

@jamiebicknell We started developing products two years ago, formed the company last July and launched on 1/1/11! ^DL

Bngsviewfinder 2:26pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing any plans for a gimbal head or a dual camera rig, ie 600mm + 70-200mm

3LeggedThing 2:33pm via HootSuite

@Bngsviewfinder We have our gimbal heads in development at the moment and should hit the market later this year alongside the X3 Jimmy....^CC

geoffpugh 2:30pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing How about pushing to get #creativeLIVE to UK? @craigmswanson told me they'd love to do it. #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:37pm via HootSuite

@geoffpugh @craigmswanson We'd love to! Working pretty closely with @lightenupandshoot and @behindtheLIVE so we're well up for it! ^DL

maninsuitcase 2:37pm via Web

@3LeggedThing @Bngsviewfinder Can you be more specific that later this year?

3LeggedThing 2:40pm via HootSuite

@maninsuitcase @Bngsviewfinder Yes - anytime after 7th June 2011 ;-) We want our products and services to be top, so we're not rushing ^DL

DecisiveMoment 2:39pm via HootSuite

@jamiebicknell @3LeggedThing "Recently owned" - past tense? I'm hoping that's a typing oversight...

3LeggedThing 2:40pm via HootSuite

@DecisiveMoment @jamiebicknell eek! It might have been nicked! ^DL #verydesirableitem

jamiebicknell 2:40pm via Twitter for Mac

@DecisiveMoment @3LeggedThing Sorry, as in I've recently become an owner of one. Had to cut down the tweet to fit it all in

geoffpugh 2:40pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing Yeah, the @behindtheLIVE girls are fab and the @lightenupshoot sessions should be great.

3LeggedThing 2:42pm via HootSuite

@geoffpugh @behindtheLIVE @lightenupshoot Mike & Andy are in London NEXT WEEKEND!! We may partake of a beverage with them... ^DL

DecisiveMoment 2:44pm via Web

@3LeggedThing Then Jess is my new goddess! The whole brand/marketing feels really approachable - like it. #STAGSDEN

3LeggedThing 2:49pm via HootSuite

@DecisiveMoment Jess is our Creative Director. It was her that found the artist #PhilBruce and commissioned the art!

DecisiveMoment 2:46pm via Web

@3LeggedThing @SarahDollyPhoto Seriously though - never EVER buy a cheap tripod/monopod because they are usually rubbish #STAGSDEN

geoffpugh 2:47pm via TweetDeck

@3LeggedThing Just checked their site and seen the workshop they're doing over here. I'm assuming it's fully subscribed :-( @lightenupshoot

3LeggedThing 2:51pm via HootSuite

@geoffpugh @lightenupshoot You'll have to check with the boys. There'll no doubt be a meet up the night before, even if it's full ^DL

jamiebicknell 2:48pm via Twitter for Mac

@3LeggedThing I got the X2 Eddie with the green AH3 head, until the black head comes in stock later next month.

jamiebicknell 2:49pm via Twitter for Mac

@3LeggedThing The Eddie + AH3 are a fine example of excellent design and solid craftsmanship, the attention to detail is immaculate

maninsuitcase 2:49pm via Web

@3LeggedThing in 140ish characters why 3 legged thing not say gitzo.

3LeggedThing 2:54pm via HootSuite

@maninsuitcase I can't answer for Gitzo, but all of our products are designed by working photographers, so our capabilities are awesome ^DL

CJ2B 2:50pm via Web

@3LeggedThing Just would like to say, love Kirk, he's amazing. my Q is - will you be bringing out the tripods in colours to match the heads?

@cj2b we have thought about this move and it is always under discussion amongst the team, but currently this is not an option, so happy to hear your loving kirk we love him too! ^CC - 2:57pm

SarahDollyPhoto 2:50pm via Echofon

@3LeggedThing Your absolutely right I want gear stability and safety for my Nikon D80. What would you recommend?

3LeggedThing 2:54pm via HootSuite

@SarahDollyPhoto all our tripods offer stability and safety to your camera. the differences between them are mostly in either size or price ^CC

The problem with this job is that a photographer puts so much time, effort and emotion into capturing a high-profile event that it becomes truly mentally exhausting.  To an outsider, it may simply look as though I turn up and click the shutter a few times and head home for tea, but there really is so much more to it than that.

The day started at 5am with a taxi to the Queen Victoria Memorial, opposite Buckingham Palace.  With the streets closing at 6am, it was important to get through the traffic and be slotted into position before the chaos began.  Thanks to a stroke of luck with the positions, I managed to get a really strong spot to shoot from, so simply had pass the seven hours away with getting my gear set up.  AFP had arranged for me to have a fast network cable to my position so, combined with Nikon's WT-4, I could transmit my images straight from my camera as the kiss was actually happening.


Thankfully, the staff provided us a chance to see just how much of a throw this would be when they came to set up the balcony drapes.  As you can see from the pictures, the shot below is the area between the two columns in the centre of the frame above.  That's quite a distance.

A downside of drawing the central position was that I was "trapped" within a mass of tripods, bags, cables and sandwich boxes so was unable to shoot many feature shots throughout the morning.  This only added to my apprehension as I had nothing to distract me other than wondering about my camera configuration.  As I've previously mentioned in rule 2 here, the longer a photographer has to wait for an event to occur, the more he or she will begin to doubt their kit choices.  This results in a near-constant swapping of converters, lenses, clamps, cables or camera bodies.

With the use of a helpfully placed PA system, the photographers on the stand could hear the BBC's coverage of the event, so we had an idea of when to expect our first view of the newlyweds.  Thanks to a combination of the commentary and the roar of the crowds as they came down the Mall, I knew when to wrestle my way out of the pack and round onto the corner to get a shot of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving at Buckingham Palace for the first time.  As a colleague later pointed out to me, of the two "footmen" on the back of their carriage, one is an actual footman and one is a close protection officer, ready to dive in front of a miscreant's bullet at a moments notice.  Can you guess which is which? ;)

Once safely inside, the police began to slowly filter the public out from behind their security fencing and along the Mall.  With the possibility of a crush or stampede, the sheer volume of tens of thousands of royal supporters and tourists were thankfully held back by a thin blue line of police.

With the public in position, the time had come.  After weeks of planning, meetings, equipment tests, logistical headaches and sleepless nights, it was the moment to see if it had all been worth it.

With a twitch of the curtains and a cheer from the crowds below, William and Catherine were there on the balcony.  With my final decision being to opt for a Nikon D3x, I had to watch my shooting speed as the buffer fills up VERY quickly and takes an absolute eternity to clear.  All around me, photographers who had opted for lower resolution, but higher speed cameras, rattled through their shots at nine frames per second.  Being used to that kind of speed myself, the urge to gun it and hose them down as soon as they appeared was immense but I forced myself to shoot single frames at what I hoped would be the key moments.


Then, there it was; the kiss.  After noticing an earlier look from Kate towards William that had been met by a whispered "No, wait a while longer", he turned to her and they kissed.  The crowds cheered, the cameras exploded into action and the adrenaline surged.
 

After what seemed like ages (but looking at it afterwards, was really quite fast), they separated.  I quickly hit the transmit button on my camera and returned to shooting.  Following a fly-past by a variety of aircraft that I didn't even look up to see, a second kiss came.

With more cheers from the crowd and a final wave, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge turned and with a final look over her shoulder, they walked into the Palace and the doors closed.

I immediately scrolled through my frames and selected the kiss pictures and hit transmit again.  By this point, four or five of my shots had left the camera and were back with the editors in London's Centre Point.  Relieved to have caught the moment, I phoned back to the office to check that they were seeing the frames.  "Did you get the second kiss?", I was asked.  On telling them that I had and it was coming shortly, I was told that they needed them fast as the first pictures of the kiss were soft.  It was round about now that my heart just crumpled.  The problem with the WT-4 system of transmitting pictures is that I don't get to see them or work on them at all; what I shoot is what the editors see with no chance to check my production or tweak the pictures in any way.  While everyone else was sat around me discussing their shots, I was just left standing there in shock.


The next fifteen minutes were possibly the longest in my life.  As the frames slowly dropped down the line to the office, I could only sit and work out what had just happened.  Had I screwed up?  Was it the set-up?  Was it the heat haze?  Were the second kiss pictures any better?  Slowly, as the other photographers around me filed their frames, the phones started to ring and suddenly I was noticing that they were all saying a very similar thing.  It seemed that a combination of the heat, the pollen in the air and the distance had caused trouble for everyone.  With those people shooting on higher burst-rate cameras having more to choose from, they could pick their choices a little easier but we were all suffering.

Even with the knowledge that nearly everyone was in the same boat, I can't begin to describe how low I was feeling.  After such a huge amount of effort and time in getting the pictures, to hear that things weren't perfect was heavy blow.  It seems odd to admit this but it's only a few days later that I've come to look through the raw NEF images and can see that the photos are actually pretty good but, at that moment, I hadn't had chance to sit down and properly look through them.  With no chance to check my output, the day continued with comings and goings from the Palace and lots of running around, laden with satellite phones, long lenses and tripods.  It was well into the evening when I finally got into the office and saw the frames.  It was a hell of a relief to see the results.  With the situation magnifying itself in my mind over the afternoon and evening, I'd imagined the shots to be seriously ropey but in the end, a bit of considerate editing with the haze being taken into account had produced a decent set.  This job really is not good for people who can't handle stress.

Now this may seem like an odd post but I don't want this blog to live up to it's title of being just another "vanity project".  This job provided some real highs and some incredible lows but three days later, I can stand back from the heightened emotions and pressure of the day and see that I actually ended up getting the shot after all.  The image of "The Frowning Flowergirl" Grace Van Cutsem covering her ears as the couple kissed has done very well, and other moments have made front pages in various countries around the world.  As I said in the opening to this post, the photographer can get so unbelievably attached to an assignment that it will always have the potential to leave them feeling less than chipper.  Combining this close emotional bond to the work, with the fact that the job itself is so full of variables and unpredictable events, means that I'm sure this won't be the last time in my career that I get side-swiped by a job.  Thankfully, the years have taught me that every dip has a peak waiting at the other end.  Bring on the rollercoaster!




If you would like to follow Leon Neal on his blog, click the link here

This morning in The Sunday Times, Leon's hard work was rewarded with a full CENTRE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:

All images ©2011 Leon Neal & AFP except the equipment set up images which are ©2011 Leon Neal

12/04/2011 (17 days to go)

With the details finally announced, AFP finally receives the list of positions that will be available to us on the day of the Royal Wedding.  With so much planning already in place (despite a total lack of actual knowledge on where we'd be), it's a relief to find that we've got a decent selection of the best views of the day.  While shooting a rather poor feature on the RAF's band rehearsing their fanfare, I receive a call from the boss, telling me I've drawn the pressure point; the Queen Victoria Memorial (AKA The Kiss).  Crikey.  Now that I know where I'll be, I can begin planning what I need.

My first call is to the lovely people at 3leggedthing, the new tripod and camera support manufacturers that have produced some truly innovative gear since launching in early 2011.  Having contacted me a while ago to see if there was any gear that I'd like to try, I finally have an actual assignment that requires some serious stability.  Having already discovered that the balcony shot is a VERY long range picture (or "throw"), I already know that to capture the kiss, I'll need at least a 600mm lens with the possibility that I'll need to use magnifying converters too.  The problem is that to capture the kiss, I need to be tight but what if something important happens among the other members of the Royal family as they stand there?  The conclusion I've reached is that I need two cameras with long lenses, mounted on the same tripod.  Now I've seen this done before with shorter lenses, but can I get the hardware that can support such a vast weight of metal and glass and keep it rock-solid?

13/04/2011 (16 days to go)

Into the office for a team meeting to discuss the details of what we know and what we need to know; a true "known knowns and known unknowns" moment.  General consensus is that while the other guys will have chance to move around a little before the main event and possibly shoot some features, I'm going to be welded to my position for the day.  Aside from the kiss, the couple will return to the Palace past my position before the balcony family picture.  There is an RAF fly past plus the newlyweds will be heading out to Clarence House in the evening for a reception party.

One of the issues that we're expecting to run into is communications.  With millions of spectators lining the streets, it's pretty certain that the phone networks will buckle under the pressure so we'll be hiring short-wave radios for the day.  The only concern being the range and as they'll only get to us on the 28th, there'll be no time for tests.

Equipment-wise, the chaps at 3leggedthing have been stress-testing their hardware and are flying one of their global prototypes back into the country for me to use.  This heavy-duty tripod should be able to take the weight and allow my unusual requirements to be met.

Having considered the logistics of using two cameras, I'm now thinking that a better way to ensure I don't miss anything is to fire one of the cameras remotely; as I shoot the picture using the longer lens, the wider lensed camera also fires.  It's another thing that could go wrong but it's also a way of guaranteeing that I don't miss anything while shooting on the other body.  My current thoughts are to use a 600mm f4  on one side and a 300mm f2.8 on the other (for the family shot).

14/04/2011 (15 days to go)

The Royals will have to struggle along on their own as it's my birthday, and I refuse to think about it for the next few days.

18/04/2011 (11 days to go)

Back to work and the planning continues.  Today's discussions focus on remote camera triggers and the use of foot switches to avoid any interference from other photographer's radio signals.  Hard wiring seems to be the way to go, so lengths of cable are purchased and foot switches ordered.  For some of the positions on the route, the photographer will feel like a one-man band as he shoots with hands and feet.  At the moment, I plan on just sticking with the two cameras, although that may change if I can work out a way to get a wide angle too.

The wedding still remains a staple ingredient of every photographer's conversation when bumping into colleagues on jobs.  Aside from the question of positions, more specific questions have begun to crop up such as; "Are faster memory cards worth buying?" (yes) and "Can I use a stepladder from the crowd?" (no).

19/04/2011 (10 days to go)

With a quiet afternoon, I get the chance to head down to the Palace and test both the angle of the sun and the lens possibilities.  With only ten days left, security is getting tighter with search teams checking drains and scaffolding and media crews beginning to spend more time outside the Palace and the Abbey.

My options for the day are all based around the Nikon 600mm f4 but the options lay with camera body choice (D3s, D3x or D300s) and whether to use a lens converter (Nikon 1.4x, 1.7x of 2x).  With too many options bouncing around inside my head, I leap in a taxi and head down to the QVM.  Having tested the D300s and the D3s, I can discount the D300s due to the slow frame-rate and small buffer but won't know about the D3x until Paris decide whether to send me one over.  The shot seems to be alright on a 1.4x or a 2x converter but there's no way I can truly simulate the day itself, as I won't know what factors are at play.  A wet overcast day will need very different gear to a bright sunny one and the added threat of the dreaded heat haze is ever present.  A colleague informs me that he's shot the Trooping the Colour for many years and has only ever managed to get truly sharp pictures once due to the heat coming from the crowds below.  The heat rises and causes a distortion that plays havoc with long lenses.  This task becomes more challenging on a daily basis.

20/04/2011 (9 days to go)

Aside from thinking about the kiss, the ravenous news beast requires a healthy portion of wedding feature every day, so this morning I'm sent to Wellington Barracks.  A blog on this visit can be found here.

21/04/2011 (8 days to go)

With the wedding just over a week away, any job involving the Royal family is of great interest, so I'm sent to Westminster Abbey to cover the Royal Maundy Service which coincidentally falls on the Queen's birthday.  With the vaguest possibility that William or Katherine may turn up, a healthy turn-out of photographers are on show but in the end, it's "only" Brenda and Phil that rock up, so more fun is had with the traditional pageantry than the actual Royals.

22/04/2011 (7 days to go)

Huzzah!  The day begins with a front pages of The Times and the Washington Post newspapers, plus the LA Times framework website front page.  I've had a serious drought recently, so it's very much appreciated to get some covers again.

With the rest of the country savouring the start of their long weekend (and if they played their cards right, an 11 day break), colleague Carl de Souza and myself join Picture Editor Alessandro Abbonizio on a final walk-through of the wedding route.  London is soaked in tourists at the moment, all bumping into each other and following umbrella-wielding tour guides.  It has to be said that it's a real pleasure to see the Capital festooned in Union flags and, for once, be able to enjoy it for what it is rather than it being tied into some far-Right march or protest.  Coffee shops are handing out Union flag coffee cups, pubs have bunting in their beer gardens and everywhere you look, there are happy symbols of patriotism and enjoyment.  Any overseas readers may be scratching their heads at this and wondering what the big deal is but the combination of the British desire to remain understated, and the hijacking of patriotism by right wing groups has created a population that distances itself from it's own colours.  Like Godzilla, it's taken the Royals to emerge from their slumber and take back the icon, allowing us to celebrate our nationality for once.

With the hike over, I return to AFP Towers to piece together the 3leggedthing behemoth and test if it's up to the job.  Using the 3LT X3 "Jimmy" carbon fibre tripod with DG1 and DG3 gimbles, a B3s ballhead and a cross bar, the beast was born.  Combined with a pocket wizard trigger firing the second camera, the system manages to hold a HELL of a lot of weight.  Considering that the tripod is so light, it manages to support about £20,000+ of very heavy gear and remain stable.  As it's designed for a lot less weight, this will need some testing and I've already had to adapt a few ideas to remove small amounts of movement.

After a bit of head scratching, I got the pocket wizard firing the second camera remotely, so I think I might actually be getting somewhere!

23/04/2011 (6 days to go)

Three of today's papers are giving away Royal Wedding bunting.  With all of the other flags and assorted paraphernalia being printed, there's going to be a hell of a lot of red, white and blue loads for the recycling collectors next week.
Another day, another wander along the route with an emphasis today on tourism and royalists.  With the beautiful weather and no particular plans, I get the chance to shoot another webclip as I meander.

One of my favourite discoveries of the day is a street performer on the South Bank, dressed as Queen Elizabeth II.  After dropping a few frames and a bit of video, she takes her mask off for a breather and it turns out to be a middle-aged Eastern European woman.  Maybe those conspiracy theorists are right about the Illuminati after all.

24/04/2011 (5 days to go)

Despite it being a day off, I suggest a jaunt into town to Kirsten so we take Max off to see the sights and act like tourists for the day.  It's a beautiful day so we start at Buckingham Palace and I bore her to tears with tedious information about where we're all positioned and what we can see from each position as we walk back to Westminster Abbey.  Kirsten acts suitably interested and impressed.

27/04/2011 (2 days to go)

Westminster Abbey has begun to look like it's besieged by a patriotic army of "special" fans.  The upsides to this is that both the media and the police know exactly where to find all of the rather more passionate supporters.  The area has become a feeding ground now with all of us sent to get yet more features surrounding the mass of flags and gaudy merchandise.

28/04/2011 (1 day to go)

With the Royal wedding now upon us, today really needs to be a short and quiet day, so that we can get through it with no hiccups and get a good night's sleep.  Instead, the rumour of Kate and Will's wedding rehearsal in Westminster Abbey proves to be true.  Within minutes, AFP sends out the team and we each find ourselves covering a random door, gate or passageway in the hope that we can get them on one of the entrances.  I find myself on a back door and wait.  And wait.  And wait.  You can see from the lack of pictures which door they DIDN'T go through.  With the time close to 10pm, I finally head home and begin to prepare myself for tomorrow's big day.  It's finally here.

To read the blog and leave comments go directly to Leon Neal's website here

The 3LT X1 Brian is the smallest of our new Rock Legend Range, and the most versatile. Below is a video of the 3LT X1 Brian being assembled and adjusted, with extended information on using and removing the monopod, centre column, ballhead and converting this amazing tripod into a speedlight stand.

3LT X2 Eddie - What Digital Camera, April 15th 2011

What Digital Camera Editor, Nigel Atherton gives Eddie a run out! "The tripod is sturdy and rigid"

"An ingenious idea!"

When I get the chance to work with my lovely Katy I don't pass it up. The chemistry we have on set is amazing and I can honestly say I create my best work with her.
Here are some of the gorgeous new floaty images Katy and I shot during one of our days off in Canada. I love this work, it is amongst some of my favorite images ever. Our original plan was to use coloured paint powder, but after being suspicious of the toxicity of the paint (!) we decided to go with an edible powdered product instead. Katy was demanding we use the coloured paint right up until she got a ton of it in her eye and swallowed around 2 kilograms...
Massive thanks to CIS in Toronto and also my assistants that day Dick Mcgill and Mark Bianco.


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My Set up is simple, I used a Prophoto Beauty Dish directly above my subject and I shot with my Canon 5D and with my 70-200 2.8 L glass. Since this is a heavy lens, I used my 3 Legged Thing X2 Eddie tripod to help keep my images sharp by limiting the movement of my camera.
I shot Directly on to my Sandisk Extreme CF cards.
I also used two Wescott reflectors to catch any fall off light from the Beauty dish.

Eddie is part of the new range of tripods from the 3 Legged Thing Company.  Launched on 1^st January 2011 from a converted chicken factory in some little place called Stagsden, Eddie is the middle of 3 new tripods, all carbon fibre and all very pretty. Eddie weighs in at 1935g with its bigger brother , Jimmy at 2248g. The smallest of the family is Brian at 1575g. These weights are with the suitability beautifully made ball heads.

I have to really admit something here… I have not used a tripod in a long long time…  Shooting the things that I do, I really hated having my Manfrotto tripod to lug about for hours  just in case I needed it.  These pods are a little different, They are quick and simple to use,  super light too. Eddie can be converted into a Monopod quickly, hold a full frame dSLR with a 200mm lens very steady, while still packing away in to my camera kit bag (Eddie is 440mm long when packed down).  Why would I not take it with me ?  For me the massive advantage of having a super portable tripod like Eddie is that he can be set up to hold my SB-900 for some remote flash action. I did not even think about this when packing my camera bag for the shoot. When I got to the location, It just clicked.. Eddie can hold it !! Since then he has also been a reflector holder and a Laptop holder.

Soon I intended to have an army of Eddies to do my bidding while shooting. Just goes to show, an Eddie is not just a one trick pony/horse/thing….

The 3 Legged Thing company have really gone back to basics here, They have noticed that the number one thing when making new gear, is to make something that people will actually want to use, then making it do its job well at the same time. Having Eddie in the house has actually made me find things to shoot with it, its really fun, simple and light weight to use.  For the first time ever, a tripod has a permanent feature in my camera bag.

Eddie, the pod in the photos , can hold up to 12kg, and packs down to 440mm and most importantly can come in many colours.  On These tripods, nothing thing quick release or button release. Instead the tripods all have twist screw actions to hold things into place. Everything is smooth and well made, everything comes apart for cleaning and converting into a monopod. The Ball Head is super slick to use, very precise and very strong when locking into place, very simple to do with a light finger and thumb action on the round dials. There is a very cleaver design to let you shoot the camera portrait off the camera too. Very handy indeed.

“To be a global leader in tripods within 5 years, and to continually provide a 5 star service to our consumers, dealers and distributors across the globe by returning a personal element to all of our dealings. To listen to your feedback objectively and implement the best ideas of our customers, whether trade or consumer, and to continue to develop the innovation of tripods so that future generations of photographers can grow as we do”  – 3 legged thing.

That means big things, to have a statement like that, to take on the tripod monsters like Manfrotto and Gitzo, the 3 Legged Thing Company have to have a plan and something to set them apart.
These tripods are quite unique, they are fun to use and get the job done. They are study and strong, quick to use and did I mention they look very cool.  The company seem to have a good idea of how a modern photographer wants a tripod to perform.  If your a little more interested in facts and numbers about the pods, head over to the website and check then out.

They also have a cool range of non-carbon ones for those times when you can not bare putting a your Eddie into salty/oily water or some more worrying situation. While your there have a look at the stunning Gimble heads

Every Sunday LIVE on Ustream you can tune in not to just watch but also interact with Greg and I LIVE during the show in the chat room. There will also be FREE give aways during the LIVE shows from time to time!!

If you miss the LIVE show don’t worry we will be posting each episode on YouTube.

For those of you who are into PODCASTING you can subscribe to the AUDIO from each show via Itunes or any other podcasting/RSS feed reader. Its not listed on iTunes yet (they are REALLY slow…) but you can add it now anywhere. If you are an iTunes user just go to Advanced, Subscribe to Podcast and paste in the feed URL and bingo your done!

URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/FroknowsphotoShowPodcast

If you would like to submit a question for us to answer online please send it to Show@FroKnowsPhoto.com these emails will only be answered on the show and not responded to via e mail.

Watch the show right here:

3LT X1 Brian - Amateur Photographer, March 15th 2011

Tim Coleman gets to grips with Brian, as our flagship products go under the IPC Media Scrutiny Test...

"I used a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV with a 70-200 F/2.8 Lens and had no problems"

"Even when including the 470g ball head, the kit is impressively lightweight at 1,575g"

We work very hard at 3 Legged Thing to design products that have practical application, as well as aesthetic beauty, but we also play really hard too! A creative mind needs the freedom of expression to truly achieve any real potential, and as such our policy is simply this: Work for us, and we'll work you harder than you've ever worked, but we'll reward you, and integrate your personality into a team that has zero turnover - we have NEVER had a member of staff leave in six years, precisely because we promote from within, and look after each other.

Interested? 3 Legged Thing is growing rapidly, as the industry discovers just how good we are. To that end we are looking at taking on more staff in the forseeable future. Feel free to call up and ask us about vocational opportunities within the Elemental Group and 3 Legged Thing. We don't offer jobs. We offer a future.

'I'm Yours' was an idea cosntructed and inspired by four of the Directors of 3 Legged Thing, Danny, Jess, Sean & Sarah, all of whom appear in the video. Want to be in our next video?

See you soon!

THe whole team will be wandering around over the course of the event, with products on hand to demonstrate, so feel free to stop us and say HELLO!

We started off at Liverpool Street Station and meandered our way towards the Girkin, snapping indiscriminantly as we walked, my trusted Nikon in one hand, dragging my ThinkTANKPhoto Airport TakeOff bag behind me, with Eddie strapped to the side, sporting a rather dashing Solar Flare B3s Ballhead.

It took about a minute before the first person stopped me to ask what tripod I was carrying. The obligatory explanations ensued, followed by the touchy-feely bit, which is where, I think, Eddie really begins to appeal. Within moments, another two photographers had stumbled over to ask similar questions. We chatted for 5 minutes or so and then everyone had a play with Eddie.

Nathan and Simon, at this point, had already ditched me for pastures new. I thanked the photographers for their interest and hurriedly left to catch up with the boys. I hadn;t even turned a corner, when another young man collared me to ask about Eddie, and so it went on for over an hour.

I went to London to take photographs, and came back with two!

3 Legged Thing

Danny