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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:42 pm 
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What do you use for your photography that is not photography related that helps you get that shot? Clothes, plastic bags, unlikely props etc?

Here's a list of things I can think of now to get things started:

  • Footwear! One of the best investments I've made in non photography gear that has made photography more fun is good footwear. Blundstones are well made, quite comfortable, extremely durable and waterproof. A pair of insulated Blundstones have allowed me to stand in a cold Grindstone Creek while taking exposures with the Lee Big Stopper and my tootsies stay warm and dry. The Blundstones are good for the cold if insulated but for the real cold and deep snow (let's hope we get some real cold and snow) proper boots become all the more valuable. Lots of great options, I like North Face myself. Blundstones may be the footwear of hipster jerks(? or some other culture subset I'm oblivious to) but I am mostly ignorant and couldn't care less because the quality is there. Probably why I still think Canada Goose coats are great. :oops:
  • Socks. The best footwear can easily be compromised with terrible socks. There are some Costco Kirkland brand ones that are very warm, fit well and don't slide... I think they were all of $10 for 4 of them. And they have proper sizes, none of that useless size 7-13 crap that puts a heel halfway up my calf. They do pill slightly though.
  • A proper winter coat! If you're going to do stars at night or long exposures in the woods during the winter a coat that will keep you warm while standing around but not bake you while walking is indispensable. I'm currently shopping for one - any suggestions? Right now I'm thinking the Canada Goose Citadel is the choice for me. The fit and length I want, a removable Coyote ruff (I'm allergic and I don't want to wear fur), made in Canada (Important to me), decent pockets for caps, lens pen and an inside pocket for batteries plus high quality construction. Anything that competes is either high fashion I don't care to pay for or made not here. I don't really care about the current fashion (mis)statement that currently surrounds them. I like the b(r)and but hate the fans, fact is the quality is there. Even though most of the time I wear it I'll be standing alone in the woods I'd rather not look like I've been hunting. I am worried that it might be a bit too hot for me as I run really warm. :twisted:
  • Gloves! I grabbed some thin wind proof gloves from MEC which are ok. They're not super warm but they do block wind. They're thin enough to fit under thicker mitts/gloves that do warm my hands and they're thin enough to allow me to operate the camera well. MEC Windstoppers.
  • Zip Lock Bags: Big ones that will hold a DSLR with a 24-70 mounted. This is to keep condensation under control when coming in from the cold into warmth. Put your gear in the bags and seal them before entering the warm environment. Let the gear get to room temperature before opening the bags. Both President's Choice and Glad make sizes large enough.
  • Plastic Grocery Bags! Combined with some elastics these work great as rain/snow guards for equipment.

An item I'm looking for is something to lay on in the damp/cold/wet/mud/grass/snow to get a low perspective. I do have old crappy clothes which I don't mind laying in the mud with but then you're covered in mud for the rest of the shoot. I've considered some mechanics overalls that are large enough to fit over warm clothes but I'd rather not look like the Unabomber wandering through the woods with a big backpack full of explosives. Just not a look I wish to cultivate. I'm thinking there must be a small mat that hunters lay on that would be insulated, waterproof, durable, light and fold up nice and small... I'll check the Sail store out in Burlington. A small tarp would do I suppose. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

This is just a short list of outdoor shooting type stuff, I'm sure there are many more great suggestions to be made. And what about other types of photography?


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:28 am 
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Last year, I got the “icers“ to put on my boots in icy conditions. I haven‘t actually tried them, due to the lack of winter last year, so I can‘t say how well they work.

Flashlight for night photography - both to see where you are walking, and the camera buttons, and for light painting.

I keep meaning to get knee pads for kneeling down for low angles.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:26 am 
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janetliz wrote:
Flashlight for night photography - both to see where you are walking, and the camera buttons, and for light painting.


... finding dropped tripod legs.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:19 am 
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Oh yeah, a flashlight. A piece of red film or red flashlight for doing astrophotography is good too.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:04 pm 
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I always keep chemical heat packs and power bars just in case when I'm out in the cold. The chemical heat packs can be brought cheaply in bulk at the end of the season.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:52 pm 
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ions wrote:
I'm allergic and I don't want to wear fur


Please don't buy a canada goose jacket then! I don't understand why they are so trendy. All I see is dead coyotes around people's heads! Toronto doesn't get that cold to justify killing animals for their fur and since you don't want to wear fur, why buy it?


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:31 pm 
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pebbz wrote:
ions wrote:
I'm allergic and I don't want to wear fur


Please don't buy a canada goose jacket then! I don't understand why they are so trendy. All I see is dead coyotes around people's heads! Toronto doesn't get that cold to justify killing animals for their fur and since you don't want to wear fur, why buy it?


There are some really good quality, warm winter coats out there that are not made using any type of animal skins/fur, I would strongly recommend those as an alternative.

Some of my non photography gear includes a good pair of hikers, a compass, whistle & first aid kit.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:02 am 
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It's unfortunate the CG uses fur and it does bug me. But, it is removable... Regardless, I would be complicit in something that has kept me from buying one. A synthetic ruff option would be nice. As I said I am open to suggestions. Specific would be helpful/not useless. I've been looking for a while and like I said in the initial post, the CG has the quality and is made in Canada that nothing else comes close to for the price. As to why they're a fashion item lately I have no idea and nor do I care. I'll continue to use the coat long after the trend has died, returned and died again.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:29 am 
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Hunting stores are rather useful for finding good gear, that can be used for photography. For example winter hunting mitts that you can pull the mitt section away from, revealing either a thin cloth glove or bare fingers. After all, hunters need their shutter (trigger) finger free too. They also like to have dry, warm feet.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:58 am 
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Canada Goose does make jackets with no fur..... they actually have quite a large catalog aside from the 'trendy' jackets. no I don't have one - they are a bit pricey.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:22 pm 
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Yeah, they do, just not the one I want. :oops: I've contacted them about a Coyote free/synthetic ruff version and have not yet received a response. They are pricey but I've also not found anything that compares for my few key points. I'm gonna start a Winter Coat thread in Off Topic.


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:28 am 
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In cold weather I use a special mask that warms up the air before I breathe it in:
http://www.airguardmedical.com/

From the website, "The CT Mask was designed specifically to give you the ability to breathe warm, moist air outdoors in cold weather. Inside each mask is a patented thermal exchange module which affects a heat exchange cycle regulating air flow through its chambers and directing the air over a low turbulence thermal medium. Heat and moisture from your exhaled breath is captured within the module and transferred into your next inhaled breath of fresh air, setting up a cycle of breathing warm, moist air. Even in freezing temperatures, you will breathe 80 degree air!"

I started using this because having asthma I have trouble breathing in colder temperatures, so I tend to use this most of the winter.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:17 am 
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paper plates, styrofoam and aluminum foil pie plates and several sheets of various coloured paper as reflectors or bounce cards. Some of them I pre-cut holes in the middle and a slit to one side and then use them as impromptu backdrops around small things like flowers, leaves, etc. They usually last 2 or 3 photo trips before damage, but they're cheap.

Small notebook to write down stuff about shots.


Going off topic here being pedantic on the coyote issue. In the Prairies coyotes are neither endangered nor rare, instead they are so numerous as to be classified pests and governments put bounties on them. I don't know if coyote bounties are annual or occasional, but in much of the Prairies they're a very resilient top predator, and with decades of better wildlife management coyotes continue to be nuisances to certain degree. Good friend of mine put himself through a law degree at the university of Saskatchewan with coyote bounty hunting on his family farm. For the record, I agree it doesn't get cold enough in SWOntario to warrant fur, elsewhere in Canada the argument is not worth the debate, I'm ambivalent.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:31 am 
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Gah! Notebook! Very good advice. I can't believe I forgot that one. A notebook is one of my photography bag staples. :oops:

When I shot film I used to carry a white styrofoam cup around me for exposure assistance and a white styrofoam board for a reflector/scrim. I wouldn't bother with the cup any more but the board would be handy sometimes.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:28 pm 
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Big ass knife when I go bushwacking looking for a good location. Having met about 3 bears and a moose, it's handy


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:18 am 
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Off topic: Winter coat discussion continued here.

Knife?! We need guns like many of the Americans on POTN say they have in their bags.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:29 am 
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In regards to your getting on the ground - I bought a small tarp from cdn tire - it's like a small picnic blanket size, and has some sort of soft fuzz on the top side so more comfortable to lay on - while the tarp side takes all of the dirt.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:59 am 
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I don't trust guns


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 8:50 pm 
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ions wrote:
Off topic: Winter coat discussion continued here.

Knife?! We need guns like many of the Americans on POTN say they have in their bags.


In Bear Country Walk Loudly and Carry a Big Can

Research has established that carrying a gun in bear country is not contributing to the safety of anyone. Science has proven what I always a suspected, that faced with a sudden bear encounter the chances of getting your gun out of a bag, into firing position, aimed and then firing a fatal shot at a charging animal are very thin.

Bear spray on the other hand was found to be effective in 92% of the encounters. Guns were only effective in 67%. Bear spray is easier to carry, deploy and is nonlethal to the bear and anyone of your companions who get in the way (they may be very, very sorry, but they will be alive). And it works. Even in the encounters where the bear made contact with the person spraying the injuries were minor and did not require hospitalization.

I carry bear spray when I am out and about in the woods. I keep it on my belt or on the belt of my pack in a quick draw holster. I have never had to fire bear spray in anger, although I have removed the trigger safety guard once when a black bear started to come towards me out of curiosity. But it was startled when I spoke to it and ran for the hills.

See the link below for the BYU news release and the story link in this post for more details.

http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2012/guns-off ... nst-bears/

By the by, trying to take on a bear with a knife may be all Grizzly Adams, but I suspect the bear will be sitting down with his woodland buddies that night telling them about the guy who showed up at a fang and claw fight with a knife LOL.

DG


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:39 pm 
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I hadn't slathered on enough sarcasm I guess. I in no way support guns. They're used by the gutless and for shooting the gutless.

Picturing PotatoEYE in a knife fight with a bear is a great image. ;)


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:42 pm 
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dgibson wrote:
ions wrote:
Off topic: Winter coat discussion continued here.

Knife?! We need guns like many of the Americans on POTN say they have in their bags.


By the by, trying to take on a bear with a knife may be all Grizzly Adams, but I suspect the bear will be sitting down with his woodland buddies that night telling them about the guy who showed up at a fang and claw fight with a knife LOL.

DG


Clearly you guys are not thinking with PotatoEYE's communist mindset.


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:37 am 
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ofermod wrote:
dgibson wrote:
ions wrote:
Off topic: Winter coat discussion continued here.

Knife?! We need guns like many of the Americans on POTN say they have in their bags.


By the by, trying to take on a bear with a knife may be all Grizzly Adams, but I suspect the bear will be sitting down with his woodland buddies that night telling them about the guy who showed up at a fang and claw fight with a knife LOL.

DG


Clearly you guys are not thinking with PotatoEYE's communist mindset.


+1


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:31 pm 
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Rob MacLennan wrote:
Hunting stores are rather useful for finding good gear, that can be used for photography. For example winter hunting mitts that you can pull the mitt section away from, revealing either a thin cloth glove or bare fingers. After all, hunters need their shutter (trigger) finger free too. They also like to have dry, warm feet.


Are there any hunting stores in Toronto/GTA? I'd like to get some buck shot to fill my sand bags with.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:26 am 
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Just a guess but perhaps Bass Pro Shop up in Vaughn Mills? Maybe that new MEC-like store Sail, they have a lot of killing defenceless animals stuff. There are a few of those around now.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:51 am 
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The best defense against a bear attacking you is to bring a partner with you, one that you can outrun.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:07 am 
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No one carries tape?
Always have duct tape in the car. In the camera bag there's always black electrical tape and gaffe tape.

Usually carry copies of this pamphlet. Especially when I'm downtown. Security guards seem to come up with all kinds of imaginary laws, some cops also.

There's always money because you never know when you'll find yourself next to a bar.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:28 pm 
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PotatoEYE wrote:
Big ass knife when I go bushwacking looking for a good location. Having met about 3 bears and a moose, it's handy


oi, don't forget to hit that movie button next time you run into a bear with a knife in your hand!


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:37 pm 
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A few of my regulars.
- duct tape
- box cutter
- large clips
- small clips
- vice grip pliers
- nylon ties
- spray bottle
- towel
- at least one long extension cord
- flashlight
- knee pads (for low angle shots)
- sun tan lotion
- bug repellant
- bottled water
- energy/protein bar
- mini first aid kit
- pen and paper
- basic tools for quick repairs
- alcohol wipes

Depending on the shoot, the list of non photography gear can be very extensive. However this is the basics for me. As the list gets bigger I commonly include things like a hand truck to move gear more efficiently and locking systems for added safety.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:40 pm 
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As of Sept. 30 2013 Costco in Burlington, I assume others in the GTA will be the same, has mens Snow pants for $36.99. I picked some up today so for obvious reasons a meaningfull review is not possible, but they do appear to be decently made, we know how picky I can be, warm and feature practical pockets and zippers. They look as good as any I've seen priced much closer to $100.


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:57 am 
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Somewhat pricey but infinitely configurable if you're looking for something to make into macro rails, lighting brackets, custom light boxes.... You name it. It's called 80/20 and there are at least two GTA distributors.

http://www.8020.net/

I just bought a 4 foot section of 2012, for less than $18.00, for use as a linear track in my chain fabrication rig.


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