Reader Questions

Can You Fly with a Tripod?

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I have often wondered what the official stance on this is, but it turns out there’s a simple page on the TSA website that tells you the answer. Clearly it says that monopods and tripod are ok to travel with, as long as they fall within luggage dimensional limits. Of course those vary from airline to airline, but roughly speaking I’d say that it gives you room for a 21″ long tripod, as long as when strapped to the side of your bag it doesn’t then push your other bag dimensions over the limit. Seems reasonable. The CATSA (Canadian version …

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Do I Use a Protective UV Filter on my Lenses? No! But Also a Little Bit Yes…

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No Whether or not you should use a protective UV filter on your lenses is always a hot topic, so I get this question on my inbox from time to time. I personally believe you should not use a UV filter on your lenses for general protective purposes, and by this I mean leaving a filter on the lens all the time. Good lenses are precisely calibrated, and even if you invest in the absolute best UV filters on the market (most people don’t), they can still have a negative effect on image quality. Why would you want to spend …

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Ask Dan – Your Questions Answered

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I recently asked people on my Facebook page to send me their photography questions and I’ve answered them all here in this audio recording. I was really glad to see questions come in from all over the world! Big thanks to everyone that left me a question, I hope you find the answers useful 🙂 Even if you didn’t send a question in, have a listen! Many of these questions come up time and time again, so I’m sure you’ll get something out of this too.

How to Add an Instagram Gallery to Your Website

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Instagram is one of my favourite ways to share my work, and on my website I have a page where you can view my latest Instagram posts. A few people have asked me how I created this Instagram gallery, so I wanted to address it here in the Readers Questions section of the blog. Firstly, this site runs on WordPress so for this particular solution, I’m afraid you’re out of luck if your site doesn’t use the same platform. One of the most powerful things about using WordPress is that there are tens of thousands of plugins available for it, …

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Reader Question: Which Kayak Do You Use to Photograph From?

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Photos of my kayak photography setup always draw a lot of attention and result in a lot of questions. In order to answer these definitively, I’ve added a new “Photography from a Kayak” section to my Gear Guide that explains which kayak I use, why I chose it, and what other accessories are needed to complete the whole setup. PS. Did you check out the Photography EDC kit section that I also added recently?

How Do You Protect Cameras Inside a Regular Bag?

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Here’s a question that comes in pretty regularly from readers: What’s the best way to protect camera gear inside a bag that’s not specifically designed for photography?” Whilst it’s usually best to use one of the many excellent camera bags that are available, there are times when it’s not possible or practical. When I get sent this question, it’s very often from someone who is about to undertake a long trek, and they are using a large 60-80 litre trekking pack.  Other times it’s the opposite end of the spectrum, where someone just has a small shoulder bag and they …

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Reader Question: Filters for Ski Photography?

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I had a great question come in over email a couple of days ago, and I realized that it’s one I’ve answered a few times in the past.  Clearly this is something that some of you have on your mind, so I thought I would share here for future reference. The question came in from Oliver Harrison as follows: Hi Dan! Big fan here! Going on a ski trip soon with a 7D Mark II, just wondering if sticking with the usual UV filter is ok or if there’s another filter out there you would recommend to help with the …

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My Journey Into Photography – How It All Began

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I get this question often enough that I thought it worth a post of it’s own. Growing up in the UK I never skied or snowboarded when I was at high school, but before I went to university I decided to take a year out and travel to Canada with a friend of mine. We settled on Whistler, BC as our destination and I spent the winter learning to snowboard and working the lifts at the ski resort. At the time the only camera I owned was a 3MP Sony Cybershot DSC-P1 which my parents had given me before I …

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Reader Question: Will I Be Buying A 7D MkII ??

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Hey guys, I’ve just got back from the kayaking trip I posted a teaser photo about a few weeks ago.  In time I will share more about that trip but if you are following me on Instagram then you’ll be pretty up-to-date already! While I was away I got several questions from readers who were asking if I’ll be buying a 7D MKII when they arrive next month. The short answer to this question is yes, but that doesn’t mean I’ll keep it! I used to own to original 7D when it first came out and I used it professionally for …

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