Jason, Caryn and Kinsley!

Got a chance to shoot a cool family that I met randomly while eating sushi! We exchanged information, decided on Old Town Tustin and here we are:

 

Although it was cold as the sun was going down, the weather was still on our side. YAY for families!

Photoshoot with Tongue in Cheeky!

So I've been helping Ann with her vintage fashion blog Tongue In Cheeky. She's an uber crafty individual with a great sense of vintage fashion. Please check her out anytime you have a chance :).

We did a photoshoot on Sunday and this is what the outcome was,

The shoot went smoothly! The weather was in our favor and everything else just clicked. I was partly excited to test a new technique and testing the potential of new equipment.

You can follow Ann on Twitter, Facebook, or follow her Blog :)

Camera Cleaning! for SLRs.

So. Here is some camera cleaning tips to make sure your gear is at its tip top shape 24/7 365 days a year.


*** You are at your own risk. Cleaning the camera should be done very carefully and by using a lot of common sense. If you are not sure, please go to your local camera store or shop. I am not responsible, and you have been warned***

If there is an antonym for photography in the dictionary, it will be dust. Dust is definitely the arch enemy of photography. This is why your gear should be kept as clean as possible. The cleanliness of the your camera reflects the outome of the image. Even though it's simple to retouch in photoshop, it's best to keep all images dust-free during production.

Before starting the cleaning process, please wash your hands and clean the surface that you will be working on.

Necessary:
- Cleaning Solutions
- Q tips (not to be used on any glass)
- compressed air or you can get the rocket air duster from camera stores. Be careful not to let any of the liquid frozen gas get on the lens or inside the camera.
- micro-fiber cloth (please refrain from using old cloth, paper towels, or old cloth. They leave lint and makes cleaning harder than it should)

If you don't want to spend money on a cleaning solution, here's how to make one of your own. Mix 5 parts water with 1 part 90% Isopropyl Alcohol. Tap water is ok but bottled water is preferred. Find an empty 30-50ml bottle container with a spray head to hold the solution. Both the Alcohol and Spray bottle can easily be found at a local drug store or supermarket.

 

The Camera Body

Get a damp cloth (almost dry) and gently clean the screen and LCD, keep in mind that the camera is an electronic device. If water gets into the body and the lens, stuff might stop working.

The camera grip happens to be a dirty spot, and it can use more attention in cleaning. The buttons and scroll wheels are also spots where dirt can build up. pop up your flash if you have one and give it a light brush with the cloth. Also use the duster to blow any remaining dust in unreachable areas. 

 

The Lens

When you separate the lens from the camera body, the lens has a front element and back element. Both of these should be cleaned with the microfiber cloths only. Do not use windex or any other heavy cleaning products besides one that is special for lenses. The reason is there is a special coating on the lens that protects the glass. Using the wrong solution can ruin the coating and degrade image quality. 

Apply a light spray to the glass with cleaning solution and gently rub in a one way circular motion (clockwise only or counter clockwise only). Then use another part of the microfiber cloth to buff out the glass. Not rubbing in a circular motion can also degrade the coating on the glass. Do the same for the back of the lens. 

Cover your sensor while cleaning the back element of the lens to keep dust from entering your sensor. Cleaning inside this part of the camera is highly discouraged. All parts are delicate and can easily break. 

The only time I would use a q-tip to clean the lens is on the metal portion of the back of the lens. Spray the q-tip with cleaning solution and gently clean it. Every lens have contact points and make sure those get cleaned. The contact points is a midpoint where information from the lens gets sent to the camera body. 

 

Mirror & Sensor 

I would avoid cleaning this part of the of the camera. I would take it into your local camera repair shop or your manufacturer. There are delicate parts in here that can't even be touched at all. Please be careful in this part of the camera.

BUUT! I usually spray a little bit of the cleaning solution into the microfiber cloth (not directly on the mirror.) and very carefully and gently rub the mirror of dust. It is also a good idea to get your duster to lightly blow inside the body (about 8-10 inches away from the mirror), to get the dusts out of there. Blowing too hard with a compressed air can damage the shutter curtain, and will turn your fancy SLR to a paper weight.

The Strap 

It can be dismantled and easily thrown in the washer and hang dry. It'll be a good idea to throw that mini-sweat towel in the washer a few times a month (if not leather).

The Eyefinder and back display

A spray to the eyefinder and LCD display, rub gently with microfiber cloth in a circular motion and use another part of the microfiber cloth to buff.

Get a container for all of these cleaning supplies and include it on your camera bag. There will be scenarios and situations that these cleaning supplies will come in handy other than for cameras.

I hope this tip has been useful and I hope this tip will help keep your gear clean 24/7 365 days