PROBLEM: As a pro photographer specializing in ‘location-based’ advertising images (which is photo-speak for shooting in-the-field instead of in-studio), I often face the challenge of shooting under conditions that do not allow for the comforts of Mac Pros and Cinema Displays to review images, download cards, or shoot direct to the hard drive. (We often have to helicopter into locations, are out in the remote without option at generator, or find ourselves in places where speed and efficiency are key.)
SOLUTION: As a solution to this problem–and in the theme of ‘do-it-yourself’–my team and I recently developed a cool, custom laptop case for addressing these needs using simple, durable, and readily-available materials. Today, we end up using this setup a fair bit and I thought that many in our community might benefit from a quick instructional video (above) highlighting how to put their own one case together for cheap. Hopefully, pro shooters find this a nice compromise for those times when you can’t get your big-boy computers on location, and amateurs find this a great solution for taking their laptop along for the ride.
Below you’ll see a couple snapshots of Scott, my pal and Digital Assitant whiz, using our case on location in Jackson Hole/Grand Targhee, WY, at an REI shoot last week…
…As well as a couple images from the shoot we were downloading and reviewing at the time.
Anyway, this thing is pretty slick and really easy to make. If you have questions, post a comment or drop a note and I’ll holler back when I have a minute. Thanks!
RSS readers click here to see the video.
hi, chase
i’ve been following your numerous sharing for quite a while now. it’s really great having a pro as humble as you are who shares what you did for the sake of better photography. I also wanna build my laptop case with the 1490 series. The thing is my laptop are 13″ macbookpro. which is suitable for the ‘pimp’ thing? 1490CC1 or 1490CC2 ?
and another thing is, all the port in my MBP are in the left side, while most of the display in the pelican case are on the right side. could it be modified to the other side?
Since i’m currently living far away from US (in south east asia), i just wanna be specific about these before i decide to buy one. looking forward for your and your team reply on this one chase, thank’s a lot. really appreciate it. (sorry for any bad english words). 🙂
Well, we mirror the drives manually so as to take any potential softward glitches out of the system.
Scott let’s the OS count the file numbers in each folder or directory to ensure each time that the right number of files get xfered btwn drives.
Nothing yet on the 17″ other than people are doing it….en
Pimped, for $23 less!
I am
Chase,
I am shooter and one my assistants sent me to your site to check out your tech stuff as we are getting ready to be on a month long job shooting the Top 40 pro tennis players in the world and will be mixing studio and location. Like you, I shoot with a Hasselblad system for strobe (P45+ back) and Profoto, we use Canon and the new Mark III rips. Anyway your info has been super helpful so I thought I might try to give back and I think it is important to have pros willing to share tech ideas.
We shoot on location quite a bit and just finished working with a top British photographer who had the most amazing Pelican case for field photography I have yet seen. Your system rocks for down and dirty card dumping and file backup in the field. Your system is also quite cheaper. The system I am referring to is called the location station and is made by Tidy Pixels in England, http://www.tidypixels.com. They have pictures and pricing on the site, and you can customize to your needs. What they don’t show and you have to see in person, is that underneath the Wacom tablet are 2 flat, roughly 8×10″ super thin 5+ hour long life batteries, with room for a third if you want to add it. I wrote down the Manufacturer of the batteries name, and searched for them on the internet to see if I could go around Tidy pixels to get one and make it go in a 1490 case, making a CJ Inc/Tidy Pixels hybrid. No such luck. Based on the response I get from this post I will post the name of the battery maker. Let’s just say I work and travel alot and always look for the best, much like yourself and this was bomb (just way $$$ through Tidy Pixels). Anyway, they also have GTech drives rather than Lacie Rugged’s. I have been using the rugged’s in the field and love them, but the Brits are swearing by the Gtechs and I won’t lie and say Lacie has never crashed on me. Also they shot tethered with P45+ and never slowed down and shot for hours, the hood on the case is incredible and the case can be put on adapter from Mathews that movie guys use to hold monitors. Lastly, everything was properly routed and bused together in special cut foam that was great and these guys were making comps in the field in minutes with the Wacom tablet. Really cool and I really want one, just don’t want to spend the chedda. Just want to make a bastard version of yours and theirs.
Thanks for making a blog for people that actually work in this field.