Tech Tuesday | olloclip

Hey everyone!  Tim here - if you don't already know, I'm the other half of Uplift Photography and Jade's trusty wedding photography sidekick.  You've probably seen me at weddings following Jade around, carrying an awkward amount of gear, and/or shooting in uncomfortable positions trying to get a 'different' shot than Jade...sometimes all three of these happen simultaneously and it's an interesting sight.  I introduced myself on the blog over a year ago (here).  I had grand aspirations of contributing on a regular basis but sadly, a dog ate my laptop.

Hopefully you guys will get to know me a little better through these posts but just to give you a little background, one of my roles at Uplift Photography is to run the technical side of the business.  I'm into all things gear - computers, phones, apps, and the majority of things that fall into the category of tech.  We use a ton of tech for the business as well as in our personal life so I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite gear and provide some helpful tips/tricks.  Also, I saw how much fun Jade was having with Monday Updates and wanted to join in.  So I pitched my boss (Jade) the idea of Tech Tuesday and she said it was the best idea she's ever heard.  Well, she didn't exactly say that but she loved the idea so off we go.  So I'm back and I'm fo' real this time. You. Me. Here. Every Tuesday*. Talkin' tech.

Below is the result from above.  We recently spent a weekend in Gloucester, Mass and were treated to this incredible sunset.  My first thought, get the olloclip - perfect opportunity for a fisheye shot.

I got an iPhone 4S when it was released in October.  I had several 'smart' phones prior to the iPhone but I always had issues and was very excited to have a device that not only worked but worked really well.  The iPhone 4S did not disappoint and I loved it right off the bat.  One of the features that I really liked was the upgraded camera.  It has an 8MP rear-facing camera and is capable of rapid fire shooting.  There's no shutter delay - wow, what an improvement over any other phone or point-and-shoot I've ever had.  Anyway, this post is not about the iPhone but an awesome accesory I got for it called the olloclip.  The olloclip was a Kickstarter project that was successfully funded on June 6, 2011.  It is a clip-on lens made specifically for the iPhone 4 and 4S that has an all-in-one wide angle, macro, and fisheye lens.  The wide angle and macro are on one side (unscrew the wide angle and boom, you have a macro), flip it around to the other side for the fisheye.  It's well made and sturdy and has so far withstood the test of everyday life in my pocket.  I tend to reach for the Macro if I see an interesting insect (Doesn't everyone take photos of interesting bugs?  Jade politely said 'no' but I swear I heard her whisper 'you're weird'.) and the Fisheye if I see a great panoramic shot like sunrise or sunset, but I hardly use the Wide.  If you are interested, it is available for purchase from olloclip for ~$70 or you can walk in and pick it up at the Apple Store.  Tell them Uplift Tim sent ya.

Side note: There are other iPhone lenses/lens kits available such as the Magnetic Camera Phone Three Lens Set for ~$50, which Jade bought me for Christmas.  I tried it for a week, returned it, and went with an olloclip instead.  It was flimsy and right off the bat, I had issues with the magnet.  Another option, and at ~$200, a much more expensive option, is the iPro Lens System from Schneider Optics.  This has great reviews and is supposed to have great glass but besides being pricey, it does not have the simplicity and portability that olloclip has.

Another side note:  Since this is my 'first' post, please don't be too hard on me. I'm just getting warmed up.  *Also, I realize it's Wednesday but I had planned to get this posted on Tuesday before 12:00am PST.  I accidentally dosed off around 2:30am EST.  Note to myself...going forward, start your Tech Tuesday post before 11pm on Tuesdays. 

Enough from me for now, here's what the olloclip can do:

MACRO

On a recent trip to the Florida Keys, we stumbled across Spiny-backed Orb Weaving Spiders and an unidentified grasshopper-like insect:

FISHEYE

Here is my awesome Uncle Doc (aka The Doctor) hamming it up for the fisheye on Super Bowl Sunday.

Robert Is Here is one of our favorite places to stop when we're in the Florida Keys.  Jade, during her graduate school days, worked in The Everglades and introduced me to this great fruit stand that makes amazing smoothies.  We always stop in for a mango and strawberry smoothie!

A beautiful view of the horizon from a sunset cruise in the Florida Keys:

An afternoon storm was brewing in the Florida Keys (those little black dots are not spots of dust on the lens, they are kiteboarders):