As a motorcycle tourer who loves photography, carrying my precious photography gear while riding is not only inconvenient, but it is also a time consuming affair, when it comes to taking photographs en route.

Ever since I bought my DSLR, I had been planning to get custom inserts or a small bag that can be put inside the regular tankbags, in order to carry my camera gear with ease. However thanks to the fact that most tankbags available in India have strong magnets, I have been a little hesitant in trying it out.

So when couple of months ago Payeng from ViaTerra Gear told me about the DSLR tank bag they were designing, I was happy to say the least and was eagerly waiting for it to be unveiled. Today ViaTerra has finally announced their DSLR Tankbag, Fly. And even though it would be a while before I get my hands on this and review it, I couldn’t help but share its product photographs here.

ViaTerra Fly DSLR Tankbag

• Styrofoam Padding – to isolate camera equipment from vibration/jolts
• Elastic Loops & Zipped Pockets – to prevent camera equipment from bouncing around
• Mounting Straps – compatible on all kind of tank surfaces
• Concealed Compartment – straps can be tucked/zipped away in the bag when not in use
• Convertible into a Tankbag, Tailbag & Backpack

Overall it looks like a very promising product, one which is likely to appeal to photogs like me, rest I will only be able to tell, once I get the review unit .

Reports from multiple sources are pouring in that Manali – Leh Highway is poised to reopen unofficially in the next few days, with all of the highway already been cleared and only Baralacha La remaining the last obstacle.

Something which has been confirmed by Top Singh Bodh, “juley..The Baralacha Pass is likely to open for taxis within 3 or 6 days. The other passes in manali-leh are already open. Juley”.

Of course initially only the local taxis will be allowed to cross Baralacha La and since SDM Office in Manali isn’t yet issuing permit for vehicles from outside Himachal Pradesh, majority of the travelers cannot even reach Keylong on their own right now, let alone attempt Baralacha La as soon as it opens up.

Of course this is something which is expected to change in the coming days and hopefully once the Manali SDM Office starts issuing permit, BRO would have stabilized the route enough for travelers to attempt it without excessive risk.

Though the thing to keep in mind is, initially roads are quite bad, narrow and full of snow, making it difficult for even vehicles with good ground clearance to cross the Baralacha La, with the pass itself shutting down multiple times in the first couple of weeks due to snow slides and weather disturbances.

So if you too are planning to head to Ladakh anytime soon, my suggestion would be to take the Srinagar – Leh Highway for now and allow the BRO to stabilize the route somewhat, before attempting it.

In this day and age of the Internet, it has become all the more important for Photographers (whether budding or professionals) to market themselves online, in order to not only gain business through web, but also to showcase their talent to their perspective customers.

One of the most basic and important way to do this is by starting your own Photography Blog or Portfolio Website and the first step to establish your brand presence online is to buy a Domain Name.

Domain Name: Domain Name is the address a user types in the address bar to access a website eg. yogeshsarkar.com. Irrespective of whether you decide to go with paid hosting or a free blog/portfolio host, it is crucial to buy your own Domain Name. I register all of my domain names from Godaddy, who happens to be the largest domain name registrar in the world.

Hosting: Once you have a domain name, you also need a place to store and display all your images, webpages and blog to your visitors. This is where webhosts come in. Some webhosts like Godaddy also provide you with easy website builder to create your own website and blog easily, which is a boon for those who aren’t used to coding. Apart from Godaddy, MDDHosting and Hostgator also offer good quality and fast webhosting (I have used all three in past).

Designing website/blog: If your host does not provide a Free website builder or you would like to design your own, then easiest way to do that is to check out websites which offer Free Photography Website Template eg. like this website and download the template you like and customize it as per your need. Alternatively you can download and install WordPress which is an easy to use blogging platform and majority of webhosts offer easy installers for WordPress. WordPress can be easily customized by using thousands of free and paid themes available on the net and the plethora of plugins available at WordPress Codex.

Portfolio hosts: If you wouldn’t like to host the website yourself, then you can use a free or paid photography portfolio hosts like 500px and Smugmug, these websites also allow you to sell your photographs online through them and also allow you to use your own Domain Name, instead of their address, which can become quite long and wouldn’t be as easily rememberable. You can also use Blogger and WordPress.com to host your photography blog, though it will severely limit your ability to customize it.

Additional Tips: While creating a blog/portfolio it is essential to not only create a about and contact page which allows people to know who you are and contact you if they want, but also enables your admirers to follow you on various social networking sites (don’t forget to include link to your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin profiles on about page). You can further customize and personalize your website by creating a custom logo for it or getting it designed from a professional to give it the extra touch of professionalism.

Of course these are just the basic steps to get things started/rolling and the most important thing is to ensure which ever option you decide to go with, you always keep shooting and uploading your best photographs and market not only yourself, but also your website to get the maximum eyeballs and through it, customers/admirers.

In case you need any tips advise on how to start your own photography blog and portfolio, then please feel free to leave a comment below and I will reply ASAP.

As a person whose work revolves around the internet, search engines play an important and integral part of my daily workflow. And for past several years, I have been almost exclusively using Google Search, along with a whole host of Google Products in my work as well as personal life.

However, lately, I have begun to feel that quality of search results in Google has begun to suffer, with an over emphasis being put on local search results eg. while searching for review of a particular service, most of the initial pages are filled with results from websites like Justdial and similar directories or Google’s own Business listings, which although provide contact details of the local reseller of the service, but add little value for someone looking for the review of the service, before deciding, whether or not to go with it!

Add to that, search display page of Google seems to have slowed down over the years. I am not sure whether it is just my connection which is acting this way, but Google just doesn’t feels fast anymore!

In comparison, Bing Search seems to deliver a lot more relevant results (although their suggestions for alternate search terms are at times grossly irrelevant) and also it seems faster than Google!

I guess this is in part due to the fact that Google is using HTTPS while Bing is still using HTTP, but as an end user, secure connection hardly matters to me while using something like web search. However what does matters is the accurate search results and how quickly they are delivered to me.

So as an experiment, on my workstation, I have switched Firefox and Chrome (browsers I use most of the time) to use Bing Search and I will be using it for a week, to see how it fares and whether I can continue using it or am I being forced to switch back to Google for some if not all of the searches.

Next Monday, I will report back with the results of this little experiment of mine and also let you know, whether I decide to stick with Bing for the time being or whether I am switching back to Google.

I have been using Lowepro Flipside 400 AW DSLR Backpack for almost a year now, and I have fallen in love with the sheer versatility, ease of use and quality of this camera bag. Hence I felt time was ripe to finally post a review of Flipside 400AW.

The need

With the ever increasing addition of camera gear and the battery grip being permanently attached to my Canon EOS 1000D, Tamrac Expedition 3 started feeling quite cramped and I felt the need to upgrade my camera bag with something which could not only accommodate my existing gear with ease, but also more lenses and a second body over time.

As a travel photographer, I also needed a camera bag which wasn’t too flashy and could also accommodate my netbook, tripod and a water bottle. At the same time, while out shooting on the street, especially during festivals, I had felt the need for more security for the primary gear compartment. Since many a times I had found myself shooting with a large crowd leaning against my back, pushing and shoving to get a better view of the performance taking place. And at times like these, there is always a fear in the back of the mind that someone might just open the main compartment and steal my gear (I guess I am a little paranoid about my camera gear).

I also didn’t want to spend more than Rs. 6000-7000 (US$ 120-140) on a camera bag, because lets face it, needs and preferences change over time, as we as photographers continue to evolve and polish our style and skills.

The Solution

With all this in mind, I started scouring through online stores, photography forums, blogs and what not and eventually managed to narrow my search down to Lowepro Flipside 400 AW and Lowepro Vertex 100 AW.

While I was quite tempted to buy the Vertex 100 AW due to the amount of gear it could hold and the fact that it was a rugged backpack, made for adventure and sports photographers; its price and weight held me back and I eventually decided to go with the Flipside 400 AW, due to its innovative yet thought-out design and features.

Raison d’etre for Flipside backpacks is that the primary compartment is only accessible from the back of the backpack (the part which rests against your back) i.e. it is impossible for someone in the crowd to access the main compartment. Additionally, they can be slinged over to the front, in order to take out the camera gear, without putting the camera bag down, as demonstrated in the video below.

Initially I wasn’t sure whether or not this feature world work, but it does and it helped me quickly change lenses while shooting in a busy and dusty event like Pushkar Camel Fair, an exercise which used to require help from friends.

Add to this, quality of the bag is superb and the shoulder and waist straps are comfortable, even when worn for extended period of time with a fully loaded bag. And while Flipside does not have a dedicated compartment for laptops, its outer compartment easily accommodates my netbook or Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, along with a little bit of other stuff.

While there is a dedicated strap in the middle of the bag to mount small tripods and monopods, I found that it is easier and sturdier to mount it in one of the side pockets, while the other one can be used to carry water bottle (essential for anyone shooting outdoor).

400 AW also has an all-weather cover (AW) which covers the front of the bag in a jiffy and helps protect the bag in case of rain. Although it wouldn’t be possible to put it on, if you have your tripod and water bottle mounted on the backpack.

The only thing I don’t like about Flipside 400 AW is the fact that the shoulder straps do not have any sort of ventilation like in the case of Lowepro Flipside Sports series, and hence during the harsh summers of Delhi, it gets a bit too sweaty (though it is the same with majority of other backpacks).

Here is my Lowepro Flipside 400 AW with Canon EOS 1000D with grip attached + Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Canon 18-55IS, 55-250IS, 50 1.8 and 430EX-II Speedlight and various filters, accessories, spare batteries and cleaning kit.

Overall, Lowepro 400 AW is a fantastic bag for the price (I paid a little less than Rs. 6000 for it) and can accommodate a lot of gear and is at the same time secure and easy to use for a travel photographers. And while I am quite sure that eventually I will buy enough gear to outgrow the Flipside 400, at least for now, my gear seems miniscule in comparison to the space available .

Lowepro 400 AW Specifications

Internal Dimensions: 27 x 15 x 42.5 cm (10.63 x 5.91 x 16.73 in)
External Dimensions: 30.3 x 25.3 x 46 cm (11.93 x 9.96 x 18.11 in)
Weight: 1.6 kg (3.52 lbs)

Fits:

Pro DSLR with lens attached (up to 300mm f/2.8)
Extra camera body
4-6 extra lenses
Flash
Accessories and small personal items