Using Your Studio Like a Pro
SCOTT KELBY
Getting Your Laptop Nearby for Tethering
If you decide you want to tether directly to your laptop, where your images are downloaded into your computer, so you can sort and tweak them as you shoot (I showed how to do this in volume 2), then having your laptop in a convenient spot is real a time saver, and this rig (shown above) is about the easiest and most stable way to get there. It’s a metal platform called the Gitzo G-065 Monitor Platform, which screws right into a standard tripod, and it’s just the right size for a 15" laptop. If you often shoot using a tripod, then you can have this one tripod do double-duty by adding a Manfrotto 131DD Tripod Accessory Arm for Four Heads. This is a horizontal bar that screws onto your tripod, then you can attach the Gitzo Monitor Platform with your laptop on one end, and on the other end, you can put the ballhead that would normally be alone on your tripod. This way, one tripod holds them both, and they’re right there together. Pretty sweet! Judging Your Image Quality Onscreen Here’s something to keep an eye out for: when you open your image on a large-screen computer monitor (24" or larger) and view it at 100%, chances are it’s not going to look tack sharp, but keep in mind that you’re seeing it at a “larger than life” size. Zoom out until the size you see onscreen is approximately the physical size you plan to print the image. If you plan to print the image at a large poster size, make sure you back up at least six feet from the monitor to see the image at the same view everybody else views large images.
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