Episode Summary 
DTown TV is a weekly show brought to you by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski with KelbyTraining.com.
Episode Summary
In this week's episode, Scott and Matt discuss:
- Matt kicks off the show with a tip on autofocus modes and using the right one in different situations
- Larry Becker shows an affordable way to add a modeling light to your speedlite setup in the latest Cheap Shots segment
- Scott has a followup tip from Episode 7 on using a battery grip to increase your frames per second
- Chase Jarvis drops by to talk with Matt about becoming a better photographer, subtle lighting, favorite lenses, the "dirty secret" of professional photography, and his Best Camera app, book, and website.
- Each week we'll be sharing the work of a photographer we really like. This week's photographer is Patrik Giardino, who does some amazing sports portraiture!
Love the tips of Chase Jarvis. Really simple but that’s what it’s all about!
Congrats to Scott and Matt for bringing D-Town back and for its new and improved format. As an amateur photo shooter I truly appreciate your having introduced the Larry Becker segment on how to inexpensively replicate the high end photo gear Scott is always promoting. Please keep it on and, if possible, expand on Larry’s tips.
The Chase Jarvis interview was not only interesting but a terrific motivator to get out and shoot.
Great show guys, thank you.
Chase absolutely rocks the house!
Great interview!
-Bob
(Boston)
Great lighting tips from Larry Becker.
Nice show this week. I must say a big thanks to Scott for the heads up on the Patrik Giardino website. That guy rocks. His photos are amazing and so inspirational. Nice cheapo tip too. One thing I never thought of.
Keep up the great work guys
Love the show and all the tips and help.
I am having difficulty viewing this episode, for some reason the video resets to beginning, at the 14 minute mark.
Is anyone else having the same problem?
I’ve just finished a marathon of D-Town TV videos — 26 episodes in 3 days. Phew!!! Plus chasing some of the links. So glad that you post the links at the bottom of the summary. So much great info and excellent tips.
Thank you and your guests for giving back to the community of photographers.
Chase is the man! Great tip also on the modeling light.
Scott & Matt are my coaches baby! Thanks for all the inspiration (Scott start singing that Chicago song..c’mon!). I shoot at dark with flashlights in freezing cold Wisconsin weather on mountains a lot. The cheap lighting and Chase philosophy works quit well too!
Love the longer episodes this season. How about some tips on the video in D3s?
Thank you for the Chase Jarvis interview! Very inspiring.
Great show!
Great show guys! I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve seen it. I made sure to subscribe to the Podcast so i dont miss another.
Chase interview was great! He’s a great photographer and his work is really inspiring.
Larry is a gold mine! Keep the tips coming!
Hi guys, I’m beginer in photography and your shows are good help for me. I would like to hear more about light and lighting a subject. I like portrait photography and woul like to hear more tips about that to. What do you think about nikkor 85mm 1.4. If you will find time for one of my question I’ll be thankful.
Always enjoyable. Thank you. Have seen everyone.
Nice call on dropping the tech shows. I think integrating them into the main show is a fantastic idea.
Love the portfolio feature at the end of each episode as well, will be great for finding new inspiration.
Hey guys
Nice show! I really dig Chase Jarvis so it was nice to see him on the show.
Scott, I presume that Giardino is Italian so it’s pronounced Jardino.
I created a thread on the LR3beta forum concerning the SUBJECT DISTANCE shown in the metadata panel. Replies thus far are, to say the least, a little bit unconvincing and I wonder if DTown TV might to have a go at explaining it.
I ask myself whether or not this information really is of interest to photographers and what exactly does ’subject distance’ mean – is it the actual camera to subject distance or is it based upon some measurement of hyperfocal distance?
Perhaps you might like to give this your consideration. Nice show by the way – keep em coming.
You guys are great. Keep it coming with the Larry Becker segments. Great interview with Chase.
Dos the nhl4 battery do the same as 8X1,5V ???
Great episode! That’s the way.
Very, very good.
Fantastic Interview !
Congrats.
Best Scott.
I want to buy a book but i dont no what to choose.
1. Digital Photogaphy 3 volume set
2. Digital Photography 3 in one book.
Can you advise me please?
Thanks
nice show and a nice interview with chase.
but one question:
you have tons of expensive photoequipment and earn some good money with the show, right? why can’t you afford a stable table for the interviews? it was so distracting in the interview with chase. wasn’t it get someones attraction during the shot?
So…all in all a nice show, but the table is a no-go.
Greetings from Germany.
-Peter
Chase is correct … we need to shoot more pictures at different angles.
Great show. Have read the three set books of Scott Kelby and have really enjoyed them all. Thanks for posting this and I look forward to viewing the back-episodes and all from this point forward.
Loved the “bang the desk” ending.
First, Thank you for these tips!
Can you teach me how to use/set up/enter custom functions on a Canon 40D?
Thanks for your tips!
You touched on tripods a bit last season, can you expand on that in an episode. What you use: tripods, heads, attachments, accessories, maybe even lighting stands, etc…without having seen them too much in person it is hard to get an idea for what to look for at the online stores and how it all works together (ie which ones are compatable.
Thanks!
All around good show. Thanks guys!
Props to cutting the tech guide show. Photography yes is cool to be geeky, but at the end of the day we’re “supposed” to be artists?
Either case, keep up the good work guys.
Some thoughts: perhaps a segment on composure, or techniques to hold the camera more still?
Question:
If I added a battery grip to Nikon D40x will it help my fps?
As far as I know, you only get the increase in frames per second with the D300 and D700. And I’m not of any other cameras from any other manufacturer that give gives such continuous frame increase just from adding a battery grip and certain battery types.
I added the battery grips to my Canon 40D and get the same faster results. The only difference is there is no menu option. You either use the Canon batteries in the grip or the AAs but the switch is fast and easy.
Can you do an episode on Off camera Flash?
eg. 1 SB-900 2 SB-600’s Softbox etc.
Many just a basic setup..
Thanks
John G.
I’d appreciate a segment on use of Auto ISO with and without flash for fast-moving subjects, including sports. I recently tried to use it with my D3 and SB80 to photograph hummingbirds at a feeder, and it wouldn’t give me the fast shutter speed I wanted, even with flash settings of D3 on Auto FP. You cannot use fill flash at faster than 1/250 (can you?).
Great job guys. However, the interview with Chase was too long. I would have preferred some more tips instead.
Your comments on the battery grip and incrreased frame rates- is there any benefit on a D90?
Hey Michael,
Unfortunately, adding a battery grip to the D-90 doesn’t increase the fps. It’s still 4.5 fps. I wish it did though.
Chase is so right about not over lighting your subject. Back off the lighting so that it looks natural and not forced . Great tip. I never miss a show guys.
Great interview with Chase Jarvis Matt! Quick question stemming from Scott’s tip about AA batteries. Will the frame rate increase using AA in the D90? I have the MD-80 battery grip and their is a setting to choose this in the menu. I appreciate any feedback.
I would like to thank you for continuing the DTown series and making it all things DSLR.
I just recently made the jump from film (Canon T90) to digital (Canon 7D) and am finding the change both good and bad. Since equipment costs so much more today than when I started 20+ years ago, I appreciate your tips as to how to do things on a budget.
Regarding your opening segment on camera AF drive modes, some Canon cameras have 3 modes (excluding manual). You covered “One Shot”, and “AI Servo”(continuous), but you omitted “AI Focus”. I asked a Canon rep (at PhotoExpo) about “AI Servo vs. Focus”.
He did not seem sure why both types existed, or when one should be used over the other.
If I may make a request for a future episode, I have found making panoramas more complicated than I had expected. I leave a good overlap in the images I take, but, due to distortions to the image by the camera lens (and slight camera rotations in-between shots), the parts of the photos that actually overlap each other (shot through different parts of the lens) have slightly different distortions. As a result, these overlapping areas do not fit on top of each other exactly. The program I use to join these images results in blurring along the seams where the photos are joined together. Any tips as to how to do this correctly would be appreciated.
Thank you again for bring back DTown.
Hey Bob
This is from a person who shoots a lot of panoramas. Go to the Really Right Stuff website http://www.reallyrightstuff.com and click on learn about panoramas. It clearly explains about the problems you are encountering. Unfortunately the gear necessary to fix most of the problems is not cheap. Also on the Kelby Training web site Katrin Eismann does a great class about shooting perfect panos.
Great show, always learn something. How about taking about the expodisc. Is it worth it? Your thoughts?
Hi Rick:
We just taped an episode where I do a entire segment on custom white balance, and I include how to use an Expo Disc.
Thanks for watching,
-Scott
Grate Episode, each episode is a new learn experience.
thank you,
Excellent episode! That’s the way!
Fantastic Interview!
Congrats!
GRRReeat show. Always well worth watching, but…
…it’s creeping in again! Scott used to do it a lot but managed to put a hold on it,. Now Matt seems to have taken over and in this episode started throwing in the very flashy thumb version too. It must work ’cause Scott started doing again too, almost.
I’m referring to the desk thumping, usually for emphasis I hasten to add, except for the closing roll on this episode.
Gorra stop it guys. Very distracting. Although the one part in this episode where we almost have Matt doing the Happy Gorilla routine is rather cute.
Still, a great show and one I would recommend to anybody – Even gorillas
Great show. I’m subscribed on my feed reader but never seem to find the time to watch, picked this up off a friends facebook. Enjoyed the interview with Chase, but most of all the tips. Reading a book is one thing but seeing it done and the over view videos really makes it click.
Great job guys.
Will a battery grip help my nikon d40x with fps?
Keep up the great work! I enjoy your shows!
That is an awesome guy you showcased end of your episode.
thanks guys!!
patrik
Thanks for such a great episode! Chase really had some great advice for everyone. I appreciate that you two noticed the gear tech episode was good but not as good as your episodes with tips. I think you guys are making the right decision. Keep up the awesome work and thanks so much for teaching us all those great tips!
Thanks Matt and Scott! Matt! Thanks for the interview/ talk with Chase. Great! Can’t wait till next week.
Hey guys, could you get some on location lighting tips going and maybe bring in Joe Mcnally to talk about it?
Dave
[...] Vorgestern habe ich mir Episode 27 von D-Town angeschaut, bei der diesmal Chase Jarvis zu Gast [...]
The epson ads is annoying, in the middle of the chapter when I moved the cursor over it pop a window, when I attempt to close it, it rewinds the movie back to the beginning.
Love the interview with Chase. It gives us “newbies” relief to know that the universal rule applies – keep it simple and use what you have !
GREAT SHOW ! . talk about the problem with the 70-200mm vr 2 dust in the lens . Your influance may help all of us …….
Thanks
I truly appreciate this podcast. It is just thing thing I was looking for to truly improve my photography and know how about lenses, lighting etc.
The interview with Chase really gave me back the view I had lost, that is to work with what you got- the camera isn’t the photographer.
Great tips as always Scott and Matt, I’ll continue to look out faithfully for new episodes!
Hey guys thanks for taking the time away from shooting and editing to do this show! I had a question about the MB-D10 vertical grip’s power source. Scott mentions using double-A batteries and not the “grey” camera batteries. Does this mean that in order to get 8 fps, one must use throw-away batteries, or is there another rechargeable solution that will work just as well (and be better for the pocketbook / environment)?
Thanks!
Sanyo Eneloop’s. Recharchable, very high power, and they last forever! You can get a set of 8 with a charger for around $30 and they are good to go right out of the box – they hold charge for over a year with no use!
Look into the Sanyo Eneloops. Very inexpensive, long shelf life, long usage life, quick recharge. They work wonders in the SB-800’s as well!
Glad you’re dropping the alternate tech show, too. I was about to skip watching you guys every other week!
I’m also very glad to see a nice balance between Nikon and Canon camera tips! Thanks for all your hard work!
Glad your back, love the show. I learned alot of little tips. The only thing I noticed is you very rarely mention the D200, is it that old it does’nt get talk time. Keep up the good work.
hey Peoples,
Glad the show is back on. I often have the problem using the pop flash or flash on dslr in general where the photo looks darker using the flash than without the flash.
Is it the settings I am using? I usually use AV mode with a 50mm 1.8 often at F4.
I thoroughly enjoyed the new series shows.
What Media Players support the video recording of DTown TV shows?
How do I enable these media players ?
Hey there!
Second Season is much more fun and useful than the previous one. I’m waiting for the next episodes. Sure you’ll share more great stuff.
Thanks Scott, Matt and all DTownTV team.
-Alex
Not so keen on the iPhone feature, or at laest the amount of time given to it.
Hi,
great show, a lot better that last week issue
I sold my Iphone last year because i had enough of it’s crappy battery lifetime.
Speaking of batteries, what about the pdk1 pack? What are the advantages over the AA batteries? Is it worth the extra $$$ or would you stick to the plain MB d10?
Thank for your answer.
Nice to have you guys back on the weekly show… I love all the tips.
Keep up the good work!!
Hi Scott, Matt and the team,
Warm greetings from the Netherlands! I’ve watched all episodes now, and sure some are more and some are slightly less interesting me to me, but I truly appreciate all your enthusiasm and I’ve learned (& recognized) a lot. Always interesting to see how others think, do and see!
I look forward to watching your show every week. I am an amateur + photographer and learned many things from both of you and your guests. I am very happy your show cam back on again after what seemed like forever.
Hi,
I’m really interested in boosting my D300’s frame rate.
Does the EN-EL4a battery have any advantages over the 8 AA batteries?
Does shooting at 8 frames per second drain the AA batteries quickly?
Thank you for all your advice through both D-Town and PhotoshopUsers TV !!
No, 8fps is the fastest you get even with a EN-EL4a battery (got it myself).
Shooting at the high frame rate does not appear to drain the batteries any faster than shooting the same number of clicks one at a time. By faster I mean, of course, the number of frames shot – you will shoot them mighty quickly
The show is great and since I am a new comer to using a DSLR it is helping me along with all the great content on KelbyTV.com. I was wondering if you could touch on the use of Pentax DSLR’s (K-x). I received one for my birthday and I am just learning all the things that is involved when taking photos with it. Keep up the great shows
Hi Guys Thanks for bringing back this show, is so helpful and the tips are really good, so simple to understand the way you explain… Once again thanks you so much!!!!
Hilarious outtake at the end of the show!
The sound guy loves you! (Skrivner?)
I’m gonna use L Becker’s tip on the modeling lite!
I really liked the C Jarvis interview, that guy comes off very friendly and knowledgeable. Plus some great content during the interview. Good job Matt!
The gear show wasn’t ALL bad, but it’ll be better to mention cool gear just as needed. You guys rock!
Enjoyed this show. Keep ‘em coming. Chase Jarvis always gives an inspiring interview and I appreciated Larry Becker’s lighting tip. It tied in nicely with the off camera lighting advice Chase gave, and is probably a phase that many of your viewers (me included) are in – starting to experiment with off camera lighting.
Another great show. Thank you very much.
I have an idea. I know that you rotate which cameras you use to demonstrate tips. When demonstrating a basic tip like today’s on auto focus choices, I suggest you use a more basic camera. On less expensive Nikons it is also a menu choice–D90’s on down don’t have that switch on the outside!
Incidentally, good choice on not doing a gear show so often…
Thanks again for a great resource.
Levi
Kinda felt left out last season being a Canon shooter, very glad you made the changes! Great segments – love the advise, the tips and tricks, and the interviews!
Thanks!
Well done, I really liked the balance of this episode.
I showed a class last weeks episode, without pre-viewing it myself, to try and get them interested in the show, but it just came over as an advert. I’m glad that you seem to have not enjoyed the show too.
Just a word about including cameras from other manufacturers, now that you have expanded from Nikon, it would be a shame to just be Nikon and Canon after the change.
I look forward to D-Town all week — thanks for all the great information!
Since you asked for request…would you please expand on your autofocus tip from this show? Which autofocus mode do you recommend for various sports (basketball, soccer, track etc), how many focus points, 3-D tracking etc and is there any way to move the focus point besides the multiselector button which seems very awkward…(I use a Nikon D300) even with the return to center tip from Season 1.
I’m glad you’re mixing the gear in with the photo information. I bought (and love) the Hoodman Loup from Season 1 but would like to know how you judge sharpness when you shoot RAW since there’s no in-camera sharpening.
And I’d love to see a show on sports shooting tips (Scott’s basketball post is great but makes me want LOTS more — like what you plan to change for next time (besides the chair).
Thanks again
Hey, great show, one thing I might mention is that using a fast continuous burst with a battery pack not only comes in handy in sports photography, but sometimes in landscape as well. As you know, sometimes the light can change in just a split second and you miss that shot. I always shoot lots on site, as Chase Jarvis indicated, but I also engage the burst. The link is to a shot I took in Canyonlands using that method. The light was only like it was for a split second. Without using a pack and a burst, I likely would have missed it. Keep the great shows coming!
Is there a place where viewers can submit tips that could be possibly something you want to air?
Joe
Yes, right here on the website posts
Chase Jarvis has some awesome tips! I’m always very inspired by him.
Just in case people haven’t noticed, there is a firmware update for the Nikon D300s…..
Love the show. Great tips. How about a segmento on using a light meter? They confound me.
it would be great if you could talk a little more about Canon, so i know the show were suppose to be about Nikon in the first place but then you said you were going to talk over all about cameras…but you’re still talking very much about nikon. allso…i know this might be hard for you, but can’t you make a show about Fashion photography…you havn’t done that and that’s were the most fun is;)
Hey Guys,
What is the benefit of a high-end lens??
Could you possibly explain the difference in a high-end lens and something like the $200 lens that came with my new 7D. It has IS, medium telephoto, but the same thing in the “L” series is about $1000 more. I know you’re Nikon guys…sorry
Fantastic episode, guys! I loved the interview with Chase and the low-budget modeling light tip. I like that you guys are willing to try new things and say what you like & don’t like – both with your photography and with the show. That’s the kind of things that emphasizes the points Chase was making about shooting 1000 shots to get 1 good one. Now I’m off to watch the LR killer tip of the week!
Thank you guys for another great show. I loved the Chase Jarvis interview and the low-budget modeling lamp.
Thanks for the D-Town TV series guys, it’s great that you give your time for free to pass on these tips and I am sure everyone appreciates it as much as I do.
I wonder if in one show you could pass on some tips regarding shooting products against white backdrop paper, best ligting setup, post processing etc, as this is rarely covered in online photography tutorials. I have been given the task at work of photographing all our products (which are all metalic) against white backdrop for the company’s new website. They have bought two Bowen lamps with umbrella’s and a Nikon D40 any tips you could give would be appreciated. Thanks again.
Another great show. Thanks! Keep the Canon tips coming. More tips on auto focus would be great. How many points,etc . Would also like to be able to download the shows. I would like to reveiw them on the road (where internet is not available). Downloads like the Photoshop TV episodes. Again, thanks you guys rock. GO CANON GO.
I love Chase Jarvis…He’s really down to earth and no ego…You guys do great work….Keep it Up.
James
Chase is da man!
Canon! Yay! Us Canon users love you guys too!
Keep up the great work!
Scott
Canon! YAY! Us Canon users love you guys too!
Keep up the great work!
Scott
It would be great if you could give us a review on the new Sigma 24-70 vs the Nikon/Canon 24-70. There seems to be no reviews on the internet regarding this brand new lens Sigma came out with.
really enjoy this show, i always learn so much from the 15 – 20 min episodes. glad you had Chase Jarvis on he seems so down to earth great episode!
Alan in the UK here. Love your shows – especially like the clapping on the desk at the end of this weeks episode, very funny!
[...] saw a video interview with Chase Jarvis at Scott Kelby’s D-town TV. Chase Jarvis is the professional photographer behind The Best Camera book, iPhone app and [...]
Love the show and all the advanced tips and techniques! Would you guys consider a short segment on the proper way to clean lens and filters, including products you recommend (micro-fiber, etc…). I’m paralyzed by the fear of scratching my glass and often resort to Photoshop or Lightroom to remove spots.
love your shows, i must say last episode was iffy, but this episode was great encouragement and idea-provoking. Maybe there could be a lesson on using a light meter, or more photographers that you would like to share like this fellow sport photographer
On the D300s, it only shoots 7.7fps with 8xAA batteries in the grip (I use GP 2700mAh NiMH rechargeables). You need the EN-EL4a to get the full 8FPS.
Personally though, I didn’t think it was worth the extra £250 costs for the EN-EL4a battery, MH-21 charger & BL-3 adapter for another 0.3 fps.
can you do episodes on studio lighting and outdoor lighting techniques
can one person take those kinds of photos without assistance
I love DTOWN.
Also, I would like to see a show on how to change the background on photos (photoshop or lightroom), and how to shot photos which can be used for backgrounds.
Thank you!
Hmm..I agree with everything that Chase Jarvis said except for the suggestion that one has to shoot thousands of images to find that good one. I think this is bad advice placed in the wrong context. Digital imaging has made us lazy.
Did someone tell Ansel Adams to take thousands of images? I guess he produced lousy images. My understanding is that he set up his camera and waited for the right light before he shot. Quite a different philosophy, and yet he is regarded as one of the best.
On the contrary I find that as my understanding of light, technique and composition gets more sophisticated, I take fewer images. I see in my minds eye what exactly I want to produce, and I execute.
For me, the best advice is to go back to film and shoot one lens, like a true 50 mm. You’ll be forced to think about composition rather than randomly blasting away and HOPING you get the right shot.
I hope I didn’t misinterpret Chase’s advice…..
I will say that this is one of those issues that I find there are at least two schools of thought – one opinion is to shoot lots, the other is to be judicious and think about what you are shooting.
Maybe the two aren’t mutually exclusivbe, but is sounded like that’s what Chase was advocating.
Have I oversimplified??
Great show guys
I’m the guy that had the image “Best Image of Something I don’t Know What It Is” at the last Kelby photowalk. I didn’t shoot a thousand of that subject. I walked around the subject, studied it, understood the light and what it was going to do for me, and snapped 3 frames from different vantage points.
Jerry, an old film guy.