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Peak Design has announced the Micro Clutch, a low-profile hand strap specially crafted to meet the unique needs of mirrorless photographers. This is Peak Design’s 11th Kickstarter campaign, and the launch of the Micro Clutch sees a return to the company’s origins in camera carry innovation.

Mirrorless cameras such as the Nikon Z8 and Canon EOS R6 II are known for their compact size. Unfortunately, the small size often means compact handgrips, making it challenging to achieve a decent purchase. However, the Micro Clutch is specifically designed to address this issue. It features a recycled aluminium base plate with a sliding screw slot and a stitchless hypalon hand pad with rotating pivot points. These elements allow you to customise the fit while effortlessly transitioning between carrying and shooting, ensuring comfort and safety.

In addition to its ergonomic design, the Micro Clutch offers a practical solution for quick battery access—an often overlooked aspect in other mirrorless hand straps. With the cleverly hidden adjustment tool, photographers can loosen the base plate of the Micro Clutch with a simple 360° turn, releasing the plate and enabling easy access to the battery door. This eliminates the need for additional tools and eliminates the risk of dropping parts.

Peter Dering, the Founder and CEO of Peak Design, expressed his excitement about the Micro Clutch, stating, “Our original Clutch hand strap has been a favourite among our core photo customers, but we recognise that the industry is shifting toward powerful, smaller mirrorless cameras. The Micro Clutch perfectly balances minimalist design and optimal comfort and grip. We’re not only thrilled about the product itself but also about reconnecting with our endemic photo community through this new offering and our 11th Kickstarter campaign.”

To cater to different mirrorless camera models, Peak Design offers different models of the Micro Clutch. Photographers can choose between an “L” style base plate for bodies with built-in grips and an “I” base plate for straight bodies without grips, ensuring a perfect fit for their specific camera.

The Micro Clutch is available for presale discount starting May 16, 2023, on Kickstarter as part of Peak Design’s 11th campaign. It will be available for direct-to-consumer purchase in early July. For more information about the Micro Clutch and to secure your own, visit the official website at https://bit.ly/42TOkTm. 

Get ready to experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the inner workings of musical instruments, captured in stunning detail by a talented photographer Charles Brooks. Using exotic probe lenses and specialized wide-angle macro lenses, Charles has managed to create breathtaking photographs that showcase the hidden architectural spaces within each instrument.

Every shot is a masterpiece, achieved through meticulous focus-stacking of thousands of images to ensure every detail is captured in high definition. The end result is a series of photographs that will leave you speechless – each instrument transformed into a unique and mesmerizing concert hall, showcasing intricate details that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Charles Brooks’s collection of photographs is a testament to the beauty that can be found in unexpected places. So come and explore this amazing body of work, and discover the hidden beauty lurking within every musical instrument.

Scroll down and inspire yourself. Check Charles’s Website for more amazing work and information.

You can find Charles Brooks on the Web :

#1 A Rare Cello From 1780

The breathtaking interior of a rare cello created by English luthier Lockey Hill was completed just prior to his tragic execution for horse theft in 1795. This striking photograph reveals the tool marks left by the master maker, as well as new wood and repairs carried out over the centuries, all culminating in a stunning testament to the instrument’s rich history.

Shot with exceptional precision using a Lumix S1R camera and Laowa Probe lens, this photo is the result of stacking 432 images at various focal distances, resulting in a magnificent, cavernous feel that gives the impression of the cello becoming its own recital hall.

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#2 The Inner Workings Of A Fazioli Grand Piano, Crafted From More Than 11,000 Parts

Deep inside the action (the moving parts) of one of the world’s finest grand pianos. Fazioli makes around 100 of these instruments a year, each handcrafted with over 11,000 individual parts. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 100 images at various focal distances have been stacked together for sharpness from front to back, giving a distinct architectural appearance reminiscent of a concert hall or film set.

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#3 A Didgeridoo Hollowed Out By Termites!

A unique view inside an Australian Didgeridoo by Trevor Gillespie/Peckham (Bungerroo) of New South Wales. Didgeridoos are hollowed out by termites, not by hand. Australian legend says that the first Didgeridoo was created when a hollow branch was pointed at the sky and blown to remove the termites. The white termites flew into the air and became the stars, to the sound of incredible music. The rich reds and blacks appear as nebula more at home in the world of astrophotography. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 84 images at various focal distances have been stacked together, giving the impression of an organic alien tunnel.

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#4 A Pipe Organ Becomes A Bamboo Forest

Super-Octave flutes of the St Marks Church Organ in Auckland, New Zealand. These are the smallest pipes in the organ, responsible for the highest notes. They’re hidden in a chamber in the church tower and are only visible by ascending a series of ladders and platforms.

The organ was built in 1882 and has undergone various refurbishments and expansions since then.

Photographed with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa 15mm Macro lens. 32 images at various focal lengths have been blended together to allow sharp focus and a feeling of space, giving the impression of a golden bamboo forest.

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#5 A Bass Clarinet Looks Like An Arthur C. Clarke Spaceship

The inside of a Buffet Prestige Bass Clarinet, photographed in the workshop of Maurice Reviol in Auckland, New Zealand. In this photo, we can see the subtle colors present in the African Blackwood which has flecks of red and brown in its grain, before it fades into the golden glow of light bouncing through the neck.

This instrument is a model 1193 with a low C, a soloist instrument seen in almost every major symphony orchestra worldwide.

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#6 Inside The World’s Most Popular Guitar

Inside a Taylor GS Mini, one of the world’s most popular guitars.

This image is made up of 67 individual frames, carefully blended together to keep it in sharp focus from front to back. The result is an image that looks like a large concert hall, an effect heightened by the pickups which are reminiscent of stage lights.

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#7 A Pipe Organ Or A Corridor Of Skyscrapers

The pipes of St Marks Church Organ in Auckland, New Zealand. In the foreground are the smallest pipes in the organ, responsible for the highest notes. They’re hidden in a chamber in the church tower and are only visible by ascending a series of ladders and platforms.

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#8 Inside A Golden Flute

Inside a 14-carat rose gold flute by Lillian Burkart, one of the most gifted piccolo and flute makers of all time. This instrument has been used extensively as can be seen by the scratch marks from repeated cleaning, something normally hidden from view. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 86 images at various focal distances have been stacked together for sharpness from front to back. Photographed whilst under restoration at Neige Music Atelier in New Zealand.

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#9 A Cello Once Hit By A Train!

This is an instrument with an exceptional story. Built in Germany in the late 1800s, it was sent to New Zealand sometime prior to 1911. In the late 1920s, it was involved in a car-train collision. Usually, this would be enough to write off an instrument, but since it was the depression, and fine instruments were not readily available, it was painstakingly restored.

It has since been through the hands of many luthiers, most of whom have signed their work. We can see signatures inside from 1911, 1930, and 1988, documenting generations of repairs from New Zealand craftsmen.

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#10 The Bass Strings Of A Steinway Grand Piano

The bass strings of a Steinway grand piano. These strings are so tightly wound that they exert more than 20 tonnes of pressure on the frame. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 720 images at various focal distances have been stacked together, giving this photo an incredibly wide depth of field and an exaggerated sense of scale, as if you’re standing under the cables of some giant suspension bridge.

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#11 100 Years Of Concerts Turned This Saxophone Green

The interior of a stunning CG Conn C-Melody saxophone, made in 1924. The green oxidization of almost a century of concerts is clearly visible. Unlike every other saxophone out there, the C Melody saxophone (which is bigger than an alto, but smaller than a tenor) plays in concert pitch. This has some obvious practical advantages, such as being able to play from music written for piano, flute, or violin without having to transpose. But despite this, the instrument has all but fallen from usage since its heyday in the early years of the 20th century.

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#12 A Grand Piano Looks Like A Laundromat From Dune

Another shot from the inside of a Fazioli grand piano. This tiny space is only 2 centimetres wide.

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#13 A Heavily Repaired Double Bass From 1860

The inside of a heavily restored double bass by Charles Theress, circa 1860, one of the finest bass makers in the history of the instrument. Photographed in Wellington, New Zealand, with the aid of its present owner Matthew Cave.

This bass has been resident in New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for decades, first brought over in the 1970s, then passed to Matthew in the early 2000s. It was almost lost when the ex-principal of the orchestra was traveling with two basses and the wrong one was sent to Sotheby’s Auction House (this bass rather than a cheaper French instrument he was intending to sell). He only realized when Sothebys called saying the quality of the instrument was far better than they expected…

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#14 The Seven Moons Guitar From Chile

Inside a unique instrument by Chile’s greatest modern luthier Roberto Hernández Cespedes. Roberto fuses pre-Columbian techniques with modern construction methods to create instruments that are literally national treasures. Many are housed in Chile’s most important museums.

This guitar is named ‘Siete Lunas’ or Seven Moons, in reference to the seven sound holes, a signature motif of Roberto’s work. The instrument is made from French Walnut and German Spruce.

Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Peri-Probe lens, 94 images at various focal distances have been stacked together for sharpness from front to back. Photographed in Roberto’s workshop in Maipu, Chile.

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#15 The Carbon Fibre Action Of A Kawai Grand Piano

The action (moving parts) of a Kawai grand piano. In stark contrast to other manufacturers such as Steinway, Kawai use a carbon fiber-resin composite for their actions. This is one of the most significant developments in piano technology in a century. It allows for faster repetition of notes. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 82 images at various focal distances have been stacked together, giving this photo an almost Kubrickesque quality that appears more science fiction than classical music.

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#16 A Flute Made From New Zealand Black Maire Wood

Inside a fine wooden flute made by Maurice Reviol in New Zealand. It’s carved out of Black Maire, a native New Zealand timber considered exceptionally good for woodwind instruments. Photographing this small, dark space was extremely challenging. This image is comprised of 728 individual frames, shot using a combination of focus and exposure bracketing, painstakingly blended together, to render this tiny space vast.

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#17 A Violin From The 1800s

The inside of a violin from the 1800s has the label ‘Hopf’ but it’s likely this was an early counterfeit! Details in the bass bar and the way the neck is joined give it away.

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#18 Inside A Steinway Spirio R Self Playing Piano

Electronic and acoustic components are fused in the action of a Steinway Spirio R grand piano.

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#19 Inside A Steinway Grand Piano

Wippen cushions and capstan screws of the world’s most successful and renowned piano manufacturer, Steinway. These finely tuned mechanisms power the keys of a line of pianos that have been played by more great pianists than any other. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 63 images at various focal distances have been stacked together, giving this photo a film-set quality that appears more at home in a Kubrick film than inside an instrument.

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#20 A Japanese Saxophone From The 1980s

Inside a 1980s Yanagisawa T4 Saxophone. Photographed whilst under restoration at Neige Music Atelier in New Zealand. Shot on a Lumix S1r with a Laowa 24mm probe lens. 88 images have been stacked together creating something that looks like a cyberpunk subway station, an effect heightened by the removal of the keys as part of the restoration process.

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#21 The Exquisite Architecture Of Steinway

Wippen Spoons and springs of the world’s most successful and renowned piano manufacturer, Steinway. These finely tuned mechanisms power the keys of a line of pianos that have been played by more great pianists than any other. Shot with a Lumix S1R and a Laowa Probe lens, 106 images at various focal distances have been stacked together, giving this photo an almost Kubrickesque quality that appears more science fiction than classical music.

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© Provided by Charleston WCSC-TV
Fort Dorchester High School photography teacher Stephanie Shank says her students and her camera are her focus.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A North Charleston teacher is finding new ways to develop her students’ photography skills.

Fort Dorchester High School photography teacher Stephanie Shank says her students and her camera are her focus.

From beginner foundation studies to photography and graphic design to advanced placement portfolios, Shank says it’s all offered within her school’s visual art department.

She says more students at her school are taking an interest in her class because of growing class sizes.

“A large percentage of them have cell phones attached to them and are taking pictures of something and sharing their voice and my goal is to do it in a more thoughtful way,” Shank said.

To help, Shank is requesting six 35mm prime lenses for her Donor’s Choose project. She says the lenses will give her students a chance to understand taking advanced photography while outside in a natural setting.

“The little things that can keep them interested and engaged in something they are passionate about make all the difference,” Shank said.

Shank says her imaginative, talented, and motivated photography students are excited for the opportunity to explore even more.

You can also help them by donating to this project for this D-D-2 teacher and her students.

Since the beginning of this school year my classroom champions segments have helped 35 Low Country teachers get supplies, they need in partnership with Donor’s Choose.

Click here to donate to this project right now.

All donations are tax-deductible. Donors Choose collects your money, then buys the items and sends them to the teacher.

GoPro has just announced exciting changes to its camera lineup and subscription offerings. With new lower prices on their camera models and enhanced benefits for GoPro Subscribers, it’s the perfect time to gear up for your summer adventures.

Effective immediately, GoPro has adjusted the prices of its flagship camera lineup. The HERO11 Black that I reviewed in September 2022, is now priced at £399.99, offering a fantastic £100 saving. The HERO11 Black Mini which has just arrived in for review is now £299.99, the HERO10 Black for £349.99, and the HERO9 Black for £249.99., check out the reviews of each to find out what I thought of these cameras The HERO11 Black Creator Edition, designed for vloggers and pro-content creators, is now priced at £599.99, bringing the price points closer to pre-pandemic levels.

In addition to the price adjustments, GoPro has also made changes to its subscription program. Previously, GoPro Subscribers enjoyed camera discounts at the time of purchase. However, starting now, GoPro’s lower everyday pricing is available to all shoppers, regardless of their subscription status. This means that the lower camera prices are accessible to everyone worldwide. Existing GoPro Subscribers will continue to enjoy discounted pricing on future camera purchases as part of their subscription benefits.

To make the GoPro Subscription even more enticing, GoPro has introduced new subscription benefits. For an introductory price of £24.99 for the first year and £49.99 upon annual renewal, subscribers gain access to unlimited cloud storage of GoPro footage, automatic footage upload to the cloud while charging, automatic clearing of the camera’s SD card, automatic highlight videos sent to their phone, premium editing tools in the GoPro Quik app, up to 50% off on mounts and accessories at GoPro.com, a £100 discount off the next GoPro at the first annual renewal, guaranteed damaged camera replacement, and live streaming via GoPro.com.

GoPro Subscribers also enjoy exclusive perks, such as Subscriber Sessions hosted by pro athletes and content creators who share their tips and tricks for capturing epic footage. Additionally, GoPro Subscribers will have the opportunity to earn double the cash payout from GoPro Awards when their photos or videos are featured on GoPro’s global social handle, @gopro.

With these changes, GoPro is reaffirming its commitment to providing high-quality cameras at accessible prices and offering valuable benefits to its loyal customers.

To learn more about the latest pricing updates, subscription benefits, and the exciting Double the Dollars GoPro Awards campaign, visit the official GoPro website at https://gopro.com.