Given the shift away from physical film and into the digital photography sphere, it can be difficult to avoid being away from power outlets for an extended period of time. Whether it’s in the studio with a ton of camera equipment and assistants(with not enough outlets) or off on a remote location for an all-day photoshoot, access to a reliable source of power has become a essential part of the photography world as we know it.
In this month’s post, we talked to Los Angeles-based veteran photographer, David Mecey, to get a bit of insight into his accomplished career and how he uses Omnicharge on his photoshoots. With nearly 40 years of experience, Mecey has travelled all over the world snapping images for Playboy, Sport Magazine, and GQ Magazine as well as a slew of freelance work.
Here is an excerpt from our conversation:
AF: What drove your passion to become a photographer?
DM: Growing up, my life was all about music and art with photography not even a thought whatsoever.
It was after college that I was in a bad motorcycle accident that had me convalescing for nearly a year. During that time, my doctor, who was an avid amateur photographer himself, saw some of my art work and suggested I buy a camera rather than having people ‘sit’ for me. So I did. I purchased a Canon Tlb 35mm film camera, then bought several books on photography and began my self-tutelage to becoming a photographer.
AF: Can you tell me about your journey to where you are today in the photography world?
DM: After I began to teach myself photography, I lived it, breathed it, slept it and became very good fairly quickly. Even though I was living in a small town in East Texas, I began to grow my reputation all around the area.
It was less than a year after beginning that I would enter a photo contest in a nationally published magazine and ended up taking 2nd place. I became friends with the editor who helped keep me steered in the right direction.
It would be a short four years later I would be discovered by Playboy and begin to shoot for them freelance. Then a year after that, I was hired and moved to Chicago to work as a staff photographer for the magazine. I would remain with them until 2003. After that, I began to shoot for various manufacturers and magazines doing advertising, editorial and catalog work worldwide.
AF: What type of photography equipment do you use on a regular basis?
DM: As for cameras, I currently shoot with two Canon 5D MK IIIs and a few lenses. I like zooms, so I have a 17-40, 24-105, 70-200 and a straight glass Sigma 85 f/1.4 that is just awesome.
I’m also ‘old school’, so I own a fairly good amount of strobes and power packs. Mostly Dynalite but I also own a Hensel ring flash which I use when I travel alone without an assistant, or, doing fashion work by myself as well.
AF: Do any of your pieces of photography equipment require reliable access to power?
DM: In today’s style of shooting, all of it! So having this tiny power plant is very exciting and I’m looking forward to using it. I’ve already got a place for it in mind, powering my iPad pro as it begins to drain down at the end of a long day of shooting. I don’t tether to a computer but instead, create a WiFi network that allows my images I shoot to pop up on my iPad for the client to see.
Everything is just so ‘now’ that people cannot wait even a couple minutes to see the images on a computer screen, they want to see them the instant they’re created. I find it funny, but hey, I want the clients happy and if it takes only that little bit of technology, all the better. It’s all about keeping the client happy and engaged, a priority to me.
AF: How did you come to learn about Omnicharge’s products?
DM: One of my good friends is a gentleman by the name of Mark Mather. He’s always aware of what is on the cutting edge product-wise, so while we were talking one day on the phone, he mentioned a product he had seen and felt was awesome. After giving me more information about it, what it’s capabilities were, how small a footprint it has, etc, I told him I’d love to give it a try. It sounded as if it could be a real location winner when that location is somewhere without any power. I just had to know.
AF: How often do you use Omnicharge’s products?
DM: At the moment I’ve used it only a handful of times, but I will definitely keep using it in the future. I have it stuffed neatly inside my camera bag as a power backup.
It’s astonishing that something so small packs so much punch. I’ve been mostly using it to power my iPad Pro or my phone during shoots, but also to do a bit of a charge on a camera battery to get it back up to par. Still haven’t tried it with my laptop but I do have a couple shoots planned in the near future where that will definitely be on the program.
AF: Since using Omnicharge, how have your photoshoots changed?
DM: I guess the simplest answer, taking away the worry about running out of power for either my camera, iPad or laptop. Knowing that if I want to break out the laptop to check out my images in the middle of nowhere, having the power drain away on its internal battery, now I’ve got the MIghty Mo Omnicharge waiting in the wings, I don’t even think about it. I concentrate on the shoot and when and if I need a bump, plug in the Omnicharge.
AF: What would you say to other photographers about Omnicharge that are looking for a reliable power source in the field?
DM: The thing that makes this product so awesome is its size. You can pack it in your backpack, even a briefcase without a problem. So a photographer can feel confident in knowing that should he begin to lose power on one of his weapons, be it camera, iPad, or even his computer and he needs just a little longer to get the shot, he can reach into his backpack, pull it out, hook up and boom, juice.