Camera Rain Cover

The Essentials: The Films Of Nicolas Roeg

His obsessive, voyeuristic R-rated sexual peccadilloes also figure front and center in many of his films, so much so that he could challenge (and possibly defeat) like-minded cult director ). They take drugs, play draggy dress-up and generally lose their marbles. Meanwhile the back story is unsurprisingly the stuff of legend too: the set was full of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, yielding “stories so good I can’t possibly deny them,” as Jagger said. And yes, during the shoot Jagger basically stole Pallenberg away from Richards; Pallenberg herself failed to hide her growing heroin habit, and straight-laced was so traumatized by the goings-on, that he pretty much stayed away from acting for almost a decade (after shooting wrapped he reportedly became an evangelist). The film itself, with its ménage a trois, casual drug use, gender-bending drag scenes and jagged Burroughs-esque cut-and-paste editing techniques, was extremely shocking and lurid to its 1970s audience and it still jars today. Though Warhol and other underground filmmakers had depicted sex and drugs onscreen before, “Performance” was one of the first films to do so for a major studio and upon its first screening, Working with an elliptical storytelling approach that would become part and parcel of his stylistic approach, Roeg fractures this survival tale so deeply that you almost forget it’s a borderline horror film. When two young siblings are cast into the wilderness by a suicidal father, they must face the cruel nature of the unforgiving outback—so goes the logline, but what emerges under Roeg’s direction is a film so impressionistic and subjective that it can and has been taken for a parable on any number of themes, from a critique of rural vs urban living, to a meditation on the cruelty of nature, to a commentary on the impossibility of cross-cultural communication.

Storm Jacket Camera Covers by Vortex Media

Shooting on rainy or snowy days can result in some amazing images but also in accidental damage to your equipment. Whether you do nature or street photography, limiting yourself to getting out on dry days can be very frustrating. I finally added a camera cover to my gear! Like many of you, until recently I had  been using makeshift plastic covers from bags, shower caps, etc. They work in an emergency situation but, to be honest, they are not always a dependable solution to protect your expensive gear…

I recently discovered the camera covers by Storm Jacket. They come in a variety of sizes (depending on the lenses you use). They also come in Standard and Pro models.

Here is the scoop: The Storm Jacket is made of AquaNylon fabric and features a bungee draw string on each end. It fits securely over your lens cap and stays in place. The other end also features a draw string which can be pulled tight between shoots when walking around on a rainy or snowy day.  The difference between the standard and pro models is the ability to use a tripod with the pro model. The Pro Storm Jacket has the added feature of a Velcro opening on the bottom to allow for the mounting of a tripod or monopod. I also recommend the pro version if your camera strap connects to you tripod socket. I use a BlackRapid strap on my main camera and the the Pro Storm Jacket fits perfectly.

- The Standard model comes in five sizes (from 11” to 31” or 27.9 cm to 78.8 cm), in yellow, red, black or camouflage.

- The Pro model comes in four sizes (17” to 31” or 43.1 cm to 78.8 cm) in black or camouflage.

In order to choose the length you need, you just measure the length from the front of the lens cap (zoom fully extended) to the rear of your camera and add 2 inches to that number. The model I chose can fit both my 70-200 mm f/2.8 (pictured here) and my 24-70 mm f/2.8.

If folds flat, weighs almost nothing and comes with a small zippered pocket that can hook on to your belt or camera bag. The only drawback I can think of is that is it not clear. There are clear covers available out there but they are definitely not as durable as the sturdy fabric used on the Storm Jacket. I can see this lasting for many years in harsh conditions. I have only used it on rainy days so far but I have many months of snow to look forward to in Minnesota!

To find out more about the Storm Jacket by Vortex Media click here .

Prices vary depending on the model/size and range from $36 to $59 with some good deals on Amazon .

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