Usually when I take my SLR somewhere, I plan on shooting a large number of shots with short intervals between shots. For convenience and security reasons, I usually hang my 40D around my neck using the included strap. However, this presents a few problems. First, this solution does not lend itself to quick shooting. There is time lost to bring it up from your waist to your eyes. I also wear belts with metal buckles which usually means when I “drop” the camera, it hits against something hard and that can’t be good for the LCD screen.

I was turned to Jim Garavuso’s invention, the Camdapter by some very convincing photography forum posts. A mechanical design engineer with 18 years of experience, Jim created the Camdapter to solve a personal problem but quickly learned that fellow photographers need a solution as well. The Camdapter is made from hard anodized aluminum and your choice of top grain leathers. It cleverly uses one of your neck strap mounts as well as creating a secondary mount on the bottom using an adapter plate attached to the tripod mount on your camera. The strap is fully adjustable and allows you to securely hold the camera with one hand. I run my Camdapter a bit loose so I am still able to access the thumb controls fully. Once you put one on, you’ll quickly learn the subtle movements of your hand that loosen or tighten the strap. As a bonus, if you still wanted to wear your neck strap, you could still attach it, giving you both options. There are multiple adapters which assure the setup is still tripod mountable regardless of whichever setup you may be running. The cost of the set is completely reasonable, in my opinion, and is a small fraction of the cost of the host and glass setup many of us are running.

The landscape of many suburban towns are dotted with cookie cutter Ranch or Victorian homes surrounded by white picket fences and calling to mind the perfect little world brought to life by films like Edward Scissorhands or The Truman Show. Families exist within their box and talk to their neighbors within the boundaries of their property. While this aesthetic is a strange embodiment of the American dream, it almost seems as though it could use a 21st century update. GRAFT Architects have seemingly come up with the perfect update on the modern Suburban neighborhood with their Camelback Houses designed as part of the Make It Right Project to pioneer duplex designs and redesign and rebuild the lower 9th ward of New Orleans destroyed by Hurrican Katrina. These wonderfully sleek homes spice up the boring flat face of your average subdivision; lending an equal importance to the maintenance of private family life while also providing space that encourages neighborly interaction.