Special Insurance Offer from TCP & Co.

Tom C. Pickard & Co., Inc., or TCP & Co., and Foto Care are pleased to announce a special offer of up to a 20% discount on rental equipment insurance for Foto Care customers that don’t already have equipment insurance through TCP & Co. when you subscribe.

TCP & Co. is the largest provider of insurance to the photography community in the United States. From photography professionals to enthusiasts, TCP & Co. has developed an exclusive insurance product using their 40 years of experience to protect photographers from catastrophic losses. Whether you currently have insurance or want to find out more, please visit the TCP & Co. site for your own individualized insurance quote.

They have the ability to develop specialized business insurance packages for commercial clients with flexibility as needed in today’s competitive business environment.

Their expert product knowledge formed over years of experience has given them the advantage in designing the insurance package that best fits your needs. Departments include:

·  Advertising Photographers

·  Photography Studios

·  Production Companies

·  Commercial, Personal, and Life, Health & Financial Services

This special 20% discount from TCP & Co. is now available to all Foto Care customers who are first-time subscribers to TCP & Co. Inc. At Foto Care, we do what we can to get you the equipment you need to get shooting and we'll work with you to ensure you know how to use your gear before you get to your shoot. Between our stellar and knowledgeable rental staff and the great people at TCP & Co., you're good to go!

Please Note: If you are a already an existing customer with TCP & Co, the discount does not apply.

We've Added a Ton of Profoto B1 Kits!

We've had the Profoto B1 kits in rentals for a couple of months now, but we've added a few more to the line up! The entire Profoto B1 kit goes for $45 (1-day rental), a spare battery is $20 and the TTL transmitter is $25. Call our rental department at (212)741-2991 to reserve the B1 today!

What Should You Bring to a Wedding Shoot?

We asked our wedding photographers in the rental department what they bring in their bags when they shoot a wedding, and here is what we found.

A great camera to use as your main camera body is the Canon 1D X, with a Canon 5D Mark III as a back-up. The 1D X is great for the fast-moving moments of the wedding. From the walk down the aisle to the kiss to the dancing, the fast frames per second (FPS) allows you to capture subtleties that you may miss while shooting a single frame at a time. The fantastic video quality on the 5D Mark III makes this camera a worthy companion (if you're asked to shoot a bit of video for the wedding as well). Fast, easy, and compatible lenses! 

Bring a nice assortment of lenses, including a 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 100mm macro,  and 35mm. Whether its a wide angle shot of the bridal party or a close up of the wedding rings, a variety allows you to shoot anything; never limit yourself. 

With the lenses and camera body, our shooters also packed a 600EX-RT flash, a Gary Fong diffuser and a small Speedlite soft box, which allows you to create softer lighting when there isn't a ton of light available. 

As with any shoot, there are always extras you'll need to bring with you. Carry lots of batteries! Camera batteries and charger, AA batteries for your flash, the charger for you laptop, etc. Bring all of them. Bring a lot of storage, both in memory cards and external hard drives. Especially if you have a second shooter, or an assistant, with you, download the images and back them up throughout the day, that way nothing gets lost.

Speaking of an assistant, bring one of those, too! It doesn't hurt to have someone there with you. Whether they're setting up lights, shooting along side you, or just carrying your stuff, having another person there to help you is worth it, both in cost and lack of headaches. But, please, don't put them in your bag. That's just cruel.

If you're interested in renting any of this gear for your next shoot, here is some pricing for you estimate (all prices are for a 1-day rental):

Canon 1D X: $195 

Canon 5D Mark III: $135

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM: $45

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM: $40

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro: $35

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM: $35

Canon 600EX-RT: 30

Gary Fong: $6

Speedlite Softbox: $10

Do you bring different equipment with you when you shoot a wedding? We want to hear about it! Leave your list in the comments section, and you could be our next "What Should You Bring to a ______ Shoot" blog post!

Don't Forget! Our Hours for Passover are Extended!

Extended Hours During Passover

This year, we're keeping our doors open a little longer during Passover. From Tuesday, April 15th until Tuesday, April 22nd, our rental department will be open from 8am until 8pm! This is just Monday through Friday; Saturday we will be open from 9am to 4pm, as usual. 

Never fear, Foto Care is here (even later)!