Tips and Techniques

The advent of cameras has opened a lot of possibilities, including the ability to take rare photos and videos even while underwater. There are plenty of rugged video options anyone can consider, the choice of which depends on one’s budget. But for folks who want to play it safe, GoPro is a brand that stands out.

Known to be one of the more reliable cameras one can consider, GoPro is the best choice for folks who are looking for quality shots and videos. It is the sane choice for anyone looking for a rugged and waterproof camera that can capture flawless videos and high-resolution photos. Among the features their camera line has to offer include voice control and live streaming – all packed in a compact device.

All one has to do is purchase one and dunk under water to start their photo and/ or video capturing escapades. But similar to the traditional cameras, folks who have them are looking for something to deliver the best quality will need some aid in the form of accessories. There are several useful pieces to check.

Kits

There are plenty of must-have go pro accessories that anyone can consider. For travelers, the ultimate choice to get is the Go Pro Travel Kit. This package includes a Shorty (a mini extension pole and a tripod), a sleeve/ lanyard and a compact case. It is compatible with most HERO cameras, and something that camera owners will find handy – especially when they want to take stable shots anywhere.

For those who are looking for more, the Adventure Kit should be an ideal alternative. It is an ideal choice for folks who love to go biking or snorkeling. Making up this package is a Handler (a floating hand grip), a head strap and quick clip. These are mounts that will come in handy for people who want to take the best shots in the outdoors.

There is also the Sports Kit for the ones who take it to the extreme. It includes a Chesty (performance chest mount), a handlebar, rubber inserts (large and small), a compact case, a vertical mounting bike, and a thumb screw. The chesty is something that should come in handy, one that helps position the camera for people who want to capture the scenery in front of them. If not, the handlebar or seapost should suffice.

While all these kits are handy, be reminded that the items comprising each can be purchased separately. Also, it would be best to avoid using accessories that are not authentic from GoPro.

Other essential accessories

Like most gadgets of today, one needs to also consider getting spare batteries and chargers to make sure that the camera is up and running at all times. Rechargeable batteries and chargers are available and priced reasonably.

Another must-have for Go Pro camera owners is the Floaty. It is easy to use and something that keeps the camera afloat. It was designed to add further protection to Go Pro cameras and even includes easy access to the shutter button. There is also an adhesive anchor and camera tether included for added security that comes in handy during extreme conditions.

For the folks who love to take selfies, there is also a GoPro stick to consider. There is an official 3-Way made for GoPro, an extendable arm that can also double as a tripod. It comes with a comfortable grip, making it an ideal choice for folks who want shots underwater or even when windsurfing or wakeboarding.

Most of the accessories mentioned are for complimenting folks who want to take great shots in the outdoors. One other essential need is a memory card to make sure that one does not run out of space. With most expected to want high-resolution photos or videos, expect the cards to fill up fast. Hence, it would be best to have a spare in tow to avoid having to transfer or even delete photos to make room.

There are plenty of accessories for GoPro cameras and it will depend on the owner on which among them is needed. It would be best to figure out first one’s passion and itinerary and then decide which kit or accessory is suited for one’s need.

Black Friday has always been known as one of the biggest holiday sales in the market. Many people anticipate it every year, even enduring waiting in line to their favourite shop’s entrance. Which is why online stores are making extra preparations for it – uploading promo ads, stocking new items, and posting new photos of their products.

Photos have the potential to turn your casual site browsers into customers. The better the size and quality of your store photos, the more customers it can attract to buying your products. This just shows how powerful photos are in the online market. Presenting your product through photos makes all the difference.

If you want to learn about product photography, keep reading! You just might be surprised by the tips and ideas you can gain, be it lighting or apps you can use for your shoot.

Show another side of your product

Having said that better quality of your product photos attracts more customers, it is always important to present your product in the best light possible. This means highlighting the good content of your products.

Showing emotion through your photos can help boost the sales of the product. For example, how a person looks with the use of your product. Does it create an ambience of confidence? Would it make the user’s experience look more accessible or more convenient?

Additionally, when creating a feel for the product, this also involves putting the product in a suitable environment. Showcasing the product in situations that it can showcase the worth of the customer’s money can greatly appeal to the buyer.

Lastly and most importantly, letting the customer see the product in full detail can help them have a concrete idea of what they are buying. It makes the customer trust the retailer if they are allowed full disclosure of all the product parts. You can also get creative in presenting your product by using different lighting techniques or showing different angles.

Remember that product photos are an investment

Having high-quality images of your product should be the best investment you have for your online market. You can employ a photographer to get the job done, or you can opt to the cheaper way by doing it yourself with this simple product photography guide. Either way, you are sure to invest time and skills for the job, and it will all be worth it when you see its effect on your buyers.

You don’t need an uber-expensive camera

There is no need to buy a high-end camera for product photography. You can opt to ask your friend to lend you their high-end camera, or you can buy one yourself.  There are a lot of camera options in the market that can get you the quality of the photos you want without breaking the bank. You can use your mobile phone since you only need image quality that does not blur or distort the product. Newly released smartphones can also control the exposure and brightness of the product environment.

Post your product on social media

Social media is a significant avenue to present your product. You can post your product in social media to reach a wider audience and gain more publicity. With this, you need to post photos that would engage the audience into seeing more about your products. However, posting on social media is a lot different from posting pictures on your product website. You need to adhere to certain image dimensions to maximize the posting. This social media cheat sheet can guide you in posting the right size of your product image on social media.

Offer a sneak peek for your customers

Since Black Friday is one of the biggest holidays when products have price markdowns and cuts, you can opt to offer a sneak peek of the deals you have for your products. This means putting out teasers on what your customers can anticipate on your Black Friday Sale. Make them excited, and be sure to let them know when the sale starts.

Keep an Eye on Image Files Sizes

Make sure that the files sizes of your images are compatible with your website. There will be a constant connection between the load time of the page, and the image quality that is being loaded. You need to observe and maintain the standard load time to determine if you need a lower image file size of the product photos. Page load time can greatly affect the customers’ willingness to buy your products. It should always be convenient for them to browse it whether they are on a laptop or surfing through their mobile phones.

Don’t be afraid of editing

Making sure your photos are consistent with the colours they express is crucial to your branding which is why photo editing is highly encouraged. If you want to make sure your photos present the cohesion you need for your brand, then be sure to correct them by using photo editing software. You can also match the tone of your product collection with the season.

Be consistent with your theme

Throughout the whole article, it has always been a point to create a consistent image of your brand. It is important enough to make it a tip on its own.

Whatever you may be doing in the image of your brand — whether it be tweeting, posting details, or messaging a customer, it should always be done align with your branding. Especially on the website, having a consistent feel to your customers is necessary so that your brand is established with them. If you are a skincare company that uses neutral colours with pastel undertones, you cannot use images that are high in contrast.

Conclusion

Make sure you’re ready for the big day. Black Friday is just around the corner and many of your customers will be watching out for your newest promos, and next big product collection. What better way to do that than by applying those tips? Product photography will always be a crucial factor in gaining conversions since it makes all the difference when the customer is able to trust your brand. By building your brand image through your photos, it can guarantee you that customers will surely trust the quality and service of the brand.

If you want to explore what other options you can boost your website sales, this e-commerce conversion guide can help you further in improving your conversion e-commerce conversion rate.

It is your special day. You are going to tie a knot with someone who will always stay by your side. You want to remember this day as something more than just an ancient tradition. You want to do everything to make this day memorable for you and your better half. You might also consider a destination wedding on a far-flung location to jazz up the event.

However, life is unpredictable and so are its circumstances. There could be uncountable situations when some of your close inner circles might miss the wedding in person. Appreciate the technology, because there are many ways using which you can have your near ones by your side even if they are not present in person. Live streaming is one of them and probably the most accessible of all.

Why would you want to live stream your wedding?

With what that was available to offer, technology has always left a mark in the wedding ceremonies from time to time. Be it wedding photography, photo booths, Pre-marriage shoot, drone videography, there has always been something special available for the weddings. Live streaming a wedding is the new trend. It has made to the context because of the real-time coverage and broadcasting of the events, offering much more than a traditional wedding video shoot.

• It comes as a boon when someone from your family or inner circle falls ill and cannot travel to your wedding destination, or cannot afford to attend in person because of any random reason.
• It entices millions of people when public figures, celebrities, social media influencers, sports stars or politicians, share their special moment with their followers in the real-time.
• You may want to share your moment with your marine brother, who is currently on a post and cannot come for the wedding.
• The ability to share this moment with your loved ones adds the personal and emotional touch to the tech and this is what that makes it so special.

How to live stream your wedding?

You can implement the live streaming of your wedding in the two possible ways: Hire the professional services or Do it by yourself.

Hiring professionals:

Once you are certain about your decision to live stream your wedding event, hire a video streaming service that would take care of everything. They would have professionals who can manage the setup, required equipment, and everything else for the live event. There are services who offer a one-stop solution for the whole requirements. They would prepare a professional grade set up covering everything from best camera positions to expert camerapersons.

They possess the best tech for-

• HD video quality of the live streaming
• No or lower latency in the broadcast
• High-quality audio feed
• Multiple cameras covering everything in real-time.

Doing it yourself:

If you want to DIY, you have many options to choose from. Depending on your requirement and privacy of the live stream, you can go for any of the following methods:

Social media streaming

The cheapest and most accessible way to live stream your wedding is to choose the social media applications as medium. You can utilize the live streaming features of Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Live, Periscope, Twitch or Snapchat. The mobile applications of all these platforms offer the facility to go live in just a few clicks.

The social media route is suitable for –

Streamers who can manage with the average video quality. Due to high latency and internet traffic, social media platforms generally produce average to poor video quality. We would recommend using them as the last alternative if you cannot manage to get a superior solution.

In addition, use social media, when you are streaming for a personal access, not like celebs who stream for at least millions of followers.

PS: If you decide to use social media alone and not the next option listed below, then go for Periscope, as it can live stream the feeds directly from your Go-Pro camera. It would produce a comparatively better quality of the stream.

Dedicated live streaming solutions

There is an alternate solution to the social media streaming- a dedicated live streaming solution. Undoubtedly, social media live streaming is free and instant, but it is also true that these platforms do a lot more than just live streaming. Due to that, there is always congestion, ultimately affecting the quality of the stream, even with the high-speed internet. Moreover-

• You cannot do a peer to peer streaming, in case you do not want to make your stream public.
• You will not possess the right; the video becomes an intellectual property of the platform.
• You will not have a control over stream quality; it’s totally network dependent.
• Tech support is not up to the mark for a free service.

Therefore, if you think that social media streaming is not adequate for streaming a valuable moment like wedding ceremony, you can go for a professional-grade solution to avoid all the above drawbacks and offer the best quality stream to your loved ones. You can use any of the professional-grade live streaming software like DaCast or StreamHash to get the following benefits:

• White label service- where the video will be your own property and no one else can claim it.
• Complete privacy of the stream, as you can make your stream private and allow only selected people to watch it.
• They provide 24X7-tech support for installation and operation of the software.
• As they are dedicated, they produce negligible or no latency at all in the live stream.
• You can enjoy HD quality streaming with clear audio via top-tier Content Delivery Network.

Whether you are streaming for a single person or a group of followers, you would not want to ruin the experience with the poor quality of the stream. There is always an emotional attachment with the events like a wedding. You can best serve these emotions by streaming in the finest video qualities using the handpicked solutions explained in this article. So focus on creating an impression and make the wedding memorable for everyone, even for those who could not attend it physically.

One of the best ways to perfect your photography is by learning tips and tricks from other professionals in the industry. This can give you an insight into the best photography techniques, and it may even make your job a little bit easier!

The camera enthusiasts and hard camera case providers over at Peli UK have spoken to some of the UK’s talented photographers, who have provided their essential advice for those starting out in the industry. As well as this, they’re supplying some of their own top tips to help aspiring photographers on their journey to becoming professionals. Read on to learn more…

Don’t always photoshop – Ariel Carson

“Ensure a broad range of non-photoshopped portfolio photography. A few images of people, kids and weddings are ok, but include plenty of examples of animals, architecture, black & white images, cars, landscapes, food, nature, retail products, war memorials and property interiors, too.” – Ariel Carson

Understand composition and exposure – Grant Sylvester

“Research and understand composition and exposure. I would Google things on those – they instantly give life to photos.” – Grant Sylvester

Try out everything at first -Drew Forsyth

“Shoot anything and everything.

There are two reasons you should do this. Firstly, when you’re first starting, you might not know what you really enjoy shooting, and the only way that you’ll find out is by actually doing it. Secondly, you’ll learn new skills by doing those jobs. Photographing food for a restaurant might seem very different to photographing portraits for a law firm, but the same principles about focal length, aperture, and ISO still apply.” – Drew Forsyth

Make the most of travel opportunities – Peli UK

If you’re starting out in the industry, you may not get the chance to shoot the most exotic and exciting locations at first. However, even the most simple locations can provide opportunities to create stunning photography, so be sure to persevere and make practise your photography wherever you travel. P.S for making your travel even more beneficial, take the services of Mayday Travel.

Shooting a range of sceneries and locations is a great way to perfect your skills and diversify your portfolio, both of which will be useful assets to have further along in your photography career.

Show what you like to shoot

“Select your online portfolio carefully to reflect what you want to shoot. Hate shooting winter weddings? Don’t show them. More comfortable on location than in the studio? Don’t show studio shoots. Curate your portfolio and social media to appeal to your ideal client and they’ll soon start to find you.” – Lina Orsino – Allen

Family photography tips

“It isn’t easy at the best of times trying to get a photo of your little runaway toddler or small child. I know!

To get the best possible photos of children, try taking them when they are well rested and happy. You could even try when they are sat playing – the candid shots often turn out the best.” – Laura of Oh So Mummy.

Collaborate with others – Peli UK

On your journey to becoming a professional, make sure to collaborate with other artists and photographers. This can help you perfect your skills and take your photography to the next level.

As well as this, working with others can provide a different perspective, and you may get inspiration that will help you to be more creative with your work.

Over the course of the last decade DSLR cameras have made major inroads in the dominance of shoulder mounted or mobile camcorders for video production. DSLRs offer a number of advantages over camcorders, including full size sensors and the ability to use longer lenses made for stills photography.

For a long time Canon sat pretty on the top of the video DSLR pile with the 5D, the darling of film makers everywhere. More recently the other camera makers have caught up to a great extent, this article will examine seven of the best DSLR cameras for video.

Canon 5D mark iii

Firstly what for a long time was the preeminent video DSLR, now in its third incarnation. The camera is favoured for its ability to shoot in low level light, it’s 41 cross-type autofocus and general fantastic image quality. There are various other Canon DSLRs available of course, but the 5D leaves it’s stablemates standing as far as quality is concerned.

The main downside is the fact that the camera itself is showing its age a bit, having been released in 2012. It lacks some modern features like 4k and a flip out screen.

Panasonic Lumix GH4

The pretender to the 5D throne is the Lumix, which has increasingly become the DSLR of choice for video production companies over the last five years. A large part of this is because the Lumix is a mirrorless micro four thirds camera that shoots 4k at 24 and 30 fps.

Another big benefit is that the Lumix is unusual in that it can shoot videos longer than 29 minutes, 59 seconds. The Lumix is also very competitively priced compared to the Canon and is significantly lighter and smaller.

Sony Alpha a75 II

Strictly speaking not a DSLR, the Alpha is a mirrorless camera which provides incredible images at a more premium price. It has a full frame sensor and 169 autofocus points as well as 4k capabilities. One of the biggest benefits is the fact that the Alpha is mirrorless so is very light and small compared to other full frame cameras.

Low light capabilities are another big plus for the Alpha. This along with build in stabilisation and its compactness make this camera a real contender.

Nikon D810

This Nikon has been a strong contender for the 5D’s crown for quite a while, it has similar specs to the Canon. These include 1080p /60fps video, 36 MP full frame sensor 51 autofocus points. It also includes an updated sensor with an expanded native ISO range and great features including time lapse and a strong LCD screen. The price is also very competitive.

Canon 80D

Back in the reasonably priced end of the market is the Canon 80D. This camera is very popular for vloggers and the more entry level end of the video production market. The crop sensor does full HD at 60fps and has good, accurate autofocus. The 80D is really good for the Youtube crowd who don’t want to pony up a fortune for a 5D or a Sony Alpha. It’s excellent at most things as long as you don’t want 4k or full sensor action.

Over the course of a decade we at Hightower have used each of the cameras featured in this article. You can see the results of our effects in our showreel here. As far as figuring out which is our personal favorite, until 18 months ago we would have said the 5D. However the Lumix has really turned our heads – shooting 4k at the price bracket it sells at makes it very appealing to the more budget focused video productions we are involved in.

Article by: Luke Cairns is an expert in video production in Brighton and London and is available for hire at www.hightower.video

Property photography goes beyond point-and-shoot actions. Proper care and planning goes into other photography niches. The property niche is not different. Your shots are supposed to impress your target audience by highlighting all the underlying attraction elements. Here are some top tips on how you can capture the best property photography.

Use the Right Equipment

To get the best results with your property photography, you need to have the basics in place. Most of top real estate photographers that supply magnificent images to top property websites, such as Spot Blue, will swear by these.

Wide-angle lens: Some of the best you can find in the market for general cropped frame shots are Nikon’s 10-24mm and Canon’s 10-22mm or 10-18mm. On the full-frame front, the Canon 17-40mm, Nikon 16-35mm lenses and Nikon 14-24mm are great options. Don’t want to shell out on those? Look for equivalents from Tamron and Sigma. These lenses allow powerful zoom out to capture large spaces without any unrealistic distortions.

Tripod: You can’t hold your camera by hand with serious interior photography. The results will look unprofessional. A tripod combined with a remote shutter eliminates the possibility of shakes during shoots.

Flash: Your camera’s standard flash is for leisurely shots. Experts invest in high quality flash to deliver truly robust shots.

Keep Flash and Ambient Light under Control

The lighting inside a room can be more than seven times darker than the outdoors even during the daytime. To get quality shots, you need to properly balance light coming in and light inside the room. You need to first of all understand how your camera’s shutter speeds affects the ambient light and how the ISO affect ambient and flash power.

Clear the Space

If there is a wide range of clutter around the property, your images will look unprofessional. Clear all clutter, arrange sofas, straighten beddings and turn on the lights for an invitingly warm shot. If there are locked doors that block light sources then get them unlocked, even if it means calling a reliable local locksmith!

Effective Composition is Vital

What are the best view points for your shot? Walk around the room to find them. In many cases, however, the best points are from corners of the room or positions that communicate the space or flow from one room to another. Take several shots from several viewpoints so you can review your images later and make more informed decisions on the perspective that works best.

Understand Your Settings

Taking your shots with ISO set on Auto will yield subpar shots. Keep it on 100 or 200 if you need shots that are devoid or noise or grain. You consider increasing your ISO from these levels if you need more power to illuminate the space. Your aperture should be set at f/8 as well for two main reasons. Firstly, that setting is the sharpest for your lens and secondly, the depth offered is wide enough to make the entire room the focus while allowing enough light for short shutter speeds.

These tips are bound to transform your property photography. Get practicing today!

A picture tells a thousand words, so the saying goes, and this has certainly become true in the digital age. Images have become the way to capture the attention of millions of online viewers, users of social media and owners of mobile devices, who have notoriously short attention spans. This is why charities should make use of imagery in their appeals to engage with their audience and raise money for their cause.

Everywhere you look you will see images: images on posters on walls, images on digital displays on billboards, and images in newspapers and magazines. All of them are doing the same thing: advertising. They may be accompanied by text, but this is often short and to the point. It is the image that captures the reader’s attention.

There is even evidence available to back this up. Apparently, only ten per cent of the information provided in an audio message is retained by the listener three days later, compared to a visual image with the same information that has a 65 per cent retention in the memory of the reader over the same period.

Studies have found that visuals involving colour deliver an 80 per cent increase in people’s willingness to read content, and 46 per cent of marketers claim that imagery is a vital element of their marketing strategies. Perhaps most importantly, studies have revealed that content accompanied by relevant images achieves 94 per cent more views than content that has no imagery alongside it.

You might be forgiven for thinking that advertising is not suitable for charities, but you would be wrong. Charities need to raise awareness about the problems they address and raise money to help address them and they could not do this without engaging in some form of advertising.

For example, an advert that alerts women to what they should be looking for in the case of breast cancer is not selling a product, it is raising awareness, yet it is still advertising for the charity. That particular campaign, admittedly, used text to get the attention of its readers, but it worked because the headline was sufficiently alarming to do that.

Other charity appeals use heartbreaking images to draw attention, such as the RSPCA’s use of an image of an adorable, yet sad-looking dog to raise money to combat abuse of animals. The idea was that readers’ eyes would firstly be drawn by the picture of the dog and then be compelled to read the text that provided further information.

Penny Appeal is another charity that teams relevant imagery with succinct copy. Its charity appeals often feature the faces of individuals alongside a snappy appeal headline, such as the OrphanKind appeal, or a computer-generated graphic, such as the Education First appeal.

But it is important to get the imagery right. Unlike commercial advertising, which always likes to present a positive spin to whatever product or service is being sold, charities often use a negative image to tug at the heartstrings. There is no proof, however, that even in charitable appeals negative images work better than positive ones.

The key in such instances is to ensure that the image is relevant to the campaign and to the wording. The image has to be telling part of the same story as the copy. If it does not do this, then negative or positive, the advert will not be successful. Also, the image has to be, or at least appear to be, real. Any image that appears faked in some way on a charitable appeal will raise doubt in the mind of the reader about its authenticity and so discourage them from donating.

So what should a good fundraising advert include? Well, it’s generally accepted that colour works better in black and white, but as with anything, there are exceptions to this rule. The use of people in advert imagery works better than objects, and one person is better because it provides a focus for the reader, especially if that person is looking out of the image and at the reader. The biggest no-no in any charitable appeal is the use of stock photography, as this is unlikely to be directly relevant to the story being told.

Studies have proven that, when it comes to raising awareness, engaging people’s attentions, and ultimately raising money for a particular course, there is nothing to rival the power of the image. Charities need to embrace the opportunities that the online world offers by developing appeal campaigns that have imagery at their core.

Finding the perfect shot is never easy, but when you’ve got a crowd of people, unexpected movements and poor lighting to deal with it can be even tougher. Live events, whether it’s a concert or a sporting showdown, offer some great opportunities to capture an inspiring shot, but only if you’re prepared.

As with all environments, live events pose their own set of problems. Is it indoors or outdoors? Are there multiple people to focus on or just one? How close can you get to the action? These are just some of the questions you’ll have to ask yourself if you’re prepping for a live event. Of course, there’s never a “one size fits all” set of standards you can follow if you’re looking to whip out your camera at a live event.

Here, we’ve picked out some things you need to consider by analysing two unique environments.

Live Poker Events: Finding Your Target in Bad Light

Since the early noughties, poker tournaments have been mass-participation events with thousands of players riffling chips in unison inside some of the top casinos in the world. One of the biggest problems photographers have when taking pictures inside a poker room is the lighting. The lack of windows and therefore natural light makes them dim in places. This problem is compounded by the fact you can’t use a flash inside the building.

To counter this, it’s important to turn up the ISO on your camera and, if possible, uses lenses with an aperture of 2.8 or less. Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, you then need to find your target. Live poker tournaments are a mixture of amateur qualifiers and established pros, which means you need to know what you’re looking for before you start.

A Stage Show: Know the Action, Know Your Position

Assuming you’re permitted to take pictures inside a theatre, the one obstacle you’ll have to overcome is privacy. Stage shows, such as a play, place the audience in darkness for a reason: they want each individual to feel as though they are alone with nothing between them and the well-lit stage.

Breaking this dynamic is a no-no for everyone involved which means you can’t overstep the mark as a photographer. Unsurprisingly, you won’t be able to use your flash, but the main challenge you’ll face is the angle of your shot. Getting into a position where you can capture the full panorama of the action without disturbing the audience or actors isn’t easy.

One tip you can use to improve your images is to use a long lens. Anything within the 70mm to 200mm range (Canon’s EF f/2.8L II USM is a good option) should help you improve your reach and allow you to snap away from almost any angle. Another way to increase your chances of taking the perfect photo is to anticipate the action.

Just as it is important to memorise who your targets are at a poker tournament, it pays to know the running order of a play. Having an understanding of the action will allow you to manoeuvre yourself closer to the stage when it will have the least impact on the audience and then retreat when necessary.

Dynamics Are As Important as Equipment

As you can see from these two examples, taking the perfect shot at a live event is as much about your equipment as your own positioning. Knowing the context of your surroundings, where the best shots will be and what the mood of the situation is will all help you to tailor your strategy in the most appropriate way.

In fact, that’s probably the most important lesson you need to learn when you’re photographing a live event. Getting the technical information is easy enough, but having a clear understanding of what’s going on around you, what you’re permitted to do and how the action will flow are the things that will really make your shots pop.