How to Use the Leica SL2-S for Photojournalism: A Guide

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The Leica SL2-S has quickly become one of my favorite cameras. It’s got character, it feels great, and more importantly, it’s far different than all other cameras on the market. If a lot of cameras on the market are boring you, then the Leica SL2-S is probably what you want. It’s one of the reasons I picked it up. I’ve been using it for almost a year for various tests and shoots. I really like it.

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How to Ask a Stranger for a Portrait. The Psychology of Street Portraits

It starts out with an understanding that we’re all human beings, and it’s not all that difficult.

Fact: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Asking a stranger for a portrait isn’t as difficult as it seems. And like anything, you sometimes just need to prep for it. But a few bad photographers have given the rest of us a horrible reputation. In truth, it’s not hard to ask someone for their portrait. Sometimes they’ll say no, and other times they’ll say yes. But it’s the approach that matters. We’re going to quickly run through that in this article.

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Should You Really Use a Macro Lens for Portrait Photography?

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There are lots of photographers who have used 90mm macro lenses for portrait photography over the years. Logically speaking, it just makes sense. Most macro lenses are handy. In fact, they’re arguably the most useful lenses because of everything they can do. But some Macro lenses are better than others. We’ve tested loads of Macro lenses, and in many situations, we’ve used them for portraits, macro photography, and a lot more. In our search engine, folks were wondering if these lenses are great for portrait photography. So let’s go through it.

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Canon Picture Styles Help You Make Your Images Less Boring

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Canon cameras are pretty great at what they do. But sometimes they stick to a very old-school idea of perfection in their images (well, their sensors do). And if you use cameras from Panasonic, Olympus, or Fujifilm, it’s easy to get spoiled with the unique image quality. But lots of folks forget you can tweak Picture Styles in the Canon menu. What’s more, that image quality will mostly translate into the RAW files. So you can tweak as much as you’d like and still enjoy what comes out. In my explorations, I’ve tried to find ways to make the images look like a film stock of some sort, and have come pretty close to Fujifilm Superia. Here’s what I did.

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How to Shoot Better Portraits with Your APS-C Camera

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The world loves to hate on APS-C cameras. But I think the hate is often misplaced and wrong. APS-C cameras can do a wonderful job with image quality. More importantly, they’re usually some of the leading options for press photographers. Because you folks were curious about this and put it into our search engine, we’re helping you get better portraits with an APS-C camera. Take a look and our tips, and hopefully you’ll find them helpful.

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Sick of High ISO Noise in Your Photos? Here are Solutions

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The biggest problem with high megapixel cameras is how they perform in low light. Many have high ISO noise that just isn’t that sightly. Granted, they’ve also done a great job controlling it. So if you want to get rid of high ISO noise without even using editing software, take a look at this guide below. 

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You’re Doing It Wrong. Choosing the Best Camera Strap

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Fact: most photographers tend to stick with the stock camera strap they get from the camera manufacturer. In most cases, this couldn’t be any more wrong. It’s convenient for sure, but manufacturer camera straps are often some of the worst we’ve used. They’re not good for a variety of situations, and they’re often uncomfortable. But in most cases, they’re also just plain ugly. Luckily, we’ve been reviewing camera straps for well over a decade. And we probably have the most reviewed of any credible publication. So we’re going to do a deep dive into camera straps and satiate your curiosity.

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How Street Photography Puts You More in Touch with Your Emotions

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If you shoot street photography, you probably know this already. But if you’re a city dweller, you probably are desensitized to a lot that happens all around you. That’s how I used to be. If you’re really into street photography, though, you begin to realize that the best images are of emotional moments. So, you need to rewire your brain to be more vulnerable to them. The tough part is that you’ll innately react to them, and you need to wire your brain to photograph them instead. That’s difficult.

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How to Photograph the Sunset with Beautiful Results (for Beginners)

Photograph the sunset with some of the gear you already have and get beautiful images every time.

It’s that time again! Are you ready to photograph the sunset? We are too! It’s always an exhilarating time to make it happen, but how do you do it? Well, we’ve got a great tutorial just for you. If you’re using a smartphone, this will help. If you’re using a dedicated camera, we’re going to make you think totally different. Are you ready?

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Intentional Camera Shake: How to Make Paintings Using Your Camera

Making your photos look like paintings is pretty simple to do.

We do more than enough capturing. It’s truly time for photographers to start creating rather than capturing. One easy place to start is with in-camera paintings. If you do light painting, this is sort of that idea. But in this case, we’re embracing the flaws of camera shake. The photo industry does so much to prevent it. But the thing is that we’re engineering the fun out of photography. So if you want to make paintings using your camera, try this. You’ll have so much fun!

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Fast Aperture Lenses Are Great for More Than Just the Bokeh

Bokeh is what we often think about for fast aperture lenses, but remember they have way more uses than just that!

The truth is that experienced, passionate photographers know a lot better. We know bokeh isn’t the only reason to choose a fast aperture lens, but it’s a major reason. If you’re a Leica shooter, then chances are you’ve got more sense than this. But if you shoot with any other system, you’ll go for the fastest lens possible. We don’t need them per se. Personally speaking, I don’t own a single Sony lens faster than f1.8. And truer than that, you probably aren’t using fast aperture lenses to their fullest effects. So let’s dive into that.

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Creating Long Exposures with a Phone Has Never Been Easier

The Sony Xperia 1 II makes long exposures a piece of cake.

Long exposure photography is a genre that once required big, bulky cameras. Now, you can create jaw-dropping long exposures with nothing but a phone. The Sony Xperia 1 II is a smartphone with the abilities of Sony Alpha cameras. including a manual mode. These features make creating long exposures incredibly easy. After the break, we’ll show you how to capture stunning long exposures using nothing but the Sony Xperia 1 II.

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Astrophotography Basics That Will Serve Newcomers Well This Season

Astrophotography is incredibly fun, and capturing subjects like the Milky Way is easier than you think.

Have you ever wanted to capture stunning pictures of the night sky but weren’t really sure what you need to do? If so, this beginner’s guide to astrophotography is for you. This quick guide will look at astrophotography basics and cover things such as camera settings and the 500 rule. We’ll also take a quick look at how to plan your shoot and how to stack images. So, if you’re ready to try your hand at astrophotography, head on past the break.

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A Simple Camera Trick Can Get You the Blade Runner Look You Love

If you’re looking for the Blade Runner look, it’s all about tweaking a simple camera setting.

Of course, it depends on what generation you belong to, but the Blade Runner look is still something often copied. Folks love it! And we too admit it’s entertaining. There are two variations of the look. Arguably, the older and more classic look has defined lots of fantasy. You can surely do it all in post-production, but you’ll spend a lot less time at a computer editing if you just understand how it works in the first place.

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3 Helpful Tips on Using a 50mm Lens on an APS-C Camera

The nifty 50 lens is wonderful for so many photographers out there.

The 50mm lens is a place where so many photographers start. They get one and figure out if they want to go wider, longer, or use a zoom. Most folks opt for APS-C cameras for a cost savings benefit. And if you’re going for one of those, then you’ll probably reach for a 50mm lens. So we’ve come up with a few tips to remember when shooting with a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera.

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How to Get Better High ISO Images from Your Camera and Smartphone

If you’re having trouble shooting photos in low light and getting bad high ISO images, then consider the following.

Since the inception of digital photography, manufacturers have turned high ISO capabilities into a war. It’s typically those weird specks, grain, or discolored images that you see. Getting rid of it arguably started many years ago when Canon introduced the Canon 40D and the Canon 5D. Nikon took it further with the Nikon D300, D3, and the D700. Then everyone else jumped into the game. And as megapixel counts have gone up, the problem with high ISO noise has continued. We’ve compiled our expertise from shooting for over a decade into this one blog post to tell you folks really clearly how you can get better high ISO images.

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How to Shoot Photography While Quarantined with the Gear You Have

We’re not going anywhere for a long time, so try these.

We know you’re quarantined for the foreseeable future. But that doesn’t mean you need to put the camera down. Instead, this is a great time to shoot and embrace all the fun you can have with it. Trying something new helps us grow. So we came up with a few photography project ideas on what to do while quarantined. Check this out!

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The Big Mistake Portrait Photographers Make That Could Cost Them

Light stands are essential for photographers, but so too are the support items.

Years ago, I had a roommate that asked me to shoot portraits for him. Typically, this is just fine. He’s a friend. He’s not a bad guy. It’s fine. “Hey Chris, I need a new photo right now,” he said. After I questioned why he explained that a ton of women was on the dating apps at the time. Mind you, it was a few days after Hurricane Sandy ended. It was very windy too. So my roommate and I walked across the street to take a specific photo of him. We chose a wardrobe beforehand, planned it out, and set to work. I didn’t think it would end up costing me a trip to the hospital. Photographers, don’t make the same mistake.

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Three Methods You Can Use to Create Photos Instead of Capture Them

Stop simply capturing images and start creating them; this is how you’ll put your unique stamp on your photos.

Everyone always talks about capturing images, but not about creating them. We can create in Photoshop, but so too can anyone else. It’s my firm belief that creating in camera is the best way as it means the photographer took all the methods and steps to create a photo organically rather than by compositing, layering, etc. in post-production which makes a photographer a better photo editor than a photographer. Though this idea could be controversial, these methods aren’t in use much because everyone is afraid of them. So, why not try them?

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What to Do With Your 85mm Lens. A Guide for New Photographers

The 85mm lens is more a lot more than just portraits.

Lots of folks think that 85mm lenses can only do one thing. But that’s wrong. It’s not as wide as a 50mm or a 35mm, but they can do a whole lot. However, most people buy 85mm lenses just for portrait photography. Indeed, it’s great for this. It flattens a person’s profile very well and makes them look flattering. The truth is, though, that the 85mm lens is very versatile. And you can do a whole lot with it. We’re going to break those down in our roundup.

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Leica, Voigtlander or Zeiss: Answering the Questions You Should Know

Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtlander have long been three companies that really compete with one another.

I’ve been considering writing this article for a long time: I know it’s information that someone will want. In the battle between Zeiss, Leica, and Voigtlander, it can be tough to figure out which is the best option. There are many different parameters, and you can always consider which one is best for you and your needs. Each lens manufacturer makes a variety of options for the market, and each one also makes excellent optics overall. In many circles, they’re seen as overpriced in comparison to the Asian made optics. But after years of testing and owning lenses from all of these brands, I’ll tell you that each of them has something unique to them. The right one for you just depends on your needs.

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