When It Comes to Landscape Photography and Fujifilm, Use These Lenses

These Fujifilm lenses, when paired with any Fujifilm X mount camera, will give you the results you want when it comes to landscape photography.

When is the best time for landscape photography? Anytime is the best time for landscape photography! And if you have a Fujifilm camera and want to capture the splendor of the world around you, this roundup will help you. There are a ton of great Fujifilm lenses on the market, but when it comes to landscape photography, these are the cream of the crop. Join us after the break to see which Fujifilm lenses we recommend for landscape photography.

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Replace Your Canon Kit Lenses with These Great, Yet Affordable Lenses

Kit lenses are okay for a while, but you’ll be amazed at how much your images will improve with these affordable lenses.

If you got your hands on a Canon camera over the holidays, there’s a good chance it came packaged with a kit lens or two. These kit lenses are great for a little while, but you will soon find they can hold you and your creative side back rather quickly. We have put together a shortlist of affordable lenses (first and third party options) for Canon cameras that won’t put a hole in your wallet and will seriously impress you. Check them out after the break.

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Why Photographers Should Go Shooting with Each Other on Photowalks

If you’re going on a photo walk, then there is a strong chance you’re doing it for fun or trying to clear your mind.

Sometimes I think photographers (especially professionals) do too much to harm one another in fears of competition instead of working to boost one another. But after years of photo walking, I can’t begin to tell you how much enlightenment I’ve gained from talking to others and spread in kind. Of course, it requires breaks and some time to pass between walks, or at least a variety of people to walk with, but we can truly help one another. With all of this should be candidness and transparency with one another. Above all, I think what is required is good intentions with one another.

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A Portrait Photographer’s Guide to Finding New Models to Photograph

Photographing new subjects regularly is an important part of growing as a portrait photographer.

Photography can often feel like a solitary pursuit, but certain genres of photography, particularly those that involve the making of portraits, intrinsically involve photographers working with others as our subjects. As a photographer who shoots a lot of commercial portraits, one of the questions I am often asked by photographers starting out is how I go about finding new subjects to work with. Obviously, a lot of the people I photograph are clients in need of new headshots or various types of portraiture work who seek me out or have been referred to me for my services. For my personal projects, I tend to be the one who reaches out to models. I’m a firm believer that photographing new subjects regularly is an integral and necessary part of developing and honing a critical skillset in being a good portrait photographer. Additionally, it plays a crucial part in staying creative by allowing the exploration of new concepts and experimentaation with new techniques. As it is with most things in life, the more extensive your experience, the better the quality of your portfolio, and the broader your connections are in the photography industry, the easier it will be for you to find new models to photograph. Here are some suggestions you may find useful.

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Bokeh Beasts: You’ll Fall in Love with These 135mm Lenses for Portraits

135mm lenses are unmatched when it comes to sharpness and the levels of bokeh they can produce.

There are lots of different lenses on the market that can be used for portrait photography, and, of course, each photographer has their own preference. Some photographers may prefer to use primes like a 35mm, a 50mm, or an 85mm, and some would prefer to use lenses like a 70-200mm f2.8, but what if we told you there is a Goldilocks lens when it comes to portraits? 135mm lenses are quite possibly the best lenses to use for portraits thanks to their unmatched sharpness, the amount of compression they can give, and of course, the gorgeous bokeh they can produce. After the break, we will take a look at seven 135mm lenses we think deserve a closer look.

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Josué Rivas Uses His Fujifilm GFX 100 to Tell Stories of Indigenous Folks

All images by Josué Rivas. Used with permission.

“Making images has allowed me to see people as full people,” says Josué Rivas in our interview. “We all carry light and also darkness, I’m always curious about the shadows in our stories. In my experience, when we are able to be vulnerable, then we see the light in ourselves and others.” These are some of Josué’s sources of inspiration. Beyond that, our interview with him delved into the necessity for diverse representation–an element he often explores. He also shared more details with us about how he uses his camera to further this endeavor, and how he found his way into photography.

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The Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses For the New Photographer

There were some great deals on M4/3 cameras over the holidays. If you got one, check out these affordable Micro Four Thirds Lenses.

Micro Four Thirds cameras don’t get a lot of love these days thanks to the arrival of incredibly affordable and feature-packed Full Frame and APS-cameras, but the platform still shouldn’t be overlooked. There are some terrific cameras from both Olympus and Panasonic that can be used by hobbyists, travelers, and professionals alike (I use one along with an APS-C camera as do many other pro photogs). There are also some tremendous Micro Four Thirds lenses out there that don’t cost a fortune. If you’re looking to expand your library of Micro Four Thirds lenses, but aren’t sure where to start and don’t want to spend over four figures on lenses, this roundup is for you.

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Looking for a 70-200mm Lens? We Like These, and You Will Too!

If you’re looking for glass that will have your back in multiple scenarios, take a closer look at 70-200mm lenses.

There are a few types of lenses that can be considered multi-tools thanks to them hitting the sweet spot(s) when it comes to focal ranges. Lenses in the 15-30mm range are great for multiple genres of photography from landscapes to environmental portraits, 35mm lenses are Goldilocks lenses great for just about everything, and the last multi-tool lens are 70-200mm lenses. Whether you shoot landscapes, portraits, events, weddings, sports, documentary photography, or you’re a photojournalist, the 70-200mm is one lens that should be part of your kit. After the break, we will share some 70-200mm lenses that will have your back no matter what.

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If You Just Got Your First Sony Camera, Check Out These E Mount Lenses

e mount lenses

If you got your hands on a Sony camera over the holidays and you aren’t sure which E Mount lenses to reach for first, this roundup is for you.

If you are new to the world of Sony cameras, you should know that there are some genuinely fantastic E Mount lenses available on the market. But, it can be hard to tell if you should stick with first-party lenses, or branch out and try third-party offerings as well. We’re here to tell you that’s it’s hard to go wrong with either. Sony and companies like Rokinon, Sigma, and Tamron have been producing absolute gems for Sony cameras. While there aren’t as many quality options under $1,000 when compared to Fujifilm, Canon, and Nikon lens markets, the lenses available make up for the low numbers with their outstanding quality. After the break, we share with you eight lenses that Sony shooters should take a closer look at.

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The Difference Between a Model and a “Good Looking Face”

Just because someone is good looking doesn’t mean they’ll make a great model.

The woman in the photo above is an agency model, and on a Tamron press outing years ago did a great job working with a number of journalists. But, it brings up something very important in the industry: photographers need to understand that someone being good looking doesn’t mean they’d be a great model. This advice is more so targeted to novice photographers. While it may be nice to ask someone you met on Instagram to pose for you, that doesn’t guarantee a great encounter. Much of this is evident in the images in a portfolio.

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5 Cameras That Pull Double Duty for Hybrid Shooters (Photo and Video)

Hybrid shooters need cameras that can excel at both photography and videography, and the cameras listed here do just that.

Long gone are the days when cameras were made just for photography. While there are some cameras that focus on either videography only or photography only, they are few and far between. Nowadays, we are presented with options from camera manufacturers that can do both well, which no doubt pleases hybrid shooters to no end. Cameras are now judged on both their stills abilities and their video capabilities too. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at five cameras perfect for hybrid shooters that need both great stills and video options in one body.

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Just Got Your First Fujifilm Camera? Check Out These X Mount Lenses

fujifilm lenses

Congrats on getting your first Fujifilm camera, you’re going to love it. But, if you want to get more out of it, check out these affordable X mount lenses.

There are a ton of great Fujifilm cameras on the market, and if you just got your hands on any one of them over the holidays, you will no doubt love using it. As with any camera system, the lenses you use will play a more significant role in how good your images will be, and thankfully there are dozens of excellent X mount lenses available. The X mount lenses we listed in this roundup are perfect for photographers looking to expand their lens library without breaking the bank. Don’t let the low prices fool you, though. These X mount lenses punch well above their price point. After the break, check out the first X mount lenses you should try.

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How Can a 62-Year Old Grandpa Find Women to Photograph Without Seeming Creepy?

This is a syndicated blog post on OnPortraits.com. Be sure to sign up for their mailing list, tutorials and follow them on Instagram.

Dear Mike,

I am a 62-year old male Grandpa and amateur landscape photographer. I would like to try portraits. How can a guy like me find young or even older women to pose, without seeming to be a letch? I don’t have money to pay for models.

-Dave

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Apple, Google, Huawei and Samsung: The Real Competitors of Traditional Cameras

Canon, Nikon, Sony, and the rest need to stop worrying about each other, at least for the moment.

There is a very big problem in the world of manufacturing and cameras and it isn’t the camera makers themselves. It’s phones. Over the past 10 years, camera manufacturers have backed themselves into a very awkward corner for product development. At first, phones came for smaller, compact cameras. Then, over the years, they’ve come for the bigger sensor options with full on marketing campaigns saying you don’t need a DSLR for a larger sensor camera. Of course, some of us know better. But those who know are in a very small minority of consumers. Heck, most folks don’t know what aperture is and they quite frankly don’t care. They look at a DSLR or a mirrorless camera and they worry about Auto mode, and that’s it.

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8 Versatile 35mm Lenses That First Time Prime Buyers Should Consider

35mm lenses may be the most versatile primes you can get your hands on.

There’s a good chance that, if you recently got your first camera, or have been using your first camera for a while and grown tired of the kit lens it came with, you’ve already started looking into the vast world of lenses. If you were to ask a seasoned photographer which lens to buy first, the response you’re most likely to get would be a 50mm f1.8. While that would be a good choice, we don’t think it’s the best. 35mm lenses are more versatile than nifty fifty’s and they incredibly affordable. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at 35mm lenses that all first-time prime buyers should take a closer look at.

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7 Unique Lenses That Will Get Your Creative Juices Flowing in 2020

unique lenses

These unique lenses will help you be more creative and set your work apart from the masses in 2020.

It seems as though most lenses hitting the streets these days are going for absolute perfection when it comes to sharpness, clarity, distortion control, and bokeh. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it can lead to a lot of lenses that produce the same type of results. So how can we make our work stand out from the rest? One easy way is to use unique lenses like the ones in this roundup. These unique lenses aren’t afraid to be different, and they will make your work stand out from the crowd. Join us after the break to see some of our favorite unique lenses.

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Opinion: Ansel Adams Was More of a Chemist Than a Photographer

Photographer Ansel Adams specialized in landscapes and the development process–and less so on the art of photography.

This piece is written after some very careful thinking about Ansel Adams. He’s a celebrated photographer who took a lot of photos during his time. But, what made him famous more than anything else could perhaps be his development process and his prints. He’s one of the creators of the Zone system, and that translated into the work he conducted in the darkroom. But think carefully: what makes his work different than someone who specialized in laboratory work? Surely, anyone could have shot these same photos, right? But not everyone could have developed the images to be the same, which further means that without the process he created in the darkroom, his images wouldn’t have been anything special.

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10 Most Popular Pieces of Photography Gear Among Our Readers in 2019

There are a couple of surprises in the top 10 pieces of photography gear our readers purchased this year.

2019 has been an excellent year for those who love seeing new photography gear hit the streets. There have been many pieces of photography gear that have warmed our hearts in 2019, including the excellent Fujifilm X-Pro 3, and Sony’s Megapixel monster – the A7R IV. These two cameras made the top 10 list, as you would expect, but they are joined by other photography gear that may surprise you. Join us after the break to see what cameras, lenses, and lights were popular among our readers in 2019.

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3 Leica Cameras to Buy and Experience Before Their Prices Increase

If you’ve been eyeing the M10 series of Leica cameras and you want to save yourself a huge chunk of change, act fast and beat the price hikes.

If you missed the recent news about the upcoming price hikes on certain Leica cameras and lenses, we will fill you in. Thanks to a U.S. imposed 25% import tax on products from Germany that go into effect on January 1st, 2020, certain Leica cameras and lenses will see a significant price bump. Leica cameras aren’t cheap to begin with, but if you have been eyeing the M10 series, you might want to grab your wallet and buy one now. After the break, we will share our thoughts on three Leica cameras that seriously impress, but that will fall victim to the upcoming import tax.

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Which Canon Camera Is Right for You? The Answers Are Clear Now

Canon cameras - Eos RP

There are Canon cameras for every type of photographer, and this roundup will make it easy to see which one is right for you.

Canon has been in the camera making business for a very long time. Because of this, they have a strong lineup of cameras that suit many different types of photographers. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at which Canon cameras are the best for different kinds of photographers, and we’ll see which lens pairs up perfectly with each Canon camera.

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Using the Zenit 85mm F1.4 for Natural Light Portrait Photography

Using the Zenit 85mm f1.4 on the Canon EOS R was challenging and interesting.

When it comes to using manual focus lenses like the Zenit 85mm f1.4, you really need a tripod or a monopod to make the most of it. It’s a longer focal length and that requires manual focus. When you do that, the simple nature of turning the battel means you’re going to stabilize the whole scene. That’s what I encountered with the Zenit 85mm f1.4 while using it. And unfortunately, it doesn’t have AF/AE contacts. This would have helped alleviate the issue as the Canon EOS R has arguably the best focus peaking and manual focus assistance in the industry.

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