This Smartphone Makes Pet Photography Easier Than Ever

The Sony Xperia 1 II makes it easier than ever to capture forever memories of your fur babies.

Pet photography is increasing in popularity all the time. We all love capturing forever memories of our pets, but sometimes we just don’t want to drag out all our pro gear. Well, what if we told anyone can create pro-quality pet images with a smartphone? It’s true. You can. Smartphone camera technology is pushing boundaries these days. The Sony Xperia 1 II is the most traditional camera-like smartphone we’ve put our hands on. After the break, we’ll show you how the Xperia 1 II can be used to create stunning shots of your furry friends that can then be shared instantly with the world.

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How Abhishek Yellapu Found the Perfect Pocket Camera

All images by Abhishek Yellapu. Used with permission.

“The camera really helps focus my energy in a way that is calming yet exciting for me,” explains photographer Abhishek Yellapu to us in an interview. “I took a few long exposure shots (with an ND filter held up to the phone’s camera lenses), and they were pretty impressive, never would have imagined taking decent long exposure shots with a phone camera.” Abhishek isn’t necessarily new to photography. In fact, it’s in his family’s blood. But he’s in love with his Sony Xperia 1 II. As his companion camera, it’s helped him document so many of his fun activities through life.

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Printing Your Images and Making Them Look Good In Your Home Is Easy

Everybody deserves to see their images printed and hung in their home, and FUJIFILM Wonder Photo Shop can help make that happen affordably.

The digital age has brought the world of photography many wonderful things. The instant gratification of seeing our images on the back of our cameras and being able to share images online in a snap are both great. Unfortunately, though, the digital times have seen us step further away from printing our images, and that’s a huge shame. Honestly, there’s nothing better than seeing your images in physical form. The great news is that now, it’s easier than ever to get your images printed and looking their best in your home, thanks to FUJIFILM Wonder Photo Shop. And we’re here to help you get your images print-ready.

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This Phone Does Street Photography The Justice It’s Needed

Street photography has really needed a more serious smartphone, and the Sony Xperia 1 II is just the item.

Street photography is one of the best ways for people to explore their city. When you’re traveling, it can help you understand what’s going on around you. And the Sony Xperia 1 II does that better than other phones. Sony created the phone from the ground up for the photography experience. Of any that we’ve used on the market, this one has surprised us the most. If you shoot street photography, then pay attention to this.

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How Matthew James Fell in Love With Astrophotography

All images by Matthew James. Used with permission.

Matthew James is a passionate photographer based in the UK. Like many of us, he’s been bored in the pandemic. But he’s found a lot of joy in taking photos. For Matt, all he needs is his Sony Xperia 1 II. Sony has gifted photographers with a smartphone that can do almost everything. With roots in their Alpha camera lineup, it’s a potent tool. In fact, it’s so powerful that Astrophotography is possible with the device.

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Timothy Ozimec Shot Beautiful Milky Way Photos with Sony Xperia 1 II

Learn more about great Xperia Trade-In offers here.

“…it’s like I’m uncovering the secrets of the universe and seeing the impossible,” says passionate photographer Timothy Ozimec. “What appears to the naked eye as a few hundred white dots in a black sky are revealed to be a veritable sea of stars among the cosmic latte plane of the Milky Way.” What’s more, Tim gets these images using the Sony Xperia 1 II smartphone, announced earlier this year. It’s opened his eyes to what could be possible with a more serious camera.

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How Black and White Photography Gives Your Work New Life

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify!

I’m delighted that the world of black and white photography is a more accepted place than it was nearly a decade ago. We’ve come a long way from the days where it was looked at as just a crutch. Instead, it’s a movement. It took the age of Instagram, the analog revival, and the democratization of image-making for it to happen. Though black and white photography was often frowned upon in the photo industry, we can all speak to its importance in history. And more importantly, we can speak to its importance in the arts.

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Capture One Has Been Our Standard for Years. And It Just Got Better

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify!

I’d like to preface with a truly important point: Your editing software is the one true constant in your photography workflow. We often use different cameras, from different brands, lenses, filters, lights and so on, but your software touches every photograph you make, and your images deserve the best. This is just part of the reason why we use Capture One.

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The OneGo Backpack Has Something Passionate Photographers Need

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify!

I’ve lived in cities my entire life. Through my photography and journalism career, I’ve moved between messenger bags and backpacks. Very few camera bags seem to get everything right. Trust me, we’ve reviewed the most of any photo publication. We’ve known about the OneGo backpack for a while now. It addresses the needs of a photographer who lives in the big city. Innovation with camera bags is pretty rare these days, but the OneGo backpack is doing things a bit differently.

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These Lenses Have Beautiful Bokeh That’s Hypnotic

The beautiful bokeh from these lenses will hit you right in the heart! You’ll fall in love all over again!

While easy to get lost in the beautiful bokeh of your lenses, some lenses are just better than others. Lenses like those from Leica combine gorgeous colors with a jaw-dropping out of focus area. Further, there’s something to be said for lining up the shot and getting an idea of how gorgeous the image will be. We dipped into our Reviews Index for a better idea on lenses with hypnotic bokeh. Here are some of our favorites.

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Capture One 21 Speed Edit – The Fastest Way to Your Best Edits

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify!

What is Speed Edit? Speed Edit is a unique to Capture One feature, allowing photographers to edit photos without the need to navigate to any editing tools. Keyboard shortcuts hook up to designated adjustment tools and are then simply adjusted by scrolling your mouse or using another input method like your trackpad or Wacom.

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The Best Lenses to Use with the Beloved Leica M6

The Leica M6 is by far one of the most popular and revered Leica cameras of all time, and these are the lenses we recommend you pair with it.

Many of you know we’ve always had an affinity for film. It’s important that we don’t forget about this tool in photography. Film is something that helps unite passionate photographers everywhere, but more importantly, it’s also at the heart of the Leica M6. This camera is one of the most popular ever made by the company. Lots of folks love it. Choosing the right lens for it can be a bit tough, so we’re sharing our experiences with some of our favorites.

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The Wonderful Winners of the GuruShots Beach Days Contest

Those who miss the warm colors of beach sunsets will adore these photos from the GuruShots Beach Days contest.

The beach is a wonderful place to shoot photos–especially long exposures. The views from above, using drones and black and white, can be wonderful. But most of all, some of the best shots we’ve seen are from the Golden Hour. GuruShots just finished their latest photo challenge and we’re ready to present the winners. For the best viewing experience, we recommend that you grab a cup of coffee and scroll through the images on your desktop. Or curl up with your laptop, sit back, and take in these shots.

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How I Got Rid of One of My Favorite Cameras

Get rid of your GAS and ensure that your unused camera gear will have a good home.

Ask yourself: what camera gear do you really need? What camera gear that you own are you truly passionate about? Lots of us have GAS: otherwise known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome. We all get it. In some ways, a photography hobby is sometimes like spring cleaning. It’s good to check in every now and again to figure out what you really need. If I didn’t have this job, I’d sell all my Sony gear. Then I’d try to figure out whether I should stick with my Canon or Fuji system. I did this recently with some of my cameras. It was wonderful to see my Fujifilm XT2 every day on the shelf until I noticed the thin layer of dust around it. Now, I personally own fewer cameras, and I use all of them! Selling cameras that you don’t need is important, and we often feel better about ourselves when we do. Better yet, knowing that the gear will probably go to a good home gives you a heartwarming feeling. Enter MPB!

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7 Gorgeous Lenses for Street Photographers Who Zone Focus

Zone focus is everything for street photographers, and these are some of our favorite lenses for it.

For years, photographers have taken to the streets with their Leica in hand. With elegance and respect for their subjects, they’ve documented daily life. There’s something romantic about capturing the moment as it happens around you. Being an observer and having a camera with you can facilitate beautiful conversations. And zone focus can help you get the photos you want with ease. The most skilled street photographers are faster than a camera’s autofocus. They combine hypersensitivity with foresight. And most of all, they never let a lost moment get them down. We’ve spent the past decade reviewing tons of lenses. And here are some of the ones we lust over.

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How the Olympus Pen F Stole This Photographer’s Heart

I had to catch my breath when I looked at the photos.

I remember when I was introduced to the Olympus Pen F before it was officially announced. The Olympus PR reps sold the black and white photo rendition to me very hard. So I shot RAW+JPEG with it just in case. But as the trip went on, all I cared about were the stunning black and white photos. As the Editor in Chief of a photography blog, it’s my job to test products how they’re meant to be used. Tech publications won’t usually do that. But this was the first time I saw even the editors of tech publications be surprised by the image quality. Paired with the beautiful Voigtlander 17mm f0.95 lens, it felt nearly impossible to take a bad photo with the Olympus Pen F.

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How Passionate Photographers Stay Sane During the Pandemic

It’s easy to see how difficult it’s been for many photographers.

Fact: tons of people are bored in the 2020 pandemic. Many took on a new hobby that they’ve meant to get into for a while. And amazingly, sales of photo equipment and services enjoyed a surprising increase. Photography is a great hobby. While stuck at home, lots of new, passionate photographers started cutting their teeth. The more experienced creatives embraced this new freedom and spread their wings. Some of us got new lenses. Others headed into the woods. But no matter what, most of us kept shooting. And here’s some of the gear that kept passionate photographers sane during the 2020 pandemic.

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How Shooting Cityscapes with Manual Lenses Makes You Better

The manual lenses from Samyang and Rokinon can organically make you a better photographer.

On last week’s episode of Pro Camera Reviews, we showed viewers a special segment on manual focus lenses. Chris has long been enamored with them. He and Brett believe that you can make you a better photographer. With manual lenses, you end up putting more time and careful thought into the image taking process. So here are our extended thoughts on Shooting Cityscapes.

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Photographers Will Love Using the OneMo Backpack on Their Next Hike

PGYTECH’s OneMo Backpack is a versatile option for adventurous photographers in need of a bag that will keep up with them all day long.

As photographers, we tend to amass a ton of camera gear over time. While most of us would love to bring all of our equipment with us when traveling, the truth is we rarely need everything in our arsenal. Obviously, it’s a challenge when deciding what gear to bring and what to leave home. The decision becomes harder if you happen to be going on a day-long hike. Not only do you have to decide what to pack, but you’ve got to carry all of it on your back. Fortunately, the OneMo Backpack 25L from PGYTECH is a comfortable, modular, and expandable solution perfect for adventurous photographers preparing for such a trip. While it can’t tell you what you will need for your hike, the OneMo Backpack can undoubtedly help you carry it.

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Look in Awe at the “Life in Black and White” GuruShots Contest Winners

These photos from the GuruShots Life in Black and White contest are going to make you want to grab your camera.

GuruShots just got done with their Life in Black and White photo contest that challenged photographers to share photos with that classic look everyone loves. Black and white photography has always been a huge source of inspiration for lots of us. And many photographers even today only want to shoot in black and white. Lots of folks still want to do the work in post-production. And that’s fine! What matters at the end of it all is how the photo looks. That’s even more important with a contest. So curl up at home and check out the exceptional entries into this contest. For the best viewing experience, we recommend that you grab a cup of coffee and scroll through on your desktop. Or curl up with your laptop, sit back, and take in these shots.

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How to Shoot Better Photos in Cities at Night (And Some Street Tips)

Cities are some of the best places to shoot photos at night, and here’s an infographic giving you a few tips you’ve never heard.

I think that every photographer somehow or another loves to photograph cities at night. They become magical places that suddenly come alive and have specific lighting set so carefully. And they’re gorgeous. The contrast that city lights create draws people in from all across the world. Take Times Square: though it is the bane of every NYer’s existence, people stand and stare in wonder at all that’s around them. One could say the same about many a Rambla in Barcelona. Walk though the streets of Bangkok at night and you’ll see the city come alive like no other.

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