This opinion piece is written with some very careful thought about Ansel Adams that I’ve had in my mind for a long time now. He’s a celebrated photographer, and he indeed took a lot of photos during his time. But what really made him famous more than anything else could perhaps be his prints and the development process that came about it all. 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 so much different than that of someone else 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 thing–which further means that without this process that he created in the darkroom, his images wouldn’t have been anything special.
With drone photography becoming more and more popular in the last few years, photographers are also becoming more and more willing to get creative and experimental with their projects. So, if you’ve been looking for tips to improve your drone photography and make the process easier for you, today’s photography cheat sheet features 10 useful ones you have to try today.
Though one can argue that they can get the look of chrome film by applying any sort of chrome-like preset to their images, I’d state that you’d be very wrong. Shooting chrome films is arguably the truest form of photography in my mind: you shoot an image and then go develop it. Whatever you get is what you get. It’s stupid to try to push or pull a chrome; you have to work with what you get from the camera on the front try. Some of the best photographers today shoot the same way that they did years ago: like they were shooting chromes.
If you read or look at a number of tutorials on zone focusing, you’ll see more or less lots of the same things about how to do it. But understanding the reasoning behind it all is much different. Zone focusing was used for many years before autofocus was invented and helped a number of photographers capture iconic images that still influence photographers today. It also aided with the creation of some very famous portraits. And with autofocus being the primary use case for many lenses and cameras out there, the practice of zone focusing belongs to a niche culture of photographers. Arguably, it can be much faster than autofocus in the hands of a skilled photographer. And best of all, it’s usually very reliable.
The last time Olympus introduced a new camera body in their E-M5 product line was back in February of 2015, more than four and a half years ago. To say that the E-M5 series was long overdue for an update would be quite an understatement. At long last, Olympus finally introduced the OM-D E-M5 Mark III earlier this year. Like the outgoing Mark II model, the EM5 Mark III is compact, lightweight, and features excellent weather sealing. The refreshed EM5 Mark III features the 20 MP Live MOS sensor, TurePic VIII Image Processor, and the same 121-point Phase Detection Autofocus System that we’ve previously seen within the EM1 Mark II, itself a now three-year-old camera. Was this update worth the four and a half year-long wait?
2019 has been an excellent year for those who love seeing new photography gear hit the streets. There are 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.
“Lucky for me they never asked to see a portfolio because unbeknownst to them, I had just purchased my first digital SLR only a month before,” explains Glenn Batkin to us about how he got into photography. This sense of adventure sets the tone for the experimental playfulness that we find throughout his series on butterflies. Glenn is an NYC based photographer and has been shooting for over a decade. His work is mostly documentary-based, and these days he identifies as a street photographer. When you’re used to reacting to things happening in front of you, it seems that photographing a subject like a butterfly could be almost too easy. But Glenn does it masterfully in a way that we’ve never really seen before.
If you’re still on the hunt for excellent camera deals, and maybe need to pick up a light on the cheap, read on. The Canon EOS R with a Godox V1 round head flash is still just $1,499, and Canon 5D4 with the same flash is only $1,999, and the EOS RP is only $999. The Nikon D850 with Godox V1 is $2,796.95, and the new Nikon Z50 with two lenses is just $1,196.95. Sony’s A7 II is $898, the A7R II with a lens is $1,498, and the A7 III with a huge accessory kit is $1,798. The Godox/Flashpoint V1 can also still be yours for $159 (multiple platforms), and the Fotopro iSpeedy F64 tripod with ball head has a discount of over $179, which makes it just $99.99. Come and see all of the camera deals and more after the break.
Last Chance! The Gift of Giving Away package is full of photography prizes we know you want! Enter now to get your hands on a bunch of photography prizes totaling over $3,000 in value. We are sharing the chance to win prizes such as a Fujifilm X-T3, a Tamron 18-400mm Di VC HLD lens, and …
If you recently purchased, or received a DJI Mavic Mini, and had wished that there were some lens filters that you could use on its capable camera, you’re going to love this news. Earlier this week, Tiffen announced that they would be releasing two kits of lens filters for the spiffy little drone, which should help you get even more out of your flying camera. Join us after the break to find out more details