Many of the exemplary architectural photography we’ve seen are done in the style of minimalist and contrasty monochrome, with an emphasis on urban geometry. In his Waterfront Cityscapes series, however, Germany-based Oscar Lopez shows us a more calming take on the tried and tested style by combining long exposures and punchy black and white imagery. If you’re looking for more ideas and inspiration for your next shoot around a harbor city, this body of work makes a great study.
Any photographer that’s spent time in a studio have undoubtedly photographed their subject in front of seamless paper and possibly even a cyclorama. When we look at some of the most iconic portraits throughout history, however, like those captured by contemporary greats like Annie Leibovitz and Mark Seliger or late legends like Irving Penn, you will often find that the subject(s) are placed in front of hand-painted canvas backdrops, lending a timeless, painterly look to the images. In fact, the backdrop that Penn used in many of his portraits was prominently displayed at his namesake centennial exhibit held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art back in 2017. For a long time, these hand-painted backdrops were quite prohibitively priced, out of reach for most photographers. So costly were these backdrops, in fact, that there are specialty rental houses that specialize in renting them out to photo shoots and other productions, but even the rental fees could add up to quite a large sum of money. This is where Europe based backdrop studio Gravity Backdrops comes in, effectively disrupting the existing backdrop business model by offering hand-painted backdrops that match the quality of those available from storied backdrop studios but at a fraction of the cost. In fact, some of the backdrops from Gravity actually costs less to own than it would cost to rent similar backdrops from a rental house. We recently had the opportunity to test out some of Gravity Backdrops’ custom offerings, head on after the jump for our review.
Esteemed photographers like Martin Parr are often the subjects of documentary films and interviews about street photography. But in the brand new video series of the Martin Parr Foundation, he sits down with fellow photographers to talk about their work, inspirations, motivations, and other photography topics. In the latest episode, it’s the turn of fellow Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden to have an insightful “Sofa Session” with Parr.
If you ask any landscape photographer who one of their favorites is, I’m positive that they’d say Ansel Adams with nary enough of them waxing on about how fantastic Varina Patel is. And for portraiture shooters? You’re bound to get someone talking endlessly about Avedon and not enough about the more specialized work that Lois Greenfield does. When it comes to street photography, everyone is quick to talk about Bresson with little speaking about the genius that is Adam Miller. Why? Is it marketing? Partially the answer is yes; but the other big answer is that I think that the gatekeepers tend to spend too much time focusing on the work of dead photographers. If I were to get even deeper into this, they spend too much time focusing and trying to ensure ticket sales to those of white men–not enough women or photographers of color. But the latter is for a completely different article.
Have you been thinking about making the switch to Fujifilm, or have you been thinking about expanding your existing Fujifilm lens collection? If the answer is yes to either of those then you need to check out these camera deals, and sales on lenses. Right now you can get the XT100 for $399! The Fujifilm X-T3 with the 18-55mm f2.8-f4 lens is just $1,699, and the X-Pro2 can be snapped up for $1,499! The GFX 50R has the lowest price we’ve ever seen right now at $3,999! That’s $1,000 off the regular price! There are also deals on lenses too like the Fujifilm XF55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS which is down to just $499, and the XF23mm f1.4 R which can be snapped up for only $649! Come and check out all the camera deals, and all the deep discounts on Fujifilm lenses.
DXOMark have been hard at work putting one of Panasonic’s new cameras through boot camp, and it has passed with flying colors. The Panasonic S1R has set a new standard for Full Frame camera sensors as it has displaced the Nikon D850 from it’s third place spot. This means the Panasonic S1R is only bested by the Medium Format Pentax 645Z and the Hasselblad X1D-50C. Join us after the break for more details about the DMOMark results.
Last night, a number of B&H Photo affiliate partners were sent an email about a new way that B&H Photo is trying to change the game for online purchasing. The new system is called Payboo, and once you get passed the eye-roll-worthy name, you start to see some great sounding things. The idea behind Payboo is that B&H Photo is trying to go back to the way things were when they didn’t need to charge state sales tax for online sales. Amazon and others need to do this according to the law, and when you think about it ethically it really just makes sense to pay your taxes anyway. Since they had to make that change, B&H Photo lost a competitive edge as even New York residents would ship a product to a friend to Jersey and then have said friend bring the goods to NYC for them.
Looking for the perfect channel to showcase your incredible photos of heart-stopping action and adventure sports? It’s time to dust off your drives and select your best snaps, as the Red Bull Illume Image Quest, the world’s biggest competition dedicated to action and adventure sports photography, is now accepting submissions. For its 2019 run, the competition now has new categories, a judging panel of 50 international photo editors and digital experts, an innovative worldwide exhibit tour, new partners, and more prizes.
Reviewing the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 OPERA lens was a bit of an odd thing for me as it goes against much of what I really want in a modern lens these days. While the focal lengths are limited in their range, the price point is kept down well over $1,000. It was disheartening that I couldn’t take it into very rainy situations due to the lack of weather sealing. But again, this all comes with a lower price point. Though this may seem like a way of cheaping out the customer, they’re not. The Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 OPERA has some beautiful image quality that will satisfy many a photographer. With some very sharp optics inside this lens, I was also very pleased to see that it delivers images with pleasing bokeh. Though at the same time, I really wish that Tokina didn’t hold back at all.
Not so long ago, we excitedly reported the sweet lineup of the greatest and rarest Leica cameras that await us at the 34th run of the Leitz Photographica Auction (formerly WestLicht Photographica Auction). If you’ve set your eyes on the precious Leica M3 No.700005, you might also want to keep your eye out for the Leica M3 Prototype!