Announced earlier this year at the end of February, the Sony 135mm f1.8 G Master is the 9th lens to join the ranks of Sony’s premium G Master lineup. Sony created the 135mm f1.8 G Master with portrait photographers in mind first and foremost, as many portrait photographers gravitate toward the 135mm focal length due to the fact that subjects appear true to life with little to no discernible distortions. Since we only got to spend a few short hours with the lens during the top-secret media launch which took place on a particularly snowy February afternoon, we were excited to get our review unit in so that we can put the 135mm G Master through its paces in typical Phoblographer manner.
“Hey guys!” he started as he began to issue one of his biggest apology videos to his community. A famous Youtube photographer recently issued an apology to his hundreds of thousands of followers and viewers after video footage of him not shooting a RAW photo emerged onto the internet. The photographer, who shall remain nameless …
A major testament to the death of the DSLR was revealed today with Sony’s latest notice on the discontinuation of the Sony a99 II–the company’s last camera to be made with the Minolta A mount. Sony acquired the mount and lots of key Minolta technology after a purchase made over 10 years ago. And for years, journalists have been asking how much support will be given to the A mount. In fact, lots of us thought that it was dead and over with on the announcement of the Sony a9. The Sony a99 II isn’t really a DSLR as much as folks call it a DSLT, but the bigger news here is that Sony has no truly viable A mount cameras in their lineup currently.
It’s time to pour one out for another film emulsions–though I have to say that we all should have seen the discontinuation of Kodak Portra 800 coming really soon. The film, which is marketed nowhere as well as Kodak Portra 160 and 400, was a truly special emulsion that I really wish were just marketed in a better way as that could have ensured its survival. For those of you who always want that “analog look” in your digital photos by applying some fake filer by InstaVSCTin, Kodak Portra 800 had a secret sauce that really, truly did the job.
Let’s talk about climate change. A polarizing topic for society, but one that continues to come up. Whilst some brush it off as no concern, there are others who are unprepared to allow the conversation to go away – including photographers. Humanitarian photography is no easy task. Especially when you’re documenting the negative contribution society is having on the environment. Taking nothing away from the portrait, event or editorial, for example, it requires a certain strength to be able to plunge yourself into the sometimes depressing narratives society is faced with. Virginia Hanusik, a photographer whose work concentrates on the relationship between culture and the built environment, has given herself the task of tackling climate change. In her series A Receding Coast, she closely looks at how our architectural practices have led to coastal erosion in South Louisiana.
A photograph may be viewed for a second, a minute, maybe two. The person that views it seldom, if ever, is held for the same amount of time it took for the photographer to create the image. For landscape photographer Selvy Ngantung, the more time she puts into her work, the better she feels. “When I’m making my photographs I’m filled with enjoyment,” she says. From planning to walking, to taking several long exposures, she’s always connected to the process “…each and every second I spend creating photographs, I’m putting my creativity and imagination into my work”. And whilst her audience may not spend as long viewing a single image as she does making it, her purpose remains the same; “I craft my work so that the viewers are able to capture the emotions I’m feeling through the images I make”.
If you have always dreamed of being able to capture gorgeous sunsets, sunrises, and stunning mountain shots, but have never really known where to begin these guides, tutorials and presets are for you. With the bundles we have found for you, you’ll become a landscape photography master in no time at all. What’s even better is that the bundles have been heavily discounted for a limited time. You can grab 100 Lightroom presets that will make your landscape images sing for just $19, and you can learn all the tricks of the trade with the Learn The Art of Landscapes video series which is just $29! Come on in and see all the other landscape photography deals.
Photographer Stuart Hendricks practices street photography with his Sony a6300. His favorite lens is the Sigma 56mm f1.4, but for a short while he decided to give the Sigma 16mm f1.4 a spin around the streets of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam. Join us after the break for his latest video, and to see what he had to say about shooting street photography with such a wide lens.
Photographing portraits using natural light as the sole light source have become such a rage lately that some photographers have branded themselves as “Natural Light Only Photographers.” While you can certainly create some stunning images with the proper use of only natural light, understanding how light behaves and being able to harness light in all of its forms, natural or otherwise, will help shape you into a better, more complete photographer.
If you have been thinking about buying some new lighting gear, or perhaps a new camera, these photography deals are for you! We have found some great deals on Sony camera bundles like the A6400 bundle with a memory card, case, filter kit, and an extra battery for just $898! There’s another similar a6400 kit that comes bundled with a 16-50mm lens too and it is only $998! Need some new lighting? Act fast because the Godox Deals are good for just 48 hours! The Godox AD200 is down to just $269! There are also AD200 bundles that come with the wireless transmitter for each platform for only $310.50. Need a little more power? The AD600 (non ttl) is just $494.10, and the brand new AD 400 Pro TTL is down to only $599! Check out more photography deals after the break.