Travel Lenses

Confidently capture the world with these great lenses

Mark Edward Harris

Kudla/Shutterstock While there’s no single defining characteristic that makes something a travel lens, there are definitely pieces of glass that are geared for work on the road. When it comes to zooms for travel, one focal length range must be covered—a 24-70mm for a full frame camera or a 16, 17, or 18-55mm for a camera with an APS-C sensor. With... Read more

Lighting Demystified

Mastering photographic lighting is easier than you think, and will open up a world of possibilities

David Schloss

It can take just a single light to completely change a scene—if you know how to use it. Photo by David Schloss Whenever I hear a photographer say “I just use natural light,” sometimes what they mean is “because I don’t know how to use lighting equipment.” For most photographers, understanding how to set up and modify lighting to achieve... Read more

Making Sense Of Storage Media

Maximizing the potential of today’s offerings in the storage and backup space

Brett Wilhelm

With each evolution of high-performance digital cameras, the need for greater amounts of media on which to stockpile your pictures continues to climb. We’ll discuss a variety of options and levels that photographers should consider, as the technology for storing and backing up images is as varied as the camera technology used to capture. Modern Connectivity A... Read more

Essential Lenses And Necessary Accessories

Outfit a growing camera kit with the ideal lenses and accessories for the kind of photography you like to do—from travel to landscapes, portraits to wildlife

William Sawalich

Without a lens, a new camera is useless. And, without the right lens and the right accessories—media, tripod and camera bag—anything beyond the basics is a real challenge. Here’s a look at the lenses and accessories that make a new camera better and more fun. Lens Fundamentals Lenses aren’t very flashy, but they sure are important. In the past... Read more

Strobe Fun In The Cuban Sun

Ira Block spent three years photographing baseball in Cuba, with a little help from strobes and a lifetime supply of lighting know-how

By William Sawalich / Photography By Ira Block

“If we didn’t have a connection,” Block says, “we would pull into a town, and all you’d have to do is ask someone, ‘Hey, where are they playing ball here?’ And you’d get to someplace and that was a start. You’d get to a place where some kids were playing ball, and, you know, we’d ask questions: Where’s a good field? Where’s a... Read more

Studio Lighting

Whether shooting in a dedicated studio space, a garage or a spare room, you can create professional-looking images with these powerful lighting setups

Text & Photography By Mark Edward Harris

Studio lighting, both flash and continuous, tends to be larger with separate power sources, it’s less portable and, often, it’s more expensive. These power packs and strobe units pay off in power, however, allowing photographers to shoot at virtually any ƒ-stop with fast recycling times and no fear of draining their batteries. The shooting space... Read more

Nikon NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED Hands-On Review

An update to a popular wide-angle prime lens results in an instant classic

David Schloss

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28mm 1.4 E ED lens replaces the venerable NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4D, bringing a modern optical and operational upgrade that gives the new lens an incredible range of sharpness, low levels of distortion, and faster focusing. The 28mm focal length is an interesting one, sitting within the range classic landscape-friendly zooms like a 24-70mm... Read more

On-Camera Flash

Using this often overlooked lighting solution for creative effect

Text & Photography By Thomas Boyd

There’s so much talk about OFF-camera flash these days, hardly anyone explores the nuances of the obvious useful technique of ON-camera flash. After all, every camera and every flash is designed with a convenient “hot-shoe” connector so the flash can be mounted and communicate with the camera. In simplest terms, a flash lights up a scene when... Read more

Handheld Light Meters

Master lighting with the ideal tool for precision exposure control

Text & Photography By William Sawalich

There’s an often-overlooked device that some photographers say is outdated, but which in fact is just as useful today as ever. This necessity of the film era should still find a place in photographers’ bags, especially those who want total control over their lighting and exposure. It’s the handheld light meter, and it’s treasured by many photographers... Read more

Power To Burn: Hands On With The Apple iMac Pro

By the start of 2017, professional photographers and videographers were starting to get desperate, waiting for Apple to update their flagship computer, the Mac Pro. The company had last updated their high-end system in 2013, and some of the company’s (and the competitor’s) other products were starting to arrive with features not found on the Read more…

By David Schloss

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