This essay is for amateurs who have been shooting a while and feel the desire to push the envelope by going to manual mode. For those who are dedicated auto shooters and never want to change, I respect and endorse your choice, and wish you all the good shooting in the world. But this essay is not for you, so you need not read any further. Why go manual mode? Well, there are some very good reasons to do so.…
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How to Cull Your Images Faster with FastRawViewer
As you might already know, Lightroom is extremely slow when it comes to image culling. Although Adobe updated Lightroom CC to be able to fetch embedded JPEG previews from RAW files for the sole purpose of speeding up image culling, the process is still painfully slow when going through many images. In addition, looking at the embedded JPEG previews from the camera is far from ideal due to the fact that JPEG images do not contain enough information to be…
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Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Announced
Early today, Sigma officially announced a new 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, the most recent in a string of wide-angle Art lenses from the company. While there has been no price released at this point, it is reasonable to hope that this lens will offer the high-quality performance that Sigma’s Art lineup is known for, yet still retain a lower price than something like the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8. Keep reading for more details about the new lens, including some of our initial…
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Fuji XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Review
This is an in-depth review of Fujifilm’s XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens. The lens was released in early 2016 and is Fuji’s longest focal length lens and only super-telephoto zoom in its lens lineup at this time. At the moment, the lens holds a couple of records, being the heaviest at 1375g and the most expensive at $1899 among all Fujifilm X-mount lenses.
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Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Review
This is an in-depth review of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art lens that was announced in February of 2017 along with a few other Sigma Art-series lenses. At the time of its release, Sigma proudly presented the lens as “world’s first and only full-frame f/1.8 ultra-wide-angle lens”, which was without a doubt, a remarkable achievement. Its impressive optical formula optimized for extreme sharpness and virtually no distortion got many photographers excited about all the possibilities it could present…
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2018 and 2019 PL Workshops Announcement
We are excited to announce our 2018 and 2019 schedule for photography workshops that will be taking place in Colorado, Death Valley and Jordan. The popular Colorado Fall Colors Workshop will take place from September 28 to October 1 of 2018. Right after, we will be taking a small group of photographers to our Jordan Photography Workshop, which will span a total of 11 days from October 8 to October 19 of 2018. Finally, our next Death Valley Workshop will…
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Considering Lens Minimum Focusing Distance When Using Extension Tubes
To some extent all of us are creatures of habit, doing things the same way that we’ve always done them. How we use our camera gear is not immune from our habitual behaviour. My favourite lens to use with extension tubes is the 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 and I often only bring this lens with me when planning some close-up photography. During recent visits to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario to photograph frogs, I was reminded that considering…
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Nikon 28mm f/1.4E ED Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 28mm f/1.4E ED lens that was announced in May of 2017 along with two other lenses, the Nikon 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR AF-P and 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED Fisheye. The AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E replaces the classic 28mm f/1.4D lens, which was known for its outstanding optical performance capable of rendering sharp and beautiful images on both full-frame and cropped sensor cameras. With the updated 28mm f/1.4E, Nikon completely revamped its optical formula and…
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Welcome to the First Photography Life Review Month!
Regular readers will know that we’ve published a lot of beginner content in the past few weeks, including several refreshes of our old articles. We’ve received emails ranging from “I hope you have a master plan, and this is just temporary” to “thank you for remembering us!” – and while our plan can look rough around the edges, we assure you that there is one, and we’ve been preparing for something big. The first step? Review month. We have a…
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Nikon 28mm f/1.8G Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 28mm f/1.8G lens that was announced in April of 2012 together with the Nikon D3200 DSLR. After releasing a number of great and affordable primes such as the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G and the 85mm f/1.8G (both of which turned out to be phenomenal), Nikon rolled out the 28mm f/1.8G lens to target photographers who are looking for a fast, inexpensive and lightweight wide-angle prime lens that can be suitable for a variety…
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Nikon 24mm f/1.8G ED Review
Ever since Nikon debuted the 24mm f/1.4G ED lens five years ago, the lens has been a popular choice among professionals and serious amateurs, thanks to its excellent optical formula and coating technologies that yield crisp and pleasing images. However, its high price point and the relatively heavy weight made it a rather specialized tool, so a cheaper and lighter f/1.8 version of the lens was much needed to complement the 20mm f/1.8G and the 28mm f/1.8G lenses. Nikon filled…
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Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED lens that was announced in February of 2010 together with the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR lens. The Nikon 24mm f/1.4G lens is a professional-grade lens for enthusiasts and professionals that need the highest quality optics of a fixed wide-angle lens with a large aperture of f/1.4 for low-light situations and shallow depth of field to isolate subjects from the background. The lens incorporates modern optical design and technology, and…
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Nikon 20mm f/1.8G ED Review
It has been 30 years since Nikon first introduced the original Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 Ai-S lens and long 20 years since the autofocus version, the Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D was released to the market. Since then, the 20mm prime sadly did not receive much attention, so it was about time for Nikon to refresh the line with a modern version. Nikon finally revealed a replacement on September 12, 2014 and the new lens came with a nice surprise – the Nikkor…
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How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse
With the total lunar eclipse taking place on January 31 of 2018, you might want to experience watching and potentially photographing this rare and stunningly beautiful phenomenon. I previously had a chance to photograph both partial and total lunar eclipses, so I was able to document my experience and provide information on what challenges I had during the process. In this article, I will do my best to explain how to photograph a lunar eclipse in detail.
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Introduction to ISO in Photography
One of the three pillars of photography that can dramatically affect the look of your images is camera ISO (the other two being shutter speed and aperture). Like those two settings, ISO controls the brightness of your photos, and it is a crucial setting to use properly if you want to take the best possible images. In this chapter of Photography Basics article, we will explain ISO using simple language and examples so that you can make the most of…
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How to Use Exposure Delay Mode on Nikon DSLRs
If you are a Nikon DSLR shooter, you most likely came across a camera setting called “Exposure Delay Mode”, which can be very useful in eliminating camera shake from the camera’s mirror mechanism. While Exposure Delay Mode is a wonderful feature, many photographers often misunderstand it and end up either misusing it in the field, or not using it at all. In this article, we will look into Exposure Delay Mode in detail and go through different case scenarios where…
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Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter Explained
A number of DSLRs and mirrorless cameras today come with an important feature called “Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter” (EFCS) or “Electronic First Shutter Curtain” (EFSC), both of which are designed to eliminate camera shake originating from the shutter mechanism of the camera (commonly known as “shutter shock”). Shutter shock is an issue on all modern cameras, both DSLR and mirrorless, particularly when using longer focal length lenses and specific shutter speeds. In this article, we will explore the effects of shutter…
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Positive and Negative Space in Photography
The deeper you go into photography, the clearer it will be that everything is about emotion. Each decision you make – every single part of your thought process — matters for that one reason. A prominent example? Positive and negative space. These two elements of photography are important because of the emotions they carry. So, what are positive and negative space, and how can you use them to improve your work? (more…)
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Never Stop Seeing
What do you do if you spend weeks planning a photography adventure, and then when the time to experience that adventure arrives, something comes up that spoils all your preparation? Maybe its the weather, maybe its a park closure, or maybe the fall colour was two weeks late. Experiences like these can happen to anyone. And unfortunately, I have seen too many photographers throw up their hands, stow their camera, and abandon all that they had planned just because things…
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Sand Dunes Photography Tips
The way I see it, sand dunes are among the most wonderful places in the world. They’re the very definition of a windswept landscape — the product of our planet’s most fundamental forces. They also exist everywhere, from coastal regions to deserts that span entire continents. Below, I’ll offer some of my top tips for photographing sand dunes and getting incredible images.
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