The New Way to Buy Gear: Make Money, Save the Planet, Get Your Kit

The industry has been putting out some really hard-to-resist gear these last few years. Ever since Sony released the a7 mirrorless line, it’s been a tsunami of gear upgrade options that seem too good to pass by. Whether it’s the new tack-sharp, image-stabilized Canon RF lenses, the 61-megapixel Sony a7R IV, or the new "creator-ready" Nikon Z 30, it’s not just a case of “Shiny Object Syndrome”: these developments in technology really do reflect in the quality of the work creatives can produce. That’s where MPB comes in.

EOSHD Crowns A7S King of Video, Deposes Canon 5D Mark III Magic Lantern

If you want to learn video on DSLRs and the like, there are few better resources than EOSHD. Andrew Reid is extremely knowledgable (it actually frightens me how much he knows) and is excellent as a real pro talking about, often, consumer equipment. He recently did a large test with the A7s against a set of cameras, and he says it's replaced his go-to 5D Mark III with Magic Lantern raw.

3 Podcasts You Should Be Listening to For Your Photography Business

As creatives, we have to stay inspired, focused, and always be moving forward. Aside from focusing on creating beautiful, desirable work, if you want to survive doing what you love, you have to have a good business sense. For some of us, this comes naturally, for others it is a learning process. No matter what your experience with business is, you can always learn more. Between books, classes, and mentors, the options for learning are endless but between our personal lives, creating artwork, and what our budgets allow, the option aren't always as broad. Podcasts are an awesome, free way to learn about the business side of your craft. They can be informative, inspiring, and allow you to learn while you work. While there are tons of podcasts out there here are my top three favorite when it comes to the business side of photography.

Five Camera Bags I Love

Earlier this week, Fstoppers creators Patrick Hall and Lee Morris posted a tongue-in-cheek video that mocked photographers’ very real lust for the perfect bag. I hope you all got a great laugh out of that just like I did. We’ve all been in Hall's position, watching a seemingly endless pile of gear come out of someone else’s bag. Today, I thought I’d go through the five bags I use on a regular basis for both my work in Seoul and my travel work.

How G.A.S. Failed Me

We've all heard of it: Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.). I'd wager that a fair few of us have suffered from it at one time or another. I mean, really, what Nikon portrait shooter doesn't want the new Nikkor 105mm f/1.4? When that wanting turns to lusting and the all-consuming G.A.S., we have a problem that goes well beyond the boundaries of our wallets and begins to affect the most important aspect of our photography itself: our craft. I'd like to share with you a story from when I first began photography in the hopes that it may help some of you avoid one of the biggest mistakes I made.
Were the Sony a9 Rumors True?

Before Sony announced their new a9 mirrorless camera in April, rumors were flooding the headlines about its possible existence. Now that we know what the a9 really is, did the reports hold up?

New Nikon D4s Officially Announced

The Nikon D4s is FINALLY public! After months of rumors and random sightings of the camera, it has finally hit the market and is available for purchase. Everyone knew it was coming it was just a matter of guessing when it would be announced. Even Adobe leaked the D4s in the recent update to Camera Raw.

Photos From Boston Bombings Cause Online Search of Suspects

After the initial shock of Monday's bombing at the Boston Marathon social media on the internet ran non-stop to try to help find the suspects responsible. The only problem, they pointed to the wrong people. Redditors have been crowd-sourcing and deconstructing photos that the FBI has released and cross referencing them to photos found on social media sites.

Parrot Bebop Drone Features 14 MP Camera & 2 Kilometer Range

Meet Bebop, the newly announced drone from Parrot. This particular quad-copter has a built in 14 MP camera, 3-axis stabilization, creates its own WiFi hotspot, embedded GPS with flight control, can be operated at a distance up to 2km, and weighs under 400g.

LED or Flash? Which is right for you?

If you shoot on location, you know that the size and weight of the gear is important. Shooting in bakeries, restaurants, and kitchens will provide you with a wide range of room size and lighting conditions. There may not be beautiful window light, outlets, or a large area that you are able to shoot in. To be prepared for any shooting environment in the culinary world you need a light-weight, compact, and battery-powered lighting system. In designing this system, you have two choices: LED or Flash.

What’s the Point of Canon’s New Cinema Lenses?

With seven new lenses hitting the market, Canon is updating their CN cinema glass to RF mount. They’re almost identical to the original EF mount lenses that debuted in 2011.

(Graphic) National Geographic Live! : Photographing Africa's Wildest Beasts

Photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols is a National Geographic veteran and one of the best wildlife photographers working today. In this episode of National Geographic Live!, his imagery and stories about Africa's elephants and lions will both break and warm your heart. In his own words, Nichols tells his stories behind the already fantastic magazine stories - ranging from the disgusting aftermath of ivory poachers to the cute and cuddly playfulness of lion cubs

Lytro Wants to Send You on an Icelandic Adventure

Iceland is lauded as one of the most amazing places for photography due to the absolutely stunning landscape (Mike Kelley visits there frequently). In anticipation of their new Illum camera coming at the end of the July, Lytro wants to give five photographers an all-expenses-paid trip to Iceland to take part in an exclusive photo shoot with Chris Burkard, a premier adventure lifestyle photographer who serves as the senior staff photographer for Surfer Magazine. If you pre-order the Illum and submit a photo shoot idea, you're automatically entered to win.

Alien Skin Exposure 4: Our Favorite Photo Enhancing Plugin

I've been a big fan and user of Alien Skin Exposure software for many years now. A couple months ago Alien Skin asked if I would review their newest version of the software and although it took me quite a while, I'm finally done. Basically, Alien Skin has taken what I have always considered to be the best photo enhancing software available and they have made it even better.

Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton Appointed Patron of Royal Photographic Society

By now it’s no secret that Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is an avid photographer, having shot a number of the official portraits of her children. And it seems her talents aren’t going unnoticed, as she has become patron of the Royal Photographic Society, succeeding the Queen after she served 67 years in the role.

Why Leaf Shutter Lenses Aren't Important for the Fujifilm GFX 50S

One of the biggest complaints I've heard about Fuji's new medium format camera, the GFX 50S, is that there are no leaf shutter lenses. Leaf shutters have long been a staple in some medium format systems, enabling flash sync at faster shutter speeds than we are used to with focal plane shutters. But, here's the thing: It doesn't make sense for the GFX 50S to support them. Here's my reasoning why.

Improving Your Landscape Photography Isn't About Your Camera

Most people reading this article, going to workshops, and watching YouTube content want to improve their landscape photography. It is the question I get asked the most, and there are many answers and solutions to this. But without doubt, the most important part, but often the hardest, is actually being in the right place at the right time.

First Look: Panasonic GH4 at 96 Frames per Second

EOSHD shared this video shot with a pre-production Panasonic GH4 (now available for preorder) at 96 FPS. In our previous posts about the newly announced GH4 we've been pretty excited about a 4K video camera system with a sub-$2,000 price-tag. This camera is poised to give the more expensive systems a real run for their money and with features such as 96 FPS recording there's even more reason to consider adding this to your bag.

GoPro Returns to Profitability, Will Launch New Camera Form Factor in 2018

GoPro announced its first profitable quarter of the past in two years. After a series of commercial failures and employee layoffs, the action camera manufacturer might be on the path to recovery thanks to the newly launched HERO6. "GoPro has turned a corner, restoring growth and profitability to our business," said CEO Nicholas Woodman. In a call to investors, he also revealed that his company will launch a new camera next year.

UPDATED: Sigma Announces Two New Lenses: Redesigned 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 & 50mm F1.4

(Updated with more images to whet your appetite until we see some test shots!) Sigma has just announced two new lenses, a redesigned 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM and 50mm F1.4 DG HSM. The pricing and availability has not yet been made public, so for now these two images of the lenses will have to do. The 50 f/1.4 has been highly anticipated, and I'm sure there are many of you who are ready to add this lens to your collection.

Why You Can Never Have a Perfect Skin Color Even if You Use Color Calibration Charts

A few years ago I was talking with a fellow photographer about the color correction of portraits. While on the topic of using white balance cards and color charts in order to get a perfect skin color, he interrupted me and said, “You can't have perfect skin color with these.” I immediately thought to myself, “Oh, yeah?” Oh, yeah. That was the truth, and I will explain why below.

A Unique Element in Your Photography That Only You Can Bring

When we create a photograph, there are things we can do to change it from being mundane to interesting. Here are some of the most important aspects of composition and the one unteachable factor that is exclusively yours to discover.

The Making Of The Amazing New Gus Van Sant BMW i8 TV Commercials

If you have not heard of BMW's nimble new i8 hybrid supercar, you should look it up now. Even if you aren't into cars, you do have to take a moment to marvel at not only its beautifully-futurisitc aesthetics, but it's equally as impressive performance technology. BMW hired director Gus Van Sant to create a trio of gorgeous ads to help introduce the car to the world. Watch the behind the scenes video above and see the final three videos below.