U.K. commercial photographer Karl Taylor takes us behind the scenes on a rather exciting and unique photo shoot where the goal is to create an animal portrait of a hawk during flight. There are so many variables to this concept that even with a trained bird of prey, Taylor still ran into a little bit of trouble at the beginning of the shoot.
Nikon has announced their new 300mm f/4 telephoto FX lens. With an aperture of f/4 at its widest and up to a 4.5-stop gain via Vibration Reduction (VR), this new edition to Nikon’s 300mm prime series is up to 30 percent shorter and 1.5 pounds lighter than its predecessor. At 147.5 millimeters long and 755 grams, Nikon claims that this is the world’s lightest 300mm full-frame lens.
Nikon has announced the latest edition to their upper entry-level DSLR 5000 series with the addition of the Nikon D5500. Given Nikon’s history of progressively incrementing each addition to the series by 100, the jump from D5300 to D5500 suggests at first glance a significant improvement.
Announced earlier this year, the Westcott Flex is now available in stores. This unique device bridges the gap between a light and a light modifier, as it is a little bit of both. This fully bendable mat features a 10” x 10” surface lined with 166 dimmable LED diodes and outlined with a moldable 1⁄4” black frame. Weighing in at just 5 ounces, its compact design allows it to be easily concealed on set and allows for easy travel.
For many, the 7’ parabolic umbrella seems like a one-trick pony. The textbook move of sandwiching the camera between the subject and the light for an edgy, high-key look is quickly growing old. In this video, commercial photographer Joel Grimes shows a different way of using the 7’ parabolic to create soft, high-key images best suited for beauty photography.
Nikon takes us behind the scenes of their recent "I Am Different" documentary series with Clark Little, a professional shorebreak photographer. Clark gives a little insight on how he uses his Nikon gear in what could be arguably be the most challenging and dangerous environments. Outfitted with Aquatech housing, Clark uses his Nikon D4S for its lightning-fast focusing and high frame rate to capture that perfect moment each time a wave breaks.
Have you ever wondered what fashion trends will be in style, let’s say 20 years from now? Well some say the best way to predict the future is to look at the past, and this video does exactly that. "100 Years of Beauty in 1 Minute" illustrates hair and makeup styles from each decade, starting at 1910 straight through to 2010.
In 2013, the photographic community was stunned by Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz’s highly acclaimed creative images (NSFW) of pin-up girls layered in milk. Wieczorkiewicz’s work is in the headlines once again, but under a different light. Fairlife, a Coca-Cola company has launched a billboard campaign using Wieczorkiewicz’s milky pin-ups to sell its product line of milk. The sexy pin-ups have caused an uproar, with many people upset at the company for objectifying women to sell one of life’s basic necessities.
GoPro HEROs may be flying in their own cape by late next year according to reports from the Wall Street Journal. GoPro, who currently leads the market in wearable consumer point-of-view cameras is said to be developing their own multi-rotor helicopters equipped with high-definition cameras. It is said that GoPro’s drones will seek to enter the market between the $500 - $1000 range.
Before you blindly answer this question, you should know that fast memory cards are not only for sport and wildlife photographers. Wedding, event, and portrait photographers all benefit from having cards with fast write speeds to capture that unexpected moment. Even landscape photographers who take far less images can benefit. Cards with fast read speeds can download large image files to computers much faster. Memory card speed is just as important to your camera as it is to you in order to perform your best on the job. With this in mind, the folks over at Photoshelter have documented a series of tests to help determine which card is the fastest for your camera.
There are many cine-arms on the market and there's one more on its way. On November 3rd the Infinity Arm, a Kickstarter project, reached its goal of $50,000 with just under 200 backers. Of all the arms out there, none boast the heavy lifting capability like the Infinity Arm. This little product is said to support over 10 lbs. and as you can see from the video, it supports a Red Epic with a standard lens!
Just when you thought the basic 5-in-1 reflector couldn't get any better, Westcott has announced their new 10-in-1 Omega Reflector. The unique design of the Omega allows you to use it like a ring light, a gobo and a flag rather than just your boring old traditional reflector. At 38 x 45 inches, the Omega offers your typical black, white, silver, gold and 1-stop diffusion surfaces. However, what makes the Omega stand out is its removable center frame on each surface that allows you to shoot through the reflector!
