Articles from Dylan Goldby

Let us take a moment of silence to respect the venerable 70-200mm lenses in our midst. The workhorses that they are have kept many a working professional with their rent happily paid, and many a serious amateur smiling at their results. The collection of several useful focal lengths, 85mm, 135mm, and 200mm, plus everything in between and a fast aperture of f/2.8 has made it the go-to lens for many. Up until recently, it was all but missing from the Fujifilm X System lens lineup as Fuji focused on creating spectacular primes one after another. But, Fujifilm rectified that with their announcement of the XF 50-140mm R LM OIS WR lens in September of 2014.

Photography, since its inception, has always been used as a tool to document a moment in time that the photographer believes has value. From modern history's defining moments, like World War II or the speeches of Martin Luther King, to seemingly mundane family moments, photography has captured billions of such moments in human history that may never repeat. Recently, Gareth Smit produced a short film on three young documentary photographers from New York City. 

Last week, I posted an overview and review of the Godox Witstro AD200, and there were quite a few questions about the unit and things that I wanted to clear up with a follow-up article. So, this week, we'll dive a little deeper into the unit and have a look at some of the issues raised and make a more detailed comparison of the two heads that it comes with.

A while back I reviewed the Godox AD600 which I thought was going to be the all-in-one solution I was after. Even after comparing it to the Profoto B1, I was more impressed with the AD600, especially at its price point. It had a few construction issues, but overall was a flash to compete with the big boys. As I said, I thought it was going to be the solution I was looking for. Then Godox dropped the bomb: the Wistro AD200. This little flash promised to be less than half the weight and powerful enough for most of the work its big brother was made for. So, is it all it's said to be and how does it stack up against other options?

Over the last two years, I have been traveling quite a few times for a personal project involving the last remaining tribal-tattooed faces of Asia. The results of that project are finding a home at Tattoos of Asia. I still have five or six more trips to make before I can consider the project complete, and I wanted to share my experience so far with finding help for a project like this. Finding the right guide or fixer for your project isn't easy, and can be a lot like hiring a new employee. Let's go through my process for finding and hiring the right person for the job.

Fujifilm's XF 50mm f/2 WR is the third addition in the series that have affectionately become known as the "Fujichrons." These are compact, lightweight, weather resistant, and have extremely fast autofocus. Made up of nine elements in seven groups, and formed in Fujifilm's classicly-styled telescoping design, it is another diminutive lens that should appeal to X-Pro shooters and anyone looking for a tiny addition to their bag. Comparisons may be drawn to the other lenses in this series, and of course the daddy of X System portrait lenses, the 56mm f/1.2. Let's take a look at this lens and then see how it fits into the Fuji line.

I recently posted an article about getting the most from the Fujifilm X system cameras. One of the points of discussion and contention that came up in the comments was that of autofocus. Other issues, such as flash system and software support were also raised. The flash system is a matter of needs. All manual systems are supported and HSS/TTL is also becoming more fully developed.

Creating and maintaining backups of our data is essential in the business of photography. There are countless articles out there about the importance of backup, and anyone who has lost precious data will feel that need acutely. Data loss is not a question of if but a question of when. We need to take the necessary steps to prepare for that loss. How we do it, and the tools we can use are about as varied as the types of photography we all do. Today, I'll run you through my workflow.

The Fujifilm X Series Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens cameras have gained a dedicated, almost cult-like following over the last few years for their colors, ergonomics, image quality, and firmware updates. However, getting into the Fuji world, especially from a DSLR user's standpoint, can be a daunting experience. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you get the most from your Fujifilm X Series system.

Mainland China-based Godox Photo Equipment (also sold under FlashPoint in the United States) announced the latest in their series of challengers to the dominant flash makers, the Wistro Pocket Flash AD200. As with the other units in the series, the AD360 and AD600, the AD200 offers stable color temperature across all power levels and fast recycle times. It packs 200 Ws of power, which makes it significantly more powerful than any unit in its size or price range. Perhaps the most interesting feature, however, is the dual flash heads (more on that after the jump).

Since the end of the Korean war, North Korea has been a closed nation. So closed, it is often referred to as the world's most reclusive nation. It shocks and delights the world almost every day with propaganda and anti-propaganda that peppers our news reports. It's a place that heavily regulates visits and the activities during those visits. Each tourist requires special permission and a guide that sticks to them like glue to visit anywhere in the nation. On top of that, you have to pick from a list of government approved locations, you can't just go for a walk or cycle the highways. So, what possessed Slovenian-born, London-educated, Matjaž Tančič to take his already difficult 3D workflow into a place that restricts movement and photography so much?

In 2012, Leica created a stir in the photographic industry with the release of its Leica M Monochrom. Half of the Internet was up in arms about the ridiculousness of the concept (and, of course, the price tag), while the other half praised Leica for its bold move in the modern market of high-contrast, over-saturated camera phone images. With names like "poor man's Leica" and "the new Leica" being thrown around Fuji forums all over the Internet, the question was put to Fuji asking if they would consider a monochrome-only version of one of their cameras.

W. Eugene Smith was an American photojournalist who was active from the 1930s to the 1970s when he passed away. He was, as Ted Forbes states in the video, one of the most prolific photographers of his time. Smith is well known as being a master of the photographic essay, and much of his career was spent on the types of longer assignments that are few and far between in the modern world of photography. His works for LIFE Magazine (including Country Doctor) and later the Jazz Loft Project are some of his most well known and enduring projects. Not to mention he was a Magnum photographer as well.

There are countless hard drives of all shapes, sizes, types, speeds, and capacities flooding the market now. As professionals, it's often quite a task to wade through the hype about every new offering and decide what's really the best drive for us. For users of the new line of MacBooks, things got a lot more difficult recently, as drives with native USB Type-C ports are few and far between so far. A few scattered offerings are around, and the Caldigit TUFF is a drive squarely aimed at being compatible with future devices, as well as a good option for professional on-location use.

Some may say I'm squarely in the Fuji fanboy camp. I love their cameras and lenses, and will sing their praises whenever I feel it is due. However, today I'm going to write about the one camera I haven't liked in the lineup so far: the X-Pro2 (aside from the X-Pro1, which was a very immature realization of the X system). I have been looking for a second body to go alongside my X-T2 for a while now, and an exceptionally good sale in Australia meant I could pick up an X-Pro2 for $600 off the retail price. This was too good to pass up, and I ordered one as my second camera.

Last year, I came up with an idea. A far fetched idea though it may have been, it was something I really wanted to do. I wanted to combine all of the things I love into one project, and make it a reality. Those things were photography, helping those less fortunate than myself, physical printing, travel, traditional cultures, and the sharing of knowledge. The culmination of these would be both a hardcover and a softcover book. The publication of the results would be self-published using funds from a Kickstarter campaign. It might seem like a crazy undertaking for one person, but it's very doable if you plan it right.

I promised a while back that I would do a comparison between the Profoto B1 and the Godox AD600 head to head. I have finally had the chance to rent and spend some time with the Profoto B1 again, and I am ready to give my thoughts on the two as they pertain to the way I shoot and the situations I spend my time in. 

Off-camera flash is a great way to augment your existing photographs. There are so many times when existing light just doesn't give you the result you desire, and that flash could be a solution to creating the image you have in your mind. When you first start, however, the options can be quite overwhelming and it can be difficult to know exactly what you'll need. Let's look into a simple but versatile kit that will allow you to stay mobile and work in many different situations.

There's a question I've been getting in my inbox every couple of days since the release of the Fujifilm X-T2: Is it ready for professional use? There have been several articles floating about and a lot of opinions in forums, but the honest answer to this is the same as it is for absolutely every camera body and system on the market. It really depends on the type of work you do. 

A lot of us have been there, especially when we're first trying to build our businesses in the beginning. A job lands that you feel like you can pull off really well, and you quote accordingly. The client then comes back and lets you know that their budget is significantly smaller than what you quoted, but they really want to work with you. On the one hand, you need the money, but on the other hand, you realize you're being forced into an uncomfortable corner. How do you answer this?

The 5 Day Deal team is back again with another giant pack of photography resources. Included this time are materials from Trey Ratcliff, Nicole S. Young, Lindsay Adler, Joel Grimes, and a host of other educators and resource creators. If you haven't checked them out before, this is a great time to get on board and score a huge collection of photo swag while supporting some great charities. As an added bonus, they're also running a giveaway that is sponsored by industry giants like Adobe and Fujifilm.

Joey L. has been a household name in the photography industry for many years now. Whether it be through his captivating personal work or world-class commercial work, he has carved out a niche for himself in the industry that makes him one of the most sought after working photographers today. Ever since his early days photographing his friends' bands, Joey L. has used his capital to reinvest in his craft through his personal work, but in 2013, he launched a Kickstarter to help fund his typically ambitious film project "People of the Delta."

I recently funded the printing of my first book via Kickstarter. It was the wonderful culmination of a year of hard work on the project itself and almost six months of preparation and promotion for the funding campaign. In the end, it was funded well beyond my goal. The whole process of creating, funding, and then realizing the project was quite surreal. I am still pinching myself from time to time as I pack the books ready for shipping to my backers and the recipients of the project. I wrote a while back about changing your mindset, knuckling down, and just doing things. Today, I'd like to talk a little about another thing that makes work happen: the word "yes."