Articles from Ivor Rackham

When manufacturers give specifications of lenses, there is a lot of detail that is meaningless to many consumers of their products. When we writers review them, we tend to give the same information. Here’s a method I think would be much more helpful to most photographers.

Many of us don’t consider the harm we do with our photos. Our actions might be innocent, but there's a dark side to most genres that we don't ever consider. 

Nearly two years ago, I wrote an article pointing out that most of the biggest brands' camera designs are uninspiring.  

When the Tourbox Lite arrived for me to try, I wondered whether I would be impressed. After all, I already have a Tourbox Elite. But after using it for a week, I wondered whether it might suit me better. Two weeks in, here's what I concluded.

There are some very good reasons why photographers are switching over to Exascend. However, there was a problem that made me delay this article. Here's why.

I am becoming a fan of Neewer gear. Since they changed direction and started producing equipment for themselves, the designs have vastly improved, and the quality of the products has rocketed. Here are two new lights from their stable that are exceptionally good. Their competitors should look out. 

Allowing your shutter to stay open for longer can transform your images from mundane to something enthralling. Here’s how to precisely achieve various creative effects to tell your photographic story. 

I’ve always been fascinated with long exposures. Something is compelling about showing the world in a way that we can’t perceive, and a photograph always does just that.

Learning is essential for us to grow as photographers. Collaborating with the Polish artist and photographer, Maya Kot, I discovered new ideas about color that get to the very heart of photography. 

You probably use or run photography businesses. Beware! There is a multimillion-dollar industry that runs solely to scam businesses and clients out of their hard-earned cash. Here are a few and how you should avoid them and why one of them caught me out. 

Are you a fan of gadgets? When it comes to photography, there are plenty of fabulous extras that we can use to improve what we do, but how about a smartwatch? I experimented with the Kumi GW5 Pro to see how useful it would be. 

Creativity is remarkable, but some photographers seem better at it than others, don't they? Here's how to unleash your creative potential, but only if you want to break away from the sheep. 

Retro never really goes out of fashion, and this 110 LOMOMATIC camera took me back to the early 1970s when my eldest sister ran around with her 110 camera. I found myself laughing out loud as I shot with careless abandon. 

There are four interrelated ideas that some photographers create a song and dance about. However, for most photography, you can forget them and adopt a different approach. 

Is swapping a camera system a valid and worthwhile move? I did it for very good reasons, and it's something you might consider if you analyze what you use and why you bought it. 

OM Digital Solutions has announced the much-anticipated firmware update to the original OM-1. 

Sometimes I am sent lenses to test, and I can’t wait to send them back. Others stay attached to my camera for as long as possible before they are returned. What I chose to do with this 150-600mm lens took me by utter surprise, and there is good reason why it is making a mark. 

The OM-1 Mark II has certainly caused a stir. Here’s a deep dive into what this camera is all about and why it’s another winner and a bigger upgrade than you might first think. 

I had the opportunity to test some permanent LED lights. Designed primarily for video, I thought I would also try them out for photography as I am soon setting up a home studio, so I ran them through a series of tests to see how they fared. 

I recently reviewed the Neewer Litetrip LT35 tripod. It was one of two that were sent to me to try. The second was the TP62. Also a carbon fiber travel tripod, this one was quite dissimilar from the first, offering a very distinct experience. 

If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought of Neewer gear, my reply would not have been positive. However, recently I have been testing their newest releases, and I am impressed with what I found. Here’s what I discovered about their travel tripods. 

There are many reasons why a photograph can go wrong. But to be a photographic flop takes a special skill that most failures don’t even know they have. If you don’t want to be a second-rate photographer, here is how to avoid it. 

After years of not owning a camera bag, I now have the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L. I used it for traveling because of its security; unusually, I was transporting a lot of expensive gear. Here's what I concluded about it. 

There are parameters within which a camera is supposed to work, and one extreme I had not tried with mine was the severe cold. So, I headed to Northern Finland, where I would experience temperatures I had never felt before. Here is what happened to my camera.

OM Digital Solutions has announced an upgrade to their popular OM-1. The Mark II version has the same sensor and processor, but the development has concentrated on a much larger memory and buffer, improved dials, and a range of new features that will appeal especially to wildlife and landscape photographers. 

Towards the end of last year, ON1 released the latest version of its software. Its newest advancements are likely to attract even more people to it from Adobe’s Photography Plan for some very good reasons. 

Some fabulous new tech on the market that is making our lives as photographers and videographers evermore easy. The Hohem MIC-01 Wireless Lavalier Microphone is released today. I found it a great addition to my arsenal of tools that exceeded my expectations. 

There is always the risk of getting the photographer’s equivalent of writer’s block. You might discover that your photos are the same as what you shot before and you need a change. Here are some ways to inspire and motivate you including a photography challenge to get your creativity flowing. 

Much to the dismay of OM System camera owners, other camera brand users have been buying up all the OM System EE-1 Dot sights and the stocks have disappeared. Don’t tell anyone, but they are available again for now. Canon, Nikon, and Sony readers, please ignore this article about how useful they are. 

There are a lot of photographic accessories on the market, and some are more pleasing than others. Peak Design is a brand that never ceases to impress, and their latest collaboration with Sitka became a huge hit and sold out immediately. Here's why. 

Photo-thieving criminal gangs and huge corporations profit from stealing our photographs. Let’s stand together and fight back. 

Do you calibrate your screen? If you don’t then there are good reasons why you should. If it’s something you decide to do, then Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra may be the perfect solution. 

Every winter, plenty of articles appear suggesting cheap gifts for photographers. However, the best presents are those where the giver has carefully considered the wants or needs of the recipient. Furthermore, let’s be honest, they are also where the giver has spent a bit more money. 

In part one, I looked at the preparation up to and including the wedding day itself. But much of the work happens after the event in front of a computer. 

In this second article about image sharpness, we will look at some more reasons why your photos may not be as sharp as you would wish.  

Atmospheric distortions like heat hazes and water vapor can blur your image.

For some very good reasons, I have decided to stop photographing weddings. There are many lessons I learned from the challenges of weddings that may be useful to all photographers.