Gear

First Photo Studio: Part 1

For many photographers, the thought of going pro is very tempting. Perhaps you’ve gone through a change in career or family life, you love photography, or all your friends and family tell you that you’re great and that you should make a business of photography.

Read the article for steps on getting the gear that you’re going to need to get started.

Flowers using High Speed Sync in Bright Sun

We are going to talk about a really powerful – but occasionally misunderstood – flash tool called HSS, or High Speed Sync.

This feature allows us to achieve a proper flash exposure at a shutter speed much higher than the default flash synchronization speed. It’s absolutely brilliant and on many camera / flash combinations that support High Speed Sync, it’s often just a switch setting.

What is Fill Flash?

For many photographers, flash is a “no go” zone. It’s unfortunate because flash can make a real difference in your images and isn’t complex.

From full auto to full manual, most cameras offer us a choice of mode operations. We’ll take a look at Program and Aperture Priority modes because they can automatically yield the magic of TTL Fill Flash.

2019 has been a great year for mirrorless cameras. All of the major manufacturers have flagship mirrorless cameras in market, and each is expanding their mirrorless lens offerings. Features- and specs-wise, mirrorless models are on par with their DSLR companions, and in many cases, are driving innovation and new features ahead of DSLRs. Which means the competition for the best model you can buy has only heated up. As we head into 2020, what is the best mirrorless camera to buy? The Sony a7R IV is a great mirrorless camera […]

Off Camera Flash

You will need five basic pieces to get started with off-camera flash. Unsurprisingly, one of those pieces is the off-camera flash itself. Then you will need a light stand, a tilting umbrella bracket, a basic umbrella and a sandbag. Let’s look at each of these pieces individually.

Our cameras these days are computerized wizards. We will get more successful shots based on the power of automation and advanced sensors without a lot of manual effort than we ever have in the past. There are still conditions though, where the camera cannot do it on its own and needs some external help, and that can come in the form of a flash unit that attaches to the camera hot shoe. I’m always a bit surprised by the number of people who have spent a fair bit of income […]