Welcome Again To HDR News You Can Use – August 2018

Choosing a lead story this month was a toss up between beautiful landscape submissions to National Geographic and the early introduction of the new Nikon mirrorless pro camera. We just had to choose the images. We also share with you three separate pieces on composition which includes looks at Sally Mann,Henri-Cartier Bresson and Monet and how their work is filled with classic lessons. Let’sget going!

 

Your Shot – The Best Landscape Photos Of 2018 (so far)

National Geographic’s Your Shot is a vibrant online community of photographers like you and me. The service allows you to post
up to 15 images per week for sharing with the community and the quality of submissions is superior, especially when you realize most of the images are primarily by amateurs and advanced hobbyists. This collection of landscape photos are presented as the best landscape images of 2018 so far. The images exhibit exceptional composition, color and thought. It’s worth the time.

See the collection HERE

 

Just In Case You Missed It – The Nikon Z Series Is Here

Nikon’s introduction of the Z7 and Z6 cameras last week was a bit of a shocker. The announcement follows recent history by getting in front of other manufacturer’s announcements tied to the Photokina show in Germany at the end of September. The cameras are Nikon’s first foray into the full frame, pro-level mirrorless market. They draw heavily on the technology in the stellar D850: 45.7MP BSI-CMOS sensor, ISO 64-25,600 (expandable to 102,400) and up to 9 fps shooting (JPEG and 12-bit Raw). “But I can get those specs out of my D850”, you say. Yes, but not at this reduced weight and size. What’s the financial hurdle to get into a Z7 with the all-new Z-mount
24-70 f4 lens? B&H is taking orders at a price of $4,147.

But wait, there’s the issue of the new Z (pronounced “zee”) lens mount that is larger and shallower than the F mount. Nikon got ahead of a firestorm from their community by creating an F-mount adaptor allowing you to use most of your existing lenes. But this raises the question of the future of development of the F lens line. There’s a lot to think about with this product introduction. We refer you to the Nikon website for the formal introduction and on to our friends at dpReview for the closer look they had at the Tokyo intro event which includes image samples.

See the Nikon announcement HERE
Get DpReview’s Z7 first impressions HERE
Get DpReview’s Z6 First Impressions HERE

 

New 151 MP XF IQ4 Camera System from Phase One Making Waves

Phase One has introduced the new XF IQ4 camera system, which can capture photos at <i>resolutions of up to 151 MP in a full-frame medium format camera</i>. If you’ve ever seen a large print of an image out of this camera or worked with a file from the camera then you know that you’re in very rare air. It’s virtually impossible to describe the sharpness and tonal complexity. It’s breathtaking. After you’re done reading the Petapixel article take a field trip to your closest pro camera outlet and get you’re hands on one. Be warned, the back alone is $48,000.</p>

Check it out HERE

 

Take A Walk Outside Of Yourself – Sally Mann Will Improve Your Photography

A major exhibition of Sally Mann’s work, titled A Thousand Crossings, is currently on view at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, fresh off a run at the National Gallery of Art in the nation’s capital. Calling Mann a “fine art photographer” over simplifies. She conceptualizes her message, often orchestrates her scene and then executes her prints, darkly. She appears to be able to emote into her photographs of family and friends the melencholy of the inevitability of their demise though, decades in the future. She doesn’t “take” photographs. She creates concepts. We’re sharing this article with you because of the number and cohesivness of the images. We hope the experience will help you dig deep for feelings that will appear in your images. An even better idea is to visit the Peabody and take in the exhibition in person.

See the images and article HERE

 

20 Simple And Elegant Henri-Cartier Bresson Composition Lessons

You’re an experienced photographer and you know you need to take your composition beyond the Rule Of Thirds. In this piece and the next, photographer Eric Kim helps us apply lessons from the greats in to our own images. Henri-Carier Bresson, besides being known for capturing “The Moment”, bended and reshaped the rules of composition; reordering ordinary subjects into displays of art that seem to be in motion. If you want to push your composition skills, check out this article.

See the lessons HERE

 

13 Lessons About Art From Claude Monet

Photographer Eric Kim’s blog is a great destination for getting yourself beyond just looking at photographs. Kim serves you well by reminding you that the pursuit of artful photography can always start by appreciating the artists that came before. In this article he’s all over Monet. He provides tons of composition examples and analysis as well as verbal quotes that illuminate his work such as: “For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the air and the light which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.” Kim adds, “Don’t just capture your subjects, capture the mood and the air around it! Create an atmosphere in your pictures, to transport the viewer into your images.”

Learn from Claude HERE