by Welcome again to HDR News. We hope your summer has been filled with great photo opportunities while staying healthy in these difficult times. We have a varied set of information for you this month. We look at awards for this year’s best new equipment as well as showing you the best used equipment to consider if you want to save. Since summer is about over we look at shooting fall foliage scenes. And, we can’t always be shooting landscapes so we include primers on shooting portraits and music concerts. We top it all with a great interview with National Geographic’s legendary Steve McCurry. Let’s get going!
The EISA Awards: The Best Cameras And Lenses Of 2021
EISA, The Expert Imaging And Sound Association is the community of 60 technology magazines, websites and social media commentators from 29 countries, specializing in hi-fi, home theater, photo and video, in-car and mobile electronics which gives awards to the best equipment in each category. Each year when we point out the awards in this newsletter, it’s one of the most clicked on and viewed stories. And, for good reason. You, our readers, find the information provided extremely helpful in purchase decisions and keeping track of the equipment that enables your photography. Since we know you’re going to view the EISA winners you should make a guess as to the Camera Of The Year award.
See which equipment stood above the rest HERE
The Best Used DSLRs To Take You To The Next Level
Here’s a little secret about your HDR Newsletter editor (me). Most all of the equipment I use in my professional and personal photography has been purchased used on eBay. That includes my cameras and all my lenses. The reason is simple, you can find tons of equipment on eBay that has been minimally used and protected like a baby by its first owner. The result is saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars without ever sacrificing performance or image quality. Besides, if you can tell the difference between an image shot on a Canon 5D Mark II, Canon’s newest mirrorless, Sony’s A7 II or Nikon’s Z7 just by looking at the image, you have special eyes. This article gives you a great overview of the cameras you should be looking at that are for sale used.
See the best deals HERE.
Fall Foliage Is Just Around The Corner – Great Photo Tips
Fall is going to fall in your lap in a couple of weeks and you know that means wonderful fall foliage scenes, farm scenes, farmer’s market scenes and way more. It’s a lovely time to shoot and a lovely time to enjoy nature working its way through its cycles. Nevertheless, it’s been a year since we took advantage of those scenes and this article is the perfect way to get you thinking about and preparing for the photography ahead.
Refresh your fall foliage shooting skills HERE.
Steve McCurry Discusses Photography, Shyness And Fatherhood
Steve McCurry is one of National Geographic’s most revered and followed photographers. As a young man he followed his passion to travel and headed off to India to cover its people and culture. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan his images were suddenly in demand by news agencies around the world. That was the springboard he used to propel himself into a life of photography on the road. This article features a robust interview made in his favorite hangout in Manhattan whose ambience perfectly reflects McCurry’s essence.
Check it out HERE.
Portrait Composition Tips For The Beginner
Yes, yes, we know you love to photograph landscapes but we bet you would like to shoot portraits too. But, shooting portraits involves approaching people and asking them if you can take their photo. Despite all your best intentions your shyness takes over and, you’re back to landscapes. You should watch the Steve McCurry interview and realize that he is just as shy as you but forces himself to approach strangers anyway. You can do it too and once you get a stranger to agree to be photographed (you’ll be surprised how many folks say ‘yes’) you’ll need a base skill set to make good images. This article can get you started in developing that skill set. The instruction is delivered using only natural light.
Learn portrait composition basics HERE.
Concert Photography: It’s All About The Exposure
Concert photography can be truly exciting. Quality live music is happening right in front of you, the performance is visually exciting and you’re dealing with colorful lighting. What could go wrong? Exposure. Your performers will be bathed in bright light from overhead flood lights and likely, multiple spotlights. If you have your camera set to average metering it will get fooled because the bright lights will be averaged with the black from non-lit areas resulting in an underexposed main subject. This article by concert photography pro David Bergman who’s shot over 1,000 concerts and is Bon Jovi’s primary shooter, will show you how to expose your images in difficult concert lighting situations.
Get the concert shooting tips HERE.