by May 2017 – We’ve got a lot going on in this issue of HDR News. If you click on only one link in this newsletter make sure it’s to the film short by Filmspektakel. It’s a masterpiece of time lapse photography you need to see. Then we look at a sad story about a photographer who lost $20K in photo equipment in a way that could easily happen to you.
If you’re a budding nature and wildlife photographer but can’t afford a ten thousand dollar 500mm telephoto lens you’ll be happy to learn that there’s an affordable lens out there that produces pro results. We finish up with an overview of sub $1000 interchangeable lens cameras and a set of composition suggestions that don’t go anywhere near the rule of thirds. And then, at the very end, there’s The Strobist. He may just push you to the next level.
Been Blown Away Lately?
Filmspektakel is an off-the-hook time lapse, 360 recording and film production company based in Austria. They have perfected their own unique techniques to produce film sequences that would seem almost impossible to achieve with traditional methods. You MUST see this, the third episode of their “A Taste of…” time lapse series filmed in September 2016 in New York City.
Check out the video HERE
Check out the company’s website HERE
Photographer loses $20K In Gear from Overhead Bin
Being the intelligent, savvy photographer you are you surely avoid checking your camera gear on airline flights. The potential for damage is very real and quite likely. So, you carry on your camera bag knowing it will be safe. Think twice as you read the sad story of photographer Sam Hurd who had $20,000 in gear stolen from the overhead bin on his flight.
Find out how it when down HERE.
Need A Long Lens For Wildlife Photography, On The (relative) Cheap?
Most likely when you see a close up image of a wild bird or animal it inspires you to go out and do it yourself. But, as you know, these types of images require the use of a lens in the 300mm to 600mm range and longer. Nikon’s 400mm f2.8 sells new for around $11,000 and their 600mm f4 goes for over $12,000. Shocking. However there is an alternative from Nikon which may surprise you. Their 200-500mm F5.6 VR lens is in the $1,400 range and even less, used, on eBay. Are you a little unsure about the image quality on a moderately priced zoom with a fixed f5.6 aperture? Check out this review on Photography Life and you might be convinced to get in the wildlife photography game.
Find out about the lens HERE
2017 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $500-$900
Is it time for you to move up to an interchangeable lens camera? Looking for a backup camera or a great “walking around” camera. This dpReview round up of a wide range of sub-$1,000 cameras will give you the info you need to make the right decision.
Read the story HERE
5 Photography Composition Tips
This article isn’t about the rule of thirds: anything but. This is a neat blog post by photographer Eric Kim who isn’t afraid to go low, go wide and go crazy. No matter what kind of photography you do, this quick read may give you a little compositional boost. If you dig down to the bottom of the blog page you’ll see links to a series of composition videos. Even if you don’t agree with his advice you’ll surely re-examine your own composition tendencies.</p>
Shake up your composition HERE
Do You Own A Flash? – Let’s Get Serious
OK. This is HDR News. Do HDR photographers use a flash? Well, maybe they should if they wanted to push the envelop of HDR photography. What we would like to do here is turn you on to a newspaper photojournalist who’s had to make the best photos possible with normal DSLR flash units. He equals or betters most studio photographers with minimal equipment. His website, The Strobist, is legendary among photojournalists. You should check out his Lighting 101 page. You can thank us later.</p>
Visit The Strobist’s Lighting 101