Photography News December 2019

Welcome to the Christmas round up for photography gear.  This is the time of year when many manufacturers and distributors announce their biggest savings.  So let's get started.

Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art 

The Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art  is one of the best DSLR lenses ever.  If you're looking for a lens to squeeze every pixel from your high resolution sensor this is it.  But don't ask me.  The Sigma 85MM F1.4 Art gets a stellar grade from DXOMARK.  The Sigma 85mm F1.4 comes in mounts for popular DSLR brands and unlike the Zeiss glass it has autofocus and image stabilization.  The only negatives I see are the large filter size and the absence of a aperture ring.  These are minor drawbacks if you need the sharpest lens possible.

Kodak Ektachrome 

There's good news from Kodak if you have a film junkie on your Christmas list.  As promised Kodak is releasing its Ektachrome color transparency film in 120 and 4x5 just in time for Christmas!  This 100 ISO film has extremely fine grain and very pleasing color rendition.  It's been reformulated on a base optimized for scanning.

Canon Pixma PRO-10 reviewed here.  And available at B&H until December 31st with a $200 mail in rebate.  With its pigment based LUCIA inks and archival paper the PRO-10 can make giclée quality prints.  I'll let you look that up.  Suffice it to say, this printer will take your images from the screen to a tactile print worthy of display.  Don't be afraid to take the next step.

Fujifilm X-T30 

Wrapping up my holiday roundup is the Fujifilm X-T30 reviewed here by Ken Rockwell.  The X-T30 is a APS-C mirrorless camera packed with potential.  There are plenty of excellent lens choices and top shelf accessories.  The X-T30 gives a nod in design to the film cameras of the past and is available in money saving bundles through Christmas.

The Golden Age of Hollywood Glamour

George Hurrell 

For a fleeting few decades Hollywood studios employed the greatest photographers to promote their biggest stars.  The illusion of glamour was made real in photographs.  Craftsmen of light and shadow captured elegant images on 8x10 negatives with a shelf life of 200 years.

Rita Hayworth by George Hurrell 

It was the grandest boudoir.  It was the finest portraiture.  And all of it was done without today's electronics.  Indeed, most of the works from the 20s, 30s, and 40s have only the barest of props.  It was lights, camera and the model.  And what models those photographers had.

Heddy Lamar by Clarence Sinclair Bull 

Today large format film photography is used primarily by a few landscape photographers.  It is greatly coveted for its incredible resolution in the fields of architecture and landscape.  The great Hollywood photographers valued these cameras and their large negatives for the beautiful tonality.

Gladys Zielian by Alfred Cheney Johnston 

You can find out more about large format photography here.  New large format cameras are still available new from stores such as B&H Photo.  They are expensive for sure but used cameras are often available on EBay.

As always if you have camera equipment gathering dust, get in touch and I will put it to use.  kirbyatlanta@gmail.com and mccainkirby on Instagram

For more info on large format and photography in general check out Ken Rockwell's website.  It is full of gorgeous photography!

Photography: Up Close

Beautiful vistas are just that, beautiful.  It's what we're looking for when we're on vacation.  The sun glistening over the bay.  A quiet lake with the snow capped Rockies in the background.  Waiting till vacation to take a great picture?  Why? There are plenty of opportunities around us everyday!

Nikon D300 w/ 50mm f1.8

When you look at a garden, what do you see?  If you take the time to really look at your surroundings you will find a world full of opportunities.  Get close and, as much as possible, focus on your subject.

Pet Portraits are fun 
Nikon D3400 w/ 70-300mm

Of course, a close focusing lens is essential.  The 50mm Nikkor lens used for the flower, reviewed here, is inexpensive and sharp.  Paired with the D300 from 2007, reviewed here, it's very capable of producing wonderful pictures.

One last note, try getting on the same level as your subject.  I've always considered it a mistake to make every exposure from a standing position.  Here's another example of shooting from a different perspective.

Avatar cosplay from DragonCon 

While this creative young cosplayer posed for a dude shooting from the standing position I slipped down a stairwell for my shot.  He shot on and on because digital is free but he never varied his perspective, despite seeing me taking a shot from the stairs.  And the young lady never asked for my card.

Get close and choose a perspective.

My mother inspired my interest in photography and at 62 I'm still shooting.  My interest in film photography remains strong.  If you have film equipment collecting dust consider donating it to someone that would put it to use, like me.

I'm particularly interested in large and medium format cameras.

kirbyatlanta@gmail.com