Photography Gear

We all know that it’s not the camera that makes the picture and I for one am not a gear driven photographer. I am much more interested in the process of creating cool images, but of course gear is a part of that and from time-to-time we need to talk practically about different pieces of gear.

Why I Have a Love-Hate Relationship With My Sony Cameras

Sony A7RiVa with Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Switch and The ChoiceWhat I Dislike About Sony and My Sony Mirrorless CamerasWhat I Love About My Sony Cameras – a7RIVa and a7IV(2)The Important QuestionsMy Top Tips for Selecting Your Next Camera and When To Do ItHow do…
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The Reasons Why Tamron Lenses are my choice over Sony and other brands

Table of ContentsIntroductionA Little Background Information on Sigma and TamronMy Decision To Purchase Tamron LensesMy Tamron Lens LineupHow To Tell if Tamron Lenses or Another Brand Is Best for You? Here Are My Top 4 Lens Purchasing TipsWrap-up Introduction As 2021 came to a close, I found myself looking for…
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SIRUI Am-326M Carbon Fiber Monopod – Really the Best for the Money?

My sports set-up with Sirui Monopod Table of ContentsMy MonopodYes – Sirui is pronounced soo-ray.SIRUI AM-326M Carbon Fiber Monopod SpecsWrap-up My monopod of choice is the SIRUI AM-326M Carbon Fiber Monopod (Amazon Link). But I’ll come back to that in a minute. First, let’s talk about monopods in general. A monopod…
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Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Camera

Olympus has just announced its latest entry level camera in the OM-D lineup – or should I say entry level interchangeable lens camera with Intermediate level features and even some pro camera capabilities – the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. As promised, the Olympus imaging division is moving full steam…
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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

Click here for the specs on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Olympus has just announced a very exciting upgrade to the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. Allow me to introduce you to the latest pro camera in the flagship group the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Read on to learn…
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Compact Studio Strobes – Godox MS200 & Godox MS300

These are two extremely affordable studio strobes from Godox that a lot of photographers don’t know about. Certainly when we think of Godox flashes and strobe lighting we think of the AD200 Pocket flashes and the AD400 and AD600 studio strobes that run on lithium batteries. We know that Godox…
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Olympus OM-D E-M1X – My First Impressions

The wait is over – here it is – the new addition to the Olympus E-M1 series. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X! So let’s get this out of the way, right up front… in case you don’t know, I am an Olympus Visionary. So yes – I am sponsored by Olympus.…
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15 Air Travel Tips for Photographers

When I pack camera gear for a trip, I’m a habitual over-packer. If I could fit the kitchen sink in a suitcase, believe me I would do it. So I am going to share some hard-learned tips and tricks for making air travel with your photography gear a little easier.…
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WHY I shot an assignment as JPEGS

I was hired for a marketing assignment for Olympus to shoot on location with two young Instagrammers and the Olympus Pen E-PL9 Camera. And just to make it fun, I shot the entire assignment as jpegs – NO RAW. Read on and I will tell you why. The marketing team…
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Monitor Viewing Angle Gauge

As laptop computers become more powerful, I see more and more photographers processing their images and videos on their small laptop screens. Now I will admit, us old guys prefer bigger screens to work on, but even if you are working on an iMac like I do – the screens…
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My Olympus Camera Gear – The 6 Month Report Card

It’s been 6 months since I shared this article about switching to Olympus cameras and a lot of people have been asking for my thoughts about micro four thirds and if I am happy with the switch or if I regret it in any way. Now that I’ve had more…
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Goodbye Nikon!

I did it. I said goodbye to Nikon. I switched to Olympus. That’s right — micro four-thirds and I couldn’t be happier. My only disappointment is that I didn’t do it much sooner. My Camera History I purchased my first Nikon camera — used in 1975 and I’ve shot with…
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The Honey Badger by Interfit Photographic

I was wrong. A few months back I wrote this article and told you that I thought the Paul C. Buff DigiBee was potentially the most underrated flash unit on the market. I was simply wrong — for a bunch of reasons that all involve the Interfit Honey Badger from…
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Acratech Ball Heads on Benro Tripods

In this Part 2 of my How to Choose a Tripod Series, I’m going to show you which tripods I use and tell you why. Plus, I’ll show you what I think is the best tripod ball head ever made! Hopefully you read Part 1 of this set and you…
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10 Tripod Tips and Tricks

A tripod is one of the most important pieces of gear that you should own and use as a photographer. Yet I see so many photographers struggle to choose the right tripod, or– even worse–not use them properly or– the absolute worst of all–not use them when they should be…
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LED Lighting for Photographers

I have been having a ton of fun shooting with these LED lights and even learned some cool stuff along the way. I wanted to close by sharing my thoughts on LED lighting for photography, and, of course, I’ll take you behind the scenes for another shoot using ALL of…
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Smith Victor CooLED Lights

In this article- Part 4 of my LED light series- I’m gonna show you some lights from the Smith Victor CooLED series. These include three LED studio lights that look more like studio strobes that you can attach modifiers to like you do with a strobe. I’ll also add a…
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Led Portrait Lighting With Savage Edge Lit Pro Led Lights

How do you make an LED lighting panel that is much bigger than a strobe, yet super thin and has really even light across the front panel?… You light it from the edge. That’s want Savage Universal did with these awesome Savage Edge Lit Pro LED Lights, which I’ll be…
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Spekular LED Photography Lights / What Is Cri?

Spekular is a new modular LED lighting system that is being referred to as the Swiss army knife of lighting. For the second part of my continuous lighting series, I am going to put Spekular to the test and I am going to do my best to demystify those three…
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LED Continuous Lights vs Strobes for Photography

LED this, LED that, hybrid lighting, CRI, constant vs strobe… are you getting a headache from all these headlines and videos and kickstarter campaigns about these revolutionary new lighting gadgets? Is it causing you stress because you are going to have to spend a ton of money to keep up…
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10 Tips To Make Seamless Paper Backgrounds Last Longer

Seamless paper backgrounds are a staple item for both amateur and professional photographers. They are versatile, reusable and affordable. Yet, I find it surprising how many photographers don’t take care of them and dispose of them much sooner than needed. Here are 10 tips for making your backgrounds last and…
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Where Is the Cheapest and Best Place To Buy Camera Gear?

Recently a fellow photographer told me, “I would never buy camera gear from Amazon.com. I will only buy from a reputable retailer like B&H Photo.” That got me to thinking about how the process of buying camera gear has changed in the 40+ years I have been involved in photography…
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RapiDome by Photoflex

The RapiDome by Photoflex is a lightweight speedlight modifier which is changing the way I approach portrait lighting both on location and in the studio. I’ll explain why and I’ll even take you behind the scenes as I put it to the test. The folks at Photoflex were kind enough…
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DigiBee DB800 by Paul C. Buff

I honestly think the Digibee – the DigiBee DB800 by Paul C. Buff, to be exact – is the most underrated flash unit on the market today. This DigiBee DB800 has been on the market for just about a year now and I will admit that I just started using…
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Speedlight Photography: What Is a Speedlight Flash?

Speedlights, or speedlites, or speedlight flashes, or hot shoe flashes…. what are they? Why and when should you use them? And how do you use them? A speedlight, like this now discontinued LumoPro 180 below, is simply a small battery-powered flash that is designed to work both on and off…
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Review of the Lumopro LP180r Off-camera Flash

The LumoPro LP180R, like its predecessor the LP180, is an incredibly well built flash. Unlike the LP180, though, which is a manual-only flash, the LP180R has the Phottix Odin and Strato II Multi receivers built in, plus it has an internal receiver that enables remote power, zoom adjustments, and off-camera…
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How to Windproof Your Light Stands With a StandDaddy

I have found a cool new gadget called StandDaddy that is easy to transport, easy to set up, lets you easily move your stands, and works great as a stabilizer for both light stands and tripods. Have you ever tried shooting outside on a breezy or windy day and had…
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Best Studio Light Modifier: Softbox, Umbrella or Beauty Dish?

Softboxes, Umbrellas, Brolly Boxes, Parabolic Reflectors, Beauty Dishes… which light modifier should I use? Is it better to get silver or white? Which one should I buy first? In this article I’ll help you answer all those questions and more. I get lots of questions about lighting, and one of…
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Best Software Options for Shooting Tethered

Are you ready to start shooting tethered? Are you looking for the best software to use? Tethering doesn’t have to be difficult. In this article, I will break down your options and look at why you might pick one over the other, and I’ll even explain how I create backups…
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Light Blaster by Spiffy Gear

Stop! Don’t move! Now click that “like” button, or I’ll blast you with my Light Blaster! I bet you’re wondering ‘What the heck is a Light Blaster?’ The Light Blaster is a strobe-based image projector that will let you to turn a simple backdrop into an exciting new background with…
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Best Lens for Portrait Photography and Headshots

So you’re ready to begin shooting portraits or headshots. Now, the question is: what is the best lens for portrait photography?? This is a question that has multiple answers depending on several factors. First and MOST important – what is your style of photography and what kind of portrait does…
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DIY Fluorescent Studio Lighting

I have received an incredible response from the article and video series that I produced about the DIY Fluorescent Studio Lighting Set-up (See original video below). I have also received TONS of questions about the fixtures and how to use them so it is time to write a quick follow-up…
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