BH Insights blogs

Photography: It Is—and Isn’t—About the Gear

Chris Gampat — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:40:51 +0000

I'd been saving for months and months, which seemed like a lifetime, and I didn’t even have a driver’s license yet. I’d given my savings to my dad to pick it up early that day. I sat in class, and the clock seemed to be going in reverse. I had a volleyball tournament after school, but I hoped my dad would show up before the whistle. The match started, then the second game, and then the third, yet I didn’t see him. Then, in the fourth game I saw him come in with a brown paper bag, and take a seat next to Sharon. That just killed me—not sitting next to Sharon—but knowing that in that bag was basically my life's savings. Wouldn’t you know it? We tied up the match and went into overtime. That I was spiking with all my might goes without saying. Finally, with the last serve, an ace, the match was over, and before anything else, I ran over to the bleachers. He handed me the paper bag with a big smile. I opened it, and inside I saw that brand new Minolta 200 f4 lens I’d been saving so long for. I was in love!

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog post from Moose Peterson

Alternative Processes: Silver Gelatin Print with Martha Casanave

Chris Gampat — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:20:27 +0000

For the next few days, we will feature a mini-series of posts on alternative processes in photography. Today, Martha Casanave joins us to talk about her Silver Gelatin Print posted above. If this interests you and you'd like to expand your creative pallette, the F295 Annual Symposium might be the spot for you to do so.

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: May 25th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:48:04 +0000

This week in the news: Micro Four Thirds comes out with some fast new lenses; Pentax releases the toughest new entry-level DSLR on the market; Fujifilm lets Leica users adapt their lenses to their X-Pro 1, and more...

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for May 25th, 2012.

Basic Tips on How to Shoot Better Food Photos Using Only Natural Light

Chris Gampat — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:14:42 +0000

With Memorial Day coming up soon, some of the big things that we all think about are barbecues and other fun food made to celebrate. Since this is a time for rest and relaxation, it also means that it is a time to keep things simpler. Something that you will also want to probably do is take pictures of the delectable bites. We know we all love to do that! But if you want your food photos to stand out from the rest while making the workflow more simple, keep these tips in mind.

Intro photo and all others in this post are by Food Photography Expert Lou Manna.

How I Got the Shot: Greg Basco on Photographing a Frog in the Rain Forest

Chris Gampat — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:22:49 +0000

Take a moment and think: How do you think the above photo was shot? Can you figure it out? Was it all natural light? Was it cropped in post-production?

This jaw-dropping photo of a glass frog was shot by Greg Basco, who runs Deep Green Photography. We asked him how he shot the photo above, and here's his response, with a breakdown including a lighting diagram, and also the gear he used.

Interviews with the PDN 30: Mark Fisher

Chris Gampat — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:05:29 +0000

Mark Fisher is a recent recipient of the PDN 30 Photographers to Watch award. His specialty is also pretty cool (pun totally intended)—Mark specializes in ski photography, and also captures the portraits of various athletes. But beyond this, Mark also shoots various lifestyle projects.

We recently reached out to Mark, and he chatted with us about the gear he uses, ski photography, and wanting to have a baby despite his busy career life.

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: May 18th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:05:57 +0000

This week in the news: Sony updates their entry level DSLR and mirrorless cameras, Fujifilm offers a wide angle conversion lens for their ultra popular X100 camera, and a new softbox for Speedliters (and Speedlighters).

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for May 18th, 2012.

Todd Owyoung: From Smoky Dives to World Famous Concert Photographer

Chris Gampat — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:22:49 +0000

Todd Owyoung has been photographing concerts and musicians for years. He runs the very successful I Shoot Shows blog, and is always on the road, and blogging about his experiences. Todd is extremely active on Twitter as well. At a very young age, he's accomplished much, having photographed many major musicians that others would only dream of.

Todd found some time to answer a couple of questions for us about his methods of shooting, and about concert photography in general.

How I Got the Shot: Michael Thompson from LightenUpAndShoot Does an Outdoor Portrait

Chris Gampat — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:50:22 +0000

Portraits can be super fun! Michael Thompson of LightenUpandShoot.com sometimes employs a very specific style of shooting. He combines street photography with portraits; he finds cool locations and interesting people, and sets up a mini-studio right there on the spot. He's done workshops on this at the B&H Event Space, but you should see if he's coming closer to your neck of the woods.

How do you think Mike shot the photo above? Read on to find out, and also be sure to check out the video showing Michael shooting the photos.

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: May 11th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:02:41 +0000

This week in the news: Leica announces their first monochrome rangefinder; Fujifilm has a new, tough point-and-shoot with wireless capabilities; the Nikon D4 and D800 have a temporary fix for lock-up issues; Samsung's 55-inch OLED television will be a pretty penny, and more.

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for May 11th, 2012.

Interviews with the PDN 30: Eliot Dudik

Chris Gampat — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:30:28 +0000

Eliot Dudik is a documentary, fine art, and landscape photographer who has made PDN's 30 for 2012. His project, 'Road Ends in Water,' documents communities that live along the waterside in South Carolina. The project ended with the creation and publishing of a book of the photos.

Eliot spoke to us recently about what it's like to be included in the PDN 30, and about the project.

Selecting a Point of View

Don Peters — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:37:53 +0000

Ansel Adams once remarked that a good photograph is knowing where to stand. Where we stand—or kneel, sit, or lie—determines the camera’s point of view.

The seemingly mundane task of selecting a point of view is one of the most creative aspects of photography. When the camera’s position changes, the relationships of the visual elements in the viewfinder are rearranged. We can redesign the world as the camera sees it, simply by moving.

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: May 4th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:50:57 +0000

This week in the news: Nvidia unveils the GeForce GTX 690 GPU; Flickr buddied up with Pinterest; new camera bags from Lowepro and Think Tank were announced, and more.

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for May 4th, 2012.

Interviews with the PDN 30: Andrea Gjestvang

Chris Gampat — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:10:14 +0000

Andrea Gjestvang was recently inducted into PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch. She is a documentary photographer who hails from Europe. Andrea records the mannerisms of different types of people that try to resist change, and delves into various social issues and cultural differences.

Beyond this, though, her work has been in various magazines. We were able to take some time to talk to Andrea about her work, and what it's like to photograph her subjects.

Brandon Stanton: A Chat with a Human Photographer in New York

Chris Gampat — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:50:44 +0000

Brandon Stanton left his old job in Chicago in order to pursue his artistic dream to be a photographer. With a bit of savings, he packed up and headed to New York, and started a documentary project to create a photographic census of nearly every New Yorker. The project, "Humans of New York," has been very successful online, with an active blog, and an even more active facebook page.

Brandon had a few spare minutes to sit down and chat with us about the project, and the humans he photographs.

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: April 27th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:35:11 +0000

This week in the news: Canon issued a notice for their previous light leak issues in the 5D Mk III; Fujifilm issues a much-anticipated update to their X Pro 1; Mamiya Leaf announced a brand new medium format back system, and more.

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for April 27th, 2012.

Ramblers Bone: Two Photographers Take a Road Trip Across the Western United States

Bryan Formhals — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:28:06 +0000

Ramblers Bone is a project by Michael Kennedy and Sean Sullivan about a 5,600-mile journey into the heart of America. The two are sponsored by Wolverine, a boot-making company. Kennedy and Sullivan are no strangers to the American highways. The two are roaming east into the deserts of New Mexico, then through the Rockies, followed by Montana, and ending on the California coast.

We were able to talk to them a bit about their journey, and about the documentation process.

Meet the Incredible Balancing Coonhound, Maddie

Chris Gampat — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:47:29 +0000

Theron Humphrey created a viral sensation with Maddie on Things. But he is also the creative professional behind This Wild Idea, a project documenting the stories behind various Americans. Specifically, it's a 365 project, where he publishes a new story and photo series every day.

We had some time to talk to Theron about the projects he's been working on, and about how he got Maddie to stand on various objects.

Exposure is a VERY Personal Thing!

Chris Gampat — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:08:13 +0000

It was a very long time ago, as I had just started my first class at Brooks: I was returning home from the Central Coast, where I'd spent the weekend with a new friend I had made in school. I was just 18 at the time, and as green as they come to the photographic community. It was a gorgeous spring day as we passed through the hills, carpeted in that gorgeous shade of spring green, and rolling on as far as the eye could scan. Just then my friend asked, "How would you expose for that?" referring to the green hills that I was lost in thought about. I was taken aback by his question, because I didn't know the answer.

Being the "hot shot" young kid at Brooks, it was assumed I'd know such things, and a lot more!

Editor's Note: This is a Guest Blog Post from Moose Petersen

B&H Pulse Weekly News Roundup: April 20th, 2012

Chris Gampat — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:30:42 +0000

This week in the news: Lots of new products came out from NAB 2012. Canon, Nikon, Samsung and more announced lots of new goodies for videographers and photographers alike. Plus, Think Tank announced a brand new bag, and a new line of colors.

This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for April 20th, 2012.