Would A DSLR or Mirrorless Camera Be Best For You?

There are so many cameras out there to choose from. Between all the different brands, different type of features that each offers and even having to choose from a DSLR or a mirrorless... you may feel nervous that you may not purchase the right type of camera for you. 

Here’s a quick 8-minute video by photography instructor Phil Steele that you need to watch. In it, he talks about how DSLRs and mirrorless cameras stack up against each other. He describes the main advantages and disadvantages to each type of camera to help you figure out which one is best for your needs if you’re trying to decide between them. Enjoy!

We hope this has been helpful for you! Here are a few other posts you may enjoy:

• 1 Man And 6 Different Photography Perspectives
• 3 Essentials For Building A Photography Business

We originally saw this on PetaPixel.

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Photo Of The Week

Today's photo of the week was taken by Elizabeth Bradshaw while she was visiting the North Carolina Zoo with her family. She calls this photo "The King." 

Here is what she had to say about the photograph:

"I loved the way the lion was posed on this rock; it was just too perfect of a shot I couldn't resist. I'm an aspiring photographer and took this photo using the Canon T5I. The lens I used was a Canon EF 70mm-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens."

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

15 Winning Dog Photos From the Dog Photographer Of the Year Awards

The Kennel Club has just announced the winning photos for the Dog Photographer of the Year 2015 contest, the largest dog photography competition in the world.

The Kennel Club is the official kennel club of the UK and the oldest kennel club in the world,

Here are the 15 winning shots that we simply love! We hope you enjoy. 

Dogs At Play

1st Place Winner, Tom Lowe, UK. “Baxter’s Highland Adventure”

2nd Place Winner, Elouise Leland, USA. “Brothers: forever buddies”

3rd Place Winner, Daniel Nygaard, Sweden. “Lennon”

Dogs At Work

Overall Winner and 1st Place Winner, Anastasia Vetkovskaya, Russia. “Foggy Morning”

2nd Place Winner, Robert James Dray, UK. “Kai / Fire Investigation Dog”

3rd Place Winner, Kristi Oikawa, Canada. “Going Quackers”

I Love Dogs Because...

1st Place Winner, Jade Hudson, UK. “Sleeping Beauty”

2nd Place Winner, Advait Huggahalli, USA. “Puppy Sandwich”

3rd Place Winner, Jasmine Ottley, UK. “Couch pup-tato”

Man's Best Friend

1st Place Winner, Fiona Sami, UK. “The Journey”

2nd Place Winner, Bruce Lehman, USA. “Companions”

3rd Place Winner, Polina Ulyanova, USA. “Home is where the dog is”

Dog Portraits

1st Place Winner, Jamie Morgan, UK. “The Dogs that Rocked – Elvis & Ozzie”

2nd Place Winner, Andrey Ershov, Russia. “Under the Northern Sun”

3rd Place Winner, Rogerio Arajuo, Brazil. “Max’s look”

We originally saw these photos on PetaPixel.

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5 Tips For Better Outdoor Sports Photography

The warmer months are full of outdoor sports and activities. Whether it is baseball, soccer, golf, tennis or any other sport you can do outside, you may be tasked with capturing photos of one of these specific sports. We have talked before about tips on indoor sports photography so today we wanted to share a few tips to help take better outdoor sports photography. 

1. Have A Zoom Lens Handy

You will want to take photos of the entire group, but while photographing a sporting event, it is also great to capture close-up images of players in action or even on the sidelines. It is very important you have a zoom lens that allows you to zoom in and get a crisp, clean shot. 

Here is a good zoom lens that will work nicely with Canon SLR cameras. And here is a zoom lens for Nikon cameras. 

Photo credit: CNN

2. Use A Low ISO

The brighter it is outside where you are photographing, the lower you should set your ISO. Even if you are shooting at night, if you have a stadium full of lights, the settings would most likely be similar for you because the lights make it so bright. 

3. Bring Along A Tripod 

Even though you may be moving all around the field so you can document all the great moments and plays of the game or sport, you never know when you need a little more stabilization. A tripod is always a perfect way to secure the camera and be able to take shots when you are sure to not be shaking or moving. 

Need a good tripod? Here is a 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod With Bag that you may like. 

Photo credit: BeachCamera.com

4. Use A Higher Shutter Speed

You want to have your shutter speed fast enough to capture the moment without having the photo turn out blurry. And especially when shooting outdoors, the fast shutter speed will help compensate for the brightness of the sun. You have to make sure you do find a balance though; a shutter speed that is TOO fast may leave the photo too dark. Depending on the variables of your shooting conditions, you just want to adjust your shutter speed as you go... for example, if the sun goes behind the clouds every few minutes. 

5. Capture Every Angle and Be Ready

Just like any sport, you never know what is going to happen. You need to stay alert so you are aware and ready for great photo opportunities, but also for your own safety as you do not want to get caught up in the middle of the game. Make sure you move around the sidelines so you do not miss out on a potentially perfect angle for a photo.   

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Photo Of The Week

Today's photo of the week was submitted by Ashley Kiczek. She said, "This photo is called 'Summer Lemonade.' It embodies a cool, refreshing summer day, and finishing it off with Lemonade." 

To see more photos from Ashley, check out her on her blog called A Flower Of God. She is also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr. 
 

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

2 Important Factors To Creating A Successful Senior Photography Business

Each and every school year, thousands of seniors graduate high school in excitement of what is to come in their lives. They may be moving away to college, staying home to begin working or even taking time to travel and figure out what their true passion is in life. Many of these graduating seniors and their parents want them to get senior portraits taken to help capture this important time and all the years of school they have accomplished. With all this said, being a photographer that captures senior portraits can be a very great business to be in!

If you are interested in getting into senior portraits, "Creating A Successful Senior Photography Business" is the perfect eBook to give you all the tips and tricks you need to begin. Written by Keala Jarvis with Keala Jarvis Photography, who has a successful senior photography business who averages about $1,300 per senior session, will help you grow your business with marketing, social media, pricing, and more! 

Photo credit: Keala Jarvis Photography

Two very important factor that comes directly from this eBook is to figure out what your ideal client is so you can focus your marketing to that specific type of person. We are going to give you a few pointers on figuring out your ideal client below and how to market to them! 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
"CREATING A SUCCESSFUL SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS" 
NOW! 

1. Find Your Niche

It is much easier to market to one specific group of people and focus your advertising dollars, website and everything else to that one thing. Sure, you can do other work, but having that focus will be beneficial. 

When you first start photographing, you are most likely to going to shoot anything you can. You may dabble in weddings, family portraits and anything else someone would hire you for. If seniors are something you do very regularly and you want to focus on them, Keala recommends in this eBook to make the switch quickly and put 110% into it. Some photographers tend to slowly transition to their niche.... still shooting weddings or family portraits here or there and while that is okay, it takes away from your focus of seniors.

Photo credit: Keala Jarvis Photography

2. Market to Teens

When you are a senior portrait photographer, while you want to get the word out to parents who have students, you really do want to focus some of your marketing directly to the teens. Keala says that the best place to find teens is on Twitter. Be sure that your business is on Twitter and is active on there so you can reach as many potential customers as you can! 

It is also important to get out and go to where the seniors are. Go to school sporting events in your town, or even work with other vendors to help cross-promote each other. Think about hairstylist or a local boutique that sells prom dresses. Working to promote each other would be very beneficial because these are places that teens will be visiting! 

If you are a senior portrait photographer, be sure to check out a few of our other posts including: 3 unique places to find high school senior clients and 2 factors to consider when photographing senior girls. 

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Finding your niche and marketing is such an important part of your business and if done correctly, will help your business thrive! This guide offers many more great tips about marketing, keeping your clients happy, word of mouth, pricing and so much more. Get "Creating A Successful Senior Photography Business" on sale for a limited time only for only $39.99 (a $129.99 value)! 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
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Adventure Wedding Photographer Captured Bride and Groom...and a Rattlesnake!

Johnny and Laura Benson had their wedding in Fort Collins, Colorado. After they said "I do" at a Catholic church in town, they went and took photos before the reception at the Horsetooth Reservoir because they both loved the outdoors. 

Then, while Maddie with Maddie Mae Photography, an adventure wedding photographer, was capturing them together, a rattlesnake bit the groom on his ankle!!

“I felt this bump against my leg and, and I wasn’t sure I got bit or not. But I felt it. I looked down, and there it was, rattling,” Johnny told The Washington Post in their recent article. “I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding me. Did this really just happen?’ ”

They were taking photos on a trail that Johnny runs often, and he said that he usually runs with a rock in hand “for this very occasion. But not during wedding pictures.”

Laura urged Johnny to take a look at his ankle and the bite marks were there. “Still, the only thing I could think of is we’re going to miss our big expensive party,” he told The Washington Post.

Paramedics discussed calling a helicopter that carries anti-venom but Johnny wasn’t showing serious symptoms, so they took him to the emergency room instead, where medical workers confirmed the bite had been dry. No venom had been injected into Johnny’s ankle.

Laura was by Johnny’s side the entire time, making calls, alerting guests waiting for the couple at the reception and, finally leaving the hospital with her new husband to head to their wedding reception.

Here are a few more photos from their crazy adventure taken by Maddie Mae Photography. 

Johnny and Laura, before the bite. 

Another beautiful pre-bite photo. 

Paramedics working with Johnny. 

Heading to the hospital. 

Finally leaving the hospital for their wedding reception! 

It is definitely true what they say when you are a wedding photographer... you never know what is going to happen and you need to be prepared for anything. Your clients could be having their wedding totally outdoors and it is horrible rain and storms. Someone very special in the wedding could be very late and make everything run behind schedule. As a wedding photographer, you need to be flexible and make sure your their for your bride and groom and you work with what you have to capture the best photos you can of their special (and in this couple's case.... crazy) day! 

Here are a few of our other wedding photography related posts you may enjoy:

• 4 Tips To Photographing An Amazing First Look Shoot
• 3 Tips To Pricing Your Wedding Photography Prices To Sell
• 5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Book Your First Wedding

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Photo Of The Week

Today's photo of the week was submitted by Amelia Benson that she calls "Black and White Raindrop." Enjoy! 

To see more photos from Amelia, check out her Instagram page or visit her on Flickr. 

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

5 Cool Things To Know About The Nikon D810

It does not matter what brand of camera you love, each camera has different features that work for all different types of photographers. If you are a Nikon user, you may or may not have the newest version - the Nikon D810. If you have considered upgrading to the newest one day in the future, we wanted to share with you 5 cool things that you should know about the Nikon D810 before you buy! 

1. The Nikon D810 has no OLPF/AA filter.

The difference between the D800 and the D800E is the filter stack in front of the sensor. This mean that the D800 has two stacks of anti-aliasing/blur filters along with the regular UV/IR filter, which is what effectively reduces moire in images. The D800E, on the other hand, has a blur filter in the front of the filter stack, which is cancelled out by another filter at the end,

The Nikon D810 does not have the two low pass filters, so there is nothing that needs to be cancelled out. Only a regular filter stack (mostly to combat UV) is present in front of the camera sensor. There is practically no difference between the D810 and the D800E which reveals that the Nikon D800E filter stack was probably designed that way for cost reduction reasons. Now there is no need to do that, since both D800 and D800E have been combined into one line.

2. EXPEED 4 offers better autofocus performance and is 30% faster. 

The EXPEED 4 processor applies faster calculations to fast-changing scenes, which in turn improves autofocus speed and accuracy. The Nikon D810 gains exactly the same autofocus system as the D4s, so we can expect similar improvements in performance.

With a roughly 30% faster processor, the D810 can process images faster too, so the improvement is not only limited to the autofocus system. Thanks to the faster processor, images are also handled faster and more aggressive noise reduction algorithms are applied at high ISOs in the imaging pipeline. EXPEED 4 also translates to faster frames per second and other performance gains listed below.

3. The battery and MB-D12 are compatible. 

No need to worry about buying different batteries for the D810 if you are upgrading from the earlier version, because the older EN-EL15 battery is compatible with the D810! In addition, the MB-D12 battery grip for the D800/D800E is also compatible with the D810, which should make it easier for existing Nikon owners to make the transition if upgrading to this version. 

4. Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter completely eliminates camera shake. 

As a photographer you probably know how simple shutter vibration can impact images when shooting at slow shutter speeds. The new Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter on the Nikon D810 is amazing for this issue! When shooting, once the mirror is raised and the camera is in Live View mode, the shutter does not have to close and reopen at the beginning of the exposure. The shutter is only lowered at the very end of the exposure, which obviously does nothing to introduce potential blur. As long as you do not have continuous vibrations due to wind or other factors, the Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter will give you sharp, blur-free images. This mode will also work in Mirror Lock-Up mode, so it is not just limited to Live View!

5. Lower Base ISO of 64 and Higher Native ISO of 12,800. 

Most of you know that cameras give the best dynamic range at the lowest base ISO. With the D800 and D800E, the base ISO was 100, so you get the best performance at ISO 100. Although these cameras offered a “low boosted” ISO of 50, it is not native to the sensor, meaning that it is a software boost, which only reduces the dynamic range. With the D810, the base ISO is 64, so it is native to the sensor. This means that the best dynamic range on the D810 will be at ISO 64 and you can further “low boost” it to ISO 32. Having the ability to shoot at ISO 32 means you might not need to carry your ND filter when you need to use a slower shutter. For photographers that want to shoot wide open with fast f/1.4 lenses or with flash in bright daylight conditions, this is a definite plus. The native ISO range has been also been expanded to 64-12,800 range from 100-6,400. This means lower amounts of noise at high ISO levels, particularly past ISO 1600. 

So, what do you think of all these cool features and upgrades? If you are a Nikon user, tell us in the comments below what your favorite feature of this camera is. 

These are just a few of the cool features that the Nikon D810 offers to its users. To see even more cool thing that the model offers, check out this post on Photography Life.

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Are you looking to purchase your own Nikon D810 or want to upgrade? If you are looking to purchase your own, check out this Nikon D810 today. 

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12 Great Photos Of Our National Parks By Rebecca Latson

In April 2016, Rebecca Latson traveled to Canada for a 4-1/2 day stay in Banff National Park with trips up to the southern border of Jasper National Park and the photos she captured showcases the beauty of our world and their landscapes.

Latson offers Armchair Photography Guides which are geared for those photographers who either cannot or do not wish to hike long trails, race mountain goats up a steep incline, or otherwise carry a lot of stuff (mainly photography gear) on their backs out into the hinterlands for extended periods of time away from civilization. You can read Part 1 of her Armchair Photography Guide on National Parks Traveler. 

Today, we want to share with you some of our favorite photos that she took during her travels. Enjoy!

Bow River vista, Banff National Park

Evening view along the Trans-Canada Highway, Banff National Park

The view along Vermillion Lakes Road, Banff National Park

Spring In Banff National Park

Sunrise at Lake Louise, Banff National Park

Spring vista along the Icefield Parkway, Banff National Park

Morning view at the Bow River, Banff National Park

The view looking toward the northeast at Saskatchewan Crossing, Banff National Park

A bridge with a view at the Icefield Centre, Jasper National Park

The Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park

People walking upon the Great Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park

On the Glacier Skywalk, Jasper National Park

To see more from Rebecca Latson, visit her website at www.rebeccalatsonphotography.com. And be sure to read the entire article from Rebecca on National Parks Traveler. 

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