The Phoblographer

On this episode of Inside The Photographer's Mind, Omar Z Robles shares how he made $200,00 0on the NFT market. Enjoy the show.

Wedding photography is one genre I will personally not touch. It takes a special kind of mind to handle a type of photography that comes with so much pressure. I envy those that do it, especially those that do it well. It must feel amazing to deliver an immortal memory of a couple’s special day. But, again, wedding photography comes with a lot of hurdles. There’s one in particular that pro photographers have to deal with, and I was curious as to how they handled it.

You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience.

The Hurdles in Wedding Photography

Back in the pre-smartphone era, cameras were an expensive tool that few people could access. At weddings, photographers could have confidence that they’ll likely be the only person there making photographs. Maybe one or two people had a cheap disposable camera, but for the most part, everyone was there to enjoy, not document.

Today that’s not true. Everyone has a half-decent camera in their pocket, and everyone loves to use it, especially at weddings. This creates new hurdles for wedding photographers, now navigating around all the would-be photographers while trying to make the best wedding photography possible. If I was a wedding photographer, I thought about what I would do to minimize the chaos. I thought about telling the soon-to-be-married couple to ban cameras at the ceremony. And then, I thought, “would that be an acceptable thing to do?” I quickly reminded myself that I have no clue because I’m not a wedding photographer. But I know two people who are. Follow me.

The Pros of Wedding Photography

Kari Björn and Joseph Allen-Keys are two pro wedding photographers with an exceptional body of work. Björn comes from Iceland and is now shooting weddings in and around the U.S. To me, his work has a photojournalistic and editorial feel about it, while still holding that special spark needed to tell a story of romance and bonding. Allen-Keys is based in the UK, and creates a body of work that’s full of energy and passion. He also shoots street photography, and I can see it in his wedding photography; most of his canid wedding photographs prove he’s fully aware of the decisive moment.

Wedding Photography: The Question

I asked Björn and Allen-Keys: “How would you feel about putting in “no smartphones or guest cameras during a wedding” in the contract clause?

Starting with Björn, he said:

“I doubt that I would ever put such a clause in my agreement. It just wouldn’t feel right, given that in 99.9% of instances, smartphones and guests with cameras are easy to work with and around. I have interacted with guests with cameras that want to get the best angle on numerous occasions and a simple ‘pardon me’ is always enough to make sure I am getting the shot I want every time. I do see quite a lot of smartphones during wedding ceremonies and receptions, and just as with guest cameras, this is easy to work around in almost all cases.

This is why I carry two camera bodies with medium and telephoto lenses to make sure I am capturing a range of images to present to my clients. Some wide-angle shots that include the whole scene in addition to tighter shots of just the bride and groom. Ultimately, I feel it is up to the couple to decide.

On the topic of how his clients would feel about such a clause, Björn added, “I have a feeling that it wouldn’t sit right with many of my potential clients. My approach to wedding photography is pretty free-flowing. I like to capture moments and not set up too many shots, and having a clause such as this doesn’t make sense to me or my approach.”

Allen-Keys had this to say on the topic:

“I wouldn’t personally want to add a clause like this. I think first and foremost, it would be very hard to enforce and also invasive to do so. But I feel the issue isn’t necessarily that people are taking pictures. As photographers and professionals, we n...

Every now and then, a photograph comes our way, and it immediately grips us. It’s the type of photograph that makes us say, “We need to know more.” Brandon Casey is the creator of the latest image that demanded our attention. A resident of New Smyrna Beach, Casey has an eye for rocket launches. He’s also a devoted father, and for this photograph, he wanted to combine his passion with the children he loves so dearly.

Although Casey has a wonderful body of work, for this piece we’re going to focus on one photograph. In what we call Creating the Photograph, we’re asking Casey to break it all down. The motivation, the gear, the settings, and editing; we want to know everything about the making of this image.

The Concept

The concept for this photograph really came from my love of fatherhood. I have two young sons, five and seven years old. Watching their imagination develop as they grow has been an incredible experience, and yet, there’s still so much more to come. To me, it is one of the most powerful things in the world, and I wanted to create an image that conveys that power.

Gear Used by Brandon Casey

Fujifilm GFX 50S II

Fujifilm GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR

Tripod: Benro TMA48CXL Extra Long Series 4 Mach3 Carbon Fiber Tripod

Tripod Head: Benro GD3WH 3-Way Geared Head

Main Light: Godox AD400Pro

Secondary Lights: (2) Godox V860II

(2) Light Stands

Fujifilm Cam Remote App for IOS

Initially, there were three things that appealed to me back when I made the switch to Fujifilm: the functionality of the dials, the unique color science that you see in the files, and the design ergonomics of the camera just fit well and felt solid. Over the last couple of years, I have only dove deeper and deeper into the world of Fujifilm. What they’re building is more than just a brand. It’s a living, breathing community of individuals who have such a passion for the product which we use to create images that tell stories and have meaning. Their products are just a joy to use, day in and day out.

The Shoot

The tricky part to making this image happen was finding a launch scheduled on a night when the kids didn’t have school the next morning. I’ll usually track upcoming rocket launches using various apps and websites. Thankfully December was a pretty busy month for night launches and coincided perfectly with their winter break from school. Once we had a launch picked out, the next step was determining the flight path. Knowing the rocket’s flight path is what I use to determine the focal length based on the location from which I’m shooting. Flight paths that are angled towards your location will arc higher in the sky and require a much wider focal length than a flight path angled further away from your position. This launch ended up being an eastern flight path so I didn’t have to shoot too wide from my northern position.

Overall, the shoot itself went very well. Normally I like to get to my planned location about an hour before the launch in order to have enough time to set up, dial everything in perfectly, and still have a little cushion time built-in should something slow me down. But since I had my youngest with me this time, I didn’t want to have too much extra time and risk him getting tired or bored. So instead, we arrived 30 minutes before launch, and as luck would have it, some of the local high schoolers were having a massive bonfire on the beach. We didn’t have any time to completely change locations, so we opted to trek a little further down the beach until any concerns of the ambient light from the bonfire were no longer a concern. I set up the tripod, camera, composed the base composition, and then sat back to enjoy watching the launch with my little guy.

After we watched the last bit of light fade from the booster landing on the drone ship, we set up the off-camera lighting, got him suited up, and nailed the right pose within just a few shots.

Since the main image exposure is far longer than any one person could hold still for, especially a ch...

A while back, we reviewed the Fujifilm GFX 50s II. For its price point, it provides a level of performance that’s very difficult to beat. Photographers who want something bigger than full frame might really appreciate what it can do. Lucky for you, we’ve also reviewed nearly every GF mount lens made by Fujifilm. So we dove into our reviews index to find the best lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II. We hope this helps!

You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

How We Chose the Best Lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II

There are a fair number of lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II. Here’s how we chose the best ones:

First off, you should know that we’ve reviewed pretty much every lens for the Fujifilm GF system. Take a look at our guide right here.

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II doesn’t have the fastest autofocus or even phase detection autofocus. So we’re pairing it with lighter lenses that aren’t difficult to autofocus.

The thing about the GFX system is that the lenses are pretty big. So we’re selecting lenses that aren’t all that huge.

Each of these lenses is weather-resistant, so you can ensure that your camera will fire reliably when you’re being responsible with it.

Fujifilm colors are wonderful. The best lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II will deliver a nice render no matter what.

Fujifilm GF 63mm f2.8 R WR

Pro Tip: The 63mm is a normal-ish field of view. And overall, it’s going to be one of the most versatile lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 50s II.

In our review, we state:

“So here’s the really weird thing you may hear no one else say, but when I verify it with both staffers and contributors they all agree with me: these lenses are too sharp. Generally speaking, photographers wouldn’t have ever thought that would be said. But when you work with a lens this high quality, you start to see how it can be too sharp for portraiture. In fact, I’d be happy taking a UV filter, slapping some vaseline on it, and then shooting. Otherwise, you’ll need to do a whole lot of retouching. This goes for both using a flash and natural light.”

Buy Now

Fujifilm GF 45mm f2.8 R WR

Pro Tip: The closest thing to a 35mm render that you’ll get from the Fuji GFX system is this lens. And for documentary-style shoots, we strongly recommend it.

In our review, we state:

“The Fujifilm GF 45mm f2.8 R WR has a lot to offer when it comes to color rendition. This is due to how the Fujifilm GFX 50s works. It offers up various film simulations such as Astia, Classic Chrome, the PRO Negative films, etc. For most of these studio session images I switched to either Classic Chrome or PRO Negative High Contrast. I’m really in love with the colors. Fujifilm won’t automatically give skin tones a nice, warm look like Canon and Zeiss lenses will, so instead I’d recommend going all manual when it comes to color editing. Again though, that has to do with the sensor.”

Buy Now

Fujifilm GF 30mm f3.5 R WR

Pro Tip: The 30mm is an incredibly fun lens to use. It’s great for all types of shooting situations. Because there’s so much more glass in there, the distortion is majorly well controlled.

In our review, we state:

“The Fujifilm GF 30mm f3.5 R WR has great image quality overall. That statement is said from ...

Amongst the traditional photography that comes The Phoblographer’s way are stories that focus on rare moments. From wildlife to natural phenomena, photographers wait patiently to document scenes people don’t often see. The scenes take us into unknown worlds and allow the photographer to educate us on topics we’re not familiar with. We love these types of stories, and so do our readers. If you want to forget the mundane for a moment, check this out! Make a hot drink, get locked in to the rest of this article, and enjoy some rare photography.

You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android.

Will Burrard-Lucas’ Rare Photography from Africa

The photographer is Will Burrard-Lucas, and the location is Laikipia, Kenya. Here you will find all sorts of wildlife, ranging from elephants to giraffes. It’s a popular spot for those who like to go on a safari adventure. But amongst all the common animals is a rare black leopard. Lucas was intent on finding the seldom-seen animal. On preparing for his mission, he told us, “I needed to learn about the unfamiliar habitat in Laikipia and how the leopards were using the land.” He added, “the guides, researchers, and rangers showed me water sources, tracks, and trees that they believed the leopards favored. This was essential information in the early stages of the project, which helped inform my placement of cameras.”

Armed with his Canon 5D Mark III, Lucas embarked on his journey. With the guide’s help and his persistence to succeed, he eventually found what he was looking for. You can read about it here.

Zola Chen’s Rare Photography Captured a Shark

The most feared fish is the shark. Blame it on Jaws and real-life encounters, but either way, when Sharks are coming, people start running! But Zola Chen did the opposite. Instead of avoiding a shark, she went looking for one. The Megamouth shark was first spotted in 1976, and to this day, humans rarely encounter it. Chen is a marine ecology photographer and came into contact with a Megamouth shark during an expedition in Taiwan with the Deep Blue Research Foundation. On seeing the shark, Chen told us, “It was a precious experience to be able to meet such a rare and huge marine animal, especially in my own country.” Along with her Canon 5D Mark IV and GoPro 8, Chen takes a range of gear on her expeditions. You can read about it here.

Zeb Andrews Caught a Beautiful, Rare Moment in Nature

Zeb Andrews captured the aurora star trails and bioluminescence both at the same time. It’s a rare achievement in this type of photography and one that certainly doesn’t happen often. “I guess given how uncommon it is to get auroras and enough clear skies around here, that throwing in bioluminescent plankton probably escalates an image like this to fairly uncommon if not a bit rare,” said Andrews in an interview with The Phoblographer. What’s crazy is that despite its rareness, Andrews seems pretty chill about it. His take-it-or-leave-it attitude to photography means he remains relaxed, even when capturing an image other photographers haven’t. He traditionally shoots film, but he used his Canon 5D Mk II for this image and paired it with Canon 17-35mm f2.8 L. You can read his full story here.

Do You Have Some Rare Photographs?

Rare photography will always capture the eye of those passionate about the craft. Humans love to see the unseen. And while the above photographers gave us our fix, naturally, we want more. Use the form below to submit your rare photographs and stories. We can’t wait to see them. Thanks for reading.

Want to get your work featured? Here’s how to do it!

Lead photo by Will Burrard-Lucas. All images used with permission.

“You never know what you will get, but that’s why I love film,” says Scottish photographer Andrew Low on why he shoots with film so often. Instead of going down the traditional route for an album cover, Low decided to experiment. It paid off very well in the form of a top-five placement at the 2021 International Photography Awards.

You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android.

Even those among us who aren’t obsessed with pixel peeping often measure the effectiveness of a photographer’s technique by the sharpness of their images. If it’s not tack-sharp, we subconsciously tend to question the photographer’s skill level. I’d say that the best way to counter this is to produce images that are so captivating that the viewer tends to forget the concept of sharpness and become lost in the picture. Is sharpness so critical that we lose the message the photograph is trying to tell us? Low feels otherwise, and he often experiments with slow shutter speeds for some creative results.

The Essential Photo Gear Used by Andrew Low

Andrew told us:

Mamiya RZ67 Pro II

Mamiya 110mm lens

Sony A7iii

Nikon L35AF

Contax T2

Canon EOS3

My main camera is a Mamiya RZ67 Pro II with a 110mm lens, I love this camera because it works for everything I need, the waist level viewfinder allows me to maintain eye contact with my subject and doesn’t add any distractions, my go to film when using the camera has to portra 400 or 800 depending what i’m shooting, I just love the way it renders.

The Phoblographer: Please tell us about yourself and how you got into photography.

Andrew Low: My Name is Andrew; I come from a small town called Renfrew just outside of Glasgow. I started photography about three years ago. One day I decided I wanted to try out some new hobbies, so I tried a few, and photography was one of them. Since then, I ran with the hobby and put all my time and energy into it. Two years after starting, it became my full-time job, with me now being a commercial photographer for a clothing company called Little Lies. Over the few years of doing photography, I tried my hands at most styles, from landscapes which I started with, to cityscapes and street photography, followed by portraits, and I found that portraits was my kind of thing and stuck with it.

The Phoblographer: A very non traditional album cover. What inspired you to shoot this way?

Andrew Low: This album cover is heavily inspired by an American photographer called Jake Wangner. He does a lot of these slow shutter portraits, and I was always inspired to try them out. Prior to this photograph, I shot a few test shoots because it’s not an easy thing to do on film because you never know how it will turn out. The artist I shot this for came to me and said they loved what I was doing and said it would fit their style because they preferred to be slightly mysterious and hide their face. So this style was perfect for the cover.

The Phoblographer: Had you been practising the technique on a digital camera for a while, or was this an experimental shoot?

Andrew Low: It is a tricky thing to do on film because you never know what you will get, but that’s why I love film. I actually never tried on digital; I just jumped straight in and did a test roll when I was testing a camera. I did it on a pair of trainers in the studio just to get a feel for it, and I had to test out the camera anyways. After that first roll, I just put the steps into practice on people I knew or models that offered to be a part of it.

The Phoblographer: Given that you couldn’t see the shots until they were developed, how confident were you of the results?

Andrew Low: I’m usually pretty confident when shooting film; I never shoot any digital backups and so far have been lucky (touch wood!). But given that I had done it a few times with different results, I knew I had it in the bag when it came to this shoot. I think if you’re shooting film, you just need to commit to it and ...

The Sony a7 IV camera is bound to be on everyone’s purchase list. There’s so much going for it. It has higher-end build quality, great autofocus, and it can use a plethora of lenses. So if you’re considering getting the camera, consider the best lenses for it. We dove into our reviews index to find them. Here are the best lenses for the Sony a7 IV. We’ve reviewed them all, and they’re all under $1,000.

You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Table of Contents

How We Chose the Best Lenses for the Sony a7 IV

Sony 55mm f1.8 FE

Sony 35mm f1.8 FE

Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2

How We Chose the Best Lenses for the Sony a7 IV

If you’re curious how we chose the best lenses for the Sony a7 IV, take a look at this:

We’ve reviewed every lens for the Sony FE mount. You can take a look at our comprehensive guide right here.

Sony calls the Sony a7 IV the basic camera. So we’re sticking with lenses that aren’t the highest end offerings. These lenses are all under $1,000.

We’re focusing on some of the fastest lenses when it comes to autofocus. Just because you’ve got a G Master doesn’t mean we think it’s one of the best lenses for the Sony a7 IV. In fact, it might not focus as quickly.

These lenses are all weather resistant. We’ve tested them in tough conditions, and they kept working.

You’ll be very impressed at how these lenses perform in most cases.

Sony 55mm f1.8 FE

Why It’s Great: This is a sleeper hit of a lens. In 2022, the Sony 55mm is nearly a decade old and it’s still one of the sharpest lenses Sony has made.

In our review, we state:

“Sony has some of the best color rendition around, and if you manage to get everything right in the camera, you’ll have very little to worry about in post-production. The 55mm skews warm in most cases, but if that’s not your thing, you can always fix it later. Also, the lens encourages chimping because you’ll want to see what you just took.”

Buy Now

Sony 35mm f1.8 FE

Why It’s Great: This is by far our favorite. It’s lightweight, small, and a great performer all around. If you really need an f1.4 aperture, then go for the G Master variant. But no one can hate on this lens.

In our review, we state:

“Portrait photographers, event photographers, travel photographers, and street photographers will be thoroughly pleased with the results from the Sony autofocus system and the Sony 35mm f1.8 FE lens. Combine this with the quality of the imaging sensors and the fact that the operation can acquire focusing of moving subjects at f1.8 and you’ll see just how incredible it really is. At this price point, Sony is hitting the ball out of the park.”

Buy Now

Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2

Why It’s Great: This is the best bang-for-your buck zoom lens. It has great image quality, innovation, fast autofocus, and a durable build. You can’t hate on it.

In our review, we state:

“The Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 mostly shows its innovations with being one of the first lenses to have the USB port built into it. Otherwise, Tamron has done all this before. It’s a good lens, but lacks in comparison to its bigger sibling, the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 lens.”

Buy Now

Buying a film camera can be very confusing. After all, you can’t really ask questions about the megapixels. Further, the autofocus doesn’t have things like face and eye detection. But instead, film cameras let you do things much differently from digital. They’re fun! In 2022 though, it’s non-sensical to ask yourself the same questions that folks did back in the ’90s and before. You could say that your camera took good pictures, but it instead would be the film that did it along with the lenses. We’re diving into the questions you should ask yourself about how to buy a film camera. And specifically, I’m giving my experience from buying them for over a decade.

You can view this article and much more with minimal ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android.

Choose the Right Shops (eBay, Blue Moon Camera, and More)

First off, choose the right shops. If you’re wondering how to buy a film camera, don’t get it from an awful source. You can’t always trust Craigslist. And so let’s dive into this a bit more:

Some retailers do nothing as far as prepping the camera for sale. Some will buy it straight from the buyer for a stupidly low price, and then sell it straight to you for much more than they bought it for. I personally wouldn’t go with any of the big guys unless it’s a really big purchase that’s also very rare.

Even the people I know who work at the big camera shops don’t buy their used film cameras there.

Some retailers go as far as revamping and refurbishing the cameras. Blue Moon Camera our partner for the Rare Camera Store initiative, does this!

eBay can have good shops, be sure to check the ratings.

Etsy can be an awesome place to buy cameras if you can get them at the right price.

Look around at prices on the market. Don’t be afraid to be confrontational. The truth is that you’re not going to be sitting there one day when you retire regretting that you were in this case. Hold them accountable. If the store you’re looking at is charging more, ask them what’s justifying the extra dollars. The good shops will be totally transparent with you.

Point and Shoot, Rangefinder, or SLR?

There are lots of tough questions that you need to answer as far as how to buy a film camera. And one of them is about the camera type. A point and shoot will keep things very simple. A rangefinder is one of the smallest and most versatile. Plus, they can transition easily into digital if you’re reaching for something with Leica M-mount. An SLR can transition into digital too, though a bit poorly these days. SLRs show you what you’re getting in the viewfinder, while other cameras give you sort of an approximation.

Personally, I reach for point and shoots and rangefinders. There are affordable SLR film cameras, but I’ve got a good enough experience with modern day mirrorless!

Medium Format, Large Format or 35mm?

Here’s another big question! What format are you going? 35mm is a small format, but if you think about how to buy a film camera and what you’re buying it for, it could be the tactile experience. If you’re going for 35mm, get it because it feels good, the film you want is easier to get in 35mm, or it’s just fun. Otherwise, just go medium format or large format. Most digital cameras can outdo what 35mm film does these days. But medium format can outdo digital in many ways.

Your Best Bet is All Mechanical

THIS IS A BIG ONE!!! Cameras with electronics are prone to failure. Some cameras are a combo of both mechanical and electronic. Namely, go for the Leica M6 or Leica CL. They’re mechanical cameras but the meter uses electronics. If anything, your Leica M6 will just become a Leica M4! Mechanical cameras will also mean that they’ll keep working pretty much no matter what. If your camera needs a battery to power the shutter, but with caution.

Check out the Lens System (If There is One)

Some film cameras don’t have a lot of lenses. So that means that they may not do what you want them to. Other cameras have tons of lenses that are first party ...

The Canon EOS R3 has been out for a little while now, and we’ve already reviewed it! It’s seriously one of the best cameras you can get, and there are great reasons for that. Besides introducing a few cool innovations, photographers will love the fact that there are so many good lenses for it. So we dove into our reviews index. In fact, we’ve reviewed almost every Canon RF lens out there. And we’re choosing the best lenses for the Canon EOS R3 based on autofocus speed. After all, the image quality will be there already anyway!

You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Table of Contents

Pro Tips on Using the Canon EOS R3

Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM

Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM

Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Pro Tips on Using the Canon EOS R3

The Canon EOS R3 can be a complicated camera to use. So here are some of our pro tips on how to make the most of it.

The Canon EOS R3 has eye-control AF. It’s the first camera to do so since the film days. Just look at an autofocus point, and you’ll be able to get the subject in focus.

The Canon EOS R3 has animal/bird, human, and vehicle detection. Obviously, it’s best for sports, wildlife and wedding photography.

In this list of the best lenses for the Canon EOS R3, we’re choosing lenses that have super fast autofocus and that make the most practical sense. For that reason, we’re sticking with zoom lenses. Canon’s sharpest prime lenses are best reserved for their higher megapixel camera bodies.

We’ve reviewed all of the best lenses for the Canon EOS R3 featured here, as well as pretty much every other Canon RF lens.

The Canon EOS R3 has better animal autofocus detection than most of the competion out there, according to Reviews Editor Hillary Grigonis. Take a look at our full Canon EOS R3 review right here.

Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM

Use it for: Use this lens for birding. It’s pretty much the ultimate lens for just that.

In our review, we state:

“With the Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 L IS USM on your camera, there’s almost no reason to take it off of Servo and Face Detection. That’s the case, at least for wildlife and sports.”

Buy Now

Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM

Use it for: Use this lens for photojournalism. It’s incredibly lightweight, image-stabilized, and well built.

In our review, we state:

“The Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM is a mixed-use case. There are six controls on this lens; the multi-function ring, the focusing ring, the zooming ring, the zoom lock, the AF/MF switch, and the IS control. While that sounds like a lot, it’s not that bad. I think photographers need to use the lens control ring to make the most of the camera system. To that end, with this being an L lens, it’s targeted to those who know what they’re doing. So with that in mind, photographers who have a lot of experience will be able to work well with the Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM.”

Buy Now

Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Use it for: Use this for photojournalism and documentary-style work like what you need to do with wedding photography.

In our review, we state:

“Not only was it able to quickly track a subject, but its face detection abilities consistently surprised us. Even better, focusing in low light...

Finding good photographs of animals isn’t as common as you’d think. That’s because the task of making them isn’t easy. Animals are unpredictable and don’t always beat to a photographer’s drum. Experienced photographers know how to choose their moments. They also have a ton of patience. When it goes well, it goes really well. And below is a selection of photographs that will show you animals as you’ve never seen before. Get ready to experience all the feels in your heart.

You can view this article and much more with minimal banner ads in our brand new app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. And for $24.99/year, you can have a banner ad-free experience.

Gear Used by the Photographers

Below is a list of the gear used by photographers behind this selection of animal photographs. We have included links so you can purchase the gear should you wish. If you do, The Phoblographer gets a small portion of the funds, and the staff eats pizza. We love pizza.

Tyson Rininger: Nikon D5, Nikkor 24-120mm f4

Alicja Zmysłowska: Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 135mm 2.0L

Adam Jones: Canon R5, Canon RF 100-500 f4.5-7.1

Kunal Shah: Canon 90D

Guy Carpenter: Fujifilm X Pro 1, Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 R

Tyson Rininger’s Photographs of Animals Came from Below

Yes, Jellyfish are animals, and Tyson Rininger has some amazing photographs of them. The above image really hits us. We can’t stop staring at the deep, blue background plus the incredible subject. Rininger’s work and story are equally gripping too, and we encourage you to read more about it here.

Alicja Zmysłowska Photographs of Animals Are Close to Home

Alicja Zmysłowska took a person’s best friend and placed them in unreal environments. Mixing the earth’s natural surroundings and gorgeous canines led to a breathtaking photograph. The dog isn’t photoshopped in either. Everything you see is true, making the image even more impressive. You can read about her full creation process here.

Adam Jones’ Photographs of Animals Looks at a Barn Swallow

“The angry barn swallow was captured while positioned on my front porch and repeatedly getting dive-bombed,” said Adam Jones in an interview with The Phoblographer. He added, “when reviewing the images on a computer, I was stunned at how many were perfectly focused, even if they were way out of center; the eye-tracking autofocus followed the birds to the very edge of the viewfinder.” It’s an incredible photograph and one that requires few words. The image went viral on Reddit, proving how much the world loves to see awesome photographs of animals. Read more about Jones here.

Kunal Shah Photographs of Animals Focus on India’s Diversity

Kunal Shah has a range of photographs of animals. From birds to deer, his body of work makes you say, “wow!” But it was this vibrant image that really stood out to us. “One species of the Fan Throated Lizard, the Deccan Fan Throated Lizard, is found in Pune city,” he told us. He continued, “the males have colorful fans on their necks that they flash to attract the females during their mating season in summer.” It’s a stunning image and one that begins to tell a story of courtship within the world of the Fan Throated Lizard. You can learn more about it here.

Guy Carpenter Photograph May Turn you Vegan!

Guy Carpenter shared his series of sheep photographs back in early 2021. Located in the stunning Yorkshire Dales, England, he documented the day-to-day life of sheep. However, there was one photo that stole our hearts. The image of a little lamb feeding makes our bodies melt and our minds go into a frenzy–so much so we’re considering becoming Vegan! You can see more images like this by going here.

Send us More

We would love to feature more photographs of animals throughout 2022. This is your chance to blow our minds and ensure your work gets seen. You can pitch your stories and photographs by using the form below. We eagerly await to hear from you! Thanks for reading.

Want to get your work featured? Here’s how to do it!

Lead photo by Adam Jones. All...