The Phoblographer

We’ve been waiting for the day to come, and it’s finally here. Panasonic is announcing their Panasonic 35mm f1.8 S lens; completing the range of absolutely essential focal lengths. Panasonic previously released their 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8, and 24mm f1.8. We’re in love with the 50mm and 85mm. And we’re positive that the 35mm will be just as good if history is to be relied on. But more importantly, Panasonic is showing the rest of the industry exactly how to do things!

Panasonic 35mm f1.8 S Tech Specs

35mm f1.8

Weather sealing

11 elements in 9 groups

3 aspherical lenses

3 ED lenses

0.24 meter minimum focusing

295 grams

67mm filter thread

9 aperture blades

$699.99

The Industry Should Pay Attention

The photo industry is still trying to mimic what it’s done for DSLR cameras, but for mirrorless cameras. But they also are largely failing to stay innovative in key ways. They did this with the incredibly low prices on the 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 for what they are. With the new Panasonic 35mm f1.8 S, Panasonic is continuing to show the rest how it’s done. They’re giving photographers a very affordable 35mm f1.8 with exceptional weather sealing. It’s small, and it’s very lightweight.

If this sounds familiar, then you’re right. Nikon and Sony both do this. But Sony hasn’t created the full lineup the way that Panasonic and Nikon have. Nikon’s autofocus is also hit or miss. But Panasonic has seriously improved and is much easier to use. On top of all that, Panasonic’s lenses also focus very quickly. The rest of the L-mount alliance isn’t doing this. And Canon surely isn’t doing this.

With this in mind, the L-Mount will have over six 35mm lenses. Sigma has an option with an f1.4 aperture for only a few hundred bucks more. But it’s more than double the weight and has slower autofocus. We’d know, we reviewed it. In fact, we’ve reviewed almost every L-mount lens on the market. Dive into our guide!

Leica has a 35mm f2, that’s incredibly sharp, slower to focus, surely heavier, and significantly more expensive. Quite honestly, the Panasonic 35mm f1.8 S could be all that a photographer needs. I currently own the Leica 28mm f2 SL, Panasonic 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8, and two Sigma lenses that more or less stay in a drawer. If you really were to get into the L-mount, then Panasonic lenses are truly the way to go unless you have the need for Leica’s build quality. Even then, the Panasonic lenses aren’t built awfully at all.

What’s more important is that Panasonic is making these lightweight lenses and also improving their autofocus. The two working together is key here.

Personally speaking, I’m very excited about this lens. I prefer the 35mm focal length, although it’s tough to argue with Leica’s build quality and autofocus speed too. If you own the Panasonic S5, I highly suggest picking this lens up. It’s not innovative at all. But it’s part of an essential set of lenses that every photographer needs for sure.

Of course, we’re also left wondering about the higher-end lenses. Will Panasonic make their own 35mm f1.2 lens? Or will Sigma be the only one offering something like this? We’re very curious; but if Panasonic keeps focusing on small, high-quality primes, they’re bound to help L-mount out a lot.

Fuji fam! You’re in for a treat. For years, we’ve been working on reviewing tons of lenses. You probably know this already if you’ve followed the site for a long time. But we just updated our giant Fujifilm X Series Lens Guide. It includes every single XF lens currently on the market. We’ve chosen to not review the Fujifilm XC lenses because they’re typically viewed more as affordable kit options. And when folks think of Fuji lenses, they think of the XF series. You’ll find that this is by far the most comprehensive Fujifilm Lens Guide on the web. We’ve done our own real-world reviews of all these lenses; not just the ones we want to test.

New to the list are the lenses released and reviewed this year. Unfortunately, Fujifilm delayed the 23mm f1.4 R WR LM. So that isn’t on the list as of early November 2021. But when it hits the market, be sure to stay tuned to us.

Also included on this list is the new Tamron 18-300mm lens. We’re aware there are other third-party manufacturers out there. However, none beside Tamron and Zeiss have worked specifically with the Fujifilm X Series according to our conversations with Fuji. The new Tamron lens is the beginning of a beautiful thing that we’re very excited for. Regardless, this guide has every Fujifilm XF lens released along with all the Zeiss and Tamron offerings. Yes, we’ve reviewed all of them. Again, you’re not going to find a more complete list on the web. By that, we mean that there are no other lists with full, comprehensive reports like we’ve got. Try to find it on YouTube. DPReview doesn’t have it. Nor does Petapixel, Photofocus, FStoppers, or anyone else. I’ll be bold enough to say that lots of the other sites probably haven’t even touched lots of these lenses. And forget about the surviving magazines when it comes to this stuff!

Our reviews aren’t technical. They’re thoroughly organized though. You’ll find things like our thoughts on build quality, bokeh, sharpness, ergonomics, innovations, etc. Most of all, we don’t pixel peep. We set out to do this from day one that I founded the Phoblographer 12 years ago. Our reviews have also evolved a lot over the years.

The Fujifilm X Series Lens Guide is organized with a table of contents that you can click on through desktop or mobile. Personally, I’d recommend checking it out on desktop. We’ve gotten rid of the sidebar to make that process easier. Each lens entry has a quote from our review and a “Buy Now” link. You can click further into our reviews to see if it’s a lens you want to purchase. As always, if you make a purchase, we’ll take a small affiliate percentage that helps the site continue to grow and function.

We tend to update this guide twice or so a year. Sometimes it makes more sense to update it once a year. In the case of the global pandemic, there’s obviously slower updates to it. Still, we’ve had a fantastic working relationship with the Fujifilm team for a long time. And we appreciate all that they do for the industry.

Please feel free to dive head first into our Fujifilm lens guide. We hope you love the photos, the breadth of coverage, and all the work that seriously went into it over the years.

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There are loads of articles helping you figure out whether or not you should get an f2.8 or an f4 zoom lens. We’ve written articles about it too! The articles all say that it really depends on what you need. And that’s not a wrong answer at all. Some of us may need one thing over another. But in 2021, I feel like modern lenses and cameras have become very advanced. In fact, they’re so good now that the answer to this question has really changed. More importantly, we think that the answer is pretty obvious.

So what’s the answer to f2.8 or f4? Honestly, ALWAYS GO F2.8 unless you have a flash or an external light source.

My idea for this answer comes from an experience I had a few years ago. I was using the Panasonic 24-105mm f4 lens in very low light. Even when I cranked the ISO up to nuclear levels, it still wasn’t enough for me. Sometimes in low light, you just need a faster aperture. An extra stop of light would’ve really helped. That extra stop of light will help regardless of whether or not I’m in low light though. I’ll always be able to shoot at a faster shutter speed. That’s often critical for most of us who can’t properly hold a camera.

If you have a flash, I think that an f4 lens is a very viable option though. Often you’ll get a 24-105mm f4 vs a 24-70mm f2.8. So to compensate for the lost light, you use a flash. Of course, you don’t get the shallower depth of field. So you’ll still lack in that department. However, if you’re shooting photojournalistically, an f4 lens can be very useful. But in those same situations, an f2.8 lens is still better.

Sometimes it means that you’ll need to bring around two lenses with you. Honestly, this is the smarter decision anyway. It’s the same reason why you’d have two cameras. If one lens breaks, at least you have something that will allow you to keep shooting. But you’ll have to change up your style. Again though, at least you can keep shooting. You’ll rely a lot more on your own skill rather than just aimlessly capturing scenes in front of you.

I can already hear some people say that this is very bad advice. But I very strongly disagree with you and say that your advice is inexperienced. It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Here’s another alternative. If you’re bringing a single 24-105mm f4 lens with you, also bring along a fast prime lens. A 35mm f1.4 or a 50mm f1.4 will give you a much different look than a 24-105mm will. Where an f4 lens sometimes has an advantage is with being lighter. But even so, you’ll sometimes need something else to make the most of it. Those f4 lenses often aren’t sharper than the f2.8 lenses. In fact, any lens that lets in more light is going to be sharper just by how the laws of physics work. Sharpness and specularity don’t happen without light.

Worried about the price? There are tons of affordable options on the market. And sometimes f2.8 lenses have some innovations in them that let them hold their value. Consider buying a used lens instead, or a refurbished lens. The Sony system has a bunch of options. The Leica L mount system also has a bunch of options. Canon and Nikon do not. But the options they have are fantastic.

Either way, I sincerely think that you’ll end up regretting and always wondering how life would be with an f2.8 instead.

We’re streaming daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and Spotify! You can also listen to it right here on The Phoblographer.

The biggest problem for many photographers getting into portrait photography is establishing a connection. Lots of folks just don’t know how to do it. One of the best lessons my mentor taught me was to actually talk to folks. Photographers will traditionally just move someone around, turning them almost into a prop. Don’t do that. Show some dignity. Establish a connection of some sort. This is a guide for everyone who’s wanted to do that. If you’re a street photographer who captures people candidly but wants to take formal portraits, this is for you. If you’re just getting into portrait photography, then this is also for you. Here’s how you establish a connection with a portrait subject.

Ask Them Questions

To establish a connection with a portrait subject, you have to communicate interest. Here’s the hard fact: we’re human beings. We’re one of the few species that mostly communicates vocally vs. through body language. Not everyone understands body language. So, you’ve got to become vocal. You’ve got to find a way to establish a connection. So go ahead and ask them questions, but don’t do it in an interrogating way. Here are a few examples:

How are you feeling today?

In the past week, what have you done that has made you feel the most accomplished? Please elaborate.

What’s a recent good deed that you’ve done that you’re super proud of?

Emotionally speaking, what’s been something that’s hit you the strongest recently? How did it make you feel?

Where were you exactly one year ago in life and what have been the biggest changes during that time?

These are five questions that I’ve been modifying accordingly in recent times. I think they’re incredibly to the point. Of course, there are surface-level questions, but you have to get deeper to show a connection in a portrait.

Do a Lot of Listening to Establish Connection with a Portrait Subject

After you ask them these questions, listen. Listen and empathize. Take yourself out of the picture (fig). That’s one of the most important parts of all this. The portrait is about the person, and you need to establish a connection with a portrait subject.

Based on What You Hear, Formulate an Idea

After you hear the person talk, you can formulate an idea based on what they’re saying. For example, in the past year, I’ve been excited to get involved in my community garden. It gave me a bit of purpose. The point here is to distract a subject’s mind from the professional camera pointed at them. You can have them tell a story and candidly capture the scenes. Or you can put someone in a situation that they can act out. There are tons of possibilities here.

Show Them the Framing of the Scene

A big game-changer to connect with a portrait subject here is to snap a photo and then show them the framing. Then they know how much space they have. My best portraits have been when this communication has been done. Obviously, a subject wants to work with a photographer to get the best picture. And if a subject is left guessing the entire time, it’s tougher to get a good portrait.

Be open. Be communicative. Don’t hold back.

On this week’s episode of Inside The Photographer’s Mind, we’re joined by street photographer, Derek Fahsbender.

We discuss his latest photo book, Twenty Twenty, and what it was like putting it together during the pandemic. We’ll also cover how he intends to use the success of the book to help a photographer get started with their career. Enjoy the show and please subscribe and share.

Links:

https://www.thephoblographer.com/

Derek Fahsbender

Buy Twenty Twenty: http://www.likeamacheen.com/twenty-twenty

Website: http://www.likeamacheen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/likeamacheen/

Photographing public festivals is one of my favorite things to do. Whenever I travel, I like to connect with someone local and follow them to their county’s traditional celebrations. I have had the pleasure of attending well-known public festivals, and the honor of photographing some lesser known events as well. To inspire you, I will share them in this article. I’ll also cover some public festivals I dream of photographing one day.

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

A Note on Photographing Public Festivals

One thing I try to do is visit a country well in advance of its public festival. There’s something that bothers me about flying in on the day of the event, having a blast, and flying out as soon as it ends. It feels like I’m leaching off a country and its people without making any effort to understand the culture and everyday life.

I understand many photographers don’t always have the luxury to have extended stays in places. For you, my advice is to be an observer, not an intruder. When photographing public festivals, remember they have a lot of meaning to local people. Don’t enforce your way of celebrating on them. Stand back, observe, and create images.

Photographing Pubic Festivals in Thailand: Songkran

Songkran, better known as Thai New Year to outsiders, is a time for cleansing. Also known as the festival of water, thousands of people go outside to celebrate the dawn of a new era. Flying in from India, I was told about the event by a passenger on my flight. From their description, I was expecting some water shows: I was wrong. People spend four days on the streets having one big water fight. People young and old get their water guns and their buckets and drown other people. It’s lots of fun. Thank the heavens my camera is weather sealed!

Photographing Pubic Festivals in Mexico: Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an extremely important public holiday in Mexico. And it’s a must for anyone who enjoys photographing public festivals. Mexicans use the event to grieve for those they have lost. It’s an opportunity to respect the dead and remember all they gave to the world. Aside from the spiritual aspect, locals dress in traditional attire and make-up. People sing, dine on tasty cuisine, and everyone has a good time. Oaxaca is the place to be for the event, especially if you’re looking for the most authentic experience.

Photographing Public Festivals in the United States: Halloween

Okay, Halloween may not have the same spiritual meaning as the events above, but it’s still a good time. I was in Los Angeles, California, back in 2019 at the same time Halloween was happening. I was told about an amazing street party happening in the evening. Thankfully, it did not dissappoint. I took an edible (when in Rome.) before photographing, and I had an absolute blast. The atmosphere was electric, the people dressed to the nines, and the streets were full of life; one of the best experiences I’ve had.

Photographing Public Festivals in England: Nottinghill Carnival

Taking place in Kensington, London, Notting Hill Carnival is one of the biggest public celebrations in the world. It’s led by the British West Indian community and hosts over two million people! Being a Brit, I’ve been to it several times. Everyone from all cultures come together to have a good time. Even the police let their hair down and join in on the celebrations. The food is delicious, the music is banging, and the streets are as vibrant as you’ll ever see them in grey Ol England.

Photographing Public Festivals in Bulgaria: Surva

Surva is likely the festival you haven’t heard of, and that’s okay. It’s the home of 6,000 attendees and is celebrated in the small Bulgarian town of Pernik. It’s better known as the place for “Masquerade Games.” Locals dress up in traditional clothing and carry swords to scare away the barren winter and evil spirits. Trust me, it’s a worthy experience for anyone into photographing public festivals and one you’re...

If you went and got into bird photography during the pandemic, then this roundup is for you. In fact, lots of folks suddenly got into birding when there was little to nothing to do. And it’s pretty easy to really enjoy this hobby. The thrill of capturing a woodpecker eating something or a sparrow in its nest is wonderful. The best lenses for bird photography take us into worlds we’re not always able to see with our naked eyes. We’ve reviewed tons of lenses, and we dove into our Reviews Index to bring you this special list. We think you’ll love it!

This piece is presented in partnership with TAMRON. We’ve independently and ethically reviewed all the products in this round-up already without sponsorship. And we worked with them to recommend a few key gems to you.

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.

Pro Tips on Using the Best Lenses for Bird Photography

Here are some great tips on using the best lenses for bird photography we’re featuring in this roundup:

Live in a city? Try making your home more bird-friendly. Put out bird feeders or bird baths to attract birds for photography. And they’ll start coming. When you can, use one of the best lenses for bird photography that we recommend in this article.

Bird photography requires image stabilization, accurate focusing, and long focal lengths.

If the birds are stagnant you won’t need the fastest autofocus. But if they’re in motion, be sure to switch your camera to continuous autofocus and tracking.

All of these lenses that we’re recommending have weather sealing in them.

The best thing about Tamron’s lenses is that they’re so lightweight and have such high build quality, all while doing the job. It’s hard to beat them!

Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

Focal Length: 150-500mm

Maximum Aperture: F5-6.7

Angle of View: (diagonal) 16°25’-4°57′ (for full-frame mirrorless format)

Optical Construction: 25 elements in 16 groups

Minimum Object Distance: 0.6m (23.6 in) (WIDE) / 1.8m (70.9 in) (TELE)

Maximum Magnification Ratio: 1:3.1 (WIDE) / 1:3.7 (TELE)

Filter Size: φ82mm

Maximum Diameter: φ93mm

Length: 209.6mm / 8.3 in (front tip of the lens to the lens mount face)

Weight: 1,725g (60.8 oz) (without tripod mount included) / tripod mount 155g (5.5 oz)

Aperture Blades: 7 (circular diaphragm, the circular diaphragm stays almost perfectly circular up to two stops down from maximum aperture)

Minimum Aperture: F22-32

Standard Accessory: Round-shaped hood, Lens caps, Tripod mount

Compatible Mounts: Sony E-mount

Pro Tip: The Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is incredibly capable and is assuredly one of the best lenses for bird photography. At the longer end, feel free to bump your ISO settings up. It’s not unusual for us to shoot at ISO 1600 in bright daylight to get the photos we want and need. Combine this with the reciprocal rule of shutter speeds, proper hand-holding, and the combined image stabilization of Tamron and Sony. Try using it on an APS-C camera for a compact lens/camera combo with 750mm full-frame equivalent reach on the tele-end.

“.the combo we used is better for wildlife. Wildlife doesn’t tend to move as fast or as erratically as athletes. Want a nice photo of a butterfly? This is the combo you’ll want.”

“The Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD can focus between 23.6 and 70.9 inches away from the front of the lens, depending on the zoom position. That’s fairly ...

My name is David Osborn. I always I wanted to do ‘something’ artistic after school, so I spent my first year at art college studying fine art, however, combined with an inability to draw, fine art as a career seemed a bit optimistic and risky. The starving artist image never appealed. Studying graphic design was my compromise but spending weeks working on one project behind a desk was too slow. I’m an impatient personality. As result, I spent my time shooting photo-stories. Photography provided a more instant result, while being out and about in life with real people. This evolved into wanting to do news photography as a career.

All images used with permission from David Osborn. Want to be featured? Here’s how!

The Essential Camera Gear of David Osborn

Nikon D850 Camera

Sigma 50mm & 85mm ART lenses

Novoflex VR-System PRO II HD Panoramic Head

Novoflex Leveling Head MagicBalance

Gitzo GT3543LS Carbon tripod

Adobe Photoshop and PTGui stitching software

David Osborn

I use a panoramic technique. It is my best solution for the type of photograph I create – wide-angle views with corrected architectural perspectives. The panoramic process allows me to shoot wide-angle views without the extreme distortion wide-angle lenses give. The panoramic process began with investing in a Sigma 50mm ART lens. This lens and a Nikon D800E camera gave me incredible sharpness and detail. I wanted to retain that sharpness, but a 50mm lens is too limiting. I experimented shooting multiple frames handheld and stitching them together then made the process more efficient by buying the panoramic head to shoot multiple row panoramas. Camera wise, I am not a fan of digital view finders, mirrorless; I feel I have a better judgement of the subtle changes in light by looking through the viewfinder of a DSLR. With the rise in popularity of mirrorless, I was concerned that Nikon might stop making DSLR’s – so invested in the Nikon D850 in case that happened.

It is now my primary camera, my D800E a backup. In some instances, the subject is a little further away than I prefer, so the Sigma 85mm ART solves the issue. I always want to keep the feel, or perspective of my images natural looking which is why I keep to more standard focal prime lenses. To create the images, I only use PTGui to stitch the images together first, then Photoshop for everything else. PTGui is much faster and more reliable than Photoshop for stitching, while being brilliant at correcting the perspective distortions without any loss of image sharpness.

What photographers are your biggest influences? How did they affect who you are and how you create?

Originally photographers like Bert Hardy who created photo-stories for Picture Post magazine and whom I met during photography lectures but then when I began news work, learning from the older photographers at Reuters in London. They were masters at ‘getting the shot’, telling stories in one frame. When I eventually moved into corporate work, it was more the photographs than photographers that inspired me. Trying to reverse engineer beautiful annual report images; the lighting, composition, story-telling aspect. Currently, being involved in Photoshop and digital retouching, it’s advertising photographers like Eric Almas and Tom Nagy, seeing how they use photography combined with digital retouching to create modern but not literal looking images. They showed me that digital retouching offers great creative potential to create fine art images.

How long have you been shooting? How do you feel you’ve evolved since you started?

I’ve been working as a photographer for over 36 years. I began working as a news photographer in 1985, then moved to corporate photography shooting annual reports. Now teaching and producing fine art images. Looking back, I think the two common motivations are a love of quality craftsmanship and using photography to tell a story. News was about the event, more the adrenalin rush of the moment. Corporate images were more about the...

Over what seemed to be an AOL 9.0 internet connection, the folks at OM Digital solutions briefed the press on the new OM-System 20mm f1.4. Typically, I’m respectful and sit through the entire thing. But I knew that as soon as I saw the lens that I didn’t need to sit, though. My eyes brightened. The nostalgia of the early mirrorless camera era coursed through me. Could it really be? Is the new OM Digital solutions company really going to find a way to diversify its portfolio again? Rendering the visual equivalent of a 40mm f2.8 on a Micro Four Thirds sensor, the OM System 20mm f1.4 is a fantastic lens. And quite honestly, it’s probably one of my favorite lenses to be released this year.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The OM System 20mm f1.4 PRO lens is positively astounding. Small, well-designed lenses like this are genuinely why you fall in love with the system. It focuses very quickly, although Olympus tends to prioritize subjects around the center. It’s sharp, has gorgeous bokeh, boasts weather sealing, is as small as a standard shot glass with a bit more girth. I think the $799.99 price tag will be more justifiable when a weather-sealed Pen F hits the market. But shooting with this lens is also just pure fun. Using the OM System 20mm f1.4 reminded me of all the excitement I had when the Pen F first came into my hands. Set it to grainy black and white mode and just shoot! You’ll be so happy!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Excellent build quality

Super small

Finally, OM has a great 40mm lens!

Fast

Lightweight

Great image quality

Shooting with this lens gives me all the initial joys I had with the Pen F

$799.99 price point will make a lot more sense if/when a new weather sealed OM System Pen F comes out.

Cons

OM’s autofocus system still tends to prioritize subjects in the center, and this isn’t the best for street photography. Even if you set it to face detection, we’re finding it doesn’t do so well with folks wearing masks. But once this is fixed, this is the absolute best lens that every street photographer needs to get.

A bit of purple fringing. But that’s easily fixable. Or just shoot in Grainy Black and White Mode because it makes you happy.

Gear Used

We tested the OM System 20mm f1.4 on the Olympus OMD EM1 Mk III with the latest firmware updates. We also used it with the PolarPro Belay camera strap.

Innovations

The OM System 20mm f1.4 isn’t necessarily doing anything innovative, per se. However, it’s the first 40mm-equivalent lens to have an IP rating attached to it, to my knowledge. For what it is, it is indeed the smallest 20mm f1.4 lens on the market; but it’s also for a smaller camera system. Panasonic has long had a 20mm pancake lens, but the OM System 20mm f1.4 is far more robust. Within the Micro Four Thirds system itself, you could say that this is innovative. You could also say it because 40mm lenses are only now flooding the market. But in the grand plan of it all, it’s just a good 20mm lens. Nothing is specifically innovative about it.

Tech Specs

These specs are given to us by Olympus:

11 elements in 10 groups,including Super ED, Super HR, ED, and Aspherical lenses

Splashproof, freezeproof and dustproof performance as the PRO lens series. In fact, this is an IPX1 rated lens. That means that dripping water on it will have no harmful effects.

0.25 meter close focusing

9 Aperture blades

58mm filter thread

257 grams in weight. It’s like half a pound.

$799.99

Ergonomics

The OM System 20mm f1.4 an overall small lens. It boasts a 58mm front filter thread, for starters. This is incredibly small!

Here’s an overall look at the lens. As you can tell, it’s weather-sealed. In fact, Olympus gave this lens an IP rating, which is incredibly rare in the photo industry.

Here’s the OM System 20mm f1.4 right next to a shot glass. As you can see, it’s pretty much as tall as a shot glass. If anything, one can reasonably say that t’s a bit shorter and fatter. For sure, it’s small.

The lens is so tiny that the focusing ring takes up ...

My name is Rebecca Zagoory. As a photographer, the world around me does the talking; I am compelled to listen, watch, and then capture its moments. Or create new ones where none existed before. What sets my work apart is that, other than cropping, color correction, and the occasional overt use of color for intentional artistic purposes, all work is presented as captured in the lens and without external digital manipulation. The human eye and the brain’s susceptibility to illusion are my central pieces of equipment.

All images are by Rebecca Zagoory and used with permission. Want to get featured? Click here to see how!

I utilize the camera to extract from stone, brick, glass, and steel those elements of a building that give it a living relationship to the viewer as art. Some works capture what appears to be the architect’s intentional form, style, and beauty while others capture ephemeral, contextual, narrative, or abstract experiences of buildings and the built environment.

As an artist, I draw upon this same approach when photographing architectural hubs where thousands of people pass through. Some of my works have unique alchemy, using photography in a way that transforms architecture into a painterly image.

The Essential Photography Gear of Rebecca Zagoory

I used my Rebel T2i for years. Inevitably when I had a gallery showing people would ask, “What camera do you use?” When mentioning the rebel people were disappointed I wasn’t using something more expensive. I find this question funny because I’ve always believed it’s not the camera that makes the photo, as much as, it is the photographer’s eye. We’ve all met people who have every piece of expensive equipment yet are puzzled why they can’t capture a great photo. They don’t understand composition, lighting, angles, etc. So after getting all these snobby looks about my camera. I folded and purchased an EOS 5D Mark IV.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Iphone

Canon Zoom Lens EF 75-300 1:4-5.6

Canon Ultrasonic 24-70mm

0.35X High Definition Fisheye Lens

Digital High Definition 0.42X Fisheye Lens with Macro

Canon 40mm Macro

Canon EF-S Lens 55-25-mm 1:4-5.6

Canon Zoom Lens EF 100-400mm 1:4-5.6

Canon EFS 18-55mm 0.25m/0.8ft

I like to use my lens not always for the purpose they were made. Some of the results are good; some not so good. But, isn’t that what makes one elevate their craft?

Why did I get into photography?

I first got into photography at the age of 15. I got into photography to help with two issues that were plaguing my life. I tend to read about the darker side of life and I have a mild case of agoraphobia. Photography helped me overcome the two sometimes debilitating issues it got me out of the house and I became committed to creating beauty.

Which photographer is my greatest influence?

Margaret Bourke-White – Her extraordinary photos of industrial complexes and architecture mesmerized me. She found beauty in the ugly industrial landscapes. She also looked at architecture as a detail not only as an entire structure.

How did Margaret Bourke-White affect who I am and how I create?

I look at industrial landscapes and architectural structures as possessing ethereal and/or abstract elements. Those elements are what I try to extract when approaching and capturing the subject before me.

How long have I been shooting?

I have been a photographer for twenty-plus years.

How do I feel I’ve evolved since I started?

I firmly believe having worked only with film for years forced me to become a better photographer. Not being able to review your work until the roll is developed forces one to focus intently. You must account for everything because once you leave the subject. It’s game over. You either took a great photo or you didn’t. Sure digital makes it easier, but using film as my foundation, my composition was strong.

My identity as a photographer.

I am primarily an architectural photographer. However, I love to photograph anything that captures my fancy. I try to get th...