How many 85mm f/1.4 lenses exist for the Nikon Z mount? Browsing through B&H, I was surprised to find that there are already six of them, and maybe more that aren’t sold by B&H. No doubt, we are spoiled for choice. Surprisingly, none of them come from Nikon, although that’s probably going to change soon. But as of today, there’s a seventh one: the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro Lens, which is also available for Sony E mount. I’ll tell you a bit about it in this field review.
Birds are a unique subset of wildlife subjects because you don’t have to travel far to capture compelling images. This accessible genre can be pursued at a nearby park, local nature reserve, or even in the comfort of your own backyard. And interesting species change throughout the year.
Despite these conveniences, some photographers compromise their results by making a handful of mistakes that are super easy to fix. In today’s tutorial an accomplished pro shares “everything I know to bring you closer to the wonderful world of birds, and help you capture better and artistic photos while having fun and respecting our feathered friends.
Instructor Chiara Talia is a longtime wildlife photographer and educator who says she narrowed her focus and discovered her true calling after a chance encounter several years ago with a beautiful European robin. The beginner primer identifies five mistakes that kept her stuck when first pursuing her new passion.
Chiara’s straightforward solutions will enable you to begin making spectacular bird photos as soon as today. Mistake #1 is a lack of sufficient planning before heading out in the field. Her point is that you can greatly increase your odds of success with a bit of simple pre-shoot research.
This means identifying the species you’re likely to encounter and understanding the basic behavior of these particular birds so that you can anticipate their next move and capture a fleeting moment in time. Location scouting is also a big plus, as is checking weather conditions and the best time of day for your outing. As she says, “you don’t to be at the wrong place at the wrong time because “10 minutes of planning saves hours in the field.”
Mistake #2 is all about a failure to select the most appropriate camera setting for the specific task at hand, and Chiara provides time-tested recommendations for various situations. She also demonstrates the necessity of thoughtful composition, the disadvantages of over-zealous editing, and a mistake referred to as “the comparison trap.”
Chiara’s instructional YouTube channel is a great resource for beginners and experienced shooter alike who are eager in elevate their bird photography skills.
The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II is a high-end, ultra-wide zoom with a bright maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range. It was announced in 2023 as the successor to the original Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, a lens that debuted in 2017.
Lightroom boasts a wide array of transformational features for adjusting exposure, perfecting colors, and enhancing other attributes of unimpressive photos. Today’s quick tutorial from photographer James Feaver explains why the oft-ignored Point Color tool is “incredibly” powerful, and how you can begin using now regardless of your post-processing experience.
In barely eight minutes James provides compelling examples that will convince you to add these easy-to-use Point Color adjustments to your everyday Lightroom workflow—whether you shoot landscapes, street photos, environmental portraits, nature and wildlife subjects, or a variety of images indoors.
One reason for Point Color’s lack of popularity may be that at first glance it appears similar to Lightroom’s familiar Color Mixe tools—unless you take a deeper dive into everything it can accomplish. The Point Color tool resides in Lightroom’s Develop panel and it’s somewhat hidden as an option within the Color Mixer section itself. Just click on the right-hand tab and you’re ready to get started.
Similarities aside, James describes several nuanced differences between Color Mixer and Point Color enhancements. And he illustrates why, in his experience, “Point Color is an even more useful tool.” The Color Mixer does enable you to modify hue, saturation, and luminance. In other words, color, intensity and brightness, but with certain limitations.
The problem, as you’ll see, is that you only have one slider for making these adjustments with the Color Mixer. This means, when changing blue tones for example, that all blues within the frame are modified at once. Namely, elements like skies, bodies of water, clothing, etc.
Point Color, other hand, provides far more control by allowing you to selectively modify any color you choose in a much more refined manner. When pulling up this tool you’ll see sliders for adjusting hue, saturation, and luminance, but it’s power derives from the additional options that been added lower down in the panel.
The remainder of this eight-minute episode is devoted to a step-by-step demonstration of putting these bonus features to work for optimum results. Be sure to visit the Photo Feaver YouTube channel when this lesson concludes where you’ll find many more how-to videos that will take your shooting and editing skills to a new level.
And don’t miss the earlier tutorial we featured with another experienced pro who explains why he recommends ditching Lightroom’s commonly used S-Curve technique in favor of a pro alternative for creating photographs with superior effects.
