DC/VA & BALTIMORE PHOTOGRAPHERS: I am coming your way August 25th-September 5th!!! I haven't been your way in a year!!! So excited to get back!!! liz@thelizashley.com

From our friends at Digital Transitions.

Capture One and Hardware Webinars Hosted by our imaging experts and occasional guests, our free and interactive webinars give you an opportunity to learn or improve your skills with Phase One products. Browse the calendar below and don’t forget to register, as seats are limited. View List Here

Found this on Craigslist~! - Killer Deal NIKON shooters

Okay folks first I will post photos of the actual lights shortly these are just stock photos, but any way for sale. 2 Hensel Integra 500 W/S MonoLights - Sold AS IS and As a kit. Glass Domes for both lights. Flash tubes and model lamps intact. 2 - 7 Inch reflectors. 2 Hensel speedrings. 2 Extra long power cords (these are handy). 1 Generic small strip softbox. 1 Generic small softbox. Know issues, the test indicator light on the button of one lamp does not illuminate but still functions appropriately. Adorama is currently selling the same light used at $204 to $ 219 each with out the extras. Call 443-348-8843 or email sales@tlp-photo.com if you want to check them out~!

From my friends at Digital Transitions - Check them out HERE Our friends at BREED recently sat down with our own Ken Scott at our West Coast Culver City location to discuss the nuances of Medium Format Digital, address some of the confusion and shed light on how easy it is now to start creating work on a digital medium format system. Watch our video below to learn more about the current state of Medium Format Digital.

Nikon 100th Anniversary Line, that is too funny on multiple levels.

So I am up a bit late this evening and will post have to find some images to add taken with my new favorite lens. 35mm MF old film lens for my Phase One. Why? First check out the post I ma de about using old glass on a new body. 1. I love have a manual aperture ring that enables me to see the DOF change in real time. 2. It is a great small lens tossing it on the Phase One with the Waist Level Viewfinder gives me something that is lighter than my studio set up and fun to shoot. Key word there FUN. 3. Lets be honest you have more focus and DOF forgiveness with any wide angle lens. 4. The cost, since this was an old MF film lens it was dirt cheap and works perfect with a quick modification.

I blog post that I did not to long ago - feel free to check me out at www.tlp-photo.com. There are some amazing lenses out there in the world today and as a Phase One consumer their new Blue Line hands down is one of the sharpest.   With that said all lenses today are designed to be sharp and obtain as much detail as possible. Postproduction allows us to turn these incredibly detailed and sharp photos into artistic imagery; but what if we wanted to create in camera effects?   Is there an option?  Yes, there has be a recent revival among vintage lenses in the photo and filmmaking community. Perhaps it’s the hip look or the affordable pricing that is driving pros to shoot and experiment with used glass. For now, you can still get many lenses for a bargain But with the recent uptick in popularity the price of used lenses may increase as well. The best bargains out there are for old Nikon AI lenses and also Canon FD lenses. The Nikons tend to be a bit more expensive as they can still be used on current Nikon cameras without an adapter. However, when Canon made the move the EOS range back in the early 1990’s they abandoned the old FD mount. This mount was used on a range of excellent lenses used for both pro and consumer cameras. Medium format vintage lenses and adapters are just as ready available; these lenses can even be mounted on your DSLR. One of my favorite features of the vintage glass is the external aperture ring.  If these vintage lenses didn’t have external aperture control it would be very difficult to use them in modern productions. This is due to the camera’s inability to communicate with lens. However, when you have external aperture control you can change the f-stop with a simple wheel turn. Some vintage lenses have awesome distortions. While it may not be great for shooting modern portraits or weddings, the distortions created by shooting on vintage glass can be incredibly stylish and unique. Vintage glass usually has more chromatic aberrations and the focus can be a little soft, but if you want to get the popular hipster look, vintage glass is perfect. Most vintage lenses have some vingetting, but in a good way.  Distance and size isn’t always perfect with vintage glass, so you can expect to see vingetting with older lenses. While some would argue that vingetting is a bad thing, it can sometimes create an interesting effect. This is particularly helpful if you are trying to get a vintage look with your lens, but it all depends on your personal preference.