Photography Newsletter: April 2019
Captain's log
Welcome to the very first edition of my photography newsletter! You (yes you!) are part of a brave little group of 31 people who have volunteered up to follow the journey of this newsletter from the very beginning. I have no idea where this newsletter will go over the coming months, but I have wanted to explore the concept for a while, so let us find out together. Thank you for signing up!
The format will probably shift a bit during the first few months of this newsletter, as I try different approaches and types of content, and as you guys give me feedback (please do reply if you have feedback, but please keep it short and succinct :)
The plan for now, is to have a few recurring headers – the ones below. I figure that around 1000 words is the right length, and that I keep a pace of one newsletter per month. What do you think about that?
Most used gear this month
Ricoh GR II
This month I was playing around a lot with the wonderful and tiny Ricoh GR II, which I also made a review video about. I love this camera, and it exceeded all my expectations. The main selling point is that it is one of very very few pocketable large sensor cameras out there. Currently I am considering selling it though, to get the GR III, as that one has better dynamic range, more megapixels, smaller body, and IBIS. But don't get me wrong, the GR II is truly excellent and great value for money.
Taken with the Ricoh GR II
Samyang MF 85mm f/1.8 ED UMC CS for Fujifilm
I purchased this very neat little lens because it is the closest you can come to a 135mm f/2 lens but on APS-C. I love 135mm f/2 lenses on full frame (even made a video about it), and thought it would be great to have a mini-version of that for my Fujifilm X-E2. Not sure what I feel about this lens though, as it is very hard to get the focus exactly right, and when you do, it is not as spectacularly sharp as the 135mm f/2 lenses on full frame. Will try it some more and then decide whether to sell it or keep it.
Taken with the Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.8 CS
Favorite YouTube video I watched
This video from Peter McKinnon about discipline in creative work really inspired me. It is about the importance of always staying in the creating mindset to become more productive, and how it is easier to create more if you are always creating.
My favorite shot this month
As I got to spend the easter weekend at my mother's house on the countryside, I tried a new lighting setup and got to enjoy the first insect macro photography of 2019 using my favorite lens at the moment, the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2x Ultra macro. This is a Cuckoo Wasp, and I am so happy that I got to capture it as it was sitting on a red painted wall. It is a beautiful insect that I don't see that often, and normally it is pretty shy when I approach. I am very proud of this shot.
Gear that excites me right now
I have been waiting for a very long time for a native, auto focusing, affordable 85mm f/1.4 lens for the Sony FE system. I have been close to buying the excellent (and optically almost identical to the much more expensive Zeiss variant) Sony 85mm f/1.8 a couple of times, but always felt that what I really want is a max aperture of f/1.4 to get those really bokehlicious shots. Now, Samyang has answered my prayers and released the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AF lens which has gotten great reviews and seems to perform very well – at a very reasonable price. Love you, Samyang! :)
Photography podcasts
I love listening to podcasts, and I spend several hours a week doing it. Whenever I am out walking, even sometimes when I'm out running, I look through my podcast subscriptions and put something on. There are three photography podcasts that I currently enjoy listening to now and then, listed below. What photography podcasts do you listen to?
- B&H Photography podcast I've been listening to this one for a long time. Great content, great guests, great hosts. A variety of topics, everything from gear to photojournalism and art photography.
- The Art of Photography Off Camera This one is a bit more opinionated, and I am actually still not sure whether I love or hate Ted Forbes (who is a pretty big photography YouTuber) – but that is probably what makes this podcast interesting ;)
- I recently found A Small Voice Podcast by Ben Smith. Extremely well executed interviews with photographers. I have only listened to one episode so far (034: Chris Floyd), but I loved it, and I am eager for more. Thank you Erik Tjernlund for the tip.
Published articles
I wrote an article published on PetaPixel accompanying my now “classic” video about flower photography tips.
Published videos
- 6 Reasons a 50mm f/1.8 Lens Should Be Your First Prime
- Ricoh GR II Review – Best Compact Travel Camera?
- 4 Reasons Macro Photography is More Fun than Landscape Photography
When I started dedicating two days per week for my YouTube channel, I thought I would be able to crank out two videos per week. Unfortunately this is not really how it has played out, and instead it seems what I can find time for is merely around one video every 10 days or so. This is due to the level of quality of the content that I want to keep, and also because many weeks have circumstances beyond my control that makes me unable to spend two full days per week on making YouTube videos. But believe me when I say I am constantly looking for ways to produce more and better videos.
Goodbye for now
Thank you for reading this far, and see you in a month! Feel free to follow me on YouTube, Instagram and 500px in the meantime.
/Micael