Photo Accessory Reviews

There’s more to black-and-white photography than an absence of color. One reason purists refer to black-and-white images as “monochrome” is that it’s a more precise term covering photographs made in sepia and other tones.

I ended the March 2017 column on my must-have lenses for travel photography and the tripods that support them with a promise that there’d be a part two on the gear that goes beyond cameras and lenses to enable me to get the pictures I envision.

One of the hallmarks of fine art photography is the production of archival prints. Which begs the question, does the social media generation care about a print’s longevity or photographic prints at all? Maybe that changes when you drop five figures on a fine art print or hire a high-end photographer to create a portrait you expect to last as long as a traditional silver-based print.

The big “controversy” of yesteryear was whether film or digital cameras made the most sense for serious photographers. These days there’s a similar debate about the relative merits of PC computers and Macs for editing photos and videos.

“I think all art is about control—the encounter between control and the uncontrollable.”—Richard Avedon

Photographer Ryan Stout used his engineering skill to create “Arsenal” which he describes as “the world’s first intelligent assistant for DSLR and mirrorless cameras. The idea is that with this compact, wireless device you can use an iOS or Android smartphone to control your camera and take the guesswork out of capturing great images.

This January issue’s theme was outdoor photography and other than architectural interiors and studio photography, more images are probably captured out of doors than indoors. This column’s focus is on camera bags for landscape, nature, and wildlife shooters, whose needs are different from their urban counterparts. Kelly Moore, for example, manufactures fashion bags (see the December 2016 Geared Up column) and offers the beautifully crafted Woodstock Backpack ($229) that’s probably better suited for Rodeo Drive than Jellystone Park.