Photo Accessory News

If you are using the shoulder strap that came with your mirrorless or DSLR camera, you’re wearing a billboard for the manufacturer. At best it attracts unneeded attention. At worst it alerts snatch artists and other miscreants. Time to switch!

The flash bracket has become the “forgotten accessory” in photography but it’s still an essential tool if you’re looking to achieve consistent studio-quality lighting on the fly.

Here are seven affordable photo gifts that are fun to give or receive. Prices range from $25 to $99 and all can be ordered from the comfort of your keyboard. Happy holidays!

Winter Storm Jonas is bearing down on our nation’s capitol and threatening to bury DC, Philly and maybe even New York City in snow this weekend. In fact, if you live anywhere east of Oklahoma, you’re probably charging batteries, restocking the liquor cabinet and laying in a good supply of unhealthy snacks that you can justify eating only during a weather emergency. But how do you plan to protect your camera when you venture out to capture the storm? Here are a few options. 

While nothing beats practice and time spent in the field waiting for perfect light, there are a few essential tools that should be found in every landscape photographer’s bag. These photo accessories might not be as exciting as that new camera we all dream of, but they will help you take your photography to the next level much quicker than upping your megapixel count.

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

Some trends just won’t go away: Billboard magazine notes that U.S. vinyl album sales are up 53 percent, generating $416 million in sales. Stereophile, our sister publication, reviews new analog audio equipment and you can purchase new Nikon F6 or Leica M-A film cameras from Shutterbug advertisers. Ferrania is back making film and the Japan Camera Hunter website is making their own film, a discontinued Agfa emulsion they’re calling JCH StreetPan 400. Amazon’s top-selling photo item is Fuji’s Instax Mini Instant Film. There’s even a new twin-lens instant camera, Mint’s InstantFlex TL70, and yes, I gotta get me one of those.