I believe every birding photographer, after getting all the regular ID type shots, will work his way towards photographing birds doing some sort of activity. This would imply the typical foraging or eating photos, building nests, birds in flight (also see my previous article on this topic), even birds doing the natural thing of ensuring their species will continue to exist, birds on the hunt and so on. When catching those birds in flight, it invariably leads to birds landing and perching again, which is fairly easy to do; the… read more →
Welcome back everyone to another Photographic Tip part of the Learning in Lockdown series brought to you by Sigma South Africa. It has been a while so where have I been? Well, the last few months have been interesting… from testing new gear from Sigma SA to receiving guests back at all the lodges across the country and to the enormous amounts of rainfall received. Based on the above you can see what I mean by ‘the last few months have been interesting.’ I have decided to change up the… read more →
I regularly see many photographers posting their birding images on social media, websites etc, in the typical ID pose – full body, cleanish background, head turned slightly sideways to show off the profile of the head and bill, feather detail and colours, and legs with claws. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, I do it too, there is more to bird photography than just the typical poses. The detail in facial features and bills of birds are just waiting to be captured. Over the years I have done just… read more →
After using a 150-600mm Contemporary Sigma lens for most of my time as a wildlife photographer I thought it would be quite difficult to find something not only on performance wise for the price of the lens but the durability and all-around performance from image quality to the specs based on a lens which copes quite well in different conditions such as rain and dust which I have experienced while up in the Kalahari. This lens is a little heavier than the 150-600mm Contemporary however it is made from a… read more →
Firstly a caveat, I am not a techie or pixel peeper and I am not a bird photographer. So technically this is not a review, but rather my hands-on experience of the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 Sport lens. When I intend to buy gear I usually read two or three opinion pieces and then test the camera or lens to see if it will fit my shooting style. Some reviews are very technical and I sometimes wonder if shooting brick walls qualifies someone as a photographer. My passion is mostly sports… read more →
CANON EOS R5 | SIGMA FIELD TEST Text and photo’s by Sigma Ambassador Simon Du Plessis, Actionimage. I was invited by Canon South Africa to do a field review on their new Canon EOS R5 mirrorless body. This kept me quite busy, testing the R5 out in the field using various Canon RF and EF lenses, as well as my Sigma lenses, namely the 120-300 f2.8 Sport, 100-400 f5-6.3 Contemporary and my EX 150 f2.8 Macro. When I collected the R5 from Canon SA, there was concern that the AF… read more →
SIGMA Corporation is pleased to announce the SIGMA 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art. Make everyday details more magnificent. Performance exceeds expectations SIGMA Art line introduces a supreme edition to classic macro lenses Mid-telephoto macro lenses give photographers a boost to creativity and a versatile working distance, which makes the lenses a favorite among professionals as part of their basic gear. Introduced as the first macro lens for mirrorless cameras in the Art line of lenses for mirrorless cameras, the 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO | Art packs the… read more →
The continuation of a new series of blog posts that are here and available for your reading pleasure, I have decided to not only tell you about the amazing Sigma brand, but to teach you about how to use your camera along with your Sigma lens to capture photographic content that you’ve always wanted to have. Welcome back all, and I hope everyone is doing all well and keeping going as we continue with the national Lockdown in South Africa, but mostly I hope you advancing your photographic knowledge and… read more →
Mark a new chapter of the Art line F1.4 in the mirrorless age. Large-diameter, unparalleled optical performance, compact and lightweight, and high-speed AF ─ all in your hand. The 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art combines a clear and delicate rendering performance, which is requisite for portrait photography, with beautiful, rich bokeh effects only possible with lenses such as a large-diameter F1.4, at a level that will satisfy both professional and advanced amateur photographers. The focal length of 85mm and significant bokeh effect at F1.4 brightness allow the users’ subjects… read more →
The continuation of a new series of blog posts that are here and available for your reading pleasure, I have decided to not only tell you about the amazing Sigma brand, but to teach you about how to use your camera along with your Sigma lens to capture photographic content that you’ve always wanted to have. In this 10-blog series we have just reached half way (blog post number 5) and have already covered many topics, namely, the adjustment/interaction with normal light, understanding your camera based on your photographic needs… read more →