{"id":36827,"date":"2016-12-15T07:09:58","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T11:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=36827"},"modified":"2025-02-28T15:36:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T19:36:06","slug":"best-photography-purchases-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/best-photography-purchases-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Best photography purchases of 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Best photography purchases of 2016<\/h1>\n

The lists of best photography purchases<\/a> from previous years\u00a0<\/strong>received a lot of interest and comments. The somewhat amusing thing looking back at those lists, is that I have since sold some of the equipment – I either upgraded, side-graded … or changed direction. Such is the fluid nature of photography technology, and also running a photography business. Things change. Similarly, this year, there were several pieces of photo gear that I bought that I hope will make a difference. Well, better than just “hope”, I plan on them making a difference.<\/p>\n

This past year, I was more careful about what I bought\u00a0– there were far fewer frivolous items. A useful measure is to weigh whether a piece of photo gear will at least bring its own value in new business, or alternately, make your life and work that much easier. There has to be a benefit that is tangible.<\/p>\n

For example, in the photo above you can see the massive boom arm in the left-hand side of the frame. This mighty boom arm by Redwing (RD-1201)<\/a> (affiliate<\/em>) is one of those things which make it easier to adjust the height of the light with one hand while shooting. When I first put it up in the studio, it seemed\u00a0so huge that I thought this might have been\u00a0a bad idea – it takes a lot of space! But when I started using it, I realized that it actually makes my life easier. Will it directly earn me more money? Nope. But it will make working in the studio that much easier. And it looks impressive!<\/p>\n

Here then is my list of my best photography purchases of 2016, along with the reasons why I think they were good decisions. I also add a few items that I found to be underwhelming. That said, there weren’t anything that I bought that was a bad purchase. One grows wiser over time.<\/p>\n

Add yours to the list of Best \/ Worst Photo related purchases, by posting in the comments section. What photo gear did you acquire which you believe will make a difference to your photography and your business in the upcoming years?<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s hear from you:<\/h2>\n

Let us know what photo-related goodies you bought this year which you loved, and those you didn\u2019t love\u00a0as much. Which of them do you think will make a difference to your photography and your business.<\/p>\n

To make it interesting, there were\u00a0two books available as prizes. (Or\u00a0could be swapped out\u00a0out for my book, On-Camera Flash (revised edition)<\/a>.\u00a0Winners were\u00a0chosen by random number generator, and announced\u00a0here<\/a>. (comment #52)<\/p>\n

Even though the contest is closed by now, you are more than welcome to still add your comments.<\/p>\n

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Photographing Headshots<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

Photographing Headshots<\/a>, by Gary Hughes. Headshot photography is surprisingly nuanced, and the author carefully steps you through the lighting techniques that you would need, whether on location or in the\u00a0studio.<\/p>\n

Much of what would elevate your headshot photography, is in how to pose your subject. \u00a0The author covers topics such as shoulder alignment and tilt. Posing the hands. But he goes further than just lighting and posing techniques. Post-processing is also covered in topics such as\u00a0Retouching the eyes, and retouching specular highlights.<\/p>\n

If you are curious about the premise of this book, you can order it through\u00a0Amazon USA<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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My\u00a0best photography purchases for 2016<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Nikon D5<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
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I skipped the Nikon D4s, having decided to keep my D4 bodies as my workhorses for a few more years. It’s that ROI thing that makes expensive cameras … well, expensive. Then the\u00a0Nikon D5<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(B&H<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\/\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/em>)\u00a0was released earlier in 2016, and there were sufficiently big enough improvements over the D4 to make the D5 worth closer attention. The auto-focusing is magical – fast and accurate. Unreal.<\/p>\n

Then, the\u00a0Nikon D5 high ISO noise performance<\/a>\u00a0is also a big step up from the D4 (which was already a great camera when it came to high-ISO noise. Many small improvements that add up\u00a0to make the D5 a really impressive camera. Now, if only I could justify the cost of a 2nd body.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>

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Two articles on Tangents which specifically feature the abilities of the Nikon D5<\/p>\n