Staff Writer's blog

This is a guest post by Rex Weiner, Editor/Publisher A&I Books

You have all these terrific photos you took during the holidays, and now you want to collect them in a photo book for family and friends. It’s going to be a great gift, memorializing the precious time spent together, a keepsake for the ages to be handed down by generations to come, and so easy to do right now, using free, do-it-yourself print-on-demand online software.

Jim Goldstein is a full-time professional photographer based in San Francisco, CA. He captures landscapes and nature, and is an established travel photographer. He also embraces social media, and is highly active on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Google + amongst others, such as Photo.net. We took some time to talk to Jim about his techniques, social media strategies, how landscapes inspire him, and his new eBook.

“What’s the best f-stop?” This is the second most commonly asked question that arrives in my inbox. It’s no surprise—depth of field (DOF) is a mystery, since you really can’t see it in the viewfinder of your DSLR. No matter if you’re just beginning or a seasoned pro, this is a question you should always ask yourself when you put that camera to your eye. (In fact, you should be asking that before then.) It’s not a question you should be asking Moose. Not that I don’t know the answer, but I only know the answer for my own photography. Since it’s your storytelling, you need be the judge of what the best f-stop is.

But how do you get to that point, come to learn, and to own the right lens with the best f-stop for your photography?

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog post by Moose Peterson.

Steve Huff needs no introduction: As a veteran blogger with a large fanbase, he is also known across the internet as a rangefinder and small-camera aficionado. We recently got to chat with him about the different cameras he's used over the years, about running his site, and about his photographic adventures with famed musician Seal.

Here at B&H Insights, we’re excited to share with you a few new initiatives which we have in store for the future. In addition to adding to our roster of influential guest writers, we’ll also be interviewing and sharing the perspectives of many of those prominent and inspiring photographers whom we work with on a daily basis, in both text and video format.

Oben Entry-Level Tripods with Heads

Oben’s 1300/1400 line of lightweight aluminum tripods is entry-level in name only. Their high degree of performance owes both to the quality of the materials and to the array of professional features that Oben has packed into these steadfast, yet lightweight, aluminum camera supports.

Short of a north-facing skylight, one of the most useful tools in any studio lighting system is a light box. Complimentary to people and products alike, the soft, flattering wash of light afforded by a softbox fixture is now affordably available in the form of the Impact Octacool Fluorescent Light Kit.