Photography

Photographer bonked in head by Trevor Siemian pass during Jets-Commanders

By in Photography

Photographer bonked in head by Trevor Siemian pass during Jets-Commanders

Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and Washington Commanders was painful to watch for many NFL fans, but it was literally painful for one of the photographers on hand to capture the action.

The Jets raced out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter and were attempting to add another touchdown to that lead. New York quarterback Trevor Siemian launched a pass into the endzone that sailed over the head of tight end Tyler Conklin and knocked a press photographer right in the noggin.

The Jets ended up settling for a field goal to extend their lead to 20-0 and we got a look at the photographer, who seemed to be okay thankfully.

There’s gotta be an assumption when you work as an NFL photographer that, sooner or later, you’re gonna get bonked by an errant pass, especially when you’re shooting behind the endzone. Credit to him for sticking with the shot and hopefully he ended up with a very cool shot for his troubles.

The above shot by USA Today’s Robert Deutsch, who seems to have been directly next to the photographer who got hit, isn’t too shabby.

To be fair, we’ve seen photographers and camerapeople get it much worse than that while working on the sidelines, so a Trevor Siemian pass to the head isn’t the worst thing that could happen.

For what it’s worth, the Jets blew their massive lead and the Commanders almost lost the game. One might wonder if this is some karmic vengeance for hitting the photographer, but then again, this is the Jets were talking about. This is just par for the course.

[NFL on Twitter, LBS]

Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S: A Game-Changer for Sports and Wildlife Photography

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Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S: A Game-Changer for Sports and Wildlife Photography

Sports and wildlife photographers rejoice! Nikon has released the highly anticipated NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens, designed specifically for the Z 9 mirrorless camera. This powerful combo promises to revolutionize the way you capture fast action in any environment. But how does it compare to other manufacturers? Let’s find out.

In an in-depth video review by Christopher Frost, we get a closer look at the features and capabilities of the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens. Designed for professionals, this lens offers a variety of options that set it apart:

  • Built-In 1.4x Teleconverter: Integrated within the lens, the teleconverter transforms the 400mm f/2.8 lens into an impressive 560mm f/4 lens, while maintaining optimal imaging performance and weather-sealing.
  • S-Line Optics: This lens incorporates two ED and one Super ED glass elements, along with two fluorite elements, to minimize chromatic aberrations and color fringing. It also features an SR element for accurate color rendering and a compact lens design.
  • Anti-Glare Coatings: Nikon’s Meso Amorphous Coat improves anti-reflective performance beyond the Nano Crystal Coat, while the ARNEO and Nano Crystal Coats enhance glare suppression in various lighting conditions.
  • Silky Swift VCM Autofocus: With a Voice Coil Motor and an optical ABS encoder from robotics, the autofocus system delivers high-speed, precise, and smooth focusing. It operates quietly, reduces focus breathing, and offers full-time manual override. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 8.2 feet and a maximum magnification of 0.17x (0.23x with teleconverter).
  • Vibration Reduction: The lens’s image stabilization system reduces camera shake by approximately 5.5 stops. It combines in-body and optical VR (Virtual Reality) using Synchro VR technology for even better results.
  • Professional Durability and Intuitive Handling: Weighing 6.5 pounds, the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens is 20% lighter than its F-mount counterpart. It features a centered gravity for smooth panning and a rotating tripod mount for easy orientation changes. The lens is weather-sealed, made with magnesium alloy construction, and has fluorine-coated front and rear elements. It is compatible with Z-Teleconverter TC 1.4x and TC 2x. The lens also offers an ergonomic control layout with a Memory Set button, customizable L-Fn buttons, a focus limiter switch, and a programmable Control Ring. Additionally, it supports Kensington lock and uses 46mm drop-in filters with the included holder.

Frost’s detailed review provides valuable insights into the performance and capabilities of the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens. Whether you’re a professional sports or wildlife photographer, this lens could be a game-changer for capturing that perfect shot. Check out the video above for Frost’s full analysis and see the lens in action.

Q: What is the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens?

A: The NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens is a powerful lens designed for the Z 9 mirrorless camera that is specifically aimed at sports and wildlife photographers.

Q: What are the key features of the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens?

A: The lens offers a built-in 1.4x teleconverter, S-Line optics, anti-glare coatings, silky swift VCM autofocus, vibration reduction, professional durability and intuitive handling.

Q: What is the purpose of the built-in teleconverter?

A: The built-in teleconverter transforms the lens from 400mm f/2.8 to an impressive 560mm f/4, while maintaining optimal imaging performance and weather sealing.

Q: What are S-Line optics?

A: S-Line optics is a feature of the lens that incorporates specific glass elements to minimize chromatic aberrations, color fringing, and improve color rendering.

Q: What is the autofocus system like?

A: The autofocus system utilizes a Voice Coil Motor and an optical ABS encoder for high-speed, precise, and smooth focusing. It operates quietly, reduces focus breathing, and offers full-time manual override.

Q: How effective is the image stabilization system?

A: The lens’s image stabilization system reduces camera shake by approximately 5.5 stops. It combines in-body and optical VR using Synchro VR technology for even better results.

Q: What are the durability and handling features of the lens?

A: The lens is lighter, weather-sealed, and made with magnesium alloy construction. It has an ergonomic control layout, support for various accessories, and offers an intuitive handling experience.

Key Terms/Jargon

  • Z 9 mirrorless camera: Nikon’s mirrorless camera model.
  • Teleconverter: An optical accessory that increases the focal length of a lens.
  • S-Line optics: A feature of Nikon lenses that incorporates specific glass elements to improve image quality.
  • Chromatic aberrations: Color fringing or distortion that can occur in an image.
  • Color rendering: The accuracy and reproduction of colors in an image.
  • Anti-reflective performance: The ability to reduce glare and reflections in an image.
  • Meso Amorphous Coat: A type of anti-reflective coating by Nikon.
  • Image stabilization: Technology that reduces camera shake for sharper images.
  • Virtual Reality (VR): In the context of the lens, it refers to Nikon’s optical image stabilization technology.
  • Synchro VR technology: Nikon’s technology that combines in-body and optical image stabilization.
  • Magnesium alloy construction: The lens is constructed using magnesium alloy for durability.
  • Drop-in filters: Filters that can be inserted into the lens without removing the front element.

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Photographer takes Trevor Siemian pass to the head during Jets game

By in Photography

Photographer takes Trevor Siemian pass to the head during Jets game
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Building the Valley: New Brackenridge gallery serves as public portal for photographer’s artistic vision

By in Photography

Building the Valley: New Brackenridge gallery serves as public portal for photographer’s artistic vision

Decades before everyone could take photos using their cellphones, Don Klinsky was the guy who always had a camera to capture the moment.

In September, Klinsky, 55, created a way to share his lifelong love of photography with the launch of a gallery in Brackenridge.

Don Klinsky Fine Art Photography is on the second floor of the new Redefined Heirlooms shop on 10th Avenue, which sells recycled furniture, antiques and home decor.

Klinsky’s gallery features a collection of photographs printed on a variety of media. Among the most impressive pieces are his slow exposure landscape and city scenes that have been transferred onto metal panels and have a glasslike sheen.

“I started making prints available online last year, but I really felt that it was important to have a physical space for people to be able to see what I have in person,” said Klinsky of Harrison. “So when the opportunity came to rent space in Redefined Heirlooms, I thought it would be a good fit for what I want to do.”

Klinsky, who grew up in New Kensington, says he cannot remember a time when he wasn’t snapping photos.

“I was probably 4 or 5 when I got a small 110 camera with a pop-up flash,” he said. “I was just always taking pictures of something, anything.”

Inklings of what would become Klinsky’s signature style began to emerge as he practiced how to use the simple point-and-shoot camera as a tool to achieve the vision he had for his photos.

“I’ve always loved just going out with a camera looking for something interesting to catch my eye,” he said. “And when I was at family gatherings, I always preferred taking candid photos that capture the moment.”

Learning what worked and what didn’t took a lot of “trial and error” because you couldn’t see the results of a shot until after the film was processed, Klinsky said.

After graduating from Valley High School in 1986, Klinsky did a stint in the Navy before receiving a medical discharge.

While serving in the military, Klinsky got the first camera that allowed him to develop his skills as a photographer.

“I bought a Pentax 35 mm film camera that gave me a chance to really learn,” he said. “I’d walk around the base taking pictures, which of course got me in trouble, but it allowed me to start developing my creativity.”

Learning the technical aspects of how a camera’s settings affect the outcome of a photo also meant considerable practice and more trial and error, Klinsky said.

“There was no internet back then that you could use to quickly look something up,” he said. “But the camera came with a very in-depth manual that covered all the basics, and I was able to get some books to learn more. At that point, I was only doing photography because it made me happy and I was learning.”

After leaving the Navy, Klinsky spent about seven years doing office work to earn a living before deciding to go into business for himself by opening a karate school in Oakmont, which he operated for 15 years.

“Just like photography, studying karate started as a hobby when I was a kid and I loved doing both of them,” Klinsky said. “But at the time, opening the school seemed like the best alternative as far as a business was concerned, it turned out to be pretty good for me.”

While the constraints of running a growing business left little time for Klinsky to devote to photography, “it was always in the back of my mind.”

Klinsky operated his taekwondo karate school in Oakmont for 15 years before health problems forced him to sell the business in 2009.

“I was pretty certain my career would be running the karate school, but things don’t always turn out like you plan,” he said. “I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and realized that the crippling nature of that wasn’t going to work out as far as karate was concerned.”

While Klinsky reluctantly sold the business he spent more than a decade building, he saw it as an opportunity to rekindle his passion for photography.

“When I’m out taking photos, I’m always looking for things that interest me,” he said. “I’ve always had the idea that if a photo is interesting to me, it will probably be interesting to other people, too.”

That realization set Klinsky headlong into a plan to become a professional photographer.

“After selling the school, I figured I had to look for something to do that was less physical than teaching karate, so naturally photography was the first thing I thought of,” he said.

Klinsky filed the paperwork needed to start a photography business; invested thousands of dollars into cameras, lenses and equipment for a studio in his home; took online courses to expand his knowledge and skill; launched a website; and even traveled to Alaska to begin building a collection of fine art prints.

“I was pretty much all set to go,” he said. “But then two things happened that changed my mind.”

The first, and ultimately most important, were the needs of his family.

“I’d just gotten out of basically spending 24/7 running a business,” he said. “And my kids had just turned 3 and 5.

“Both of my kids have special needs, and I realized that if I opened another business I wasn’t going to be able to spend time with them,” he said. “I wasn’t willing to do that because I didn’t want to miss a single moment with them while they were growing up.”

Klinsky put a pause on his business plans and became a stay-at-home dad while his first wife worked out of the home.

“I feel really lucky to have been able to be with them,” he said. “Not many guys typically get the chance to do that.”

Klinsky said his decision not to launch the business also was affected by the growing availability of smartphones with built-in cameras.

“That was right around the time the smartphone craze was really starting, and I remember thinking that maybe professional photography was going away,” he said.

Klinsky said his plans to launch a photography business were rekindled when he and his wife, Colleen, hired photographer Donna Weckerly of Kittanning to do some photos for their wedding.

“Colleen was always commenting about how much she loved the photos I had hanging in my home and said I should be doing more with photography,” Klinsky said.

“But the reality was that over the years I’d sold off all my gear when I needed the money, so getting back into it wouldn’t be cheap,” Klinsky said. “But she didn’t care. All she kept telling me was that it’s my passion and I have to pursue it.”

The decision to finally take the plunge came when Weckerly met the couple at an estate in Armstrong County where they were a taking a local honeymoon before their planned trip to Alaska.

“My wife mentioned to Donna that I did photography as a hobby and had done a lot of photos over the years that she really liked,” Klinsky said.

Wecklery said it was clear while speaking with Klinsky that he deeply missed photography.

“I was finishing up the session with them, and Don and I were chatting about photography,” Weckerly said. “So I opened my camera bag up to show him the new mirrorless camera I was using and some of my lenses and his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

“The questions he asked were pretty specific and, as we talked, it became quite obvious that, like me, photography was a passion for him and that he was really missing it,” she said.

Weckerly, who also serves as the executive director of the newly formed Armstrong County Arts Council, said encouraging artists such as Klinsky to pursue their vision is one of the organization’s missions.

Klinsky said Weckerly’s encouragement and his wife’s insistence that the money needed for gear was a worthwhile investment erased any misgivings.

“My goal with photography is to bring to life, through the lens, the emotions that I’m feeling at that moment,” he said. “One of the most rewarding things is when one of my images touches someone in the same way it touches me. This gallery is a way for me to try to make that happen.”

Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony by email at tlarussa@triblive.com or via Twitter .

‘It’s crazy’: Edmonton artist lands two nominations at World Photography Cup

By in Photography

‘It’s crazy’: Edmonton artist lands two nominations at World Photography Cup

A local artist has captured global recognition for her fantastic photography.

Renee Robyn, a digital artist in Edmonton, is representing Canada at the 2024 World Photography Cup with two fantasy-inspired composite artworks.

“I’m the definition of a kid that grew up on video games and fantasy novels, and I’m always basically trying to feed the little-kid version of myself,” Robyn said.

Robyn and her partner, also an artist, entered the international competition on a whim just before submissions closed.

“I entered five images and they’re slowly getting eliminated one by one,” Robyn said. “Then, all of sudden, you get the email: ‘Hey, you’re representing Canada on team Canada.’

“It’s crazy.”

Robyn has been nominated in illustrative digital art and illustrative portrait art. She is one of the only photographers who will represent a country in two categories.

Her work involves photographing her subjects and backgrounds before layering multiple images together to create ethereal composite artworks.

Robyn’s partner Curtis Jones was also nominated.

A representative for Robyn said the pair are the first couple to represent the same country, in the same year in separate categories.

There are 42 countries with submissions to the World Photography Cup.

The top 10 submissions will be announced at the end of January, and the winners will be declared in Texas in the spring.

“Fingers super crossed,” Robyn said. “We have some anxious time ahead of us.”

Robyn is expecting to launch her first art book in summer. For more information on her or her work, visit her website here. 

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