It’s been five years since the Sony a7III was released, and in my opinion, this camera changed the photo industry. But is the Sony a7III still relevant?

I can still remember the day I got my Sony a7 III. At the time, I was already very much in love with mirrorless cameras and was photographing weddings full-time on Fuji mirrorless cameras. To me, these Fuji cameras were as close as I had seen a mirrorless camera get to the performance of a high-end DSLR setup. But the key word here is “close”. Although these Fuji cameras were great, they were still not as good as their DSLR counterparts. However, for me, the benefits of mirrorless were enough to overlook their shortcomings.

Then, on a whim, when the Sony a7III was announced, I decided to get a loaner just for review purposes. I had no intention of even considering purchasing this camera. I simply thought it would be fun to play around with. But after the first hour of use, I quickly realized just how good this camera was. So much so, that I immediately sent an email saying that I would not be sending the camera back and asked for the best way to send payment for the gear. I then wrote an article explaining why I think the Sony a7 III is the best camera you can buy for wedding photography.

But why? For me, this camera was a game-changer for the mirrorless industry as a whole. It was the first camera I had used that not only surpassed the autofocus speeds of my DSLR while being in the low $2,000 price range but also was the first affordable and fully capable full-frame mirrorless camera on the market. The a7III had the perfect resolution for my needs at 24 MP, providing great dynamic range, low light ability, in-body image stabilization, dual card slots, and so much more. All this in a smaller and compact size. Not only that, but the autofocus was faster, more accurate, and offered more features than my Fuji setup and my past Nikon DSLR setup, with innovations like Eye-AF, which has since become a staple in every up-to-date camera.

Now, the a7 III wasn’t perfect, and the camera market has evolved a ton since its release. So, why am I even talking about it? The main reason is the price. While the release price was part of the reason that this camera was so successful, the current price drop has brought this camera back into the limelight. Currently, it’s listed at $1,298, which is $700 off its release day price.   

 At this price, I think this camera would make an easy buy for anyone trying to get into photography, wanting to go full frame, or even for those that have held on tight to their DSLR not wanting to pay to upgrade. While there are cameras out there that have better features, I’d argue this is the best bang for your buck deal on the camera market. So, if you want to upgrade from one of those entry-level cameras and step into a professional setup, but can’t justify the prices of the most recent releases, I think the Sony a7 III could be the answer for you.

“Best of Show” prize in the 2023 DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition has been awarded to Italian photographer Marco Gargiulo for The Passenger, his split-shot (above) of a juvenile imperial blackfish riding a jellyfish beneath the Mount Vesuvius volcano. The Italian’s photograph also took the Gold award in the Over-Under category.

The winning images and short films entered
 in the annual contest have just been announced, with the website DivePhotoGuide, which organises the event, saying that thousands of photographers and film-makers from dozens of countries had competed in what it describes as the “world championship” of international underwater imaging events.

Entries in the seven image
categories and video section were judged by a panel of photographers comprising Stephen Frink, Renee Capozzola, Scott ‘Gutsy’ Tuason, Allison Vitsky Sallmon, Matty Smith and Amanda Cotton. 

Top three and Highly Commended awards are given in each category, with the winners sharing prizes valued at US $75,000. As in previous competitions, 15% of the entry fee proceeds is earmarked for marine conservation.

“It’s not often you see snow on the Vesuvius volcano here in the Gulf of Naples, where I live in Sorrento,” said Gargiulo of The Passenger. “It soon vanishes due to the mild temperatures. I’ve always wanted to take a photo, and I finally managed to get into the water to do it. 

“During my walk along the Marina Grande in Sorrento, my usual place for winter night-diving, the wind pushed a large quantity of jellyfish along the coast. I was lucky to find one that had a small passenger on board.”

“Most remarkable for me is the juxtaposition of a blackwater subject against wide-angle topside with sunlight,” commented judge Capozzola. “I initially thought this must be a composite, so to learn this photograph was one image clinched the decision in my view.”

“Possibly the highest compliment I can give an underwater shot is wondering: ‘How did they do that?’,” added Frink. “I look at this over/under and marvel at how perfectly aligned the interface is between the topside and the underwater, despite the surface chop. 

“The blend of strobe light for the underwater subject and the ambient light in the background is masterful. Combining artistic vision with significant technical mastery makes this the winner for me.”

(Taken with a Nikon D850 + 16–35mm f/4 @ 35mm, Nauticam housing with 9in dome, dual ONEUW One 160X strobes, f/13, 1/200th, ISO 110)

Traditional 

Gold in the Traditional category went to Sea Lions At Work by Fabien Michenet from France, a photograph taken in Baja California. “Every year, in the south of Magdalena Bay on the Pacific coast of Mexico, a sardine run occurs between October and November,” says Michenet.

“As millions of Pacific sardines gather over seamounts, fin whales, humpbacks, striped marlin, mahi-mahi, Pacific sea-lions and other predators are attracted by the feast. 

“After a few hours of searching, we found this baitball of densely packed sardines, and we observed marlin and mahi-mahi – particularly abundant this year due to the El Niño phenomenon – feeding on the fish. 

“Suddenly, a group of sea-lions took over the area, denying other predators access. Keeping the sun at my back, I positioned myself so that the scene was illuminated symmetrically, taking a few images as the ball of churning fish, surrounded by sea-lions, moved away.”

(Taken with a Nikon Z8 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4 @ 16mm, Nauticam housing, f/7.1, 1/400th, ISO 640)

Macro

UK diver Byron Conroy, whose work scored highly in several categories of the competition, won in the Macro category with Gone Fishin’, taken in Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi. “For a long time, I have been an admirer of frogfish,” he said. “The way they hunt fascinates me, so the challenge was to capture this special behaviour in all its glory. 

“To get this shot, I had a snoot positioned on my camera locked in place, and waited patiently for the moment when the lure came out. A shot like this can take patience, as the fish needs to be relaxed to exhibit its usual behaviour. 

“The snooted subject with the black background draws the eye into the action, and the black negative space was chosen to give the idea that any potential meal could be about to enter the scene.”

(Taken with a Sony a7R Mark V + FE 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam housing, Retra Pro strobe + LSD snoot, f/11, 1/200th, ISO 80)

Wide Angle

Gold-winner Wishing Well, showing a crab-eating macaque gazing at the water from the edge of a rocky platform, as seen through Snell’s Window {where everything topside appears through a 96° cone of light), was taken in Thailand by Kuwaiti photographer Suliman Alatiqi while on a tour of the Phi Phi Islands. 

“I noticed that the animals tend to stay on cliffs close to the water during the day,” he said. “This made me think about the possibility of capturing an underwater perspective of the animal with the scenery above. 

“The biggest challenge was lighting a subject completely above the water, as I did not want a silhouette. After some experimenting, I waited patiently for the right opportunity and managed to get this moment on breath-hold. The macaque seemed inquisitive about my approach, which made the photo possible.”

(Taken with a Nikon D850 + AF-S 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye lens, Nauticam housing, dual Sea&Sea YS-D2J strobes, f/20, 1/250th, ISO 280)

Conservation

“When we went out to sea in the morning, we passed a small island and saw the fishermen on the island cutting up sharks and throwing the unused parts on the beach,” said Chinese photographer Yinan Liu of his winning shot in the Conservation category, Massacre. Like the winner of the Traditional category, it was taken in Magdalena Bay in Mexico’s Baja California.

“When we returned in the afternoon, due to the high tide, the abandoned parts had been brought out into the sea, allowing me to go under water and capture this heartbreaking scene. I hope that through this photo, more people can work together to protect sharks. If there is no trade, there will be no killing.”

(Taken with a Canon EOS 5DSR + 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens @ 15mm, Nauticam housing, f/10, 1/250th, ISO 200)

Black & White

Another image captured in Mexico was Parallel Universes by Martin Broen, but this time it was taken in Cenote Xa’ay Ha, Tulum on the Yucatan peninsula. The US photographer had also topped the Black & White category in the previous two years, as well as scooping the Grand Prize on both occasions.

“Over the year, I have had the pleasure of capturing the beauty of over 250 different Mexican cenotes,” he said. “One of the most fascinating aspects of these cave systems is their stunning formation enclosure and decorations, and the ability to move freely to explore them in every direction and in a perfectly translucent environment. 

“Nothing exemplifies this freedom of movement more than breaking from your bi-dimensional constraints and jumping into vertical opening tunnels – as if entering a parallel universe.”

(Taken with a Sony a7R Mark III + Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens @ 15mm, Nauticam housing, dual Bigblue 15,000-lumen lights, f/6.3, 1/50th, ISO 6400)

Blackwater

Gold in the Blackwater category went to the colourful Flamenco Pose by Sweden’s Magnus Lundgren, taken in Anilao, Batangas in the Philippines.

“It was a night filled with drama when I encountered one of my dream subjects in Balayan Bay,” he says. “The Taal volcano was erupting, sending fireworks into the dark sky like a huge dragon, and the deep, thundering sound of earthquakes rolled through the ocean. 

“At the same time, this female blanket octopus appeared from nowhere, out of the dark, in front of my camera. She started rolling out her long blanket, ending up in this Batman-like pose.

“False eyes decorating her flamenco-style webbing between her arms stared back at me. It is believed that the blanket is probably used to spook or confuse predators.”

(Taken with a Nikon D850 + AF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, Nauticam housing, Inon Z-330 strobes, f/16, 1/250th, ISO 320)

Short Film

The Magic Triangle tells “an illusory story of an ocean-lover who dives through a hole in the ice and experiences the bizarre beauty of the tropical ocean”, explained videographer Alfred Schaschl, who shot his Short Film winner in Weissensee, Carinthia, in his home country of Austria, and also in Dauin in the Philippines.

(Taken with Panasonic Lumix GH5s, Isotta housing, three Olympus lenses: 60mm f/2.8 macro, 8mm f/1.8 fisheye and 12mm f/2 wide-angle, Nauticam SMC-1 diopter, Atomos Ninja V recorder/monitor, Backscatter MW-4300, Weefine Solar Flare 5000 and X-Adventurer M15000 video lights)

UK successes

Five UK divers featured among the runners-up, including further successes for Byron Conroy (Silfra Sunrise, Silver / Black & White and Speedy Boxfish, Honourable Mention / Macro); Simon Hilbourne (Problem Props, Bronze / Conservation); Annie Guttridge (Trio, Bronze / Wide Angle); Francis Glassup (Amongst Clouds of Sediment, Honourable Mention / Black & White); and Michael Fafalios (Beneath the Horizon, Bronze / Short Film).

All the winning images and videos can be found at UnderwaterCompetition.com.

Also on Divernet: Spitting image scoops pool in contest, Planet Ocean: Tides Are Changing winners, Winning images for World Oceans Day 2022

When we asked stalwart KC photographer Courtney Crutcher-Staton for a brief, but all-encompassing bio, she led with this: “I’m a firm believer that I am not for everyone. I can be loud, goofy, and borderline ridiculous,” she says. “I say what I think and mean what I say. I am too much for many. That’s okay, they can go find less.”

Well, as the “unapologetically different” owner of Stag & Bird Curated Photo Experiences, Crutcher-Staton must be doing something right. She recently cleaned up in The Pitch’s Best of KC 2023, sweeping three separate categories: Best Engagement Photographer, Best Wedding Photographer, and Best Photography Business.

The take-no-prisoners shutterbug is clearly making an impact in the metro—along with some priceless memories for families, newlyweds, and grads. “I make sure to run my business in the same way I live my life—no bullshit, no unnecessary fluff with a lot of heart, talent and love for what I do,” she adds. “Getting to know my clients and their unique stories is my favorite part of the job. When it comes to my work I’m a fan of the funky and fun—and I love trying new things in composition and technique.”

We caught up with the lensmaster extraordinaire between shoots to bombard her with our bananas-bonkers questionnaire. We’re still seeing spots from the litany of flashbulbs that went off every time she’d finish answering a question.

The Pitch: What’s a super-secret photography hack that we absolutely must know?

Courtney Crutcher-Staton: The super-secret hack is there is no secret. People take things way too seriously and don’t take photos for the sake of taking photos anymore. They do it just to post online for likes. Stop trying to create content and instead focus—pun intended!—on making art.

When we get back to taking photographs of things, people, and places we love then we will learn to cherish more. The hack? Take the damn photo. Pull out your crusty, rusty iPhone 6 for all I care.

Just. Take. The. Photo.

What’s been your biggest cooking and/or kitchen mishap?

I’m a terrible cook, mostly because I get sidetracked and cannot stay focused on the task. My former father-in-law used to say that we knew the food was done when my smoke alarm went off.

I once was tasked with simply “keeping an eye” on a steak warming up on the grill on my covered deck. I was doing the dishes inside and happened to glance out the window to see a brand-new, super-nice grill up in flames. At the same time, my backyard neighbors were sprinting across the lawn to try to save me (or maybe just the grill). Luckily, I didn’t burn the house down and barely any paint peeled. The grill though? She was done-zo.

Finish this sentence: The world’s funniest comedian is … 

… Iliza Shelesinger. I don’t know many comedians but she’s funny as shit. Really nails that “elder millennial” thing.  Sometimes I think she’s speaking my life back to me. I wish I could imitate her dragon sound. I’d walk around the grocery store making that noise if I could. 

Folding laundry or putting away the dishes—which is infinitely worse?

Look, man—I am not a domestic goddess. Both the dishes and laundry are bad, but since you narrowed it down to folding and not the putting-away-part. I can fold all damn day. I’ll fold my clothes, my fiancé’s, my teenager’s. Hell, I’ll even match my 9-year-old’s socks. But, put them away? Nope.

I don’t even have a dresser any more. I love good fashion pieces but they better hang well or be okay shoved in the drawer. The catch is I still do the Kon-Marie method of very particular folding. But to actually put them away so neatly? Nah, hard pass.

Bonus 5^th Question: Describe the perfect pillow in extreme detail. And how much are you willing to spend on it? 

I have yet to find the perfect pillow. A few years back I splurged and bought these fancy-schmancy memory foam pillows that are flat on one side and curved on the other. The only thing they got right was the size. Otherwise, they’re absolute trash.

Both my fiancé and I hate them—and I’m mad I spent money on them. They were like $100 each. I’m better off going to Target once a year and buying the $15 extra firm, king sized, overstuffed pillows and then tossing them when they get too balled up. If someone can make a pillow for a back and side sleeper that stays cool and fits my neck right that would be great. But also, I am no longer willing to spend money on pillows—so it better be a $30 price point.

Use AI to get photo ideas

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

AI can help you communicate with clients

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Planning shoots using AI

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Other times I have used AI to edit photos

Time is money, and thanks to AI I can save myself a bunch of it.

FAQs

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A photographer’s beautiful timelapse showing the onset of winter took him five years to shoot.

Jamie Scott shot Winter in upstate New York and Montreal, Canada. He employed drone shots to capture snowfall over large-scale areas; footage that was sometimes filmed years apart but cleverly edited to look consistent.

The project threw up many difficulties: Scott would see interesting things he wanted to shoot but it would be after the action occurred.

“For example, frost on windows, frost on cobwebs, and frozen waterfalls can create beautiful crystal-like formations, but they typically never happened twice in a row, which I needed to be able to plan the shot,” he explains.

Macro shots of leaves with frost were also a challenge because Scott had to focus for something that had not yet appeared, but he began to learn how certain objects freeze over.

“These elements can form in a matter of a few seconds to a few minutes,” he says.

“I learned that a large waterfall will slowly start to freeze over a number of weeks but the minute it turns to solid ice might happen within a few minutes.

“A lot of the best elements also happen in the middle of the night when it’s also the coldest outside. Needless to say, all of this combined created challenging conditions to get everything just right.”

The project meant Scott had to expose his camera equipment to the freezing temperatures, forcing him to take precautions.

“I had to keep the equipment dry and somewhat warm so it wouldn’t power off. In the snow I used plastic rain covers to keep the cameras dry. To keep snow off the lenses I used large fabric lens hoods,” he says.

“Cold weather drains batteries quickly, so I also strapped hand warmers to the equipment. In addition to the internal camera batteries, I also used external batteries to extend the life of the cameras.

“Sliders were also used for a lot of the shots so they all also needed the same treatment as the cameras. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of my external batteries over the course of the shoot as they eventually stopped working after being exposed to the cold for too long.”

The grueling timelapse meant leaving his cameras for “days and weeks” at a time. Scott and his partner made two weatherproof boxes to house the outdoor cameras complete with access panels at the back and a lens at the front.

“I also used additional light sources for lighting the shots at night. Although I could never simulate daylight they provided enough brightness to be able to expose correctly,” he adds.

Scott has a background in visual effects which he put to use in the editing process to give the film cohesiveness.

“Many of the shots were shot over several days so I had to even out the exposures and in some cases I had to transition from one day to the next,” he says.

Winter is set to a song by the composer Jim Perkins who collaborated with Scott and adapted the music as the film was created.

“Once we had established a basic structure to the piece we then built around that framework,” explains Perkins.

“The music has about 40 seconds of introduction before the violin arpeggio appears, which drives the piece forward. The piece then gradually builds, layering in new musical elements and taking away others to support the development of the visuals.

“As new musical elements were added, there was a lot of discussion around what worked and what didn’t, and all the decisions made helped bind the music and film together.”

The pair previously collaborated for another timelapse video entitled Spring.

More of Scott’s work can be found on his Instagram and website.

The new issue of Digital Photographer is out now!

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This month we have another amazing issue for you, featuring professional tips, reviews, and practical how-to guides. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside!

Landscape framing

Elevate your landscape photography skills and create inspiring, narrative images with these essential composition techniques.

With some lateral thinking and expert guidance from our editor, Peter Fenech, you’ll learn how to compose for different landscape styles, from busy scenes to minimalist landscapes, and use elements like water to add balance and energy to your frames. In our 10-page special you’ll also discover how to create contrast and adjust your framing to capture the direction and intensity of light at different times of the day.

Capture cool creatures

If you want to take some cool snaps of winter wildlife but don’t want to break the bank, our Technique Editor, Kim Bunermann, has got you covered. From page 36, she gives you a crash course on what you need to capture winter creatures without spending a fortune. 

With pictures by Reed Miller, who is no stranger to the pages of Digital Photographer magazine, she explains how to get started and why you should blend into nature to increase your chances of capturing natural behavior of wild animals. Reed also offers some tips and advice for capturing creatures big and small when out in the cold.

Interview with an AI explorer

Nancy Poeran, a Dutch artist, uses AI to create work that challenges our perception of reality. As a photographer with a unique viewpoint, she sees AI tools as an opportunity to produce abstract art. In our interview on page 76, Nancy explains how she embraces this controversial technology and believes that it has much to offer to the world of photography.

Shoot super sunsets

Whether you’re shooting in a remote location or a bustling city, the beauty of sunset is always within reach. Let us show you how to balance exposure and colour to create a powerful and captivating sunset atmosphere that will leave a lasting impression. Learn the essential steps to capture this beautiful light at the end of the day from p50. 

City location photoshoots

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Essential exposure technique: settings for seamless backgrounds

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Lighthouse photography: learn to compose images of very tall subjects

Perkins Center for the Arts’ annual photography exhibition will be held at its Moorestown location from Wednesday, Jan. 10, through Friday, Feb. 23.

Artists can submit a maximum of three works that support the theme of “Photography 43” – point of view – and were created in the past three years. Work must be submitted on Perkins’ website under the exhibitions tab or by using a link on its Facebook page.

All entries must be framed and wired on the back, and Perkins recommends following professional standards, with glass or framing wire only. Works printed on canvas will also be accepted. The following will not: two pieces of glass or plexiglass joined by clips, plastic frames with cord that serves as a hanging mechanism (like poster frames) and alligator clips.

Entries must be delivered for the exhibit’s juror on Friday, Jan. 5, from 10 am to 2 p.m., or Saturday, Jan. 6, from noon to 4 p.m.

“The reason I chose that theme was to give every photographer participating an opportunity to give their point of view of course, and not have a theme that is obvious,” explained Sharon Kiefer, Perkins’ curator of exhibitions. “This is a theme that can be interpreted by each photographer individually, so we should get some really good entries for this.”

Perkins values the arts as essential to the social and emotional well-being of individuals and their communities and the arts as a safe platform for personal expression, according to its website, and for “Photography 43,” Kiefer’s thinking is that anything goes.

“It could be a point of view from an insect on the sidewalk or someone’s political view …” she said. “I mean it could be a lot of very broad subject matter covered in this exhibition. Photography is a medium that can be interpreted in many ways and can be very, very creative, depending on the photographer, so sometimes a piece of photography will be submitted, and you may not even realize that it’s a piece of photography. It may look like a painting.

“Or there may be some interpretation that uses the medium in a way that has never been used before, say with color or with black and white or with the subject matter …” Kiefer added. “The sky’s the limit in terms of how creative the photographers can be.”

This year’s juror is artist Liz Wuillermin, who’s recognized for her work in editorial, public relations, portraiture and corporate photography, according to her website. An artist’s reception will be held at the gallery on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Prizes will total $650.

“It’s really interesting to actually get to speak with the artists at the reception and hear the back story about each piece, because you may take it for face value, but really, to them, it’s much more meaningful,” Kiefer observed.

“What I usually look forward to is the number of artists that are given opportunities to enter through the open-call aspect of the show and how many actually do enter,” she added. “And the beautiful work that the juror gets to curate the exhibition from.”

For more information on “Photography 43,” visit Perkins’ website or its social media pages.

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