Tamron isn't just an outstanding manufacturer of quality glass, they're a leader in education and helping artists share their images. Share your Tamron images in social media for an opportunity to have them featured in Tamron's User Gallery.

Tamron's tech team is on the road all summer long and headed to the following cities over the next few weeks: Topeka, KS, Colchester, CT, Berkeley, CA, Sioux Falls, SD, Lakewood, WA, Idaho Falls, ID, Allentown, PA, Davenport, IA, Boise, ID and Riverside, CA. That's just between now and July 15! Check out the complete schedule with a click on the banner to the right!

The tech team is one of the most diverse groups of artists and educators in photography. They're on the road to help you raise the bar on your images; help with technique challenges and give you a chance to test drive all of Tamron's outstanding lenses!

By Skip Cohen

Tim Grey is one of the industry's finest educators and our friendship goes back to "previous lives" for both of us. We first met back in the days when Microsoft was doing their Pro Photo Summits each year- Tim was with Microsoft and I was at Hasselblad. Over the years, there have been some big changes for both of us, but nothing slowed down the friendship or the respect I have for Tim as an artist, author or educator.

He has an X-Rite webinar coming up on June 28 and as I was looking through his Instagram pages the first several stunning images all were tagged #withmyTamron.  The two landscapes were captured with Tamron's new wide angle 10-24mm VC lens for APS-C cameras.

The image below was captured with Tamron's NEW award-winning SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens, and as with the previous images tagged #withmyTamron. 

Interested in finding out how you can be featured in Tamron's user galleries? Just click on the banner below.

And, if you're interested in seeing more of Tim's images, just click on any of the three here to visit his Instagram page. You'll never be disappointed!

Every now and then there's a tech video that just draws me into the story of the product. While I know this might seem like an infomercial, take three minutes and watch the way Tamron tells the story of this remarkable piece of glass. Then click on any image to connect to the product page for the SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens and enjoy images from four different artists, Ian Plant, Noboru Sonehara, Phillip Ruopp and Thomas Kettner

If Tamron just gave you the product spec sheet to review you'd be bored and never pay attention to the key features of this lens. Instead they've combined great images, a hands-on experience with a great artist and technology to help you understand this is no ordinary zoom.

Now, think about how you'd tell the story about your business. I know, this is a product and your business is a service - but there's so much we can learn from some of the great content producers out there, like the team at Tamron who produced this video. As you shared images demonstrating your passion for the craft what would be the key bullet points making your business different from your competitors?

Tamron is making some of the finest optics in the world and they're dedicated to helping you build a stronger business and skill set. Check out the schedule for the "Keep on Clicking Tour" - the tech team is on the road all summer long!

I've written a lot about Tamron products over the years and also introduced you to the members of their tech team. This group of diverse and talented artists represent some of the finest photographers and educators in the industry. They're on the road throughout the year helping photographers raise the bar on the quality of their images.

Tamron maintains a strong belief in education and here's one more example, their e-book series.

It's time to share Armando Flores' images in Tamron's free e-book download called, "In and Around Your Neighborhood."  So often I hear photographers talk about nothing to photograph where they live, when so often, switching to macro opens a whole new world right on your doorstep!

I had fun playing with one of Tamron's lenses just recently in a post - shooting closeup of the flowers around our home. There's always something to photograph when you're looking at the world with terrific glass and exploring in a macro/closeup mode.

Armando's complete book is just a click away and is loaded with great images and ideas to help you expand your portfolio and online galleries. It's not just an e-book of great photographs, but a collection of terrific tips to help you capture even better images!

And, if you haven't checked out Tamron's complete lens lineup, just click on the dealer finder below. Tamron is making some of the finest optics in the world, but don't take my word for it - check them out for yourself.

Just for the fun of it I typed in my zip code in the dealer directory and was pleasantly surprised to find four Tamron dealers within 30-60 minutes away.

Tamron is manufacturing some incredible glass and is consistently winning awards year after year. And, their tech team is on the road all year long. Here's an opportunity for you to not only see the products but pick up great advice and support on virtually any imaging challenge.

In June they'll be in Golden Valley, MN, Melrose, MA, Omaha, NE, Kenmore, WA, Topeka, KS and Colchester, CT. Click here for more information and the complete schedule.

One of the things I love about working with the team at Tamron USA is the way they make it a point to get to know ALL the members of the Tamron family. There are lots of companies in our industry who give you great support on the front end, but after buying their products you never hear from them again...until you need service!

Well, Tamron doesn't just build some of the finest optics in photography today, they're also out in the community supporting us all year long. Here are two great examples:

#WithMyTamron is all about the pure fun of exposure, no pun intended. It's an opportunity for you to share images with other Tamron users and it couldn't be easier to do - all it takes is a post and a hashtag! Click on the banner above for more information.

Keep on Clicking is this year's Tamron road show and their tech team is all over the U.S. In fact, between now and June 10 they're in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, MI followed by Golden Valley, MN and Melrose, MA. Just click on the thumbnail to the right to stay on top of the schedule. These are live programs giving you a chance to get some terrific help on raising the bar on your images and at the same time taking Tamron glass out for a test drive.

It's Spring and everything is coming into bloom!

The best way to keep track of all things Tamron only takes a minute - subscribe to their newsletter. You'll be able to stay on top of key events, and with each issue there are always great content profiles about other artists, along with updates on special programs and events. Click on the link below to subscribe.

Intro by Skip Cohen

We all know the song by Bette Midler and the lyrics,

                                Did I ever tell you you're my hero, you're everything, everything I wish I could be...

Well, the song might be about love and support, but photographically speaking and with birds of prey especially, it's the perfect definition of how I felt looking at Kristofer Rowe's work. Most of us have seen hundreds of images of birds, but Kristofer's approach is unique. In fact, in an article on the Tamron website by Jenn Gidman he commented,

"I don't want my photos to lack emotion," he says. "Sometimes people will say, 'Look how sharp the image is and the beautiful background I got, which is nice, but many times they forget to look for the bird or animal's expression."

Jenn went on to share:

He stays away from traditional crops, preferring instead to fill the frame when he can. "You get more of the personality that way," he says. "For example, many people think you always have to show the bird's whole body. They'll say, 'Oh, the tip of the wing is cut off in one of your images,' but I did that purposely—I want the viewer to focus on the eyes and the expression, and if a part of the bird's body has to fall out of the picture for me to achieve that, that's OK."

Check out the sharpness of the image above, keeping in mind that it's a screen shot from Tamron's website. It's what I refer to as a "Wow print."  A "Wow print" is any image so good, it's the only one you'd have to show a client to get hired. It's also the standard I suggest for every image in your galleries, no matter what your specialty might be.

Whether you're into bird photography or not, take the time to read Jenn Gidman's interview with Kristofer and pay attention to his images. His work isn't about capturing pictures of birds, but about their personalities and sharing photographs that are different from everything we typically see. Every step in his technique is about giving the viewer a different perspective, and his philosophy would make him award-winning, no matter what the subject, including brides, babies, and pets!

Although the video below is about Kristofer shooting with Tamron's new 150-600 mm G2 lens, you've got just a few days left to check out four other incredible zooms on their Spring Rebate Program.

There's a reason Kristofer chose Tamron glass to capture some of the most spectacular bird images I've ever seen! Visit a Tamron dealer and check out their full family of lenses for yourself - you won't be disappointed.

by Skip Cohen

There's a long list of things I love about Tamron, starting with the passion and dedication of the the tech reps and senior staff.  They're always focused on education and helping you build a stronger skill set. They're also focused on great savings and right now you've got an opportunity to pick up some great savings on four different outstanding zoom lenses.

Just click on any of the four lenses below to get more details and see images captured with each one!

And, if you're looking for some additional help - Tamron's Keep on Clicking Tour is on the road this month is Wisconsin, South Carolina, Connecticut and Michigan. Just click on the thumbnail to the right for the cities and schedule. Tamron's tech team represents some of the most diverse educators in professional photography and at each program they'll be available to help answer your questions and help you raise the bar on your skill set.

Willie Nelson first sang the words, but the Tamron Tech Team is walking the talk. They're back this year with a full tour of terrific seminars all dedicated to helping you raise the bar on your images, no matter what your specialty might be.

I've written a lot about this team because they're one of the most diverse groups of artists in the industry. They're also one of the most fun to work with!

The May schedule for the FREE seminars is below, but the excitement of each program starts much earlier in the day. At each location a Tamron Tech Team member will be in the store to answer all of your photographic questions. Here's your chance to bring in your camera and test some of the very finest optics in photography today.

Click on the individual program below to register for the FREE seminar. And if a city nearest you isn't listed for May, check out the entire schedule for each date along with future locations, with a click on the Tamron "Keep on Clicking" banner above.

Last week I shared a post featuring Tamron's SP 150-600mm lens. I love the quality of Tamron's glass, but I picked this lens because of the way Tamron showed it on their website, sharing images from different artists, the specifications and even a terrific video featuring a few minutes with Kristofer Rowe. They couldn't have done a better, more detailed job of giving photographers everything they needed to know about this lens. It was technical "storytelling" at its very best.

Well, yesterday it was announced Tamron received a TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) Award for the fourth year in a row.

In the same way we appreciate each other's work from various print competitions like WPPI, PPA and ShutterFest, in the hardware world, Tamron, as a manufacturer, competes on the world stage of technology and quality. While a TIPA Award is obviously global and recognition against competing products, the personal pride shared between all the members of the Tamron team is no different than when your work as an artist is recognized with top honors. It's clearly a team effort. Having worked with so many different members of the Tamron team over the years, I know everyone shares a wonderful level of accomplishment no matter what their role in the company might be.

A BIG congratulations to the Tamron team and a "thank you" for staying true to your goal of making some of the very best optics in imaging, your never-ending focus on education and helping us all raise the bar on the quality of our images!

Note: To read more about the TIPA Awards, just click on the banner above.

by Skip Cohen
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With so many years in the photographic industry, you can imagine how many images I've seen. Now and then there's one that grabs me and makes me want to see more. It's that special habit-forming ingredient of an artist's work that draws me in to look at more photographs.

I was wandering through Tamron USA's website this morning, and the dynamics of the image above grabbed me. It was all in the detail. Well, that image pulled me into seeing more. Then I took a step back to look at the way Tamron has featured four of its lenses as a lead-in to their website.

With the SP 150-600mm lens, they start the series with a lion shot. It's a great image, but even more impressive to me was the way they shared pictures of people under the sports category.  They took it one step further and gave me four artists to choose from. A click on the drop-down box and I was introduced to three more photographers.

Scrolling down the page, I was able to review every aspect of this remarkable lens! All the specs are easily viewed along with opportunities to "meet" other photographers, including an outstanding profile video featuring Kristofer Rowe.

Do yourself a favor - whether you're in the market for a new lens or not, just click on the banner below and take a scroll through Tamron's website. They're sharing one of the most detailed online experiences I've seen, as they take us through what's become some of the finest imaging optics in the world. And, at the same time, you're going to meet some remarkable artists whose work needs to be on your radar!

At a time where so many companies tease us with the "short story" - Tamron is going the other direction and giving us ALL the information.  They've made the experience educational, convenient and fun! Remember "fun?" These days it's one of those words too often lost in tedious detail when you're wandering through a manufacturer's website, but NOT Tamron! They're manufacturing some amazing optics, but also focused on education and sharing the story of each "member" of their optical family. 

​What a kick! This is great stuff!