The SP90mm Macro Lens is in the spotlight today. It's loaded with Tamron's legendary technology. Click on the image to the left to link to the product page and review all the specifications on this remarkable piece of glass.

I love these short videos from Tamron, because they tell you just about everything you need to know. But, it's not just about the SP90mm. It's about one of the finest manufacturers in the industry.

They're making some great lenses and the new design/features of their SP series is all about meeting the needs of the photographer.
 

Tamron isn't just building great lenses, but helping to create better photographers. Their tech team is on the road all year long with workshops to help you raise the bar on your skill set. Check their schedule - it's just a click away!  Attending one of these programs will give you a chance to "test drive" some incredible lenses and add some terrific artists/educators to your network.

As an example of one of my favorite features following the quality of the optics, I wanted to share the copy from Tamron on their moisture-proof and dust-resistant construction. Gone are most of the days when you need to hold back from shooting because of the weather.

And for all you Tamron shooters out there already - don't forget #WithMyTamron. Here's your chance to be featured in the Tamron gallery and have your images shared all over the world! Just click on the banner below.

It was just about two years ago that Tamron totally raised the bar and introduced their first two redefined SP lenses, the SP35mm and SP45mm. And, while for most of you this might be old news, there's an opportunity coming later this month for you to win an SP45mm lens!

Later this month Photodex and SCU will be announcing a new contest and our search for the best self-promotional video.

Technology keeps changing and today artists have the greatest number of creative tools in the 190+ year history of photography, but not just for capture! Your ability to promote your skill set and passion in your marketing materials is at an all time high. The combination of still images, short video clips and great music combined in a profile piece about your love for photography and your business, sets a new standard for self-promotion.

Supporting the quality of beautiful images in your video is Tamron and some of the finest optics in photography today. I love this description of the SP45mm from the Tamron site:

Compose an image at will, without regard to shooting distance or ambient lighting constraints - to produce crisp, tack sharp images from F1.8 full open aperture. The unique synthesis of a VC system in a 45mm lens with a best-in-class MOD of ).29m* redefines standar distance shooting - freeing the photographer to discover another dimension of personal style.

*Rated top among current 45mm and 50mm fixed focal length interchangeable AF lenses for full-frame DSLR cameras excluding macro lenses (As of July 2015. Source: Tamron).

Tamron isn't just a manufacturer of some of the finest glass in imaging, but a never-ending supporter of education and helping photographers raise the bar on the quality of their images. The Tamron Tech team is on the road around the country with their workshop series. Here's your chance to check out the SP45mm lens along with the rest of the Tamron family of outstanding lenses. In August alone they'll be in Nevada, Colorado, California, Alabama, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Texas and Utah. Check out their schedule for August - it's just a click away.

Click on any image below to connect to the SP 45mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (model F013) in Canon, Nikon or Sony-A mounts. Then, stay tuned to SCU and Photodex for the contest announcement and your chance to win the grand prize package with gear from Tamron, Lumix, Marathon Press, Illuminati and Photodex!

One of the most fun aspects of social media is meeting other artists and making new friends. Meet Chris Franklin, a photographer from Houston. A couple of weeks ago, here in the Tamron Theater I shared a post about action photography with tips from Grady James.

I posted the link in a tweet and Chris responded, "Great tips and advice. I will use them this weekend for a Roller Derby shoot...." Well, that's all it took for a quick phone call to track Chris down and ask him to share some images after the event. A few days later he sent a few of his favorites.

If you've ever photographed anything in an arena and especially a sport with a lot of action, you know there's absolutely no control over much of anything, especially the lighting. When Chris sent me these images he wrote:

"I have been using the Back-Focus button for a while now. Each time I read or hear of a professional photographer using it, it gives me confidence I made the correct choice. Pre-composing and pre-focusing are great tools to use when your subject is known to be in a certain place and time on a regular basis, (i.e. on roller derby track). Base line shutter speeds are essential to photographing high speed sports action. On my last shoot, I had to maintain a shutter speed of 500th/sec or higher. Unfortunately, I had to use a very high ISO to accomplish this. (high ISO images are not my favorite). Capturing expression and emotion are key to telling your story through your photographs. The photographs I took shows the grit, drive and determination the skaters were experiencing."

These image were captured with Tamron's SP 70-200mm F2.8 G2 lens. Chris had two Nikon bodies, a D500 and D800 and did most of his shooting at 6400 ISO.

Remember, I'm sharing low res screen shots here, so the originals obviously show more detail. I also didn't ask Chris to do any clean up of the images for better flesh tone, etc. These are right out of the can, although I took the liberty of a little fun cropping.

Check out Tamron's complete product line with a visit to one of their authorized dealers. They're manufacturing some outstanding glass, but don't take my word for it - have some fun with your own "test drive!"

A big thanks to Chris for sharing his images and to Tamron for making a great lens which gave him images to share! Click on any of the images to visit Chris Franklin's website and see more of his work.

For ten years, going back to the 90's we had a group of photographers who went into Yellowstone every winter. We spent three days on snowmobiles touring the park with enough camera gear to open our own retail store! It was one of those experiences that only a handful of people in the world get to see. I feel so fortunate to have been there for nine of the ten trips.

This week Tamron USA posted the video below featuring the NEW 18-400mm lens with Ken Hubbard traveling through Yellowstone. I know it's an infomercial, but it's really a travel log with Ken as our guide. I love the way he ties in some of the features of the lens together with the actual images he's capturing.

If you've never been to Yellowstone it needs to be on your bucket list. And, like we did each the winter, or Ken talks about each morning being up ahead of the tourists, the serenity of the park gives you a true appreciation of its beauty.

Ken does a terrific job of taking you through Yellowstone while at the same time sharing his passion for landscape photography and the features/benefits of this new lens, right down to its moisture-resistant construction.

You can't help but be impressed with the technology behind this new lens. It's the world's first ultra telephoto all-in-one zoom lens. I loved the approach Ken took in this video and the amount of great content he packed into just five minutes. 

For more information on the 18-400 mm lens, just click on the image to the left and you'll link to the full product page on the Tamron USA site. As you review the product, click on the links in the description which will take you on a journey into the technology behind Tamron's features.

After watching the video and thinking about Ken's ability to demonstrate the product while traveling through the park all I can say is, "When I grow up I want to be Ken Hubbard!"

I was out for a scroll this morning on the Tamron USA site and stumbled upon their help section. I've been on the site hundreds of times and just missed "Photo Tips and More." What I found was a wealth of great information featuring some of the most talented artists in photography.  Just click on the banner above to visit the entire section.

In the mean time, I loved this piece by Jenn Gidman with images and tips by Grady James. It's summer time and whether you're a pro needing a quick review or a serious hobbyist building your skill set, the article is loaded with great tips for action sports photography.

Grady shares fifteen solid tips to help you raise the bar on the quality of your action sports images. Here's a great example describing the image above:

I captured Sara one more time zipping across one of the trails, and this one was a panning image. My go-to shutter speed for this kind of photo is 1/30th of a second; I'll adjust it from there, depending on what I see after a trial run. With pan shots, I simply try to prefocus on the trail, then follow my subject as smoothly as I can as he or she travels up and down the path. The 70-200 is the ideal lens to use for this kind of photo. I actually had a couple of those images in the same spot featuring a biker with a yellow jersey, but Sara's photo came out best because she had a better shirt to contrast with the background here.

Click on Grady's image to read the entire article, and if you'd like to see more of his work, his website is just a click away.

Tamron isn't just a manufacturer of some of the best optics in imaging, but they're helping artists capture better photographs and video. They never slow down on their focus on education. Great support and help with so many of your questions are always available in "Photo Tips and More."

Don't forget - The Tamron Tech Team is on the road all year long. Here's your chance to bring some terrific support into your network and also test drive Tamron's product line. Bookmark their schedule and then don't miss the opportunity when they come to a city nearest you.

One of the things I love about Tamron is their never-ending goal to help photographers raise the bar on their skill set, regardless of their level of expertise. And, one of my most favorite methods is through hands-on workshops.

I'm not a tennis player, but I've often heard the comment made that if you're playing tennis with somebody better than you, you'll find your game improves. Photography is no different, and the amount you can learn shooting side by side with any of Tamron's tech reps is going to help you raise the bar on your own images.

Coming up between now and September 12 there are four outstanding hands-on workshops all taking place in wildlife parks in Ohio, Virginia, Texas and California. Regardless of your photographic specialty, don't miss the opportunity to work side by side with some of the finest artists and educators in photography.

The Ohio workshop is full, although Tamron is taking names for the wait list just in case there's a cancellation. Click on any of the programs below for more information and registration.

Since I'm sharing information about Tamron USA's Wildlife Safari Workshops, I can't think of a better video to also share, featuring the SP150-600mm G2 Lens. Tamron is one of the finest optics manufacturers in the world and with each workshop you'll have a chance to "test drive" their products.

Click on either of the two images below by Thomas Kettner for more information about this remarkable lens!

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.