Gannon Burgett

Articles by Gannon Burgett

First Sigma 50mm Art Lens Review Claims Nikon and Canon Aren’t On the Same Level

When Sigma announced their 50m f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, they included some extremely dramatic statements. Not only did they say that they wanted to beat out Canon and Nikon, they intended to blow them out of the water, stating that they were aiming to make the lens as good, if not better, than the $4,000 Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T*.

Last month we shared a somewhat shady review of the lens, which came with plenty of skepticism, so today we're sharing with you a review from a much more reputable source, SLR Gear.

Wedding Photography Tips: Ryan Brenizer on How to Shoot Engagement Sessions

Leave it to none other than award-winning wedding photographer Ryan Brenizer to create a wonderful breakdown on how best to approach engagement photography. In this eight and a half minute video created by B&H Photo, Brenizer does an incredible job of running through all of the critical aspects of planning for and going through with an engagement shoot.

Sony Unveils Curved Sensor Technology

What happens when someone creates a camera sensor that better replicates how our eyes are shaped? Well, according to Sony and a recent presentation they published, this curved sensor and accompanying glass will allow for faster apertures without taking a hit on image quality.

Tutorial: How to Create the Perfect Gradient Reflection for Product Photography

When it comes to taking product shots of glossy items, one of the most difficult aspects is getting the correct amount of diffusion when using softboxes. When the incorrect amount of diffusion is applied (or the right amount is applied incorrectly) this can lead to harsh reflections and minimal gradients, which isn't usually the look you're trying to achieve.

Infographic: Tips and Ideas for Shooting the Perfect Family Portrait

Taking a family portrait is never an easy task. There's often a small child involved, and parents who are trying to make sure said child is on their best behavior. Beyond that, as the group grows in size, the difficulty of organizing everybody and capturing a quality photo increases dramatically.

No worries though, help is on the way.

The Image, Deconstructed: Offering Insight Into Quality Photojournalism

We love seeing and hearing about the process of creating an image. The motivation behind a photo combined with a glimpse at how it was shot can be both inspirational and educational, which is a powerful combo.

But while there are plenty of behind the scenes videos and articles dedicated to studio photography, one of the genres you don't get to hear as much about is photojournalism. That's where The Image, Deconstructed website comes in.

A Concise Video Refresher of the Basic Rules of Composition

Composition and the rules that accompany it are some of the most basic aspects you learn when first picking up a camera. If you've been a photographer long, it's probably safe to say that the "rule of thirds" and "golden mean" are ingrained into your brain so well that it's second-nature now.

That being said, every once in a while it's nice to take a fresh look at the rules and the underlying concepts behind them -- if for no other reason than because you have to know the rules in order to break them properly.

Tutorial Shows How to Correct Skin Tones, Colorize Shadows and Add Light Effects

When it comes to nailing the white-balance in a photo, it's rarely an easy task, especially with portraits. It becomes even more arduous when you're trying to stylize the image a certain way, since you might not want the same tones and color balance in your skin tones as you do in the rest of your image.

This tutorial by the folks at Phlearn shows you how to get past those challenges and achieve the results you want in every part of your photo without having to sacrifice elsewhere.

Beautiful Portraits of Black Dogs Help these Oft-Overlooked Pets Find a Home

As the owner of an extremely cute rescue puppy from my local humane society, I can attest to how wonderful it is to be able to rescue a pet whose life was previously in danger for some reason or another.

However, it's not a happy ending for many of the dogs in shelters. To help with that, Massachusetts-based photographer Fred Levy has started the "Black Dogs Project," a series that focuses on capturing portraits of black dogs against a black background.

Tutorial: A Quick and Simple Technique for Adding Textures to Images

When Nick Fancher created his series of 80's Cyber images, he made use of some textures to add that extra bit of character to the photos. The textures turned out so well that, upon publishing the series, he received multiple inquiries about where he got those textures.

Well, it turns out he created them himself, and he's decided to share the step-by-step how-to in case you want to duplicate his results.

Samsung’s Latest Display Options Include a 4K, Billion-Color Model for $700

In the world of photography, one of the most vital components is the display on which you view and post-process your images. And while many of us are holding out for the day 'retina' displays become the norm on a larger scale, it's not quite the reality, yet.

However, Samsung is giving us a bit of an introduction to it, if you will, with three new display models the company is releasing in the coming weeks.

A Beautiful Two-Wheeled, 49CC… Security Camera?

Japanese security firm Security System Co. (gotta give them credit for originality) recently got in touch with the incredibly talented designer Chicara Nagata -- who creates high-end custom-made motorcycles -- to see if he would build them a security camera... they left the details up to him.

So, naturally, he chose to do what he does best and built a motorcycle ... or a security camera ... or whatever you want to call this strange and strangely awesome hybrid.

David Goldblatt Shares Six Decades Worth of Experience In This Brilliant Video

What does six decades worth of photography experience look and sound like? David Goldblatt. Speaking both to an interviewer and an audience at the 2014 Design Indaba Conference throughout the six-minute video above, Goldblatt takes a look back at the career and some of the resulting images that have brought him so far, giving powerful insights that only time and experience can bestow upon a person.

Incredible Focus Stacked Time-Lapse Video of Coral Made Up of 150K RAW Frames

If you're ready to have your mind blown for the next three and a half minutes, go ahead and press play. And keep in mind that the masterpiece your eyes are about to take in was anything but an easy task.

Created by videographer Daniel Stoupin from 150,000 22-megapixel RAW exposures, he put together a 4K masterpiece (despite Vimeo only showing it as 1080p).

Tiny, Lensless Sensor May Someday Turn Any Device Into a Rudimentary Camera

This latest device from technology licensing company Rambus goes to show: when you combine information-gathering sensors with powerful algorithms, you can yield some incredible results.

Developed by research scientist Patrick Gill, this 200 micron diameter glass sensor is capable of capturing an image of remarkable quality for its size. Etched with a spiral pattern, the light reflecting off of whatever object is being "photographed" is transferred as a pattern, in the form of spherical light, to the CMOS sensor.

BTS: Photographer Goes on an Adventure to Shoot an Abandoned Prison

Do you enjoy adventure? I mean, REALLY enjoy adventure, not just taking a walk through your local woods. Well, if you do, you'll enjoy this. Put together by photographer Mike Palmer and cinematographer Jon Simonassi, this video shows their journey to photograph an abandoned prison in Ontario, Canada.

New Orleans Nightscapes: Beautiful Long Exposure Photos of NOLA Houses

Heartbreak and tribulation are never something we strive for. Yet, they're unavoidable byproducts of a life well-lived, that teach us lessons along the way.

In addition to those lessons, these struggles often produce inspiration out of a need for escape or expression. And it was such a need that drove New Orleans native Frank Relle into the welcome embraces of long exposure photography and the city he calls home.

Tutorial Explains How to Sharpen Images Contextually

When it comes to sharpening an image, more than likely, your technique involves using a certain method over the entire image all at once. However, that's rarely the best way to do it, because how much and where to sharpen varies quite a bit depending on what you're shooting.

Flickr’s New Photo Experience Out of Beta, No More Opting Out

Flickr's new "photo experience," which has been in beta for the past few months, is finally live for everyone to see. While this isn't the full-on redesign that we mentioned might be on the way, this update completely overhauls the photo pages in particular -- bringing speed, functionality and aesthetic improvements.

Cardboard Cities: Incredibly Detailed City Scenes Made of Cardboard

Just look at the above photo. It looks like an extremely well-lit photo of an abandoned wasteland in the middle of some old town, doesn't it? Well, while that might be what it's depicting, that isn't what it is. It's cardboard. All of it.

Titled Cardboard Cities, this collaboration between set-designer Luke Aan de Wiel and photographer Andy Rudak is sure to make some jaws hit the floor.