I have been a Canon shooter, using the best Canon cameras available from the day I picked up a camera. First, as a commercial photographer, and in the last few years as a prolific wedding photographer. I think it’s safe to say that I accumulated a few thousand jobs using Canon cameras. I prefer Canon to any other brand for any given task. I feel very comfortable saying that the Canon R5 is the best Canon camera in the market today. But different photographers have different needs. Maybe you don’t need the best Canon camera, but the Canon camera that is best for you.
Tom Saimon is a boutique wedding and fashion photographer based in Haifa, Israel. Tom founded one of most sought-after wedding photography boutiques in Israel and shoots over 100 weddings a year, making him not only an established photogrpher, but also an authority in the industry. Tom is regularly featured in fashion and wedding magazines as a style benchmark
Articles by Tom Saimon
Using LED lights for wedding photography
Today, we are moving things up a notch by using LED lights for wedding photography. If you’ve ever photographed a wedding, there is a good chance you used a strobe to capture the event. Maybe it was a hot shoe strobe, or maybe you set up strobes on light stands in strategic places on the floor. But you can do better with LED video lights.
I started experimenting with LED lights for weddings a while back, but I was always missing on some power. Now, I am using a couple of Zhiyun x100 LEDs (those), and let me tell you, 100 Watts makes a big difference.
Using the Godox MF12 for wedding photography
As a high-capacity wedding photographer who shoots over 100 weddings a year, I am always looking to innovate. For a long time, I have been looking for the perfect wedding photography ring flash, and I think the Godox MF12 (buy here) is my new favorite solution. (Well, actually, three of them)
Why wedding photographers must have a 35mm lens in their kit
There are a lot of discussions about which medium, tele, and zoom lens teles are great for wedding photography. But it’s also important to remember that those are not the only options. This post is an unsung ode to a lens that is ignored many times by wedding photographers, yet it provides astonishing photos and, once used right, can produce some unique imagery.
So consider this post half praise, half inspiration to what you – a wedding photographer – can accomplish with a 35mm lens f1./4 lens if you put it through its paces. And while this specific post deals with the Canon 35 F/1.4 ($1,999), the same applies to Canon, Sony, and Fuji
DIYP Reviews the Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 lens for still photographers
Not every day, I get to put my hands on an f/1.2 lens. And a 28mm at that. So obviously, I was curious to test the new Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 lens. While my guess is that Laowa is targeting video photographers with this lens, I think it could be a wonderful asset for still shooters.
Before diving in, let me make sure that we are clear on the two most important spec points of this lens: It is an f/1.2 lens, and it’s manual. I guess you can see where I am going with this.
I am shooting over 100 weddings in 2022, and I just moved from Strobes to LEDs
It may sound crazy, but by the end of 2022, I will have shot over 100 weddings. It was quite a tolling year, but I did not want to leave anyone who got their wedding delayed due to COVID without a photographer and… The floodgates opened.
As a photographer who shoots so many weddings, I am very picky about my gear. I care about a lot, but pushed to the wall, I would say that durability and size/weight are the two most important factors when it comes to choosing gear. There is more to come, but the TL;DR is I’m in love with the Godox ML60Bi LED light.
The Godox Lux Senior is one of the weirdest flashes I’ve seen
When I first saw the Godox Lux Senior flash, I knew I had to have one. Even before checking the specs. Even before reading the reviews. It was just such s cool looking piece of gear that I could not resist.
Now, I have had it for about a month. Was it worth the hype? Read on to learn more.
DIYP reviews the IWATA master tube lights series
Tubelights are becoming ever more popular. The last player to join the game is IWATA (whom we remember for their excellent mini panel). Actually, the mini panel was so good and ubiquitous that “IWATA panel” became a generic name for those mini bi-color lights. It seems that that panel was retired, but we were thrilled to learn that IWATA is now making tube-style lights. They sent us two of their new light panels, the 32 cm Master-R light and the 23 cm Master-S light. TL;DR – we were impressed.
First review of Laowa’s 15mm F/4.5 shift lens – It’s a marvel for $1,200
When Laowa announced their upcoming 15mm F/4.5 shift lens, I was intrigued. I mean, there is no tilt in this lens, but for most of my architecture work, shift is enough. Especially for a 15mm lens that is marked with zero distortion. For $1,200 this lens coupled with the Canon R5 is a beast combo. Let’s have a look at this unique lens.
How to create a stylized art shoot on a shoestring budget
What do you do when you have to produce a stylized shoot on a shoestring budget? Use colors and paper, of course. I was hired by designer Ofek Bergman to shoot her new clothing collection. Well, hired is not really the term here, as it was more of a pro bono for a starving art student. As usual with this kind of production, almost everyone chipped in and donated their time in exchange for portfolio images, a learning experience, and a great day with great creatives.
With a very limited budget for art, we decided on a pop theme with strong colors and shapes. This would bring the costs down while creating coherency that ties Ofek’s collection together.
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