Profile of a student: Lucia Mota

Lucia started taking photography classes at our school in the beginning of 2010.
If I remeber well, her first outing with us was at Flamingo Nursery, at that time she was using an old nikon D40 with a foggy lens.

Lucia gradually evolved, took more classes, including Photoshop and Lightroom and today she is more than ready to submitt her pictures to any contest and compete with ther talented people.

Having joined us last Saturday, she was kind enough to send me two collages with her pictures which I am very proud to present here.

Congratulations Lucia!!!

 

http://www.luciamota.com/p615823797 

http://www.luciamota.com

fb:Lucia Mota Photography

Basic Photo Tips:

	Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

by Bryan F Peterson

Just as it was 100 years ago and just as it is today, every camera—be it film or digital—is nothing more than a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light sensitive film or a digital sensor at the other end. It is of course light that enters through a ‘hole’ in the lens (the aperture), and after a certain amount of time (determined by shutter speed) an image will be recorded (on film or digital media). This recorded image has been called—since day one—an exposure, and it still is.
Sometimes, the word exposure refers to a finished slide or print: “Wow, that’s a nice exposure!” At other times, it refers to the film or digital card: “I’ve only got a few exposures left.” But more often than not, the word exposure refers to the amount, and act, of light falling on photosensitive material (either the film or digital sensor). And in this context, it comes up most often as part of a question—a question I’ve heard more often than any other: “Hey Bryan, what should my exposure be?” And my answer is always the same: “Your exposure should be correct!”

Bryan F Peterson

Although my answer appears to be flippant, it really is the answer. A correct exposure really is what every amateur and professional alike hopes to accomplish with either his or her camera. Up until about 1975, before many auto exposure cameras arrived on the scene, every photographer had to choose both an aperture and shutter speed that, when correct, would record a correct exposure. The choices in aperture and shutter speed were directly influenced by the film’s ISO (speed or sensitivity to light). Most photographers’ exposures would be based on the available natural light. And when the available light wasn’t enough, they’d resort to using flash or a tripod.

The Do-it-all Setting

Today, most cameras, either film or digital, are equipped with so much automation they promise to do it all for you, allowing photographers to concentrate solely on what they wish to capture. “Just keep this dial here set to P and fire away! The camera will do everything else,” says the enthusiastic salesman at the camera shop. Oh, if that were only true! Chances are that most—if not all—of you who are reading this article have a do-it-all-for-you camera, yet you still find yourself befuddled, confused, and frustrated by exposure. Why is that? It’s because your do-it-all-for-you camera is not living up to that promise, and/or you have finally reached the point at which you want to consistently record creatively correct exposures.
The do-it-all camera often falls short of its promise, yielding disappointing results. Use your camera’s manual settings, or at the very least, know how light and shadow interact on film or digital media so that you can be assured of getting it right even when you are in auto exposure mode

Setting and Using Your Camera on Manual Exposure

Bryan F Peterson

I know of no other way to consistently make correct exposures than to learn how to shoot a fully manual exposure. Once you’ve learned how to shoot in manual exposure mode (it’s really terribly easy), you’ll better understand the outcome of your exposures when you choose to shoot in semi- or full auto exposure mode.
With your camera and lens in front of you, set your camera dial to M for manual. (If you’re unsure on how to set your camera to manual exposure mode, read the camera manual!) Grab your kid or a friend to use as your subject and go to a shady part of your yard or a neighborhood park, or if it’s an overcast day, anywhere in the yard or park will do. Regardless of your camera, and regardless of what lens you’re using, set your camera dial to M Mode and the lens opening to the number 5.6 (f/5.6). Place your subject up against the house or some six- to eight-foot shrubbery. Now, look through the viewfinder and focus on your subject. Adjust your shutter speed until the camera’s light meter indicates a “correct” exposure in your viewfinder and take the photograph. You’ve just made a manual correct exposure!
Operating in manual exposure mode is empowering, so make a note of this memorable day.

The Photographic Triangle

This does not mean that I want you to forever leave your camera’s aperture at f/5.6 and simply adjust your shutter speed for the light falling on your subject until the viewfinder indicates a correct exposure. Before you forge ahead with your newfound ease in setting a manual exposure, you need to learn some basic concepts about exposure.
A correct exposure is a simple combination of three important factors: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Since the beginning of photography, these same three factors have always been at the heart of every exposure, whether that exposure was correct or not, and they still are today—even if you’re using a digital camera. I refer to them as the photographic triangle.

Bryan F Peterson

Locate the button, wheel, or dial on your camera or lens that controls the aperture. If you’re using an older camera and lens, the aperture control is a ring that you turn on the lens itself. Whether you push buttons, turn a wheel, or rotate a ring on the lens, you’ll see a series of numbers coming up in the viewfinder or on the lens itself. Of all of the numbers you’ll see, take note of 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, and maybe even a 22. (If you’re shooting with a fixed-zoom-lens digital camera, you may find that your apertures don’t go past 8 or maybe 11). Each one of these numbers corresponds to a specific opening in your lens and these openings are called f-stops. In photographic terms, the 4 is called f/4, the 5.6 is f/5.6, and so on. The primary function of these lens openings is to control the volume of light that reaches the film or digital media during an exposure. The smaller the f-stop number, the larger the lens opening; the larger the f-stop, the smaller the lens opening.
For the technical minded out there, an f-stop is a fraction that indicates the diameter of the aperture. The f stands for the focal length of the lens, the slash (/) means divided by, and the number represents the stop in use. For example, if you were shooting with a 50mm lens set at an aperture of f/1.4, the diameter of the actual lens opening would be 35.7mm. Here, 50 (lens focal length) divided by 1.4 (stop) equals 35.7 (diameter of lens opening). Whew! It makes my head spin just thinking about all that. Thank goodness this has very little, if anything, to do with achieving a correct exposure.

Aperture

Interestingly enough, each time you descend from one aperture opening to the next, or stop down, such as from f/4 to f/5.6, the amount of light passing through the lens is cut in half. Likewise, if you change from an aperture opening of f/11 to f/8, the volume of light entering the lens doubles. Each halving or doubling of light is referred to as a full stop. This is important to note since many cameras today offer not only full stops, but also the ability to set the aperture to one-third stops, i.e. f/4, f/4.5, f/5, f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8, f/9, f/10, f/11, and so on. (The underlined numbers represent the original, basic stops while the others are the newer one-third options sometimes available).

Shutter Speed

Now let’s turn to shutter speed. Depending on the make and model, your camera may offer shutter speeds from a blazingly fast 1/8000s all the way down to 30 seconds. The shutter speed controls the amount of time that the volume of light coming through the lens (determined by the aperture) is allowed to stay on the film or digital media in the camera. The same halving and doubling principle that applies to aperture also applies to shutter speed.

Bryan F Peterson

Let me explain. Set the shutter speed control on your camera to 500. This number denotes a fraction—500 represents 1/500 second. Now change from 500 to 250; again, this represents 1/250s. From 1/250s you go to 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, and so on. Whether you change from 1/30s to 1/60s (decreasing the time the light stays on the film/digital media) or from 1/60s to 1/30s (increasing the time the light stays on the film/digital media), you’ve shifted a full stop. Again this is important to note since many cameras today also offer the ability to set the shutter speed to one-third stops: 1/500s, 1/400s, 1/320s, 1/250s, 1/200s, 1/160s, 1/125s, 1/100s, 1/80s, 1/60s, and so on. (Again, the underlined numbers represent the original, basic stops while the others are the newer one-third options sometimes available). Cameras that offer one-third stops reflect the camera industry’s attempts to make it easier for you to achieve “perfect” exposures. But as you’ll learn later on, it’s rare that one always wants a perfect exposure.

ISO

The final leg of the triangle is ISO. Whether you shoot with film or use a digital camera, your choice of ISO has a direct impact on the combination of apertures and shutter speeds you can use.. To better understand the effect of ISO on exposure, think of the ISO as a worker bee. If my camera is set for ISO 100, I have, in effect, 100 worker bees; and if your camera is set for ISO 200, you have 200 worker bees. The job of these worker bees is to gather the light that comes through the lens and make an image. If both of us set our lenses at the same aperture of f/5.6—meaning that the same volume of light will be coming through our lenses—who will record the image the quickest, you or me? You will, since you have twice as many worker bees at ISO 200 than I do at ISO 100.

ISO and Shutter Speed

How does this relate to shutter speed? Let’s assume the photo in question is of a lone flower taken on an overcast day. Remember that your camera is set to ISO 200 and mine to ISO 100, both with an aperture of f/5.6. So, when you adjust your shutter speed for a correct exposure, 1/250s is indicated as “correct,” but when I adjust my shutter speed for a correct exposure, 1/125s—a longer exposure—is indicated. This is because your 200 worker bees need only half as much time as my 100 worker bees to make the image.

Understanding Exposure

Bryan F Peterson

Since this is such an important part of understanding exposure, I want you to pause in your reading for a moment and get out your camera, as well as a pen and paper. Set the film speed dial to ISO 200; (If you are a film shooter, do this even if you have a roll of film in your film camera that is not ISO 200, but don’t forget to set the ISO back to the correct number when we’re done here.) Now, set your aperture opening to f/8, and with the camera pointed at something that’s well illuminated, adjust your shutter speed until a correct exposure is indicated in the viewfinder. (If you want, you can leave the camera in the automatic aperture-priority mode for this exercise, too). Write down that shutter speed. Then, change your film speed again, this time to ISO 400, leaving the aperture at f/8, and once again point the camera at the same subject. Whether you’re in manual mode or auto-aperture-priority mode, you’ll see that your light meter is indicating a different shutter speed for a correct exposure. Once again, write down this shutter speed. And finally, change the ISO to 800, and repeat the steps above.
What have you noticed? When you change from ISO 100 to ISO 200 your shutter speed changed: from 1/125s to 1/250s or perhaps something like from 1/160s to 1/320s. These shutter speeds are examples, of course, and not knowing what your subject was, it’s difficult at best to determine your actual shutter speeds, but one thing is certain: each shutter speed is close to if not exactly half as much as the one before it.
When you increase the number of worker bees (the ISO) from 100 to 200, you cut the time necessary to get the job done in half. (If only the real world worked like that!) This is what your shutter speed was telling you: Going from 1/125s to 1/250s is half as long an exposure time. When you set the ISO to 400, you went from 1/125s—passing by 1/250s—and ended up at 1/500s. Just as each halving of the shutter speed is called 1 stop, each change from ISO 100 to ISO 200 to ISO 400 is considered a 1-stop increase (an increase of worker bees).
You can do this same exercise just as easily by leaving the shutter speed constant, for instance at 1/125s, and adjusting the aperture until a correct exposure is indicated in the viewfinder; or, if you choose to stay in auto exposure mode, select shutter-priority, set a shutter speed of 1/125s, and the camera will set the correct aperture for you.
Now that you are armed with this simple yet invaluable information, let’s put it towards some truly creative uses! The next article from Bryan will explain in detail how to correctly expose your photographs.

Food Photography

Food Photography: Tips and Tricks the Pros Use

by  Karen Schuld

Karen Schuld is an NYIP Instructor and began her career as a still-life and food photographer in New York City. Her approach is to rely on instinct plus the photographic skills she has developed throughout her career. Major corporations, such as Colgate-Palmolive Company, Revlon, and Procter & Gamble commissioned her to create looks unique to their products. She gives every shot a natural, not contrived, look. 

One thing I have learned over the years is that it is easy for a photographer to make food look bland and tasteless. But, of course, the goal of a food photographer is to make the viewer desire the subject of your shot. Making food look appetizing requires a knack for styling, a careful eye for detail, and an ability to use light in a way that will bring romance and drama to your subject. Here are some tips and suggestions that can enable you to achieve a photograph that will whet the imagination — and the appetite — of the viewer.
While some photographers approach food shots in a static way by carefully contriving the shot, I prefer a more free-flowing, spontaneous approach to styling. As I shoot, I rearrange the food as often as it takes to get the right look. I view the plate as my canvas, and the food as my medium. Just as with any photograph, I try to achieve a design that draws the viewer's attention to my subject — in this case, the food. But, in shooting food, my goal is also to create a whimsical, playful design that juxtaposes unexpected colors and textures. For example, I toss herbs onto an entrée to add zest or include colorful fruit to achieve a more vibrant shot. The way I position myself and my camera also enhances the flow of the shot. While I sometimes shoot food large format with a tripod, I prefer shooting with my DSLR. It leaves me freer to move around my canvas and experiment with different camera positions and angles.

Food that looks fresh is appealing to a viewer; so it is important make your food look natural and not too staged. You should constantly check that your food stays fresh. Greens tend to wilt quickly. Meat can start to look exceedingly dry if you're not careful. A little water spritz can add moisture to your food, while steam can give it a "hot out of the oven" look. If you are a beginner, it can be beneficial to work with an experienced food stylist. A stylist can prepare your food so it is photo-ready and can bring another set of eyes to the set.
A good photographer always pays attention to detail. For any photograph to be successful, the photographer must select the right props and surfaces. Food photography is no exception. Choosing a special location or creating a staged environment for your subject can greatly enhance your shot. Choosing the right plate, bowl, glass or cutlery can also significantly improve the look of your shot. When you shoot food, it is important to choose a color scheme that that will complement the color or character of the food. A black background can intensify the color of a dish, while shooting on a white background will always create a clean look. Also, be aware that cuisine and culture go hand in hand, so document food by covering a region's people, markets, restaurants, and special dishes. Consider shooting a series of both close-up, medium, and wide shots that begins with the ingredients and ends with final food presentation.

Lighting is key to setting the mood for your photograph. Whether your concept requires drama or mystery, excitement or stability, you must carefully consider the lighting that will work for the situation. Use lighting you feel comfortable with. Natural light can work well with food but artificial light gives you more control over the look of the shot. A backlight with a little fill can make your food look luscious, while a sidelight can show texture and depth. It is very helpful to use a "stand in" entrée while you set up your lights, to get just the right atmosphere.
In conclusion, it is important that you spend adequate time preparing to ensure that you have the right foods, props, surfaces, lighting setup and personnel to make the shoot successful. It is essential to focus on styling and attend to all the details involved in the shot. Although there is no one right way to plan, style, light, and shoot food, always keep in mind that the end goal is to make your food look fresh, colorful, dramatic and, hence, appealing to the appetite. Your final shot should be one that stimulates the senses.

How experimentation can pay big creative dividends

Think Differently About Your DSLR

Text & Photography By Mark Lissick

Outdoor Photographer Magazine 

Copyright ©2011 Werner Publishing Corp.

Whether you enjoy creating by pencil, brush or camera, the challenge of keeping your creative level at its peak can be daunting. Over the two decades that I’ve been behind the lens, I’ve had to face this issue daily. If we’re not careful, it’s easy to fall into a creativity rut where we tend to approach familiar subjects in the same way, use the same lenses and rarely alter our perspective. It’s not immediately apparent when this begins to happen, but a sure sign of it is when you notice that all of your images have started to take on the same look and feel. While achieving a certain creative style or look in your work is important, it’s also necessary to let it continue to evolve in order to avoid stagnation.

Buying a new lens or trying the latest image-manipulation application can certainly help change your images. I’ve found that if I make some fundamental changes in the way that I think and perceive at the beginning of the creative processes, however, the impact for change is much greater. One of the most fundamental underpinnings of the creative process has to do with how we’ve chosen to define not only ourselves and our craft, but also the tools we use. These definitions, while vital as a basis for communication, also can greatly inhibit our creative abilities. New tools are a critical part of the evolution of image-making, but they’re not the only part.

Unlike painting or sculpting, photography is a relatively modern invention originally intended to be another tool for the creative artist. Charles Baudelaire, an early critic of the medium, unfortunately forever changed our perception of photography by stating that it was merely an exact reproduction of nature and, therefore, it could never be considered on the level of art because it relied on technology rather than imagination. To be fair, in Baudelaire’s time, “realism” as an art form was in vogue, and the success of one’s creation (whether with brush or camera) was measured by how close the results matched the real world. That dogma is still with us today and is reflected in the fact that with billions of pic-tures created each year, photography has mainly been reduced to its most basic usage—either a snapshot intended as a memento or an image used for documentation purposes.

On the back end of the creative process, our understanding of our art and the work produced has grown since then. We know by the way each of us responds to images that they’re not simply a reproduction or recording of a momentary reality. Images have their start as a blending of the photographer’s understanding of his or her world, life experiences and chosen tools, which is the same creative process of expression used by a painter or sculptor.

We also know that the visual message in an image is subject to the interpretation of both the photographer and the viewer. An image is more than simply the sum of its parts. An image of a bald eagle soaring in the morning fog is an example of this. The image is more than a recording of a bald eagle, fog, sunrise and a bush. When combined with choice of exposure, the effect transcends the sum of the components, bringing with it new levels of interpretation that are different for each viewer.

At the front end of the creative process, our perception of photography hasn’t evolved to the same degree unfortunately. This can be seen in how we define the tools of our craft. In my workshops, if I ask for a definition of a camera, the answers generally will fall into one of two main categories: It’s a device that records an image, and it’s an object that captures light. The ghost of Baudelaire is still with us today. It’s important to note that the defining two words in both descriptions are “records” and “captures.” Both words, by the way we conceive their associated actions, can set limits to our creativity.

Likening a camera to a blank canvas and redefining your perception of a subject can rejuvenate your artistic approach to photography. Rather than looking at a rose simply as a rose, try redefining the flower based on its color, tone and shape to create a composition where your imagination acts as the main influence, not the subject itself. This can sometimes lead to more conceptual images like the flower abstract above or the zebra shot lower left. Changing your creative process often results in finding new ways of expressing familiar subjects.

It becomes necessary, then, to start fresh, throwing out what we’ve learned and seeking new meanings. When confronted with the responses from my workshop students about what a camera is, I asked myself if it can be perceived in a different way. Can it be more than just a camera? Ultimately, the answer, while simple in its concept, resulted in a major paradigm shift for me. Rather than a device to capture light or record a scene, I came to realize that I could consider the camera to be nothing more than a blank canvas (specifically, the sensor or film) onto which I could “paint” anything that my imagination could conjure up. This was a key perceptual shift as a different mind frame comes into play with the word “paint” than the one associated with the word “record.” I wasn’t holding a device to trap light; I was hanging on to the back end of a blank canvas!

All I needed was something to paint with. Almost immediately on the heels of the first paradigm shift, the second one came about in the form of redefining the concept of “subject.” Thanks to our desire to define things—a flower being just a flower—we tend not to look any deeper than the definition. That action in itself is a barrier to creativity. Rarely do we abstract a subject down to its essence which, when we do, can significantly influence our imagination and the type of images that we can make. Instead, we simply put the subject in our shot and let it go at that. Staying with the “paint” theme while working with a vase of flowers on my dining room table during one Minnesota winter, my subjects weren’t roses or tulips. Instead, I redefined them as sources of color, tone and shape that I could use to create compositions based on whatever my imagination could conjure. As soon as I embraced these two new paradigms, whole new pathways of creativity began to open up. Tripods? I experimented without one. As the flowers (my new paintbrushes) were already fixed in position, all I needed to do was move the canvas to paint!

The result of these two paradigm shifts was a journey into abstractionism and, lately, impressionism photography, which has blurred the boundary between photography and art. Over the last five years, I’ve put these paradigms to the test, letting my journey into abstractionism run its course while photographing in the creative environment of the estate gardens of Claude Monet, where I now teach a workshop using the creative tools that I developed. Being in such a garden, I feel a bit like Monet (well, at least like an artist), who has just opened a box of pastels or a case of paints. I’ve come to interpret it not as a garden, but as a fascinating space filled with color, luminosity and tone that ignites my imagination to create images that are based on the essence of the flowers. I aim for a result where the work transcends the natural definitions, leaving the viewer with the challenge of adopting new levels of perceptions to arrive at their own interpretations.

These paradigm shifts in both definitions and perceptions not only opened new pathways of expression, but have created ripple effects that have impacted the way that I approach my landscape and wildlife photography, as well. Familiar subjects have taken on new visual interpretations, and old perspectives fade into the distances as new possibilities beckon me to come and give them a try. All that from a simple change made in our definitions.

Beyond Your Kit Lens

Inexpensive — But Good — Lenses for your Digital SLR

The following banner will take you directly to B&H photo.

Editor's Note:
The lens that comes packed with a single lens reflex camera is known as the "kit" lens. Professionals often buy their camera bodies and lenses separately, but almost all first-time buyers get their camera in a box that also contains the kit lens. Open the box, pop the lens on the camera, and you're ready to take photographs.

Years ago, the kit lens for film SLRs was a 50mm fixed focal length lens. Then it became a zoom lens, usually 28-80mm or thereabouts. With today's entry and advanced amateur digital SLRs, the kit lens is generally an 18-55mm zoom, or thereabouts.
It may even offer some kind of image stabilization feature.
A while back we featured an article called "My Second Lens for my first SLR," and while many people think about getting a second lens for their camera, NYI Staff recently gave some thought to a question posed by an NYI student: What if I had about $1,000 to spend on lenses and wanted to round out my gear for all kinds of situations? Their thoughtful answers provided the basis for the following article.
Most people who buy a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera purchase the lens bundled with the camera — the "kit lens" — and do just fine. After a little shooting, though, they realize there's a world of possibility out there for their photography if they add a few new lenses. That's what an SLR camera allows you to do — take that kit lens off and put other lenses on. At this point, however, sticker shock can set in: the best-rated lenses often come with a very big price tag.
So, are there some great bargains out there? Can you start adding to your camera bag without breaking the bank? Could we assemble a full camera bag of high-quality, useful lenses for under $1000? It turns out that we can.

The Bargain 50mm

Let's start with the easy bargains. Most camera brands have a "plastic fantastic" 50mm available. For example, Canon sells a 50mm f/1.8 new for $120, and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 is $125. These are classic lens designs, perfected over the years, and they have excellent optical qualities despite the bargain price. (These same brands usually also sell a 50mm f/1.4, generally around the $400 range. For most people, the less expensive 50mm will be just fine.)
50mm is a great focal length for basic portraits — it's slightly telephoto on most DSLR cameras so it's flattering to the human face, and it provides a working distance that is very comfortable for half-length portraits. In other words, with a 50mm on your DSLR, you end up standing at a distance from your subject that's really comfortable for most people — not too close, not too far.
Also, because a 50mm f/1.8 provides a very wide aperture, it's excellent for low-light work. And you can experiment with shallow depth of field: it becomes very easy to shoot at f/2.8 and get a person in focus and the background out of focus. A bargain 50mm is light, cheap and optically perfect — and that's tough to beat.

The Off-Brand Macro/Portrait Lens
Judging by the emails we receive, many photographers are interested in portrait photography, and many are interested in exploring macro photography. What type of lenses are needed for portraiture or macro work? Well, we usually use focal lengths between 50mm and 135mm for portraits — it turns out that somewhat-telephoto focal lengths are usually flattering to the human face. Macro lenses tend to fall in that same range of focal lengths as well. (A macro lens is a lens designed to let us get a tiny subject at full size in our shot. In other words, even if we are photographing a tiny praying mantis or a button from a coat, we can get close enough and magnified enough that we can fill the frame with that object. This would include photography of everything from bugs to jewelry to architectural details.)
Well, all the major camera brands provide lenses just perfect for either task — for example, you can find a really classic portrait lens, like an 85mm f/1.4, designed and branded for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax or Olympus. These are great lenses, but they're expensive. And you can typically find 50mm and 100mm macro lenses, also, but again the major brand versions tend to be pricey.
So, can find a lens that will work in our price range? Yes. It it turns out there are some "off-brand" macro lenses that perform very well as portrait lenses. They do incredibly well on optical tests, matching or beating the branded lenses, and they come in at good prices. There are two I would look at: the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 and the Sigma 70mm f/2.8.

All the lens reviews and tests show this lens is a match optically for the best lenses out there — and at about 25% of the price of the "pro" branded lenses. One surprise with this lens: while most lenses don't test their best at the widest aperture — usually lenses perform much better stopped down at least one stop — it turns out that the Tamron does very well at its wide-open setting. So while it doesn't go to f/1.4, you can shoot at f/2.8 with it for very shallow depth of field.

I've shot with this lens to try it out, and I really like it.
The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 is another great possibility. A review in Popular Photography magazine a while back called it the sharpest lens in the Sigma lineup, and all the lens tests and reviews love it for both portraits and macro work. It's currently selling for $499. So with either of these, for about $500 bucks, you can start to experiment with beautiful head-and-shoulders portraiture, and then the next day you can grab your favorite insects and try some macro work. Sigma and Tamron make these for all major camera mounts, last I checked, and you can buy them at most of the big camera stores.
A Budget Wide Prime

While we're on Sigma, another real bargain in their lineup is the 28mm f/1.8, currently selling for $349. I don't have this particular lens. I have both the Sigma 20mm and 24mm, so I feel I have that range covered. According to those who do own it, though, it's a high quality, wide and fast lens for a good price. It does have one downside: it's a big, heavy beast. There are much smaller and lighter 28mm lenses out there — but the Sigma is about a stop and a half faster, since its maximum aperture is f/1.8, and it has shown great performance in optical tests and reviews. On a DSLR, this 28mm range is very useful — it's fairly close to how your eyes see the world.
So, back to our camera bag — if we grabbed a plastic fantastic 50mm for $100, an off-brand-but-great Tamron 90mm for $450, and a Sigma 28mm for $349, that leaves us with $100. Can we get anything useful in that range?
The Lensbaby

Well, besides adding lenses for specific tasks such as light low-light work, portraiture, macro or wide-angle photography, sometimes we want to create images that stand out from the crowd. So consider adding a Lensbaby to your kit. The new Lensbaby Composer is just outside our budget at $269, but "Muse" — available for most camera mounts — goes for about $99. This tool is intended to let you explore the possibilities offered by selective focus effects — purposely throwing areas of a scene out of focus. Besides creating distinctive, eye-catching images, this is a very fun item that might offer a chance to make an otherwise boring image into something unique. 

Bargain Cautions
So, we've found enough bargains to fill a camera bag. If we decide to keep bargain hunting, are there any dangers to avoid? Well, I do advise people that when they see a lens that provides a superzoom range — for example, 20mm-300mm — for only $200 they should run the other way. There are a lot of lenses that will work and make photographs, but if you look closely you'll discover that cheap superzooms often have a lot of optical problems such as distortion (changing the shape of what is photographed), chromatic aberration (often seen as purple fringing) or vignetting (darkening in the corners of the frame). If our goal is to get high-quality images, a cheap superzoom won't work.
Also, if we take a look at the used market, there are risks to buying used lenses: a lens that is stored in bad conditions can have any of a number of problems, including degraded lubricants that cause the aperture to stick open longer than it should, or other damage that you won't see until you shoot with the lens. So I generally don't lean toward Ebay.com or Craigslist.com purchases, though some people will do very well there. I do think, however, that one can find very good bargains from reputable used stores — those that know lenses, and that will stand behind their product if something does turn out to be wrong. .
Also, before buying any lens, use the Web to find specific reviews of how that lens works on your specific model of camera. You'll find that every lens has its positive and negative features, and that's definitely true on bargain lenses. So read the reviews and make sure the lens will work for you.
-- NYI Staff

An excellent tripod for a medium range price SEE R...

 An excellent tripod for a medium range price SEE R...: "Manfrotto 190XPROB 3-Section Tripod with 322RC2 Ball Head Kit 190XPROB Tripod 322RC2 Head Supports 11 lbs ..."