If college students know anything, it is how to find products that give you a bang for your buck. Everything is an investment that takes serious consideration, and when it comes to cameras, you don’t want to take any chances. In my case, this comes in the form of finding lenses that are high-performing, versatile, and reliable.
A little background
I am a film production undergrad student at Chapman University, on track to pursue cinematography as my major emphasis. I didn’t always know I wanted to pursue film, but photography was a central part of my upbringing, and once I hit high school, I naturally became “the camera friend”.
Chapman University film student (and Sigma Ambassador) Sophia Chew
Shooting in your dorm room is an essential part of the film student experience.
Outside of photography, I’ve directed and DP’d a handful of shorts and video projects, but some of the ones I’m proudest of are fan projects. Specifically, two films inspired by songs from Taylor Swift’s album Folklore – August (2024), and Betty (2023). Much of my work is inspired by books, music, and films I love, and I think my obsessions and phases add a personal touch to my work!
As a film student, your creative possibilities can feel limitless, but they can also feel intimidating. There are so many new things to learn, and it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, the safety net and supportive culture of my school program have offered a lot, and my Sigma lenses have been dependable additions to my kit and frequent topics of conversation on my sets.
My go-to gear
Student films and fan projects often operate on strict and fast schedules, which leads me to reach for my zoom lenses more often in order to optimize time. My favorite lenses (at the moment) are the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary and the 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN | Art.
28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary
The 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary has been perfect for photography and video shoots on location. As one of most compact full-frame zoom lenses available, the small size makes it perfect to travel with, and the light weight allows for fast setups and efficient shot execution. I feel confident with my close-ups and my portraits. I put a Pro Mist diffusion filter on the end, and love the freedom to construct the look of my images off Sigma’s clean lens builds.
28-105mm F2.8 DG DN | Art
The addition of the 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN | Art to my kit has been game-changing. I recently shot a short film for one of my director friends on the Sony FX6. We shot a simple dialogue scene in an small bedroom. It was a tight fit and I needed a solid range to cover all the shots we needed. The 28mm focal length was ideal for the establishing shot, and as we get closer to the characters in the scene, the 80-105mm range was ideal for capturing their emotions and progressing dynamics. I threw in a few handheld shots when both characters started stressing about their parents coming home. One of them dives under the bed and hides, and this lens could capture all of it!
This location was tiny, cramped, and dim – but the Sigma 28-105mm was able to handle every shot.
When I show the lens to my peers, an unexpected part that stands out is the aperture ring. The satisfying manual addition to the lens makes the relationship between the user to the camera more personal, which is something I’m finding to be important to me when operating cameras.
A manual aperture ring is a nice addition for filmmaking. All Sigma’s latest Art line lenses, as well as the all-metal I series primes, have this feature.
Recommendations
Both lenses quickly became essential for me. As a student photographer and filmmaker, my visual style continues to evolve, and I’ve found these lenses can keep up with my pace. My love for the 28-70mm was part of how I became an ambassador, even before I got the invitation to join the Sigma team.
Whether you’re a starting photographer or an experienced camera user, I can’t recommend these two lenses enough, and I’m excited to use them in my projects next semester!
For some, it’s a simple way to interact with friends and show their images off. For others, it’s a valuable marketing tool. Whether you are just beginning in photography or a seasoned pro, social media is a valuable and useful place for photographers.
Not only is it a place to display and show off your work, but its many different specialist groups can be great places to learn, interact, and solve issues with your gear or photography. However, some social media platforms are much better places to be than others as photographers. There is also the danger that we might use social media as a way of validating our skills.
Today we are going to take a look at some of the top social media platforms for photographers in 2025. We will look at how they can help our photographic journeys rather than as a marketing tool.
We are going to kick off with the granddaddy of photographic social media platforms, Instagram.
Is Instagram Still The Place For Photographers?
The short answer is no, the long answer is, it’s complicated. Instagram has evolved from a platform where all images were displayed at a fixed resolution and image ratio, to a multimedia platform where short form video is king.
As a photographer wishing to show off purely their photography work, Instagram is a busted flush. It’s very hard to build a following and engagement, simply by posting images these days.
There is the argument that Instagram reels are a good place for learning photography, but personally I see a lot of engagement bait and very generic photography “lesson” reels. Instagram’s algorithm seems to favour uniformity and conformity these days so many of the reels are the same advice wrapped up in slightly different ways. Often that advice is also quite poor.
Instagram, the grand daddy, but is it still relevant? By Souvik Banerjee
As a marketing tool, if you have time and/or a team, posting behind the scenes reels as well as images, can build a following and get you noticed; however, unless you are a fairly successful professional, it’s probably not worth investing a huge amount of time in Insta
The Platform Formerly Known As Twitter
Twitter used to be a decent place for showing off your images if you had a decent enough following. These days X, is still a reasonable place so long as you stay within the photography genre. Step outside, just for a moment, and the algorithm will ambush you.
The photography community in X is still pretty friendly. Lots of sharing of images, people willing to give advice, and even the potential to sell a print or two. I have built a decent, engaged following on X by doing a daily showcase. I invite people to post images to my daily theme, then retweet them. I also do an honest critique post once a month, where followers can have an image critiqued by me or other followers. It has proved popular and people enjoy getting real, constructive feedback on their photos.
As a marketing tool, X is pretty limited. Like many platforms these days, external links get heavily demoted, however you can get some engagement by posting a photo to the first comment and a link to the second.
Avoid the politics, and X can be ok. By Daddy Mohlala
What You Should Know About BlueSky And Threads
I have put these two together as they are both new kids on the block, relatively speaking, and both competitors to X. Bluesky is very similar to the Twitter of old, with very good reason; it was created by Jack Dorsey, the original creator of Twitter.
As a photographer’s platform, it falls into the showing category more than the learning. However, the photography community is well-engaged and very friendly. The odd thing I find about Bluesky is that images get lots of likes but very few comments.
The reverse seems true of Threads, which, for photographers, behaves in a similar way. It is again a displaying platform rather than learning, but there does seem to be more commentary, often very useful, compared to Bluesky. The main issue for the photography community on Threads seems to be the infestation of rage bait subjects (this is common across all subjects on Threads). A lot of photographers seem to post “controversial” takes in order to boost engagement. The irony of this approach is that these posts get lots of engagement but don’t pick up many followers.
On both Bluesky and Threads, I have built over 1.2K followers, simply by posting good images, at least once per day. However, I don’t find them particularly useful as photographers’ platforms.
The new kids on the block. Threads and Bluesky
Facebook
This might surprise you, but I think Facebook is probably the best social media platform for photographers in 2025. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that you can create and post as a page, a completely separate entity from your personal timeline. The second is the sheer number of highly specialised photography groups. If you can think of a sub-genre, there will be multiple groups in it.
Creating your own Facebook page is a great way to build a following that is there just for your photography. Many groups allow you to join and post as a page , and if people like your work, you can invite them to join your page.
You don’t need to be a business or professional to have a page. Anyone can create their own photography page and tailor it to their own genre.
Facebook, despite the endless adverts, is actually quite good. By Will Francis
Photography groups on FB can be incredibly helpful, both to new photographers and advanced enthusiasts alike. Whilst the biggest groups can get toxic, the smaller, very specific groups are full of great photographers who are happy to give advice. Local groups are a great way to show off your local photography and build a local following.
Don’t Sleep on YouTube
Whilst there is always an ongoing debate as to whether YouTube is a social media platform, there is absolutely no doubt that it’s a fantastic learning resource for photographers. Whether you are looking to buy some new gear, learn a new photographic genre, or up your editing game, there will be multiple videos available.
As on any social media platform, there can be bad advice, but the bigger photography channels got there by creating engaging and factually useful videos, and in general will be giving out very good advice.
There is a caveat, and that is gear reviews. There are a number of larger channels that predominantly do photography gear reviews. They are often given new equipment before release and put out videos on the day of release. Whilst these videos can be useful in understanding the capabilities of a new piece of photography gear, they can be shills for the manufacturer.
In my opinion, the best gear reviews come from the smaller channels where they have bought it to fit into their own photographic workflows. They are much more likely to give impartial opinions.
For experienced photographers, YouTube can also be a great place to showcase and impart your own knowledge to others. Creating your own photography videos is a good way to give back to the photographic community and gives you an extra creative outlet.
There are a number of other social media platforms. Vero, Glass, and Foto are specifically tailored to the photographer, but none of them really have the pull and power of the bigger platforms. They are good for showing work to your peers but not to a wider demographic.
TikTok and Snapchat both have short-form video photographic tutorials, but like Instagram reels, they tend to be very generic and often misleading.
An often underrated platform for photography is Reddit. There are a number of Reddit photography communities, and they are well-moderated and very useful. One of the great things about Reddit is that it often shows up high on Google searches for specific photography topics, making it a useful go-to for advice.
Social media is not to everyone’s taste. However, as both a learning resource and a place to meet and engage with like-minded photographers, it is invaluable. In my opinion, despite potential toxicity and endless adverts, Facebook is the best place to be for new and enthusiast photographers. The fact that you can create a page dedicated to your own photography is a great way of building up a dedicated following of people who enjoy your work.
Of all the prescriptive nonsense I hear about making photographs, the idea that “real photographers shoot on manual” has to be the most tiresome. As if burdening photographers with an even greater sense of obligation to the shoulds and the should-nots has ever led to greater creative freedom, less rigidity in our work, and more powerful photographs.
I’ve heard similar assertions about shooting in RAW (you must). And not cropping or using burst mode (you must not). And not using Photoshop to ___________. You can fill in the blank yourself because here, the so-called purists give us so many options from which to choose, but no matter what you put there, someone is going to put you on their naughty list without ever pausing to ask why you’re doing it differently.
Let’s set aside the notion that there is such a thing as a “real” photographer; you are a photographer if you make photographs. Full stop.
You might be a new photographer or an experienced photographer. You might be a lousy photographer or an inspired photographer. There are probably a million ways to categorize us, but real? As opposed to what? Imaginary? Fake? Is there a point to this kind of thinking? I need a drink.
Well, there is a point, and it’s that some people can only feel as though they are special by putting others down. They can only feel “in” by forcing others out. After all, if we’re all special, then no one is special (also nonsense, but that’s not what this is about. Focus, David!).
I’m not interested in what kind of photographer you are, though I’m interested in you as a photographer. I hope you’re fulfilled and love what you do, and that your photographs are getting stronger and feel more and more like your own.
I’m not overly concerned with how you make your photographs, so long as you’re happy doing it and it’s truly working for you. I shoot in something like full-manual mode with Auto-ISO and a liberal use of EV compensation, so I’m not sure whether or not I’m a real photographer and allowed to weigh in on whether you are or not. But I do know how to use my camera and make it do what I ask. If “real” photographers do anything, it is that.
Here’s my advice: shoot on Manual all the time. Or shoot in Aperture priority sometimes and Shutter priority sometimes. Hell, be reckless and push the dial to P now and then! Do what works for you.
What matters is that you have control of the camera while also being sensitive to the moment and still having the mental bandwidth to think about composition and what the light is doing. Do that.
If you need the camera to do some of the thinking for you while you tend to the decisions that make for stronger compositions, that’s a good choice. One day, that creative thinking will come a little easier, and you might long for a little more control over the camera’s decisions. Or you’ll figure out how you like to use the tools of your craft in your own way.
I like things simple: manual mode with auto-ISO and EV compensation to dial things in more precisely. This works for me for what I do right now.
And so long as I’m confessing my way out of the real photographer’s club:
I have no idea what my metering mode is and haven’t for over a decade—I just look at the histogram. I could look at my camera and find out, but that knowledge would enrich neither of us.
I don’t know what my focus mode is. It’s continuous and uses tracking—that’s what I know. It’s what I like, and I never change it (though I know how to do so if I had to). It works for what I photograph and how I like to use a camera.
I hate straps and have been told that not using one is reckless. A real photographer would at least use a wrist strap, right? I don’t like them, either. They slow me down. I’ll put one on if I have to—if I can find it.
I’ve been told the same about my indifference to UV filters and lens caps (though you can pry lens hoods from my cold, dead hands).
More often than not, when I bother to use one at all, my tripod is a little wonky.
I clean the front of my lens with my shirt, when (and if) I clean it.
Speaking of cleaning, my sensor often looks like someone spilled kitty litter into my camera while the lens was off, which is not the only reason I tend to shoot wide open, but it’s a reason. I get them cleaned once a year, and that’s enough for me.
My camera bag can be a mess; the dividers are all over the place, and they change all the time, if I even bother using them. Half the time, I just use a Buff, lens cloth, toque, or a pair of gloves to keep bodies and lenses from banging into each other. If my gear gets banged up, it’s because I’m using it for the purpose for which it is made.
I’d hate to have a real photographer weigh in on any of this. But if you’re going to judge me at all (I’d really rather you didn’t; don’t you have photographs you could be making?), then judge me on my photographs.
None of the sins I’ve mentioned gets in the way of creating the photographs I want to make. But fussing would. So would an unexpected lens cap. Or succumbing to the pressure to practice my craft in a way that just isn’t me.
So much of the advice I see aimed at photographers could be gathered up and bound into one volume called Adventures in Missing the Point. There are no real photographers (to the exclusion of others) any more than there is a single right way to do things that qualifies you to be one.
What matters is that you learn to make the kind of photographs you want to make, and to do so with greater creative flow and control. It matters that you be open to new ideas and techniques, but as creative options, not as obligations.
I’m not saying throw your lens caps away or don’t learn to shoot on manual if you think it might give you more control. And, yes, cleaning your lens with your shirt is generally considered less than ideal practice (don’t look at me like that; you do it, too). But I am saying it probably won’t get in the way of you doing the work your soul loves (which I am very much tempted to add is probably the only thing real photographers are universally concerned with).
Think in terms of possibilities, not prescriptions. We’re all trying to create something different, and there can’t possibly be only one path to do so.
For the Love of the Photograph (and those who make them), David
The biggest challenges for most photographers are not technical but creative.They are not so much what goes on in the camera but what goes on in the mind of the person wielding it. Light, Space & Time is a book about thinking and feeling your way through making photographs that are not only good, but truly your own. It would make an amazing gift for the photographer in your life, especially if that’s you. Find out more on Amazon.
Ask anyone what social media platform is built around imagery and the majority of replies will be Instagram. Instagram has been around a long time in social media terms, having arrived on the scene in 2010.
However, there are many different social platforms available to photographers these days, some more productive than others. Some are based around video sharing, some around news and events and a minority around sharing images.
The new kid on the block in terms of image sharing is Foto.It has been developed by photographers for photographers. Its scope is not that of social interaction but purely to display and react to good photography.
It is a relatively niche entry into a crowded market, another social media app that could be huge or may wither and die. Today we are going to take a look at the Foto App, what it is and how it stacks up against alternatives.
The Rise And Fall Of Instagram
Any new photography-based social media platform is obviously going to be judged against Instagram. In the case of Foto, that might be a little unfair as it does not intend to be a competitor to Meta’s giant.
However, it’s important to look at Instagram’s place in the photographic world in relation to where Foto might go.
Although perhaps not intended as a social media app for enthusiasts and professional photographers, in its early days, Instagram became just that. The primary driver of this was its simplicity. The upload format was pretty uniform, with images all being displayed in a square format at a resolution that was perfect for mobile phones of the day.
Instagram is no longer the app it used to be for photographers.
People could search for specific genres and topics using hashtags, allowing users to easily find and interact with the content they liked. As such it grew popular not only with the general public sharing snaps, but also more serious photographers who could gain large and engaged followings. This in turn allowed professionals to use it as a powerful marketing tool and build their businesses off of the back of Instagram.
That all changed fairly quickly. Instagram became much more algorithm driven, feeding more and more non-photographic content to users. Influencer learnt how to game the algorithm, meaning more reels and toes dipped into infinity pools rose to the top rather than solid, quality photography.
In the last few years, Instagram has become increasingly difficult as a place for photographers to grow their brand and market their work. Other platforms have taken up some of the slack, but none of them were built around imaging as a primary driver. So how does Foto fit in?
Foto Is Not Trying To Be Instagram
Foto is a platform that is designed from the outset to focus on photography. Its USP is as a platform to share photography to anyone who wishes to see it. The developers state that it’s not just about photographers but anyone who wants to share their photos.
The app has been in beta for quite a while and recently had their full public launch – February 2025. Whilst still basic, the developers have published a roadmap of interesting additions to the app. These include portfolios, scheduling, print fulfillment and cloud storage.
One of the main claims of Foto is that it will never be an advert based model. However, there is currently a subscription service which gives you access to some of the higher level features and I would imagine that a number of the items listed on the roadmap will be included as fee based.
As with any social media platform there has to be a core number of users to make the platform viable. It will be interesting to see how many users move or add Foto to their social media portfolio and indeed how many take up a subscription service. Clearly, without advertising, Foto will need a substantial core to sign up. For that they will need to make the app compelling to its users.
I have been a user of the Foto app since its beta. As of yet, I have not signed up for the paid Ambassador subscription, but what are my thoughts so far on using the app?
Foto is an app purely to share photography
Foto App In Action.
At the moment, the Foto app is available on both Apple IOS and Android, in the roadmap, they are also planning a desktop version in the near future. Once you sign up and log in, you will find a very clean and well-designed interface. Simplicity is certainly its strength, with photographs placed as the obvious centerpiece.
The app runs a chronological-based timeline from the Home button at the bottom, with a single row of large, clear images from contributors that you follow. To the right of the Home button is the search user function. Without searching, this displays a timeline of images only without the user name. If you tap on a photo, it will open with the user profile at the top.
Creating new posts is simple and you are restricted to three tags
Whilst you cannot search for specific text, you can search for tagged images. When you upload an image to the Foto app, you can apply up to three predefined, photography-based tags. These might be for example, Architecture, Landscape, and Long Exposure. This allows app users to filter the search section with specific genres of images. You can add up to three tags to your search.
The images are displayed well with a brief description and the three tags
The third of the five icons at the bottom is the upload button. This is, again, simple to use. When you upload, you can give your photo a description and add up to three tags. And that’s it, no faffing around trying to find suitable hashtags and labouring over a description that will trigger the algorithm.
The fourth icon is notifications, which will tell you if an image has been liked, commented and if someone has followed you. The last icon is your profile page and settings.
As a viewer, the app is as simple as a contributor. The only interactions you can make are to like and comment on a photo and to follow the photographer.
Whilst its simplicity makes it a really nice app to use both as a photographer and as a viewer, I wonder if the lack of deeper interaction will hamper its growth. That may well be something that is addressed in the future. For the moment, the Foto app feels very much like a modern version of early Flickr, a place to share and enjoy photos, but without any great interaction.
Will Fotos Succeed?
Personally, I hope so. I think with the decline of Instagram as a photography platform and the more generalised nature of other social media, there is certainly room for another image-based app. However, it will succeed or fail on its user base. In my opinion, users will need not only to get likes and comments on their images but some form of greater interaction. That may well be on the future roadmap, but for now, I am enjoying the Foto app without devoting a huge amount of my time to it.
Congratulations Yaara & Adam Date | 24.07.21 Location|Eden NairobiTumbiliRoad Nairobi Wedding Photographer | Antony Trivet Photography Assistant Photographer|Mackin Barasa Catering|Baraka Events One misconception people have is that destination weddings can be tough to plan, the truth is that planning luxury wedding events doesn’t have to be scary. However, visiting the venue beforehand and maybe having a bit of a hand in the planning to give yourself a photographic advantage may make things a lot easier. And another thing that is absolutely essential is to make sure that you have an amazing wedding planner.
This wedding was one to remember as it took place at a beautiful venue on a beautiful day! As a wedding photographer based in Nairobi City County for over ten years, we have seen more beautiful wedding venues than we can count! Inevitably, there are a few favorites that stand out from the rest for their excellence. We recently booked a couple who brought us back to one of those favorite locations and a true gem among choices for wedding venues:- Eden Nairobi Tumbili Road. This historic hotel located on Tumbili Road offers a plethora of gorgeous backgrounds which is exactly what we needed for Yaara & Adams’ Israelite Jewish Traditional Wedding.
Israelite Jewish Traditional Wedding :: Eden Nairobi Tumbili Road
Israelite Jewish Traditional Wedding :: Eden Nairobi Tumbili Road
Israelite Jewish Traditional Wedding :: Eden Nairobi Tumbili Road
Vivian and Peter really acknowledge each other’s presence and it’s simply wonderful. They are one of the most adorable duos we have shot and our photography session ended in a lifelong friendship with these cute souls. Looking forward tofuntimeswiththem.
Eileen And Brian’s Florienta Gardens And Karura House Wedding Celebration
From the moment we met this sweet couple, we knew their wedding was going to be something special. The two of them were so in love and had such a positive outlook on life, that it was impossible not to get swept up in their happiness. Their wedding day was truly beautiful, full of warm smiles and heartfelt laughter. We are so grateful that we were able to be a part of it! We are absolutely thrilled to showcase here a few highlights from Eileen and Brian’s big day! A Real Wedding In Kenya.
I mostly use Lightroom CC Classic as my daily choice. The AI tools inside Lightroom are powerful, and I often use the masking panel to create selections and fine adjustments. Occasionally, when I need to do some heavy editing, such as removing a difficult part from an image, I turn to Photoshop. The Content-Aware Crop is brilliant for adding more sky to a picture if cropped too tightly. Or, if I need to have more flexibility with layers, Photoshop is an excellent choice.
For experimenting with a photograph or when I feel too comfortable with editing, I use Luminar Neo. I can easily step into a beginner’s mindset while working with it. And finally, my go-to sharpener at the moment is Topaz Labs Sharpen AI, which does an excellent job when I need to add sharpness to my images. Also, GigaPixel AI is fantastic for ensuring my photographs look brilliant when printed.
AI image editing tools can significantly improve your landscape photography editing process. By using Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar Neo, and Topaz Labs, you can achieve beautiful results and bring your creative vision to life. While these tools are powerful, they may have some flaws, so finding the right balance and workflow that suits your needs is essential. I recommend exploring and incorporating these tools into your workflow to enhance landscape photography.
Unlock Your Creative Potential
As you delve deeper into the world of AI-powered photo editing tools and unleash their potential, consider exploring some of the resources I’ve created to help photographers at all levels improve their skills and find inspiration.
The Complete Photography Collection. This all-inclusive package features all of my tutorials, presets, and eBooks, offering a comprehensive guide to enhancing your landscape photography and achieving the recognition your photos deserve.
Epic Preset Collection. Transform your editing process in Lightroom with my presets to help you unlock your creative potential and bring your images to life.
1-on-1 Photography Coaching. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, my new online 1-on-1 coaching service is designed to provide personalized guidance and support to your needs and goals.
Free Tutorials. For those just starting or looking to expand their skills without breaking the bank, check out my collection of free tutorials covering various aspects of photography and editing.
Remember that AI is a tool; like any tool, it can’t replace the human element in the creative process. Embrace your intuition, emotions, and experiences as a photographer, and let them guide your editing choices. This will help you create images that not only look interesting but also resonate on an emotional level.
Your personal style and artistic voice are what makes your photography unique. While AI tools can help you achieve technical perfection, preserving your creative identity and ensuring that your images reflect your personal touch is essential.
Let me know if you use any of these tools or want to try them out. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I’m an affiliate of some of these programs. Remember that using the affiliate links in this article helps support my work and enables me to continue sharing my experiences and insights with you.
Andrew Hancock isn’t the type of photographer that has a lot of downtime from shooting. As one sports season wraps up, he’s already looking ahead to what’s coming up. And when Hancock is covering a sporting event, he’s typically overseeing the remote cameras aimed at the athletes—he estimates for a basketball or baseball game he’s managing anywhere between six to 12 cameras at a time. For horse racing, it can be as many as 20 cameras.
It’s a massive amount of data that needs to be managed after the fact. Hancock trusts the SanDisk® Professional G-DRIVE® PROJECT desktop solution which has a built-in PRO-BLADE™ SSD Mag slot, and SanDisk® PRO-CINEMA CFexpress™ Type B cards to stand up the challenge when he is out in the field.
“I’m only as fast as my slowest point and speed is everything, especially when you’re doing work for the teams,” Hancock says. “Cards can be the Achilles heel for sports photographers—we’re using high speed frame rates, and trying to get as much of the action as we possibly can. SanDisk PRO-CINEMA CFexpress Type B cards help let me push my camera to its limits.”
The SanDisk PRO-CINEMA CFexpress Type B card is a key part of Hancock’s workflow. The card is designed for professional photographers and videographers who need a high-performance, reliable storage solution. The card is compatible with a wide range of cameras, and it offers read speeds of up to 1700MB/s1 and burst write speeds of up to 1500MB/s1. This means that Hancock can capture high-resolution photos and videos without having to worry about his cards slowing him down.
Hancock says that SanDisk’s line of professional products has allowed him to create a daisy-chained ecosystem that works well together. The reliable, fast PRO-CINEMA CFexpress cards are loaded into the cameras, media on the cards is offloaded using the SanDisk Professional PRO-DOCK 4 or PRO-BLADE SSD Mag slots, eventually getting archived on a G-RAID® MIRROR.
“The ability to be able to pump this data as fast as it can go and wherever it can go, means I’m not having to worry about overheating issues or filling the buffer,” Hancock says. “In a clenching situation, where I want to get as much as I possibly can, these cards allow me to actually focus on capturing the moment, without worrying about missing frames.”
For Hancock, having these fast, top of the line cards and drives is as essential as his cameras and lenses when he’s on a job.
“I know I’m not going to be covering a massive event and then something’s going to fail or underperform. At the end of the day that comes back on me,” he says. “It’s like being the quarterback of the team. It doesn’t matter if the receiver dropped the ball, everything comes back to your shoulders. It’s on you. As a photographer you’ve got to make those decisions. And it’s a business decision, quite frankly.”
Professional sports photographers typically spend a good deal of time on the road—Hancock mentions that some years he has up to 200 travel days a year. Having a storage solution that’s been easy to pack up and set up on location has also been a huge part of the appeal for him. Beyond its compact size, the SanDisk PRO-CINEMA CFexpress Type B card also comes with a durable enclosure, withstanding up to 1-meter drops and the pressure of up to 50 newtons2, so Hancock can be confident his data will be safe on the go.
“I’m like water, I want the path of least resistance. Having a streamlined workflow takes all the stress out of the situation for me,” he says.
For Hancock having such a streamlined workflow with storing and archiving, enables him to perform at a higher level and be more creative when he’s working. But it’s also helped him get valuable back time. “It’s made my job easier and more efficient, which ultimately means more time with my kids whenever I’m home,” he says. “I love what I do, but any second that I can get back, I want it.”
1Up to 1700MB/s read speed; up to 1500MB/s write speed. 1400MB/s minimum sustained write speed. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device, usage conditions, and other factors. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes.
