Big Sony Announcement July 28th
By Evelyn Drake
Sony is making a HUGE announcement on July 28th at 8:00 AM MST (10AM EST) Don’t miss the launch of the highly anticipated Sony A7S III. We expect great things! Watch it at: https://alphauniverse.com/
Category: Uncategorized
The Tele Master: SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary!
By Ryley Smith
Sigma has done it again! They’ve announced the newest addition to their Contemporary lens lineup, the new SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary! Available in both Sony E-mount and L-mount, this lightweight and compact lens provides beautifully smooth and easy ultra-telephoto shooting, exclusively for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
DIY Macro Polarized Crystals
By Ryley Smith
If you’re looking for another photographic project, DP Review’s latest Youtube video with renowned photographer, Don Komarechka, should be next on your list. If you know who Don is, you’ll already know that this is a macro project, but shaking things up, this is abstract photos with polarized crystals! With just a few household items, some patience, and a steady hand, you can take beautiful, colourful, abstract images all from the comfort of home! Then, once our world is healthy again, we will have Don back in Calgary to teach some more amazing macro workshops in person!
Best Kids Camera for Under $100
By Evelyn Drake
If your kids are interested in photography but you don’t want to hand over your own camera or smartphone, the Nikon Coolpix W100 is the perfect kid’s camera available at The Camera Store.
Our in-stock refurbished Nikon Coolpix W100 cameras are only $89 (with free shipping or curbside pick-up). This camera is rugged, waterproof and built with kids in mind with large easy to press buttons, and a fun easy to use menu system. I love that my preschooler can roam freely snapping photos and videos around the house, and in the backyard.
Free Online Canon Creator Lab Workshop with Irene Rudnyk
By Evelyn Drake
Join us on Wednesday, April 8th for an online Socality x Canon Creator Lab workshop with instruction from portrait photographer and YouTuber Irene Rudnyk (@irenerudnykphoto) as she teaches the second of two online workshops around the subject of creating depth and feeling in your photography (Session I) and editing (Session II).
This second session will cover themes including:
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Creating a Medium Format crop effect
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Tools for modifying and enhancing your background blur in post-production
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Editing your subject and background to increase the depth
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Tips and tricks for using Dodge and Burn
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Q&A
This workshop will include a combination of teaching from Irene and the Q&A portion.
About Irene:
Irene is a portraiture photographer inspired by feminine beauty. She works to capture the woman in front of her camera in a more creative, romantic manner, putting a lot of thought into the environment and details of the photo to create a visually pleasing and feminine version of the finished product. Irene enjoys helping other photographers with tutorials, behind the scenes, and DIY videos.
To see more of Irene’s work, you can find her on 500px, Instagram, and Youtube.
New Ways of Shopping at The Camera Store
By Ryley Smith
We have a variety of enhanced services to make it easier and safer for you to shop with us! With Curbside Pickup, Free Shipping across Canada on regular orders*, and Same-Day Local Deliveries, our goal is to continue serving all your photo and video needs as best we can.
We can’t let you in-store. But, we’re still here to help.
By Evelyn Drake
Although non-essential retail stores are closed across Alberta, we are still here to help serve all your photo and video needs.
Our team is available for calls at 403-234-9935 and will be answering emails during our regular business hours from 9:30 AM-6:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturdays.
We are still accepting and processing online orders with the options of either curbside pick-up or free shipping across Canada for most regular items.
If you have any questions while we are closed, please email us at info@thecamerastore.com, or contact us on our Facebook page so we can get back to you as soon as we can.
We Are Open for Business
By Evelyn Drake
We are following Alberta Health Services recommendations closely. At this time, The Camera Store will continue to operate as normal with online and in-store services during regular business hours.
However, we will be canceling all events for the month of March including demo days, in-store talks, meet-ups, classroom seminars, etc. We will continue to evaluate the situation to determine if we need to cancel more events going forward.
Looking Back at The Battle at F-Stop Ridge
By Evelyn Drake
Youtube was a new frontier, only a few years in its infancy when the original TCSTV youtube channel crew, Jordan Drake and Chris Niccolls, set up a shoot to capture The Battle at F-Stop Ridge. Several of The Camera Store’s staff went out with a huge assortment of gear to stage a ‘camera war’ commercial. At the time, the store was closed, and the store owners were unaware of what transpired in a local park.
The one-minute video that resulted would go viral, beating the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce for a day or two. Not only was it a video hit, but it also set the stage for the dynamic duo Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake to grow a successful camera review YouTube channel.
The chase to create another viral video was exciting, yet not fruitful. At least not in the way the pair originally expected or hoped. The production quality on The Battle at F-Stop Ridge 2, as well as another concept titled World Photo Games improved dramatically. But, they simply did not have the same je ne sais quoi factor as the original battle video.
That being said, the impact of the video was a huge deal for the channel. It propelled Jordan and Chris to new heights, with respect and recognition around the world. Camera brands began recognizing the value of putting their latest products in the hands of The Camera Store’s reviewers. TCSTV continued to grow and improve drastically in terms of production quality and showmanship.
In the spring of 2018, the camera review website DPReview invited Chris & Jordan to join their team. It was a difficult decision for Jordan and Chris to leave the channel that they created and grew to over 310,000 subscribers. But, it was a move that gave them the opportunity to focus their careers on exclusively doing what they love, creating content for the photography and videography community.
They left TCSTV in the hands of Jordan’s wife Evelyn Drake and her co-host Dave Paul with appearances from other TCS staff and local photographers. They continue to produce camera reviews and photographer features on the channel that currently has over 335,000 subscribers and 68-million views. Click here to watch and subscribe.
Losing it all during a photography trip of a lifetime
By Evelyn Drake
Our friend and colleague, Kaitlyn Kerr, had all her photography equipment stolen in Athens, Greece last week. On the evening of February 24th, 2020 she was waiting at a bus stop near Syntagma Square. Everything she had was in a black ONA canvas backpack with a padlock. Poof! Just like that, it was gone.
The bag contained her computer, 4 hard drives, film, her cameras, lenses, and almost everything that she has been carting around Europe for the last five months since departing Calgary. Someone spotted the bag and snatched it. The gear would probably be sold quickly, the hard drives and film, likely trashed.
