Sigma will be at the International Consumer Electronics Show, CES 2013, from January 8-11, 2013 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We will be in Central Hall Booth 7904, and we hope you can join us for this amazing show. Click here for a map of the show floor to locate the Sigma booth.

The Sigma team will be out in full force, with our line of over 40 lenses, including the hot new Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM A, for photographers to check out.

At every show, the Sigma Booth is always packed with fans looking to check out the hottest lenses and cameras!

And of course, we’ll have our Merill Generation Foveon-sensor Cameras, the Sigma SD1 Merill, DP2 Merrill, and DP1 Merrill as well. Sigma Pros Lindsay Adler and Kevin Ames, along with our crack team of tech reps will be manning the Sigma SD1 Merrill Fashion Shooting Station, so photographers can experience the amazing detail and quality of the SD1 Merrill and DP cameras.

One of the thousands of beautiful photos made at the SD1 Merrill Photo Studio last year. There will be many more made at CES 2013!

At every show, this is one of the hottest draws to the booth. Lindsay Adler explains why:

“We bring in experienced models, who are completely comfortable working in front of the camera, who can effortlessly work with the photographers testing out the SD1 Merrill to make truly professional portfolio quality images. And it’s not just that they get to review them on the LCD or a monitor, either–the photographers get to walk away just minutes after the shoot with a USB drive loaded with the full-resolution images from their shoot. I can only imagine how they feel when they open these files up on their own computer and view them at 100%–because the SD1 Merrill is so amazing at capturing the finest details in skin, hair, and the fabrics.”

“For CES 2013, we are going to be switching back and forth between two themes with the models–Couture and ‘50s and ‘60s Vintage Looks. These have been among the most popular styles and looks we’ve used at past trade shows and the American Photo Model Shoots. Kevin and I will be there to offer advice on lighting, posing, and lens choices, and we are sure there will be many very happy photographers at the end each day. And in the past, we’ve seen photographers wait in line to get a turn to shoot, then get back in line again once the styling has changed, just so they can make more wonderful studio shots.”

“One comment from a photographer at PhotoPlus 2012 really stands out in my mind. This photographer came to the booth to try out the SD1 Merrill. He said he was primarily a landscape photographer, and wanted to test out the camera, and this was the best way. But after working with it in the studio and seeing that spark that can come into the images from working with trained models, he said we had opened up a brand-new door and creative outlet for his photography–I personally found that very rewarding!”

And every person who tests the Sigma SD1 Merrill will be eligible for a chance to win a Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM A! (Click here for full rules.)

And even if you can’t make it to CES, there’s plenty more chances to test-shoot the Sigma SD1 Merrill at the American Photo Model Shoots from Coast to Coast. Stay tuned for the list of 2013 dates and locations!

If you’re heading to show, be sure to download the official CES App from the iTunes Store. It’s free!  Or enter: http://m.core-apps.com/2013ces into your mobile browser

And even if you’re not coming to the show, you should download that App–you’ll be able to download and view our virtual Press Kit and stay up to the minute on announcements and other excitement happening at the Sigma Booth.

We’ll be posting to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus throughout the show, and we’ll be following the #CES, #2013CES and #ItHasToBeSigma hashtags, so if you’ve got questions, feedback, or comments, we’ll be paying attention.

It’s going to be a great show. Sigma fans are going to have a great time. We hope to see you there!

I love to photograph horses. I think they are some of the most beautiful animals in the world. I enjoy the graceful way they move and the effortless connection they have with their owners–the relationship is just so special. So when the opportunity presented itself to photograph a young woman with one of her horses while I was in Kentucky during the Keeneland Horse Races, I jumped at the chance. The following images are from that session.

My first consideration when setting up this session was choosing the lenses. My 24-70mm F 2.8 IF EX DG HSM and the APO 70-200mm F 2.8 EX DG OS HSM got the call for this assigment. I knew I wanted the flexibility of including as much of the scenery as I could while still being able to make my subjects a big part of the story. The second one, the APO 70-200mm was for the portraits that I would be creating of Alex and her horse close up and some of her riding in the field. This pair of sharp, fast, constant aperture zooms covers a great range for this style of photography.

Next, I had to decide where on the property I wanted to photograph. It was early morning and a little hazy, so sunlight was not an issue just yet. I asked Alex to ride around the pond so that I could pre-visualize what this portrait was going to look like. We already had a conversation about what she wanted and what she liked best as far as scenery. Once we had that narrowed down, I began the session with her walking her horse down the pathway, photographing them from behind. There is great storytelling in a portrait that is simply about the relationship between the owner and the animal. The way they walk together, how they look at each other, and how they look together. I photographed Alex and her horse walking away from me as well as walking towards me. These images are a wonderful addition to the slide show I will present to my client after the editing has been done and I’m ready to share the finished images. I processed this image in PhotoShop CS6 and oversaturated the colors and added a little bit of warmth to the overall image.

©2012 Judy Host | 24-70mm F 2.8 IF EX DG HSM | Aperture: F 6.3 | Shutter speed: 1/320sec | ISO 160

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Q: What do you get when you combine sun, sand, waves, and wildlife with eager nature photographers?

A: A great Point Reyes National Seashore photo workshop and lots of cool photos!

Sunrise on Drakes Beach was spectacular. The light colored cliffs, which Sir Francis Drake likened to England’s Cliffs of Dover, glowed in the early morning light while waves calmly swept across the fine-grained sand of the protected strand. Sigma SD1, 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens, Sigma Circular Polarizer filter, f/16, 1/2 sec. ISO 100, Gitzo GT2541EX tripod. Processed in Sigma Photo Pro 5.3, Photomatix Pro 4.2.4, and Photoshop CS5, Nick Viveza plug-in applied. Photo copyright 2012 David FitzSimmons. All rights reserved.

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Dec 6 2012 NYC Skyline ©2012 Chad Weisser. Shot with the Sigma 70-200mm F2.8.

This week’s Fan Photo of the Week is by Chad Weisser, of Long Island City, NY.

He tells us that his image, Sunset of Manhattan Dec 6th, 2012, was shot from my apartment 24th fl on East River in Long Island City, Queens.  Shot at 105mm ISO 400 f 9.5,  9 shot wide pano, bracketed 3 shots each.  Post production edit on LR 4.2 and CS6.  My HDR is done via LR plug-in Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop for a 32 bit file, then final edits in LR for saturation, clarity, etc.   Shot with Nikon D7000, Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II.

About Chad: I’m originally from Siesta Key, Florida. Then after high school I moved to Austin, TX, Gloucester MA, San Fran, LA, San Diego, Miami Beach, and now NYC. I have a passion for travel, and along with that passion to travel has grown into a passion to photograph those places I go. Living in some of the best cities has given me the opportunity to see some amazing landscapes and cityscapes which has helped me grow in shooting landscape, cityscapes and huge panoramics.

I started off with a Nikon D80 about 5 yrs ago, and this year I upgraded to a Nikon D7000, and I hope to step up to a Nikon D800E in a year or two. Along with my Sigma 70-200mm F2.8, my next favorite lens is my Sigma 10-20mm f4/-5.6 which is my workhorse for landscapes and cityscapes.  I moved to NY about 2 years ago and have had tons of things to shoot, and have grown in my field. I was lucky for 2012 to have been in 3 month long gallery shows, 1 bank that had two of my pieces up for 1 month, and recently NBC in NY featured a sunset of mine!

I believe the most important quality of a photograph, as in all of art, is to evoke an emotional response. While everything in nature does this for me, selecting just the right places and moments to make a photograph that conveys those emotions is far more difficult. My camera is one of the tools I use to achieve my final results, the image you see here.

Check out more of Chad’s work here and here. And fan his Facebook page here.

by Jack Howard

The holiday season is a great time to make photos with gorgeously softened backgrounds and shallow depth of field for painterly, creative, and festive results. Indoors and out, the Christmas trees bedecked with tiny lights, Menorahs, and decidedly secular seasonal displays that brighten the world each December present the perfect opportunity to experiment, explore and create. While we’ll obviously be featuring a number of Sigma lenses in this how-to, much of the information here is universal.

Selective focus at a wide aperture gives shallow depth of field for background separation and cool holiday light effects photography. SIgma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM at 1/320 F1.4 ISO 100 on Canon Rebel T3i.

We do have to start with a bit of the technicals to get to the creative applications, but we’ll try to keep keep it as short, and as easy to grasp as possible.

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Brazil’s Pantanal is one of earth’s most biologically rich areas and truly spectacular photography destination.  Last month I took a scouting trip to the Pantanal for wildlife with with special emphasis on the jaguar. It was my first trip here and I have to say the photographic opportunities in the Pantanal were even better than I expected. Jaguar was the main target of the trip and I would have been happy just to see a single one but as it turns out we had the chance to photograph them each day and every day I was there. This is one of the best locations if not the best location on earth to photograph jaguar.

Come along as Sigma Pro Robert O’Toole explores the possibilities of the Pantanal with Sigma lenses including the 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 10x telephoto zoom lens.

Jaguar, Mato Grosso Sur Brazil. D800E, Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM, handheld, 1/1250 s @ f8, Auto-ISO at 1250, Dynamic-area AF, 51 point 3D. | Image copyright 2012 Robert OToole Photography

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This week’s Facebook Fan photo of the week was taken by Barry Byrd using the 500mm F4.5 EX DG lens.

Technical info: Nikon D800E, Sigma 500mm F4.5 | ISO: 400 | Aperture: F6.3 | Shutter speed: 1/800sec on Gitzo tripod, Markins M10 ballhead with cable release.

Male Grey Fox was barking at two Vixens- image shot on mesa south of Abilene near sunset.

About Barry: Geologist from Abilene TX- 30 years nature photo hobbyist shooting macro, wildlife, avian and landscapes. Currently shooting Sigma SD9, SD14, SD15, DP1, Nikon D800E and using Sigma mount lenses, 28mm f 1.8, 50mm f 2.8, 70mm f2.8, 105mm macro, 150mm macro, 300mm f4, 50-500mm OS, Nikon mount Sigma 500mm f4.5 HSM

To see more of Barry’s work, check out his website!

by Jack Howard

Photographers have been excited about the possibilities of the new Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens since it was announced at Photokina. The first of the Art line in the new Sigma Global Vision, this lens is finally here. And being one of the first photographers in North America to shoot with this lens, I can now tell you it is flat-out amazing.

Check out the gorgeously shallow depth of field on the steel cable and little purple flower on this footbridge. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM combines a fast aperture with close focusing for very creative selective focus effects! Sigma 35mm F1.4 paired with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. 1/400 F1.4 ISO 100. And be sure to click on the photos for fullscreen views.

The build quality is suberb–from the generous focus ring grip to the inscribed lens name on the removable petal hood, down to the capital A in the silver circle designating it as a member of the  Art line–it feels instantly like an old friend. Autofocus is quick and responsive, and the manual focusing resistance is dead-on to my liking. I get the feeling this lens is going to make a lot of photographers very happy. It feels great in the hands. But more than that, the optics and images it makes are  simply gorgeous. In-focus details are razor-sharp, and defocused areas are just plain lovely.

The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM. First of the Art lenses to be released.

The close focusing operation at widest apertures creates beautiful defocus off the focal plane–which is razor thin even stopped down to F4 or F5.6 when filling the frame with the chosen point of focus. Keep in mind this lens can focus down to 11.5 inches, but it is not a macro lens, as the maximum magnification is 1:5.2. Whether paired with a full-frame DSLR for true wide angle, or on an APS-C DSLR where it is closer to a normal lens in terms of focal length and field of view, the super selective focus slice combined with painterly to truly abstract background rendering will push photographers to explore their subjects in ways to make the most of this lens–it has had me looking at everything with a fresh eye this week!

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Sigma’s Jared Ivy and his family made this great video demonstrating the benefits of the Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM and the EF-610 DG ST flash for family photography.

Watch the video to learn about this great creativity kit offered at an amazing package price.

And as a bonus, here’s more great tips from Jared for making the most of your family photos

• When shooting at a focal length wider than 24mm while using the flash, use the built in diffuser to spread the light wide enough to cover the scene. You can also bounce the flash off the ceiling to distribute the light for very wide angle shots, too.
• Try placing your subject near a light colored wall on either their right or left side. Point your flash towards the wall to simulate nice soft window light.
• When shooting babies or toddlers, hang a favorite stuffed animal, bell, and/or something shiny (like tinsel) from the lens to get their attention. If you are using a self timer or remote to take a family self portrait, tie fishing line to the attention-getting device so you can pull on it to make it move while sitting with the child.  The fishing line is so thin it will not be seen in the picture.
• Use the built in bounce card on the flash and tilt the flash to a 75 degree angle to achieve a higher ambient exposure while still bouncing a little direct fill light from the camera’s direction.  This will help  minimize shadows on the face and create nice catch lights in the eyes.
• Placing a CTO or warming gel over the flash and pointing directly at your subject can simulate sunrise/sunset light on a cloudy day or in open shade. You must underexpose the ambient light and make the flash at the proper exposure.  Your camera’s white balance must be set to the daylight or sunlight mode.
• When photographing babies or toddlers, try to get down on their level.  Not only is it a more pleasing angle, but they will engage the camera more.
• And most of all, remember it is supposed to be fun. Take frequent breaks, especially with the youngest photo subjects.

Weston Ivy, by his father, Jared Ivy. Made with the Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM and EF-610 DG ST Flash. Fillflash adds catchlights and balances the exposure. 1/80 F7.1 ISO 200 at 90mm on Canon EOS 50D..

Learn more about this great kit for travel, sports, wildlife and landscape here!

Using the SIGMA 120 – 400mm LENS | 50 – 500mm LENS

My photos have been published in National Geographic magazine, graced the cover of Audubon magazine and been featured in many online blogs and publications. And when I tell photographers that my go-to wildlife and birding kit is a Sigma 120-400mm mounted on Rebel T2i, it often takes a second for that information to sink in. I highly recommend this lightweight, variable aperture zoom lens with great reach and range.

Take, for example, this image of a Common Tern chick named “Scooter.” I’ve been asked if this was made with an 800mm prime!  He is three days old and is running toward me anticipating his parent to land. Granted I had to wait for a couple of hours for him to come out of his safe haven, but the wait was worth it.

© 2012 Lisa Franceski | Lens: 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 sec | Aperture: f/8 | ISO 400

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