It takes a winning combo—and a little luck—to get a great shot!
How top pro André Costantini used the amazing new Tamron 18-250mm zoom lens and broke the rules to capture the magic moment

 

André Costantini, a well-known New York-based pro, has been shooting professionally for over a decade. He studied photography and painting at Rutgers University, worked with such renowned photographers as Eddie Adams, Frederic Banner, and Nat Clymer, and has taught photography and lighting workshops in major cities all over the U.S. and in Canada. His client list includes the American Repertory Theater, Boston Early Music Festival, Dynalite, and L’Oreal, and his articles have appeared in Shutterbug, Studio Photography and Design, and Viewfinder magazines. “I shoot a lot of people pictures for commercial and editorial applications,” says Costantini, “but there’s some travel photography mixed in there as well. Actually I enjoy bringing my eye to many different types of photography and seeing what the results will be.”

He was on assignment for Tamron when Costantini created the timeless graphic image on this page. “I was putting the incredibly versatile Tamron 18-250mm high-ratio zoom lens through its paces in order to create a compelling image for a Tamron lens ad, and I knew I wanted to include some water in the picture. I was in Northern California scouting some locations for a water scene on Google when I came upon the Lafayette Reservoir and Town Park in Lafayette, California located off route 24 about 20 miles inland of the San Francisco Bay area. When I called the local officials they were very accommodating, so I posed my two models on a long pier jutting into the reservoir. I was trying to convey a mother and son situation, showing the pair fishing, camping, and spending quality time together. I am always mindful of what the client is going for, but I also try to shoot what I like as well, because I know that capturing feelings and emotions is what takes an image beyond the commonplace.”

“Actually, getting this picture was a happy coincidence because I shot it while walking back to get the memory cards I had inadvertently left on shore!” admits Costantini. “I suddenly turned around and saw that the juxtaposition of my two subjects and the misty morning backlight were just perfect, so I brought the camera up to my eye, composed the picture with the pier at a slightly oblique angle, and took the picture. I think the fact that this is a grab shot and so ‘atmospheric’ is what gives it a natural feel even though technically it was posed. In ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus the famed French writer cautions ‘Never look back into the sun…’ and the same advice is often given to photographers, especially when they’re shooting with zoom lenses. Frankly I took a chance to see what would happen with the Tamron 18-250mm because I liked the light so much. I must say the lens performed exceptionally well under these adverse conditions, and the flower-shaped lens hood furnished with the lens definitely helps you achieve clean-looking results in high-flare situations. I took this picture at the widest-angle (18mm) setting in aperture-priority mode with my Canon EOS 20D. The exposure was 1/3200 sec at f/8, with the ISO set to 400.”

“Shooting with a high-ratio zoom like the new Tamron 18-250mm has many other operational advantages,” notes Costantini. “Using a lens that’s equivalent to a 28-388mm lens (in the 35mm format) lets you make quick, decisive decisions on picture composition while remaining in one spot, and that often allows you to be more creative and spontaneous—it literally expands your personal vision. I knew the instant I took the picture on this page that it was going to be one of my favorites. And after finishing this assignment I also knew that the Tamron 18-250mm was now my favorite lens. Indeed, I plan to replace my present Tamron 18-200mm with the Tamron 18-250mm as soon as possible because its overall design, color accuracy, enhanced telephoto capability and superb flare correction are well worth the modest difference in price. And yes, that silly 50mm in additional focal length does make a real difference when you’re zooming in to capture important details.”

Proving is in the pictures of just how versatile this new Tamron lens is. While Tamron chose the stunning backlit environmental portrait for its ad, these other images from the same shoot are fabulous.

Tamron AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro

Model A18 for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony Digital SLR Cameras

 

Experience the great power of a 13.9X zoom with Tamron's new 18-250mm - this all-in-one compact lens delivers amazing photographic freedom with its 28-400mm* range. At nearly 14X, Tamron's 18-250mm is the world's most powerful zoom designed exclusively for Digital SLRs.

*when converted to 35mm format

 

  Lens designed for exclusive use on digital SLR cameras with smaller-size imagers.