Innholdsfortegnelse for August 10, 2013 i Amateur Photographer

THERE was once a time when I didn’t have much faith in the micro four thirds system. It seemed to me that it would always lag behind others that use APS-C and full-frame sensors, purely because pixels would always need to be squeezed into smaller spaces. Smaller pixels crammed onto smaller sensors, as we know, do tend to produce more noise and a more limited ability to record a wide range of tones. While this is still true, and the laws of physics remain unchanged, there have been significant advances in pixel design, sensor layout and image processing that have made a big difference to the way small sensors perform. While image quality in larger sensors has also moved on, there comes a point where incremental shifts go unnoticed as…

HASSELBLAD has announced a 20-million-pixel compact camera, available in six ‘exotic’ wooden handle options, called Stellar. The development follows a tie-up Hasselblad forged with Sony last year. A spokesperson for the Swedish firm has confirmed that the Stellar will carry a UK price of £1,548 when it goes on sale this month. The Stellar features a 1.0-type Exmor CMOS imaging sensor and will come with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens (28-100mm equivalent). Like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, which was unveiled last summer with a £550 price tag, the Stellar features a 3in, 1.2-million-dot LCD display. Commenting on the camera, Hasselblad chairman and CEO Dr Larry Hansen said: ‘It has always been my ambition to enable all fans of the iconic Hasselblad brand to have an opportunity to own one…

YORK PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Members will stage an exhibition on 10 and 11 August at York Medical Society Rooms, 23 Stonegate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 8AW. Tel: 01904 849 821. Visit www.yorkps.org. NORTH WALSHAM PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUP The group’s annual exhibition takes place from 20-26 August at Methodist Church Hall, Grammar School Road, North Walsham, Norfolk NR28 9JH. Visit www.nw-pg.co.uk. SNAPSHOT ● Professional lab Metro Imaging has launched an app designed to allow users to produce ‘high-quality’ prints of images captured using Instagram, the image-sharing website. The Instagram Print App, which is free to download, offers 5x5in prints on either gloss or matt paper, priced at 42p per print. For details visit www.metro-print.co.uk/instagramand kioskprints. ● A new photo background designed for photographers on the move has been launched by Creativity Backgrounds. The…

Beautiful Whale By Bryant Austin Abrams, £30, hardback, 124 pages, ISBN 978-1-4197-0384-3 THE STORY behind this book is what makes it really special. Bryant Austin gives an honest and lively account of his quest to take life-size photos of whales, and the images that accompany both his successes and his failures are splendid. Austin encounters several species of whale (don’t let the title mislead – there is more than one whale) throughout the book, and it seems every one comes with a anecdote revealing the depth of personality and intelligence in these creatures. Austin gives a frank account of his photography too, revealing what worked and what didn’t, and the details of how he went about capturing these images are a rewarding read. Austin is a natural storyteller and a…

When the BBC decides to devote an entire documentary to the life and work of a renowned photojournalist, you know instantly the content will have substance in depth and reveal far more than viewers thought they knew at the outset. A recent programme from the Imagine… series did much more than expose the results of a man’s work. The delivery was a telling insight into a complex and sometimes contradictory nature. Don McCullin’s self-expressed insatiable appetite for war zones and his allied disgust of humanity for the scenarios witnessed jarred the senses, despite his cool and measured tones while expressing deep personal feelings. You have to remember that his heyday was now some decades ago in the times of rock-solid film cameras and all that meant in picture gathering, technically…

A beguiling mixture of British and Continental influences, Jersey is in a league of its own when it comes to landscapes. Tom Mackie shows five AP readers how to make the most of its classic landmarks. Gill Mullins reports Some 100 miles south of the mainland lie the Channel Islands, with roots in both England and France but with a flavour all of their own. Jersey is the largest and most southerly, just 14 miles off the Normandy coast. Its 45 square miles pack in an extraordinary range of landscapes, from rugged coves to golden sands, green lanes to enticing footpaths, historic castles and towers to the Second World War fortifications built by the Germans – the Channel Islands being the only British territory to be occupied during the war.…

Chris Wallace Wiltshire Chris has made his way through quite the range of kit over the years, starting with an Ilford Sportsman and moving on to a Werra, a Pentax Spotmatic and a Canon AE-1 P, before finally ending up with the Canon EOS AD he uses today. Chris’s favourite subject is wildlife, from macro to larger animals, Although he also enjoys shooting flora and fungi. ‘I feel wildlife is a fairly difficult subject, and to come home with decent images gives me a feeling of satisfaction and the enthusiasm to go on and try to improve,’ he says. Wild fox 1 A 400mm lens with a ax converter allowed Chris to get this image of a curious fox cub Canon EOS 40D, 400mm, 2x converter, 1/125sec at f/11, ISO…

Buying a tablet bREEMmachine asks I’m looking for a graphics tablet and pen to use with Photoshop. I have got a budget of about £150, so can anyone recommend anything? frank1 replies It has to be something by Wacom. The Bamboos are around £60, but I’d go for the Intuos range (although these are pricey). Whatever you choose, it has to be a Wacom. taxor replies I’ve had the Bamboo, which I liked, but if you can stretch your budget then the Intuos tablets (also by Wacom) are the business. Using the little buttons quickly becomes second nature and significantly improves workflow. I find it next to impossible to do anything in Photoshop with a mouse these days. NosamLuap replies I’m a happy Wacom Bamboo user. Find somewhere you can…

WHAT a photographer wants in a camera is a very personal affair, but the marketing executives of the big camera companies pick out their ‘unique selling propositions’ from amongst those attributes that they think will have a broad appeal to the photographic community. For a camera, megapixels, as a proxy for detail and resolution is one such attribute. Noise, as a proxy for ‘image quality’ is another. Speed, both related to frame rate and focus performance gives another hook on which marketing people can hang their hat. More recently, more esoteric concerns such as dynamic range and colour gamut have become more prominent. However, since I have been interested in cameras, which is longer than I care now to admit to, there has been one ‘USP’ which seems to count…

2 EVEN the most prolific and talented photographers sometimes find themselves stuck for inspiration. One of the most frustrating aspects for a photographer is that seemingly impenetrable creative block. Always remember, though, that photography is a rich and varied art form, which is why it is entrenched in some of the UK’s most important galleries. Visiting exhibitions and seeing the work of the photographers of today and yesteryear is one of the most inspiring things about creating your own images. Knowledge and inspiration are almost always gleaned from the work of fellow practitioners, so whenever you find yourself struggling for ideas, visit the nearest gallery with a show on offer. More and more galleries dedicated to photography are appearing throughout the UK, and more often than not the work they…

5 PhotograPhy competitions are genuinely exciting events that can help to promote some of the most interesting images being produced in today’s photography field. From the Terry O’Neill awards to our very own Amateur Photographer of the Year competition, there are a number of awards worth keeping your eye on to see what’s going on out there. But why just look? Why not give it a go yourself? There are many competitions online and in galleries that are open to amateur photographers. Here are some that are well worth your attention. Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Not only is wildlife photography one of the most popular genres, but it’s also a vital educational tool. Through the kinds of images produced by Andy Rouse and Jim Brandenburg, we can…

8 IF YOU haven’t got the patience to set yourself a year-long project, scale it back and make a day of it instead. Start taking photographs at dawn and don’t stop until dusk. There’s nothing quite like waking up at 4am, driving on deserted roads to a new location and finding the perfect spot to catch the rising sun. Once that is done, you can always have a nap in the car before taking a stroll around the area and seeing what else you can find. Have a location in mind for the end of the day, and head there to catch the sunset – it could be a location you have researched, or somewhere you have discovered during the day that you can return to. Depending on the time…

12 DO YOU struggle to find friends and family who will pose for you? And even if you do find someone who agrees, do they only sit still for five minutes before they get too bored or embarrassed to continue? If so, a professional model might be the answer to your portrait problems. And by clubbing together with camera-club companions or other friends, hiring a model might not be as expensive as you first thought. Working with a professional model will provide you with a number of benefits. First, they know what they’re doing. They can help suggest poses, props and locations that bring out their best features and they don’t mind being told what to do! They’re also being paid to be there, so there’s no rush. You can…

14 ‘I HAVE always found peoplewatching fascinating, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to street photography in the first place,’ says street photographer Gavin Mills. ‘After a spell of shooting people who were unaware I was taking their photo, I wanted to try getting in closer so I could see every detail of their face, particularly their eyes and facial expressions. ‘I recall the first time I went up to a stranger on the street to ask if I could take their photo. It was a guy waiting outside the airport and he had the most fantastic beard. I went up to him and explained that I was doing a photo project about beards, and asked if it would be OK for me to take his picture.…

17 WE MENTIONED earlier that visiting exhibitions is a good way of getting inspiration for your own work. Another good tip is to delve into the myriad books and magazines that line the shelves of newsagents, bookshops and libraries. Take a wander through the photography section of any good bookshop and look through some of the truly wonderful books that have been compiled by some of the world’s most important photographers. There’s nothing more exciting and inspirational than studying the work of your favourite image-makers. A great number of books are released every month whose premise is built on improving your photography, whether it’s in general terms or by using specific techniques such as macro and monochrome. There’s no definitive guide to photography, so it’s worth shopping around for the…

20 STREET photography has grown in popularity over the last few years. However, achieving that sought-after natural look can sometimes be quite a challenge. Thankfully, cameras are becoming a l ittle more stealthy, but often when people become aware of a photographer taking a picture, the mood and scene suddenly change. Capturing that impromptu moment therefore comes down to being subtle and discreet. One method to combat this is to shoot from the hip. This avoids raising awareness of your presence, so the scene does not change as you capture your images. If you’re not raising the camera, people do not expect you to be taking pictures. In this situation, an articulated screen can be very useful but not essential. All settings can be preset for the situation while relying…

Your photo guides will be landscape photography expert Jeremy Walker and What Digital Camera editor Nigel Atherton Join us on a bespoke photo tour to Canada, accompanied by photo experts and a local guide for an opportunity to view and capture the breathtaking Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, and the Rocky Mountains’ natural wonders. This is a tremendous-value, interest packed, escorted photo tour. First, you’ll fly west to Calgary, gateway to the Rocky Mountains, and spend two nights in Banff. You will have time to capture images and benefit from inspiring advice for achieving amazing photos. There will be optional-extra excursions too! Then, you’ll journey by coach past beautiful Lake Louise and along the Icefields Parkway into Jasper National Park, to stay overnight in Jasper. From here, you’ll journey east…

WITH digital technology recently taking such incredible steps in dynamic range and ISO performance, there has never been a better a time to try out the fabulous photographic experience of night-time shoots. All modern DSLRs, from croppedsensor consumer to full-frame professional models, are capable of capturing the moonlight to an enviable standard. It is all down to dynamic range, which has increased significantly as sensor technology has developed. It’s all very well for a camera to boast high ISO settings, but the dynamic range needs to be consistent as the ISO increases. Thankfully, most cameras are now capable of superb lunar images up to ISO 1600 and sometimes even higher. So where do you shoot? It’s better to get as far away as possible from street lighting and head out…

28 PHOTOGRAPHY is nothing if not adaptable. The keen-eyed photographer can find opportunities in all manner of situations, and that includes those days when the sun has disappeared and the heavens have opened. If you live in the UK you may find yourself faced with grey skies and damp landscapes more often than you would wish, but that’s no reason to set your camera down to collect dust. Rain-drenched scenes can offer some brilliant images. A key issue for photographers is that rainy days can often subdue the colour of the scene. This offers a great opportunity to try your hand at monochrome imagery. It means you’re free to boost the contrast of your scene in post-production to create a stark atmosphere and reveal the shapes and tones of the…

RUSSIAN roulette is not an intellectually demanding game, and it is probably best played when you are extremely drunk. For those unfamiliar with the rules, they are simple. You load one chamber of a revolver, leaving the others empty; close your eyes; spin the cylinder; hold the gun to your own head; and pull the trigger. Assuming it has the customary six chambers, you have a five out of six chance of survival. I have to admit that I’ve never played it, and I don’t think that this has much to do with the fact that my favourite revolver, my stainless-steel-frame Ruger .44 Magnum, is currently in California. Those who have played it and survived are generally of the opinion that it gives you a whole new perspective on life.…

PANASONIC’S latest compact system camera creation, the Lumix DMC-GX7, is a ‘high-end’ model squarely aimed at photo enthusiasts PANASONIC’S latest compact system camera creation, the Lumix DMC-GX7, is a ‘high-end’ model squarely aimed at photo enthusiasts The GX7 will cost £819, body only, when it goes on sale in September. The GX7 will cost £819, body only, when it goes on sale in September. The GX7 will cost £819, body only, when it goes on sale in September. The 16-million-pixel camera features what Panasonic claims is the world’s first built-in, tiltable, 90° live viewfinder on a digital single-lens mirrorless body. It boasts a resolution of more than 2.7 million dots and is designed to allow the user to achieve ‘the perfect shot from any angle’. The 16-million-pixel camera features what…

CANON sold 19% fewer digital cameras worldwide in the second quarter of 2013, compared to the same period last year – with demand for interchangeable-lens cameras falling 4%. However, Canon’s global imaging division sales revenue climbed 4.4% and the firm says it held the number-one spot for photo and video in the UK for the first half of 2013. Sales of Canon compact cameras fell 26% worldwide from April-June 2013 in volume terms (year-on-year) but demand for the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 6D DSLRs continued to grow, and the EOS 700D ‘proved popular’ in Japan over the three months. ‘As for digital compact cameras, sales volume declined from the previous year due to the market slowdown and increasing popularity of smartphones,’ states Canon. The firm says this was…

PHOTO crowdsourcing service Scoopshot has secured $1.2 million of funding from stock photographer Yuri Arcurs. Scoopshot is an ondemand image service that aims to provide buyers with an alternative to stock photo libraries. It allows buyers to create photo assignments in specific locations for Scoopshot photographers – giving buyers the chance to request what they want. The service also aims to help photographers earn money from their photos and ‘make it fun’. Both Scoopshot and Arcurs believe that on-demand photography is the future for the stock industry. Scoopshot CEO Niko Ruokosuo said: ‘It is our belief that the majority of stock photography will be on-demand within the next five years. To survive, photo sites must adapt and adopt new models for monetising photography. It really is a case of do…

● ON STAGE by Michael Nether, £29.90 Michael Nether has, at least according to the introduction to this book, had a varied and stimulating career in various fields of photography. You wouldn’t really know it based on the evidence provided here. This book focuses exclusively on his work photographing musicians and other celebrities on stage. The result is a drab, monotonous affair, picture after picture of unfocused, greyscale famous faces, an inordinate number of which seem to have been caught at especially unflattering moments. ● DOMAINS OF INFLUENCE by Jacqueline Hassink, £30 With a clever and different approach to photographic portraiture, Jacqueline Hassink gives us a picture of leading businesswomen across the Arab world without showing us their faces. By exploring the private and business rooms of these women, she…

Pentax cameras are built for the outdoors, so who better to try out the best-selling Pentax K-30 DSLR than a bunch of VW Camper van owners, a group synonymous with an active outdoor lifestyle? That’s why Pentax recently teamed up with VW Camper and Bus, the world’s best-selling magazine for VW camper enthusiasts, for its recent Camper and Bus Show. More than 400 campers joined the run from Guildford to Bournemouth, then spent the day on the beautiful Bournemouth seafront. Pentax was at the beach to demonstrate the range of Pentax DSLRs and underwater cameras (no worries about flying sand!) and provide cameras for the event photography. In addition, five lucky camper owners were given a K-30 DSLR for the day to see how they got on. Most had never…

Sue Baudains ‘I started about 10 years ago, shooting landscapes and surfing. Today has inspired me to pay more attention to the technical aspects of photography.’ Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24-105mm and 100-400mm zooms Claire Jehan ‘I’ve always taken family photos and branched out from compacts to a DSLR 3 1/2 years ago. Today I’ve practised using equipment that, up till now, had been little used.’ Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24-105mm zoom Bob Newton ‘I’m mostly interested in wildlife and close-ups. The thing I’ve really learned today is to take more time to think about the technical aspects of a shot, and to choose the best lens for the composition.’ Nikon D300 with 10-20mm, 80-200mm and 80-400mm zooms, and a 105mm prime Alan Pryor ‘I’ve only…

Sensor cleaners Callum McInerney-Riley tests a range of items dedicated to cleaning your camera’s sensor Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly £60 www.alphaodl.co.uk The Arctic Butterfly is effectively a cleaning brush, but with a difference. It uses Super Charged Fibre (SCF) technology, which basically means that the bristles contain a small electrical charge, though you don’t need to worry about this damaging your camera. The electrostatic charge attracts any dust or small particles, so they can be removed with just a light brushing of your sensor. Once done, a built-in motor spins the brush head round rapidly, propelling dust away and helping regenerate the electrostatic charge, leaving it clean and ready to use again. But remember not to spin the bristles while on the camera sensor. There are a few different versions…

Having looked at core computing and storage terms, this week’s Glossary turns its spotlight on the jargon relating to monitors. TFT LCD: Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display, the display technology used by the majority of computer monitors, laptops, tablets, cameras and so on. It typically uses liquid crystals held between two polarisers, plus coloured (RGB) filters to form an image. SIZE: Fairly obvious, but it’s worth reiterating that the size of a monitor (usually given in inches) is the diagonal measurement of the screen from corner to corner RESOLUTION: The number of pixels making up the image displayed on screen, given as a horizontal x vertical measurement (such as 1680x1050 or 1920x1200). A TFT LCD display has a physical number of pixels, and this is described as its ‘native…

TURN the camera on, set the sensitivity to ISO 400, flick to aperture priority and set the aperture to f/8. Make sure AF is on centre point, white balance on AWB and metering on evaluative. Visit the same location you’ve been to a hundred times previously, and take the same types of images. And repeat… It is all too easy to get comfortable and settle for what we know, but much of the challenge of photography is in learning new things, taking new photographs and capturing the perfect moment. We have compiled a list of 30 ideas that you can use to motivate yourself and try something different. Not all of them are bold or dramatic. In fact, some are very simple, such as taking the time to make more…

3 HERE are five great reasons why every photographer should join a camera club or photographic society: 1 Talk with like-minded photographers Meet up regularly with people who are just as passionate about photography as you are. No one will tell you to ‘hurry up’ or change the subject! 2 Competitions, contests and critiques Most clubs and societies hold competitions on a regular basis. These are often based around a theme, so members can test their skills and get advice and feedback from other members or even specially invited guest judges. 3 Organised pro talks Many camera clubs organise for professional photographers to come and speak to the club members about photography, techniques and their own experiences. 4 Trips and photo excursions Depending on the club you join, you may…

6 IT MIGHT not sound like the most exciting idea on our list, but it is surely one of the most beneficial. By putting aside some time to sort out, organise and reassess your photos, you will not only tidy up your desktop, but you may also find some photographs you had forgotten about. There are many ways of organising your photos. Even among the AP team the filing systems vary – one uses camera names, another the date and place, and a third dates only. Use the system that you find most useful and easiest to navigate. Remember that you should back up your photos onto an external hard drive as well, so it’s worth thinking about investing in a system that backs up any changes you make to…

9 ALTHOUGH there are many companies offering organised photo walks around the country, why not create your own? With the resources available via the internet, it’s never been easier to research your route and destination before you even set off. Once you’ve decided where you want to take your photo walk – for the purposes of our project we’re using Bournemouth in Dorset – use Google Maps Street View to take a closer look at the area. Locate a landmark, such as the pier, from which to start your photo walk. Make sure there are car parks or transport links nearby if needed. From here, mark out a route. Street View shows us that we can walk along the seafront to Hengistbury Head passing another pier, or we can walk…

11 Finding a suitable subject for portraits can be difficult, particularly if you are quite shy. In tip 14 (page 56), we suggest asking a complete stranger for permission to take their photograph, but although they may be more receptive than you think, this may be too much of a leap for many photographers. Instead, why don’t you try to photograph the one person who will always be available at the same time as you – yourself! Taking a self-portrait gives you time and opportunity to experiment with posing and lighting. Set your camera up on a tripod and then use the self-timer or a remote release to trigger the shutter. It may take a few attempts before you achieve the correct exposure settings, but once mastered, you can begin…

15 A HISTOGRAM is a graph that represents the make-up of the tonal range in an image. The left side of the histogram represents the black/shadows, the right represents the white/highlights, while in the centre are the midtones. The density of tonal frequencies in the graph can be read to see which tones make up the image. For example, to achieve bright, contrasty skies in landscape images, with nice detail in the shadow areas, there needs to be an equal balance between the blacks, whites and midtones. The histogram will display this information. If it shows a high level of frequencies to the left, then the image is underexposed. If it shows a high level of frequencies bunched to the right, then the image is overexposed. If tones peak at…

18 IF THERE’S one thing most of us are guilty of, it is not making enough time for our photography. There are so many reasons, excuses really, not to go out for a day shooting – work, family, weather – that our cameras may go untouched for weeks on end. However, a quick adjustment to how you think about photographic time might be all you need to be re-inspired to go out more frequently. Why not spend just five or ten minutes a day taking a photo? Take your camera on your walk to work, or pull the car over in a lay-by if you see a pretty sunset. Take a photo of your cat, dog or child going about their daily business. Or experiment with still life in the…

20 IT MAY seem a little gimmicky at first glance, but words are powerful tools and sometimes a sprinkling of text can be the unusual touch that will make a picture memorable. A witty caption, an apposite quote or an overlaid title can all be appropriate in the right contexts, and if you are struggling with how to give an image a little extra something, it’s well worth trying out. What’s also worth trying is incorporating text that you find in the world into your photos. Look for signs, billboards, even graffiti – this is often a great way to get inspired with street photography. Be open to the presence of words in the world around you when making pictures. Also consider being creative with your photo titles. Most people…

23 HOURS spent in front of a computer editing a digital image won’t turn a bad shot into a good one, but it can offer a different interpretation of the scene. In the same way that we frequently choose to use the same exposure settings on our camera, we also get very complacent when editing the resulting images, making the same adjustments to the same strengths time and time again. While this does help a collection of images to look like part of a set, sometimes editing the image in a different way can give it a whole new perspective. So next time you sit down to edit an image, why not set yourself the target of editing it in five different ways? Don’t just click on a default preset…

26 ALTHOUGH a large depth of field is perfect for many types of photography, it can create something of a point-and-shoot mentality. So instead of relying on f/8 or f/11, why not open your lens aperture as wide as it will go, or perhaps 1 stop down from there for better quality? When shooting at f/2.8, f/1.8 or even f/1.4, there will be a very shallow depth of field. Use it to your advantage to look at scenes in a completely different way. By focusing on foreground subjects, objects in the background will be completely out of focus and show as a mere blur, and vice versa. By restricting yourself to using a shallow depth of field, you will naturally start to look for opportunities to use this effect creatively.…

29 The vasT majority of photographers take autofocus for granted, but it wasn’t that long ago that manual focus was the only option. And it still has a huge part to play, particularly if you want to get the most accurate images possible. For some subjects, manual focusing will be far too slow. However, it’s great for the type of shots that most enthusiasts take on a regular basis. You may even find the manual method faster and more accurate, as twisting the lens barrel can often be faster than changing the selected AF point. Not to mention that some lenses can suffer from front or back focus, causing images to be fractionally softer than they should be. In fact, one way to determine whether a lens suffers from front…

Wednesday 7 August EXHIBITION Quiet Heroes by Ken Griffiths, until 24 August at Ffotogallery, South Glamorgan CF64 3DH. Tel: 0292 070 8870. Visit www.ffotogallery.org. EXHIBITION Sentebale – Stories of Hope by royal photographer Chris Jackson, until 10 August at Getty Images Gallery, London W1W 8DX. Tel: 0207 291 5380. / Thursday 8 August EXHIBITION by Essex-based photographer Paul Stoddart, until 10 August at Beecroft Art Gallery, Essex SS0 7RA. Tel: 01702 347 418. Visit www.southendmuseums.co.uk. EXHIBITION John Hinde: Postcards, until 20 October at The Photographers’ Gallery, London W1F 7LW. Tel: 0845 262 1618. Friday 9 August EXHIBITION Resolutions (addressing digital technology’s impact on contemporary photographic practice), last day at Belfast Exposed, Belfast BT1 2FF. Visit www.belfastexposed.org. EXHIBITION Ever Young by James Barnor, until 31 August at Impressions Gallery, West Yorkshire…

‘Camera care at the coast was the subject of a suitably seasonal piece by CG Ashdown this week in 1950. Predictably, sand was deemed ‘seaside enemy No1’. ‘It gets into the rangefinder and ruins its accuracy, it creeps into the shutter causing it to grate for weeks after, it settles on the cassette felt and puts “tramlines” down the length of the film — as well as getting into our sandwiches.’ So AP advised photographers to protect their gear using ’two or three paper bags’ — ensuring that the mouth of the inner bag is covered by the bottom of the outer bag. Those without an everready-type case were urged to use a ’small macintosh bag, as used for toilet soap’, to protect the camera from sea spray. Smokers could…

FOR JAKE HELMAN, company director of Digital Depot in Stevenage, being a Sony Alpha Centre of Excellence is recognition of the firm’s hard work. ‘We have knowledgeable staff who are confident advising customers about Sony’s digital cameras,’ he says. ‘Our staff are trained around twice a month on the very latest products and technology.’ Jake continues: ‘We keep a range of key Sony cameras, lenses and accessories, so when a customer walks in, they know that we’ll have the product in stock. Plus, we maintain good levels of stock, so you won’t be buying an ex-display or demonstration camera.’ Like all Sony Alpha Centres of Excellence, Digital Depot also offers in-store training and hands-on days, including the recent Full-Frame Friday, where customers had the opportunity to use the Sony Cyber-shot…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Wins a 20-roll pack of 36-exposure Fujifilm Superia ISO 200 35mm film or a Fujifilm 8GB media card* A ROSE-TINTED MIRAGE I have to confess a certain cynicism towards several models being brought to market by some of our most longstanding manufacturers. Many recent cameras seem little more than cash cows designed to milk those among us for whom brand names can still bring back a hazy, rose-tinted mirage of bygone days. Eras past were rarely quite as good as we like to remember them; time has a way of vignetting over the poorer aspects! Many may recall the first time they saw an expensive camera in a shop window, or over someone’s shoulder, wishing that someday they might own such a thing. In reality, however,…

THIS is another shot from Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania (see AP 27 July). I got up at dawn to shoot at Dove Lake, which lies at the base of Cradle Mountain, and I spent two or three hours watching the sun come up. As I started to head back for breakfast, I passed this area of button-grass moorlands that the sun was just starting to strike. It had rained a lot the previous afternoon, and this caused the mist to start to rise in the background. I had been really keen to photograph the button grass anyway because these tussocks have fantastic sculptural shapes, so I quickly set up the tripod and made this image. I think the best way to photograph these tussocks is into…

Kiss Fernando Nonohay Canon EOS 60D, 18-135mm, 1/800sec at f/5, ISO 640 FERNANDO describes his photograph as ‘an impromptu kiss captured from the top deck of a London bus’. Assuming the bus was in motion, it’s a well-observed and well-snatched shot that was clearly framed using the rule of thirds. This ‘rule’ may not be to everyone’s liking, but here the off-centre composition works, with the two figures on the right-hand thirds line balanced perfectly by the oversized plant pot at the left. Fernando did well to get his camera set to a suitably fast motion-freezing shutter speed before triggering the shutter, as well as choosing a focal length that provided some context, as it would have been all too easy to zoom right in and crop the shot too…

OBTAINING ACCREDITATION How do I go about becoming an accredited photographer? I was looking to obtain a photographer’s pass for a large equestrian event, but it states in the terms and conditions that I need to be an accredited photographer before I can apply. How do I obtain a press/photographer’s pass for such events? Obviously, I’m trying to obtain the best vantage points at such events. Dan Schiraldi Unfortunately, unless you know someone at the event’s press office (or in some other suitably useful role), you’re possibly only going to get a pass for a large sporting event if you’re working for a publication that will vouch for you, be it a newspaper or magazine. We would all like to have unrestricted access to major events, but it’s simply not…

OLYMPUS PEN E-P5 We test the new 16-million-pixel Olympus Pen E-P5, the latest in the company’s range of micro four thirds cameras GAME, SET AND SNAP Sports photographer Bob Martin heads to Wimbledon to get some unique angles on the tennis action BACK TO THE FUTURE The HTC One may only have 4 million pixels but it promises a wide dynamic range. Meanwhile, the Ilford Harman Obscura 5x4in pinhole camera is put to the test KODAK RETINA IA AND IIA Ivor Matanle recalls the last of the real Retinas…

1 THERE are many images that look far better in black & white than they do in colour, as the colour can distract from the subject. Removing the colour allows us to view the scene in a simple arrangement of shapes and tones. Where a scene lacks light and contrast, this will become even more apparent in a monochrome photograph, and as such you will begin to look at the world in a different way. Digital photography allows us to view a scene in black & white instantly, which may reveal photo opportunities that would previously have gone unnoticed. We can even increase contrast, or add a traditional coloured-filter effect, in-camera while out photographing. And we need no longer fear that shooting in black & white will make us to…

4 WE ALWAYS advocate knowing your camera inside and out. This helps ensure you achieve the exposure and effect you want, with few shocks. However, we can also benefit from handling new kit every now and then, whether that’s trying a film camera and seeing how differently you shoot when you have to consider the number of times you press the shutter release, or using a prime and ‘zooming’ with your feet rather than your camera. There are a few different ways you could give this project a go. If you’re a part of a camera club, why not suggest you all swap kit for a week and give each other feedback on what you do and don’t like about the cameras. Or swap your kit with friends. Alternatively, try…

7 TAKING and sharing photos has never been easier. You can instantly send pictures to the other side of the world directly from a mobile phone or Wi-Fi-enabled camera. Yet while looking at photos on a small mobile device is convenient, it doesn’t have the same impact as a print. Printing photographs has, from the outset, been at the heart of photography, but how many people now take the time to print their digital images? Prints are easy to hand around and talk about with a small group of people, while larger prints have greater impact displayed in a home or gallery. Prints are a powerful medium for instantly conveying a message or story, and you don’t need to power up any devices before you can see them. Looking at…

10 SO MANY of us slave away at producing work that we’re proud of, but then find we lack a means to show the world our images. This is one of the great things about the internet: it provides a platform for you to showcase your adventures in photography. Sites like Flickr and 500px offer amateur photographers a user-friendly way of putting their work online. Most importantly, they enable other photographers to comment and offer feedback on the images you show. But why not go one step further and create a website dedicated to just your work? Word Press (wordpress.com) and Blogspot (blogger.com) offer template blog sites that are easy to set up and put work onto. It’s a more personal way of showing the world your work, and one…

13 THERE are plenty of facilities for getting critique on your photos. Social media sites like Facebook and portfolio sites such as Flickr are good places to start, but also keep an eye out for portfolio reviews taking place at galleries in your area. These are a great way to gain feedback in person, which is always a worthwhile experience. Look into magazines too; we have several facilities for offering guidance and critique here at AP. Submit photos for Chris Gatcum’s Appraisal column, enter the latest round of APOY or visit the ‘Appraisal’ section of our forums to gain feedback from other readers. There is one important point that many people forget, however – one of the fastest ways to gain feedback for your work is to give it to…

16 BREAKING the rules is not the same as ignoring them. A photographer who successfully breaks rules of composition is not the same as a photographer who simply doesn’t know how to compose a photograph. Only by learning what the rules are can you also learn to break them successfully. Haje Jan Kamps released an excellent book last year called The Rules of Photography and When to Break Them, and you couldn’t ask for a better primer. First, Haje explains the rules in detail, and then provides visual examples of how breaking them can lead to fresh, interesting results. One of the first rules one encounters when learning photography is that ISO should be kept as low as possible in order to minimise noise. This is perfectly true – and…

19 WHEN leaving home armed with your camera, a tripod is not usually an accompanying accessory we opt for unless it’s a necessity. But while they can be heavy and restricting, there are certain situations in which the use of a tripod is a big advantage. To help with this, there is a wealth of lightweight tripods available, and coupling one of these with a suitable camera bag with tripod attachments makes carrying a tripod around rather hassle-free. Particularly when using slower shutter speeds, images on the back of the camera can look OK until they are reviewed in a larger format, at which point they show themselves to be less sharp than they at first appeared. Using a tripod will help to eliminate this problem and achieve optimum sharpness.…

22 WE HAVE turned to Team GB Olympic shooter James Huckle for a few tips on how to take better handheld shots: ‘Having firm, well-placed footing is essential to achieving steady shots. Standing side on with the weight on the back foot and the front foot slightly forward offers a firm foundation. This also makes panning and tracking much easier. ‘It’s important to get comfortable, which means relaxing as many muscles as possible. Avoid tensing the muscles you are using as this will only lead to quicker fatigue and camera shake. ‘Use your skeleton as the primary support. Try to get your elbow on your hip while holding the camera to prevent your shoulders from taking all the weight. Also, if you can get away with kneeling down with the…

24 IT’S EASY to find yourself stuck in a rut creatively, and sometimes going back and reinvigorating an old project can be just what you need to get excited about your photography again. Dig through your hard drive and see what you can find. Chances are you aren’t the same photographer now that you were five years ago, or even one year ago. Use the time elapsed as license to experiment – you probably aren’t as attached to the image as you were when you first took it, so saturate, sharpen, rack up the contrast. Pull it to pieces if you want. You have no reason not to be extreme with your experimentation. This is another reason to always shoot raw, and to keep the files well organised on hard…

27 MOST photographers only ever use flash to get a decent exposure in challenging conditions. These same photographers see flash as a last resort and rarely take the time to learn how to use it correctly. But by exploring how to modify and control a flash, you can take your photography to another level. Light from a flash can be modified easily using household items, to give you maximum control. With paper, a simple flash bounce or snoot can be made, and a cigarette paper over a pop-up flash can give a lovely soft light for portraits. Flash is ultimately a versatile tool, but one that is underestimated. Why not try controlling the flash intensity and adding some fill light to a portrait on a bright sunny day? Using flash…

RIGHT from the outset, photography’s pioneers understood that the medium was, at its heart, much more than just a means to record images of the surrounding world. Artists such as Hippolyte Bayard and William Henry Fox Talbot saw the potential for the medium to act as a conduit for one of our most cherished human traits – the desire to tell stories. Photography has an innate ability to educate, inform and entertain, either through single images or through a succession of frames. It wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that most of us spend our time attempting to communicate our ideas through a single frame, but what if you want to take that a step further? Take a look back through some of the work produced by the significant photographers whose…