Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-oct-2014 i Amateur Photographer

Cologne’s biennial Photokina, the world’s largest photo trade fair, has been the launch pad for the latest cameras and accessories since it first opened in 1950, with a congratulatory telegram from President Eisenhower. There was no email from President Obama this time, and no game-changing technology, but lots of new kit made its debut. Updates of two of the most popular DSLRs of recent years, the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon D700, had long been anticipated, but few foresaw Samsung trumping them both, on paper. Will the NX1 finally gain Samsung admittance to the big kids’ playground? And who expected Leica to introduce a digital camera with no LCD screen or, for that matter, a new 35mm camera? Meanwhile, small continues to be the new big as premium compacts and…

Hazy portraits We’re often told that lens flare is a bad thing, and that it’s something that should be avoided at all costs with the aid of a lens hood. While this advice certainly has its merits, instead of viewing flare as something negative, why not try and use it to your advantage? For those who don’t know, lens flare is caused when light glances across the front element of the lens, which causes rings or orbs of light (also known as artifacts) to appear on the final image Although it can be added to just about any type of photography, it works well with portraiture, allowing you to add a warm and hazy glow to your images. It’s incredibly easy to do and requires little more than a light…

Nikon Europe has brushed aside the rise of the large-sensor compact system camera, dismissing them as no longer ’compact’ in size. The firm insists that this gives the Nikon 1, a system launched three years ago, an edge over its rivals Asked why Nikon does not make a CSC with a large sensor, such as APS-C-size or full frame, Dirk Jasper (pictured above), product manager at Nikon Europe’s professional products planning division, said: ’You shouldn’t underestimate the Nikon 1 system... ’OK, it’s a 1 in sensor and not full frame, or APS-C-size. ’On the other hand it gives us advantages over other systems because, looking at systems that have this size of sensor, sorry to say, they are no longer compact.’ In an interview with A P at Photokina, Jasper…

SIGMA has revealed why it’s making two different versions of its new 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens. At Photokina, AP discussed the new models with Sigma CEO, Kazuto Yamaki. ’When we decided to replace the 150-500mm, we wanted to make a lens that was relatively small and light, but of higher optical quality,’ said Yamaki. ’But we realised that we couldn’t do both at once, so decided to make two different lenses.’ One is labelled ’Sport’, and the other, ’Contemporary’. The Sport lens is larger and heavier, because we’ve minimised chromatic aberration, especially at the 600mm end. To do this, we needed to make the front of the lens large and use special glass elements.’ This means the ’S’ lens should give higher optical quality than previous ultra-telephoto zooms.…

CAMERA brands need to do more to attract a wider demographic if they are to stay successful. A new generation of photographers are turned off by the button-strewn black boxes that dominate the ranges of most brands. That’s the view expressed by Jonathan Martin, general manager, Ricoh Imaging UK (pictured above). The desire to create and share is more widespread with young people today, and photography is a major part of that,’ explained Martin when we caught up with him at Photokina. ’Everyone is taking pictures on their phones, but not enough of them are taking that next step into a camera shop to buy a proper camera. We need to do more to tempt them by offering cameras that not only provide that step-up in image quality but are…

Canon Canon showed up with three new lenses. The EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a ’pancake’ prime for APS-C SLRs, on which it will give a 38mm equivalent angle of view. The EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is a mid-range image-stabilised normal zoom for full frame SLRs and like the 24mm, it has a stepper motor for silent focusing during movie recording. Finally, the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM is a professional telephoto that uses Canon’s diffractive optics; compared to the previous version it’s been redesigned to reduce flare. The lenses will cost ￡179.99, ￡479.99 and ￡6.999.99 respectively. Olympus The latest addition to Olympus’s top-end line, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO is a fast 80-300mm equivalent optic that’s weather-sealed to match the OM-DE-MI. It’ll retail for…

I love the 1950s design of this camera, which is dominated by an enormous built-in flash reflector _ With its retro look, the Brownie Flash 20 appeals to both camera collectors and those in search of ’50s memorabilia, so the prices tend to be a little higher than for similar, less glamorous models. I found mine in an ’antiques centre’ (aka junk shop) in Norwich and paid £12 for it, complete with a cream coloured faux-leather case. As post-war austerity faded away, and colour photography became more affordable, the market for simple but reasonable quality cameras really took off. Manufacturers were keen to introduce ’idiot-proof features to reduce the chances of disappointing results. So while, in essence, this is an eye-level box camera, it does have a few minor sophistications…

As the summer months draw to a close, the landscape starts to lose its shine, the last of the wildflowers fade from the hedgerows, and trees that were lush and green when they came into leaf begin to look dull and tired. But then nature moves on, and for a few weeks in October and November the countryside is once again flushed with colour as autumn takes hold. Timing This is a stimulating time for photographers, and like others I’m drawn to capture the leaf colours - vibrant in the sun, or softer in the mist. I’ve probably taken more landscape photographs in autumn than in any other season, but over time I’ve refined my approach to help me get the best from this magical period. The first signs of…

Lord Snowdon has led, by any standards, a colourful life. Born into an affluent and well-connected family, as a young man he knew major figures in the arts, including Marlene Dietrich and Noël Coward. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he dropped out of university to begin a successful career in photography, before becoming the first commoner to marry into the Royal Family for more than 450 years. Snowdon’s turbulent personal relationships, his close connection to the Royals and his work on projects such as designing the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo, have often relegated his contribution to photography to the sidelines. Now two new projects, both titled Snowdon: A Life in View, put the focus squarely on Snowdon’s photographic work and its legacy. The first project is a new exhibition…

To celebrate AP’s 130th birthday, we’veteamedup with some of the world’s leading photographers, the NSPCC and PhotoBox to offer you the chance to win one of 130signedprints. We have limited-edition prints from the likes of Gered Mankowitz, Art Wolfe, Steve McCurry, Charlie Waite, Steve Bloom, Tom Stoddart, Joe Cornish and Clive Nichols, and many more, and you could own one simply by supporting our campaign. All of the photographers have kindly donated their photos to help raise money for the NSPCC. To enter this fantastic competition, visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/130prints About the NSPCC ALSO celebrating its 130th birthday, the NSPCC is the only charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. That’s why we help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, we protect children at risk,…

WORTH £6,300 Designed to capture the next decisive moment, the Leica M unites the ultimate in rangefinder precision with cutting-edge technology. Using decades of rangefinder technology experience with innovative digital technologies, the new Leica M features a freshly developed highresolution, full-format CMOS imaging sensor that delivers impeccable results. Now featuring live view, video and new focusing methods, the Leica M merges craftsmanship and innovation. This beautiful and unique camera comes with the Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5, a powerful and lightweight lens offering unparalleled sharpness and an impressively neutral and natural perspective. Howtowin To enter the Amateur Photographer/Leica prize draw, simply collect six differently numbered tokens and fill in the form, right. Token2is printed on the right, while token 3 will appear in the25 October issue, token 4 in 1 November,…

Sony DSC-QX30 ● £249 ● www.sony.co.uk Jon Devo looks at Sony’s new DSC-QX30, a meeting of smartphone and smart camera sensibilities At a glance 20.4-million-pixel Exmore R CMOS sensor Sony G Lens with 30x optical zoom 10fps burst-mode shooting Sony has followed its entirely original take on the digital compact camera, with a new series of QX devices, proving a commitment to the marriage between smartphone and smart camera. The DSCQX30, could be considered as the entry-level model, and functions as a standalone digital camera, although it could easily be mistaken for a lens. It has a maximum aperture of f/3.5 at its wide end, narrowing to f/6.3 towards its telephoto end. But the real kicker is the QX’s ability to be connected to an Android or iOS smart device.…

FOR EVENT and wedding photographers, the Mitros+ flash will be a game changer. Ata wedding, the TTL gave me the flexibility to move around a room shooting different people without having to worry about dialing in manual settings. What’s more, it’s so quick and simple I was able to get twice the number of shots. At a street price of just £400, its power output, zoom range and build quality is high enough to rival all flagship proprietary flashguns, and is more affordable, too. Offering the best functionality I’ve ever seen on a flashgun at such an affordable price makes the Phottix Mitros+ a must-have for anybody wanting to shoot with off-camera flash. Data file Flash coverage 24-105mm Head Rotation 180° left/right, 7° down, 90° up Guide No 50m at…

LAUNCHED September 2006 PRICE AT LAUNCH £650 (body only) GUIDE PRICE TODAY £150 (body only) THE K10D was born at the end of 2006, marking a period of DSLR collaboration between Pentax and Samsung. Based around a Samsung 10-million-pixel CMOS APS-C sensor, the K10D also sported a Pentax-developed sensor-shift image stabilisation and a steel-framed body with dust and moisture sealing What’s good With its K-mount the K10D can be used with hundreds of lenses dating back to the mid-1970s. The K10D is a solid and rugged design, although be aware that the dust and moisture sealing often does not extend to lenses fitted to the camera. Image quality in good light is pretty good, particularly if you use raw files. What’s bad While focusing with AF lenses is quick and…

Beauty In The Eye Of The Beholder Win! Each week we will choose our favourite picture posted on the AP Facebook and Flickr communities and the AP forum. The winner will receive a year’s digital subscription to AP worth £79.99. This unusual shot of St George Wharf reflected in the Thames was taken by Simon Hadleigh-Sparks and uploaded to our Flickr page. ‘I think most Londoners will recognise this building in St George Wharf, and despite all the horrible things that have been said about it, I happen to really like it. When I first saw this building I knew this was the photo I wanted. Located on the southern bank of the Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge, the development comprises more than 1,100 apartments, as well as offices, retail units…

Official sample images from Canon’s long-awaited EOS 7D Mark II The EOS 7D Mark II is perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited cameras of the last few years, but now its been announced, Canon Inc are teasing us a bit more with the release of a collection of high-resolution and downloadable image samples from the company’s latest enthusiast DSLR. This gives us a chance to see what the potential image quality from the 20-million-pixel CMOS sensor may be like, though the majority of shots, including this one, have been shot at ISO100, so it’s hard to assess what performance will be like at higher sensitivities. This Ice Cave image was taken with a 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens, with an exposure of f/8 at 0.3sec, ISO100. We’re hoping to get our…

At a glance ■16.3-million-pixel, APS-C-sized X-Trans CMOS II sensor ■Hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder ■35mm equvalent, f/2 fixed lens. ■Built-in Wi-Fi for connection to a mobile device ■Traditional analogue controls ■ISO 100-51,200 (expanded) ■ 1.04-million-dot LCD screen ■ RRP £1,099.99 FOUR years ago, Fujifilm launched the X100 – a premium compact camera with an APS-C sensor, fixed lens, analogue control dials, and an innovative ‘hybrid’ viewfinder, all wrapped up in a classic rangefinder-style design. The second-generation X100S added a new sensor and processor and substantially improved operational speed, and instantly became one of the most desirable models on the market. Fujifilm’s third generation in the XI00 series, suffixed T for ’Third’, retains the XI OOS’s key imaging components, including the tried-and-tested 16-million-pixel X-Trans CMOS II sensor, Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens…

At a glance ■ 16.2-million-pixel APS-C CMOS sensor ■ ISO 100-12,500 ■ 5fps continuous shooting ■ Contrast detect 11-point AF system ■ 3in, 921k-dot LCD ■ 2.4 million-dot clip-on EVF available (£400) ■ Full HD 1920x1080-pixel video at 30fps ■ Price £1,550 Handgrip The optional handgrip allows the attachment of three different sizes of finger loop. It’s designed to make the camera easier and safer to hold when used single-handed. Build quality The camera has the strong, robust build quality we’ve come to expect from Leica, which manufactures the ‘X’ from its Germany factory. Visoflex viewfinder Slides on and attaches via the camera’s hotshoe. It tilts and swivels and features a built-in sensor so it can detect when it’s raised to the eye. Aperture control Manual control of aperture is…

Tilting touchscreen The Samsung NX1’s 3in 1.04-million-dot Super AMOLED screen is touch sensitive, and tilts 90° up or 45° down. SLR-like design It’s a similar size and shape to an enthusiast DSLR, but the NX1’s body is slimmer due to the absence of a reflex mirror. NX system lenses Samsung’s growing range of lenses includes the unique NX 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS, as well as a new premium NX 50-150mm f/2.8 S ED OIS telezoom. At a glance 128.2-miUion-pixel APS-CBSICMOS 12.36-million-dot DLED viewfinder with 0.7x magnification Resistant to dust, and water 4Kvideo recording HEVC compression Magnesium-alloy build ISO 100-51,200 (expanded) 11.04-million-dot tilting touchscreen IRRP £1.299 (body only) PHOTOKINA 2014 brought us an V array of exciting new cameras, from large-sensor zoom compacts to top-end SLRs. But one of the…

SONY plans to have a total of 13 full-frame, E-mount lenses by next spring, and aims to expand the FE line to 20 in 2016. Speaking at Photokina, Shigeki Ishizuka, president of Sony’s Digital Imaging Business Group, announced four lenses that are under development. These are the Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA; FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS; FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS; and FE 28mm f/2. They are expected to arrive from March 2015, apart from the 24-240mm, which should arrive in February. The firm has pledged to continue developing new technology and lenses, in a bid to tempt photographers away from their established Canon and Nikon systems (see page 13). Fujifilm plans to launch four more X-series lenses in 2015, including a 16mm f/1.4. The firm confirmed that…

Photographers’ Sketchbooks By Stephen McLaren and Bryan Formhals, Thames & Hudson, £29.95, hardback, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-500-54434-1 IT’S RARE that we get intimate insights into a photographer’s inner thoughts; a breed of artist _ who relies on the mystique of İT till Γ. I that ever-crucial (and over-I discussed) decisive moment. However, a few recent publications have gone some ways to undoing that by exposing the analytical thought behind the construction (or deconstruction) of an image. This volume takes things one step further. Photographers’ Sketchbooks is a wildly fascinating look inside the thinking behind and construction of a variety of images. In many ways it attempts to dispel the myth of photographer as magician; a figure who picks up a camera and gets the golden shot. There’s something fascinating about…

Reflections Use the reflective power of water to exploit autumn colour, shooting either in calm weather for a mirror-like reflection or breezy conditions for a more impressionistic look. The most vivid reflections of trees occur when they are side-lit, so visit your location early or late in the day. Into the light For a dramatic seasonal image try shooting towards the light. Morning mists and seasonal colour mean autumn is a perfect time to try this technique. Position yourself so that you can mask the sun with a tree as this will help avoid lens flare and make contrast more manageable. Lookup Tree branches stand out in dark silhouette against their colourful foliage, so try isolating strong patterns in the woody framework. Make a feature of meandering boughs, and use…

’FOR ME, this image shows how clever Snowdon is at storytelling in a very simple way,’ says NPG exhibition curator Helen Trompeteler. ’This portrait was taken just after Menuhin had stopped playing his violin engagements, but before he went on to a second career in conducting. ’Just through the use of having his case open with family photos on show, you just get this very evocative sense of an artist’s life lived on the road. You just get a slight glimpse of Menuhin’s personal life and there’s a certain wariness in his expression. ’That tension in some of Snowdon’s photographs, when the subject is looking wary and vulnerable, often gives a sense of someone’s character. This portrait is obviously carefully arranged, but it shows that through the simple use of…

Part three I am hoping you have now built up the courage to set up your camera and shoot some video. Last time (6 September issue) I looked at entry-level kit, but this time I want to walk you through some of my favourite mid to highend video equipment. Once you’ve nailed the basics and can film steadily on your tripod or monopod, you will soon start to want to move the camera. Moving the camera is the hardest thing to do well, so don’t give up. It just takes a little more practice to get a steady shot. Sliders Upping the production level of your video can be done in several ways. One is the type of equipment you use. The first piece of kit I bought when I…

Greylag Goose Stretch 1 Interestingly, Russell has forsaken DSLRs in favour of bridge cameras, a decision he made when he found his previous camera too heavy Nikon Coolpix P510, 180mm, 1/1000sec at f/5.9, ISO 400 The Kingfisher 2 Taken from inside a distant hide, Russell had made use of a 1.4x converter in order to capture this close-up portrait of a feeding kingfisher Nikon D300, 70-300mm, 1.4x converter, 1/500sec at f/5.3, ISO 64 Russell Edwards, Holbrook It’s now around 50 years since Russell Edwards first ad something published in AP, so it seems only fitting to mark the event by keeping you up-to-date with his work. This selection of bird pictures was taken in Russell’s stomping ground of Suffolk, and many of the images were taken at the famous RSPB…

Carry Speed MagFilter 58mm adapter ring • £44.68 · www.amazon.co.uk IF YOU want to use filters on your compact camera, the MagFilter may be just what you need. The device consists of a self-adhesive metal ring that Is easily placed on the end of the camera’s lens barrel. This allows magnetic attachment of the filter adapter, and a slight ridge around the inside of the adapter offers even more support. I’ve used the 58mm filter adapter with the C Sony RX100, and even used a 58-67mm step-up ring to attach a 10 stop ND filter The MagFilter is held in place very firmly, and the combination of filters and adapter is light enough to avoid straining the lens. Adapter rings are available for 52, 55 and 58mm filters, and there…

• EXPERT ADVICE · TIPS · TRICKS · HACKS · KNOW-HOW Sony Alpha 7 viewfinder brightness Q I attended your Sony seminar on 17 June, which I found interesting and valuable. On the strength of the day, and especially the hands-on opportunities after the lectures, I’ve now purchased an Alpha 7. In the studio set-up I highlighted to one of the experts that it was difficult to see the model through the viewfinder in relatively low-light conditions and he was able to increase the viewfinder brightness. But now, I can’t find how to achieve this myself when I’m working in studio conditions. Can you help me? John Sparrow A There are two different settings on the Alpha 7 you might find useful here. The first adjusts the brightness of the…

Michael Freeman Michael Freeman is one of the world’s most widely published editorial photographers and has shot more than 40 assignments for The Smithsonian Magazine over three decades. His numerous books on travel, architecture, design and the practice of photography have sold over four million copies. His first online course, Michael Freeman’s Photography Foundation Course, is available to book at www.my-photo-school.com 1971 Hasselblad SuperWide I had a fairly well-paid job in a Knightsbridge advertising agency and, while trying to work up the courage to leave and take up a career in photography, I became obsessed with Hasselblads. They seemed the epitome of beautiful engineering. I had a client who said he could get me a second-hand SWC, which was basically the legendary Zeiss Biogon lens with a body wrapped around…

Wildscreen Photography Festival Wildscreen Photography Festival returns for three packed days of talks, masterclasses, workshops and more on all things wildlife-photography related. Photojournalist Tim Laman is keynote speaker, and there’s an audience with Joe Cornish. 24-26 October, www.wildphotos.org.uk Plane Materials Art duo Cornford & Cross work with Andrew Lacon to explore dialogue between photography and sculpture in another exhibition from the Brighton Photo Biennial. There’s an intriguing contrast of Lacon’s studio work with Cornford & Cross’s more free-form approach. until 2 November www.bpb.org.uk Metabolic Landscape This collaborative exhibition explores the dynamics of a high-energy-use society. Gina Glover draws attention to how our spiralling need for energy has impacted the landscape, while Jessica Rayner explores things in a more abstract way. until 24 October, www.bcu.ac.uk/art/about-us/facilitiesand-campus/parkside-gallery Enter Nikon’s Film Contest Nikon’s European…

Manual controls The G7 X has an exposure compensation dial beneath the exposure mode dial, and a customisable control ring around the lens. Compact design The G7 X is barely larger than Canon’s current PowerShot S120, and about the same size as the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III. Bright lens The G7 X’s f/1.8-2.8 lens offers the widest zoom range in its class, and has a switchable neutral density filter. At a glance Canon PowerShot G7 X • ISO 125-12,800 • 6.5fps shooting • Full HD 60fps video • 103 x 60 x 40mm (4.1 x 2.4 x 1.6in) • 304g • RRP £579 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 • ISO 100-25,600 (expanded) • 11fps shooting • 4K 30fps video • 115 x 66 x 55mm (4.5 x 2.6 x 2.2in) • 393g…

At a glance • 16-million-pixel, Four Thirds sensor • 1.66-million-dot LCD viewfinder with 0.46× magnification • Uses micro four thirds lenses. • Built-in Wi-Fi for remote control and image sharing • RRP £769 with 12-32mm lens: £1,049 with 15mm lens LAST year Panasonic impressed r3 us with its tiny GM1 - a compact system camera barely taller than its micro four thirds lens mount. With the new GM5, it has added an electronic viewfinder and improved the control layout, while barely increasing the size. The result is the smallest camera on the market with both interchangeable lenses and a built-in EVF. Instead of the GMl’s fiddly rear dial, Panasonic has used the clickable thumbdial found on many of its previous models. This is used to change exposure settings, and clicking…

LEICA used Photokina to unleash the M-A, a film-based rangefinder that dispenses with electronics in a move designed to mark 60 years of its famous M cameras. Based on the specification of the Leica MP, the Leica M-A (Type 127) comes in a hand-built metal body, in a choice of silver-chrome and black-chrome finishes. A box of Kodak Tri-X 400 black and white film is included in the kit, which is due out in October at £3,100. Leica has also unveiled ’an entry-level’ version of its S medium-format camera, in the shape of the 375-million-pixel Leica S-E (Type 006). Out now, priced £12,480, it includes a 30 x 45mm Leica Pro Format imaging sensor and a body built to protect it from dust and moisture. Leica has also announced the…

SONY has outlined plans to shake off what it claims is a general perception that compact system cameras are ‘inferior’ to DSLRs. And the firm has pledged to continue Ceveloping new technology and lenses in a bid to tempt photographers away from heir established Canon and Nikon systems. One technology that Sony hopes will help to win over any detractors is 4D Focus - which it describes as a ’rapid’ AF autofocus system with a wide horizontal, vertical coverage, and ’high predictive precision’. 4D Focus is used in the company’s Alpha 6000 CSC model, for example. AF was one of the biggest crawbacks in the early days of CSCs, despite their success in Asian markets attributed to their small size, explained Yoshiyuki Nogami (pictured above), senior general manager at the…

Sony announces accessories for Alpha camera range AFTER consolidating its Alpha camera range, Sony is now bolstering its offerings by announcing a range of accessories, including an XLR adapter kit, which will bring the ability to record highquality sound with an external microphone input. The Sony XLR-K2M and included Sony ECM-XM1 shotgun microphone are compatible with all multi-interface Alphaseries cameras, as well as the RX10 camera. Included in the Photokina announcement, the Alpha series also gets a new external flash unit, namely the Sony HVL-F32M. With a Guide number of 32 _ ISO 100, the F32M is a powerful external flash relative to its compact size and it features a built-in diffuser, bounce structure and wide panel. This unit is lightweight and according to Sony, designed to be dust and…

The thing I’ve always found about photography is that I’m kind of like a magpie. I love to make pictures of so many different subjects, including nature, landscapes, motorsports and portraits. That’s lucky because I really enjoy travelling and experiencing new cultures and landscapes. This picture was taken in August 2012 during a holiday to Iceland – a location I had been desperate to visit for a long time. It’s a country that has so much to offer, not just if you’re a visitor but also if you’re a photographer. If you go on to Google image search and type in ‘Iceland’, you’ll be overwhelmed by the countless images that pop up on your screen. There are so many sights to absorb and, if you’re a keen bird photographer like…

LETTER OF THE WEEK To lens users... I have a book published in 1903 entitled Photographic Lenses, by Conrad Beck and Herbert Andrews. At the beginning, they quote somebody called Fitzgerald. Headed To Lens Users, these lines’, it says: ’Ah! make the most of what we yet may spend, Before we into Dust descend; Dust into Dust, and under Dust to lie, Sans Wine, sans song, sans singer and sans end!’ A taboo theme now, but I suppose the basic message is to get out and take photographs while you can - good advice, more than a century later. Mariane McKenzie, Northumberland With perhaps a subliminal reminder to pack your blower brush -Nigel Atherton, Editor Win! With ultra-fast performance, the new Samsung 16GB EVO SD card, Class 10, Grade 1,…

SNOWDON, originally Antony Armstrong-Jones, was born in 1930. His father was a barrister, his mother became Countess of Rosse and his uncle was Oliver Messel, the renowned theatre and ballet designer. His parents divorced when he was five and he contracted polio at the age of 16. After failing his second-year architecture exams at Cambridge, he began an apprenticeship with ’Baron’, a society photographer, and set up his own studio soon afterwards. He worked for magazines such as Tatler and Picture Post, then later Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. His documentary-style book London was published in 1958. He married the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, in 1960 (they divorced in 1978) and was created 1st Earl of Snowdon in 1961. He co-designed the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo from 1961-3. He shot…

Factfile Josh is 36 and lives in Leeds. Originally from the Philippines, he was a keen photographer in his youth, using aKodak35mm. Today, he enjoys shooting landscapes, architecture, people and street scenes with his DSLR. IN OUR 30 August issue, we ran a competition offering three readers the opportunity to borrow the amazing Leica M for a week, along with an exclusive workshop at the Leica Akademie in London’s Mayfair. This week we feature Josh Rex Castaneda, who, like the other winners, was asked to provide a selection of images on the theme of ’street photography’. So how did he get along? ’My first impression of the M when I saw it was of its simple yet elegant design, ’remembers Josh. ’When I held the camera and first looked through…

Picture of the week AFTER Children running through the grass Subhankar Mondal Nikon D7000, 18-105mm, 1/1250sec at f/7.1, ISO 200 I HAVE no idea how this picture happened, but it has the look of a landscape about to be taken when a crowd of lively children improved it immeasurably by breaking through the tall grass and running across the frame. It really is a fun picture, and one in which we can feel the children’s excitement as they execute their cheeky deed. It is a picture that is full of life and which makes me laugh along with the invaders. Whether by chance or not, the composition works very well, with the boys aiming for that bottom left corner in a strong diagonal line. There is a strong sense that…

Phottix is a photographic accessories company that is well known for its flash triggering systems. The Strato Trigger system, which is a fairly standard 2.4GHz radio receiver and transceiver set-up intended to fire flashguns off-camera, gained popularity due to its fantastic build quality durability and affordability. This was replaced by the current Phottix Strato II Multi, which has a more refined design and a few more features. Sitting above the Strato II Multi system is the Phottix Odin system. With a flashgun, or multiple flashguns, attached to the Odin receiver/s, this system gives photographers the ability to fire flashes off camera. It also offers the ability to adjust the power manually +/-3EV or use TTL metering, all handled by the Odin transceiver mounted on the camera’s hotshoe. Earlier this year…

I am your I AM A neutral density (ND) filter; an optical filter to reduce the brightness of the camera’s view without affecting colour or saturation. I exist as a conventional screw-in filter that you attach to the end of a lens, as a drop-in filter for some lenses where it’s not possible or convenient to use conventional screw-in filters and I can also be built in to the camera and selectable from a camera control or even automatically. But in a time where camera manufacturers and photographers are seeking the ultimate in low light performance, why would you want to use me to darken things? Maximum lens aperture There are times when, for creative purposes, you will want to use a wide or even a maximum lens aperture. This…

It’s dramatic. It’s spectacular. It’s beautiful. But what does it tell us about photography? Quite a lot. It forces us to think about authorship, opportunity, reality, and copyright. It’s easiest to deal with these in reverse order. First, copyright. The US government has a commendable attitude to the copyright of images owned by publicly funded bodies such as NASA: for many uses there are no charges or restrictions. This is a refreshing change from the neo-liberal ideal that everything should be monetised. If a project is publicly funded, then whatever it produces is the property of the public. Second, reality. This is substantially confected. As far as we know, Saturn’s rings do not look like this to the naked eye. The colours have been added. In one sense, this is…