Innholdsfortegnelse for 7-May-2016 i Amateur Photographer

Photography’s diversity comes from the fact that we’re all inspired to pick up a camera by different things. Often it’s a secondary hobby used in tandem with our main passion. Mine is travel. I doff my hat to those photographers who find inspiration in the familiar sights that surround them every day, but it’s the unfamiliar that inspires me. Nothing stimulates my creative juices like finding myself in a foreign country, exploring a different culture. Doing it with a camera in my hand is, for me, about as good as life gets. Luckily, thanks to the proliferation of budget airlines, the great cities of Europe have never been more accessible. For less than the cost of a train ticket to Birmingham I can be in Brussels, Berlin or Bratislava. This…

DAVID Ofield, Britain's longest-serving picture editor, is retiring after almost three decades at the Evening Standard. During his career, Ofield (pictured above with the Prince of Wales) covered key world events including the 9/11 attacks in New York and the death of Princess Diana, as well as overseeing a wealth of iconic celebrity images. The Standard’s chief photographer, Jeremy Selwyn, said: ‘Dave's been my boss for nearly 30 years and there's not many people who can say that! He's been tremendous, but he always lines up one last job of the day for you and says, “It's sort of on your way home…”.' Ofield's last job of the day will be in early June, after which he hopes to spend more time at his holiday cottage in Ireland. Subscribe to…

Don’t be put off by crowds Certain locations can be popular destinations, attracting visitors from all over the world. The downside is they can get crowded. So why not use the crowds as part of your composition? Tourists can often add interest, scale, context or a focal point to a shot. Think further afield Don't limit yourself to Europe. North Africa is a relatively short flight away, yet cities such as Marrakesh in Morocco or Sousse in Tunisia can offer cultural differences often associated with long-haul destinations. They're ideal for adding people shots to your portfolio. Look closer to home We are blessed with many fantastic and interesting cities in the UK that attract visitors from all over the world. They often provide a more accessible way to practise techniques…

I was at my local WH Smith recently and noticed the photography magazine section had shrunk considerably, being largely replaced by numerous adult colouring books. Fortunately, AP was still in there. While in the shop, it occurred to me that photographers don't need colouring books. A minute's work using the Posterization and Find Edges filters in Photoshop, and I have my own personalised colouring templates. I then use the Paint Bucket Tool to save buying coloured pens, and if I get bored with the colouring I can switch to Corel Painter Essentials to do the whole thing for me. The image (right) of Salford Quays, Manchester, is an example of my work done in Photoshop. Maybe this could be a theme for APOY 2017? Michael Hilton, Cheshire Good thinking, Michael.…

Emphasising the smoke THE ARCADIA show was one of the highlights of last summer's Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. Adrian Mills has captured a great view of the giant mechanical spider spewing fire, deliberately choosing to underexpose for the flames, which varied in intensity throughout the show. I can appreciate his reasoning, although this does perhaps underestimate the ability of the sensor to hold highlight detail. Even so, it was possible to lighten the image at the raw-processing stage to reveal the detail and drama in the captured scene. In the following steps, I show how increasing the Clarity slider setting helped emphasise the smoke and flames. 1 Lighten the exposure I opened the raw image in Camera Raw, and applied a +2.55 Exposure adjustment to lighten the image. As you…

4V Design Ergo wrist strap £42.50 Something a bit different from the norm is the Ergo wrist strap. This small, well-designed strap is ideal for anyone who likes their camera to hand at all times, but keeps it secure, too. 4V Design Classic Large strap £72.50 This strap is similar to the Lusso, although in place of cotton ribbon it features leather. It comes in the same colours, but there are a couple of additional styles, too. 4V Design Canvas ALA Strap £89 With the ALA, the shoulder pad makes up practically the entire strap. The top is made of canvas, it’s finished with Tuscan leather and the underside is suede. What’s not to like?…

USB charging The battery charges via the micro USB connector, which is handy for topping up from a power bank while travelling. Top-plate microphones Stereo mics on either side of the flash record sound for video. Eye sensor This sensor automatically switches viewing from the LCD to the EVF when the camera is held up to your eye. Pop-up flash The tiny built-in flash is released by sliding a button on the back. On-screen touch buttons A set of user-customisable touch buttons gives an additional layer of control. Battery The DMW-BLG10E Li-ion battery is also used in the GF6, GX7, GX0 and TZ80, and rated for between 240 and 300 shots per charge, depending on whether you use the EVF or LCD.…

1 Canon EOS 5D Mark III This is a workhorse of a camera. The Mark III is a step up from the II in terms of sensor quality, and the build is sturdy and ergonomic. I particularly love the quiet shutter. I cover the camera in gaffer tape, first to mask the name and make it look cheap, and second for extra scratch/wet protection. 2 Leica M9 and Summilux 35mm f/1.4 (pre-aspherical) I’ve shot with this lens for nearly 20 years. It has its own idiosyncrasies – not least the terrible chroma wide open. I tend to shoot it on the street at tiny apertures, and for this, the combination is perfect. 3 Sekonic L-308S exposure meter I’ve always used a light meter. I work in manual and this model…

Many of us are familiar with the haunting prospect of a nuclear disaster, be it through science-fiction literature and film or the memories of the Cold War. Thankfully, few of us would have had experience of such an event. That is, unless you were or still are a resident of the area surrounding Chernobyl in the Ukraine. In this image by Sean Gallup, taken in Slavutych, Ukraine, we see a worker renovating a memorial to the technicians who died during and in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Last month was the 30th anniversary of the accident, which has been described as the world's worst civilian nuclear disaster. Slavutych was purpose built in the years after the Chernobyl accident to replace Pripyat, the town that had previously housed…

The inexorable onward march of smartphone photography shows no sign of abating thanks to the medium's two key advantages: accessibility and ease of use. More specifically for photographers, having a ‘good enough' camera in your phone means that it's always with you, and allows you to edit and upload your images from the same device. The one area in which it's lacking is technical flexibility. Sure, you can use your Olloclip to change the field of view, but when you require a larger sensor, different field of view, creative depth of field, off-camera lighting – well, that's when you carry a dedicated device. Don't ditch the smartphone, though. Remember, it still allows editing and uploads – hence the ever-increasing number of cameras that come with a Wi-Fi connection – allowing…

Main kit My normal city-break gear is a Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR, a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM wideangle, a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM standard zoom and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM fast prime. Optional lenses I sometimes take a telephoto (Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM) or a fast wideangle (Samyang 14mm f/2.8), depending on what I will be shooting, but one or both of these may be sacrificed. Tripod I always take a tripod (Giottos Vitruvian VGRN9255 aluminium) for shooting longer exposures. This adds considerable weight to my kit but is essential for the type of shots I like, particularly around the golden hours of sunrise and sunset leading into blue hour and night time. Other accessories I also carry a Canon RC-1…

How much do you think about composition before taking a photo? You answered… A I usually carefully apply the rules of composition before pressing the shutter 15% B I tend to follow the rules, but subconsciously, as they’re second nature to me 56% C I don’t follow them as I disagree with having ‘rules’ in photography 15% D Rules – what rules? 14% What you said ‘I usually think about composition, although not necessarily in terms of rules. And, like Nigel says [in his Editorial in AP 16 April], I often wish that I’d thought about it even more…’ ‘What’s with the “rules” emphasis? If you have the time, a shot is composed by what you, as the photographer, find most pleasing in whatever you are photographing. Some instinctively compose…

PORTRAITS are not the easiest things to master. There are expectations attached to portraits that can be somewhat intimidating. Drawing out the hidden qualities and character of an individual is not always easy. There are a number of things to consider, such as ensuring the correct focus and making sure your images are not full of superfluous background detail that fights with your photograph’s subject for attention. Great portrait subjects can be found in all walks of life, from family and friends to your local shopkeeper and even strangers. There are no stipulations in this particular round as to how your images must be taken. You can employ both natural and artificial light, so if you’ve been avoiding getting to grips with your flashgun, this could be the round to…

Over the past few years, the 1in, 20.1MP BSI-CMOS sensor that's used in the TZ100 has become very familiar, and the image quality Panasonic is extracting from it is as we've come to know and love. At base ISO, there are stacks of detail and not very much noise, but raising the sensitivity setting sees detail loss from noise and noise reduction becoming detectable as low as ISO 400. But while it's best to stick to low ISOs as far as possible, you'll still get entirely tolerable results up to ISO1,600. It's important to get exposures as close as possible to correct, though, because there's not as much leeway for adjusting exposure after the event in post-processing as you'll get from raw files from larger-sensor cameras. Dynamic range The main…

‘The usual wisdom is that the larger the sensor is, the better, but the speed of the lens makes a difference, too’ One of the factors that makes life difficult for someone buying a digital camera is the plethora of different sensor sizes available today. The usual wisdom is that the larger a sensor is, the better, but this isn't the whole story. The speed of the lens makes a difference as well, so a camera with a small sensor but a fast lens might perform as well as one with a larger sensor but a slower lens. As an example, say I want to buy a reasonably capable camera for travel use, but it needs to be capable of 4K video. So far, my candidates are both from Panasonic:…

Lexar announces GoPro compatibility GoPro has awarded its ‘Works with GoPro’ verification to selected Lexar flash memory cards. For this, the cards had to pass quality, performance and reliability tests. As a result, Lexar Professional 1000x (32GB, 64GB, 128GB) and High-Performance 633x (32GB, 64GB, 128GB) microSD card ranges are now compatible. Firmware update for Leica SL Faster focusing and better subject tracking are promised via a firmware update for the Leica SL. Leica says firmware version 2.0 also provides direct exposure-compensation control using the top dial and the click-wheel on the back of the camera. The shutter speed range has also been extended to 1/16,000secs-30 minutes. For full details, visit uk.leica-camera.com. Trioplan hits jackpot A crowdfunding campaign for a Trioplan 50mm f/2.9 lens has attracted over eight times the $50,000…

THERE'S a reason why iconic sights are so popular. They are impressive, but they have been photographed to death. So what can set your photo apart from the others and make the difference between a snapshot taken by a tourist and one that stands out from the crowd? Try to look for a unique angle or vantage point such as a reflection or the back of someone's phone. Visit at different times of the day, such as sunrise or sunset, when the light is softer and there is colour in the sky, or at night when the area is lit up. Include people in your shot to add foreground interest. Consider abstracts by looking for details or features that are often overlooked. Don't be put off by clouds or bad…

Using handgrips I realise that camera manufacturers have to keep costs down in order to compete in the market, and being in my mid-seventies I am also aware that earlier cameras rarely had handgrips. However, when reviewers are reporting on a new model they invariably comment on the advantage of a good handgrip, especially in relation to the use of longer and heavier lenses. I find it cynical that manufacturers design cameras without a grip and then announce that one can be bought as an accessory at extra cost. The Olympus Pen-F, for example, features a design with no grip, but Olympus acknowledges that the camera would probably function better with one, so can sell you one as an add-on. I also think that after-market handgrips detract from the appearance…

Creative Photoshop Sjoerd Stellingwerf explains how he planned his image of knitting a sweater straight from the source Nikon D5 field test Ed Godden puts Nikon’s latest pro DSLR through its paces Back to basics Steve Gosling with expert tips on how to use low-tech gear in the digital age CONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE…

Colour and monochrome COLOUR and black & white can bring many things to a portrait, and often which one you choose can depend on the light. Low-key lighting works well with black & white. The film noir aesthetic can add real drama. If you're working with high-key lighting such as bright sunlight, you may find that your image benefits from the bright vivid colours The right lens PORTRAITS lend themselves to fast telephoto prime lenses, with 85mm a popular choice for full-frame shooters, 50mm on a cropped sensor and 42.5mm on a Four Thirds camera. The fast maximum apertures offer plenty of control over depth of field, allowing you to blur the background and isolate your subject. Window light ONE OF the most interesting ways to achieve a natural-light portrait…

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Price: £760 Sensor: 20MP 1in CMOS Lens: 24-70mm equiv f/1.8-2.8 The latest in Sony’s popular RX100 range features a pop-up viewfinder and 4K video recording in a very compact, genuinely pocketable body. A stacked sensor design enables high-speed shooting at 16fps. Canon PowerShot G5 X Price: £580 Sensor: 20MP 1in BSI-CMOS Lens: 24-100mm equiv f/1.8-2.8 One of the best-handling compact cameras around, Canon’s G5 X has a standout lens that combines a useful zoom range with a large aperture. It also has a decent-sized centrally mounted viewfinder and an articulated LCD. Olympus Stylus 1S Price: £300 Sensor: 12MP 1/1.7in CMOS Lens: 28-300mm equiv f/2.8 Olympus’s SLR-styled travel zoom has a large electronic viewfinder and handles nicely. The 28-300mm equivalent f/2.8 lens is versatile enough and while…

William Henry Fox Talbot’s The Pencil of Nature, published in June 1844, is often held up as the first book illustrated with photographic images. However, in October 1843 Anna Atkins (1799-1871) beat him to it with the first volume of her Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. Admittedly, it was a very limited edition. Only 17 copies are known still to exist. Not all are complete, and some of them may never have been. The pictures are photograms, produced by laying dried algae directly on the paper, rather than printed from a negative. The text was handwritten. On the other hand, it preceded Talbot’s book by eight months and illustrates that women of the early 19th century (and since) have often been unfairly overlooked. Anna may also have been the…