Innholdsfortegnelse for 06-sep-2014 i Amateur Photographer

RUNNING from 5-9 September, Royal Greenwich in London welcomes more than 50 majestic tall ships from around the world. Over the five days visitors will be able to experience a free shore-side festival, while for those keen to experience these amazing ships first- hand there will also be a chance to book a Thames cruise on a tall ship. Events include firework displays, parades of traditional ships and Thames Barges along the Thames, skilled riggers hoisting sails, racing and much more. For further details and a full list of what’s on and where, visit www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/ tallships. 1 Locations: There are four Tall Ships Festival sites – Royal Arsenal Woolwich, Maritime Greenwich, Greenwich Peninsula and Wood Wharf. Each of these locations offers a selection of tall ships, as well as other…

FUJIFILM’S latest ‘premium’ compact, the X30, features an OLED viewfinder and is due on sale in mid to late September, priced £479. The 12-million-pixel model boasts a 2/3in X-Trans CMOS II imaging sensor and EXR Processor II. The sensor does not include a low-pass filter. Stated improvements over the X20, which it replaces, include a ‘tilting’ screen (3in, 920,000-dot resolution) and a 2.36-million-dot EVF, with a claimed display time lag of 0.005sec. The X20 featured an optical viewfinder (with a Digital Trans Panel), while the 460,000-dot display on the X20 measured 2.8in. The X30 adds a manual control ring – for aperture and shutter speed adjustment – and exposure compensation has been improved to ±3EV, compared to the 2-stop compensation on the X20. Fuji claims to have boosted battery life,…

Long lens Many of my industrial landscapes have been shot with 200mm, 300mm or 500mm lenses. These are useful for peering over fences and bringing subjects a little closer. As these lenses can be an expensive purchase, why not consider hiring one from an online company? Teleconverter Alternatively, try using a 1.4x teleconverter to extend the focal length of your lens for comparatively little extra investment compared to a long lens. Wellies I can guarantee that if you go looking for industrial scenes, you will end up in some of the muddiest, grimiest places!…

These images of polar bears represent a lifetime of work. I’ve spent 27 years in Alaska and 15 of those have been spent photographing polar bears, so that gives you some idea of how much of my life I’ve dedicated to this project. I had always wanted to be a wildlife photographer, even during my time working as a marine biologist. After getting my Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, I moved out to the Florida Keys and worked for a while. However, I found that as I worked my way up my career in biology, I would have to study one particular subject. Yet there were so many things I was interested in. It was then that I decided to study everything – through the lens of a camera.…

Bernhard Lang Bernhard Lang’s extraordinarily detailed images of industry and urban locations viewed from the air have to be seen to be believed. They essentially act on the opposite end of the scale to Zack’s work: natural vs manmade habitats. www.bernhardlang.de Daniel Beltrá Daniel has featured in AP before (AP 17 August 2013), appearing in our Photo Insight series where he discussed his beautiful yet terrifying project ‘Spill’, a body of work that documented the disastrous 2010 BP oil spill.www.danielbeltra.com Pierre Lesage Flickr user Pierre Lesage has to be credited as being the most imaginative member on this list. Using a Delta 8 kite and a GoPro HD2 camera, Pierre captures hundreds of images showing the landscapes that he comes across on his travels.www.flickr.com/people/tahitipix…

WE’RE now over halfway through APOY 2014. There are only four more rounds to enter, but there are still many excellent Olympus prizes up for grabs. This month’s round is called In a Far Away Place – in other words, travel photography. Travel photography can take the form of images of landscapes, people or architecture. For this round, the judges are looking for eye-catching and inventive photographs that show something of the local flavour. It’s important to remember that travel photography doesn’t necessarily mean you have to book a plane ticket and jet off to another country (although we would very much like to see those images, too). A beautiful scenic photograph taken in the Peak District is as relevant as an image taken in the sprawling metropolis of New…

As technology becomes more affordable, features that were once the preserve of the professional photographer filter down into cameras that are attainable for the average enthusiast. Cameras with full-frame sensors are one such example of this. In fact, we are now in a second, or even third generation of DSLR cameras with full-frame sensors that are priced within the reach of the average enthusiast. However, with the Canon EOS 6D, Nikon D610 and Sony Alpha 99 each costing well over £1,000, they are still very considered purchases, particularly for someone upgrading from a DSLR system that uses an APS-C sensor where a new set of lenses may also be required. So before you commit to buying a new full-frame DSLR, you should consider the alternative option of purchasing a second-hand…

Email your questions to: apanswers@ipcmedia.com, via Twitter @AP_Magazine and #AskAP, or Facebook. Or write to Technical Support, Amateur Photographer Magazine, IPC Media, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU Ricoh upgrade QI own a Ricoh GX200 that I enjoy using. Its only negative point, as far as I am concerned, is noise in its higher sensitivity ranges, which seems to become evident at around ISO 400. Since the introduction of the GX200 in 2008, Ricoh has overcome the problem of noise in its cameras to a large extent. One example is the GR Digital IV, introduced in 2011, which has greatly improved noise control. In view of the recent improvements made by Ricoh, are there any modifications that could be made to my camera to reduce noise by…

THE FIRST four award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 exhibition have been announced. They are among 100 that will go on show at the Natural History Museum in London from 24 October 2014-30 August 2015. Alongside the exhibition will be a special events programme, including a unique masterclass from world-renowned wildlife photographer Frans Lanting. This winning image from the Black & White category is called ‘The Elegant Crowd’ by professional wildlife photographer Jasper Doest. His striking black & white photograph captures the ordered beauty of the demoiselle cranes of Khichan, India. Tickets for the exhibition and the events programme are on sale now. Visit www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy. Words & numbers The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take…

POLICE warn they can arrest a photographer if he or she refuses to give their name and address and an officer deems their photography in a public street to be ‘antisocial’. Photographer Richard Selby, 81, has filed a complaint with Sussex Police, claiming that an officer threatened to arrest him if he did not identify himself. The former freelance photographer ran into trouble while taking pictures of ‘hen parties’ in Brighton. He was approached by two police community support officers, following what police say were complaints by members of the public, at 11pm on Friday 25 July. The PCSOs then called a police constable who, Selby claims, asked for his name. ‘I said, “I don’t have to give you my name,” and he said, “I could arrest you.”’ The constable…

Braemar Gathering Braemar hosts a series of traditional Scottish sports and games that will definitely give you something different to add to your portfolio. Highland dancing, caber tossing and the enigmatic ‘Putting the Stone’ are among the events on offer. 6 September. www.braemargathering.org Eyewitness David Levene selects some of his favourite photographs from The Guardian’s Eyewitness photojournalism series, which have been blown up to over 1.5m across and are on display at the new Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road. 2 September-26 October. www.futurecity.co.uk Bonfire processions Traditionally, bonfire celebrations in Sussex get off to a roaring start quite early, with things kicking off in Uckfield on 6 September and continuing through autumn. Lovesussex.com has a useful list of when and where events are happening. From 6 September.…

Retronaut: The Photographic Time Machine by Chris Wild, National Geographic, £20, hardback, 352 pages, ISBN 978-1-4261-383-0 RETRONAUT began life as a staggeringly weird yet engaging blog looking at pictures from the past. That may not sound so appealing, but these were images that seemed to suggest a version of the present that has spun out of all control. Pictures of celebrities before they found fame sat next to the past’s own predictions of what our present would look like. Needless to say, those predictions were a little off-kilter. Kitsch, weird and frightening all sit together as one happy family, often in the same image. This volume, Retronaut: The Photographic Time Machine, brings together a variety of the best photographs from the blog and goes some way to giving you a…

SHOOTING industrial scenes does have one or two pitfalls, and probably the most important are access and security. In the course of my career I have been lucky enough to shoot for some very interesting clients in some extreme and often highly confidential industrial plants, and for all these I was briefed and escorted. This, of course, is not going to be possible if you are shooting industrial landscapes on spec. There are, however, some things you can do to mitigate any potential problems further down the line. If you are shooting near sensitive areas, such as chemical plants or refineries, inform the front gate. Let them know who you are and what you are doing, and drop off a business card. Keep to public paths and highways, and don’t…

The question I am asked most often is: What’s the least amount of investment necessary to get started in DSLR filmmaking? With that in mind, I’m going to look at the core budget kit you’ll need to shoot video. With the exception of a couple of models, pretty much every current DSLR or compact system camera is capable of recording HD video, but what else do you need? My first piece of advice for those working on a shoestring is to use what you have in your kit bag and get creative. I do not always have the most appropriate kit on every occasion when I need it. If you can thrive in difficult situations, these experiences will only make you a better photographer and filmmaker – and I have…

Composing YOU’VE spotted a potential scene and you know there is a shot to be had, but how do you assemble the elements in the frame to create an interesting image rather than just a record shot? What should you include and leave out? Would getting down low or photographing from above create a punchier shot? Take time when composing your image – don’t rush in and click the shutter straight away. Consider what you are trying to portray and you’ll end up with a stronger image. Simona Bonanno’s image (above) shows us what can be done. Rather than doing the obvious thing of moving in front of her subjects, she has chosen to stand behind them and crouch to their level, using the two towers as compositional anchors. Capturing…

For many years – ten, to be precise – Canon has satisfied the ultrawideangle needs of APS-C users with the classic EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. After seeing the popularity of this lens take off on cameras such as the EOS 300D, 350D, 20D and 30D, rival manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron followed suit and offered arguably better alternatives to Canon, creating a fiercely debated series of lenses in the APS-C ultra-wide range. With the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM, APS-C camera owners have a cheaper alternative to the 10-22mm. There are already a number of superb lenses in this popular range, but this is a welcome addition from Canon and is garnering much attention from photographers who shoot landscapes and architectural images, in particular. Also, the inclusion…

Jeremy Walker Jeremy Walker is an award-winning professional photographer with many years’ experience, specialising in high-quality landscape and location photography from around the world for use by advertising, design and corporate clients. A belief in ‘quality is everything’, a meticulous approach and a far-reaching vision and style serve Jeremy and his clients well. www.jeremywalker.co.uk The word ‘industry’ doesn’t exactly conjure up glamorous connotations, does it? Compare it with ‘landscapes’, with their misty mornings and warm sunlight illuminating golden, rolling countryside draped in a veil of mist, that are glamorous, romantic and certainly photogenic – the sorts of scenes we all want to capture. But put the word ‘industrial’ in front of ‘landscape’ and it becomes a whole different ball game. The mind pictures images of Lowry-esque scenes of grim Northern…

When we talk of abstract photography, our reference points can tend to be a little limited. Graduate shows, for example, are full of examples of so-called ‘ephemeral’ moments, such as a closeup of rust on a car door or a fleeting patch of sunlight on a city pavement. At other times macro photography may enter your head. These images reveal the intricate and infinitesimal landscapes on display within objects spotted around the natural world (see Gary Greenberg’s stunning microscopic images of sand grains in AP 9 August). But what about the opposite approach? What if, instead of getting close, we move further and further away? Zack Seckler’s images of Botswana are a fine example of what can be done when we take a step back and keep on walking. His…

1st prize THE first-prize winner will receive an Olympus OM-D E-M10 with a 14-42mm EZ Pancake zoom, a 45mm f/1.8 portrait lens, a 40-150mm zoom, a 9mm fisheye lens, a macro adapter and a street case in which to carry it all. That’s a total retail price of £1,200. The E-M10 has a 16.1-million-pixel, four thirds-sized CMOS sensor and a TruePic VII image-processing system. Its 1.44-million-dot EVF displays a 100% field of view and has a 120fps refresh rate. The 14-42mm EZ Pancake zoom lens is a slim and compact optic that is equivalent to a 28-84mm lens in the 35mm format. This 45mm f/1.8 portrait optic is ideal for low-light people shots without flash, while the 40-150mm zoom has high-speed AF and is optimised for movies and stills. The…

Xsories PixsPrint £ 119.99 www.xsories.co.uk YOU CAN get your favourite pictures off your smartphones and tablets via the Pringo app and PixsPrint Wi-Fi pocket photo printer from Xsories. Powered by a removable Li-Polymer battery that charges separately from the unit in under two hours, the PixsPrint can print up to ten pictures continuously on a single full charge. The printer reads JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG files, and prints images at 54 x 86mm onto glossy paper at 290dpi, which sounds decent. However, the printed images lack detail and colour accuracy, and suffer from printing artefacts such as horizontal and vertical banding. The unit itself isn’t exactly pocket-sized, either, measuring 94 x 145.8 x 25.1mm and weighing 382g, which is ironic because you’ll need deep pockets to justify spending £119.99…

Aircraft had advanced to a remarkable degree during the five years preceding the outbreak of war in 1914, perhaps more so than cameras. In aerial reconnaissance photography, Germany was the most advanced and adopted its first aerial camera, made by Goerz, in 1913. France, though, was by far the aeronautical leader at the time, and the French army had incorporated cameras in aeroplanes even before the Great War began, in the form of squadrons of Blériot observation planes. The French army also developed procedures for getting prints into the hands of field commanders quickly. In Britain, the reconnaissance pioneer FC Victor Laws (1887-1975) established the first photography unit at Farnborough, Hampshire, in 1913. He used a Farman aircraft fitted with a Watson camera, which had a 6in lens and carried…