Innholdsfortegnelse for 31-Dec-2016 i Amateur Photographer

Conveying a sense of scale in your work can be challenging. If you shoot a close-up of an insect’s wing, for example, the viewer can be fooled into thinking that he/she is seeing an aerial shot of some agricultural fields. Sometimes this confusion can be used to your advantage, encouraging the viewer to linger longer over your work while they try to work out what they are seeing. But, more often than not, you want the size of the subject to be obvious at a glance. One way to do this is to include a recognisable element in the composition. Another way is to use a wideangle lens to exaggerate the distance between foreground and background elements. You can also use large amounts of negative space to make your subject…

Photographs of Urban Life The street is a fundamental part of the urban landscape and has featured consistently in photography throughout the 20th century. The exhibition Street View: Photographs of Urban Life explores how photographers have captured city life on camera in Sheffield, around the UK and abroad. Until 11 March 2017, www.museums-sheffield.org.uk The Radical Eye Take yourself to London’s Tate Modern to see this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of Elton John’s private collections of photography, drawn from the classic modernist period of the 1920s-1950s. Until 7 May 2017, www.tate.org.uk Fylde coast Book now to take a tour of Blackpool, Cleveleys and Fleetwood Wrecks with photographer Colin Jarvis, who will show you the best techniques for shooting the coastal regions. 8 January 2017, www.colinjarvis.co.uk/#blog As the…

Stay safe Dress appropriately for the conditions and check the weather forecast. Let someone know where you are going and when you intend to return. Seek expert help Using an expert guide will help to keep you safe, and maximise your photographic opportunities. Make the most of your gear On a DSLR with a cropped sensor, a minimum focal length of 300mm is best, but if you don’t have long lenses, try shooting the hare in its natural habitat. Use exposure compensation Exposing for a white hare on snow is a challenge, as your camera will try to make the snow look grey, so use positive exposure compensation to ensure the correct exposure – plus 1 stop and above is required. Respect your subject The best way to approach a…

Use a fast shutter speed Capturing a moving target from a moving platform is tricky, and using a high shutter speed (1/1000sec minimum) is essential to get consistently sharp pictures. Look wide While zooming in tight and getting a frothy splash is always good, taking a wider view to incorporate more scenery works nicely too. A wideangle lens is also useful for capturing the mood on-board while still giving a sense of place. Find balance For racing, interaction between boats has a geometric balance, which creates drama even in a light wind. Use the boats’ shapes Boat shapes provide interesting details, and using this as a backdrop can help simplify the photo, drawing the focus onto the people. This works with colour as well. Have fun! A lot of factors…

FOR MOST of the year, fungi spend their time hidden underground as a network of fibres. However, when autumn brings a combination of falling temperatures and increasing rainfall, it triggers these usually unseen organisms into revealing their existence by producing their familiar fruiting bodies. Although it depends on conditions, October is usually the month when their numbers reach a peak. Be particular Look for fresh, clean specimens (damp mornings are good) and think about your composition. Watch the background Cluttered backgrounds can ruin an otherwise good shot. Clean, out-of-focus backgrounds work well or, for something that tells more of a story, include the environment. Either way, watch for distracting highlights. Keep things steady Use a sturdy tripod or other support such as a beanbag to avoid camera shake – long…

Clarification needed Paul Broadbent's question in Inbox , ‘What is fine art' (AP19 November), poses the same question I've been pondering for some time. The clearest definition I've found so far is that fine art is a piece of work, such as a photo, sculpture or painting, produced purely for its aesthetic appreciation rather than anything else. Perhaps AP would consider an article with contributors who work with fine art to shed more light on this subject. Peter Coles, Hampshire The secret’s out Having read the articles Custom menu secrets relating to Canon cameras (AP 26 November and 3 December), will AP be running similar articles on Olympus cameras and other brands? I'm fairly new to Olympus and find the menus difficult and extensive to sort through, so a simple…

At a glance £1,099 • 24-480mm equiv f/2.8-4.5 lens • 20.1MP 1in CMOS sensor • 2.36-million-dot EVF • DCI and UHD 4K video recording • Built-in ND filters When Panasonic's Lumix DMCFZ1000 arrived two years ago, it was widely considered to be a fitting alternative to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. With a similar1in sensor but broader 25-400mm equivalent zoom, it held its own against its pricier rival. Two years and a handful of newer competitors later, however, the need for an update was becoming obvious. The FZ2000 arrives with much the same idea as its predecessor, but with a newly developed lens that boasts a longer reach and the FZ1000's already capable video specs bolstered with a range of improvements. Indeed, Panasonic goes as far as billing the camera as…

Nikon D7100, 70-200mm, 1/200sec at f/5, ISO 100 AP reader Alex Wrigley uploaded this image to our Twitter page using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. It's another example of how much variety the England's famous Lake District has to offer. ‘After being beaten by blizzards all morning, the light finally started breaking through around Blea Tarn,' says Alex. ‘This weather-beaten tree perched on Blake Rigg caught my attention. The illuminated clouds passing through the valley contrasted perfectly with the ominous mountain in the background. I composed it to show off the scale of the mountain and the drama of the morning as much as possible.' Win! Each week we choose our favourite picture on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter or the reader gallery using #appicoftheweek. PermaJet proudly supports the online picture of the…

Matt Emmett has won the Arcaid Images Architectural Photography Award with his rather mind-bending image of a covered reservoir in Finsbury Park, London. The reservoir was designed by the East London Waterworks Company in 1868, and this is the first time a historic location has been selected as a winner of the Arcaid awards. Emmett's image captured the imagination of the judges. One, Dr Eva-Maria Barkhofen, likened the shot to a Piranesi – an 18th century Italian artist famed for his depictions of fictional, Kafkaesque prisons. Emmett will be presented with his award, along with $3,000 in prize money, during the public Building Images exhibition, planned for February 2017 in Sto Werkstatt, London, alongside the other 19 shortlisted entries from around the world.…

LENSES from Swiss/Korean optics manufacturer Irix are now available to purchase in the UK, with the manual-focus15mm f/2.4 leading the charge after being announced at Photokina earlier this year in Cologne, Germany. Available in two versions, Blackstone and Firefly, the 15mm f/2.4 features 15 lens elements in 11 groups and two glass aspherical lenses, which should promise high levels of image quality. The aspherical build should also improve image brightness at the edges of the frame, while minimising aberrations and distortions. Nine aperture blades and a minimum focus distance of 0.28 metres ought to go a long way to providing nice and smooth out-of-focus areas in shots, too. Despite both lenses sharing the same optical design on the inside, the two versions do have a few differences. The Blackstone model…

Twitter Miss Mamiya @MissyMamiya Autumn has lots to offer any photographer. Get out there and make use of the weather to give your images a seasonal edge. Join the conversation @AP_Magazine Facebook Simon Handley To beat those winter blues why not inject a little colour into proceedings? Or, in the case of this splashy and vibrant image of South African performer Toya Delazy, a lot. Like us at www.facebook.com/amateurphotographermagazine Flickr Alister Kemp You can find beautiful wildlife in the Scottish Highlands. This image of a mountain hare by Alister Kemp is perfectly timed. Submit your photos to apmag.co/flickr…

Check the forecast A dusting of snow or frost will help your shots look seasonal, while water droplets on leaves and flowers after rain add sparkle and interest. Look for backlighting Lighting your subject from behind helps highlight the flower’s shape and form. Shoot toward the direction of the sun, using a lens hood to prevent flare. Reduce distractions If background flowers are distracting, alter your position or focal length. Try apertures such as f/2.8 or f/4 to help flowers stand out from their surroundings. Use exposure compensation White flowers can give TTL metering a headache. Check your histogram regularly and apply positive exposure compensation if required. Focus in live view If you’re taking close-ups using a macro lens or close-up attachment, depth of field will be shallow so you…

Avoid harsh light In woodlands, harsh light will cause a lot of contrast between patches of sun and shade, and the camera will struggle to record detail in all areas. The ideal is gentle sunlight, or light that is diffused by cloud. Look for a clear forest floor You need an area that’s free from undergrowth, such as brambles or scrubby bushes, to get the best shots. My favourite type of bluebell wood is one with tall, straight trees with very little in between, such as a beech wood. This makes it easier to find a clean composition. Use several different focal lengths A wideangle lens can give a sense of the scale and depth of the wood, while a telephoto can isolate the better areas, and compress perspective so…

Lens choice Pack a variety of lenses, such as a 24-70mm for situational shots and a 100-400mm (with 1.4x converter) for huge reach – this will enable you to catch impact shots and wave explosions. Protect your gear Use a plastic shopping bag to keep your kit safe from rain and sea spray. Rip a hole in the bag for the lens, and one for the eyepiece, and secure it to your camera using elastic bands. Clear bags are the best. Ditch the cloth Buy yourself a packet of disposable serviettes, and use them to wipe the front element of your lenses regularly – fabric cloths are useless in wet and windy weather. Check an app Strong winds do not always generate waves – look at Magicseaweed.com, a surfers’ app,…

I ALWAYS look forward to November for the colourful spectacle created by deciduous trees. There is no doubt that some years are better than others – gales and rain can bring down many of the leaves before the best colours develop – but each year there are some stunning glimpses before the month is out. Keep it simple An abundance of trees and undergrowth can make woodland scenes look crowded, leading to images that lack impact. Avoid too many wideangle shots and use a standard lens, or short telephoto, to simplify compositions. Beware of underexposure When you’re working in woodland, it’s tempting to tilt your camera up to include overhead colour. This can cause underexposure because the leafy canopy is backlit by the sky, so compensate your exposures accordingly. Intensify…

‘To get a photo as good as this (left) takes a huge amount of time, planning and cooperation on the ground, plus, in the case of this image, 25 chickens’ Ray Wells Picture editor, The Sunday Times I'm a great admirer of David Yarrow's work, and the patience and technical skill that are a prerequisite for wildlife photography at the highest standard. This shot of eight Siberian tigers gazing with nonchalant indifference over a -25°C snow scene in Harbin, north-east China, looks deceptively simple. For one thing, they aren't moving with interest down the slope towards the photographer! To get a photo as good as this takes a huge amount of time, planning and cooperation on the ground, plus, in the case of this image, 25 chickens for the tigers…

Roger Spottiswoode is a film industry veteran with credits that include editing Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, co-writing the smash hit Eddie Murphy comedy 48 Hrs and directing the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. His latest film, A Street Cat Named Bob, is based on the best-selling book by street busker James Bowen, which recounts the true story of how his struggle to beat drug addiction and put his life back together was aided by his friendship with a remarkable cat, who he named Bob. Roger explains: ‘It’s an unusual story of a guy and the cat that helped him when he was pretty much on his last legs. James had been homeless for 10 or 15 years, living on the streets, and was in bad shape, doing heroin and…

FUJIFILM has announced the addition of a lightweight mirrorless camera to its X-series range called the X-A10. Aimed squarely at the budget and entry-level markets, the X-A10 looks set to borrow heavily from the X-A3 that was released earlier this year, particularly when it comes to the camera's interior specification. The new model features the same 16.3-million-pixel APS-C sensor and image-processing combo, plus Fuji's proprietary colour-reproduction technology, and is compatible with Fujinon lenses. Like the X-A3, the X-A10 also lets its users turn the camera around and flip the screen upwards by180° for those all-important selfies. The LCD features a tilt-and-slide mechanism so users can make sure that it isn't blocked by the body of the camera itself. Rotating the screen will activate the eye-detection AF mode to adjust focus…

The Chinese Photobook, from the 1900s to the Present Edited by Martin Parr and WassinkLundgren, Aperture, £50, 448 pages, hardback, ISBN 978-1-59711-3-755 PHOTO BOOKS, both here and abroad, have in recent years become strong platforms for photographers to get their work out to the world. The big draw for photography enthusiasts is that these volumes are often self-produced in limited numbers and therefore highly collectable. More than that, the books are often beautiful little artefacts that can sometimes bring to mind the kind of underground 'zines that were published in the 1970s. However, photo books have been around for a long while, as we discover in this gorgeous volume that looks at the kind of books published by Chinese photographers as far back as the 1900s. What we find is…

Lens choice For frame-filling shots, a dedicated macro lens is ideal – one with a focal length of around 100mm will provide a practical camera-to-subject working distance. If you don’t own a macro lens, consider using close-up filters or extension tubes. Even the long end of a telezoom will suffice when shooting larger species like peacock butterflies. Focus carefully Depth of field is shallow when shooting close-ups, so be sure to focus precisely. Position your camera parallel to your subject – doing so will keep more of the insect in the plane of focus, maximising depth of field. Shoot handheld Butterflies rarely keep still long enough for you to use a tripod, so try shooting handheld. To generate a shutter speed fast enough to eliminate motion, increase the ISO. Exclude…

Play with focal lengths Rather than photographing cars in the same way time after time, play around with different lenses. You can, for example, use a telephoto to single out vehicle displays from the crowd or go wide to show them in context. Experiment with focus Try different focus methods when shooting speeding cars. Manual, pre-focus and continuous, along with panning technique, all have something to offer. Don’t always rely on autofocus. Be selective Put your camera down for a second and look for interesting details that might otherwise be missed. Unusual headlamps, striking reflections, and even the numbers on speed dials can make interesting pictures when you go in close. Vary your viewpoint Picking a high vantage point, positioning your camera down low, introducing a slight angle to your…

Old and new Modern buildings often have striking lines and shapes. Old buildings are full of character and charm. Try to capture these essences in your images. Keep it straight Converging verticals are easily corrected in post-processing, but you can avoid them when shooting by standing back and making use of interesting foreground. Think about light Just as you consider the best light for shooting landscapes, you should also take light into account when you are capturing buildings. While modern structures work well in harsher light, older structures deserve the soft light of early morning or late afternoon. Look for details Once you have taken the wide view of the whole building, change to a telephoto and zoom in on the finer details. Modern structures will be full of abstract…

THE KEY to successful firework shooting is preparation and anticipation, so arrive early. Set up your tripod away from where the crowd will be (unless you want to include individual silhouettes), as you don’t want bobbing heads obscuring your view or people tripping over your gear. Take a torch so you can see what you’re doing. Stay steady Use a tripod and a remote release. This will ensure that you keep the camera still and can control the length of your exposure manually. Fit a standard zoom The best firework shots include points of interest at ground level, so an 18-55mm or 24-70mm zoom is ideal for capturing the overall context. Frame up and pre-focus Anticipate where the fireworks will explode and compose accordingly. Use AF to focus on any…

• £49.99 • www.caselogic.com IF YOU are in the market for a good value but secure bag for a small DSLR kit, then the Case Logic Kontrast DSLR Shoulder Bag may be exactly what you need. As with the other Case Logic camera bags we have reviewed recently, the Kontrast Shoulder has a simple design, but is extremely well made. Thick, ridged padding secures the main compartment. Inside, there is a simple array of dividers that allows an entry-level or enthusiast-size DSLR to be stowed with a kit or similarly sized lens attached, in what Case Logic calls a ‘hammock'. Beside this, a divider allows a further two lenses, around the size of a 24-70mm f/2.8, or some additional accessories to be packed. The lid of the case has an…