Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Aug-2018 i Amateur Photographer

A couple of weeks ago we led with a feature on how to get the best photos from your smartphone (AP 28 July). This week we show you how to make cyanotype photograms, like they did in Victorian times. What other magazine would give you this kind of variety? Our time machine also stops in 1969 this week as we attempt to recreate an iconic portrait of the legendary Catherine Deneuve by the equally legendary Jeanloup Sieff. I think we did a great job, but judge for yourself on page 32. Then we fast forward to the present day to reveal the very best cameras and accessories you can buy today, as chosen by the panel at EISA, which includes yours truly. There’s lots more in this issue, including your…

THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has confirmed that you can't republish a photo just because it's freely accessible online, and that you need the permission from the photographer to use it first. In the recent Land Nordrhein-Westfalen v Dirk Renckhoff case, a secondary school student downloaded a photo from a travel website and put it in a school presentation which also ended up online. When the photographer, Dirk Renckhoff, saw this, he sued the school seeking t 400 in damages. The EU court has now ruled in Renckhoff's favour, adding ‘it is of little importance if, as in the present case, the copyright holder does not limit the ways in which the photograph may be used by internet users.' See the full ruling at bit.ly/euphotoruling .…

THERE were plenty of ‘big characters' in this issue. First up, Fleet Street pundit Mike Maloney, giving some constructive criticism of readers' photos. Mike had a lovely touch – he pulled no punches but readers were never left feeling belittled or disheartened. Meanwhile Doug Harman shared a tale of his first proper wedding shoot, while the ‘straight talking' features editor, one Nigel Atherton, ‘wanted to get something off his chest'. Wonder what happened to him? Another larger than life character, but for the wrong reasons, was murderer Dr Crippen, some rare photos of whom cropped up in the news. Other highlights included a cautionary tale on insurance from Tony Harrison (nothing to do with the Mighty Boosh character, we assume) and an extensive write-up on the Ebony 6x9cm camera by…

Recently, I've been thinking about whether I'm taking too many photos. It may seem strange for a photography writer to advocate putting your camera away, but bear with me. My most recent holiday included a day trip to Niagara Falls, which involved a boat ride into the famous mist, all of us bedecked in attractive plastic ponchos. As I glanced around, people were scrambling to get to the edges of the boat, armed with their cameras (or phones). Keen to see my camera live another day, I kept mine safely tucked away, aside from a couple of grab shots. Initially I felt a twinge of disappointment that, faced with the chance to get up close and personal with one of the world's most famous landmarks, I probably wasn't going to…

Change the background I often move objects during a long exposure. I arrange my composition knowing I will remove a flower head or perhaps add another leaf. This helps to add a sense of depth and create various tones to the final print. This can be done at any time during exposure. Be experimental To create extra tones and textures I spray the dried unexposed paper with water before I arrange the plants. The cyanotype solution becomes diluted and dries quickly in the sun leaving interesting marks. Also try coating your paper for a second time and double expose. Be creative The way you coat the paper is subjective. Painterly brush strokes are very much a big part of my work. I occasionally coat the entire sheet of paper leaving…

1 Julia Martin UK 30pts Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 100mm, 1/100sec at f/3.5, ISO 1000 The low sun shining through the wings of this orange-tip butterfly, combined with the wonderful, colourful bokeh from the trees and flowers behind it, make this a striking shot. As is almost always essential when working with a subject such as this, the low viewpoint means we get an insect-eye view of the subject. An aperture of f/3.5 was just right, and the focusing is spot on. 2 Simon Hadleigh-Sparks UK 29pts Sony A6000, 30mm, 1/1000sec at f/2.2, ISO 400 With its muted colour palette, exquisite subject matter and careful focusing, this image is a mesmerising study in delicacy, and the inky-blue background is the ideal foil to the pastel pink of the cherry…

Tripod and filters If your aim is to shoot a peaceful sunrise on the sea shore perhaps utilising Big Stoppers for long exposures, a tripod is essential, as are a few grad filters and of course a Stopper or two. Lenses After the above I would suggest ditching the tripod if possible and going handheld with just a couple of primes – maybe a 24mm and 50mm or a 24-70 zoom, and take a polariser. Minimal kit gives you a bit of freedom and helps keep the kit weight down, essential on a hot summer’s day.…

1 Outfit The original portrait was takenfor Vogue Italia and features the iconic actress wearing an Yves Saint Laurent dress, so it was important to source a similar-looking dress. We bought a dress online from Pretty Little Thing for £10. 2 Accessories Matching the accessories was trickier. We sourced a nylon watchstrap from Amazon to replicate the texture of one bracelet and two vintage-style bracelets from New Look and some square, retro earrings from eBay. The total cost came in at £33.95 including postage. 3 Styling We picked our model for her appearance and hair colour. We hired a hair and make-up artist to give her a classic ’60s look. With her eyelash extensions, smoky eyes and simple updo, she bore some resemblance, which was important in recreating the image.…

Panasonic LUMIX DMCLX100 With its versatile 24-75mm (35mm equivalent) lens, manual dial controls and a 1in sensor, this small, neat camera makes a great choice for candid portraits. Panasonic LUMIX DMCGX80 Small and discreet for candid portraits, and lightweight for a day’s shooting on location, this compact system camera is ideal for a whole range of techniques. Panasonic LUMIX G 30mm f/2.8 Macro This 60mm (35mm equivalent) macro lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 10.5cm, allowing you to get close enough to fill the frame with sharp detail. Panasonic LUMIX G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 The versatile 24-120mm (35mm equivalent) range of this standard zoom lens would suit both garden photography as well as candid portraits.…

Austria FOTOobjetiv Editor: Klaus Lorbeer www.fotoobjektiv.at Czech Republic FotoVideo Editor: Rudolf Stáhlich www.ifotovideo.cz Finland Kamera-lehti Editor: Minna Jerrman www.kamera-lehti.fi France Focus Numérique Editor: Renaud Labracherie www.focus-numerique.com Germany FotoMagazin Editor: Thorsten Höge www.fotomagazin.de Greece PhotoNet Editor: Menelaos Meletzis/ Konstantinos Floros www.nexusmedia.gr Hungary FotoVideo Magazin Editor: Sándor Benkõ www.fotovideo.hu India Smart Phtoghraphy Editor: Hoshang S. Billimoria smartphotography.in/ Italy Tutti Fotografi Editor: Paolo Namias www.fotografia.it Netherlands Focus Editor: Roos Schouw www.focusmedia.nl Norway Fotografi Editor: Toralf Sandaker www.fotografi.no Poland Foto-Kurier Editor: Krzysztof Patrycy www.foto-kurier.pl Spain Super Foto Digital Editor: Jorge Coma www.grupov.es Sweden Fotosidan Magasin Editor: Magnus Fröderberg www.fotosidan.se United Kingdom Amateur Photographer Editor: Nigel Atherton www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

Hi-Fi ANALOGUE MUSIC SYSTEM Pro-Ject Juke Box S2 COMPACT MUSIC SYSTEM Denon CEOL N10 ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEM Naim Audio Uniti Atom WIRELESS SYSTEM DALI Callisto 6C & Sound Hub STEREO SYSTEM Marantz ND8006/PM8006 STEREO RECEIVER Yamaha R-N803D AMPLIFIER Primare I15 Prisma BEST BUY AMPLIFIER Pioneer A-40AE HIGH-END AMPLIFIER NAD M32 STREAMER Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra DAC Chord Electronics Hugo 2 TURNTABLE Technics SL-1200GR LOUDSPEAKER ELAC Adante AS-61 BEST BUY LOUDSPEAKER Q Acoustics 3050i SMART LOUDSPEAKER Harman Kardon Citation 500 HEADPHONE Sennheiser HD 660 S HIGH-END HEADPHONE Focal Clear HI-FI INNOVATION Micromega M-One M-150 Hi-Fi/Mobile PORTABLE DAC/ HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER iFi Audio xDSD HT Audio HT AMPLIFIER Denon AVC-X8500H HT RECEIVER Pioneer VSX-933 HT SPEAKER SYSTEM KEF Q Series BEST BUY HT SPEAKER SYSTEM Jamo S 809 HCS / S 810 SUB…

Olympus had a reputation for producing small film cameras, perhaps the best known being the OM-1 SLR. Launched in 1973 it was noticeably smaller and lighter than its rivals, and was on the market in various successor forms for almost 30 years. The company also made a range of half-frame compacts, which allow you to shoot twice as many negatives on a roll, so a 36-exposure cassette yields 72 shots – more than enough for the average holiday. Half-frame cameras tend to be smaller than full-frame models, but not drastically so. They still have to accommodate the same cassette and take-up spool, but the negatives are a vertical 18x24mm, compared with the 36x24mm of full frame. This means the width of the camera body can be reduced by at least…

In 1963 an American, Hope Cooke, married the King of Sikkim. Her friend Alice Kandell was a wedding guest and returned repeatedly to Sikkim in the 1960s and took pictures. In 2011, by now Dr. Kandell (Google her), she gave numerous photographs to the US Library of Congress, stipulating that they be in the public domain. This is an archetypal record shot. It’s real; immediate; and sublimely everyday, even down to the spare yak’s rump in the background. There are countless shots like it all over the world. But any picture acquires historical significance if it survives long enough; and the most final of photographic analyses is survival. How many heirs will sort out their forebears’ pictures, or know what they are looking at if they do? So, sort out…

KEEN to take the fight to Huawei and other rivals, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Note9 smartphone, featuring dual 12MP cameras, its biggest-ever battery, a faster processor, pen input device, more storage options and some interesting new camera features, including one that warns you of blinking subjects and other potential headaches. The Scene Optimiser uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify elements of a photo, such as scene and subject, classify it into one of 20 categories and then ‘instantly optimise' it based on the category. ‘The result is a stunning, lifelike image with bold colours and dynamic definition,' claims Samsung. Meanwhile the Flaw Detection feature warns users if it thinks there's something wrong with a photo, so the user can take another picture without losing the moment. An immediate notification…

While many photographers make decisions about which lens, aperture or shutter speed is required to capture a moment of creativity, my photographic images are made without using a camera, and use the traditional cyanotype formula that was invented in 1842. The British botanist Anna Atkins, who has been described as the first woman to produce a photographic book, used the process to illustrate specimens of algae in Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in 1843, while famous artists such as Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy rediscovered photograms during the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. The biggest joy of working with an alternative process is the impressive results you can achieve when you experiment and break rules. There are no boundaries with making photograms. In fact it is such…

THERE are many ways of creating depth with a camera, using various apertures and focal length. Photographers can also see what their final image will look like. Using the photogram technique offers an element of surprise, and the final outcome often reveals an unusual visual element. Why does this hogweed image work? When working with nature, it is difficult to predict how the final picture will emerge. I often let the creative process go, and allow chance to play a part in my image-making process. In this case I was pleased with the way the overlapping forms created a sense of depth in the composition. I had no preconceived plan of what to expect with this print apart from my decision to document a wild verge on the North Yorkshire…

This round has seen some changes to the leaderboard. Richard Whitson scored highly and is now in first place, as did Simon Hadleigh-Sparks, who is now back on the leaderboard in second. We have a tie in ninth place with four photographers; hopefully it will open up in the next round. 1 Richard Whitson 59pts 2 Simon Hadleigh-Sparks 54pts 3 Steve Palmer 54pts 4 Neil Burnell 50pts 5 Dave Balcombe 45pts 6 Henrik Spranz 37pts 7 Howard Mason 36pts 8 Sirsendu Gayen 31pts 9 Chris Martin, Pawel Zygmunt, Julia Martin, Steve Cheetham 30pts…

When to go Early morning is the best time to visit Swanage in the summer months, before the hordes of tourists descend upon the beach. Try to catch an incoming tide at sunrise on the sandy beach for shots of water lapping around the wooden groynes. There is also the small banjo-shaped pier and its little wooden shelter. Not only do they make good subject matter to photograph, but they are also somewhere to shelter if the weather doesn't play ball. Food and lodging Eating is not a problem if you are after a light snack or some fish and chips. Norden, Corfe and Swanage railway stations all have refreshment facilities available. The refreshments stall at Swanage is in an old railway carriage. At Corfe refreshments are served from a…

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association is a collection of photographic, audio and video magazines in which members pool their skills and knowledge to award the best products in a wide range of categories each year. The awards are intended as a guide for specialist consumers. Only one magazine from each country may belong to any panel. Amateur Photographer, a founding member of the association, represents the UK for the photographic section of the awards. Learn more about EISA at www.eisa.eu/awards . VISIT WWW.EISA.EU/AWARDS…

If you’d like to see your work published in Amateur Photographer, here’s how to send us your images: Email Email a selection of low-res images (up to 5MB of attachments in total) to appicturedesk@ti-media.com. CD/DVD Send us a disc of high-resolution JPEG, TIFF or PSD images (at least 2480 pixels along its longest length), with a contact sheet, to the address on page 28. Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or the gallery on our website. See details above. Transparencies/prints Well-packaged prints or slides (without glass mounts) should be sent by Special Delivery, with a return SAE, to the address on page 28.…

LENSBABY has released the Sol 45 lens, which hopes to attract users intrigued by the ‘dreamlike' tilt-and-shift effects associated with the brand. The Sol 45 is manual focus, with a fixed focal length of 45mm and a fixed aperture of f/3.5, which delivers shallow depth of field. Twin bokeh blades, on hinged arms at the edge of the lens, can also be used to recreate attractive bokeh effects or add texture. It's possible to tilt the Sol 45 as far as 8.5° for creative tilt-and-shift effects, or lock it in a straight-ahead position. It costs £169 and is available for various mounts. There's also a separate version for Micro Four Thirds, the Sol 22 (44mm equivalent). See lensbaby.com. For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

Safety equipment Cyanotype chemicals must be handled with care. The most hazardous practice is mixing raw chemicals to make stock solution. For basic protection you need protective glasses, mask and gloves. Chemicals The cyanotype solution is made from two chemicals: Ferric ammonium citrate (green) and Potassium ferricyanide. These solutions are generally labelled A and B. Mix equal measures of A + B to make the working solution. Coating Handcrafted coating allows you to be free and give painterly edges, while a sponge gives a harder edge to the emulsion. Do not use a brush with a metal ferrule, as this may react with the cyanotype chemistry and corrode. Exposure Working outdoors you will need a board, glass and clips. I use plywood or stiff cardboard to clip the glass in…

SWANAGE is situated on the south of Dorset's world-famous Jurassic coastline. Rather conveniently the town and its bay face an easterly direction making it great for sunrises. The further east you go along the beach, the quieter it will be. There are plenty of wooden groynes to shoot (avoid the ones with the red metal basket on top). As you walk east along the seafront you will reach the old beach huts painted in strong primary colours making for some interesting detail shots. Next to the stone pier are rows of modern huts – again good subject matter for colourful angular abstracts. Head west along the seafront and you will come to the Victorian pier, open from 6am until 6pm. A small charge (£1.00) is payable at the gate but…

Affinity and beyond Well done on the review of Affinity Photo (AP 4 August) and for giving it such an honest appraisal. Affinity is designed to be an alternative to Photoshop. If you are considering an alternative to Lightroom, then perhaps you ought to have a look at ON1's Photo Raw 2018.5.2. David Price Confused by cashback I have been keen on photography for many years. I was a dedicated follower of Nikon till frequent trips overseas to see children and grandchildren meant I had to downsize. I'm afraid Nikon's CSC cameras didn't cut the mustard for me so I traded all my kit for a Sony A6000. Today I went online to look at upgrading to an A6300. Cashback does not appear to be a logical method for sales.…

Sieff Fashion Prestel, 2012 A collection of Jeanloup Sieff’s finest and most famous nude and fashion portraits taken during his career that spanned nearly 40 years, from 1960 to his death in 2000. The author, Barbara, is his widow. Also included are texts from Catherine Deneuve and Charlotte Rampling. Jeanloup Sieff: 40 Years of Photography Taschen GmbH, 1996 This survey of the work of the iconic French photographer Jeanloup Sieff brings together 40 years’ worth of photographs, encounters and memories from 1950 to 1990. It reveals how Sieff left his mark on his generation. Dance: Photographs by Jeanloup Sieff Smithsonian Books, 1999 This portfolio depicts the fleeting gestures of dancers who performed with the Paris Opera Ballet between 1953 and 1994. Jeanloup Sieff pays homage to the art by capturing…

THE Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) comprises over 50 special interest magazines covering six subject areas: hifi, TV, photography, mobile, in-car and home theatre. Formerly known as the European Imaging and Sound Association, EISA recently changed its name to reflect the fact that it is now international, with members from the USA, Australia and India. All member magazines and websites have certain things in common: our expertise and authority, and the rigour and integrity with which we test the products in our specialist markets. AP was a founder member of EISA and is part of EISA's Photo Panel, along with 14 other magazines, all of which are among the most respected in their home countries. Each June the panels meet to discuss, debate and vote for the best products…

Is Fujifilm X-Trans ISO optimistic? Q I am thinking of switching from my Nikon full-frame gear because it's just too bulky when I travel. The Fujifilm X-series system promises image quality that should be good enough combined with a lot less weight and bulk at the airport check-in desk. So I'm currently looking at an X-T2 body and some lenses. During my camera research I did come across some comments that worried me a little. Some, it seems, accuse Fujifilm of, at best, being optimistic about the ISO sensitivity settings on its cameras and, at worst ‘cheating'. Of course I see a lot of really excellent images taken with Fuji gear, but from a practical point of view I just want to understand what all the fuss is about. Steve…