Innholdsfortegnelse for 10-Nov-2018 i Amateur Photographer

By now I’m sure it can’t have escaped your attention that this week marks the centenary of the end of the Great War. One of the wonderful things about photography is the way in which it brings history alive. Advances in camera technology allowed WWI to be documented on a scale that no other conflict had been before. Our understanding of what it must have been like for those who were there is thanks in large measure to the pictures that were taken by soldiers and civilians who knew they were recording history for future generations, and in many cases risked their lives to do so. Here at AP we wanted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice by sharing some of these fascinating photographic stories from the period.…

JUST over a year ago, much excitement surrounded the Kickstarter launch of Yashica's new digital camera, the Y35, which used fake rolls of film containing camera settings, rather than being able to change them via dials or buttons. Raising almost £1 million, backers are now starting to receive the cameras, but it's fair to say the reaction has been far from positive. More than 4,000 comments have been posted to the campaign web page, with huge numbers complaining about poor image quality and build quality. Reviewers and journalists have also been less than kind to the Y35, so perhaps it's one to strike from your Christmas wish list.…

WE'RE back in familiar '80s territory this week with a rather racy cover model who seems to have got trapped under a sunbed, but there is plenty more interesting stuff inside this issue. John Evans takes a long hard look at tungsten lighting, for example, and there's an in-depth review of a Minolta AF lens with a focal length of 70-210mm. Digital camcorders were popular around this time too, as seen in the test of the Fujix-8 P600AF. The noble art of punning has a long tradition in AP and this issue was no exception: in Miami Nice, for example, Keith Wilson finds out which models ‘had the best sea legs' on a JPS calendar shoot in Florida. Meanwhile a pun-tastic feature called Who Cares, Wins has Sue Rowe wondering…

They say a smile costs nothing, but it seems a frown can earn you £15,000 – that's what it feels like anyway, when I look at work submitted to the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. I've made an annual pilgrimage to the exhibition since I was a teenager (back then it was known as the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award), and while the sponsor may have changed over the years the content of the pictures remains just as bleak. In 1998 Tom Hunter took the top spot with his cheerless, albeit beautiful, portrait ‘Woman Reading a Possession Order. I remember raving about its painterly quality and exquisite lighting (I was a student at the time, after all). The year before that Richard Sawdon Smith wowed the judges with his shot…

Head torch Shooting after dark means you need to take safety seriously. An essential item of kit is a head torch. If possible, pack one with a red light as this won’t affect your night vision as much as a white LED light would. Remote release To avoid knocking the camera, use a remote-release cable or a radio trigger. The camera’s self-timer mode will also allow time for any vibrations to dampen before triggering the shutter. Tripod With long-exposure times, you will need a tripod to capture a sharp image. Temperatures will be cold, so either use a tripod with foam surround on the leg sections or add some DIY foam yourself to save your hands from freezing.…

Type ‘starstax' into Google and it will take you to Markus Enzweiler's website (markusenzweiler.de). He developed the software and makes it freely available to Mac and Windows users. All you have to do is drop your star-trails sequence files onto the interface and click ‘Start Processing' and the software merges the files together. To complete the process, you simply save the final image and you're done. StarStaX is certainly the quickest and easiest software option, but there is an alternative. You can use Photoshop to merge the files together, either manually or by creating a bespoke action. The technique consists of copying and pasting each file onto one starting image, changing each Layer's Blending Mode to Lighten. If your image has foreground interest, keep the bottom Layer's Blending Mode as…

THE MILKY Way is one of the most magical subjects in the night sky and, although photographing it may seem daunting, some solid photographic technique could unlock this stunning scene and result in spectacular captures. Finding the Milky Way can be quite straightforward. Head to an area of low-light pollution and use an app such as PhotoPills to view the Milky Way via Augmented Reality, as this will drastically cut down your set-up time and will help you to frame a successful composition. Select a wide, fast-aperture lens, such as a 16-35mm f/2.8, and place the camera on a tripod to keep it steady. Switch to manual mode and dial in a starting exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 1600 before adjusting the ISO to account for light levels.…

1 Establish the correct exposure Set the camera controls to capture the ambient light before introducing any additional light source. The camera here was set to 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100. The aim was to place Malcolm in the shadow between the bars of reflected light as if lit by them. 2 Key light setting Set the key light to full power, as you will be competing with a brightly lit scene. LEDs are unlikely to be too powerful in a daylight scene so this is a good starting point. For brighter situations, the Anova PRO 2 will be ideal as it's more powerful. Turning the left hand dial will activate the power settings. 3 Light placement Move the lights in close to the subject until the correct exposure is…

Sensor 30.3MP full-frame CMOS Output size 6720x4480 pixels Focal length mag 1x Lens mount Canon RF mount Shutter speeds 30-1/8000sec, bulb ISO 100-40000 (expandable to 50-102400) Exposure modes PASM, Auto, Flexible AE Metering 384-zone metering system Exposure comp +/-3 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 steps Drive mode 8fps (5fps with AF tracking) Video 4K/30P 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output External mic Yes, 3.5mm stereo Viewfinder 0.5in, 3.69-million dot EVF Display 3.15in, 2.1-million dot Memory card SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II (single slot) Power LP-E6N Li-ion battery Battery life 370 shots per charge Dimensions 135.8x98.3x84.4mm Weight 660g (body only, with card and battery)…

Our cameras and lenses are tested using the industry-standard Image Engineering IQ-Analyser software. Visit www.image-engineering.de for more details The EOS R's sensor doesn't throw up any great surprises and behaves like the 30.4-million-pixel sensor as used within the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Although it doesn't resolve the same level of super-fine detail as Sony's Alpha 7R III and Nikon's Z 7, which feature 42MP and 45MP sensors, there's nothing to say Canon won't release a high-resolution model in the future. Users will find the raw files provide excellent latitude when it comes to returning detail to shadowed regions and can confidently push high into the ISO range before noise degrades image quality. Resolution The EOS R’s 30.3-million-pixel sensor resolves 3600l/ph between ISO 100 and ISO 400. This drops to…

Email your questions to: ap@ti-media.com, Twitter @AP_Magazine and #AskAP, or Facebook. Or write to Technical Support, Amateur Photographer Magazine, TI Media Limited, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hants GU14 7BF Can a Miranda take Praktica lenses? Q My daughter has been using my old Praktica LTL film SLR for black & white photography as part of her A/S Level photography course. Unfortunately it's playing up and I was wondering whether a Miranda Sensorex EE-2 that I've seen advertised locally would be a suitable replacement. From a completely personal point of view I think it's rather cool that the viewfinder can be removed so you can use the focusing screen as a waist-level viewfinder. I have had a quick look at it, but have not yet committed, and…

THIS delicately lit, still-life pumpkin arrangement was taken by professional Italian photographer Flavio Catalano. It is the winning entry at this year's International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) Still Life Photo Project competition. Flavio shot this in the studio with his Nikon D750 and 24-120mm lens. He created a rustic kitchen setting and chose a lighting set-up to match the style of the Flemish Baroque painters. His aim was to create a timeless, atmospheric and celebratory image of a pumpkin. The judges said: ‘There is indeed something truly timeless about this image that communicates a tremendous amount of atmosphere within a multi-layered composition, which has been expertly arranged. The background elements work together to celebrate the foreground cross-section as a gift to the viewer, urging us not to take…

FOR THE first time in the competition's history, a series has taken home the main prize in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018. This year, 4,462 submissions were entered by 1,973 photographers from 70 countries. South Africa's Alice Mann won the award for her portrait series on the all-female teams of drum majorettes in South Africa's Western Province, taking home £15,000 prize money. Commenting on the winning work, the judges said, ‘Mann's series is consistent in its evocation of a sustained and intriguing narrative. Each sitter is precisely framed within a carefully considered composition, and the girls confidently meet the camera's gaze. Their pristine and vibrant outfits jar with the rundown surroundings, lending a surreal and enigmatic atmosphere to the portraits.' The 27-year-old Alice Mann uses a medium-format analogue…

Our current relationship with the natural world is complex: for the first time in history, more of us are living in urban environments than in the countryside, and yet our need to connect with nature has never been greater. We may not be required to forage for food, protect ourselves from predators or build shelters like our ancestors did, but threats to our physical and mental wellbeing remain. This time, however, they come in the form of rising stress levels and increased cases of depression and anxiety. Our reliance on high-tech gadgets such as smartphones, for example, can disrupt our sleep, prevent us from being mindful of our surroundings, and encourage us to make unhealthy comparisons between ourselves and others via social media. When we reconnect with nature, stress levels…

THE HOLIDAY season is almost upon us, which means it's time for Stir-up Sunday, sentimental TV adverts, and the Amateur Photographer Christmas cover competition. This year we have teamed up with Photocrowd and Billingham to offer you global exposure, and some great prizes to boot. The prizes The overall winner (as judged by the AP team) will see their picture grace the cover of the AP Christmas Special issue (22-29 December). They will also receive a Billingham Hadley One bag worth £265, courtesy of Billingham (www.billingham.co.uk). The winner can choose from six classic colour combinations. A second winner (as awarded by the public vote via Photocrowd, www.photocrowd.com) will receive a year's subscription to AP. If the standard of entries is deemed high enough, the winner(s), and a selection of commended…

Peter Searle Peter Searle has been working as an editorial photographer specialising in environmental portraits for 20 years. He has photographed many leading personalities in politics, the arts, science and business, and has work in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery. See more at www.petersearle.com and @peter_searle Much location photography is not about loading up the car with every bit of gear you own. It is a considered packing of equipment suitable for travelling light and working fast. One way to speed up the shooting process is to use continuous battery-powered lights and what better than LED lights that also have flash and dial in colour temperature? I headed off to the Barbican in London with an array of Rotolight kit to meet my sitter and see how…

1 Ambient light Make sure there is enough ambient light to register with your camera's settings. This is the light you will be manipulating. The overall scene will be slightly illuminated by it. This is your canvas, if you like, on which you will light your subject. 2 Subject lighting Make sure the ambient light does not overly light your subject, to avoid taking on the colour you are trying to achieve in the setting. Here the lights are unchanged at around 5000K and there is a general neutral or blue hue to the scene. The rim light is hidden behind the pillar. 3 Warm or cool? Decide whether you want the ambient light to register as cool or warm. If you are using gels you can use the same…

Battery grip The battery life of the EOS R is rated at approximately 370 shots on a single charge. To extend this to over 700 shots you’ll need the Canon BG-E22 battery grip (£329), which has space for two LP-E6/LP-E6N batteries. It also supports a USB Type-C interface to charge the batteries in the grip without removing them. Dual Pixel Raw Used with Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, this allows users to fine-tune sharpness after the point of capture or tweak the bokeh for a pleasing result. Canon Log Canon Log enables the EOS R to produce similar movie footage to that shot by Cinema EOS cameras like the EOS C300 Mark II. The purpose of this tone curve is to produce video footage with extra-wide dynamic range and…

WITH the FH100M2, Benro has taken a fresh look at how photographers actually use filters in the field, and has essentially reinvented the filter holder to better meet their needs. The result is a well-thought-out piece of kit that mostly works very well, although it has a couple of minor flaws that could be improved in the next iteration. However, if you use graduated filters a lot and would appreciate an easier means of adjusting them up and down to match the position of the horizon, I'd certainly recommend giving it a try.…

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 34. 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 34.…

A CONTENDER for strangest camera launch of the year, the latest M10 variant from Leica is a digital camera, but is used in an analogue style. Complete with a fake film advance lever (Leica calls it a ‘fold-out thumb rest'), the M10-D loses the rear screen in favour of a large-exposure compensation dial. If you want to see the photos you've taken, you'll have to wait until you get home – or hook the camera up to the Leica Fotos app via Wi-Fi. Looks aside, the M10-D is essentially a Leica M10-P, a digital full-frame rangefinder with a very quiet shutter. On sale already, picking up the M10-D will set you back £6,500. For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

WITH AN aurora shoot you are at the mercy of a number of factors. So let's start by explaining what causes the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The amazing lights start their journey at the sun, and are produced when solar storms send gusts of charged particles towards the earth's atmosphere. When the particles react with the earth's magnetic field, light is created (typically green, but also red, blue and violet) and these displays can last from a few seconds to over an hour. Even if there is strong solar activity, other factors play a role when it comes to getting the best possible results. A clear night sky is required, and it's important to find shooting locations with low levels of light pollution. In addition, a…

1 Compose the scene With the camera on the tripod, set focus to manual (MF) and use the live view and magnify function to ensure the stars are in focus. If you want to include the centre of the star trial, you'll need to include the North Star in your frame, which can be quickly found using an AR app like SkyLite. 2 Camera settings Next, select manual mode and dial in an exposure of 30sec at f/2.8 (or whatever your lens's maximum aperture is). The aim is to keep the ISO as low as possible, so take a test shot at ISO 1600 and dip the ISO as low as possible while ensuring the stars are clearly visible in the frame. 3 Adjust intervals Use the camera's interval mode…

PHOTOGRAPHY purists look away now! For more creative images, you could always try merging your close-up images of the moon with a night-time landscape. This will enable you to play with perspective and create hyperreal supermoons that enhance their importance in the frame. In Photoshop, simply copy the moon image and paste it onto your landscape before changing the moon's Blending Mode from Normal to Lighten. Experiment with the scale of the moon in your scene using the Free Transform option.…

More prizes in contests Martin Norden posed a question about what stops people from entering APOY (Inbox, AP 20 October). I have a suggestion. Many competitions these days focus on a magnificent prize for the winner, and little or nothing else. They attract a lot of good pictures – and all but a couple are unrewarded. That's great for those who are highly competitive, and have a generally alpha male (or female) view of life. Most of us aren't like that, though. So why not have more, but smaller prizes. The move to Photocrowd is good, in that it allows everyone to see all the pictures at a decent size – a plus in terms of developing one's perception and ability. And maybe the cost of paid membership is not…

Don’t crop in too tightly. Leave space for the magazine ‘furniture' – masthead, cover lines and graphic devices. Busy images with lots of detail are generally unsuitable as they make superimposed text tricky to read. Shoot portrait-format pictures. While it's not unheard of for us to use a section of a landscape-format shot, your chances are improved by shooting in the upright format. Make eye contact. If you're submitting a portrait, ensure good eye contact, with the subject looking directly into the lens. Make sure the eyes are pin-sharp. Provide plenty of options. Try various angles and subject placements, with the main focal point to the left, the right and centre, to give the art editor lots of options of where to put the cover lines.…

AEOS This disc-like LED can be used in the studio or on location. It offers both powerful, constant LED illumination and high-speed sync flash, with a battery pack that lasts up to three hours of use. NEO 2 The NEO 2 is the most portable light in the Rotolight range. Like the AEOS, it also offers a combination of bright, constant LED illumination and high-speed sync flash. Rotolight softbox A softbox diffuses and softens the light, which smooths out the shadows and evens out contrast. As such, it’s the ideal modifier for portraiture. The Rotolight softbox shown here fits over the AEOS LED. Colour filters As well as offering colour temperature control, Rotolights also come with a variety of filters. Unlike with normal flash gels, they can fit snugly to…

Front straps Can be used to carry a full-size tripod. However this will hang down below the base of the bag and prevent it from being set down properly. Side pockets Expanding pockets on either side can hold a water bottle or small tripod, but anything much longer than 12in will hinder access to your kit. Phone pocket A fold-out pocket on the left shoulder strap accommodates a large smartphone up to 8x16cm in size. Grab handles Along with a large padded handle on top, there are slim ones on both sides at the back. Another strap allows the bag to be slid over the handle of a wheeled case. QuickShelf dividers This unique system allows you to configure the internal dividers around your kit outside of the bag. •…

This image is one of the winners of ‘Portrait of Britain’ – a competition organised by our esteemed rivals the British Journal of Photography. A selection of images from the competition has now been (beautifully) published by Hoxton Mini Press, with a foreword by Will Self. I cannot look at this picture without smiling. It’s so cheering. Even though the hut is probably not as warm as it looks, the contrast between the interior and the half-light of dusk is a textbook example of the emotional value of colour temperatures. The amount of planning that has gone into the entire picture is impressive. For a start, the interior is very carefully and evenly lit: you can see the reflections of the two lights in the kettle. Ah, yes, the unusually…