Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-May-2019 i Amateur Photographer

Pity the poor residents of Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire. According to Ordnance Survey they live the furthest from the sea of anyone in the UK. But the good news is that even they are only 70 miles away. This just goes to illustrate one of the benefits of living on a small island – no one is very far from one of the most photogenic subjects you can point a camera at. This week three photographers explain the appeal of the coast and share their tips for great photos. Japan, on the other hand, is very far away, but AP’s Deputy Editor went there twice back in March with the Nikon Z 6. Find out how he got on with it as a travel camera (page 40). Also this…

WEIGHING in at just 162g, the new AF 45mm F1.8 FE lens is built for Sony full-frame E-mount cameras and fits into Samyang's ‘tiny-series' range of optics. With a versatile focal length, it is launched to coincide with the start of the holiday season, being an ideal lens for travel photographers. The seventh Samyang autofocus lens to be launched for Sony E mount, it uses seven lens elements in six groups, including two ASP (aspherical) optics and one ED (exta-low dispersion) element, which are designed to control aberrations and distortion for consistent and even illumination and sharpness. Clear and sharp images are promised from the centre of the frame all the way to the edges. A 9-blade diaphragm along with the f/1.8 maximum aperture are said to produce pleasing bokeh.…

The 13 April edition of AP featured an article on the recent Don McCullin exhibition at Tate Britain, including a photo entitled ‘Starving 24-year-old mother with child, Biafra, 1968'. Accompanying it was a discussion by Alison Baskerville, in which she described ‘the woman of colour at her most vulnerable and with little to no dignity'. She comments that the woman is semi-naked with her breasts on display and is unnamed. Later she makes reference to breaking down racist structures, inferring that these exist within this photograph. I really must take issue with these remarks. McCullin's work covers areas of human distress the world over, and includes both sexes of different ethnic origins. The appearance of this woman is, by dint of starvation, the very antithesis of female sexuality. She is…

Andy Farrer Andy is an award-winning landscape photographer, fine-art printer and tutor. His compelling images from the UK and abroad are inspiring and frequently published. See more of his work on his website www.andyfarrer.co.uk and @andyfarrerphoto (Instagram/Facebook/Twitter). SHOOTING seascapes can be both challenging and rewarding. The variety of scenes at the coast provides a wealth of opportunities for photographers, be they the graceful receding waves on wild rugged shorelines or tranquil sandy beaches; minimalist long exposures flattening out the sea; photographing man-made jetties, posts and piers; or exploring the clifftop paths. The enjoyment of shooting at the coast is tough to match. I thrive on the unpredictable nature of coastal photography and the escapism that the sounds of the ocean provides. Bad weather I will often favour a bad-weather forecast…

Umbrella I never leave home without my umbrella; it acts as a windbreak for the camera as well as a sunshade and rain protector. Never attach your umbrella to the tripod, as you will lose everything in a Mary Poppins-style moment of disaster. Extension tubes In case I want to do some really special details I prefer my extension tubes to carrying a specialist macro lens; they are cheaper, lighter and very flexible, as I use both together or individually, giving me three variations on getting up close and personal with my subject. Tripod with spiked feet or extra-wide feet Sand will move when the tide hits it. If your tripod is on soft sand it will sink or move during the exposure. I use spiked feet on some beaches…

Tripod I like to play with varying exposure lengths when at the coast, but generally favouring a shutter speed of around one second to capture motion in the water. It would be impossible to hold a camera steady for this length of time, so I always use a tripod. Polariser filter Bright light on wet foreground rocks or rockpools can cause distractions, so consider using a polariser to reduce glare and enable the camera to see details beneath the surface. Lens cloth Spray from the waves will play havoc with your lenses and filters. Make sure you keep them as clean as possible. It will save you lots of time trying to remove spots during processing, which can sometimes spoil an entire set of images.…

One of the greatest strengths of Photoshop Elements is its Layer controls. These are found in the Elements Expert mode. The other editing modes hide layers from you, but if you want to get the most out of Elements, then it's essential that you explore the possibilities of working with them. But what exactly are they? Layers are like sheets of tracing paper laid out on top of one another. Any transparent or semi-transparent parts allow the layers below to show through. As such, you can do all manner of creative things, like combine several photos into a composite, blend layers with opacity or blending modes, change colours, add tonal effects and much more. Crucially, because each individual element within the image is housed on a separate layer, they all…

A few weeks ago I bought a copy of Linda McCartney's book Sixties: Portrait of an Era from a charity shop. One of the things that attracted me to it was an image of The Beatles preparing to shoot the cover of Abbey Road in1969. The photograph shows Paul McCartney adjusting the collar of Ringo Starr's jacket, while John Lennon fiddles with the belt on his trousers. It was a hot day, and the band is overdressed. A member of the public has wandered over for a chat, and the band looks at ease with her. Technically, it's not a great picture – Linda took it for her own archive – but it does provide lots of great information. Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan took the photograph that eventually graced the…

Jo Kelly, Cambridgeshire Like so many before her, Jo developed an interest in photography after she became a parent in 2011. In 2015, she bought a Nikon D7200, and hasn't looked back since. She now has a small studio at home which she uses whenever she has a moment. A member of March Camera Club, she regularly enters its competitions, and has recently been placed three times. A trained nurse, she particularly enjoys photographing children – something that appears to come very naturally to her. ‘Each photo shoot is an adventure,' she says. ‘You hope for it to turn out the way you plan, but even if it doesn't, it's always fun.' Submit your images Please see the ‘Send us your pictures’ section on page 3 for details or visit…

Smartphone and apps Having a smartphone loaded with apps is really useful for checking weather tides, sunrise and sunset times. I constantly use WeatherPro, Tides Planner, NOAA Radar, Dark Sky, PhotoPills and LEE Stopper. Filters The new LEE Foundation Kit with the snap-on polariser is a fantastic upgrade to the original holder. Grads and NDs for balancing skies and honing shutter speeds are also a must-have. My favourite filter is the 1.2 IRND. Cleaning The ClearLEE cleaning fluid and microfibre cloths are essential at the coast. Sea spray on lenses or filters will render the files useless, so check and clean frequently. It’s also worth carrying a cover to pop over your kit – a shower cap is ideal.…

For this trip, I used a Nikon D810 and D850 with the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F/2.8G ED VR II and AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lenses. As the conditions were quite dusty, I tried not to change lenses too much. So I predominantly shot with the 70-200mm and 85mm. For occasional wideangle shots, I used the 24-70mm. All these lenses helped me to capture the light, colour, emotion, insight, character and spirit of the people. In the right light at the right time, the ordinary becomes extraordinary and that is something to strive for.…

When to go Elgol can be photographed at any time of the year, but the location works best in the late afternoon or around sunset. Don't be put off if epic light isn't forecast – a cloudy day can still produce a moody image if your composition is strong enough. Food and lodging There are very few facilities at Elgol itself, especially out of season, so maybe take a snack and drink with you. The town of Broadford (15 miles from Elgol) has a good selection of places to eat and stay. Café Sia always has a great choice of coffee and cake, as well as handmade pizza and locally sourced wines. Word of warning As with any coastal location check the tide times before you go (it is unlikely…

Layers can either be created by making a new one, or they are automatically generated whenever you copy in a separate image or part of an image. These layers form a stack, which can be viewed and edited using the Layers Panel. The hierarchy of the layer stack is important, as layers on top will obscure those below. As well as pixel-based layers like images, there are other types too. Adjustment Layers are tonal effects that work over all the layers below them in the stack. And vector-based layers like text or shapes let you include design elements in your document.…

Combine photos One of the simplest ways to blend two layers is to lower the opacity of the top layer so that the layer below partially shows through. We do this by adjusting the layer opacity at the top of the Layers Panel. The opacity slider is also very useful for altering the overall strength of an Adjustment Layer. Adjust tones Adjustment Layers are tonal effects that affect all the layers below them. To add one, click the circular ‘Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Here a Levels Adjustment lets us boost contrast and add a colour cast. The settings can be edited at any time by double-clicking the layer thumbnail. Create composites Layer Masks allow us to create composites by hiding or revealing parts of a layer,…

Paul Beentjes ‘Like so many, the main reason I moved to the Micro Four Thirds system was for the size and weight benefits. Over the years I've learnt the weight of my bag has a big role to play, especially when I usually end up carrying it for hours at a time without rest. I chose the GH3 above other models on the basis of how it felt in my hand. Some cameras you just pick up and love and the Lumix GH3 was one of them. I instantly knew it would lighten my load and save my aching back at the same time. Some might argue that it's a fairly big Micro Four Thirds camera, but personally I think it offers the perfect blend between being lightweight and manageable.…

NOW HERE’S an opportunity you don’t get every day. Sigma has teamed up with AP to offer 10 lucky readers the chance to attend a workshop in London with top portrait and fashion photographer, Dave Kai Piper. On the workshop, you will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take portraits of a pair of traditional geisha, who have come over from Japan especially for the occasion. As fans of Japanese culture and history will know, geisha are women entertainers who are experts in dancing, singing, art and other traditional pursuits. Geisha have been a fixture of Japanese society for hundreds of years, and although their numbers greatly reduced as the country modernised, they can still be found practising their art in historic towns such as Kyoto and Aizu, home of the…

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 12. Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or the gallery on our website. See details above.…

AFTER Canon laid out plans in February for its RF lens system development, the new RF 85mm f/1.2L lens is the first of six lenses that will be announced this year for the new Canon EOS R mirrorless system. Aimed squarely at portrait and wedding photographers, a number of features promise outstanding image quality. It is only the second Canon lens to use BR (Blue Spectrum Refractive) optic technology, which is designed to correct axial chromatic aberration for improved resolution and sharpness. The lens also includes aspherical and UD (ultra-low dispersion) lens elements which are claimed to reduce lens aberrations. For creating attractive blurred backgrounds, the lens has a nine-aperture blade system, while it uses the same ring-type USM motor as the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens for swift and…

If you live in a major city or hustling town, you will often have found yourself longing for escape. As your feet hit the hard concrete and your lungs struggle in the acrid air swimming with car exhaust fumes, you dream of somewhere green, somewhere isolated, somewhere just for you. These magical spaces are effectively the landscapes captured within the pages of Adam Pape's Dyckman Haze. But these are not places of myth; quite simply they are the parks and green spaces that thrive within the heaving metropolis of New York. The book succeeds in its ability to take the genre of street photography and shift it just slightly off-centre. Pape has moved around the secret and often unseen paths that exist within Washington Heights and Inwood parks, rendering each…

The Reader Portfolio winner chosen every week will receive a Manfrotto PIXI EVO tripod worth £44.95. Visit www.manfrotto.co.uk Lightweight and portable, the Manfrotto PIXI EVO boasts two different leg angles with a sliding selector enabling you to shoot ground-level images. It’s adjustable, with two-section legs featuring five different steps that adapt the footprint to uneven surfaces. With a payload of 2.5kg, you can tilt the camera 90° to capture incredible images. NOTE: PRIZE APPLIES TO UK AND EU RESIDENTS ONLY…

Canon EOS 5DS R I have two! I’ve always found the controls on Canon SLRs intuitive and the 5DS R’s 50.6MP sensor enables me to capture a high degree of detail, vital for my Sirens portfolio. LEE filters For longer shutter speeds, ND filters are essential. I also love using graduated filters on camera rather than in processing as I prefer, as much as possible, to finish the image while I’m on location. Fotospeed papers I use NST Bright White for its neutral base and subtle texture, perfect for black & white and my more painterly colour work. I also like Platinum Etching, for textured, warmer pictures.…

Amy Davies: Can you tell us a bit about the shortlisting process? Whitney Johnson: It’s quite a rigorous process that the World Press Photo Foundation has outlined. I was on the jury last year so I was familiar with it. Having these parameters in place really helps – you have to create some way to make your way through 78,000 pictures. There are four specialist juries in the first week: there’s the news and documentary jury, which I’m chair of; the environment and nature juries; the portrait jury; and the sports jury. The specialist juries for sports, nature, environment, and portraiture narrow the work from everything in that category down to 12 single images and 12 stories. The news and documentary jury considered the general news category, the spot news…

THE ROAD from Broadford to Elgol on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, is littered with photo opportunities, and what should take about 35-40 minutes to travel the 15 or so miles to the coast can easily take you all day. However, the fabulous lochs of Cill Chriosd and Slapin are purely appetisers for what awaits at the end of the road. A beach that faces west and is littered with an abundance of rocks is going to attract anyone with an interest in landscape photography, but throw in a backdrop of the staggeringly dramatic Cuillin Ridge, and the place becomes a bucket-list destination. For this reason the area within 200 metres from the pier can get crowded and is always a popular spot for workshops. The beach heads north from…

1 Hide all layers Alt-click the eye icon on a layer to hide all others, and Alt-click it again to reveal them. 2 Speedy copies Hold Alt and drag any layer, layer mask or style up or down the layer stack to make a quick copy. 3 Select the outline Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click on any layer or mask thumbnail to load the shape of the layer as a selection. 4 Painting masks When painting a layer mask, hit X to flip between black (which hides) and white (which reveals). 5 Embed Layer Masks A layer can have more than one mask working over it if you turn the layer into a group (Cmd/Ctrl+G). 6 Merge a copy Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to create a new…

As mentioned, I was lucky enough to take the Z series 35mm and 50mm prime lenses with me to Japan, and they were impressive – fast, smooth and easy to focus manually (focus peaking on the Z 6 is a delight to use). I was very impressed with their optical performance throughout the aperture range, and as with the camera, the lenses are well built without being too bulky – though just be careful you don't knock the AF/M switch when pulling the camera out of the bag. If you want to use older Nikon lenses, you'll need to buy an FTZ mount adapter, which will take up another 100 of your English pounds. For the full line-up of current and planned Z-series lenses, see www.nikon.co.uk.…

● £111 ● gb.colorconfidence.com COLOUR management is a tricky business. Even if you have a perfectly calibrated monitor and use custom printing profiles, that's not necessarily the end of the story. For really critical results, you also need to have confidence in your camera's white balance and colour response. This can be particularly difficult under artificial lighting: for example, fluorescent lamps can flicker through different colour temperatures, while cheap LED lights produce an odd spectral response. Even when shooting outdoors, varying levels of blue sky and cloud can affect white balance. For many purposes, the auto white balance systems of modern cameras deal with these situations remarkably effectively. But for important shoots, there can be real value in using a standardised colour chart to ensure you're getting the best possible…