Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Nov-2019 i Amateur Photographer

How many tripods do you own? I have about five, of every shape, size and type. Once upon a time a tripod was the first thing on every new photographer’s shopping list, especially for subjects like landscapes or nature. But while a tripod is essential for some subjects, and I’d never advocate not owning one, it is now perfectly feasible to shoot handheld a lot of the time, thanks to advances in high ISO performance, image stabilisation and mirrorless technology. But if you’re going to leave the sticks at home you’d better make sure that your shooting technique is on point. This week we offer a refresher. We also look at how starting a long-term documentary project can give your photography a shot in the arm. It certainly worked for…

Later in this issue (see page 22), we have a great feature about three fantastic documentary photographers who have all engaged in long-term projects. I look upon projects like this with huge admiration (and a bit of envy). Having the dedication and commitment to produce a body of work to be proud of is no small achievement, and I should know because I did it myself. With several years having since elapsed, I look back on the project and realise not only was it a fantastic way to improve and enhance my photography skills, but it had an impact on my life in many other ways. My project documented the historic Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades in the centre of Cardiff. I would visit the owners of the many independent…

Your feature Keep the Faith (AP 5 October) cited a number of excellent reasons for sticking with DSLRs rather than switching to mirrorless cameras. Of course, still images from DSLRs cannot be differentiated on the basis of quality from those taken using mirrorless cameras – it's the same image capture technology after all. But there are other reasons for hanging onto and using DSLR equipment. We can't ditch perfectly serviceable gear just for the sake of getting into the latest fashion. Consider the latest trend in the clothing industry – buy good stuff and make it last. There's a broad environmental and sustainability aspect. The world economic system relies on consumers buying more and more stuff. Millions of livelihoods depend on it. But cupboards around the world must be filling…

Select your spot The key to a good image is invoking a feeling in the viewer. A cyclist has to look at the picture and think: I wish I could ride there/ride like that. A non-cyclist might think ‘how the hell do they do that?' Selecting a great vantage point is crucial. With road bikes, it could be corners where the rider will be in a dynamic position. Alternatively, head to steeper areas, where the rider will be out of the saddle to apply pressure to the pedals and will be showing the pain in their face. Sweat and pain is good! Watch your backgrounds In a cycle race there may be hundreds of spectators, sponsors' billboards or simply a lone walker behind the action. You can crop out these…

Lorraine Milligan Based in Bucks, Lorraine is a hair & make-up artist working in the fashion, TV, music and wedding industries, She now offers photography too. Visit www.lorrainemilligan.com for more info. Follow the social media campaign and watch the short film on YouTube. Search ‘bluegetittoo’ In March 2018, Lorraine Milligan’s father gave her his old 6-megapixel Nikon D40, seeing how good her iPhone snaps were. She had spent 16 years as a hair and make-up artist, working with some top photographers but had never used a serious camera herself – though she’d learned a lot from watching them work. She didn’t know it at the time but this gift would change her life. ‘I didn’t use the camera until July,’ Lorraine recalls. ‘One of my clients offered me a paid…

THE ORIGINAL M6 that was released in 2017 was generally considered as an ‘almost' camera, in the sense it didn't quite deliver the required wow factor. The M6 Mark II changes all that and in doing so firmly establishes Canon as a serious contender in the mid-range enthusiast market. While not perfect, it's undoubtedly the company's best APS-C mirrorless camera to date. Not only is it solidly built and comfortable to hold, it's generously featured, highly customisable, relatively easy to operate and capable of fantastic image quality. The jump to 32.5MP is particularly eye-catching as it suggests a new resolution arms race for APS-C sensors might be about to commence after a period of stagnation around the 24MP mark. While the M6 Mark II is a great camera it does…

Resolution Examination of our MTF50 results, tested on the 20MP OM-D E-M1 Mark II, reveals a lens with a distinctive character. It’s not super-sharp wide open, but stop down to f/2.8 and it improves considerably, especially in the centre of the frame. As usual with Micro Four Thirds, the sweet spot for maximum detail is found around the f/4 mark and a stop either side. Close the aperture down past f/8 and diffraction softening becomes marked. Shading Despite its large maximum aperture, the lens doesn’t show a huge level of vignetting, with just a stop of light falloff in the corners at f/1.2. Stop down the aperture and this reduces to about half a stop at f/2, dropping to negligible levels at just f/2.8. This is a characteristic advantage of…

TREASURES FROM THE HULTON ARCHIVE Harrow by Harry Benson 10 NOVEMBER 1960: Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill visits Harrow School in Middlesex. He attended the prestigious school himself after narrowly passing the entrance exam in 1888. He performed well in history, but his teachers often complained about his punctuality and careless attitude. His poetry and letters were published in the school magazine, The Harrovian, while he spent his final three years at the establishment in the army form preparing for a military career. In this image, first published in the Daily Express, Churchill is 86 and had retired as Prime Minister five years earlier. The photographer, Harry Benson CBE, was the recipient of AP's Exceptional Achievement Award last year. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great…

WHAT is claimed to be one of the world's first selfies is being displayed at the Leeds Industrial Museum. The historic self-portrait is of Washington Teasdale, a local astronomer and inventor, who took the picture of himself at Kirkstall Abbey. Teasdale used the cyanotype process, which still has adherents today, and was also an early pioneer of astrophotography who combined camera and telescope to capture some detailed images of the moon. ‘Washington Teasdale had a truly remarkable mind and seemed capable of reaching astonishing heights of inventiveness and ingenuity in whatever field he brought his prodigious intellect to bear on,' said a spokesperson for Leeds Industrial Museum. The selfie can be seen until 26 September 2021, at the ‘Leeds to Innovation' exhibition, along with the work of other local luminaries.See…

Little Egret by Suvrat Sehgal Nikon D750, 200-500mm, 1/2000sec at f/6.3, ISO 1100 Suvrat Sehgal had been returning to the same location for days, hoping to find an egret in the right light. Having risen at 4am every morning, and driven roughly 90 miles each time, he was rewarded for his efforts on the fifth day. ‘It was a case of light, camera, action,' he explains. ‘I've been taking pictures for 15 years now, and I am always finding new ways to document nature. My mantra is “keep exploring”.' Suvrat uploaded the image to our Instagram page using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. Picked by Nigel Atherton, Editor Herdwick Sheep by Amy Bateman Sony A7R III, 70-200mm, 1/5000sec at f/3.2, ISO 320 Professional photographer Amy Bateman specialises in rural and agricultural photography…

Bean bag Bean bags rest cameras and lenses on uneven surfaces. They are perfect on safari when shooting from a moving vehicle or when resting the camera on the ground. They’re inexpensive and many photographers even make their own. Monopod Monopods are useful when tripods are prohibited because of health and safety restrictions, such as shooting at popular tourist attractions. Collapse the monopod and lean it against your body for more stable handheld shots as well. Gear with image stabilisation (IS) IS, whether in the camera or lens, will help to physically steady the picture while shooting. Not all IS is equal, so check the manual before purchasing to determine how many stops of IS the kit offers. Software Editing software can be used to correct the exposure when purposefully…

1 In manual mode set a fast shutter speed that is at least as fast as your focal length. For example, on a 24mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/20sec. 2 If depth-of-field changes aren't an issue, open the aperture as wide as possible to let in more light to the image sensor. 3 Manually boost ISO higher if aperture and shutter speed are at their maximum. If the light is changing then engage Auto ISO if your camera has it, for automatic exposure adjustments. 4 Head into your camera's menu to set a minimum shutter speed while Auto ISO is switched on. It's helpful to set a minimum shutter speed. 5 When using aperture priority mode use negative exposure compensation to purposefully underexpose a scene and retain a…

Sony Alpha 9 Designed with the sports photographer in mind, the A9 offers a 20fps frame-rate, while maintaining continuous autofocus and blackout-free shooting through the EVF. From £2,649 at MPB. Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS A telephoto zoom gives you great scope to capture cyclists both in the distance and as they get close to you. Having this flexibility means you won’t miss shots while you’re changing lenses. From £999 at MPB. Nikon D850 Although it offers a more modest frame rate of 7fps, the D850’s key selling-point is its ultra-high resolution sensor. With sports photography, that can be used to great effect to perfectly crop your shots for the best composition. From £2,159 at MPB. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR With a constant wide maximum…

IN ADDITION to its PASM, Automatic and Scene exposure modes the M6 Mark II also comes equipped with Canon's Flexible-priority AE mode. This is marked as Fv on the exposure mode dial and essentially allows you to quickly switch between automatic and manual control of the camera's shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings without having to move the mode dial to another position. The way it works is quite simple: once in Fv mode the rear command dial is used to switch between shutter speed, aperture, Ev compensation and ISO settings while the front command dial is used to adjust the settings for each. By rotating the front command dial counterclockwise shutter speed and aperture – or indeed both – can be set to Auto, which basically allows you to…

Easy link Allows users to attach additional accessories to the tripod easily and conveniently. No bubble level You’d expect a high-end tripod such as this to feature a bubble level, but like the Befree GT it doesn’t have one. Leg locks The Befree GT Carbon features slim-profiled rubberised twist locks. Leg-angle selector Pull the silver spring-loaded leg-angle selector down to widen and fold the legs. ● £410 ● www.manfrotto.co.uk HERE we're looking at the latest arrival in Manfrotto's ever-expanding range of Befree tripods. The Befree GT XPRO shares similarities to the Befree GT carbon we reviewed last year (AP 6 October 2018) in the way it's a four-section tripod that's available in aluminum (£269) or carbon-fibre (£409) versions. To differentiate this new model from its older sibling and offer photographers…

A YEAR after announcing Adobe Photoshop for the Apple iPad at the Adobe MAX event, the app is finally here to download. The Photoshop app is free to use for 30 days but after that you will need a Creative Cloud subscription (which is how most people now access Photoshop and Lightroom for desktop computers and laptops). If you are already subscribing to Lightroom via one of the Creative Cloud desktop packages, however, you can use the iPad version for no extra charge. The new app has more features than the older Photoshop Express, including the ability to work on PSD files, edit layers, work with brushes and much more. ‘This first version focuses on core compositing and retouching tools designed to work best on the iPad with Apple Pencil…

Bamburgh Castle by Stu Meech Nikon Z 6, 20mm, 1/8sec at f/11, ISO 100, 0.9ND Reverse Grad Stu Meech captured this dramatic shot of Bamburgh Castle while visiting his girlfriend's family in North East England. He uploaded it to our Twitter feed using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. ‘Sunrise was at a sociable time so I decided to drive up to Bamburgh,' he recalls. ‘Upon arrival there was some lovely high cloud, which I knew would take the pre-sunrise colour nicely, but nearer the sunrise the low cloud (seen here) rolled in. Thankfully there was a small gap on the horizon, and as the sun rose it lit the cloud and mist nicely.' Picked by Tracy Calder, Technique Editor, as our #appicoftheweek…

Distribute the weight Tucking your elbows into the body, ensure the left hand is placed underneath the lens and not on top for greater stability. The weight of the camera and lens is now evenly distributed between both hands. It'll take longer for your arms to fatigue, preventing camera shake. Become the tripod Find something to lean on, such as a wall or a fence, and use that as another leg. Spread your feet slightly to form a natural tripod. With elbows tucked, focus up and then exhale. Hold your breath momentarily while gently squeezing the shutter release. Use everything For low-angle shots use your camera bag, bean bag or even roll up the coat you're wearing to steady the camera and protect your kit from getting dirty or damaged.…

In defence of Peter Dench It's generally been agreed that Roger Hicks brought something unique to AP, and that he is irreplaceable. That said, I do think that the writers that you now have contributing to both Final Analysis and Legends of Photography are doing a very good job. As in Roger's time, these two series of articles add something very special and valuable to the overall AP mix, something I think that helps elevate AP above the level of a run-of-the-mill magazine. And if I can mention one of these contributors - for his AP articles generally - it is Peter Dench. I've been a fan of his photography for some time, but these recent articles open up a whole new facet of his talents. Recent examples that I've…

James Paterson James is as skilled a photo editor as he is a photographer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, and in 2014 he was appointed editor of Practical Photoshop magazine. His subjects range from portraits to landscapes, architecture and underwater scenes. For James, Photoshop is more than just a work tool. Visit www.patersonphotos.com When it comes to noise reduction, DxO PhotoLab 2 (and its previous iteration, DxO Optics Pro) has a deserved reputation as one of the best in the business. Powerful features like the Prime command not only offer excellent results, but are also simple to use. With tools like this you can shoot with confidence at high ISOs and in low light, safe in the knowledge that unsightly image noise can be improved in…

It's been over ten years since the Panasonic Lumix G1 became the first mirrorless camera to hit the market. While Canon was initially hesitant to jump on the bandwagon the manufacturer has now fully embraced the mirrorless concept and currently offers around half a dozen models that vary from the recently released entry-level EOS M200 (£499 with15-45mm zoom) to the more advanced full-frame EOS RP and EOS R models (£1,399 and £2149 respectively body only). Targeted at enthusiasts the EOS M6 Mark II is a compact, upper mid-range camera that sits above the M50 (£489 body only) and M5 (£599 body only), both of which take their primary design cues from traditional DSLRs. Naturally, the M6 Mark II also serves as the successor to the original M6 that Canon released…

Our cameras and lenses are tested using the industry-standard Image Engineering IQ-Analyser software. Visit www.image-engineering.de for more details Given that the camera uses the same 32.5MP APS-C sensor and Digic 8 processor employed by the recently released Canon EOS 90D we'd expect the two cameras to produce broadly similar results in our test lab, which they do. Indeed, the numbers from our lab tests confirm our general impression that the M6 Mark II is an exceptionally capable camera, not only in terms of its ability to capture lots of fine detail and provide users with the option to crop in tightly when needed, but also in its ability to get a good image at base-level and mid-range sensitivities too. Resolution At its baseline sensitivity the M6 Mark II was able…

WHILE Micro Four Thirds isn't the most logical choice for shooting with shallow depth of field, for users interested in this kind of work there's little doubt that the Olympus 25mm F1.2 is the best option available at this focal length. Indeed it's a prime example of how comparing lenses on core specifications alone doesn't tell the whole story. It may not deliver the same degree of background blur as you can get with larger formats, but it goes a long way to making up for this by rendering that blur in an especially attractive fashion. Given its price, this clearly isn't a lens for everyone. Indeed for the majority of buyers, it's impossible not to conclude that the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 represents better value for money. But then…

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the Kodak Instamatic Reflex, one of the few high-end cameras made for the now obsolete126 film cartridge. Most126 models are firmly at the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum. In this case you can't get much cheaper, as this novelty item was given away with film by the SupaSnaps chain. ‘The design and build of the camera is pretty basic’ The concept of a cheap piece of hardware which needs to be fed by an expensive consumable, is familiar to anyone who owns an inkjet printer. But in photography, the idea goes right back to the origins of the Kodak Brownie camera over 100 years ago. The cheap camera was returned to Kodak for processing and reloading, with the profit being…