Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Oct-2016 i Amateur Photographer

Autumn is well and truly here, which means shorter days. It’s a shame summer is over, but autumn brings its own pleasures, such as misty mornings, and russet and gold foliage. With less light available, though, it’s important to be on top of your low-light photography skills, so turn to pages 12-17 for a timely reminder. There are also lots of intriguing creative effects to try out with longer exposures. The other extreme of low-light photography is astro photography, which is also featured in this issue as we reveal the winning entries from the 2016 Astronomy Photographer of the Year. It’s turning out to be a bumper year for cameras, too, so there are lots of hardware highlights in this issue. Find out how the Nikon D500 shapes up against…

Sometimes, when you first hear of a new item of photographic kit or a fresh picture-taking technique, even if it's only new to you, you can't wait to try it out. Over the years I've felt the itch to sample things like fisheye lenses, panoramic cameras, infrared photography and ISO 3,200 film. I had this must-do enthusiasm recently, when I saw London artist Jason Shulman's work (see: www.jasonshulmanstudio.com/ photographs-of-films). He captures entire movies in a single image. Far from being the grey or brown monotone you might expect, his long exposures are beautiful and surprisingly varied: a condensed signature of a film, hinting at its colour palette, subject matter and even the composition favoured by a particular director. The ghostly face in his capture of Deep Throat and the radiantly…

DSLR with high ISO performance Any DSLR/CSC can be used, but models offering high ISO performance are better as image quality will be higher when you shoot at ISO 3,200 or above. The Nikon D5 has a maximum ISO of 3,280,000. Light, fast lenses Primes/zooms with a ‘fast’ maximum aperture are ideal. They give a brighter viewfinder image and keep the shutter speed up and ISO down. The 50mm standard lens is perfect: it’s light, fast and super sharp. Remote release For long exposures, it’s better to trip the camera’s shutter with a remote release, as using your finger can move the camera. Some remote releases also have interval timers for shooting a sequence of images. Solid, sturdy tripod Although you can shoot amazing low-light pictures handheld, most times you’ll…

Modern DSLRs (and compacts for that matter) have amazing metering systems, so the days when low light caused major exposure headaches are long gone. For the best results, and an easy life, set your camera to its multi-pattern metering mode (Canon use ‘Evaluative', Nikon use ‘Matrix') and the exposure mode to aperture priority (AV). Once exposure falls outside of your camera's automated shutter-speed range, you'll need to use the bulb (B) setting, which allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you like. This may be marked on your camera's exposure mode dial or accessed in either shutter priority (TV) or manual (M) mode. Whatever your subject, take a test shot. Then have a look at the preview image and histogram and adjust the exposure accordingly. The…

Part of my working year is spent photographing bird feeders and nest boxes for a long-standing client. It may seem mundane work when compared to jetting off to somewhere exotic on the trail of more sexy subjects, but it’s work that continually throws up challenges. Around 10 years ago, I was asked to shoot some pictures of great or blue tits rearing their chicks inside one of my client’s nest boxes. I designed a camera box, which with the help of a carpenter was fixed to the back of the nest box. That was then fixed to a wooden frame so the whole thing was freestanding and could easily be moved. The nest box is segregated from the camera compartment internally by a sheet of glass that can be removed…

How to get there The best way to access Padley Gorge is from its lowest point. Park on the road that leads off the B6521 from Nether Padley to Grindleford train station. The entrance to the gorge is a short walk along the road that leads past Grindleford station café. Go over the bridge, and it's on the right. While there are well-defined paths through Padley Gorge, the going can be a little tricky in places with slippery rocks and tree roots. Be especially careful where there are steep drops. As you walk uphill, the path follows the right-hand side of the gorge. A third of the way along, the path splits into two, with a footbridge over Burbage Brook. It is possible to photograph from both sides of the…

‘Diffraction causes a parallel beam of light to spread as it passes through the aperture’ This article is the second in a short series of three, developing some common elements of photographic theory considering only that which occurs in front of the lens. This approach is useful because it removes the need to worry about the detail of what occurs behind the lens in terms of frame size, which has more variety for serious photographers these days, with removal of the constraints of processing equipment. This article deals with diffraction. In the diagram the aperture or entrance pupil is on the right; it's diameter is signified by A. The field of view, F, is given by the distance projected by the angle of view at the object distance, D. In…

We featured Tim Moxon's winning image in the RMet-RPS Weather Photographer of the Year competition in AP 1 October. For this week's Big Picture we take a look at one finalist's image. ‘The Guanabra is a 240m-long super tanker,' says photographer Graham Newman. ‘I was [later] invited on board to meet the captain and the crew who were on watch when the ship was struck by lightning off Fremantle in Australia. One crewman had been fishing off the port side and had only just returned inside when the ship was hit. Shortly after taking this shot, the lightning cell closed on my position on the beach. I grabbed my equipment and ran.' See more winning images at www.rps.org/weather. As the moon emerges, I relish the ripples and surprising shimmers Katherine…

Twitter Jason Riley @jasonlriley It may not be immediately apparent, but these are shadows of foliage thrown onto a rock surface – a beautiful set of images. Join the conversation @AP_Magazine Instagram Daniel Kordan @danielkordan Daniel Kordan took this image on the Uyuni salt flats in southwest Bolivia. This luminescent image took some planning using GPS in the day, as it’s easy for a car to become stuck in the soft surface. Follow us @amateurphotographermagazine Flickr Nicolas In this image of quiet poetry, we learn how location can create a narrative. Who is this woman? What does she see outside? Submit your photos to apmag.co/flickr…

1 Find excessive noise Noise reduction should be the last step on the processing ladder. Once you have completed all other adjustments, open the detail panel. Click the arrow in the top right corner. This opens a small window showing a section of the image at 100%. This can be moved, so select part of the image that shows an excessive amount of noise and where shadow areas are most affected. 2 Note the type of noise With the Detail panel now open, you'll see sliders for colour and luminance noise. Colour noise appears as multi-coloured pixels and is regarded most unsightly. Luminance noise is monochromatic and more uniform in nature – similar to film grain. Click on your main image once to zoom in 100%, and scan around the…

In ‘Tripod dilemma' (Tech Support, AP 16 July), David Richards was asking about the quality of lesser-known tripod brands. To anyone with a similar question I suggest the following, explained with reference to the Zomei Z666 on Amazon. In the Customer Reviews section, click on the 5-star reviews. Find a phrase with personal information or an unusual phrase. I picked: ‘Have been travelling around Iceland with this tripod and it's great' from Carla's review (which was eighth down at the time of writing this letter). In Google Advanced Search, enter that phrase into the ‘exact word or phrase' box. In the 6 results, you find that the review by ‘Carla' has also been submitted to other sites by ‘Richard M Rhodes' and ‘Jude Carpenter', so it's not really a credible…

BURBAGE Brook tumbles down from the Peak District's moors into Padley Gorge, a steep rocky valley dense with deciduous native woodland. In autumn, it flows over multiple rocky cascades, and past oak and beech trees that are turning shades of green, red and brown. Together, gorge, brook and woodland create endless photographic opportunities. To add to these, there are several abandoned millstones scattered around. There are numerous small rocky cascades along the length of Padley Gorge, and all offer different perspectives and pictures. As well as forming a focal point for images of the water, they make great subjects themselves. Meanwhile, the woodland lends itself to close-ups and more abstract images. I like to make use of the in-camera multiple-exposure blending function. By using combinations of different focal points and…

Crow and puddle Tom Sheen Canon EOS 750D, 24-105mm, 1/640sec at f/5, ISO 100 TOM, WHO is 11 years old, shot this picture of a crow and its reflection while he was on a trip to Portsmouth in Hampshire. He used a lens borrowed from a friend to zoom in a little so he could isolate the bird from its background and make it large enough in the frame, while using the water, wet road and kerb to shape his composition. I rather like what he has done in-camera, and also the way he flipped the image upside down, so that our initial reaction is to believe the reflection is the actual bird and the bird is its reflection. It's a neat trick. I also like the fact that he…

‘The empty space in the middle is one of the most important features’ Martial Spessardi is a luthier: a maker of stringed instruments (www.spessardi-luthier.com). His concert violins take at least a year to build, to allow for the variations in the wood caused by the seasons, and go for € 10,000 (about £8,500 or $11,000). But he is also a photographer. I saw this picture at his exhibition at the Arles photo festival in France in 2016, and asked if I could use it. It is not perfect. The light is a little too ‘hot’ on the right, and the numbers on the vernier caliper are all but blown. A little less exposure, together with a stronger bounce (reflector) on the left would have helped – probably the old classic…

Phottix reveals Indra 500LC The Indra 500LC is the first studio flash head to incorporate Canon’s RT system radio control, according to Phottix. This means it will be possible to trigger the Indra 500LC remotely using a Canon ST-E3-RT with full TTL metering. With 500W/s output, the Indra 500CL will cost £1,099. For full details visit www.phottix.com. World Food Programme goes pro The World Food Programme has collaborated with the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition to draw attention to its work across the world. A new category, Food for Life, has been created specifically for the 2017 contest, and is now receiving entries. New addition to Polaroid family The Polaroid Snap Touch was announced at Photokina 2016 and is now available for pre-order. Combining classic instant photography…

A NEWLY updated crowd-funded device for iPhone users will soon be making an appearance from Slovenia-based Lumu Labs, combining multiple light-metering devices into one handy tool. The Lumu Power slots into the Lightning connector on iPhones (see above), opening the app and turning the device into a tool to measure colour temperature, white balance, flash and ambient exposure – all from one location. The Lumu Power Kickstarter campaign raised over $310,000 for the Lumu Power. It is available to preorder ($229) now, ahead of a November release. Visit lumu.squarespace.com.…

GERMAN maker Metz has revealed details of its mecablitz M400 compact on-camera flash unit, which is due to go on sale early this month. Built with mirrorless cameras in mind, the mecablitz M400 is 30% smaller than traditional flash units and will offer its users a compact but high-performance system. The mecablitz M400 features high-speed sync, auto TTL and an adjustable LED video light. There is also an integrated OLED display with what Metz says is a simplified user interface for viewing and adjusting settings. The Metz M400 will be available from October for Sony, Nikon and Canon users, with versions for Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax and Fujifilm to follow. A price has yet to be confirmed. For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk…

What do you call a drummer with half a brain? Gifted. What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer. How do get a drummer to get off your doorstep? Pay him £10 for the pizza. Drummers get short shrift in the music world. They're usually the least-known member of the band and, as you can see, the punchline of endless jokes. What these preconceptions fail to consider is that without drummers, the majority of bands would be an unholy mess. What it also fails to note is that drummers are near athletes. If you've never tried drums yourself, give it a go and see how long you can keep up a steady rhythm. Anyone with even the smallest modicum of understanding of music will immediately know…

Lee Frost Lee is one of the UK’s best-known landscape and travel photographers and an accomplished writer. After a stint working for the photographic press he went freelance, and now, more than 20 years later he is still going strong. Visit www.leefrost.co.uk. The saying ‘less is more’ can be applied to many things in photography. Equipment is one – you don’t need loads of it to take great photographs. Composition is another – the more you cram into an image, the less appealing it’s likely to be. The same goes for light. You may assume that lots of it is required to produce successful shots, but in reality, the less there is the better. Sunrise and sunset are universally regarded as the most photogenic times of day, yet light levels…

WHEN you use long exposures in low light, the sensor gets warm and you get ‘hot pixels', which appear on images as tiny bright dots. They are caused by charge leakage from individual pixels in the camera's CCD and show up on long exposures because the pixels in question literally light up. Modern DSLRs have a long exposure noise-reduction feature. This removes hot pixels by making a second identical exposure to the first one with the shutter closed; so the camera knows exactly where the hot pixels are and subtracts the dark frame image from the one you just made. However, the second ‘blank' exposure has to be the same duration as the first, so if you make a 10-minute exposure, you'll have to wait another 10 minutes before the…

You answered… AUnder £200 6%B Under £500 22%C Under £1,000 25%D Under £3,000 39% EMore than I’d care to admit 7% FI’ve never bought a separate lens 1% What you said ‘I selected “under £500” – only once – the last lens I purchased new was eight years ago. Otherwise always used and “under £200.’” ‘My most expensive lens was my Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR 11 which was about £1,200, used, but I have a number of others that weren’t all that much cheaper.’ ‘Those Nikon lenses make a fair old dent in my bank balance! My most recent purchase was the 14-24mm f2.8G bought new.’ ‘I have never spent more than about £900 on a lens – I must be a cheap-skate.’ ‘Probably the most expensive lenses I have…

Wellies Padley Gorge can be muddy and wet, with some of the best viewpoints in the shallower parts of Burbage Brook itself. Wellies are a must, unless you are prepared to get your feet wet. Umbrella For rainy days, or when venturing out just after it has rained, an umbrella is useful for keeping water off camera equipment. It also acts as a shield, allowing you to change lenses without water splashing inside them or inside the camera. Polariser A polariser will not only cut out reflections and saturate colours, but it will also increase shutter speeds, enabling longer exposures of flowing water. Used together with an ND filter, the water will be rendered as a pleasing blur.…