Innholdsfortegnelse for 01-Aug-2020 i Amateur Photographer

It’s important to try to take some positives from this challenging year, and one definite upside is that we’ve all been finding more creative inspiration around the house and garden. Retailers report that macro lenses have been selling like hot cakes, so if the lockdown got you more interested in close-up photography, you’ll be very interested in the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 Ultra Macro lens, which we review this issue – you get detailed, twice life-size pics at a great price. If you’re more into taking pictures of people rather than bugs or plants, we’ve also got an in-depth feature on how to set up a home studio on a budget, along with some keenly priced lighting and accessories. Don’t forget to enter our major APOY competition too – you could…

Early Sunday Morning by Peter Mitchell Hardcover, £50, 180 pages, RRB Photobooks, ISBN: 978-1-9160575-4-8 This book includes nearly 100 colour photographs of the city of Leeds taken during the 1970s and 1980s. The majority of the images in the book are previously unpublished, showing a layer of the city’s urban and›social history. You’ll see 100-year-old terraces, cobbled streets, corner shops, betting shops, pigeon shops, factories›and pubs. The book has been edited and sequenced by fellow documentary photographer John›Myers, and is quite a departure from Mitchell’s usual monochrome work. For anyone with an interest in documentary photography, social history, or just old photos from the 1970s and 1980s, this is well worth a look. ★★★★ Amy Davies The Nicknames of Citizens by John Gossage Hardcover, €45, 144 pages, Steidl, ISBN: 978-3-95829-548-3…

Speedlights A couple of speedlights will let you create a range of two-light studio set-ups. They needn’t be feature-rich and expensive, all you need is manual control which even the budget sub-£50 models will offer. Umbrella A white shoot-through umbrella will soften and diffuse the hard-edged light from a speedlight. Softboxes produce similar results, and you can also get handy umbrellasoftboxes that act like a softbox but collapse like an umbrella. Stand and fixings You’ll need light stands or spare tripods for each of your flashes. You’ll also need a means of attaching the speedlights – as well as any modifiers like umbrellas – to your light stands. Inexpensive umbrella holders are readily available online. Triggers A wireless trigger lets you fire your flashes off-camera without the need for wires.…

1 You’ll need two speedlights with stands or tripods, one white umbrella and a wireless flash trigger. To begin, fit the trigger on your camera and the receiver on to one flash. 2 Attach your two speedlights to light stands or tripods – you can screw the small plastic stand that comes with the speedlight onto a tripod plate or the thread of a light stand. 3 Fix a white umbrella to the speedlight without the receiver and leave the other one bare. You can either use a dedicated umbrella holder to keep it in place or you can simply tape it down. 4 Ask your subject to stand in front of a plain white wall, allowing at least a couple of metres in between. Place the speedlight with the…

ANOTHER way to alleviate converging verticals whilst maintaining the wideangle effect is to use a specialised tilt/shift or perspective control lens. These lenses are expensive and only offer fixed focal lengths but, in many situations, they do allow you to get everything right in-camera by utilising lens movements. Unfortunately the ultra wideangle offerings have bulbous front elements, making it difficult to use filters without investing in bulky, fiddly and expensive adapters. They are, however, a great option if you shoot a lot of images where perspective correction regularly needs to be applied, such as architectural photography, but they are hard to justify for occasional use.…

Emma Woodhouse, South Wales Emma took the plunge in 2015 and bought her first DSLR, a Nikon D3200. She has since upgraded to the D500 and finds it brilliant for nature photography. Where she lives in the Rhondda Valley she is surrounded by the beauty of nature. As her photography progressed, she became increasingly captivated by birds and the challenge of getting action shots. She says ‘There’s nothing better than going out with my camera and feeling the calming effect of nature while waiting patiently for the “perfect” shot.’ Goldfinch v Chaffinch 1 This was taken from Emma’s garden shed. She can go for hours without getting a decent shot but we think you’ll agree it was certainly worth the wait. Nikon D500, 370mm, 1/600sec at f/7.1, ISO 800 Puffin…

For those used to autofocus zooms, a manual-focus macro lens may look intimidating. However it’s straightforward to use, although it does demand impeccable shooting technique. It’s crucial to make sure you nail correct focus, which is best done using magnified live view, and select sufficiently fast shutter speeds to suppress blur from either subject movement or camera shake. This generally requires at least 1/200sec when shooting handheld using a camera without IBIS, and often considerably faster for macro, as the blurring effects of camera shake are amplified at close subject distances. So while the lens can certainly be used handheld, for close-up shooting you’ll generally be better off using a tripod. Not only does this eliminate shake but it also allows you to fix the focus precisely where you want…

Best drone for a beginner for less than £800 Q One of my aims this year is to qualify as a commercial drone pilot, mainly for fun, but also potentially to offer it as a service to my photography clients. As such, I’m also looking to buy my first drone, and have set a budget of £800. What would you recommend as a good starting point? It would be great if it wasn’t too bulky for transporting, was fairly straightforward to control and offered some solid video features too. Jennifer Clayton A With consumer drones really taking off in the last few years, unique aerial perspectives that were previously the preserve of big-budget productions who could afford to splash out on helicopter hire, are now within reach of everyone. The…

Wibble-Wobble by Topical Press Agency People enjoying the ‘wibble-wobble’ (early bumper cars) at the Japan–British Exhibition, held in London. The exhibition lasted from 14 May-29 October 1910 and was the largest international exposition that the Empire of Japan had ever participated in. The idea behind the show was to boost feelings for Japan across Britain and Europe following the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Exhibits included displays of the latest technologies, the processes that governmental departments were using and intricate gardens. The grand prize for the best exhibit was given to the British display of a full-sized gyroscopically balanced monorail, which could hold 40 passengers and featured a one-mile track. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of…

Nikon is jumping on the latest bandwagon by announcing that it plans to release a beta-version Webcam Utility software in early August. This will support the firm’s current range of DSLR and mirrorless cameras, aside from the entry-level D3500 and ageing D750, and work on Windows 10 PCs, but not Macs. Meanwhile, owners of Nikon’s entry-level Z 50 APS-C mirrorless camera will gain Animal Detection AF, via firmware version 2.00. This update also promises improved subject-tracking behaviour, and adds support for the newly announced Z-mount teleconverters. The Z 6 and Z 7 will also need a firmware update to work with the teleconverters, taking them both to version 3.10.…

I’ve finally resigned myself to the fact that tagging my photos with keywords is a chore I’ll never, ever get around to. Along with my resignation however has come a brewing sense of frustration. With recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) shouldn’t my desktop photo software be tagging them automatically, so finding the shot I want from my increasing sprawling photo collection becomes a labour-free breeze? Adobe’s Lightroom Classic, to which I subscribe, has some AI features, including a not particularly effective face-detection module, but little to help search for other content. Lightroom’s cloud version can search for faces and a range of objects, but it’s disappointingly rudimentary and only works on pictures stored on Adobe’s servers which can get very expensive with large photo collections. The search continues Google…

Key and fill Direct the main ‘key’ light towards the subject, and bounce the ‘fill’ light off a wall or ceiling for a big spread of soft light. Start with the key light turned off and adjust the fill while taking test shots until you get a slightly underexposed portrait. Then turn on the key light and use it to lift the subject to the right High key For a high-key effect we need to overexpose the background so that it comes out bright white. Angle one light onto the subject, fitted with a softbox or umbrella. Turn the other flash on the background. Set a high power to make the background light stronger than the frontal light. Low key For this we want a dark background, so we need…

When shooting landscapes using a wideangle lens I am usually on the look out for a useful focal point to help draw the viewer’s eye through the scene. This can be just about any prominent landscape feature, but typically a rock formation, lighthouse, castle, barn, church tower or lone tree. In most cases this focal point will work best compositionally when positioned away from the centre of the frame. If I’m including interesting foreground elements as well, then the focal point is likely to be in either the top right or top left of my frame. This presents a bit of a problem, as in this position the object will suffer from distortion caused by tilting the lens down, making it lean out of the frame. The amount of lean…

We are delighted Sigma once again offered prizes totalling £10,000 for Amateur Photographer of the Year. Each category winner can select one or more products of their choice worth up to £1,000 (based on Sigma’s RRP). If the winner’s choice of lens is above that amount, they can also choose to pay the difference. If you’re a keen wildlife photographer after a compact and lightweight, ultra-telephoto lens, the 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary (SRP £799.99) is just the ticket. For those wanting that extra reach, the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary lens (SRP £999.99) is certainly worth your consideration.…

Capture Some apps also let you access your phone’s camera to capture images directly before editing. There may even be some control at the shooting stage. Presets Preset effects and filters allow you to make very quick edits to your image, but you may also want some additional control to get the results you’re looking for. Local Adjustments Most apps allow you to make global adjustments, but a few let you make local or targeted adjustments as well. Sharing Some apps enable you to share images direct to your social media channels once you’ve input all the necessary account details. Undo The ability to undo your edits one at a time is very useful, it saves you having to go all the way back to the beginning. Snapseed ● Free…

IF YOU use a Fujifilm or Sony APS-C mirrorless camera, and are interested in close-up photography, then the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro is an easy recommendation. It offers higher magnification than the camera makers’ autofocus alternatives for a lower price, while delivering beautiful images that combine stunning sharpness with lovely bokeh. Indeed, it’s a rare example of a lens that lets you see the world in a completely new way, which means it can really fire up your imagination to go out and take pictures. It’s just a shame that Canon EOS M users lose out on official UK imports of this wonderful lens. Of course the lack of autofocus and electronic aperture setting will make the lens impractical for certain applications; for example, it’s probably not the…

Sony X3000R 4K Action Camera The Sony X3000R is a rugged action camera that features an Exmor R CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X™ image processor that allows you to record high quality 4K video at 30fps, at up to 100 Mbps or alternatively 12MP still images. It’s splash-›and freeze-proof straight out of the box, and its included housing will further allow it to be used safely in water at impressive depths of up to 60m. The X3000R also has inbuilt GPS with location tracking and speedometer functions. £499 ● 12MP still image capture ● Shoots 4K video at 30fps ● Waterproof to 60m Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition Making use of a unique modular design, the Insta360 ONE R Twin comes with two interchangeable lens mods, the Dual-Lens 360°…

AP picture of the week Mini VE Day by Peter Wilkinson Canon EOS 200D, 105mm, 1/200sec at f/4, ISO 100 Peter took this during lockdown in memory of all those who served in the Second World War, it’s his ‘mini tribute’ to them and he believes now more poignant since the death of Dame Vera Lynn. We’ll let him explain, ‘The set-up was simple – one flash, my ever-faithful LumoPro LP160, which is still awesome after 10 years’ hard service. I used an LED strip light that I covered with orange plastic. I used Quality Street wrappers as I didn’t have CTO gels available. The model is approximately 100mm long and was suspended using fishing line from a bar placed over the top of the scene, the background is an…

THE ROYAL Observatory’s Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year›2020 competition has released its shortlist. The competition is now in its 12th›year and has attracted more than 5,200 entries, taken by amateurs and professionals from almost 70›countries – a new record. The shortlist is as diverse and engrossing as ever and includes a full moon illuminating the Shard in London, an aurora over›Stokksnes headland on the Icelandic coast and a total solar eclipse. The winners of the competition’s nine categories and two special prizes will be announced on 10 September. See bit.ly/astropotyshortlist.…

Off-camera flash is one of the most effective ways to make your photos look more polished and professional. It gives a clarity that is near-impossible to achieve with natural light alone, and produces results that go far beyond the means of the novice snapper. Whether photographing people, pets, plants or still-life, a basic studio speedlight set-up can take your photos to the next level. Over the next few pages we’ll look at how to get started by creating a simple speedlight studio in your home. With a few simple techniques and inexpensive pieces of kit you’ll be able to capture all kinds of beautifully lit subjects without leaving the house. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on a basic home studio set-up. A dedicated…

EXPOSING for flash in a studio set-up can get complicated, but here’s a way to keep it simple. Don’t worry about light meters, the inverse square law or guide numbers – just eyeball it. Take a few test shots and simply use trial and error. Here’s a basic formula to get going. Switch your camera to manual exposure mode. Set shutter speed to 1/200sec, aperture to f/11 and ISO to 100. Start with one flash turned on and set it to manual power at ¼ output. Now fire off a test shot. If it’s too dark or too light then one option is to adjust the aperture. A higher f number will darken the exposure, a lower f number will lighten it. The second option is to change the strength…

I’m relatively new to photography, having taken it up seriously about three years ago after trying out an SLR I’d bought my daughter for her birthday. Last year I decided to have a go at the RPS Licentiate distinction as a way to help improve my photography and focus my efforts. I used to think the final product had been achieved when I had processed and posted my pictures online but an RPS advisory day changed that, and I now realise the end product has not arrived until my image is printed. For the advisory day I decided to show my potential submission in printed format and got them printed professionally. Enter the world of soft proofing, colour profiles and calibrations! But I have to say that the photographs come…

Freeform Pen tool Open your image in Adobe Photoshop CC and select the Freeform Pen tool. Draw roughly around the object you wish to straighten, leaving plenty of room around it. Right click and select ‘make selection’, feathering by about 10 pixels. Create new layer Go to Edit > Copy > Edit > Paste. This will automatically paste the selected object back onto your image in exactly the same position,›but as a new layer. Click Edit > Transform > Rotate and drag the corner of the box until the object is perfectly upright, then press Enter. Distort layer Next go to Edit > Transform > Distort. Depending on which side of the image the object is positioned, drag both the top and bottom right corners up (or down) and the…

Round Six Natural World THIS round is our animal, wildlife and nature category. We want you to point your lens at all creatures great and small. It’s a broad topic with myriad subjects waiting to be captured – from your pet pooch, crabs in rock pools, lions prowling the Serengeti to your local nature reserve – anything and everything is fair game here. When it comes to our animal friends, research is key. Take some time to learn how they behave so you’re ready to strike at the right moment – for shots that get noticed above the rest. YOUR FREE ENTRY CODE Enter the code below via Photocrowd to get one free entry to Round Six – Natural World APOY60502316 To enter visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/apoy…

An estimated quarter of a million people died in the Battle of Berlin in 1945 and the physical legacy of the fighting remains visible throughout the city. It is as much part of Berlin’s identity as the Wall, and a lot easier›to find. Facades are pockmarked with bullet holes and shell shrapnel, especially around lower-floor windows where the German defenders set up firing positions. Chipped pillars, maimed statues and shell holes punched into steel stanchions tell the story of the last stand by regular Wehrmacht troops, SS forces, Hitler Youth and units of old men and boys aged as young as 13. In some cases, like the jagged tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church or the portico of Anhalter station, the ruins have been preserved as warnings from history.…

Sekonic Flashmate L-308X Light Meter ● £200 ● www.sekonic.com It’s easy to understand why some photographers may feel that they don’t need a light meter for flash photography; you can take test shots until the exposure looks right on the LCD screen, but the beauty of a flash meter is that not only can you be 100% sure that exposure is spot on, you can also see exactly where and by how much light falls off on different parts of the subject. The Sekonic L-308 product line is a classic light meter that’s been around for decades, and the L-308X provides all the basic features you need for perfect flash and ambient light readings for both photography and video. With the ability to provide incident and reflected light readings, its…

Cameras Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses Handgrip DSLRs traditionally have relatively large handgrips, while many mirrorless models have much smaller grips to keep size down. However, some can accept accessory grips to improve handling with larger lenses. Lens mount Each camera brand uses its own lens mount, and mirrorless cameras use different lenses to DSLRs even from the same brand. However, mirrorless models can often use DSLR lenses via a mount adapter. Controls Entry-level cameras tend to have simple, easy-to-understand controls, while more expensive models add lots of buttons and dials to give quick access to settings. Viewfinder The biggest difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that the latter use electronic, rather than optical…