Innholdsfortegnelse for 07-Nov-2020 i Amateur Photographer

It is rare that we are given the opportunity to share a photo story as important Nick Mason’s moving documentary project on an Intensive Care Unit in Gwent. It is the perfect response to those who don’t take COVID-19 seriously or indeed think it is some kind of made-up conspiracy. We also feature Laurin Schmid’s very different but equally compelling project, on Yugoslavia’s ‘Spomeniks’. Best-selling author Michael Freeman offers us some great advice on understanding light, award-winning photojournalist Edmond Terakopian tells us why he’s a convert to the L-Mount Alliance, John Wade looks back at the Canon 7, and our Greatest Album Covers series tells the story behind David Bowie’s classic, Aladdin Sane. Finally, if your local lockdown restrictions are making it difficult to get your copy of AP why…

Through the Trees by Claire Norman Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm (at 150mm), 1/100sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250 ‘I have been photographing deer at Knowle Park for three years,’ says Claire. ‘They are such beautiful animals. I love the light here. It was golden hour, the sun had just come up and the buck was standing in the light. I wanted to include the trees so I zoomed out and stepped back. I overexposed slightly to avoid the deer appearing in silhouette.’ This is an exquisite photograph by Claire, the subject is perfectly framed between two trees. The light is wonderful and the positioning of the buck could not be more ideal. Follow Claire on Instagram at @clairenormanwildlifephoto.…

NONE of this is any reason to avoid shooting into the sun, but be aware that the processing will take longer. This banding reduces if you reduce the exposure with the raw converter’s slider; also, the raw converter’s highlight-recovery slider will help. It may even be necessary to make two versions from the raw converter and blend them later. Finally, using Replace Color in Photoshop after raw conversion allows you to target ‘bands’ and change their hue (yellow tending to green is common), saturation and lightness. An alternative if you have the camera locked down is to shoot a range of exposures and make an HDR image file. Light & How to Photograph It by Michael Freeman is published by Ilex Press…

1 In Lightroom I always apply lens correction to remove colour fringing, distortion and vignetting 2 Quite strong adjustments to the high dynamic range raw file to bring out more detail 3 The contrast was then readjusted using curves to closely match the original scene 4 A small amount of Clarity was applied to enhance the finer details and make the layers more prominent Guy Edwardes Based in Dorset, Guy has been a professional landscape and nature photographer for over 25 years. His work has been widely published and he’s written two books on photography technique. He runs photographic workshops worldwide. www.guyedwardes.com. I’ve been visiting Slovenia two or three times a year for the past 15 years and the country has become one of my favourite locations for landscape photography.…

Guy Fawkes by Reinhold Thiele Crowds gather to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night and watch the burning of an effigy of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire. 2020 marks the 415th anniversary of the notorious Gunpowder Plot, the failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of Catholics led by Robert Catesby. Authorities were alerted by an anonymous letter that they should search Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November 1605, where they found Guy Fawkes guarding enough explosives to reduce the Houses of Parliament to rubble. Over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured into confessing the plot. Although just one of several people involved in the plot, it’s Fawkes’ name which has become synonymous with the 5 November celebrations. The Getty Images Hulton Archive…

Nikon Europe has announced the return of its bi-annual international photography competition, the Nikon Photo Contest 2020-21. The theme for the Open category is ‘Connect,’ with photographers (and film makers) asked to explore the meaning and significance of communication, as well as the bonds that connect people to the world. The Next Generation category, open to photographers 25 years old and younger, will focus on ‘Passion’. Both pros and amateurs can enter, and the closing date depends on the category.See www.nikon-photocontest.com/en.…

CANON Europe has announced the Pixma Pro-200, a compact A3+ colour printer which replaces the Pro-100S. It features an 8-ink dye-based system for deep blacks and vibrant colours, Canon claims, with an enhanced colour gamut for red, blue and black. The Pro-200 is able to print in as little as 90 seconds, according to Canon, and a 3in display enables you to check ink levels and other settings. The new printer is more compact too, weighing in at 14.1kg, which is 15% smaller than its predecessor. Supplied with it is the Canon Professional Print & Layout software. It features a paper skew correct function, colour matches images from screen to print and connects to smartphones and Wi-Fi. Users can also download ICC profiles from popular paper manufacturers. The Pro-200 is…

31 August 2002 FOR YEARS AP published an annual group test of D&P labs. It was a mammoth task that involved exposing lots of film with near-identical images, then either mailing or dropping them off to all the major D&P labs. In the 2002 test they shot 14 rolls of print film, six rolls of slide film and four rolls of b&w. The winners were Snappy Snaps (High Street), Club 35 (Mail Order), Fujifilm (slides) and Jessops (black & white). Of course it was all a bit pointless, especially with the high street labs, because so much depended on the skill and care taken by that particular branch or member of staff on the day. But at least it kept the technical team out of the pub for a couple…

YOU CAN shoot into the sun without having to see its disc, and avoid the dynamic range problems. One useful way around this is to position yourself so that something blocks the sun’s image. The dynamic range is still high, but more manageable. Depending on what is doing the blocking, and on whether there is space beneath it, there are two possible side effects, and they can be turned to advantage in making the shot more interesting. One is a cast shadow, the other a reflection of the sun on the ground or whatever other flat surface you see. The second uses the reflection effect. I had spent the afternoon having the Blackbird towed around the airfield at Beale AFB, and this was to be the last shot before sunset.…

Take a trip Please accept my compliments to yourself and your team for such a wide-ranging, in-depth, amusing and challenging magazine. There is something for everyone to enjoy. How you come up with such diverse topics every week is astonishing. Even if your equipment is old, or inexpensive, or you’re just a happy snapper like me, you don’t feel excluded. Rather the reverse. Your publication has a real positive effect on people, in my opinion. I would like to suggest an article: give Olympus Trip 35s, with 200 ASA colour film, to five skilled photographers. They have to take five pictures in five minutes, in whatever place they choose. The result could be rubbish or outstanding but I reckon it would be interesting. John McLester Thanks for your kind comments…

● The project was fully supported by my employer, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. ● Patients who were identifiable in photographs were approached once they were recovering on the ward. The project was explained to them and they were asked to sign a release form. Patients were universally supportive of the project and none refused to give their consent. ● The camera and lenses were stored in a tough waterproof stuff-sack which could be dipped in the antiseptic solution used to clean our clogs. This enabled me to transport the gear safely to other red zones such as the ward areas that had been converted to additional temporary ICUs. ● Images were written onto SanDisk Extreme SD cards which are waterproof and easily withstood being wiped down with an antiseptic…

Musicians: David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey, Mike Garson, Ken Fordham, Brian ‘Bux’ Wilshaw, Juanita ‘Honey’ Franklin, Linda Lewis, G.A. MacCormack Released: 20 April 1973 (RCA) Best chart performance: No. 1 UK Albums Chart (the album entered the chart at No. 1). No. 2 UK year-end Albums Chart for 1973 Sales: Approx. 4.6 million worldwide Fascinating fact: The Aladdin Sane album cover was the first of three album covers that Duffy shot for David Bowie. He was also responsible for the sleeve photography for Bowie’s 1979 LP Lodger, which was shot in the same studio as the Aladdin Sane cover, and the 1980 release Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)…

1 Calibration It is recommended to always work on a calibrated monitor. You can calibrate most monitors using an external device such as a Datacolor SpyderX Pro. However, I use an Eizo CG277 self-calibrating monitor that takes all the hassle out of calibration and helps me to produce consistently accurate prints. 2 Colour space Be aware of the colour space you’re working in. My original high-resolution 16-bit TIFF files are always processed and saved in the widest colour space – ProPhoto RGB. Once I’ve resized an image, a copy will be converted to either Adobe RGB or sRGB and saved as a JPEG, depending upon the requirements of the lab or printing house. 3 Paper stock I like colour, atmosphere and punch in my images so I…

ONE OF the branches which has developed in the L-mount system is for professional level video. This distinction is important to grasp, as all the cameras are capable of exceptional video, but two in particular cater to the high-end professional market. The Lumix S1H, whilst also being a photographic powerhouse, brings with it extremely high-end video quality as well as ability, in its toolset and performance. So much so in fact that it’s the only mirrorless camera on the extremely particular Netflix recommended camera list. One look at this very exclusive list shows just how capable this camera is. Whilst not on this list, the Sigma fp brings with it full-on professional video capabilities as well, in a very small form factor. In fact I would say the fp is…

Five colours Ours is in Billingham’s new Navy canvas with chocolate leather trim. Sage/chocolate,khaki/tan, black/tan and all-black versions are also available. Shoulder strap The removable 25mm-wide strap offers a good range of adjustment. An optional shoulder pad is available for £28. Belt loops Two webbing straps on the back allow you to attach the bag to your belt for better security, but it’s rather bulky to be carried this way. Pen pockets Tall, slim pockets on either side will hold pens, pencils or styluses etc. ● £160 ● www.billingham.co.uk BILLINGHAM has long been established as one of the best-loved British photographic brands, thanks to its classically designed camera bags. But it also makes bags for travel and leisure. The Airline is one of three models in its Stowaway range, which…

Samyang MF 85mm F1.4 Don’t let the fact that it’s manual focus put you off, with a super wide f/1.4 aperture, extremely shallow depth of field can be produced with the Samyang 85mm F1.4 for stylish and distinct results. With a classic focal length for portraiture, and with a high-quality optical construction, it remains surprisingly affordable in a wide variety of camera mounts. Compact and lightweight, it won’t weigh you down either, unlike some of its rival lenses! From £319 ● Manual focus only ● Super wide F/1.4 aperture ● Available in Canon EF, EF-M and RF, Nikon F and Z, Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Micro Four Thirds mounts Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro DG DN Art Providing an archetypal focal length for portraits, the tack-sharp results Sigma’s Art range…

Beauty in Simplicity by Sony Rajput Nikon D5300, 70-300mm lens, 1/60sec at f/5.6, ISO 160 Sony is a final year post-grad student of digital journalism and took this portrait of his elder sister on her birthday. ‘It was a personal project during quarantine and was lit entirely by nature light, with the help of a strainer to create a thrilling effect.’ Sony has used a simple kitchen accessory to great effect here, and shows just what can be done with ordinary household items and a little imagination. Flower Reflection by Mark Deakin Canon EOS R, Sigma 105mm macro, 0.6sec and f/4, ISO 200 This is another very simple photo using items lying around the house, which Mark created by simply placing a flower on his Samsung tablet and capturing its…

The winners of the first-ever Aerial Photographer of the Year competition have been announced, with thousands of photographers from 65 countries submitting their best pictures taken with drones, helicopters and planes. The overall award went to Sebastien Nagy of Belgium, whose images appeared in the top five of five separate categories, earning him the highest average score. ‘To be honest, I had never participated in a contest before,’ said Nagy. ‘I didn’t think I would win anything and it was mostly for fun. So I was very surprised.’ You can see the full details of winners at www.aerialphotoawards.com.…

Autofocus is an area of camera design where progress never ceases to amaze. The latest systems dazzle with their prowess. They can identify, focus on and track faces, eyes, cars and even different types of animal with a rapidity and accuracy that’s often way beyond the most expert human hand on a manual focus ring. It’s not just upmarket cameras that have the power to impress. I was trying out Sony’s new, relatively affordable ZV-1 vlogging camera recently. While its articulated touchscreen, high-quality built-in microphones and tidy image quality were all positive features, its autofocus was rather more worthy of note. The speed of face and eye detection were impressive and, in Product Showcase mode, it was intelligent enough to recognise I was holding an object, and automatically shift focus…

WHEN it happens, it’s similar to a light being switched on suddenly. Thick, heavy storm clouds like those in this picture are unlikely to leave any but the smallest gaps, hence the spotlight effect illuminating just a small part of the scene. Overexposing is a real and disastrous danger, and even though shooting continuous is a sloppy way of dealing with a landscape, if there are any doubts about the exposure, it’s better to bracket heavily than lose the shot. Brief time to work within is the other problem with storm light. The clouds are almost always too thick and moving too fast to allow anything but a short gap in their cover, sometimes seconds, rarely more than a very few minutes. That often means moving quickly to find a…

Shocking photo I am a new reader to your magazine and thoroughly enjoying it. As an amateur photographer, I’m learning through your articles and pictures and gaining heaps of knowledge and inspiration. Although in this week’s issue I was horrified to see the photo of the man with the baby and the gun – sorry but I did not like this one bit. He states it’s his constitutional right to own a gun and protect his family. This may be true but the photo to me personally is a bit much! There’s simply no need for this image at all. Maybe I need an open mind but it just doesn’t sit right with me. I guess it’s there to shock. It did. Kay Stapley Welcome to AP, Kay, and glad…

Jason Bell It’s so simple, but so brilliant. It’s basically just ring flash and a white background, but then it subverts that by being airbrushed to the point where you’re not sure if it’s a painting or a photograph, which feels like a metaphor for Bowie struggling with his new-found superstardom.› Peter Hook For a 17-year-old, full of the usual confusions of coming of age, it was appealing almost in a way that made you feel guilty. The music was amazing and, with that cover, the whole thing felt truly special. Carrying that LP round, front cover on show, made me feel cool, probably for the first time in my life! Gered Mankowitz I always thought it was an impressive dynamic and a brilliantly executed iconic image. Duffy was one…

What’s the smallest full-frame mirrorless? Q After years of using my trusty Sony A77, I’ve finally made up my mind to upgrade my camera and take the mirrorless plunge. What to upgrade to though is causing me a bit of a headache – especially as none of them supports A-mount lenses! I’d really like a device that’s still full-frame, but would also like this opportunity to go for something more lightweight and compact. I normally capture travel and street photography, any suggestions? Tony Robbins A You may be interested in Sony’s latest release, Tony – the Alpha 7C. One of the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market, at just 509g and 124x71x60mm, it boasts a fine 24MP sensor and impressive 4K video recording. Using Sony’s new LA-EA5…