Innholdsfortegnelse for 06/03/2021 i Amateur Photographer

Among the most important attributes for anyone wishing to succeed in landscape photography is an ambivalence – if not an outright enthusiasm – towards being out in inclement weather. If the thought of an impending storm doesn’t make your heart skip with excitement then this probably isn’t the genre for you. This week some of the UK’s leading landscape photographers offer their tips and advice to help make the discomfort worth the effort. If you’d rather stay warm and dry at home then perhaps Elizabeth Kazda’s beautiful floral mandalas or Louis Dazy’s film-based double exposures will inspire you. Speaking of beautiful, we take an in-depth look at the Fujifilm X100V, a camera that’s almost impossible to use without wanting to buy one (as Michael Topham found to his cost) and…

Petrol Station by Ryan Bowen Nikon D7200, 18-55mm lens, 1/8sec at f/5.6, ISO 640 Ryan is a young photographer from Tyldesley, near Manchester, who enjoys photographing anything to do with aviation, and night landscapes like this one. ‘I took this in mid-January while out with my camera trying to shoot some long exposures of cars on the local A580. But I spotted this newly opened petrol station lit up in blue, in Astley and thought it would make a good picture.’ He was right. It’s a fairly mundane subject that most people would pass by without a second glance but Ryan has made an appealing photograph of it. Instagram @ryanbowen98. Bridge Fog by Jamie Bassett Panasonic Lumix GF1, 20mm F1.7, ISO 100 Bristol-based Jamie was introduced to photography at a…

NIKON has released firmware updates for its latest full-frame mirrorless models, the Z 6II and Z 7II. Version 1.1 for both cameras is claimed to provide enhanced eye-detection autofocus, including the ability to detect and track subjects that are smaller within the frame. Nikon Z 6II users also gain the option of recording 4K 60p video, as promised at the time of its launch. Additionally, both cameras will be able to output raw video to Blackmagic external recorders. The firm has also launched a Nikon Z 6II Essential Movie Kit. This includes a camera body with the latest firmware already installed, an Atomos Ninja V recorder, a Nikon FTZ Mount Adapter for using F-mount DSLR lenses, and a SmallRig camera cage. It’ll cost £2,909.…

Mark Gilligan A professional photographer, producer/director of TV and photography teacher for over 40 years, Mark is also a LEE Filters Master supported by Berghaus and Billingham. A former Fujifilm ambassador and winner of the #OMGB in LPOTY, he is a Fellow of the BIPP. Visit www.wastwaterphotography.co.uk or follow him on Facebook or Instagram. I LOVE watching dramatic weather move across the landscape. Whilst I observe and enjoy, photographing it is a passion of mine. Fortunately it isn’t just seasonal either, as our weather presents opportunities all year. I’m not advocating thst you venture out into the eye of a storm but on days when it is very changeable. Safety is paramount and I always abide by the rule that the mountains will be there another day. You will be…

When was the club founded? The society began in 1956. The founding president John West sent a congratulations email on the 60th anniversary of the society. Hopefully an 65th anniversary dinner will be held this coming year. What does your club offer to new members? In past years, the society has organised training events for new members. Our members’ lecture evenings are well attended with members demonstrating still-life photography, macro photography, studio evenings, photo editing workshops, and recently a small group the ‘Shutterbugs’ has been formed to teach techniques on a more individual basis. The website and Facebook blogs are regularly updated with useful techniques, and members’ images. In addition, longstanding members proactively help new members with invaluable practical advice tips from their wealth of experience in a friendly and…

‘Sure it has two lenses, but that’s about its only similarity to a traditional TLR’ If you are familiar with twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras from the film age, mention of the type will bring forth images of the Rolleiflex and the many models that copied its shape and way of working. You’ll be thinking of an upright black box with two lenses of the same focal length one above the other, the lower lens to shoot the picture, the upper one to reflect its image via an internal mirror to a waist-level viewfinder on the top of the body. It will take 120 size roll film, running vertically through the body to shoot twelve 6x6cm square pictures. Well, when it comes to the Twin Lens Contaflex, you can forget…

Best backgrounds for food photography? Q This year I’ve been combining my two big passions of cooking and photography to produce stylish food images from home. I have some nice slate tiles and rustic-looking planks of wood that I often place my creations on to shoot, but they take up a lot of space when not in use, are heavy, and have perhaps been over-featured in my images by now. Are there any backgrounds designed specifically for this kind of photography that I could look to invest in? Sally Wisdom A For flat lays and food photography, vinyl backgrounds can often be the perfect choice. Available in a huge range of colours and high-resolution texture designs such as aged wooden floorboards and rusting iron panels, these lightweight plastic sheets are…

AF Nikon AF lenses driven from camera AF-S Nikon lenses with Silent Wave Motor AF-P Nikon lenses with stepper motors AL Pentax lenses with aspheric elements APD Fujifilm lenses with apodisation elements APO Sigma Apochromatic lenses ASPH Aspherical elements AW Pentax all-weather lenses CS Samyang lenses for APS-C cropped sensors D Nikon lenses that communicate distance info DA Pentax lenses optimised for APS-C-sized sensors DC Nikon defocus-control portrait lenses DC Sigma’s lenses for APS-C digital DG Sigma’s designation for full-frame lenses Di Tamron lenses for full-frame sensors Di-II Tamron lenses designed for APS-C DSLRs Di-III Tamron lenses for mirrorless cameras DN Sigma’s lenses for mirrorless cameras DO Canon diffractive optical element lenses DT Sony lenses for APS-C-sized sensors DX Nikon’s lenses for DX-format digital DS Canon’s Defocus Smoothing technology E…

Surely the most famous landscape photographer ever to have lived, Ansel Adams (1902-84) had an extraordinary ability to capture the sublime in an image. His photographs of the American wilderness are instantly recognisable: each one is a masterclass in how to subtly and skilfully combine tones of black, white and grey. As every landscape photographer will know, Adams developed and used the zone system to help him achieve tonal balance across every image, and was an advocate of ‘straight photography’, which privileges sharp focus and detail. Though Adams tried his hand at colour photography during his long career, black & white remained his first and only love. ‘I can get – for me – a far greater sense of “colour” through a well-planned and executed black & white image than…

IN JANUARY, Samsung released its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Costing from £1,149, it features no fewer than four camera modules: ultra-wideangle, wideangle, 3x telephoto, and 10x telephoto. Technical editor Andy Westlake spoke via video link with Joshua Sung dae Cho, Vice President and Head of Visual Software R&D for Samsung Mobile (pictured above), about some of the technologies used in the device. What new camera features are in the S21 series? We always focus on two main points: to democratise the experience of professional photography, and to provide Galaxy as a tool for professional photographers. We have added a lot of new features to serve those purposes. For example, in our portrait mode we can add studio-like lighting effects. Another feature that we’re proud to introduce…

Digitising AP Regarding the conversation in Inbox about digitising the AP archive, why not allow readers to self-digitise the AP and send them in. I could start with my 1940 copy. You have lots of very old readers with time on their hands. You could test by asking for a particular month in a year, and companies could sponsor the activity. Alternatively, pick the classic film SLRs and publish two reviews per camera – one when it was released, and one now. For example, I remember that when the Canon F1n (1978) was tested with the New FD lenses, the lenses got an absolute kicking for build quality. But then the New F1 (1984) was released and there were volleys of hurrahs for the camera and lenses. Keep up the…

Light pad A flat light pad is ideal for creating mandalas. ‘Mine is about 18.5in x 25in, so it’s pretty big,’ reveals Elizabeth. ‘It needs to be big because when you are rotating it you don’t want the edges to appear in the picture.’ Tripod Elizabeth uses a Vanguard Alta Pro 264AT tripod with a Manfrotto 410 geared head. ‘I like the geared head because it allows me to make true precision movements of just the tiniest increments,’ she explains. Lensbaby Velvet 85mm lens All of the botanical mandalas here were created with a Lensbaby Velvet 85mm – a manual-focus lens that Elizabeth feels adds a painterly look to her images. ‘I believe that working in manual mode with a manual-focus lens makes me more creative,’ she says. Motorised platform…

1953 Bolsey C An American compact camera derived from the Bolsey B with an extra lens and viewing hood added. The C-22 model added Set-O-Matic, which automatically changed apertures as the lens was focused to adjust exposure with a flashgun. 1955 Huldaflex 35 Japanese name variant of the Toyocaflex 35. It was unusual for placing the two lenses side by side. Operation of a lever to the side of the taking lens racked both back and forth to focus. 1955 Samocaflex A Japanese camera similar to the Asahiflex (precursor of the Pentax) but with a viewfinder lens above the taking lens. To focus, both were moved by a radial lever beside the lower lens. 1960 Agfa Flexilette German camera similar to the same company’s Silette, with the addition of an…

Rode VideoMic NTG This broadcast-grade shotgun microphone brings high-quality audio to any production. Optimised for on-camera use, it comes with a 30-hour-life rechargeable battery, a high-quality Rycote Lyre shock mount and a windshield. As well as pairing perfectly with cameras it’s also a fully featured USB mic that can be plugged directly into a computer for voiceovers, while its 3.5mm connector doubles as a headphone output for seamless monitoring of audio while using the USB output. £239 • Inbuilt rechargeable Lithium Ion battery• Frequency range 20Hz to 20kHz• 48kHz, 24-bit sampling Rode Wireless GO Don’t let cables hold you back! This ultra-compact wireless microphone offers clip’n’go versatility in an very compact form-factor. Weighing 31g and pairing in under three seconds, the transmitter features an omnidirectional condenser capsule and can also…

11 March 1912 AP’S THIRD annual Empire Number featured a full-bleed cover image (a rarity for the time) depicting the view across Blackfriars Bridge, London. It shows horse-drawn carriages, an Edwardian double decker bus and, on the skyline, the faint outline of St Paul’s Cathedral. This was pretty much the view from the AP office from 1972 to 2008 when we were based at King’s Reach Tower, although rush hour looked somewhat different by then. Inside, beneath a masthead of banners listing Britain’s colonial outposts, the Editor FJ Mortimer welcomed its international readers. ‘The great popularity of The AP and PN in our Colonies is well evidenced by the steadily increasing number of communications received daily from readers in all parts of the world,’ he wrote. In How to Succeed…

The recent travel limitations of travel imposed upon us has meant an imperative to more fully explore our local area in more detail. I have found it challenging to keep on trying to see familiar scenes with fresh eyes, so I decided to view them through less-familiar viewfinders. I have been unexpectedly surprised at how such a simple idea has added pleasure to my photographic excursions. Has it improved my photography? No, but it has provided that little boost necessary in getting me ‘out there’. The cameras I have used included an Olympus OM1, a Leica M8, Fujifilm X100F, a Ricoh GR and an old medium format film camera. Each marque has given me pleasure peculiar to itself and, using them, has helped to keep me snapping. Of course, the…

Today, most portraits of Hollywood A-listers you see in magazines tend to be arranged by film companies, shot in Los Angeles and distributed centrally. It suits the companies because it’s more efficient than having images shot by lots of photographers for different magazines. It also means they have much more control over the images. The downside, for readers, is that magazine interviews with these stars often look bland and all very similar. In the same week I photographed Jeff Goldblum for the Observer Life magazine, back in 1997, I also photographed actors Julie Walters, Minnie Driver, Charlton Heston, Rachel Weisz and Demi Moore. Access was much better, but the time I had to do these shoots was often limited and the pressure was well and truly on for me to…

Level up Accurate measuring and levelling are key to a successful mandala picture. Both the camera and the light pad need to be completely level. What’s more, the exact centre of the light pad must be found before you can introduce the subject. Use manual focus Working in manual focus gives you the maximum flexibility. ‘I want to decide where the focus is going to be,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Sometimes autofocus will pick what I want, but at other times it picks something completely different!’ Try multiple exposures Elizabeth combines multiple exposures in-camera. ‘Many (not all) computer-generated mandalas are mirror-image symmetry, but I use a technique I call Precise Incremental Rotation, which leads to rotational symmetry in the design,’ she explains. Keep still When the motorised platform begins to move, everything…

● £40 ● www.benroeu.com DO YOU ever find yourself wishing you could fit your phone onto your tripod? If not, this intriguing device from Benro isn’t for you. But if you ever make use of smartphone features that aren’t readily replicated by conventional cameras such as panorama or night modes, or you would like to be able to film video clips from a stable support, this might just be the answer. In essence, Benro has designed the ArcaSmart 70 as a dual-purpose holder to work with Arca Swiss compatible tripod heads. Used in its folded-down flat mode, it’s a relatively conventional camera plate measuring 4.8x7cm, although at 13mm deep, it adds quite a lot of bulk. The camera screw slides along a 3cm groove, giving some leeway to attach it…