Innholdsfortegnelse for 08/05/2021 i Amateur Photographer

The great British outdoors has been the saviour of many a photographer’s mental health over the last year. The pubs may have been closed but our ability to get out and enjoy, and capture, the beauty of the countryside (albeit locally) has been a valuable creative outlet. As foreign travel is still some way off we’ll be continuing to enjoy all that the UK has to offer for some time to come, and this inspiration-packed issue is dedicated to making the most of it. Top landscape shooters share their advice and discuss their favourite images, we round up a great selection of tripods, bags and filter kits to spend your money on, and if you really want to splash the cash we find out whether the 100-million-pixel Fujifilm GFX100S is…

SAMYANG has introduced the AF 12mm F2 E, its first autofocus lens designed specifically for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras. With an angle of view equivalent to an 18mm lens on full frame, it’s based on the firm’s well-regarded manual focus 12mm f/2 design, but gains tweaked optics and weather-sealed construction. As a result, it’s said to be even better suited to astrophotography, with reduced astigmatism that means stars should be rendered closer to perfect points towards the corners of the image. It should also be a good choice for subjects such as landscapes and architecture. Like the existing lens, the 12-element, 10-group design incorporates two aspheric and three ED glass elements to minimise chromatic aberration and distortion. Samyang says that it’s applied improved Ultra Multi Coating (UMC), which promises higher…

SONY’S latest lens, the FE 14mm F1.8 GM, is conceived as a no-compromise fast ultra-wideangle optic for subjects such as landscapes, architecture and astrophotography. Measuring 99.8mm in length by 83mm in diameter, and tipping the scales at 460g, it’s remarkably compact for a lens this wide and fast. By employing 14 elements in 11 groups, including an array of special elements, Sony claims to have effectively suppressed peripheral aberrations such as coma and astigmatism. This means stars should be rendered as points into the corners of the frame. As usual for the G Master range, the lens boasts dust- and moisture-resistant construction. A fluorine coating on the bulbous front element repels water and fingerprints, while an integral petal-shaped hood provides a degree of physical protection. Screw-in filters aren’t an option,…

1 Enhance barley field To enhance the barley field, I applied a graduated filter in Lightroom from the bottom of the image and increased the exposure. I also enhanced the green tint to draw out the colour in the young barley. 2 Boost moody sky I wanted to ensure none of the highlights in the sky were blown and enhance those moody clouds, so I applied another grad from the top of the image. I checked the highlights and reduced the exposure just slightly to enhance the moody sky. 3 Spot removal I always remove spots of dust in Photoshop using either the Spot Healing Brush or the Spot Removal Visualise Spots feature in Camera Raw Filter. Afterwards I check the image thoroughly to ensure I haven’t missed any before…

1 Jayne Bond UK 100pts Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 500mm, 1/6400sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250 Guest judge Ross Hoddinott says: ‘This is such a beautifully captured image. The soft, warm light spotlighting the seal pup is gorgeous, while the low viewpoint is intimate and inviting. The subject simply ‘pops’ from its surroundings thanks to the shallow zone of focus, and the seal’s whiskers are so sharp that it seems you could reach out and touch them. I love the way this image highlights the harsh conditions these young animals have to contend with so early in their lives. The strong wind has partially covered this resting pup with sand and when you look at this shot, you can practically hear the wind whistling past and feel the sand and…

JAYNE Bond takes away a £500 voucher to spend at MPB thanks to her captivating winning image of a sleeping seal in a sand dune. For this shot, she used a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II which, with its 20.2MP sensor and 14fps capability, is ideal for wildlife photography. MPB has several EOS-1D X Mark II bodies available on its website, starting from £1,614 and rising to £2,239, depending on its condition. In second place, Juraj Bencik shot his eye-catching image using a full-frame mirrorless Nikon Z 7II. Its predecessor, the Z 7, with its 45.7MP sensor and ISO 64 to 25,600 range, can be picked up at MPB at a starting price of £1,689. Jenny Hibbert’s very well-captured and engaging shot of a young water vole eating berries was…

1 Create the basic Layers If you’re working with an image that only has a Background Layer, press Ctrl+J twice to make two copies of the Background. If you have Layers in place, click on the top Layer to make it active, then press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge all visible Layers to a New Layer at the top of the stack, then press Ctrl+J to make a copy of this Layer so that you have two Layers to work with. 2 Apply Gaussian Blur Click on the top layer, which will probably be called Layer 1 Copy, and then go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. When the Dialogue box opens, set the Radius to between 20 and 35 Pixels. The exact amount depends on the resolution of your camera – so for this…

Manfrotto 190GO MT190GOC4 ● £239 ● www.manfrotto.com Manfrotto’s 190-series has great heritage and this MT190GOC4 carbon fibre tripod is the lightest, most compact offering in the 190 range. It’s a 4-leg section tripod that weighs 1,350g, can be extended to a maximum height of 147cm and folds down to 45cm. It’ll happily support up to 7kg and the twist locks ensure the legs have no protruding parts and can be quickly loosened or locked with 90° rotation. The legs can be set to four leg-angle positions and its clever built-in 90° column mechanism lets users swing the centre column horizontally for low-level shots in a matter of seconds. Note the price is for the tripod only so you will need to budget an extra £100 for a good-quality ball head.…

The crops shown below are taken from the area outlined above in red It should come as no surprise to see that the GFX100S extracts a ridiculous amount of detail from our test scene. There’s barely any visible difference in quality from ISO 50 to ISO 400, and it’s only at ISO 800 that we start to see the slightest hint of blurring, which is most unlikely to be perceptible in print. By ISO 3200 image degradation is more obvious, with most fine detail blurred away. But then again, you have so many pixels to play with that even ISO 12,800 should give acceptable A3 prints. However noise has a significant impact on the extended ISOs, and I’d steer clear of anything above ISO 25,600.…

Hard Hat Demonstrations by Stuart Lutz / Gado Demonstrators march and hold banners while participating in protests related to the anti-Vietnam War Hard Hat Riot, which took place in New York City on 8 May 1970. Around 400 construction workers and 800 office workers attacked around 1,000 demonstrators affiliated with the student strike of 1970. The riot, which first broke out near the intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street in Lower Manhattan, ended in a mob scene with more than 20,000 people in the streets. There was a battle at New York City Hall, and also an attack on the conservative Pace University. It lasted more than three hours and around 100 people, including seven policeman, were injured. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great…

Stars & Cars by Edward Quinn £45, teNeues, hardcover, 256 pages, ISBN: 9783961712946 A new edition of this fabulous book celebrates the centenary of Irish celebrity photographer Edward Quinn, who was born in 1920. Featuring 150 of Quinn’s finest photographs, this book captures the jet-set glamour and opulent car design of 1950s Côte d’Azur: Picasso and his Hispano-Suiza, Brigitte Bardot in her Lancia, and the Onassis’ in their Porsche among others. Other names of note include Zsa Zsa Gabor, Kim Novak, Frank Sinatra, Diana Dors, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Dean Martin – a veritable who’s who of big names of the era. The cars have been identified with the help of enthusiasts, experts, manufacturers and museums. For fans of mid-century celebrity culture, old-fashioned movie stars and classic cars, this is…

Consider the location How it will work with the final image you have in your mind. Does it tell a story, convey a message or is it just a record shot with a pretty pink sky? Try to avoid the bland and banal, and think for yourself. Have the courage to stick to your own creative thoughts and ideas. Shoot locations you want to shoot Explore, study maps and head a little off the beaten track. Don’t become a collector of locations just because everyone else is shooting them. Shoot a location because you want to be there, not because you are on a box-ticking exercise. Remember, a location should be more than just a set of coordinates. Plan ahead Think about where you are going and what you will…

1 Calibrate your screen I learnt the hard way about how important it is to calibrate your computer screen regularly. My image is always bright and vibrant but when sent to the printers they always used to come back darker and warmer. Now I always calibrate. 2 Keep it simple If like me, you don’t have extensive knowledge of Lightroom/ Photoshop editing, don’t panic. Work with what you have. Keep it simple. 3 Dust spots! Ideally clean your sensor or run the sensor clean function on your camera before you head out on location. If you forget, like I regularly do, then ensure you check your images carefully for dust spots and missing pixels, as these will ruin a print. 4 Sharpen and noise reduction Try…

Every year, the wildlife and nature round of APOY is one of the toughest to judge, because the standard is so high. Our panel shortlisted a huge range of images, reflecting not only the quality of entries but also the diversity of tastes. This month’s guest judge, wildlife photographer Ross Hoddinott, was particularly impressed with the standard of entries, and admitted finding it tricky to narrow them down. To see more images, including the commended shortlist, see www.photocrowd.com/apoy.…

Adrian Davey UK 10pts Canon EOS 7D, 500mm, 1/640sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 In this year’s APOY, entrants can win points for their camera clubs – all you need to do is select your club from the dropdown menu when you upload your images. Whatever points you are awarded are then added to your club’s overall tally. That’s what Adrian Davey of Launceston Camera Club did when he entered this excellent portrait of a fox, with the tones showing how beautifully the vixen blends into her mountain surroundings. He received a Commended, earning him 10 points. Another member of his club, Chris Robbins, also received 10 points for his Commended image, while Ian Smith received 10 points for one of his shots in Round One, giving Launceston Camera Club 30…

Visiting locations on multiple occasions helps understand its potential. This open field of bluebells remains a favoured springtime location. Even if you consider the excessive use of negative space, the result still feels joyous, simply because of the symmetry and the sheer fact that this is such an unlikely find. If you compare the panorama to the image below, it seems far less impactful and ‘everyday’ with the rule of thirds tree and cloud. The problem here is that the camera position is almost too close, and the airy wide-open feel is lost. It may surprise you to know that this image was taken around 12pm, when the light was at its hardest. Look at the position of the shadow under the tree. Spring landscapes can work at any time…

Blend If is a function within Photoshop, which in a nutshell allows you to control how Layers blend in the shadows, mid-tones and highlights. This means that for a technique like the Orton Effect which causes a loss of detail in shadow areas, we can use Blend If to avoid this while still enjoying the full benefits of the effect. Orton Effect at 100% In this image, you’ll see that all shadow detail has been lost, and even small highlights that are normally visible have also been affected. Orton Effect with Blend If at 100% Even with the Orton Effect at 100%, which is too strong, using Blend If has maintained detail in the shadow areas and darker tones. Orton Effect with Blend If at 35% This image shows the…

Round Four Landscapes Landscape photography is an incredibly popular genre. It’s easily accessible for most and we’ve got a whole world full of potential subjects. Because this subject is so favoured, you will need to work hard to stand out – but we’ve kept the brief fairly loose so you can show us your interpretations of landscape. Whether you want to include grand sweeping mountain vistas or concentrate on abstract details, it’s time to submit your best scenic shots for our consideration. Your guest judge Your guest judge for Round Three of APOY will no doubt be familiar to regular readers of AP. Jeremy Walker is a respected landscape photographer whose vision and versatility has kept him at the forefront of the industry for many years. His book, Landscape, is…

WITH each successive GFX generation, Fujifilm has made significant advances, but the GFX100S is by far its most tempting medium-format model yet. By offering the same sensor as the GFX100 at barely half the price, the firm has further advanced the cause of medium format as a realistic upgrade over full frame. This is a camera that delivers sumptuous image quality in a remarkably easy-to-use package that takes up no more space in your bag than a high-end full-frame DSLR. It’s also an extremely tempting upgrade for existing GFX owners. Compared to the two 50MP models, you gain double the resolution, in-body stabilisation and much better autofocus in a body that’s no less portable. For GFX100 users there’s the opportunity to shed considerable bulk and 400g weight with very little…

ALL THINGS considered, the Benro FH100M3 is one of the best filter holders I’ve used. Putting fragile, expensive glass filters into frames simply feels like a good idea, and the geared system for adjusting graduated filters works really well. The magnetic polariser mount is also a considerable improvement over the previous version. But the design still has a few flaws, most obviously the fussy and ineffective adjustment belt for the polariser. Even so, for serious landscape photographers who would like a more precise method of adjusting filters, it’s a really strong option.…

In my previous two articles I have discussed stacked sensor technology, as used by Sony and Nikon, and how it might speed up the image sensor’s operation. The theme of this article is how the sensor design affects the performance specifications of a camera. To start, I’ll briefly explain the inner workings of a pixel. The usual electronic design of a CMOS pixel is shown below. Three transistors are used as switches and one operates as an amplifier, which is indicated with the triangular symbol. The control signals, which operate the switches, are shown as dotted lines. By opening and closing the switches in a particular sequence the circuit is made to capture and transfer a value for the exposure measured in the pixel. The sequence starts with the closing…

Olympus Tough TG-6 ● £370 ● www.olympus.co.uk Olympus’s Tough compacts have habitually won our underwater camera group tests, and this latest model is still the best of its type. It’s waterproof to 15m, shockproof against a 2.4m drop, crushproof and freezeproof. The 25-100mm equivalent lens is paired with a 12MP sensor, and viewing is via a 3in LCD. This is also one of the few rugged cameras that can record raw files. Panasonic LX100 II ● £729 ● www.panasonic.com/uk A high-end compact for creative photography, the LX100 II is based around a 24-75mm equivalent f/1.7-2.8 lens and a 17MP Four Thirds sensor that features a true multi aspect-ratio design. It also boasts a full range of traditional analogue control dials, and the corner-mounted viewfinder is complemented by touchscreen LCD. Reviewed…

AP picture of the week March of the Ents by Gavin Duncan Nikon D850, 24-70mm f/2.8, 1/5sec at f/4, ISO 64 Gavin is a microbiologist, based in Falkirk, Scotland, who loves photographing trees and woodlands. ‘Bringing order to the chaos is very satisfying and rewarding,’ he says, ‘and it’s seldom that you meet anyone else. For me, there isn’t much joy in lining up your tripod next to 20 other photographers all taking similar images.’ This is a striking image. The strong angles created by the contrast between the vertical trees and the steep grassy slope make for a dynamic image and the mist adds a fantasy quality. Gavin adds: ’I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I couldn’t help but think these trees…

8 May 1946 IT WAS 75 years ago this week, less than a year after the end of the Second World War, that AP published its 3,000th issue. ‘In normal times the three-thousandth issue of a weekly journal would be marked by the publication of a special edition produced for the occasion,’ wrote Editor ALM Sowerby in his leader. ‘Unfortunately, paper restrictions make it impossible for us to celebrate the occasion as we would wish, and this AP must therefore appear unchanged. Let us look forward to future issues produced with a paper supply which permits the AP to serve amateur photography in a manner worthy of the high esteem in which it is held in the worlds of science and art.’ The issue also included a warm tribute from…

This shot of the 17th century Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire holds great memories for me because it was the first time I had left my flat in more than three months, owing to the national lockdown. On the 30th of June 2020 I was finally allowed to meet up with a friend and venture out. It was dull and cloudy and the middle of the day when we arrived so no momentous light to speak of. However, the moody grey sky and vastness of the barley crops screamed out minimalism and long exposure, so I set to it, keeping my distance from the windmill itself. As you can see from the original image (left), I underestimated my exposure time so the foreground was too dark and lacked colour. It didn’t…

Good landscape photography takes huge amounts of self-control. Yes, there’s the discipline that means you don’t roll over in bed and ignore that 4am alarm call, but what about once you’re at the location itself? It’s easy to end up in headless-chicken mode – especially if the light and conditions are spectacular – dashing around, firing at will, desperately trying to include everything of interest in the frame, but possibly not capturing the essence of the place. Taking the decision to turn your back on the grand vista takes even greater self-control. The need to say ‘I was here’ runs deep within many lovers of the landscape. And why not? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to show your friends and family what this spectacular scene looked like at the moment…

The Orton Effect is an analogue technique that works even better with digital photography, and by mimicking the original process we can achieve the best result. There are some tutorials where only a single Layer is used, however for the most authentic effect we need to mimic the two film exposures and add a little bit of editing magic into the mix. One thing to bear in mind is that it’s always best to apply the Orton Effect after all other image processing and manipulation has been completed. The key to success with the Orton Effect is to ensure that it’s applied at a low Opacity making it almost invisible – you can see that it’s there, but viewers of your images may not realise that the effect has been…

H&Y Magnetic Filter Frames ● £25 (100x150mm) ● www.hyfilters.co Designed for photographers who use 100x100mm or 100x150mm filters no thicker than 2mm, these plastic frames clip around filters to offer an extra form of protection, while providing magnetic connection with any filter holder fitted with H&Y’s magnetic holder adapter strips (LEE Filters, Formatt Hitech and NiSi filter holders are supported). With the magnetic frames attached to your filters and the adapter strips fitted to your filter holder you can take full advantage of being able to snap filters on and off in seconds. Better still, they allow you to stack filters on top of one another and can prevent pesky fingerprint marks at the edges. NiSi Compact Camera Filter System ● £53 (Professional kit) ● www.nisioptics.co.uk NiSi produces an extensive…

Phone mount Fancy mounting your phone to the tripod? No problem. You’ll find a phone mount stowed in the centre column. Hex tool You need to use the supplied hex tool to tighten the plate to your camera as it can’t be tightened with a coin. Centre column knob Pulling this out allows you to loosen/tighten the centre column more easily than when it’s retracted. Fundraising $12 million was raised through Kickstarter in 2019 to bring the tripod from design to reality. ● £319 ● www.peakdesign.com IF YOU don’t like the idea of lumping a cumbersome tripod around, but want a solid base to support your camera, a premium aluminium travel tripod like this one from Peak Design may be the answer. It’s different from most travel tripods in the…

The Rolling Stones are 60 next year. How young they look in this 1963 picture taken by a rare species at that time – a female photographer. I met Angela Starkey, who was to become my wife, when I was the pop music reporter on the Wolverhampton Express & Star, and if we hadn’t worked on the same newspaper I would have not become a photographer. She always volunteered to accompany me on my pop assignments. What Angela caught wonderfully was the disdainful expression on Brian Jones’s face. As Ray Davies of The Kinks put it: ‘He was the most conceited person I have ever met.’ Jones was the creator and leader of the Stones, and tragically died six years later after being sacked by the band. As a teenager…