Innholdsfortegnelse for 29/05/2021 i Amateur Photographer

This week we feature two very different photographers whose styles are worlds apart but both share a rejection of the notion that photography is about making a literal record of the topography of a place. David Fokos uses large format film and slow shutter speeds to convey the passage of time, while Mike Curry is more interested in finding and revealing the beauty in abstract patterns. On the other hand street photography is more about capturing decisive moments that are gone in the blink of an eye, and this week we focus on female practitioners and how they approach the subject. Finally if achieving the best possible image quality is important to you then don’t miss our review of DxO’s superb new PureRAW program, which takes your raw files (both…

Email the Editor at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk and include your full postal address. Please don’t send letters in the post as there is no one in the office to receive them. Thanks for your understanding. LETTER OF THE WEEK More cheap cameras please I was reading an issue of AP from February 2014 when I came across an article about a Pentax *ist DL, which was then eight years old, available for only £100 with a kit lens second-hand. The article mentioned that this may be ‘most, or even all, of an aspiring beginner’s budget’ and that old kit may still be a worthwhile investment. I firmly agree, because, as a teenager with only pocket money for funding, I have little more than this. I find it disappointing that of all the…

1 Set exposure mode to Manual – f/8 and 1/500sec. 2 Set ISO to auto with a minimum of ISO 800. 3 Photograph handheld, never use a tripod. 4 Don’t be tempted to use a polarising filter, as they kill reflection colours. 5 Set exposure compensation around -3 to -5EV for very bright scenes. 6 Use Highlight Weighted Metering if your camera supports it. 7 Shoot in bright wind-free days in areas of non-tidal or still water. 8 Experiment with in-camera multiple exposure for simpler scenes. 9 Use continuous AF and auto area selection and high-speed continuous shooting mode. 10 Leave White Balance on auto as it can often create unexpectedly good results.…

I like seeing photographers on the telly. I mean real ones of course, not the looking-through-the-wrong-hole ones who appear in movies. We get to see real photographers sometimes in the background on the news or at events, and it always gives me a little thrill. I can’t help informing anyone in earshot what camera and lens is being put through its paces, and imparting some fascinating did-you-know factoid about said equipment. I was delighted then to spot the lone photographer flitting between the pillars of the State Entrance at Windsor Castle during the funeral of Prince Philip. The ceremony was noticeably free of the usual primary-school-tapdancing-class shutter-clatter, as the responsibility for covering this crucial angle of the historic occasion had been laid on the shoulders of a single snapper. ‘He…

2 June 2001 AT PHOTOKINA 2000, Leica launched a production version of the Model 0, the original prototype for the first Leica – the Model 1 – which debuted at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair. In this issue AP Editor Garry Coward-Williams was the first UK journalist to get his hands on one. ‘You have to have the utmost respect for a company that waited 76 years to launch a camera... that its inventor had considered redundant in 1925,’ he wrote, concluding that ‘the Leica Model 0 is a beautifully made reproduction....However, this is not a camera for the faint or half hearted.’ It wasn’t cheap either. ‘At £1,600 [£2,750 today] this camera is really aimed at the wealthy collector who wants the opportunity to use a replica with great…

Andy Cowles Just like the band, this sleeve delivers colossal power and bacchanalian bloody-mindedness. Hand tinting is an ancient technique and looks crude by today’s standards, but it perfectly reflects the Zep brand – letting the black & white image abstract reality while the colour does all the heavy lifting. Peter Hook It was the very first Zeppelin cover by Hipgnosis and they came up with a unique and striking look. Very innovative, and the way the gatefold opened up... it was like a work of art. The most important thing at school was to have a cool album beneath your arm and the fact it was Led Zep made you stand out. Kirk Weddle Aubrey Powell produced an epic album cover with Houses of the Holy. This image is…

• £135 • www.lowepro.com WITH no fewer than 81 backpacks in its current lineup, Lowepro has one of the most extensive ranges of bags for photographers who’d like to distribute the weight of their kit across both shoulders. The Flipside backpack, which has been the company’s most popular model for years, is the latest to undergo a redesign to improve access, ruggedness and protection. So what’s new? One of the first things you’ll spot is its new side access. This lets you drop it off one shoulder, swing it round and pull out your camera or lenses faster than if you were to take it off, place it on the ground and access kit via the back panel. To give the bag and its contents better protection when it’s rested…

AP picture of the week Look Into My Eyes by Dod Morrison Nikon D700, 50mm f/1.4, 1/500sec at f/4.5, ISO 320 ‘I have followed badgers for a few years now and travelled the length of the UK to watch and photograph them,’ says Dod, from Aberdeen, who confesses that his wildlife photography has helped him get through the stresses of the past year. ‘On this day in north-east Scotland this rather inquisitive badger was getting very close so I lay on the ground. He almost came right up to my lens – I couldn’t believe my luck. It was one of the best encounters I have had. I could almost imagine it saying, “You are one of the nice humans – others do not treat us so kindly.” These beautiful…

Mike Curry Mike Curry has been a professional photographer for 39 years. His work has won awards in international photography competitions and has been published in the Sunday Times Magazine and Outdoor Photography magazine. In 2017 Mike had a book published by Triplekite Publishing named Fleeting Reflections. Mike is also a Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography. Visit www.mikecurryphotography.com. KIT LIST Nikon D500 Great AF point frame coverage and general fast performance. Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens There’s no need for a fast lens when you are shooting with narrow apertures. Memory card Get the fastest and largest memory card you can afford. Patience Most of my published images were derived from three to four hours of solid shooting of one area averaging 2,000-4,000 shots. Have you ever noticed…

Kood 5-in-1 Reflector 80cm • £19.99 • www.koodinternational.com The 5-in-1 reflector has become the go-to for many photographers and videographers. They’re relatively inexpensive, lightweight, compact and available in sizes from 50cm to 120cm or bigger. The core of the 5-in-1 reflector is a white diffusion scrim which will vary from 0.75 to 2 stops with a reversible cover comprising white, silver, gold and black panels. This example is well made with tape- reinforced seams and a double pull zipper. The steel ring is more rigid than some I’ve used. For the price a very good buy. Lastolite TriGrip Difflector • £26-105 • www.manfrotto.co.uk Like most pop-up reflectors the Lastolite TriGrip folds down to a third of its open size for storage and transport. It’s available in sizes of 45cm, 75cm…

My last few articles have been about the operation of image sensors, and in this one I’ll address the way they can be used to produce an electronic shutter effect. To start, we’ll refer to the diagram of the electronics in a pixel, shown in figure 1 below. First, a recap on the sequence of operations to capture a line’s worth of pixels. Firstly, the pixel is reset by closing switches one and two, which empties any accumulated charge to the reset supply. When the switches are opened again, photocharge starts to accumulate – in other words the exposure begins. This part of the sequence is used to provide what is known as an ‘electronic first curtain shutter’. The signals that control these switches are shared across a row of…