Innholdsfortegnelse for 09/10/2021 i Amateur Photographer

One of the criticisms of digital photography is that few people print their pictures any more. We have moved from a paper-based culture to a screen-based one. Yet today there are more options than ever for bringing our pixel creations into the physical world. One of the best is to make a photo book out of them. At its most basic a photo book can simply replicate the traditional photo album, with one photo per page, but there’s so much more creative potential to book-making than that, as we discover this week. Another criticism is that mirrorless cameras tend to have relatively poor battery life, but there are tricks and camera settings for maximising their stamina, and this week we offer a few tips on best practice. We’ve also got…

AS A reminder that you should never give up hope of finding lost gear, however bad the odds, photographer Ken Critchley has been reunited with a ‘Traveler’ camera he mislaid 12 years ago in Scotland’s wild north west. The camera was found by another photographer and hiker, Mike Price, who ended up on the same spot where Ken lost it. Although the camera no longer worked, the memory card was fine; happily it included an image of Ken’s name, address and contact details. ‘There were no footpaths but I picked up a deer track’ recalls Mike. ‘The mist lifted briefly and revealed a small lochan so I stopped to take a photograph and check my map.’ He noticed something at his feet. ‘It was so bizarre,’ he says, ‘I felt…

Write to 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. Old photo albums I have been taking photos for more than 40 years, starting with a Brownie and now taking digital pictures. Looking at how I have stored them over the years I have noticed that with the albums which take any size of print and are covered with a cellophane sheet the photos are fading and they stick to the pages, which make them curl up or get damaged when they are removed. I still have all the negatives so I can reprint any of them if necessary, or print from negatives via a scanner,…

1 Add Contrast Opening the photo in Camera Raw, I went to the Basic panel to apply tone adjustments: I needed to adjust the Whites and Blacks sliders to optimise the tone contrast. I also dragged the Shadows slider to the right to lift detail in the darker areas. 2 Add Clarity and Texture The main focus of attention in this photograph is the castle. In this step I zoomed in close to a 100% view and added more Texture. This helped emphasise the detail in the stonework. I then added a small amount of Clarity to add midtone contrast. 3 Reduce the Vibrance There is a saying ‘If you don’t like Scottish weather, wait 30 minutes, and it is likely to change’. Much of the time Scotland can be…

Victoria Sheldon’s winning image (1st place in Young APOY, Portraits round) of the soon-to-be 95-year-old Auntie Jean was taken at her home in North Staffordshire, England. The image depicts her daily routine of sitting on her chair, gazing out of her window as she watches the world go by. ‘The repetitive colours and minimal composition connote the very tedious and repetitive lifestyle many people have lived during the unprecedented battle against Covid-19,’ explains Victoria. She continues: ‘From what I have witnessed, I feel the older generation especially have been affected by this virus, as their vulnerability has kept them almost “imprisoned” in their homes without seeing friends or family. The repetitiveness of this lifestyle provides minimal stimulus, often leaving them bored out of their mind. My aunt has a very…

Sensor 37.4MP, 24x36mm Output size 7488 x 4992 Focal length mag 1x Lens Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 Shutter speeds 30 - 1/2000sec Sensitivity ISO 80–51,200 Exposure modes PASM Metering Multi, centre, spot Exposure comp +/-3EV in -0.3EV steps Continuous shooting 3fps Screen 4.3in, 2.76m-dot multi-touch LCD Viewfinder 5.33m-dot, 0.74x magnification AF points 255 Video 4K/30fps, Full HD/60fps External mic No Memory card 512GB internal SSD, USB-C SSD Power DD-PS1E rechargeable Li-ion Battery life Not specified Dimensions 142 x 93 x 94mm Weight 837g…

USUALLY, I like to round up a camera review with a summary of its strengths and weaknesses, and why you might choose to buy it. But the Zeiss ZX1 is different, because there’s nothing else quite like it. Not just in terms of price – £5,400 for a fixed-lens camera is crazy – or because of what it aspires to do. But instead, because so few cameras come to market these days so full of good ideas, yet so far off being the extension of your hand and eye that serious photographers yearn for. Indeed I can’t remember getting as annoyed by a camera for a long, long time. Mark Twain once famously described golf as ‘a good walk spoiled’, but he was lucky never to have spent an afternoon…

As I’m sure you will have noticed from the recent media frenzy... the of the world’s only Potato Photographer of the Year competition have just been announced. Once again the photographic world has been dazzled by a truly diverse range of tuber delights. One of my personal favourites was titled ‘Precious Potatoes’, taken by photographer Clair Robins. Her prolific potato output saw her gain two positions in the top ten including the image seen here, which placed second. I took some time out to catch up with Clair and hear the story behind her beautiful image. ‘I am always working on a range of personal photographic projects; but when I saw the potato competition, a few ideas immediately came to mind. I liked the quirkiness of the contest – after…

Loud Knight by J Wilds A man dressed as a knight in armour uses a loudhailer to direct operations at a rehearsal for the medieval jousting tournament being held to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The date of the battle was 14 October 1066, approximately seven miles northwest of Hastings in East Sussex, close to the town which is today called Battle, which gets its name from the historical event. The town’s abbey, around which the settlement is centred, was built by William the Conqueror after the battle, something he had promised to do should he be victorious. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of the London Stereoscopic Company in 1854, today it…

TO MARK World Mental Health day on 10 October, online photography marketplace Picfair is offering £20,000 in grants for photographers interested in this vital topic, and running a series of Instagram interviews with pros. Participants include Scott Shillum and Steve Wallington, founders of a non-profit organisation called The Photography Movement, which seeks to boost people’s mental health through photography. Paul Williams, who appeared in The Great British Photography Challenge, is also taking part. Luminaries overseeing the grant allocation include Fiona Shields, head of photography at The Guardian. For full application details see www.picfair.com/mind-the-lens-apply.…

8 October 1994 AP IS 137 years old this week. This 110th anniversary issue, from 27 years ago, was one of the first issues I worked on when I joined AP in 1994. It came with a free pull-out facsimile copy of the very first issue of AP in 1884, and a warm introduction written by none other than Lord Snowdon, one of AP’s most celebrated subscribers. ‘I still love taking photographs after 44 years, irrespective of the result,’ he wrote. ‘I also still have a great deal to learn, and many articles published in AP have taught me a great deal, as well as making me try our new experiments. In many ways, despite its title, Amateur Photographer is the most professional photography magazine being published today.’ Probably the…

As a keen amateur photographer I’ve found myself spending more and more time editing my shots and trying to achieve as good a result as I can. However I am beginning to realise, from some of the feedback I get from entering competitions etc, that I tend to overdo it, particularly when it comes to saturation and trying to make colours ‘pop’ a little. I’m not always aware I’ve done this and wonder if it is partly down to me being somewhat colour blind, especially where the colours brown, grey, red, and green are concerned. I also am coming to the conclusion that this is why I’m never very satisfied with a lot of my landscape images and don’t really get wowed by others that receive a lot of praise.…

At a glance £289-£304 body only at mpb.com, used condition ● 24.1MP APS-C sensor ● Optical viewfinder ● Full HD video recording ● 3in screen ● 500-shot battery life The Canon EOS 2000D is a beginner-friendly digital SLR featuring a 24.1-million-pixel APS-C sensor, Full HD movie recording and built-in Wi-Fi with NFC connectivity. The Canon EOS 2000D is ideal if you’re looking to take your first steps into DSLR photography. It’s an entry-level model, replacing the similarly affordable EOS 1300D. It retains most of the 1300D’s core features, with the main upgrade being a boost in sensor resolution. You don’t get too many exciting bells and whistles, but it offers a route into the fun world of DSLR photography at a pretty low price point. What we said ‘As we’d…

Pauline Petit was born in 1986. She comes from Normandy in France where she lives and works in her studio, called Studio 22. Ever since she was a child, Pauline has been interested in pursuing artistic careers. That’s why she wrote and illustrated a collection of children’s books, before becoming a professional photographer in 2007. In 2019, Pauline developed a multidisciplinary approach to her personal work, combining illustration and painting with photography. She produces humorous scenes with an aesthetic that’s influenced strongly by graphic design. This series, The Graphic Portrait, comprises several dozen tightly framed monochrome portraits presented in square format on a white background. It features imaginary, humorous, and surprising characters who challenge and question us, while making both children and adults laugh. It’s designed to be simple and…

AP picture of the week Evening Grazing by Mike Blount Fujifilm X-H1, 50-140mm lens at 87mm, 1/250sec at f/2.8, ISO 400 ‘This photograph was taken at Holmsley in the New Forest,’ says Mike, a self-taught photographer. ‘I like to take photos of the local area where I live. Here I tried to use the last of the evening sun to light up the pony and its surroundings.’ Mike is on Flickr at flic.kr/p/2mjkhjp. Art by Walls by Xaan Morgan Nikon D5600, 18-140mm lens, 1/80sec at f/4, ISO 125 ‘I’ve been engaging in photography for two years (the last six months with a professional camera). Photography is my hobby which I want to turn into a job in the near future,’ says Xaan, a film and theatre student living in Moscow,…

CANON has announced the winners of its second Young Champion of the Year Award, which celebrates the achievements of young people around the world who are driving social and environmental change. At the virtual awards ceremony, UAE-based siblings Mishal and Mir Firaz, were announced as the winners of the under-16s category for their sustainability campaigning work. Aged just 11 and 14, Mishal and Mir have already been part of several initiatives in the country for more than seven years, while also founding their own organisation ‘Winshares’, which allows the free sharing of used textbooks and uniforms to support access to education while simultaneously reducing waste. Meanwhile Nigeria-based Alabi Samuel Anjolaoluwa won the under-21 category for his project Students of Ibadan. Award winners received a Canon EOS 250D DSLR, while the…

Keith Wilson Keith Wilson is an award-winning photo editor, journalist and author. He is the co-founder of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime™, an international group of leading photojournalists and writers who have combined their talents to produce two highly acclaimed photo books about the illegal wildlife trade. Keith is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society Visit www.keithwilsonmedia.com. ‘WHEN I started in my journalistic career anything that was self-published was derided and labelled as vanity publishing,’ recalls Keith Wilson as we catch-up over Zoom. This idea seems laughable now as I admire the award certificates for HIDDEN and Photographers Against Wildlife Crime on the wall behind his desk. ‘Now, of course, a lot of the very best books are a result of self-publishing and crowdfunding,’ he confirms, as though reading…

Eilean Donan Castle Eilean Donan Castle is an unmissable destination for lovers of the Scottish landscape. The castle dates back many centuries, although the building you see today is mostly the result of more recent 20th-century renovations. David writes: ‘Running a busy architectural practice does not afford me the time I would like to spend exploring my photography. The year’s highlights tend to be a week’s break to head off into the boondocks – the more desolate and wilder the better. I gravitate towards the Scottish Highlands and find the Isle of Skye particularly appealing. The journey west passes Eilean Donan castle near Dornie which is very photogenic, particularly when the grey clouds part.’ I liked the way David chose to process this photograph. Therefore, in the steps below I…

The crops shown below are taken from the area outlined above in red At low ISO settings, the ZX1’s 37.4MP sensor gives exactly the kind of detailed, noise-free images that we’d expect. It continues to give fine results as the sensitivity is raised to ISO 3200, at which point just a little luminance noise is visible when pixel-peeping files onscreen. But beyond this, things fall apart surprisingly quickly; some blotchy low-frequency colour noise appears in darker tones at ISO 6400, and I’d only consider ISO 12,800 usable with high levels of noise reduction applied. Overall, the sensor simply doesn’t match our expectations of modern full-frame unit in this regard.…

THE TRADITIONAL nifty-fifty is small and light with a large aperture that enables high shutter speeds in low light and blurred backgrounds to isolate your subject. It’s an optic that can be used for just about any genre of photography and it’s a stalwart in your camera bag. Recently, there’s been a trend towards more exotic 50mm lenses that, while very fast, are bigger, heavier and more expensive than we would generally expect a 50mm lens to be. The Panasonic Lumix S 50mm F1.8 falls more into the first camp. It’s not exactly bargain-basement-priced, but it’s affordable and its f/1.8 aperture delivers the speed we crave. It’s lacking some of the refinements that we see on other lenses such as a focus limiter switch, a customisable function button or a…