Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/01/2022 i Amateur Photographer

Photography can be enjoyed by introverts and extroverts in equal measure. It can be a solitary or a social pursuit. This week AP has a foot in both camps. If you love nothing more than being alone in a desolate landscape with just your thoughts and your camera you’ll enjoy Jeremy Walker’s guide to mono winter landscapes. On the other hand if you relish social interaction we highlight two great but very different photographic communities. We look back at the venerable history of the world’s oldest society, the RPS, and go on a shoot with one of its newest: UK Shooters. Both take a very different approach but share the same mission of spreading the joy of photography around the world. We also talk to one of photography’s greatest ambassadors,…

COSINA has announced the Voigtlander 50mm F1.0 Nokton Aspherical VM lens for Leica M mount. With an optical design comprising 9 elements in 7 groups, it includes a large ground aspherical element at the front of the lens, along with another aspherical element at the rear. The firm claims that this allows it to deliver sharp images with an ‘enhanced bokeh effect’. Relatively compact and lightweight given its ultra-large aperture, it measures 73.6mm in diameter and just 55mm in length, while weighing in at 484g. The minimum focus distance is 90cm and the lens employs 62mm filters. It’s on sale now for £1,649.…

THE SOCIETIES of Photographers has announced that its annual London Photo Convention and Trade Show has been moved to March 2022. Now in its 19th year, the event will take place from 16-19 March at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith, with the organisers promising 100 exhibitors, 200 hours of classes from 80 speakers, a dedicated business school, a photographer of the year presentation and more. ‘Sony, Canon, Epson and Fujifilm are just some of the leading companies lined up to show their latest products, supported by CameraWorld and Park Cameras,’ said the Societies’ Colin Jones. ‘The move to March has been welcomed by the photographic trade and members alike.’ Entry to the trade show is free if you register online before 28 February, and AP readers can also get…

13 January 1943 IN JANUARY 1943 the world’s largest office building, the Pentagon, opened in Arlington, Virginia, and Casablanca opened in US movie theatres. In the theatres of war The Battle of Stalingrad and the Guadalcanal Campaign were reaching their climax and, on 23 January, the British Eighth Army captured Tripoli. AP’s leader page relayed an anecdote from the North African front to convey how photography is ‘a universal language that says something to everybody, be he East or West, Eskimo or Ethiopian. It even bridges the wide chasm between armies. Recently, when the Army Photographic Unit in the Middle East, intent on making a film of the Eighth Army’s victories, reached Benghazi, the Commanding Officer of the photographic sergeants met his opposite number in the German Film Unit. And…

Hone your camera skills Pros share how to handle aperture, shutter speed and ISO for best results Get more from your lenses Angela Nicholson shows you how to get the most from your optics The repair shop Peter Dench talks to two retouching experts behind top photographers On sale every Tuesday CONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE…

& Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre Anything Goes, Barbican Back to the Future – The Musical, Adelphi Theatre The Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre Cabaret, Playhouse Theatre The Choir of Man, Arts Theatre Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre Come From Away, Phoenix Theatre Dear Evan Hansen, Noël Coward Theatre Disney’s Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Lyric Theatre Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre Jamie Lloyd Company, Harold Pinter Theatre Jersey Boys, Trafalgar Theatre Leopoldstadt, Wyndham’s Theatre Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre Disney’s The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre Magic Goes Wrong, Apollo Theatre MAMMA MIA!, Novello Theatre Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre Matilda The Musical, Cambridge Theatre The Mirror and the Light, Gielgud Theatre Les…

The Royal Photographic Society has a long and important heritage, yet it is also a progressive organisation that is aware of the importance of photography and how it can be addressed and used in contemporary society. Although based in the UK, it has a global membership of over 10,000, participating in, and delivering a range of events, exhibitions, and collaborations. In 2019 the society moved to a new building in Bristol, RPS House, which has an exhibition space, an auditorium for talks, events and film screenings, an education centre and a Resource Room allowing access to the Society’s library and other research material. On a recent trip to Bristol, I took the opportunity to visit the RPS to meet Dr Michael Pritchard, the director of programmes, and Evan Dawson, the…

THE PIXEL 6 Pro is the most pleasing Android device to capture images on and in the rare scenarios where it doesn’t surpass the competition, it at least holds its own. If you’re a keen photographer and want a device that will help you capture beautiful images in a range of scenarios, any time of day, the Pixel 6 Pro is very hard to beat. Considering that its little brother, the Pixel 6, features the same main camera and software as the Pro, only lacking the 4x zoom, it may even be the better option at its price (from £599) if you can forgo a telephoto lens. The Pixel 6 Pro is not perfect by any means and personal preference will always affect how people perceive varying image processing between…

NATIONAL Geographic photographer and Nikon Ambassador Thomas Peschak has released a film and images which reveal how climate change is shrinking Switzerland’s glaciers. He recreated an image taken in 1959 of two geologists measuring the Gornergletscher glacier and found less than half of the ice remained in the lower half of the glacier. ‘Thomas felt that having both the old picture and the new scene in one frame would better illustrate the major impact climate change was having on this landscape,’ said Nikon. ‘Using his Nikon Z 9 and a slow shutter speed, he “collaborated’ with the wind, resulting in an image, which almost looks like it is moving, much like the glacier itself.’ See his video at bit.ly/nikonglacier.…

One of the many threads of my life as a freelance is capturing graduation images for my local university. It’s a pleasant duty and there are drinks and nibbles afterwards, which makes for a pretty much ideal gig. Covid-19 changed everything. The graduation ceremonies were postponed into the future, celebratory gatherings were discouraged and the new graduates missed out on a defining moment of their academic careers – the group photo. This summer, the second of the pandemic, a colleague decided we could, and should, do something about this. Why not, he suggested, build the class graduation photograph from a series of individual images of the students – to give the impression of the real thing? The idea was simple, but took much longer to plan and execute than either…

Why mono? It’s a simple enough question. Why not instead utilise the full ability of the modern sensor and shoot in glorious colour? To me, the answer is not a technical one. I find there is an undefinable quality about black & white images that I just don’t get from an image that was shot at sunrise or sunset and packed with super-juiced post production primary colours. Black & white imagery is of course not for everyone, and I recently heard a client on a workshop say bluntly, ‘I don’t do black & white’, which is fair enough, but I feel they are missing out on an incredibly creative part of the photographic process. The days of starting your photographic career by mixing chemicals in the bathroom, sticking bin bags…

Price discrepancy I think we can all agree that the new Nikon Z 9 appears on the face of it to be a great camera. I’m amazed by how much they have packed in for the price, but only if you are in the USA, where it’s only $5,495 (£4,162). All other markets are asked to pay more. The UK price of £5,299 is over $7,000 at the current exchange rate. Why would Nikon do this other than for greater profits? Just imagine how many they would sell here if the price was the same as the USA. I have been putting off going mirrorless but thought this camera would be the one; but not at the premium Nikon wants in the UK. Andy Betty Most consumer goods are much…

Rankin’s celebration of London’s theatreland was produced in partnership with the Mayor of London’s #LetsDoLondon campaign and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) as part of their #BackOnStage campaign. The goal was to inspire the public about the incredible array of live theatre on offer in the capital, and encourage them to return to the West End to sample its famous cultural offerings (and indeed, to return to theatres all over the country). Visitors to PERFORMANCE also have the option to donate to the Theatre Artists Fund, which provides emergency aid to struggling theatre freelancers, as well as four London youth homelessness charities selected by the Mayor of London. Lastly, a limited-edition book of the portraits was launched on 25 November, with all proceeds going to chosen charities.…

Simon Hill is the 72nd president of the RPS and joins an illustrious list of men and women who have served the role. Amongst their number is Francis James Mortimer (1874-1944), a distinguished Edwardian photographer who as well as serving as the RPS president from 1940-1942, was also the editor of Amateur Photographer for 36 years from 1908 until his death in 1944. His work was Pictorialist in style and was awarded over 120 medals and plaques from numerous photographic societies and salons from both the UK and abroad.…

WHILST the Sigma 24mm F2.0 DG DN is not as affordable as some of the alternatives available, the build quality and design of the lens are something that is clearly justified. With this lens you’re buying a high-quality lens that should last several cameras, and beyond. Image quality delivers the goods with high image quality, with excellent levels of sharpness. Sigma set out to design a lens that could be both compact, and deliver high levels of image quality, and they have certainly delivered. Whilst there is vignetting in uncorrected images, this is part of the design philosophy, being easily corrected in software, and enabling a more compact lens. The build quality is admirable, and certainly gives the lens a premium feel, with much higher than expected build quality. The…

In my new book, The Photograph that Changed My Life, over 50 photographers chose an image to discuss. This picture, by Dorothea Lange, was chosen by Ralph Gibson. About it he writes: ‘I had been working for Dorothea Lange for a few months printing all day in the darkroom. At the end of the afternoon looking at the prints in the wash I asked her about this image of a young person, thinking in fact that the subject was a teenager. Dorothea said: “No Ralph she was just a child but she was mentally retarded and the other children ruthlessly tormented her.” As Dorothea told this story she started to cry; the memory had remained vivid and her feeling for the content of the photograph had endured through the decades.…

AP picture of the week From Dawn of Humanity to the Milky Way by Marco Bruni Nikon D850, Nikon 28mm f/1.8G, using a tripod and mirror up, 10 secs at f/2.8, ISO 3200 ‘This photograph is of the Milky Way seen from Stonehenge. I decided on the title while I was there, inspired by what was before my eyes and by the fact that on that day the Nobel Prize for Physics had just been awarded to Giorgio Parisi, a physicist from the same department in Rome where I was an undergraduate,’ says Marco, a theoretical astrophysicist, who teaches maths and physics at University of Portsmouth. ‘I usually spend my time studying equations, rather than looking at the sky. This is my first attempt at astrophotography. I went with fellow…

Follow the weather forecasts Don’t be put off by warnings of showers or even storms. You want moody and atmospheric conditions, but you need to find a balance of showers, sunshine, and a strong breeze. Use at least three different forecasters to get a good cross-section of what is likely to happen. Go prepared There may be a great deal of hanging around waiting for the perfect conditions. Warm waterproof clothing and the correct footwear are the essentials but carrying a flask of coffee and some comfort snacks can be just as important. A soft waterproof cushion to sit on and protect you from cold and damp surfaces during a long vigil is also a must! Make use of filters Use grads, polarisers and any other filters that will have…

1 Join a community of photographers in your local area and in particular areas of photography. 2 Gain recognition for your photography by working towards the internationally respected RPS Distinctions with individual advice and support from leading photographers. 3 Take part in a wide range of online and in-person photography workshops, discussions, and events. 4 Support the RPS’s initiatives bringing photography to everyone from young people to those with particular needs. 5 Receive the award-winning RPS Journal six times a year.…

LAUNCHED c.1950 PRICE AT LAUNCH free as a premium gift GUIDE PRICE NOW $28 (£20 – recent eBay purchase) BACK in 1986, Fujifilm introduced the Quicksnap, reckoned to be the world’s first disposable camera. It wasn’t. In 1972 there was a 110 camera, variously called the Rank, Lure, Love and Blick, depending on the country in which it was sold, designed to be used once before being broken open to process the film, never to be used again. But that wasn’t the first either. Around 1948-50, three disposable cameras appeared in America: the Picture Box, the Photo-Pac and the more abundant Hollywood, available by saving up enough coupons from cigarette packs. The Hollywood is made of cardboard with a paper covering that resembles a light-coloured leather. It has a shutter…