Innholdsfortegnelse for 5/2/2023 i Amateur Photographer

Still life is the most accessible genre of photography. You don’t need to leave the house, and you don’t even need a lot of space. All you need is a small table, a light source (which could be just your window) and your imagination. This week three photographers share their approach to setting up a still-life studio. We also talk to the author of a new book that takes a fresh look at the legacy of William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of photography (sorry, France). John Wade looks at classic cameras that were either inspired by, or were direct copies of, landmark models from the likes of Leica, Hasselblad and Rolleiflex. Also this week we explain how to set up an online portfolio so you can share your work…

THE SOCIETIES of Photographers has announced nine photographic roadshows to be held throughout the UK this year, from May to September. The free-to-enter events give an opportunity to catch up with the latest products and services from the trade and be inspired by a range of lectures from leading photographers. For full information and to register for your free tickets, see thesocieties.net/roadshows/…

● £260 ● joby.com/uk-en DESIGNED for vloggers and filmmakers, the Joby Wavo Pro microphone hides some exciting features beneath its unconventional design, which are designed to make it easier to create high-quality audio without hours of post-production. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the mic automatically powers on and off in sync with the camera. Anyone who has ever experienced the pain of forgetting to switch on their external microphone will appreciate this. Additional reassurance comes in the form of LED lights, including a front-facing one, highlighting that the mic is working. Additional security comes with the option of Safety Track recording. This records the audio on the right channel at 10db less than the left channel, so hopefully, the right channel won’t suffer from any clipping if there are sudden…

TRACY CALDER The AP regular shares her advice for better still-life images and asks two other experts for their tips AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy talks to the author of a new book about legend William Henry Fox Talbot JOSHUA WALLER Online Editor Joshua guides you to the best website builders available to share your photographs JOHN WADE AP’s expert columnist on vintage cameras and photo heritage looks at classic copycat cameras ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor Our resident camera expert brings you our best camera and accessory buys JESSICA MILLER Dep. Online Editor Our social media whizz compiles more of your stunning images, on pages 10-12…

AP picture of the week Behemoth by Richard Doak Nikon Z 6II, 24-70mm f/4 at 44mm, 4sec at f/11, ISO 100 ‘I took this photograph while exploring a private woodland that I am lucky enough to have permission to be on. Upon stepping out of the dense larch trees that surround this oak all I could see were these giant thick branches escaping to the canopy. My first impressions were, “What is that thing!” I set the shot up to portrait my first impressions of a giant beast escaping the understory into the amazing light dropping through the open canopy.’ Instagram: @rich.doak.photography #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner currently wins an annual subscription to Skylum Luminar Neo, worth £99. Designed for photographers of all skill levels, Luminar…

If you know even just a smattering of photographic history, you’ll be aware of William Henry Fox Talbot. Generally regarded as the inventor of photography – in British history at least – Fox Talbot was an interesting character. In this new book, compiled from extensive archive material held at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, we learn that rather than it being a single act in a moment, photography was in fact a medium that Fox Talbot continued to reinvent throughout his life. The new book, Inventing Photography, takes a look at Talbot’s work, organising it by themes, rather than chronologically, to get a more holistic overview of his motivations – including the competing Daguerreotype process that came out of France at the same time. To get a better insight into Fox…

LETTER OF THE WEEK The upside of AI In respect to the letter AI Concerns (AP 18 April 2023). After trying some of the AI tools, I too suffered an existential crisis about the future of photography. However, soon after, I was fortunate to be able to go to a local exhibition of art photography. After visiting many of the shows and chatting with some of the exhibitors, I was able to put my feelings into context. Photography is about creating images that expand our understanding of how people see and react to the world. Despite its name, there is nothing intelligent about AI. It just mixes and reflects back to us what someone else has already provided it. At its worst, it is laughably poor; at best, it is…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Olympus Tough TG-6 ● £399 ● 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. Reviewed Dec 2022 Ricoh GR III ● £949 ● ricohgr.eu/en-gb A favourite of street photographers, the GR III combines a 24MP APS-C sensor and a sharp 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens in a slim, pocketable body. It offers sensitivities up to ISO 102,400 and 4fps shooting, while in-body image stabilisation helps keeps image sharp. Viewing is…

CANON has announced the RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM, aimed at pro and enthusiast sports photographers. As well as the far-reaching focal range, the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1.8m with a 0.16x maximum magnification. It also offers 5.5 stops of optical image stabilisation, with 6 stops of OIS when combined with a camera with in-body stabilisation. It will be available in May for £11,499.…

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ Gallery has announced its TPG New Talent 23 initiative (TNT23), which aims to support the most exciting and relevant UK-based photographers. The scheme offers each finalist a bursary of £1,500, a year-long mentorship with a photographer or industry professional, the chance to work with web designers on a bespoke exhibition website, and the opportunity to get their work displayed on billboards in London and their hometown. The New Talent 23 is free to enter and open to people of all ages. Six finalists will be selected by acclaimed artist Hoda Afshar and Karen McQuaid, senior curator at The Photographers’ Gallery. The deadline for entry is 4 June 2023 at 23:59pm UK time. See bit.ly/tnt23open…

When Angi Wallace moved in with her partner, Michael, he soon discovered that he would never be eating dinner at the dining room table again. Angi commandeered the room for her photography, transforming the space into a mini studio. ‘Michael asked me when I was going to tidy everything up and I said “never”’, she laughs. It’s hard to complain about mess when your partner wins countless awards for her creative still-life, floral and close-up work. ‘We eat in the living room now,’ she adds, with a smile. The basic set-up comprises a table, a series of backdrops on a pole (which Angi flips over), three lights and walls of shelves packed with vases and other photogenic props. ‘You can barely get into the room now and there’s hardly any…

Mark Sandbach, Staffordshire About Mark Mark is a homemaker. See Instagram @marks_ wild_walks How did you get into photography? Following a mental breakdown, a friend suggested it may help me in my recovery. It gives me a reason to get out of the house and connect with nature. Just being out in the fresh air, around nature, listening to the bird song, gives me an instant lift. Favourite subjects I love to observe and photograph the best of British wildlife. What do you love about photography? It allows me to be in the moment and gives me a break from the thoughts that come with depression. I also love posting the images on social media. Where do you find inspiration? I’m very lucky to live in a semi-rural spot on…

AP: Tell us about your photography background SP: My journey began at the end of 2019, so I’d still consider myself new to photography. It all started simply – I wanted a beautiful shot of a kingfisher, a bird I’d only ever managed fleeting glimpses of. I decided to go all in and bought a Nikon D500 with Nikon’s 200-500mm f/5.6 telephoto lens. Two months later I managed to capture the photo I’d dreamed of and cherish above all others. The adrenaline rush continued for a few more months just before the pandemic hit. Lockdown 1.0 forced me to re-evaluate a few things and I decided to focus on macro photography in my back garden after purchasing the Nikon AF-S Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 G VR lens. When freedom was granted…

Photo Critique I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to encounter a photograph. Living as we do in a ‘society of spectacle’ there are many ways that images appear to and approach us daily. Phones are a big part of this. The rapid growth in the flow of visual stimuli that saturates our everyday lives has been facilitated by the ease of capture and viewing of images that phones enable. Sure, this is hardly news. But its mundanity hides something crucial about attention and experience. I tend to think of both attention and experience as created by our encounters with forms of media. It’s not that we have a natural reservoir of attention that gets slowly depleted. Attention is more a ratio that shifts depending on our media…