Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/5/2023 i Amateur Photographer

Massive technological advancement rarely comes without some cost, and one downside of the digital photography revolution has been a reduction in the number of photos that get printed. It sometimes feels like a major creative part of our favourite art form is fast disappearing, as people increasingly share images on phones or social media. We’re here to buck this trend this issue, as it’s all about encouraging you to print your best shots. Will Cheung FRPS reveals his favourite printers and paper, and we also compare 15 online printing labs. Other highlights of this diverse issue include a trio of Nikon Z-mount lenses from Sigma, a tribute to the groundbreaking Nikon D800 and the latest winners of the Taylor Wessing Prize. The printer pic on our cover is courtesy of…

VOTING is now open for the People’s Choice Award from the 59th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the overall winners of which were announced in October. The public can pick their favourite from 25 shortlisted images, culled by the judging panel from nearly 50,000 entries from 95 countries. Highlights include a mudskipper fish defending its territory, a London fox making the most of a full bin, as well as AP contributor Britta Jaschinski’s powerful image of fashion garments made from the skins of endangered big cats. The winner and top four images will be announced in February, and voting closes on 31 January 2024 – see www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/peoples-choice. The People’s Choice Award images will also be showcased at the Wildlilfe Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum,…

7 days A week in photography AP picture of the week Autumn Viaduct by Lee Adams Canon EOS 500D, 1/580sec at f/1.8, ISO 50 ‘This picture was taken at Lambley Viaduct, near Haltwhistle, Northumberland. It is a Transport Trust Heritage Site and was completed in 1852. Brilliant setting and fabulous colours in autumn.’ Instagram: @leeadams_photography #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner currently wins a Wandrd X1 Crossbody Bag Large* worth £99.99! This versatile bag is ideal for carrying smaller items including phone, wallet, keys, lens caps, filters, notebooks, even a Kindle. Made from UHP Carbon Fibre Composite ripstop fabric, the large X1 bag features six internal organisation pockets including a hidden AirTag pocket and the main compartment features weather-resistant zippers. It has a top grab handle,…

The prestigious Taylor Wessing Portrait Photo Prize competition showcases talented amateur and young photographers as well as established professionals. The diverse range of images often reveal inspiring and fascinating stories. From the 5,020 submissions entered by 1,785 photographers from 59 countries, five photographers were shortlisted. Alexandre Silberman came out on top, with Gilleam Trapenberg coming second, and Jake Green and Carl Francois van der Linde taking a joint third prize. In addition to the first, second and third prizes, the competition ran the Taylor Wessing Photographic Commission for the first time, which provides the winning photographer the support to create a portrait, which will become part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection. The £8,000 commission has been won by Serena Brown for her portrait ‘me nana fie’, which depicts her…

Photo Critique At a group meal in the south of France, I was fortunate enough to have been seated near to photographer Don McCullin. We discussed Finsbury Park, the then working-class neighbourhood in north London where he grew up. I live a short walk from Finsbury Park and described the bakeries and CBD shops that had replaced the tenements and bombed-out buildings where he took his iconic 1958 photograph of ‘The Govnors in their Sunday Suits’ on a Rolleicord medium-format twin lens reflex camera he bought for £30. Don had flicked through my first book, England Uncensored. I suggested we should collaborate on a reportage across England – Dench and Don do Albion. He wasn’t hostile to the idea, leant in and said: ‘Of course it would have to be…

WILL CHEUNG The expert contributor reveals the best printers and papers for making prints in your own home TRACY CALDER Want to be creative with giving your photos as Xmas gifts? Tracy recommends 15 online labs JESSICA MILLER Dep. Online EditorJessica speaks to the shortlisted entrants for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Photo Prize AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy assesses Sigma’s trio of Z-mount prime lenses for Nikon APS-C cameras JOHN GILBEY AP regular John looks back on his eight years using the impressive DSLR, the Nikon D800 ANGELA NICHOLSON AP’s regular tester gives her verdict on Lensbaby’s Double Glass II optic…

7 days A week in photography HARMAN Technology has unveiled a limited-edition 35mm film, the Phoenix 200. The film is the first one to be made entirely from emulsion to cassette at Harman’s Mobberley factory in Cheshire. ‘It produces high-contrast images with strong, visible grain and punchy, vibrant colours,’ Harman said. The film comes in a 36-exposure DX-coded cassette and can be rated between ISO 100 and ISO 400. The Harman Phoenix 200 is priced at £12.99 and is on sale now, available from Analogue Wonderland and other specialist analogue photography retailers.…

TOP portrait photographer and TV regular Rankin is running his regular RankinLIVE event at London’s Carnaby Street until 7 January 2024. Rankin is nothing if not versatile, having photographed everybody from the late Queen to NHS heroes during the pandemic. As part of RankinLIVE, he will be talking about his photographic approach and also taking pictures of the general public. For £500, you can book yourself a portrait slot at rankinswag.com/products/rankinlive, and bring a friend too. So it’s a great chance to get a signed print from a high-profile photographer while also learning more about his technique. A range of merchandise will also be available. RankinLIVE takes place at 47 Carnaby Street, London W1F 9PT and is open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday (until 8pm Thursday) and from…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Made by Mamiya I was fascinated by John Wade’s article on the evolution of the Mamiya into the Argus / Nikkorex / Ricoh in the 1960s. As one of your older readers (I featured in your longest readers feature back in 2019/20), I so recall these illustrious models. I remember the Argus with its F1.7 lens being sold by Dixons and trying to negotiate a free trial deal with them (it was an offer that they promoted but being 15 years old, I didn’t quite qualify). But the standout camera was the Ricoh Singlex – go back to your tests around October 1964 and you will see the stunning sharpness of the test F1.4 lens. It knocked the socks off the Pentax Takumar of the time…

NEW research by used-camera retailer MPB and Retail Economics reveals that almost three-quarters of consumers in the UK, US, France and Germany bought and sold used goods in the last year. The ‘recommerce’ market is set to grow by almost 80% in the next 15 years, and although it’s dominated by fashion and homeware, the technology sector – which includes phones and cameras – is predicted to capture around one-fifth of this market by 2025. Unsurprisingly, cost saving was revealed as the primary purchasing driver, with sustainability concerns ranking second. The UK recommerce market is currently valued at £6.5bn and in more worrying news for the high street, it’s expected to nearly double to £12.4bn over the next five years, significantly outgrowing the traditional retail market (fortunately many camera retailers…

7 days A week in photography THE CAMP Snap, a new screen-free camera aimed at kids, has been released. The camera – which is designed to be simple and fun to use, and ‘help children stay present in the moment’ – takes 8MP images, and is able to store over 2,000 of them on a secured memory card. It is deliberately lightweight (weighing 170g) with no internal moving parts, so kids needn’t worry about dropping it. The Camp Snap also has a rechargeable battery, so it is more eco-friendly than disposable cameras. It costs £53. For more information and to order it, visit www.campsnapphoto.com/products…

Hip to be square Jim and Paul, founders of Inkifi, met in the 1990s in a surf town in North Wales and bonded over a love of the outdoors. After travelling the world together, they returned home and combined their photography, design and business skills to create a digital printing company with sustainability at its heart. Inkifi produces prints, cards, calendars and photo books of various sizes, but is perhaps best known for its Instagram-friendly square-format prints. Top Christmas ideas include a stylish clipboard-style Wooden Calendar or Grid Poster (which can feature up to 140 images). Inkifi, www.inkifi.com, Wooden Calendar £33.60, Grid Poster from £21 Deck the walls If you’ve ever wanted to make wallpaper out of your work, then Photowall has everything you need (apart from a travelling DIY…