Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/5/2024 i Amateur Photographer

There’s an aquatic theme running through this issue. Emily Endean discusses the joy and photographic possibilities of the British coast, which is good news because we have quite a lot of it and no one lives more than a couple of hours away from it. Emily photographs not just the scenery, and the motion of the sea, but also the people who spend their leisure time around it, demonstrating the endless variety to be found there. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Nick Brandt’s latest project illustrates the problem of rising sea levels in a powerful way, working with islanders whose country will one day disappear beneath the waves. Finally I hope our review of the ground-breaking new Sony A9 III floats your boat. Our cover photograph is…

SONY has revealed the FE 24-50mm F2.8 G, a relatively small and lightweight large-aperture standard zoom lens for its full-frame E-mount cameras. The Sony lens is approximately 75mm in diameter and 92mm in length, while weighing 440g. The optic is similar in size to the firm’s FE 20-70mm F4 G and FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS standard zooms, while being considerably smaller than the premium Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II. With its 24-50mm range and f/2.8 maximum aperture, the new lens should be suitable for a wide range of subjects. Its 16-element, 13-group optical formula includes 4 aspheric elements for maximising cross-frame resolution, along with 2 extra-low dispersion (ED) glass lenses designed to suppress chromatic aberration. The minimum focus distance ranges from 19cm at wideangle to 30cm at the…

VOIGTLÄNDER has announced the 50mm F1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens for Sony E-mount. Key features include a GA (ground aspherical) lens element, which the company claims delivers superior performance at wide apertures, a floating lens mechanism for stable image quality from short to long shooting distances (the minimum focus is a close 0.5m), a 12-blade aperture diaphragm and Selective Aperture Click for quiet video shooting. It is available from www.robertwhite.co.uk for £1,349 including VAT.…

When did you start taking pictures? My journey in photography started when I was about 15 in Lagos. I found an old camera at home that no one was using. I hadn’t even known we had one! So I bought a roll of film and I’ve never stopped taking pictures since. It initially started as a way for me to document people and events. I carried the camera with me everywhere – from church to school. Events in our lives and our memories will fade, but with pictures, we get to remember and recall them for years to come. What inspires and informs your work? I’ve always loved to observe people, and through that, the structures, beliefs and values that govern us as a society. So I’m very much inspired…

So far in this series we’ve been looking at everyday business stationery to give your photography business a professional look and a consistent image. We’ve made a business card, letterhead, compliments slips, a website banner and even an email signature. But now it’s time to try something a little more ambitious. Let’s make a poster to advertise an upcoming exhibition. This will involve some more advanced design techniques and some new tools including layer effects and artistic text. Don’t be daunted by the work of professional designers. You don’t have to do this for a living, to create straightforward and effective posters. The trick is to keep it simple, keep it consistent, and don’t clutter up your poster with unnecessary tricks. Let’s start with the business card document we created…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Infra a pound… I bought your 13 February edition to see Carole Baker’s Reader Portfolio. I was also interested in another article on infrared. A mistake I made with black & white infrared film was to use a handheld meter to work out the filter factor using the visually opaque IR filter, but I was getting grossly over-exposed film. Then the reason dawned; it’s infrared film so it sees infrared; so the filter factor is zero. I tried it out on another roll of film and bingo! This image (above right) of Buckland in Surrey was taken using said black & white IR film. I also shoot infrared digitally. I take the original colour image, add a black and white layer in Photoshop and use Colour…

YOUR PICTURES IN PRINT When was Shipley Camera Club founded? 2019. What does your club offer to new members? We pride ourselves on being a very friendly, supportive and novice-friendly group whereby we all – whether beginner, intermediate or experienced photographers – partake and share knowledge in this wonderful hobby (or in some cases profession) that we all share. The main ethos of the club is learning together, supporting each other, inspiring each other and having fun while following our photography passions. Describe a typical club meeting Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm, and typically last from two hours to two and a half hours. Subjects include: Talks by experienced members about their particular genre; Instructional talks and demonstrations on photography and post-production techniques;…

Photo Critique This image by Sian Bonnell is one I have used in exhibitions, projects and as gifts for my female friends and daughter. It is one of my personal favourites by her. Sian’s work often divides the crowd. Some see her as a woman working in the traditions of landscape photography, others see her as a feminist representing women and the domestic chore. Some find her work playful, others see a darker underbelly to it. I fall somewhere in the middle. Knowing Sian personally over the years and having worked with her as a curator and project collaborator, I know she is playful and deeply thoughtful as well as sensitive in her work and her overall approach to photography and her place within it. Go wild This image was…

EMILY ENDEAN Seascape specialist Emily Endean shares her diverse approach for taking images of the coast KEITH WILSON AP’s former editor talks to Nick Brandt about his powerful Fiji project on the impact of sea level rise AILSA MCWHINNIE Acting Features Editor Ailsa talks to Liz Okoh about her important project on frontline women ANGELA CHALMERS The author of Creative Cyanotype shows you how to tone cyanotypes for a nostalgic look ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor AP’s resident kit expert tests the Sony A9 III, the world’s first with a global shutter ISABELLA RUFFATTI Online Writer Isabella tests a half-frame 35mm film camera, the Kodak Ektar H35N…

OM DIGITAL Solutions has announced a firmware update for its Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, the OM System OM-1, scheduled for the autumn. The firm cites improvements to some of the OM-1’s AF capabilities, such as S-AF and C-AF in all-target mode, and the option to assign the delete button as a menu shortcut. The company stressed that even with these updates, the AF performance of the OM-1 will still not match the OM-1 Mark II’s. See explore.omsystem.com/gb/en/ and click on Support.…

IT’S been a busy week for lens releases, with Sigma announcing the 15mm DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art for Sony E and Leica L mount. The company claims it’s the world’s first such lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras, and is aimed at landscape, architecture and astrophotography shooters. Indeed, the lens has several special features for astrophotography, including a built-in rear filter holder that allows for gel-type ND filters to be inserted, a lens heater retainer for preventing heat strips from slipping over the front glass, and a unique manual focus lock switch that disables the focus ring. In addition, Sigma claims its latest optical design corrects each type of aberration, with high resolution delivered through the entire aperture range. The new lens measures 104mm x 157.9mm and weighs a chunky…

Alternative photography has become increasingly popular over recent years, both in art galleries and on social media platforms. The traditional cyanotype print is known for its beautiful Prussian blue tones and is admired for its eye-catching qualities. However, cyanotypes don’t always have to be blue and can be manipulated by a simple yet engaging step that transforms them into sepia-toned images reminiscent of early photography. This is done by using natural tannins as the toner, which not only adds variety to the prints but also allows you to explore the possibilities of what can be done with this art form. Tannin is a remarkable organic chemical compound found in trees and plants, green and black tea, coffee, and red wine. The tannins chemically bind to the iron salts impregnated within…

AP picture of the week Oh but you sure are always being watched; by your conscience by Abhay Desai Sony Alpha A7 IV, Zeiss 55mm f/1.8, 1/320sec at f/1.8, ISO 1000 ‘It was only during post-processing that the sudden revelation of the unexpected third eye left me feeling exposed and prompted introspection, echoing the wisdom of my Guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj. We stray and veer when alone, but our inner truth remains ever-observant, underscoring the importance of congruence with one’s conscience above all else.’ Website: www.abhaydesai.comInstagram: @the_inordinaryFacebook Page: @the_inordinaryYouTube: www.youtube.com/@the_inordinary #appicoftheweek Win! The AP Pic of the Week winner will receive a beautifully framed print of their winning image worth up to £100. If you Love it, Frame it! ThisPicture.com is an experienced, high-quality framing company with a unique, easy-to-use…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH OM System Tough TG-7 ● £499 ● explore.omsystem.com This is the latest in a long line of cameras that have become well established as the leaders of their class. It’s waterproof to 15m, shockproof against a 2.1m drop, crushproof and freezeproof. The 25-100mm equivalent lens is paired with a 12MP sensor, with in-body stabilisation to combat shake. Viewing is via a 3in LCD. This is also one of the few rugged cameras that can record raw files. 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.…