Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/24/24 i Amateur Photographer

This week we mark our 140th birthday by looking back at our illustrious history and seeing how photography has evolved since that first issue hit the newsstands in 1884. Cameras are unrecognisable from the ones used by AP’s founders, and so are the ways that images are captured and shared with the world. John Wade discusses the landmark cameras that changed the world of photography, and I go back into the AP archives to tell the story of your favourite photo magazine. For many of our older readers it will provide an enjoyable trip down memory lane. We pick our favourite photos, talk to the Royal Geographical Society about its recent platinum printing project and find out how good a camera you can buy for £140. This issue’s cover photograph…

Nikon has teamed up with noted Japanese designers under the Heralbony brand to produce eye-catching limited editions of its already stylish Zfc camera. Heralbony works with artists with neurodiversity and disabilities, with the aim of changing the image of disability. The limited editions come with the Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 lens for £1,229. Four skin designs are available, and the price is a £90 premium over the stock Zfc. See www.nikon.co.uk/en_GB…

Martin Parr CBE, Magnum photojournalist ‘I am always amazed now that AP still comes out weekly, and they still find lots of photographers and share their work with your loyal readership. You are an analogue star in a digital world.’ Tom Oldham, music & portrait photographer ‘In such a fast-moving age where the tangible, physical and actual often seem secondary to life online, the fact that AP magazine has harmonised both and successfully weathered this (and every other storm in the past 140 years) I find truly remarkable. It’s like an element; air, water and AP magazine. It gives back a huge amount to the industry, via the awards, its relentless patronage of new artists and their projects, celebrates the craft and the tools needed to achieve the finest results,…

1884 First issue of The Amateur Photographer published, edited by J Harris Stone 1900 Kodak launches the Brownie box camera. It used 127-format roll film and cost $1 1908 First AP cover picture 1908 Merged with Photographic News, with the editor (F J Mortimer) of Photographic News becoming the editor of the newly merged magazine 1914 Leica Camera founded by Ernst Leitz 1917 Nikon is founded as Nippon Kogaku Tokyo 1918 AP combines with Photography, to become The Amateur Photographer and Photography. The ‘and Photography’ was dropped in 1925 1919 Olympus is founded, making microscopes and thermometers. Its first camera is introduced in 1936 1934 Fuji Photo Film Co. is established, with the aim of being the first Japanese producer of photographic films 1937 The Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory is…

The photographs shown above could not provide a more stark illustration of how photography has changed since AP has been writing about it. On the left, a self-portrait by AP contributor and pioneering legend Alfred Stieglitz, taken in 1886. AP was already two years old when he made this photo, but it summarises how photography worked at the time. It was a slow and fiddly process. Cameras were large and tripod-mounted. Exposure times were long. Making a photograph involved a lot of faffing about with glass plates. It was practised almost entirely by affluent, educated middle-class men – and a few affluent, educated, middle-class women like Julia Margaret Cameron. Just 15 years after AP’s launch, however, George Eastman opened photography up to the masses. Over the years AP has documented…

7 daysA week in photography AP picture of the week Sunsets at Papagayo by Kyle McKeown DJI Air 2S drone, 1/80sec at f/2.8, ISO 100 ‘After spending the day capturing the epic volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote, I finished the day down at Papagayo Beach for sunset. The bustling beach is the perfect place to watch the sun set over the horizon. The golden glow lighting up the sandstone beach, and the crystalline waters.’ Instagram: @kam.digital #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 website. Build single or multi-image frames with a few clicks of your mouse and select…

JOHN WADE Camera authority John Wade’s 9-page guide to the landmark cameras of the past 140 years NIGEL ATHERTON Editor As AP celebrates its 140th birthday next month, Nigel looks back at the history of AP AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy compiles the best books and some favourite photos of the past 140 years STEVE FAIRCLOUGH Happy Birthday, AP. Steve gathers tributes to AP from photographers and industry luminaries MIKE CRAWFORD Specialist printer Mike writes about platinum printing and the RGS’s photographic collection ISABELLA RUFFATTI Online Writer Isabella, Nigel and Geoff take on a £140 camera challenge…

It’s said that the very first photography book was published in 1843. Self-published by Anna Atkins, it was called Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions and, as you might imagine, had a very limited run. The Pencil of Nature, by one William Henry Fox Talbot – a name we’re sure you’ll be familiar with – was published between 1844 and 1846 as a part work to subscribers (whose numbers dwindled to the point that it was never actually finished). Meanwhile, Julia Margaret Cameron created the very first photo book to illustrate another piece of work – the 1874 edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. Inside it, were 12 images that had been created by Cameron – first reproduced as wood engravings, a version containing her original photographs…

Round Five Landscapes Landscape can be everything from an epic, breathtaking scene to a tiny, abstract detail in a rock; it can be a long exposure that strips back a composition to its basic elements; and it can be something that allows us to see the world anew. That’s why it regularly tops the charts of favourite genres among amateur photographers, and that’s why this round is always of such a high standard. 1 Matteo Strassera Italy 100pts Canon EOS R5, 100-400mm, 1/250sec at f/11, ISO 200 Very often, what makes a photograph memorable is its ability to conjure up an image of something other than that being depicted. In this case, Matteo’s stunning, minimal image of a desert in the UAE appears almost like a solar flare emanating from the…

Leica has announced the latest addition to its M11 series of digital rangefinders, the M11-D. The new camera eschews a rear display screen in favour of a prominent ISO dial, the idea being that this will encourage users to ‘focus on the elementary aspects of picture design, such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO.’ The M11-D is compatible with all Leica M fixed-focal-length lenses made since 1954 (though Leica heritage buffs might be disappointed to hear that the iconic red dot still doesn’t appear on the front). While the goal of the M-11D is to transfer the analogue experience to the digital world, according to Leica, there is nothing old-school about the technology inside. Key features include a full-frame 60MP sensor, with the option of capturing resolutions of 60,…

Formerly known as the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year, the World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem Bimi Broccolini is open for entries from amateurs and professionals until 9 February 2025. There are over 25 categories, with new additions including The World of Drink and The Bimi Prize, awarded to an image of fresh fruit or vegetables. A grand prize of £5,000 is up for grabs and all finalist images will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries, London. See worldfoodphotographyawards.com/…

Following last week’s release of the iPhone 16 series, Apple has rolled out version 18 of iOS, its phone operating system. Key features include a major redesign of the Photos app, which adds collections to help users browse by themes without having to organise content into albums. A new, customisable carousel view presents daily updated highlights, and collections can be pinned. Perhaps taking cues from Google’s Magic Eraser tool, there is also a new Clean Up tool that can identify and remove objects in the background of a photo. Furthermore, Apple Intelligence, the company’s implementation of AI, now enables iPhone users to create stories simply by typing a description. Apple Intelligence then picks out photos and videos based on this description to ‘craft a storyline with chapters based on themes…

On 10 October 1884, J Harris Stone launched the first issue of a new weekly magazine ‘devoted to the interests of Photography and kindred arts and sciences’. It was called The Amateur Photographer, and in his first editorial he explained why. ‘Photography has, within the last few years, become so popular with amateurs, that at the present time their number vastly exceeds that of professional photographers. Recruits of either sex – for here let us say that ladies make excellent manipulators – are daily being added to the rank of those practising this pleasing and truly fascinating art, which is not to be wondered at when one remembers that some of the most successful photographs that have ever been taken are the work of amateurs.’ Based a stone’s thrown from…

Reader Portfolio winners receive a one-year subscription to a Gold Portfolio Series website worth £300. UK domain name included. Amazing Internet designs, builds and hosts amazing websites for creative people and companies. It has specialised in creating websites for photographers since 1999 and has services to suit all budgets. Whether you need a simple template-based site for £60 per year or a fully bespoke site, they’ve got you covered. www.amazinginternet.com Submit your imagesSee page 3 for details of how to submit. You could see your photos here in a future issue! Please note: the prize is subject to change. John Cuthbert, Clackmannanshire About John John Cuthbert is a keen photographer who also loves nature and art. How did you get into photography? My father and brother are both photographers –…

Photo Critique After the death of my mother and father, the task of emptying their house to make ready for sale fell to me. My parents had lived in the same house since 1975, and their personalities were embedded within the infrastructure. Palm crucifixes, prayer books and holy water bottles nestled snugly between Cotswolds cardigans and Middlesbrough football scarves. Keepsakes from Lourdes and a Mother Teresa fridge magnet kept company with family photos, a picture of the queen and a freestanding peacock that toppled over whenever the door slammed. So when I opened a copy of Czeslaw Siegieda’s Polska Britannica, I casually slipped through a holy intersection into a familiar world. Czeslaw, commonly known as Jan, is also from a Catholic background, but in his case specifically a Polish one.…