Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/29/24 i Amateur Photographer

The world’s most popular subject for the camera’s gaze is and always has been our fellow homo sapiens. Portraiture has a glorious history and this week one of the UK’s leading photo historians, Gerry Badger, presents a selection from his new book on the subject, which includes work by many great practitioners of the art, along with Gerry’s insights. One face we see a lot of at the moment is Sir Keir Starmer’s, and this week Harry Borden recounts his photo session with the Prime Minister back in the summer. We also take a close look at the creative possibilities offered by fisheye lenses, try out an innovative but eye-wateringly expensive new Hasselblad lens, and test the latest update of one of Sony’s popular vlogging cameras. Connect with us @…

IN ANOTHER sign of the continued buoyancy of the market for used cameras and lenses, MPB has announced that it is expanding into Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Italy. The Brighton-based used specialist now has a presence in ten countries via local language and currency websites, and the announcement comes on the back of some good numbers – revenues have grown to £137 million, with a reported growth rate of 40%. The move also makes sense as more than 65% of the company’s revenue is now generated outside the UK. ‘With MPB and Retail Economics’s ‘Second-Hand, First Choice: The Psychology of Recommerce’ survey finding that over a third (35%) of customers increased the frequency of used purchases in 2023, MPB is looking to capitalise on this growing trend and reach new…

NIKON is also developing a new firmware update for the Z6III camera which introduces Content Credentials. This feature is designed as a way for photographers to prove the authenticity of an image, as AI-generated pictures become more common, and concerns about ‘deepfakes’ grow. The feature is based on the standards set by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), and the new firmware is currently being tested by news agencies and other professionals. It is scheduled for release to ‘select agencies’ in mid-2025, with broader availability to follow.…

● £142 ● store.sirui.com IF YOU like to travel with a tripod, you’ll know that it’s hard to find one that manages to be simultaneously tall, lightweight, and reasonably sturdy, while packing down small. The Sirui Traveler X aims to square this circle by using 5-section carbon fibre legs that do without conventional twist or lever locks. The result is a tripod that can reach a very useful height of 1.5 metres, yet somehow weighs in at less than kilogram, including the head. Sirui has achieved this feat using what it calls a ‘Single Twist Lock’ mechanism. To extend a leg, you grab the foot and twist it, with each section unlocking in turn. You then pull the foot right down and twist it back again to lock everything tight.…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Stranger things I was sorry to hear of Simon Elson’s frustrating experience in a charity shop (8 October) where he felt unable to ask a guy for a photo. Yes of course the first few times are nerve-racking, but if you persevere it becomes second nature to ask strangers for their photo. You don’t have to be extrovert (I’m quite shy) but it’s important to be relaxed, confident and friendly. In my experience nearly everyone is flattered to be asked if you can photograph them. It is a good idea to have some sort of explanation to hand, e.g. ‘I’m doing a photo project of local characters in this area’ – or whatever – but in my experience most people don’t ask why you want a…

DAVID CLAPP The top pro shares his tips for using fisheye lenses, to bend and bulge the very fabric of time and space HARRY BORDEN Top portrait photographer Harry recalls a brief but memorable shoot with Sir Keir Starmer KINGSLEY SINGLETON Expert contributor Kingsley tests Hasselblad’s XCD 3,2-4,5/20-35E, an ultra-wide zoom RICHARD SIBLEY AP’s fomer deputy editor reviews the Sony ZV-E10 II, an APS-C format camera designed for content creators AMY DAVIES Features Editor Amy looks at the latest and best books and exhibitions JESSICA MILLER Dep Online Editor Our social media manager selects more of your stunning images – see page 46…

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY It was once said that there were more photographs in the world than bricks. Whether there are or not, we can say for sure that most of those photographs are of people. The portrait is the preeminent photographic genre, so when I wanted to write a book featuring short, single-page essays, little meditations on selected photographs, l chose to do it about photo-portraits. John Szarkowski’s book from 1971, Looking at Photographs, which uses this format, was a big inspiration and I’d long wanted to do my own version. Szarkowski’s book featured 100 photographs from the MoMA collection in New York, presented in chronological order. I mixed the order up because I wanted pictures across generations to ‘talk’ to each other, because there is nothing really new in photography.…

Tech Talk Recently Harman released a new film, called Harman Phoenix. Harman is the firm that is responsible for the production of most of the remaining Ilford films. One of these films, XP2, is what is known as a ‘chromogenic’ film, which is essentially a monochrome colour negative film. The colour negative technology allows for a film with greater exposure latitude, allowing it to be used with a variety of ISO exposure indexes. In a way, this kind of film was the prototype for the variable ISO control on digital cameras. In its full colour negative form, it was this feature that enabled the then popular disposable cameras, which had a single aperture and shutter speed and relied on that exposure latitude to deliver images of acceptable tonality in varied…

You said... Alex Montacute Silver birch and general tree colours plus a trip to Exmoor for some nature photography that may or may not include red deer! Rachel Anthony-Rowlands Ferris wheels and funfairs at nighttime when it’s proper dark. Patrick Raymond Nowotny In the US, moose and elk as it’s rut season. Justin Boot @Polymathically I’ve made an autumn tradition of visiting the Sonoma Wine Country here in California. The scenery is spectacular. Stuart Randle Halloween. Mo Charlton The long-tailed ducks will be returning to Orkney soon I hope. Emma Lancaster I want to find a fly agaric. BBurchellPhotos @BBurchellPhoto1 Norway! I’m heading there on Saturday so I’m hoping I’ll get some good shots at this time of year around Oslo and Bergen. Adrian Wyatt Always love getting back into…

Cameras Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses Handgrip DSLRs traditionally have relatively large handgrips, while many mirrorless models have much smaller grips to keep the size down. However, some can accept accessory grips to improve handling with larger lenses. Lens mount Each camera brand uses its own lens mount, and mirrorless cameras use different lenses to DSLRs even from the same brand. However, mirrorless models can often use DSLR lenses via a mount adapter. Controls Entry-level cameras tend to have simple, easy-to-understand controls, while more expensive models add lots of buttons and dials to give quick access to settings. Viewfinder The biggest difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that the latter use electronic, rather than…

IN MORE competition news, Nikon has announced entries are open for its Film and Photo Contest from 30 October. The competition has been running for 40 years, with the name now tweaked to reflect an expanding focus on filmmaking as well as stills photography. You don’t need to have shot or recorded entries on Nikon gear, and the respective winner of the grand prizes for stills and video gets 500,000 yen (£2,553) plus a Nikon Z8 camera and lenses. Entries close on 17 February 2025, and full details are at www.nikon-photocontest.com/en/…

A QUICK reminder that AP’s first-ever Student Roadshow takes place in central Cardiff on 30 October, in partnership with Canon UK and support from the University of South Wales. On offer is a full day of learning from top pros, with confirmed speakers including Canon UK ambassador Ian Hippolyte, eminent travel photographer Philip Lee Harvey and portrait specialist Aneesa Dawoojee, winner of our Power of Photography Award in 2023. A range of genres will be covered on the day, including documentary, photojournalism and fashion, and there will also be opportunities to get your portfolio reviewed or try out the latest kit. The event takes place at the Atrium, Cardiff CF24 2FN, and runs from 9am to 6pm. Tickets are free, but you need to book in advance at: bit.ly/apstudentroadshow…

7 daysA week in photography AP picture of the week Loch Maree by Connor McLaren Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 24-105mm lens, 1/10sec at f/11, ISO 100 ‘On my trip around the north of Scotland, I visited many spots for sunrise with varying success. Thankfully on the last morning of the trip I was treated with mirror reflections and mist above the water diffused with golden light.’ Facebook: ConnorMcLarenPhotographsInstagram: @connormclarenphotography_Website: www.connormclaren.co.uk #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 from a wide range…

Around 1980 a former student, Mike Ormerod, came into my photography workshop in Derbyshire spitting feathers. ‘Look what they’ve done!’ He threw a yellow Kodak box onto the table, opened it and pointed at the creases on the surface of nearly all the black & white mounted prints inside. They had not only come back damaged from a gallery – there was a reject note in the box too. ‘What can I do with these?’ Mike fumed. ‘Makes you want to give up!’ Trying to be positive, I suggested they might be okay for reproduction because he could not exhibit them now, and certainly no one would buy them either. I suggested I could put a couple in my book – Approaching Photography – that I had just been commissioned…