Innholdsfortegnelse for 1/28/25 i Amateur Photographer

Close-up and macro photography is consistently ranked as one of the most popular genres, perhaps because it reveals to us a fascinating and beautiful world that we would not otherwise notice. The annual Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition, co-founded by a former AP Features Editor, is the UK’s premier showcase of the best work in the genre, and this week we present a selection of the latest winners. We also share a few of the winners from the BJP’s annual Portrait of Britain, some of which you may have seen on digital billboards up and down the country. Finally we pay tribute to two of the best 35mm compact camera series ever made: the Olympus XA and mju. I’ve owned and loved them both so this is a real…

THE STUDENT and Youth shortlists have been announced in the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. This year’s student entrants were asked to respond to the brief ‘In the Beginning,’ while youth photographers were invited to share their best images through an Open Call. Ten students from leading universities worldwide were shortlisted, as well as 11 photographers aged 19 and under. Travel and journeys were a popular theme, with Xingyu Fan focusing on modernisation and migration in China, and Albert Słowinski looking at the history of Mauritania’s principal railway. Other shortlisted projects looked at people’s stories through the spaces they inhabit and their possessions. The Youth Competition shortlist, meanwhile, comprises single images by 11 photographers. Images of the natural world featured strongly in the cut, along with more personal moments –…

SONY has announced free firmware updates for the Alpha 1, Alpha A1 II and Alpha 9 III. Key updates include use of shutter speeds up to 1/80,000sec at all aperture values when ‘Exp. Value Expand’ is set to ‘On’ (Sony Alpha A9 III only); focus bracket support for continuous shooting while automatically shifting the focus position (Sony Alpha 1 only); and additional settings for exposure value adjustments and number of shots in the exposure bracketing (Sony Alpha 1). For full details, see bit.ly/sonyfirmwareupdates…

LAUNCHED 1954 PRICE AT LAUNCH approximately £10 GUIDE PRICE NOW £40-50 Camera designer Yakov Bogopolsky was born in Kiev in 1895, moved to Astrakhan in Russia as a child and, in his teens, to Switzerland in 1913 on the eve of World War I. Here he designed the first Bolex cine cameras before selling out to the Swiss company Paillard, then moved on to work with the Pignons company to design the first Alpa single lens reflexes (SLRs). With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, he moved to America where he produced a range of small 35mm cameras. His swansong was a camera called the Bolsey 8: a miniature still camera, made between 1954 and 1963, that doubled as a tiny cine camera for Single-8 film. During a…

Sarah-Louise Burns Built-in flash. Steve Walker Program mode. I notice that lots of people nominate video as a function they never use, but the reason I bought my current camera (Nikon Z6III) is that it is a great hybrid camera. Mark Gawthorne Av, Tv, P video, HDR mode, focus bracketing. Dark Sky Photography @mikesaltsman194 Video mode. Andrew Higgins Tracking autofocus. I’m almost surprised to find in settings. I’ve just always followed the subject in the finder, with single point AF. Helle Møller Video, and it annoys me to have to pay double what the camera would cost without it. Also touchscreen. Alan Cousins Video. Geoff Brown Program mode, Video and Auto ISO. Damen Hartley @DamenHartley Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it eats the battery. Martin Green Depth of Field preview. Just mike…

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…

TRACY CALDER Close-up Photographer of the Year co-founder Tracy reveals the CUPOTY 6 winners and their tips PETER DENCH The AP regular and noted documentary photographer talks to some of the winners of Portrait of Britain HARRY BORDEN British celebrity portrait photographer Harry looks back on two early shoots with Britpop band Blur AMY DAVIES Features Editor Our smartphone photography expert tests Oppo’s flagship, the Find X8 Pro JOHN GILBEY The writer and photographer looks at the classic Olympus XA range and mju series of 35mm cameras ANGELA NICHOLSON The expert tester and former AP technical editor reviews the Deuter Jaypack 34+…

PHOTOGRAPHERS and other creatives are ringing alarm bells over the government’s wide-ranging proposals to turn the UK into an AI superpower. As well as citing ways in which AI could be used to help repair potholes or make the NHS more efficient, the government seems to be mulling a more laissez-faire approach to copyright law. This would allow companies to use copyrighted materials (including photographs) for training their generative AI technology, unless the creator of this material specifically opts out. ‘Legal uncertainty is undermining investment in and adoption of AI technology,’ claimed the government. In response, the Association of Photographers (AOP) issued a statement strongly resisting any changes to the UK’s ‘gold-standard’ copyright laws. ‘We are expected to pay for our gas and electricity… therefore, why isn’t the starting point…

The British Journal of Photography (BJP) has unveiled the Portrait of Britain Volume 7 winners from possibly the world’s longest-shortlist. Until 2 February, the 100 winning portraits will light up on JCDecaux UK digital screens across the UK, offering a contemporary insight into Britain. All 200 shortlisted portraits are featured in the Portrait of Britain Volume 7 photo book published by Bluecoat Press (320pp, 165x210mm, £25). Professional and non-professional photographers of all ages are eligible. Portraits must depict subjects photographed in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and have been taken after 1 January 2023. Just under 1,700 entrants submitted approximately 7,000 entries. BJP subscribers (annually from around £20-30 ) can enter 10 images for free. Details of how many entered the competition were unavailable. The cost for…

Curiosity is a wonderful thing. Asking questions is how we learn, grow and make sense of the world. In fact, American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.’ We are born curious: we explore objects with our mouths, push buttons to see what happens, climb furniture to get a better view of our surroundings. But as we grow, we often eschew curiosity in favour of knowledge. Sticking with what we know allows us to feel safe and means that we don’t have to deal with the discomfort that comes with challenge or failure. But playing safe stops us from growing and shuts down our…

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 of frames, window mounts and glazing options. Each frame comes with a three-year guarantee and FREE P&P within the UK. Visit thispicture.co.uk May Your Days be Berry and Bright by Grace Kinney-Broderick Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Sigma 160-600mm Contemporary lens, 1/1250sec at f/6.3, ISO 3200 ‘Urban wildlife is important to me as it shows the resilience of nature. Cedar waxwings are one of the birds that have not suffered greatly from…

This picture, made by photographer Barbara Luckhurst, is part of a series entitled ‘This is our seat’. And although it was made in Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, the work isn’t concerned with the park itself but focuses on the benches and the people that populate them. Barbara describes this picture as ‘… a simple encounter in the park. They [the subjects] are there. I had a chat with them and took their photograph.’ But in my experience, things are rarely that simple. Barbara, a local resident and regular visitor to the park became intrigued by the benches, not as places to rest or contemplate, but as tiny epicentres of social activity. Park benches are uncomplicated constructions, reliable and simple to understand. Strong, solid and stable, they provide a suitable physical…

FUJIFILM has announced the Instax Wide Evo instant camera. Like the Mini Evo currently on sale, it comes with ten lens effects and ten film effects, with added Degree Control so you can customise the intensity of each lens effect. As its name suggests, the new camera has the widest lens on any Instax camera (16mm), offering standard and wideangle mode, along with a 3.5in LCD monitor, Micro SD card slot and selfie mirror. The Instax Wide Evo also features six film styles including a cinematic look with black bars. It prints directly from the camera as well as via the free app. It’s set to go on sale in February for £319.99.…

AP IS sad to report the death of eminent British photographer and educator, John Blakemore, and the iconic film maker, David Lynch. John Blakemore was born in 1936 and discovered photography while doing National Service with the RAF. A big early influence was Edward Steichen, but Blakemore became better known for his landscape work and beautifully crafted black & white prints. He also taught at the University of Derby, where students included AP contributor and author, Benedict Brain. ‘John Blakemore was well loved by just everyone in the photo community,’ said Ben, paying tribute to his ‘masterful control of the black & white image and his sensitive use of tone.’ David Lynch was born in 1946 and was 78. While he is best known as the auteur director of Twin…

Back in 1993, I was in my late 20s and in the early part of my career. I had established myself as one of the photographers at the iconic ’90s magazine, Select, and one of the commissions was photographing an upcoming band called Blur. Blur had recently released their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish. They were getting a lot of attention from pop and indie magazines because they were very photogenic, particularly the frontman, Damon Albarn. They hadn’t yet become a really big band but were on the road and heading in that direction. In a way, Select was a precursor to the later ‘lads’ mag’, Loaded. There was a hedonistic attitude to what we did and it was just as important to have a good time as it…

● £300 ● deuter.com This purpose-built camera backpack is designed for photographers who want to carry a lot of kit. It measures 60x30x22cm and weighs 2.16kg, giving a substantial capacity of 34L. Thankfully, Deuter’s Alpine Back System also ensures comfortable carrying, aided by well-padded adjustable shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and stabiliser straps at the top of the main straps. An internal flexible steel frame maintains the backpack’s shape and helps distribute the load for better balance, making the pack feel good even when fully loaded. There’s also a removable waist belt which enables some of the load to be carried on your hips, reducing the strain on your shoulders. Inside, the main compartment is spacious enough to accommodate a dual-grip DSLR or mirrorless camera, along with a clutch of…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Modern technology Last week I took my Nikon Z5 and Yongnuo 85mm F1.8 lens (un-stabilised) to Chichester Cathedral where I shot two pictures of St George and the Dragon under really low light conditions. The first shot was taken handheld at ISO 100, at 1/13sec and f/1.8. The second one was shot at ISO 51,000, at 1/630sec and f/2.2. Normally I would have set a maximum of ISO 3200 under these conditions, but I wished to test the IBIS on my Nikon body for the first picture and my new noise-reduction technology for the second. I shot both pictures in raw and used DxO PhotoLab 8. It does seem to cope extraordinarily well with noise. How lucky we photographers are to have an interest that improves…