Innholdsfortegnelse for 2/4/25 i Amateur Photographer

Fashion photography may seem a rarified subject – as you can see from my picture, I am no fashionista – but portrait shooters can learn a lot from it. This issue, top fashion shooter and Canon ambassador Ian Hippolyte shares his tips for getting the most from models and selecting the right kit. A world away from contemporary fashion is colour photography in 1900 – learn all about it on page 14. It’s a glimpse into the development of a technology we now take for granted. Our big hardware highlight is Andy Westlake’s test of Canon’s flagship EOS R1, while nature pro Emily Endean reveals why she loves Fujifilm’s XF 500mm lens. We’re also pleased to announce our second Student Roadshow on 1 March (see page 5), and do check…

A ROW has broken out over who took ‘Napalm Girl’, one of the most famous pictures of the past 100 years. The harrowing image, which shows burnt children fleeing a 1972 napalm attack in South Vietnam, has always been attributed to Associated Press (AP) photographer Nick Ut – indeed, Ut won a Pulitzer prize for it. But a new documentary called The Stringer airs accusations by Carl Robinson, a former photo editor at AP’s Saigon bureau, that the image was in fact taken by Thanh Nghe, a driver for NBC news network who was also a freelance photographer (‘stringer.’) Horst Faas, the chief photographer of the AP bureau, then allegedly ordered Robinson to ‘make it Nick Ut’. Both Nick Ut and the AP have vehemently denied the allegations, which the…

CANON has launched a relatively small and fast wideangle zoom, the RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM, which complements the RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM standard zoom. It’s aimed at users of full-frame mirrorless models such as the EOS R8 who’d like a bright wideangle zoom, but don’t want to spend considerably more on a premium L-series optic. Features include optical stabilisation, promising 5.5 stops of shake reduction (8 stops on cameras that include in-body stabilisation) but you have to pay extra for a hood – surprising given the lens’s £1,249.99 price.…

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 Frosty Morning at Penshaw Monument by Shannon Clarke DJI Mini 3 Pro, 1/1000sec at f1.7, ISO 100 ‘Penshaw Monument is one of my favourite places to visit. The uniqueness of the monument to the views over the whole of Sunderland right to the North East coast. The monument can be…

There is so much about this picture that I find fascinating. I’m interested in its historical importance as being recognised as the first photograph ever to include a human – two actually. They are tucked away where the road curves down in the bottom left and appear to show someone having their shoes shined. But where are all the other people and traffic that must have proliferated in this apparently deserted street? Intriguing The answer is they are there, but because the exposure was so lengthy, anything that moved didn’t stay in one place long enough to be recorded. It was once thought that the exposure for this picture might have been up to half an hour; but now the consensus is it was more likely to have been between…

ANDY WESTLAKE Technical Editor AP’s resident chief reviewer tests Canon’s super-fast flagship camera, the EOS R1 DAVID CLAPP Top landscape and travel photographer David shares how the Nikon F2AS turned him back on to 35mm DAMIEN DEMOLDER Former AP editor Damien interviews fashion and beauty photographer Ian Hippolyte AMY DAVIES Features Editor A new volume looks at the colour photochrom, circa 1900. Amy talks to one of its authors EMILY ENDEAN The outdoor photographer swaps her usual focal length range for Fujifilm’s XF 500mm prime ANGELA NICHOLSON Expert tester Angela assesses a variable neutral density filter from Urth…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Sonida fan Like Robert Spence I also suspected Andy Westlake was being a bit hard on the Sonida DC202, so to see for myself I bought one. I’m a sucker for rangefinders and rangefinder lookalikes and have a large collection (Unfortunately no Leicas in it, though.) My initial reaction on trying the viewfinder was to agree with Andy that it really was terrible. Then I noticed a second plastic film on the front of the viewfinder window. I had removed the one on the back but missed this front one. Once that was removed the viewfinder became perfectly usable. Just wondering, did he perhaps miss the second film? I found the camera to be nice: light, easily pocketable and really good-looking. Using it reminds me of…

THE WINNERS of the prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) competition have been announced, with a beautiful portfolio of infrared images from Kenya’s Maasai Mara clinching the top prize for US photographer Piper McKay. Her winning portfolio included portraits and landscapes. ‘So many images seen today are over-saturated, over-processed and even AI-generated,’ said judging chair Chris Coe about Piper’s portfolio. ‘A “less is more” approach is often far more effective… The use of black & white, with a camera converted to shoot infrared, allows us to absorb the details and atmosphere which good monochrome conveys so well. Her images have an immediate impact, but the intricate detail and atmosphere captured is also eye-catching and highly engaging.’ Meanwhile 14-year-old Raymond Zhang from China won the title of Young Travel Photographer…

FOLLOWING on from AP’s first student event with University of South Wales, we are delighted to announce that our next Student Roadshow is taking place on Saturday 1 March 9am-5pm, in collaboration with University of Greenwich. For students and young and emerging photographers, this exciting event is a full day of learning from professionals, hands-on tutorials, photowalks and creativity with exhibitors from the photo trade. Many disciplines will be covered, from documentary and photojournalism to analogue, filmmaking, music and fashion. See bit.ly/APgreenwich…

SADLY we’ve been running a steady stream of obituaries recently, but this latest one is particularly close to AP’s heart. George Hughes – an influential former news editor, features editor and editor-in-chief of AP – has died at the age of 88. George joined AP in 1968 as news and features editor, and from the get-go, was keen to spend time with famous photographers as they worked, rather than just phoning them up to get interviews. His big-name subjects included Ansel Adams, Brassaï, André Kertész, Cartier-Bresson, Bill Brandt, David Bailey, and Don McCullin. George’s eponymous ‘The Hughes Column’ was also very popular with readers. In 1971 he was elected to the Art Council Art Panel as a member of the Council Committee for Exhibitions of Photography, where he served alongside…

You mightn’t think of fashion photography as a risky business, but in an age when loud people lay in wait for offence to come their way, the creative path can feel littered with political land mines buried just below the surface. With fashion corporations more focused on profits than ideals, marketing teams can be so cautious of what they appear to say, that they end up saying nothing very much. ‘Fashion photography feels a bit safe,’ says photographer Ian Hippolyte. ‘It’s supposed to be about expression and provocative – not in a sexual way, just about getting people thinking and talking about issues. There’s a lot that can be said with fashion photography, and that’s what makes it one of the greatest genres. It can campaign and reach people in…

Mhairi Chambers Yes,several softcover ones of my sports photos via CEWE plus a couple of hard cover ones of my motorsport photos via SAAL. Lisa McGuinness About 45 so far… for myself and family and a few as gifts to travel mates. Jack Simpson @jack9simpson Nope, but, surprisingly, a number of folks are saying I should. Photography Passion JT Privately I create photo albums to remember shared moments, but also during the pandemic I created a photo album for the residents of Dunstable, with current photos of our town. Alison Ross Loads! One for every holiday we go on. Commuter Graphics @CommuterGraphic Yes, I’ve done about 16 now, with more on the way. Back Garden Our Beaver scouts got a community grant that they used to photograph the village of…