Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/7/25 i Amateur Photographer

When we produced our first special issue on the theme of mental health back in 2018 we were overwhelmed by one of the biggest postbags we’ve ever received on any topic. Subsequent special issues on the theme have only served to confirm that, for a large number of people, photography offers an enjoyable and effective way to manage stress and anxiety, process grief, fight depression, focus a neuro-divergent mind or help people living with dementia. It is beyond doubt that creativity, whether from music, art or photography, is good for the soul. This issue showcases a variety of inspirational stories about the different ways that photography is being used to make a difference to our collective mental health. Connect with us @ EMAIL US at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk with your letters, send…

When portrait photographer Jo Ritchie’s brother Jack died by suicide in 2017, the idea of ever picking up a camera again seemed impossible. ‘I felt so far from my creative practice,’ she recalls. ‘I couldn’t imagine having the small talk needed to put a sitter at ease when I could barely function myself.’ But as she began to meet others who had also lost loved ones, Jo noticed a common thread – many had turned to creativity as a lifeline. Far from deepening despair, painting, music, writing, and photography were helping people find distraction, relief, and even joy in the wake of tragedy. That realisation was the spark for Projecting Grief, a collaborative portrait and storytelling project Jo founded in 2019. Through it, she set out to document people using…

The Leica wasn’t the very first camera to use 35mm, but it was the one that made the film truly viable. Looking back now, we all know what a tremendous success the new format became, but back then its future wasn’t so certain. Apart from the fact that many proclaimed a quality image could never be obtained from such a small negative, there was also the perceived awkwardness of film loading compared to the ease of loading and unloading a roll film, to which photographers were more accustomed. There was also a kickback against having to shoot as many as 36 pictures before you were able to develop the film. Out of this thinking came a new breed of small camera, one that shot the same, or similar, negative size…

Write to the Editor at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk and include your full postal address. Please don’t send letters in the post as there is no one in the office to receive them. Replies are from the Editor unless otherwise stated LETTER OF THE WEEK A trip to the John I write in response to the rather negative views of John Bridges in your October Premium Edition (great issue, by the way). My latest camera offers stills with decent video capture. As for menus, the options are an Aladdin’s cave… there’s 200fps, photo-stacking, choice of focus point with tracking, choice of metering type, plus bracketing and hi-res mode (100MP). Or I can change the dial to Auto and shoot away, expecting that most of the images will be perfectly exposed. What’s not to…

NOTE: PRIZE APPLIES TO UK AND EU RESIDENTS ONLY 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 images See 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. André Bogaert, London, UK About André I used to be a Club / Society member but not any more, too much…

STEVE FAIRCLOUGH Print Matters uses iconic images to help a mental health charity, finds AP regular Steve PETER DENCH Acting Features Ed Peter shares three stories and projects about the restorative power of photography JOHN WADE AP’s expert on camera history looks at how roll film camera makers tried to fight 35mm JOSHUA WALLER Online Editor Joshua tests the Google Pixel 10 Pro camera phone: does it do enough to impress? AILSA MCWHINNIE Our APOY project manager shares inspiration for the next round of APOY, Animal Kingdom JESSICA MILLER Dep Online Editor Jessica chooses some more of readers’ stunning images in It’s Good to Share…

DON’T miss the chance to vote for your favourite image in this year’s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 competition, run by the Royal Meteorological Society. This year’s contest attracted more than 4,000 entries and you can see the shortlist, and vote, at bit.ly/weathershortlist. Public voting closes on 16 October, with all the winners announced on 30 October.…

£45, Seltmann Publishers, hardcover, 320 pages, ISBN: 9783949070662 Here, Axel Kirchhoff turns his camera towards one of the least tangible of subjects: meditation. Across over 300 pages of finely printed black & white images, the German photographer builds a body of work that is both intimate and expansive, inviting us to look, pause, and reflect alongside his 66 sitters. The book’s premise is simple yet profound. Each portrait is the result of a mindful encounter, a collaboration between Kirchhoff and his subject at rest, in stillness, or mid-meditative practice. Stripped of distraction and visual noise, the images rely on subtle gestures, softened gazes, and the quiet presence that emanates from those who have turned inward. The photographs feel alive with a paradoxical energy: silent, yet vibrating with inner intensity. Alongside…

Hugh Maxwell Photography One word sums it all up – colour! Reds, oranges, yellows and golds in the landscape. Taylor Freeman I’ve only just gotten into photography. So I have never shot in autumn. So I’m looking forward to it. Although I don’t know what I will photograph. Sue Holmes Cloud Inversion would be perfect, otherwise deer rutting and toadstools. Toyah @toyahann_ My best friend’s wedding, and she’s got me photographing parts of it, I’m so excited. Philippa Huber Photography Pets! Surrounded by golden leaves! I really can’t wait! Natalie E Hough-Benns Lrps Mushrooms. It’s all about the shrooms in Holme Fen. We are waiting for the mist. Mark Cann Sunrises at a more reasonable time of day. Peter Baird Mushrooms; love this time of year. Patrick Nowotny Changing leaves…

Since the early 1980s, photographer Lawrence Watson has photographed the biggest stars of the music world. He initially served an apprenticeship in a darkroom in Old Street and then moved on to the darkroom at the now defunct TV franchise London Weekend Television (LWT). He mixed his work at LWT with personal work (often gigs) and, with access to a working darkroom, printed up his projects in between churning out publicity prints for ‘cheesy’ 1980s TV shows. His big break came with getting a concert shot of Southern Death Cult (who would later become The Cult) into the New Musical Express (NME). This triggered the NME to begin commissioning him and the music paper soon sent Watson to the US to document the rising stars of hip hop, including Run…

Sara Jazbar, Italy Nikon Z8, 14-24mm at 17mm, 1/250sec at f/5, ISO 2000 Sara came fifth with her characterful cat portrait, demonstrating that even domestic animals make great photographs when you approach it with creativity. The judges said: ‘This is a technically brilliant interpretation of the cat-through-the-hole trope, but in crediting the photographer let’s not forget the contribution of the cat, who delivered a perfect expression at just the right moment – which, of course, Sara had to use her skills and reactions to capture!’ Sara says: ‘To create this playful portrait of my cat, I wanted to experiment with perspective and capture an unusual point of view. I built a simple setup at home using a styrofoam panel, placed vertically. I cut a circular opening in the middle, then…

AP Picture of the Week 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 Sunset At Penmon Point Lighthouse by Sandip Singh Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8 at 28mm, 180.0s at f/5, ISO 100, 6 Stop ND Kase Filter ‘A beautiful sunset at Penmon Point Lighthouse. I wanted to experiment with a long exposure, with…

At first glance, this image resembles a corroded circuit board, abandoned to time. Look closer and nature is reclaiming it – green moss sprouts between capacitors, lichen nestles among rusted chips. It’s a hybrid form: not quite machine, not quite plant. And that’s precisely the point. This photograph is part of The Centre for Living Things, a long-term project by Polish artist Diana Lelonek, exhibited during this year’s Belfast Photo Festival. Shown under the broader Metamorfoza programme – supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute – the work explores the blurred boundaries between technology, waste and ecology. It’s BioArt at its most accessible and unsettling. A piece in the inflight magazine, 10 Reasons to Love Belfast, listed ten attractions, five of which were actually outside the city: a 5km loop through…