Innholdsfortegnelse for 02-Jan-2016 i Amateur Photographer

We can change our lives or take up a new challenge at any time, but there’s something about a new year that makes such resolutions a bit more special. Photographic ones can help to give our hobby a greater sense of purpose and direction. Last year I decided to shoot film for the first time in a decade. I bought a Nikon FM2 and some Kodak Tri-X and off I went. You can find out how I fared on page 8. This year I am planning to print more of my images, whether on sheets of paper or in photo books, rather than just imprisoning them in suspended animation in the dark recesses of my hard drives, only coming to life when electricity is passed through them. What’s your photographic…

LONDONERS have the gloomiest faces in selfies, according to a study of six cities worldwide. The ‘selfiecity' project used face-recognition software to establish that Londoners had the ‘least happy faces'. More Londoners than elsewhere were pictured wearing glasses (29% compared to 18% in other cities). The capital also had the most people with their eyes closed. The team analysed 152,462 Instagram images taken in central London from 21-27 September 2015. The project also studied Bangkok, Berlin ,New York, São Paulo and Moscow. Selfiecity London forms part of an exhibition at Somerset House, which runs until 28 February 2016.…

Craig Roberts Craig is a professional photographer specialising in travel and landscape. He regularly writes technique articles for photography magazines and offers these, along with videos and eBooks, as part of his e6 Subscription available from his website. Visit www.craigrobertsphotography.co.uk In almost every article written about the art of landscape photography, we are told that foreground is key and that it is the most essential part of the overall composition. Without it, we are told, the image is dead, lifeless and lacks depth. Foreground is the start of the journey through the picture, and a successful landscape photograph cannot survive without it. But is foreground overrated and possibly unnecessary in landscape photography? If you look beyond the obvious and compose your images with depth and impact, yet feature no obvious…

Fond memories Reading Ron Fletcher's letter (AP, 28 November 2015) brought back fond memories of ADOX KB14 film. In the early 1960s my parents gave me a Pentax S1a for my 21st birthday present, at the cost of £72 19s 6d [£72.97] purchased in Tottenham Court Road, London. I still have it, but have not used it for about ten years. In those days I fired off about three rolls of 36-exposure film a week. Even in those times it was not a cheap hobby, especially for a lad still doing an apprenticeship. I used ADOX KB14 extensively for two reasons – it had a very fine grain and, most importantly, if my memory serves me right, I could buy it for a considerable saving in 20-metre lengths. This was…

NIKON SCHOOL offers workshops that cater for photographers of every level of ability, from complete beginners to practising professionals. The Centre of Excellence, situated in Central London, offers a wide range of courses that are suited to individuals wanting to learn more about photography, or those who simply want to expand their creative horizons. The Nikon School workshops are a mix of easy-to-understand theory and hands-on practical assignments that are held in small groups to ensure everyone can benefit from the expert knowledge of the tutors. From understanding your digital SLR and lenses, image editing, HDR montages and location fashion shoots to capturing candid street portraits, making HD video films and taking inspiring landscape images or wildlife shots, Nikon School workshops cover a variety of skills and subjects that ensure…

Experiment with background As you get more familiar with the stacking technique, you can try using coloured gels or card to really bring your images to life with interesting light and background. Use a dedicated stacking program A specialised program like Helicon Focus lets you stitch together raw files, so you have plenty of flexibility when it comes to post-processing. Experiment with your stitches using JPEGs before applying it to raw files. Freeze your bugs Insects degrade incredibly quickly after death, so it's best to capture them while they're still alive – but they can't be allowed to move. The best way to shoot them is to lower their body temperature so they begin to hibernate and their movement slows. The time you want them in the fridge/ freezer is…

Adding selective focus THE STANDOUT feature in Georgina Larham's image is the accentuated perspective – the rails converge to a vanishing point – although I feel that it has been cropped too tightly. An 18-55mm zoom lens was used, but the photograph was shot at the 50mm setting. A shorter focal length would have emphasised the perspective and allowed for more on the right of the image. In the following steps, I show how Photoshop's Lens Blur filter can be used to apply selective focus. In this example, I created an alpha channel depth map, used to simulate the effect of a shallow depth of focus, to make it appear it had been shot using a prime lens at a wide aperture. 1 Basic panel adjustments I began by opening…

Micro USB charging In an unusual move for Canon, the Canon PowerShot G5 X can be charged via micro USB, allowing users to top up the battery using a power bank. Connectors On the left side of the camera is a flap that covers HDMI and micro USB ports, and a 2.5mm socket that accepts Canon’s RS-60E3 cable release. Customisable controls The front, rear and lens-scroll dials can all be changed independently. This allows users to assign settings such as ISO, shutter speed and aperture to their preferred button. Exposure-compensation dial On top of the camera is a designated exposure-compensation dial, which is controllable to ±3EV in 1/3-stop increments. Electronic viewfinder Directly above the lens is a 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder that boasts a refresh rate of 120fps. Fully articulated…

Resolution The lens produces impressive sharpness in the centre of the frame at f/2, and continues to get sharper when the aperture is closed down. There’s a jump in sharpness by stopping the lens down to f/2.8 and the centre remains consistently sharp up to f/8. The sweet spot of edge-to-edge sharpness is found at f/5.6. Diffraction gradually starts to have an effect on the level of sharpness beyond f/8. Shading Vignetting is apparent in images taken at f/2, with corners appearing approximately 0.9EV darker than at the centre of the frame. Corner shading improves quickly by stopping the lens down. At f/2.8 the edges appear less than 0.5EV darker than the centre, which I latterly discovered to be barely noticeable in real-world images. Curvilinear distortion A study of our…

1 Canon EOS 5D Mark II Although in camera terms the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is getting on a bit, it’s still a very capable performer. Image quality is excellent and file size more than adequate, so as long as mine is still going strong I can’t find a good enough excuse to upgrade. 2 Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS This is a peach of a lens – well built, weather sealed and a focal-length range I find perfect for landscapes. It’s sharp all the way across the frame, captures plenty of detail and as an added bonus it renders lovely sharp sunbursts. 3 Infrared-converted Fujifilm X-Pro1 Carrying an infrared-converted camera gives me more options in the sort of bright light that isn’t always ideal for landscape photography. This…

The image you see here is part of a series of photographs taken in Iceland's otherworldly ice caverns. The cave's bright-blue and bubble-like walls almost resemble an underwater scene. Many of the other images capture flowing waterfalls, crystal-clear crevasses and icy tunnels. Icelandic guide Einar Runar Sigurdsson and British photographer Mikael Buck, (who, incidentally, photographed the cover this week) explored the world of Iceland's Vatnajökull glacier using Sony's back-illuminated full-frame sensor featured in the small-form Alpha 7R II camera. The images were taken without a tripod and were not pan-stitched in post. For contrast, take a look at Mikael's macro work on pages 27-29. Words & numbers “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still” Dorothea Lange American documentary photographer 1895-1965 18 new sizes…

Earlier this year, I went back to my photographic youth and bought a Nikon FM2. I bought it not just to shoot film with after more than a decade of digital capture, but also to get back to basics with an all-manual camera after years of using, effectively, a computer with a lens on the front. I love technology, but I've also missed the purity of the FM2. Perhaps it's the nostalgia that it evokes for simpler times. It's a beautiful camera and, if anything, it has grown more attractive with age. That isn't just my opinion – it turns heads when I'm out with it in a way that no DSLR does. Film still has much to recommend it. For a start, it liberates the user from digital's endless…

1 Strong distant subject A dominant and even distinctive main subject is a natural focus for the eye to be drawn to. Its outline and hint of reflection are strong enough to be the dominant feature in a picture of muted colour and overall simplicity. 2 Focal point placed on rule of thirds line Careful positioning has ensured the castle’s placement draws the eye perfectly. The rule of thirds line is a strong compositional tool and it has been used here alongside the shaped cloud to be the key focal point. 3 Vertical format The composition has added drama from the use of a vertical format. This adds tension to the horizontal of the horizon line, as well as emphasising the emptiness of the foreground. The lack of obvious foreground…

You answered 1 Yes, I have set myself certain tasks or goals 52% 2 No, I just take photos that I want at a given time 31% 3 Yes, I consider most things I do part of an ongoing project 11% 4 I have never really considered it 6% What you said ‘Most of the work I do either grows out of a project or grows into a project’ ‘My current project is to compile a body of work which is currently rather vaguely titled, “Residual British Influences in Former Colonies”’ ‘Last winter I set myself the target of 50 acceptances in international salons. Surpassed that – but got no joy out of it. The “learning experience” was more negative (what not to enter) than a positive one. I also…

Getting Started with Wildlife Photography With exclusive access to the British Wildlife Centre, this is a great opportunity to get really close to our native wildlife, and in some instances, you will be able to enter the animals’ enclosures while under supervision of the keeper. Also on hand is a Nikon trainer to demonstrate techniques and camera settings, as well as having some of the latest Nikon kit for you to try out on the day. Join the Pros: Landscapes in Skye Join Nikon’s Neil Freeman and leading landscape and award winning professional Nikon Ambassador Jeremy Walker on this workshop to capture the dramatic, rugged landscapes of the Isle of Skye. From the towering brooding mass of the Cuillin Hills to the rock stacks of The Old Man of Storr…

Mikael Buck Mikael is a London-based editorial and commercial photographer. Having spent more than a decade working as a photojournalist for titles such as The Times, Mail on Sunday and the Metro, Mikael now works on commissionfor UK national newspapers, high-profile corporations and the country’s biggest brands. www.mikaelbuck.com One of the most fascinating aspects of photography is that it can open the door to worlds we can’t see with the naked eye. Capturing this hidden world has its share of challenges and requires a far more systematic approach than other areas of photography, but the results are fascinating and rewarding. Capturing macro images of the most populous but least-seen creatures on our planet – insects – is a great example of this. For best results, you’ll need to use a…

Sue Phelps, Berkshire Sue was first given a camera when she was just five years old and has loved photography ever since. However, she only started to take it seriously when she received her first DSLR five years ago. Sue is particularly taken with the genres of macro and portraiture. In fact, portraiture is a relatively new passion and she loves capturing the essence of a person in a single picture. As Sue says, a successful portrait is all in the eyes. 1 Hippy Chic Sue’s thinking here was to create a portrait with a 1960s or ’70s feel. It was also a good lesson in how to take a colour image that she knew would be converted into black & white Nikon D600, 70-300mm, 1/4000sec at f/2, ISO 160…

£229.99 uk.ikigaibags.com Expandable top section There’s a small section at the top of the bag for personal items or accessories, which can be expanded by undoing a zip Detachable tripod holder A full-sized tripod (50cm/20in folded) can be carried on the back, using a clip-on ‘bucket’ to hold the feet and a strap to secure it. Mesh pockets Additional elasticated mesh pockets on each side will hold a water bottle or umbrella. At a glance Backpack with separate removable camera cell Laptop compartment Secure access through back Additional camera cells available separately NEWCOMER Ikigai aims to take the humble camera bag and do something a bit different to the norm. Its idea is to produce a modular system that will allow padded camera cells to be interchanged between different types…

JUST as we've seen in many compact cameras before it, the Canon PowerShot G5 X has a 20.2-million-pixel BSI CMOS sensor. As we would expect, it's a solid performer. Being 1in, it's as big or bigger than that found in the majority of compact cameras, allowing for better signal-to-noise ratio compared to smaller-sensor compacts. At low ISO sensitivity settings up to around ISO 800 there's plenty of detail with very little noticeable luminance noise, unless you are looking at pixel level. Detail starts to drop after ISO 1,600, and when reaching ISO 6,400 the pictures are obviously very noisy. While Canon's in-camera noise processing smooths most of it out, this is at the expense of much of the detail. However, to Canon's credit JPEGs do tend to give strong, attractive…

LAUNCHED 1970 PRICE AT LAUNCH £34.56 (1972) GUIDE PRICE TODAY £25-£50 THE PRAKTICA L was the first of the renowned Praktica L series – tough, no-nonsense 35mm SLRs with all that was necessary for quality photography, and little that wasn't. As the originator of the series, the Praktica L carried this principle to what many people thought was the extreme by not even having a built-in exposure meter. It is a true traditionalists' camera. I am almost ashamed that I never owned one before now, because we were made for each other. The shutter of the Praktica L series is a tough, vertically travelling, metal-bladed focal-plane type with speeds of 1sec-1/1000sec, with flash synchronisation at1/125sec. The camera also has the Praktica quick-load system, which is very similar to, and seems…

This is a charming picture, the sort that most of us would like to take of our daughters or granddaughters. There are probably those who would decry it as child pornography – she’s got legs and you can see her knickers! – but you’d need to be more than puritanical to look at it that way. Behind the charm there are, however, at least four lessons. The first is the cost in time, effort and money of a major picture series. In 2008, Bieke Depoorter was 22, working on her graduation thesis. She spent a month on the Trans-Siberian railway, getting off at random and relying on the kindness of strangers for accommodation. Speaking no Russian, she had a piece of paper with a Russian explanation of her project. She…

Mamiya buyout Phase One has taken over Mamiya Digital Imaging Company (MDI), having held 45% of shares in the camera maker since 2009. This has led to the formation of Phase One Japan. Appointed president Makoto Honda said: ‘Phase One Japan is committed to developing new and custom-designed masterpiece leaf-shutter optics.’ Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Envy-driven editing Around one in three Britons edits photos before posting them online, a survey has claimed. According to a poll of 10,000 people across the UK by Digitalab, almost a fifth (19.6%) edited photos to enhance their professional image and 18.1% to make themselves look more attractive. Leica S upgrade The AF speed and precision of the Leica S has been boosted via a new firmware update. Leica S (Typ 007)…

ALMOST half of British adults have lost digital images, a Jessops' survey has revealed. Jessops said: ‘44% of British adults have lost a digital photo that they wish they had printed, with “losing/breaking hardware” and “accidentally deleting the photos” being the most common ways of losing digital photos (20% each).' Jessops added: ‘More than one in ten (12%) have lost digital photos due to technology changes, eg old digital photos saved not being compatible with new technology.' Less than one in ten (8%) said they print a photo at least once a month, and more than one in five (21%) admitted to never having printed. Jessops CEO Neil Old said: ‘It is staggering that so many of us have lost some of our precious digital photos, while ironically photos stashed…

Manual metering The ultimate way to achieve your desired results is to tell the metering system what you want to do. This is where manual exposure and exposure compensation become essential, as they will let you get the exposure just how you want. The important thing to remember is that most creative uses of light require an exposure that is the average meter reading of the entire scene, so don't be alarmed when your camera is telling you to brighten or darken the exposure. Backlighting This technique can produce a wonderful golden glow to the overall scene. It is most easily achieved at sunrise or sunset by ensuring the sun is just out of frame, so that its light is filtering across the image. The correct exposure – one that…

Sony Alpha 7R II As stacking requires heavy cropping, a high megapixel count camera will allow you plenty of flexibility to do this and still retain large printable files. The full-frame Alpha 7R II camera can take incredibly sharp and detailed pictures with the right lenses. Micro - adjustment plate It’s almost impossible to make adjustments this tiny using just your lens. The adjustment plate lets you move your camera back and forth in small increments, giving you a much better selection for your stack. Flashguns Using flashguns will allow you to use a small aperture and low ISO. A low ISO will give you less noise and more room to adjust colours and exposure in post, and you need to keep lighting consistent across all the images for your…

Robert Canis Robert has been a professional nature photographer for more than 20 years. He gives around 20 illustrated talks each year and regularly holds wildlife and landscape photography workshops both in the UK and overseas. He is represented by three international agencies and has been the recipient of numerous awards. www.robertcanis.com I have been observing badgers at this sett for more than 25 years. As a boy, I would cycle the mile or so to the edge of this field, a tripod (sometimes two, with one to hold the flash) attached to the side of the cycle frame with bungee cords, and a pack on my back. Once my bike was padlocked to the fence, I would skirt the edge of two fields until I was around 200m from…

Fujifilm dial operation Q I'm a Canon DSLR user and have been looking to buy a smaller CSC for some time. During the recent black Friday deals I treated myself to a Fujifilm X-T10. I'm thrilled with the camera, but there's one thing that niggles me. Why is it that the front and rear dials seem to operate back to front? On my Canon DSLR I'm used to scrolling to the right to increase variables such as ISO, but on the X-T10 I have to scroll to the left. It seems odd to me and makes switching between cameras difficult. Geoff Moore A I use a Canon DSLR and Fujifilm X-E2 and have experienced the same issue you describe. It took me a while to get used to bumping the…