Innholdsfortegnelse for 09-Jan-2016 i Amateur Photographer

I’ve always enjoyed portraiture as a genre, but I don’t find it easy to do. There are just so many things to think about – the background, lighting, camera settings, getting the eyes in focus – that it’s easy to forget about the most important thing: the subject. I’ve met some great portrait photographers and often been struck by how non-technical many of them are. Or at least, the technical and aesthetic side has become second nature so they don’t think about it. They all seem to agree that social skills are more important – you need to like people and be able to engage with them. If, like me, you want to improve your portraiture , you’ll enjoy this issue. On pages 10-15, three top professionals offer their best…

AN EXPENSES-PAID photo assignment for a budding photojournalist is up for grabs in a competition run by humanitarian charity Muntada Aid. The winner will accompany award-winning press photographer Owen Humphreys to a location in Africa or Asia to photograph the Little Hearts Project for the charity. Entrants must submit images on the subject, ‘An Act of Kindness'. The Little Hearts Project provides free lifesaving cardiac surgery to children with congenital heart defects, from underprivileged families in developing countries. Photographs must have been taken in 2015. The deadline for entries is 22 January 2016. To enter the competition, email press@muntadaaid.org. Find out more at http://muntadaaid.org/news/1071.…

Anna Fowler Anna is a London-based portrait, lingerie and wedding photographer whose business has grown exponentially in only a few years. She has spent ten years in front of the camera and is an experienced television presenter. Visit www.annafowler.com 1 It’s not about the gear When I started out, I learned that you don't need lots of gear to succeed. About a month after buying lots of lighting equipment, I ended up shooting with natural light and that's what I have been using for most of my career. I have lighting gear for when I have to shoot inside, but for me it's natural light all the way. If I have to, I will use a beauty dish, an Elinchrom strobe and normally one light. Sometimes I use direct on-camera…

I need a new A3/A3+ printer and have just realised the very narrow selection generally available. If you are in the market for a dedicated photo printer, most shops now only stock Epson and Canon. If, like me, you require good monochrome printing capability with multiple black/grey pigment inks, it narrows the choice even further. I find myself looking at probably a choice of two printers from each manufacturer. Factor in any brand preference and there is nothing to choose from. For many of us, making a hard-copy print is still the end product of our endeavours. Online printing is excellent, but it's no substitute for the fine-tuning of home printing, despite the debatable cost issue. With such a bewildering choice of digital cameras and equipment, the printer – a…

Roger Hicks Roger has been writing about photography since 1981 and has published more than three dozen books on the subject (visit his website at www.rogerandfrances.com). He is a regular contributor to Amateur Photographer, wherehedeconstructs a classic or contemporary image. You’ve made it. As you stand, surrounded by your pictures, with a glass of wine in your hand, people come up and compliment you on the exhibition. It’s a wonderful feeling. But a lot of things have to happen before that happy day. You need a theme. You need to print and frame your pictures. You need a venue. You need to decide on the number of pictures, the print size, whether or not to glaze. You need to work out prices. You need to think about publicity. You need…

Mosque and pigeons Abhilash Surendran Canon EOS 550D, 11-16mm, f/2.8, ISO 100 I BELIEVE this very impressive building is the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, India. It looks stunning and the colours are fabulous. It is one of those places where there is a definitive picture to be taken – and in this case it is the pigeons taking off from the plaza in front of the mosque. I'm all in favour of this type of shot, and love a silhouetted bird in flight to add something extra to an urban landscape, but in this instance they've taken over. For a silhouette to be effective, the object being silhouetted needs to have a clear and clean outline. It shouldn't overlap anything else and needs to be shown against a background…

Resolution At 24mm and f/2.8 centre sharpness is very good, but edge sharpness does suffer. Optimum results can be had at around f/8, and while diffraction softens the finest details at f/11 and f/16, results are still very good. Sharpness isn’t as impressive at 70mm at f/2.8, but improves considerably in the centre when stopped down at f/5.6. Edge sharpness at 70mm peaks between f/8 and f/11. Shading The lens displays obvious vignetting wide open at 24mm, with the corners approximately -1.4EV darker than the centre. This improves to -0.8EV at f/4 and beyond that it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s a similar story at 35mm and 70mm, although at 70mm at f/2.8 the fall-off from the centre is a bit more dramatic, but not quite as strong at -1/2EV.…

LAUNCHED September 2009 PRICE £599.99 GUIDE PRICE TODAY £180 PENTAX came very late to the DSLR market with the oddly named *ist D at the end of 2003. The company distinguished itself by making relatively compact and affordable DSLRs, and it had a large user base to sell to, thanks to the popularity of the K-mount film SLR system. The K-x was a prime example of the values buyers expected of Pentax. What’s good Image quality. While it has only a 12.4MP sensor, it's a Sony-made CMOS type and probably the best in class of its era. You also get 720p HD video-recording capability and continuous-shooting frame rates of almost 5fps. Last, but not least, sensor-shift image stabilisation works with any lens, even older ones, so long as you can…

Architectural photography is a tricky genre to get to grips with. It isn't enough to just set up in front of a building and snap away. A photographer has to try various techniques to get to the heart of a building, much in the same way they would a sitter for a portrait. Here we find a wonderful example of how to get it right. This image of Westminster Abbey's lantern roof in all its spectacular glory was taken by Gareth Cattermole. The astonishing geometry is brought to life through the photographer's lens, particularly as he has removed the colour in order to highlight the strong shapes and lines. London's most famous abbey houses more than 1,000 years of history within its walls. As well as being the site of…

‘It turns out the Pellix uses a fixed, semi-silvered mirror, the pellicle’ I try to keep an eye open for cameras with unusual or quirky features, but when I spotted a Canon Pellix in a charity shop, I didn't realise that it was anything other than a common or garden SLR from the1970s. It was in a box with a couple of extra lenses, priced at £10. Generally, I don't bother with 35mm SLRs, but it was a model I hadn't heard of, from a major manufacturer, so after winding on and firing the shutter at a couple of different speeds, I decided to take a punt. When I got it home I was disappointed to find that although the shutter worked OK, the mirror didn't move, and I assumed…

Black & white preview For the initial raw capture, I generally tend to shoot tethered, with black & white set as the preview as I find it's easier to see the how the light and shadows are working without the distractions of colour. The raw images come straight into Capture One Pro. Color Balance tool Once I've made my selection of the images I want to work on, I'll go back to colour versions and then start to make any adjustments to the white balance and tweak the colours using the Color Balance tool in Capture One Pro. Focus check I'll also use the Focus check tool in Capture One Pro, as it allows me just to double-check that the image is pin-sharp where it needs to be before I…

You answered A Less than 8GB 3%B 8GB 7%C 16GB 20%D 32GB 31%E 64GB 30%F 128GB 8%G More than 128GB 1% What you said ‘I have a 16GB card and fill it in a matter of hours shooting weddings and sporting events. Sometimes I fill one or two 8GB cards as well – I carry two 8GB spares. However, I empty the card every day that I use it so it never gets anywhere near full’ ‘Unless you have a 36MP-plus camera, anything larger than 16GB is pointless as it will result in all your images being on one card. And if it dies, you lose the whole day’s shoot. I have learned that it is better to spend more on a reputable brand, irrespective of the capacity. I bought…

Jeremy Walker Jeremy is an award-winning professional photographer with many years’ experience specialising in high-quality landscape and location photography from around the world for use by advertising, design and corporate clients. Jeremy is also a Nikon Ambassador. www.jeremywalker.co.uk NEIST Point lighthouse is dramatically perched on the sea cliffs at the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye and is about five miles from the small hamlet of Glendale, or about an hour from the island's capital of Portree. Access is relatively easy and the lighthouse is well signposted, although the roads become more and more narrow and twisty the nearer to the lighthouse you get. There is a very small car park about half a mile away from the lighthouse, but parking is possible by the side of the…

Harry Borden Harry is one of the UK’s finest portrait photographers and his work has been widely published. He has won prizes at the World Press Photo awards (1997 and 1999), and last year was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the RPS. The National Portrait Gallery collection holds more than 100 of his images. Visit www.harryborden.co.uk This is one of those pictures where our perception of it has changed due to the widely reported tragic events that occurred some time after. When I shot this image, Oscar Pistorius was one of the world’s most famous disabled athletes and featuring across a variety of newspapers and magazines. Today, Oscar Pistorius is usually photographed while making appearances in South African courtrooms. Since shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013,…

Internal storm cuff Inside the sleeve is an elasticated storm cuff, which helps to keep the rain out when shooting. Drawstring waist A drawstring around the waist can be tightened when it’s cold. This gathers the jacket closer to the body for increased insulation. Faux-fur trim Using a popper system, the faux-fur trim can be attached and detached. When attached, it helps block out cold wind. Pockets There are two pockets at the bottom, with a side pocket, two pockets on the breast of the jacket and an inside pocket, too. £149.99 navitasoutdoors.com At a glance Removable faux-fur hood Fully waterproof Soft polyester lining Seven large pockets Fully tapered seams Callum McInerney-Riley puts an outdoor jacket to the test NAVITAS Outdoors originally produced products for the angling market, but for…

Joe Cornish – Smooth Cotton 300 I aim to crystallise the endlessly varied light, colours and texture of nature in my landscape photographs. At the end of a chain of photographic processes, the print is the culmination and fulfilment of that effort, and the paper is critical to the success of the print. Fotospeed’s Smooth Cotton 300 is my paper of choice. Trevor & Faye Yerbury – Natural Soft Textured Bright White 315 As traditional darkroom printers it has taken us many years to discover the right paper for our digital images that will capture and hold all of the shadow and highlight detail we demand. Natural Soft Textured Bright White is our preferred paper. John Swannell – Platinum Baryta 300 As a photographer I aim to capture the spirit…

‘In the forthcoming generation of cameras, 4K video will be ubiquitous’ My first digital camera was a Canon EOS 350D. At 8MP, it was capable of image quality that matched the film cameras I previously used. Now, in the next generation of cameras, that resolution will be available for video shooting. The term ‘4K' video refers to one of two formats. The first, known as Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV format, gives 3,840 pixels across the width of the image and 21,60 pixels of height for a total of 8,294,400 pixels. The second format is Cinema 4K, which has the same 2160 pixel height, but is 4,096 pixels across, giving a 1.9:1 aspect ratio rather than the 1.8:1 of the TV standard. Cinema 4K gives a total of 8,847,360 pixels,…

New Jessops store Jessops has opened a new store in Exeter, Devon – the 48th to open under Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, who took over the ailing business in 2013. The new shop offers ‘try-before-you-buy’ displays, training courses, a trade-in service, sensor cleaning and an on-site lab. Lightroom reaches out to Android users Adobe has released Lightroom for Android 1.4, extending the subscription-free mobile service to Android users. Adobe Lightroom for Android 1.4 supports raw DNG files and follows the Apple iPad and iPhone versions. For full details, visit play.google.com. Commons plays host to EEF awards night The work of 26 amateur and professional photographers shortlisted for the EEF/Lombard prize was exhibited at the House of Commons last month. The competition, designed to raise the profile of UK manufacturing,…

LONDON has the potential to become the world capital of photography, say organisers of Photo London 2016, which promises to be ‘bigger and better' than last year. Photo London takes place at Somerset House from19-22 May and will showcase the work of 80 galleries – ten more than at the inaugural event in 2015. The 2016 event has won the backing of Michael G Wilson, a celebrated photography collector and co-producer of the James Bond films. Wilson has pledged to lend12 large-scale photographs by Craigie Horsfield, drawn from his archive of more than11,000 images. ‘London has, it seems, fallen in love with photography,' said Photo London co-founder Michael Benson. Photo London 2016 will feature a new temporary structure in the courtyard of Somerset House, plus a new dedicated area for…

DEMAND for CSCs has fallen 9%, as better-than-expected sales of DSLRs make a dent in the UK's mirrorless market. Unit sales of CSCs dropped 9% in the first 47 weeks of 2015, compared with the year before, while unit sales of DSLRs fell 2.5% over the same period, according to Futuresource Consulting. Tempting price deals on entry-level Nikon and Canon DSLRs – combined with fewer big promotions on CSCs than a year earlier – bit into mirrorless sales during 2015. Futuresource predicted a10% fall in imports of CSCs for sale in the UK by the end of 2015 compared with the previous year, with DSLR imports sliding 5%. Actual figures were not available as we went to press. By the close of 2015, DSLR imports were forecast to reach 354,000…

Email amateurphotographer@timeinc.com and include your full postal address Write to Inbox, Amateur Photographer, Time Inc. (UK), Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU Denim is a no-go Your article on winter clothing (AP12 December 2015) was a timely reminder that when setting out in cold conditions, thought is required not only on what camera equipment you are going to take with you, but also on the suitability of your apparel. However, there was one glaring omission – your model was togged out in jeans! Any walker worth his or her boots would tell you that denim is a no-go when out on the hills and, equally, on a winter photo shoot, for that matter. Modern outdoor walking trousers provide protection against wind and rain, but they are also…

In the current digital imaging age when the ‘techno-babble’ is increasingly about larger sensors, wider dynamic ranges and ISO values creeping into the millions, Alex Timmermans has eschewed modern technology and decided to pursue a 19th century invention – wet-plate collodion photography. Now in his early 50s, the self-taught photographer works out of his base in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and sets himself the challenge of producing one new wet-plate project every month. Alex dreams up his wet-plate projects and executes most of them with just one assistant. ‘There are just the two of us,’ says Alex from his Netherlands home. ‘I make everything myself – all the props – and a good friend of mine is often the model in the pictures, so that’s quite easy to do.’ His…

Lenses If you are contemplating shooting the lighthouse, both a 24-70mm zoom and the longer 70-200mm zoom will be ideal. Clothing As with many locations, this is a landscape that is exposed to the elements and you will need windproof, waterproof clothing, a hat and gloves. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security as Atlantic storms can catch you unawares. Butane cooker A small single-ring butane cooker is a really useful non-photographic piece of kit, which I have found to be really useful for this type of location over the years. It means you can at least cook a bacon butty or boil a kettle if the nearest café is a long way away.…

David Zdanowicz, West Yorkshire David's unconventional beginnings in photography were formed when his friend gave him a great price on his old Canon EOS 60D. Never one to turn his nose up at a bargain, David snatched it up. Since then, he has spent every free moment with his father, photographing the incredible Yorkshire countryside and beyond. As can be seen in this selection, David is particularly fond of shooting landscapes and especially enjoys the challenge of capturing them under a variety of weather conditions. To see more of his images, visit www.facebook.com/davezphoto. 1 Malham Mist David took this image as a cloud of mist swept over the entire village. As the sun broke through and spotlighted a single tree, he took his chance and got the shot Canon EOS…

‘Technically, it’s unobtrusively clever. The idea of surging forwards is seen in literal surging too, in the bow wave bottom right’ What do you see when you look at this picture? For some, it will be surreal: the smiling, waving passengers in a seemingly apocalyptic landscape. Others may wonder at the ‘funny old car’. And some will smile in recognition. Most people can imagine being in that car, but not all will imagine the same thing. For a start, there is the car itself. It is a Hindustan Ambassador, essentially a mid-1950s Morris Oxford. It remained in continuous production in India from about 1957-2014, and more than two million were made. A few are still available new. They were used as taxis, ministerial limousines and, of course, as private cars.…