Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

Premium-quality print specialists CEWE offer a wealth of ways to show off your best photos in print, whether you’re a passionate enthusiast or professional photographer. CEWE offers a wide variety of personalised photo gifts including photo books, canvases and calendars. They also provide 14 wall art formats from acrylic to wood, as well as personalised jigsaws and gifts for the home or office. So if you are returning back from your travels, or perhaps you photographed a family wedding recently, you can design and print your product easily with their FREE award winning downloadable software. Here’s a round-up of all the great CEWE print products available today… 01 CEWE PHOTOBOOK CEWE offer nine different size options for the CEWE PHOTOBOOK, including: Pocket to XXL Landscape; six paper types including Classic,…

Great reasons to subscribe now! Get a Vanguard Vesta Strive 30 bag An ideal compact and stylish messenger bag for a small DSLR with medium lens attached Great savings Subscribe from only £12.50* and get your issues delivered to your door, plus this great Vanguard camera bag worth £49.99 Free Video Disc Each issue, you’ll receive a Video Disc packed with fantastic photo projects Option 1: Quarterly subscription £12.50* • 3 issues of PhotoPlus delivered per quarter Option 2: Regular subscription £51 13 issues of PhotoPlus print edition delivered Expert PDF handbook 20% off entry to The Photography Show Option 3: Premium subscription £69 13 issues PhotoPlus print edition delivered Digital edition for your phone or tablet PhotoPlus magazine binder Expert PDF handbook Free entry to The Photography Show Subscribe…

THE MISSION Shoot and edit a trick balancing portrait effect Time needed One hour Skill level Intermediate Kit needed • Tripod • Two chairs • Step ladder • Photoshop CC or Elements One of the most fun things you can do with Photoshop is blend photos into an entirely new image. This can lead to all kinds of weird and wonderful results, but it’s not all about making double exposures, or blending a crocodile with a kitten, or sending your granny to the moon. Sometimes it can be just as eye-catching to craft a subtle composite from slightly altered versions of the same scene. This is exactly what we’ve done here for our precarious portrait. We need a series of shots with slight changes – one of the subject perched…

THE MISSION Take to the skies and capture great photographs with your drone Time needed 10 minutes Skill level Beginner Kit needed • A drone • A controller or smart phone with dedicated app Drone photography has literally taken off in recent years, and we know many of you are proud drone owners. Whether you use yours for videos or stills, they’re a fantastic tool to have in a photographer’s arsenal. This month we’re looking at everything from the rules that you need to follow, how to set one up and how you can use them to create powerful content. Let’s start with the rules… If your drone weighs less than 20kg and you are not going to profit from your drone footage and still images then you don’t need…

VIDEO ALSO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_156_7 THE MISSION Get to grips with Affinity Photo’s brush tool and create a scatter portrait effect Time needed One hour Skill level Intermediate Kit needed Affinity Photo Brushes in Affinity Photo go beyond the standard circular brush most of us are familiar with. In some ways they even surpass what can be done in Photoshop. Firstly, there’s a wide array of brushes to choose from, including the top set of grunge brushes we’ve used for our scatter effect. What’s more, brushes can be customized with a range of parameters, including spacing, scattering and wet edge controls. You can have hours of fun simply by playing with all the settings. But the options don’t stop there. You can also create your own brushes from any image or…

Photo essays from PhotoPlus readers and professional photographers alike No way. It’s too far, too expensive and too cold. This was my initial reaction when my wife and I were exploring our next photographic holiday. However, with its spectacular scenery, waterside towns, ever-changing skies and pure light, Norway certainly ticked all the boxes. Choosing the optimal time for daylight and darkness found us flying to Bergen in late March. It was bitterly cold. Under brilliant blue skies, we boarded a Hurtigruten express ship and were sailed up the coast towards the Arctic Circle, reaching the most northern town of the cruise, Kirkenes. I knew that I would be overwhelmed by photo opportunities, but I was planning to get some water reflection shots and, with a bit of luck, hoped to see the…

MY KIT Professional photographers reveal their top six tools of the trade they couldn’t shoot without I recently took a ridiculous amount of kit to Marbella, Spain for a lifestyle portrait photoshoot. I took my Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L and 50mm f/1.8 lenses, a light tent, an overheard diffuser, a Bowens Travelpak and one Gemini 500 head, along with a couple of Speedlites, a cheap ring-flash softbox, a beauty dish and some triggers to fire my flashguns. Light tents can cost thousands of pounds so in the end I built my own from aluminium poles which I cut to size Light tents can cost thousands, so in the end I built my own from aluminium poles that I cut down to size. I also purchased some…

Why does the Image Stabilizer stay active the whole time that my EOS RP is actually turned on? John Graham, Quorn BRIAN SAYS… This is the correct behaviour and is described in the manual. The exact reason is not clear to me, DSLR cameras only activate the stabilization unit when the shutter is half-pressed. Having the stabilizer continuously active ensures the LCD and EVF displays are stabilized, plus the AF system will be able to operate more effectively. If you don’t want the stabilizer on, and want to preserve battery life, you can turn the Image Stabilizer off with the switch on the side of the lens. The same behaviour happens with the RF lenses, plus EF and EF-S lenses on the mount adapter. IS assemblies are designed for long…

01 Gitzo 3-way Fluid Head GHF3W Gitzo’s ultimate pan & tilt head? £440/$TBA www.gitzo.com GITZO has replaced its confusing range of 3-way heads with this single redesigned offering. It borrows features found in Manfrotto’s X-Pro 3-Way Head, such as ergonomic retractable handles, and there’s a new twisting bubble level that lets you check for vertical and horizontal alignment by rotating the device to the side. The Arca-Swiss QR plate holder can also be rotated through 90 degrees. 02 Hoya Fusion One filters Top-grade protector, UV and polarizers £20/$23 www.intro2020.co.uk BUILT from Hoya’s own high-grade optical glass, Fusion One filters comprise 18 layers of Super HMC multicoating for high light transmission and resistance to flare. They’re designed to complement the top optical quality of the best Canon lenses, ensuring sharpness and…

THE CONTENDERS Canon first dipped its toe in the waters of mirrorless digital system cameras back in the summer of 2012. The launch of the EOS M (Electro-Optical System Mobility) was effectively a mirrorless version of the EOS 650D digital single lens reflex camera. Without a reflex mirror assembly or viewfinder, it was indeed very much smaller, slimmer and lighter, while still qualifying as a ‘system’ camera, thanks to having interchangeable lenses. Although it helps with downsizing, most of us struggle to shoot naturally without a viewfinder, especially under bright sunlight. Sure enough, the current EOS M50 and M5 mirrorless cameras have a built-in electronic viewfinder, and one is available as an optional extra for the M6. A bonus of electronic viewfinders is that they give a live preview of…

Letter of the Month I don’t often write to magazines but felt compelled after your great article, The Apprentice, on how to photograph birds of prey, in PhotoPlus 155. I’m a keen twitcher and try and take photos from hide’s of the birds far away with my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 150-600mm lens, but often struggle with my focusing and obtaining sharp, much like your Apprentice Ian Hamilton. I’ve since adjusted my AF points and started using AI Servo AF, with a much better hit rate. I’ve also been trying to make sure the backgrounds behind the birds are less cluttered so they stand out better. I only wish I could gain such close-up access to the wonderful birds of prey you photographed! Thanks again to you and…

01 GERMAN WASP AND MITES (FINALIST: ANIMALS) BY DARRON MATTHEWS I placed little drops of honey around my garden in the hope of attracting a wasp or bee. A drop on a white clematis proved too tempting for this German wasp, and I took this shot while it drank, rocking back and forth until it was perfectly sharp. It wasn’t until I had a closer look at the images that I realised the wasp had been joined by some tiny mites too! Lens Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Exposure 1/125 sec, f/16, ISO100 02 PAPAVER PASSION (SHORTLISTED: PLANTS & FUNGI) BY MANDY DISHER The poetic lines, detail and texture of this poppy’s delicate papery thin petals drew my eye instantly. The back of the flower was particularly interesting so…

Lakes District, Cumbria, England. 08:53am. 24th September 2005. Sometimes it pays to take a step back from the tripod and just look. When the wait for the light is over and the decisive moment is nigh, I can be so busy assessing histograms, levelling the horizon, rummaging for rings, or positioning filters, that the true serenity of the scene in front of me passes almost unnoticed. Rush, rush, rush: it’s the story of our lives. If it weren’t for the joy of photography it’s unlikely I’d be there in the first place; but taking the time to just look and marvel at Mother Nature’s wonder is always beneficial for the soul, and my craft. On the banks of Buttermere, with the early morning light painting a scene of stunning beauty,…

THE MISSION How to capture and convert IR images Time needed One hour Skill level Intermediate Kit needed • Standard zoom • Infrared filter • Tripod CONVERT OLD CANONS TO IR Many landscape pros get an old Canon DSLR body converted specifically for IR. From around £310, companies such as advancedcamera services.co.uk will remove the infrared filter inside your camera so that the sensor can now see infrared light, and replaces it with a filter that blocks visible light, so your camera sensor can only capture infrared light instead. Black and white conversions can transform your colour landscape photos, but with infrared (IR) imagery, the tonality of the scene completely changes, giving you both a unique way to capture landscapes – taking your mono photography to the next level. To…

VIDEO ALSO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_156_5 THE MISSION Apply one of our free textures to your shots to give it some punch Time needed 10 minutes Skill level Beginner Kit needed • Photoshop Elements A photograph is made up of many different components, including composition, colour, contrast and tone. The texture of a photo is just as important to the overall effect, but it’s often overlooked. So this month we’ve created 12 texture images that are free to download (see link on the left) and can be added to your images to give them some extra depth. The textures we’ve provided are some photos of rusty, beach-weathered metal that has loads of ‘grit’ which will give our example landscape an eye-catching, fine-art twist. Once you’ve experimented with our textures you can have…

STORY BEHIND THE SHOT THE KISS Under Apartheid, interracial relationships were forbidden… Post-Apartheid, the ‘born-frees’ are the first South African generation permitted to love and marry anyone regardless of their race. Ilvy met this couple, Wilmarie Deetlefs (24) and Zakithi Buthelezi (27) in Johannesburg. “They met on the Tinder dating app and they were very much in love,” she says. “He is from quite a wealthy family, his grandfather was in parliament with Nelson Mandela. Wilmarie is from a smaller town and a conservative family.” When Ilvy first met the couple Wilmarie had not told her parents about her new boyfriend. “He did and they loved her,” she continues. “I took this photo while they were on a night out in Johannesburg. They were kissing and that to me tells…

Better black and whites Create striking high-contrast monochrome shots with help from clipping warnings Social media is swamped with vibrant images vying for attention, whether that’s on a Instagram feed or a Facebook page. By dropping a black-and-white image into the mix you can make your work stand out from the crowd, even in a thumbnail. A well-processed monochrome image can also suit particular subjects. By throwing out the scene’s distracting colour information you can create contrasting greyscale tones that help the eye perceive contrasting shapes, for example the curved lines of the path and reflection of the tree in our image. Making an effective mono conversion can be a challenge. If you simply desaturate the shot then you can end up with a drab wash of greyscale tones that…

Tips for accurate focus with limited depth of field Fast aperture lenses help to create images with limited depth of field, and are ideal for when you want to separate your subject from their surroundings. Fast lenses don’t have to be expensive – the fabulous EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens is one of the cheapest lenses in Canon’s range. To get great results with wide-open apertures it’s important that the photo has some elements that are critically sharp, and others that are significantly out of focus for contrast. Instead of letting the camera select the AF point automatically, it is best to use a single AF point so that you control where the point of focus is precisely. Cameras choose the closest subject if you let them select the AF…

THERE’S nothing like the humble flashgun for providing instant illumination in a portable package. They’re not short on versatility either, but add a light modifier and even more lighting effects can be had. You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to individual modifiers, but thankfully most manufacturers offer kits containing a variety of popular accessories. There’ll usually be something in the mix to soften light, whether it be a rigid diffusion cap or dome, or a flat-pack fabric softbox. If you’re after a more focused feel, go for a kit containing a snoot or a honeycomb attachment. These will concentrate light into a tight beam to isolate a subject or produce a defined hair light. Many kits also pack coloured gels for generating a cool or warm feel, or to…

DSLR CAMERAS PRICES QUOTED ARE BODY-ONLY UNLESS STATED ENTRY-LEVEL CANON EOS 4000D CANON has stripped everything down to its bare essentials for the 4000D, and it’s a great if basic DSLR for beginners, and at only £329 (body), it’s the cheapest new EOS DSLR. Sadly, it’s let down by a cheap kit lens, that’s tough to tolerate, so we suggest buying the better IS lens. TESTED IN ISSUE 140 PRICE: £299/$N/A Sensor 18.0Mp APS-C CMOS Viewfinder Pentamirror, 0.8x, 95% ISO 100-6,400 (12,800 expanded) AF 9-point (1 cross-type) LCD 2.7-inch, 230k-dot Max burst (buffer) 3fps Memory card SD/SDHC/SDXC CANON EOS 2000D (REBEL T7) THE 2000D is a better-spec Canon camera than the 4000D, but comes with a step up at its RRP current price. It’s arguably worth the extra, but that…

APPRENTICE NAME: LOUIS TAYLOR CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MK III Louis is 55-years old, lives in South Wales and describes himself as a hobbyist photographer. He’s been a PhotoPlus subscriber for several years now and enjoys photographing his daughter playing golf, but would love to take more portrait pictures in general. Louis feels that he lacks the confidence to take on paid family portrait photoshoots and has concerns over the business side of things of photography. CANON PRO NAME: CATHERINE O’DONNELL CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MK III Catherine is an award-winning portrait photographer that’s been published in magazines globally. She’s known for her laid-back approach to family portraiture, which helps her capture natural poses and special moments that don’t look forced. Being a mum of two keeps her on her…

01 Timing is everything With landscape photography the conditions can change dramatically from one moment to the next. One minute the sky might be full of cloud; suddenly a small break allows dramatic light to pour into the scene… Then it’s gone as quickly as it came. Being in position and set up ready to shoot when these situations arise is part and parcel of landscape photography. One way to maximize your chances of good light is to shoot around sunrise and sunset. Known as the golden hour, the short period before sunrise and after sunset is when you’re most likely to see richly coloured light. But even at these times conditions can change quickly and you have to be ready. In a shot like our main image, the frames…

THE MISSION Make an abstract reflection with household objects Time needed 20 minutes Skill level Beginner Kit needed • Wrapping paper • Metal spoon • Microfibre cloth • Macro lens (optional) You don’t always have to stray far from home to take a great picture, in fact, this month we’re going to prove that there’s a whole plethora of creative opportunities in your kitchen drawer waiting to be explored! With a roll of gift wrap and a metal spoon you can achieve amazing abstract results like this. You’ll need some wrapping paper with a repeating pattern, such as the polka dot paper we used above. We recommend sticking to wrapping paper rather than tissue gift wrap, which can be torn easily and is also usually folded so has creases in…

VIDEO ALSO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_156_6 THE MISSION Retouch an old photo then add a hand-coloured treatment Time needed One hour Skill level Beginner Kit needed • Photoshop Elements Restoring old photos is one of the most satisfying of digital touch-up jobs. Not only are we able to remove dirt, scratches and all the other detritus of time, we can also add our own creative input by colourizing these old prints. This is a simple process of painting on different layers set to the Color Blend mode, a technique that – with a little practice – even the complete Photoshop novice can get through. Often the trickiest part of the process is choosing which colours to use. But with some images a little research can help. Here, for example, my initial plan…

Ilvy Njiokiktjien is a photographer and multimedia journalist based in the Netherlands, specializing in current affairs and social issues. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Stern, Der Spiegel, Time, the Telegraph Magazine and many other titles. Ilvy rose to global prominence after her photo story from South Africa about the right wing Kommandokorps organization, for which she received a World Press Photo award. In 2013, Ilvy Njiokiktjien became Photographer of the Nation in the Netherlands which involved travelling around her home country photographing birthday celebrations. www.imagesbyilvy.com www.bornfreegeneration.com Next issue: Ellie Rothnie, award-winning wildlife photographer and tour guide…

View to a thrill What’s the difference between an optical viewfinder vs an EVF vs Live View? As you’ll see from this issue’s DSLR vs mirrorless Super Test (page 98), the fundamental difference between Canon’s EOS DSLRs and EOS M and R mirrorless cameras is the mirror – or the obvious lack of it, in the latter’s case… An EOS DSLR has a large mirror in front of the imaging sensor; light rays coming through the lens are reflected by this mirror, up to a pentaprism (a sold block of glass) or a pentamirror (a set of small mirrors), which in turn reflects them into the viewfinder. This is known as an optical viewfinder (OVF). A mirrorless camera doesn’t have a mirror assembly, and this enables it to be designed…

This new 70mm Art lens is the first of Sigma’s ‘Global vision’ line-up to deliver full 1.0x macro magnification. It has a tough act to follow, as we’ve always rated the company’s 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens very highly. Launched in 2011 and narrowly predating Global Vision lenses, Sigma’s 105mm macro lens has a focal length that’s widely regarded as ideal for macro photography. It also features fully internal ring-type ultrasonic focusing, adds an optical stabilizer and delivers excellent image quality, all for the bargain price of around £329/$569. In some ways, the new 70mm Art lens looks more like a throwback to the somewhat antiquated 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro, but looks can be deceiving. The build quality and finish of the new lens is top-class.…

FREE VIDEOS! In the next Canon Skills chapter… High-speed water splash portraits Long-lens landscapes Exploding burger imagery Photoshop Elements, Adobe CC and Affinity Photo tutorials PLUS ALL THIS… Super Test: Different lighting solutions from portable to mains-powered studio lights to constant LED lighting kits The Interview: We speak to Ellie Rothnie, the award-winning wildlife photographer ISSUE 157 ON SALE 17 SEPTEMBER Content subject to change…