Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

MASTER YOUR CAMERA’S MODES This month we help you master the mode dial and learn when to use key exposure settings to capture your best–ever shots. See page 28 Editor Looking back, I can still remember when I took the big step to break out of the auto modes and start using Av (Aperture value) mode. Suddenly being able to control depth of field (DoF) with my aperture setting was a revelation; and then building up to use focal length to further adjust the DoF. I was a beginner and using my first proper Canon DSLR – an EOS 20D, such a great camera at the time – and I instantly saw an improvement in my photography. This issue we’re looking at the mode dial and all the major exposure…

MANUAL MODE AS an experienced Canon user, Tadej was already using Manual mode for the majority of his shoots. “I find that I have much more creative control this way, and don’t tend to use any other mode. I consider changes to settings depending on the subject, the lens and the background," he says. Samo began the day by talking with Tadej and Peter together, so that both knew what images to aim for. “Tadej already had an idea of how to set up his camera, so I just checked the initial settings," Samo says. “I suggested he start off with a wide aperture of around f/4, an ISO of about 400 and then a fast shutter speed of 1/2500sec or faster. There was plenty of bright sunshine to work…

TADEJ’S COMMENT "The lower part of the whitewater course is much slower, and I was able to get a straight shot of the rider paddling through the gates to build more speed. The gates form a nice frame, and the position of the paddle in relation to the gates and concentration of the rider are the important part of the shot. This shot with a 500mm prime lens at f/4 and a fast shutter speed of 1/3200 sec." PRO TIP BURST SHOOTING ALL Canon DSLRs have a high-speed continuous shooting mode. “On his 1D X, Tadej could fire off a burst at 12fps at the peak of the kayaking action,” Samo says. Team your camera with a high-speed memory card so you’re able to record all those large files quickly…

Within the Basic Zone (and what used to be referred to as the Image Zone) are the ‘picture’ modes. These fully automatic modes are helpful for beginners, as your EOS DSLR will take full control over the exposure, focus points and other settings to help you obtain a good shot. But you’ll be working within restricted parameters, with little control over your results – your camera will focus on what it wants (usually what’s closest in the scene), will expose averagely for the scene or subject, may not set the best aperture or shutter speed for your shot, it won’t know if you’re using a tripod and so may set an unnecessarily high ISO creating image noise, and, on some cameras, you will be restricted to shooting JPEGs rather than…

01 SCENES WITH DEPTH With the camera near the ground we can frame up subjects against more interesting backdrops. For example, if there are animals in the foreground and background, we can frame both together for a composition that wouldn’t be possible from a higher angle. 02 BREAK THE HORIZON Shooting from a low angle means we can drop the horizon down lower in the frame. So instead of framing the animal’s body against land, we can place it against the sky to create greater contrast, emphasize the elegant shape of the body and include distant scenery, like Kilimanjaro here. 03 BLUR THE FOREGROUND When we use a wide aperture and focus on a distant subject, parts of the scene that are very close to the camera will become blurred.…

01 MACRO SET UP Even though this macro lens has Hybrid IS, we used a tripod for perfectly sharp shots, and also to make it easier to compose and make fine adjustments more accurately – which you need to do with close-ups. We set up on a table next to a large window. 02 APERTURE SETTINGS Shooting in Av mode is best with this lens as you set the aperture, while your camera can adjust the shutter speed to suit the Macro Lite’s variable brightness. Depth of field is reduced up close, so we shot at f/4 for a little blur to the back of the seashell. 03 COMPOSE AND EXPOSE Live View is great for composing, setting your exposure, and for focusing as well. On the 77D we used,…

We’ve all seen the gorgeous postcard shots of perfectly still lakes, where the subject is reflected on the water in a golden light. From a practical sense, shooting these scenes is actually quite simple. The hard part is planning and preparation beforehand to make sure you arrive at just the right time (and in the right conditions). Here, we were unlucky when we arrived at Slovenia’s beautiful Lake Bled. Despite checking the weather forecast in advance, the conditions had quickly turned from pastel clear skies to a rainy downpour. Fortunately we were still able to bag some serene shots by adapting our approach and technique. We’d scouted out our location the night before, and this meant when we arrived we could set up straight away. We opted to shelter ourselves…

A blurred background can be a beautiful thing; it helps to focus attention on your subject and gives images a polished, photographic look that sets them apart from snaps and smartphone pics. However, it’s not always easy to achieve the effect in-camera. Luckily, when the background is too sharp and cluttered for your liking, you can mimic the blur. But first it’s worth spending a moment to consider how sharpness and softness works in an optical sense, as this makes it easier to fake the fall-off in Photoshop. When we focus on a point in a scene, there’s an area of sharpness that stretches out in front of and behind that point – about one-third in front, two-thirds behind – with a gradual fall-off to softness either side of our…

01 GREAT GREY OWL Markus shot this dramatic backlit image, of a great grey owl rising from snow against a black background, in Finland in 2015 Lens Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Exposure 1/2500 sec, f/11, ISO2500 PHOTOGRAPHING birds, as anyone who has tried will know, is difficult to do well. Most wild birds are small, fast-moving and keep their distance from humans. Long lenses and fast shutter speeds are often essential, and photographing them in flight is an art in itself. Patience, determination and knowledge of habitats and behaviour are all vital. Yet for people with a passion for photographing birds, those challenges make it all the more exciting. The sheer variety of species and behaviour adds further interest to an absorbing and rewarding pursuit. One of…

Photo essays from PhotoPlus readers and professional photographers alike 01 BEAUTY BEYOND TAJ The beauty of Taj seen through the eyes of this traveller from Mexico Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Exposure 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO200 The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and every year many international – as well as more local – travellers visit to see its eternal beauty. In July 2015, I visited the Taj Mahal, the famous monument to love in Agra, India, with one of my friends. I first took a walk around the complex, which is quite big, and then decided how to frame the monument for my own aesthetic viewpoint. In order to make my Taj Mahal series special, I wanted to capture a…

See Alyn talk at this year’s Digital Splash show 7 October 2017 www.digitalsplash.tv/speakers/alyn-wallace 1 Benro C2970T and IH1 Head WEB: www.benro.com HAVING a stable base is essential for astrophotography, with exposure times being anywhere between 20 seconds and several minutes. Even after spending many a rugged night up on the mountains and the grit-fest that is the British coast, my Benro is still as reliable as it was on day one and the carbon fibre strikes a chord between weight and stability. The single-knob ball head makes life much easier in the dark, too. 2 Canon EOS 6D WEB: www.canon.co.uk I OWE a lot to the low-light performance of this camera. I’ve even pushed the ISO as far as 12,800 and still obtained printable shots. I’m sure if it had…

ON SHORT-HAUL flights the cabin baggage dimensions and weight restrictions may prevent you from carrying everything you need in your camera backpack. There are some items you can stuff in your suitcase though. Battery chargers and plug adaptors for instance. If you’re planning on taking a tripod then a compact, lightweight model won’t take up much room in your baggage – especially if twinned with a ball head. Remove the ball head, loosen the knob so that it’s free to rotate and cocoon it with socks and your smalls. Other items to pack in the hold include a camera cleaning and repair kit, and any accessories you think you might need, such as a flash diffuser or remote release.…

A number of EOS DSLRs have built-in GPS, activated via the yellow Setup menu. The drawback with GPS is that it’s a filthy battery hog, so you need to mindful of when your next charging opportunity will be available. To ease the pressure, Canon includes two modes – in addition to the normal one that logs satellite data even when the camera is off, there’s a mode that only receives GPS signals intermittently while the camera is in auto power off mode and not at all when the camera is physically switched off. There’s also a geotagging feature in Canon’s Camera Connect smartphone app. This uses your phone to continuously record location information, which is added to images once the phone and camera are connected via Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, this feature only…

Get critiqued! Email photos to EOSSOS@futurenet.com with the subject ‘Rate My Photo’ BERNIE SAYS… This shot was taken with an old, steam-driven, EOS 350D. It was taken from the south bank towpath at Kingston-upon-Thames on a very sunny day, when just about everybody was on the water messing about in boats and the Thames was about as busy as Oxford Street during the January sales. Due to the limited dynamic range of the camera on such a sunny day, the out-ofcamera picture left two black holes of deep shadow in the trees at the top-left side. Using Elements 12, I could tease out a little bit of detail to lift these dark areas. BRIAN SAYS… A lovely shot of the action on the river. I can see you have tried…

A couple of super-tele zooms, including the Canon 100-400mm and Sigma 50-500mm, give a little barrel distortion at their shortest focal lengths, but most exhibit a small amount of pincushion. Similarly small levels of pincushion are produced by pretty much all super-tele zooms at their mid to long zoom settings. In all cases, the distortions produced are quite regular and easily corrected, if necessary, in image editing programs or Raw conversion software. All in all, distortions shouldn’t be an issue in most shooting scenarios, throughout the available zoom ranges of these lenses.…

The Canon 200-400mm comes complete with a built-in 1.4x Extender. Both Canon lenses are also compatible with separate Canon teleconverters. Sigma and Tamron have also launched new 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. The Sigma TC1401 and TC2001 teleconverters are compatible with all of the Sigma lenses on test, apart from the 50-500mm, while Tamron only claims compatibility of its new TC-X14 and TC-X20 teleconverters with the latest ‘G2’ edition of its 150-600mm lens. In all cases, autofocus only remains available if the resulting widest aperture is f/5.6 or f/8, depending on the EOS model. 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters narrow the aperture of the lens by one or two f-stops respectively.…

Sigma’s 150-600mm Sport has much greater telephoto reach than Canon’s 100-400mm, while delivering similarly professionalgrade build quality and performance at a very reasonable price. It maintains very good sharpness throughout its entire zoom range. By comparison, Tamron’s very appealing 150-600mm G2 is a little soft at short to medium zoom settings, but comes into its own at the long end of the range. On a budget, the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary is the best buy but, if you don’t mind limited telephoto reach, the new Sigma 100-400mm Contemporary is smaller and lighter. The Canon 200-400mm 1.4x Extender is a brilliant lens but far too expensive for most of us to consider. Thanks to Hire a Camera (www.hireacamera.com) for the loan of the Canon 200-400mm lens used in this review.…

To search for past tests and articles, download our PhotoPlus index which dates all the way back to issue no.1. Get it at downloads. photoplusmag.com/photoplusindex.xls Disabled photography I have a Canon 700D and 80D. My frustration is that I’m left-handed and also disabled: my right hand is pretty useless after a circular saw accident two years, and I only have three ?ngers that I can use to hold a camera. I’m happy with my photography, but could do with a few tips on capturing wildlife, as next year I’m off to Mull. I also ?nd it dif?cult to swap lens quickly, so I tend to use one camera with a 18-135mm lens and a 70-200mm on the other. I have two telephoto primes lenses as well; I use the 400mm…

TADEJ’S COMMENT "Trying to capture as many details and action as possible at the start of the course, I used Samo’s 500mm prime lens and waited until Peter came out of the waves. Samo said it was important to get the shot when the hands and the paddle were above the head and not covering the face. I shot wide-open to get a shallow depth of field. Not many adjustments were needed, and I only corrected the white balance and exposure slightly." TOP GEAR #1 Canon telephoto prime lenses SAMO favours a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM and Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM when he wants to get closer to his subjects. On this kayaking course, he set his 300mm to its widest aperture of f/2.8 in…

NEXT MONTH SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES BE OUR NEXT APPRENTICE Do you need some help to take your Canon photography to the next level? Let us know what you’d like help with, and we could pair you up with a top pro for the day! Email photoplus@futurenet.com with ‘PhotoPlus Apprentice’ as the subject, and include your phone number and address. TADEJ’S COMMENT "In the middle of the rapids, it is very important for the athlete to keep concentration and have an overview of the course. The main goal was to capture the rider when he was looking straight at the camera and with the arms and paddle framing the head. As with most of the close shots, this one was made with the 500mm prime lens. It proved challenging to get the…

Within the Basic Zone are fully automatic and slightly more advanced auto modes. On older EOS cameras, like the 550D and 60D, you have Full Auto (green square), while on newer cameras, like the 700D and 800D and 5D Mk IV, you get the improved Scene Intelligent Auto (A+) mode instead. In both Full Auto/A+ modes, all you need to do is point and shoot, your camera sets everything automatically. Flash off FLASH OFF ensures the built-in flash doesn’t pop up on beginner/enthusiast Canon DSLRs. This can be helpful if you’re shooting indoors in places that have a ban on flash photography (such as art galleries, sporting events, churches or country homes) or if you’re shooting a portrait and don’t want flash interfering. It sets a high ISO setting and…

GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE NOW! • Get a Lastolite Direct-to- Flashgun Strobo Kit • Get 13 issues a year delivered directly to your door • Free video disc every issue ABOUT YOUR GIFT 1 FLASHGUN BRACKET Attaches to your hotshoe flash securely with a Velcro strap 2 GEL HOLDERS + 2 HONEYCOMB GRIDS There are two differentsized honeycombs, and a pair of gel holders, each with their own carry pouch 12 COLOUR GELS Colour correction and effects filters – including Full CTO, 1/2 CTO, 1/4 CTO, Full CTB, 1/2 CTB, 1/4 CTB, red, green, yellow, blue, ND and heavy frost HOW TO USE YOUR LASTOLITE STROBO KIT 1. THE HONEYCOMB EFFECT Control the spread of light from your flash using one of the grids, to create a more theatrical spotlit…

VIDEO ALSO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_130_1 A safari trip is a wildlife photographer’s dream come true, but one of the things you hear time and again is that the animals are always looked down on from above. This is because it’s usually forbidden to exit the vehicle – a sound rule when there are lions, elephants and hippos around! But as such, the angle of view is limited. However, thanks to new camera tech there’s a way to find a fresh angle on safari photography – or, for that matter, any shoot in which you need to get your camera into a position where you can’t possibly follow. Thanks to Wi-Fi, we can link our Canon DSLR to our smartphone, then use the Canon Camera Connect app to control the camera. This…

EOS DSLRS WITH WI-FI We used the 5D Mk IV on our safari, which has built-in Wi-Fi. Other compatible EOS cameras include the 6D, 6D Mk II, 7D Mk II, 70D, 80D, 750D, 760D, 800D and 77D. The Wi-Fi feature means you can either connect to an existing Wi-Fi network (such as your home broadband router) or alternatively the camera can create its own Wi-Fi signal for when you’re out and about without an existing Wi-Fi connection nearby. The second option is usually the simplest to control your Canon with your phone. 01 ENABLE THE WI-FI On a Wi-Fi-enabled Canon DSLR, find ‘Communication Settings’ in the Custom Settings menu. Choose ‘Built-in Wireless Settings’ then select Wi-Fi/NFC and choose Enable. You’ll be asked to set up a nickname for your device…

IF A photo is taken at eye level (right) it creates a subconscious connection between the viewer and the subject. The viewer is literally on the same level as the subject, so there’s a sense of empathy (especially if the height is different to an adult). Shooting down on a subject from above eye level emphasizes the head more than the body. It also makes them appear vulnerable, as it’s the viewer who holds the high ground. Conversely, a low angle (below) emphasizes the body more than the head, making the subject seem taller. As such, it gives the subject a sense of power as they hold the position of strength.…

Sometimes, it can be liberating to embrace your inner tourist and head to the same popular sights as everybody else. In this project, we’ll show you how to discover more about locations you might be visiting by joining an organized walking tour. You don’t even have to be on holiday to think like a sightseer. We found a tour in our local city of Bath, which is particularly popular in the summer. Not only did we learn a few new facts about familiar spots, but we started to see the architecture we were photographing in new ways too. Discovering any city on foot is a great way to explore and capture the historic scenes on offer. You could join an organized regular group tour or book a private tour guide…

01 EDIT YOUR SHOTS It’s easier to edit all of your shots first separately before you add them into a Photoshop document. At this point, you should tweak the levels, make any lens corrections and crop your images to the right shape. Save all the images in one folder so they’re easy to find again later. 02 MAKE A CANVAS Postcards come in a range of sizes. If you plan to print yours out using an online company, it pays to check the dimensions required. In Photoshop, go to File>New… and select Custom from the presets. Add in the measurements and resolution (300dpi is a good bet) then click OK. 03 LAY IT ALL OUT Drag-and-drop images straight from Bridge onto your canvas, + and moving each shot as you…

01 TAKE SHELTER Find somewhere you can set up out of the direct rainfall. Most DSLRs are waterproof to an extent, but it’s hard to feel creative when you’re soaking wet. Mount your camera on a tripod, and adjust the height so it’s straight-on to your subject and the horizon line. 02 COMPOSE THE FRAME Instead of a wide-angle, use a flexible zoom lens such as a 24-105mm. You could also try a prime lens such as a 50mm. We experimented with both, isolating the subject and creating a more compact frame. Turn on Live View mode to compose the shot more easily. 03 CAMERA SETTINGS Set the DSLR to its lowest ISO and an aperture of around f/11. Work in Manual exposure mode, expose for the brightest part of…

01 SELECT THE SUBJECT Grab the Quick Selection tool and paint over the area you want to remain sharp (Alt-paint to subtract if it goes wrong). Click the ‘Refine Edge’ button. Paint along tricky edges like the hair to improve the selection. Once done, choose Output to: Layer Mask and hit OK. 02 PREPARE A GRADIENT Duplicate the layer with Cmd/Ctrl+J then Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail on the lower layer to disable it. Highlight the upper layer thumbnail and hit Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert. Next, grab the Gradient tool and choose the ‘Foreground to Transparent’ preset in the tool options. 03 FOLLOW THE FALL-OFF Hit D and X to set colour to black. Choose the ‘Linear Gradient’ style, then drag up from the bottom to add a gradient that runs…

While it’s always preferable to get the exposure spot on in-camera, there are times when you’ll have to make the best of a bad exposure. For example, here we wanted to photograph our model in front of the window. While we were already using a high ISO and wide aperture, we couldn’t compensate any more for the dark room without using a tripod or adding artificial light. It’s possible to bring back this exposure in Lightroom, but it has to be done with care as otherwise the final image will start to look overly noisy. As we were starting with a Raw file here, we already had significantly more data to work with than a JPEG file. In turn, this meant we could recover more of the details of our…

“The shot of the robin, shown on the last spread in my book Birds in Pictures, was quite a nice encounter. It was taken in the outskirts of the Finnish Archipelago Sea on a small island, where many migrating birds land to eat and rest on their way north in the spring and south in the autumn. It was mid-April and the robin had just arrived and was busy searching for good, protein-rich insect food. I helped the robin by finding a load of woodlice for it to eat, and gradually it realized I was not a threat and we became casual acquaintances. I climbed the tree up to about three metres, and got within half a metre’s distance, using a wide 24mm lens to photograph the little robin belting…

01 HARE ON GRASS A classic shallow depth of field shot with a darker woodland backdrop Lens Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + Canon Extender EF 1.4x III Exposure 1/250 sec, f/9, ISO1250 02 PEEKABOO A low vantage point captures an endearing ‘hide and seek’ shot Lens Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + Canon Extender EF 1.4x III Exposure 1/500 sec, f/9, ISO1250 03 BACKLIT HARE An ethereal image due to the framing of the hare by the setting sun Lens Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + Canon Extender EF 1.4x III Exposure 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO125 I suppose most people think of hares as a spring subject – ‘mad as a March hare’ and all that – but, of course, they are with…

Documenting an entire trip can involve having to take pictures when the light isn’t at its best. If you’re on a family trip, you can always sneak out before everyone is out of bed to photograph local sights in softer early morning light – when scenes are likely to be free of pesky coachloads of tourists too – and be back for breakfast. But if you’re forced to shoot in bright sunlight there are a number of ways you can set your camera up to tackle the problem. For portraits, you may be able to use flash to reduce the contrast between the deep black shadows and bleached highlights that clear sunshine can throw your way. By setting the camera to expose the highlights correctly (see last issue for how…

If you’re shooting on a beach or other sunny location then it can be hard to see the details on the camera’s rear screen. While that’s not a problem when you’re using the viewfinder, it can be a pain to review pictures or adjust menu settings. Some DSLRs automatically adjust the screen brightness according to the conditions, and you can override this to make it slightly brighter or darker. I prefer to use the manual setting as you can set the screen to its maximum output. Even this may not be enough to be able to judge exposure under a searing sun, so I always have Highlight Alert activated – you’ll find this in the blue Playback menu – as any areas that are overexposed will flash on the screen,…

FEATURES 01 The grip is more deeply recessed than on the 100D, although there’s still room for improvement. 02 Fed up with black DSLRs? Go for the white or silver/tan bodies. There’s even a matching silver/ white kit lens. 03 Canon continues to recognize the importance of direct controls on its entrylevel cameras, and the EOS 200D retains a dedicated ISO button. 04 A reworked power control gives instant access to the Full HD 60fps video mode. 05 With its selfie mode and vari-angle screen, the EOS 200D is great if only a shot of you will do. 06 The touch-sensitive screen means it takes only a tap to focus your shot. The EOS 100D was blessed with such petite proportions that you could almost have called it cute. But…

To test real-world performance, we use lenses in all sorts of lighting conditions. We check for good build quality and handling, smooth and precise operation of all controls, and test the speed and accuracy of autofocus. All of the lenses in this group test are full-frame compatible, and were tested on both 5D Mk IV and 7D Mk II bodies. In-camera corrections for aberrations like chromatic aberrations and peripheral illumination (available for most Canon lenses) are disabled throughout all testing, to better reveal the true performance of each lens. We also run a full range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master and DxO Analyser suites. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zoom settings (where available), then analysed for sharpness, distortion…

The appearance of colour fringes around highcontrast edges, like dark leaves against a bright sky, are typically worst towards the corners of the image frame. For this reason, our lab results shown are for corner fringing on a full-frame camera body, which doesn’t crop the image. Along with its mighty 10x zoom range, the Sigma 50-500mm gives the most pronounced fringing, while all of the other lenses give fairly little fringing at any zoom setting.…

CANON PRO NAME: SAMO VIDIC CAMERA: CANON EOS-1D X BORN and raised in Bled, Slovenia, sports pro Samo Vidic started as an amateur photographer at the age of 17. At 23 he started working professionally; since 2005 he has been shooting for Red Bull, travelling around the world and capturing the world’s best athletes. Samo also organises workshops in the stunning surroundings of Lake Bohinj, Slovenia. www.samovidic.com FACTFILE Who, what, where THE LOCATION WE were shooting at the Tacen Whitewater Course in Tacen, a suburb of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It’s on the Sava river, and known locally as Kayak Canoe Club Tacen. At 275 metres long, the course is a regular venue for canoe and kayak slalom competitions. THE ATHLETE SLOVENIAN whitewater kayaker Peter Kauzer is an Olympic silver medalist and…

EXPERT INSIGHT INVOLVE THE ATHLETE “I ENCOURAGED Tadej to show Peter some of his favourite images as the shoot progressed,” says Samo. “Keeping the athlete involved is a great way to boost their confidence and keep the morale high, even in difficult conditions. Share your shots, and keep reassuring them to pep them up.” When you communicate with your subjects (athletes or otherwise) they might be able to point out things that you were unaware of. Here, Peter let Tadej know which shooting angles worked well for him, and which captured the sport most faithfully. TOP GEAR #2 Monopod A MONOPOD (or unipod, onelegged tripod – whatever you want to call it) is a prime tool for shooting sports. Samo’s Gitzo monopod helps him to manage the weight of telephoto…

TADEJ’S COMMENT "This wide-angle shot was a tricky one, as I had to capture the rider while he was passing through the upstream gates and keep myself on the ledge above the course (while shooting with extended arms). I opted to go with the 16-35mm lens at the widest angle; with that focal length, I was also able to capture the downstream gates and create a much better composition." TOP GEAR #3 Canon EOS-1D X Mark II SAMO has recently upgraded his DSLR, having previously relied on two EOS-1D X bodies. This powerhouse of a camera can shoot up to 14 frames per second with full AF/AE tracking or up to 16fps in Live View, so it really does record every single slice of action. A 20.2MP full-frame sensor means…

01 SHEEP AMONG THE FOG BY UKMAAC The warm morning glow that the photographer has captured lends a nostalgic and almost evanescent feeling to this image. It’s tough getting out early with your camera, but this shot proves just how rewarding that early alarm can be when the light is right. Lens Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Exposure 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO100 02 BLUE CHRYSANTH BY BRIAN HASLAM Brian’s colourful shot of a chrysanthemum was a clear winner in this contest. He’s really embraced the brief of photographing just one colour, and has done well to match the background of the still-life setup to the flower itself. This winner is also a stunning example of a macro shot. The narrow aperture of f/32 captures the subject in exquisite detail,…

“Should I stay or should I go?” ponders David Noton. “If I go there will be trouble, and if I stay it will be double. So you’ve got to let me know: should I stay or should I go?” DAVID NOTON Pro travel & landscape photographer DAVID IS AN AWARD-WINNING Canon photographer with more than 30 years’ professional experience. During his career David has travelled to just about every corner of the globe. In 2012, Canon invited him into its Ambassador Program by designating him an Official Canon Explorer. Info and photos at www.davidnoton.com To go or not to go, this was the question: I didn’t really have time, less than a week in fact, not really long enough, when all was considered. It would take a couple of days to…

01 POSITION THE VEHICLE Going on safari is one of the best photographic experiences you can have, but shooting from a truck restricts your view. Your guide can manoeuvre the vehicle into the ideal spot to take your photo, but to get a fresh perspective, we also need to go low. 02 ATTACH A MONOPOD Attach your DSLR to a monopod. If using a lens like the Canon 70-200mm you’ll be able to rotate its mounting bracket to face upwards. Otherwise, you’ll need to attach the monopod to the base of the camera and turn it upside-down. Guess at the focal length you’ll need. 03 CONNECT THE PHONE Enable Wi-Fi on your DSLR and fire up the Canon Connect app (detailed instructions over the page). Extend the monopod and lower…

A HIGH shutter speed is essential for shooting with a long lens to prevent blur. The usual rule is to keep shutter speed at least equal to focal length – 1/200 sec for 200mm. However, it’s best to double this if the camera is dangling from a monopod. A FAST drive rate will enable you to fire off several frames in quick succession, which is very useful when animals are on the move. It’s a good idea to set AI Servo focus mode – this way the phone app will lock on and track the movement of the subject.…

01 FIND A TOUR Look up your location online before you visit, or head to the tourist information centre. Make sure you know in advance where and when to meet, and arrive in plenty of time before the walk starts. Better still, grab a handy map or leaflet so you can see the route. 02 PREP YOUR KIT There aren’t any right or wrong settings to use here – it all depends on the weather you get on the day! We started off by setting an aperture of f/5.6 and an ISO of 200 as it was sunny for most of the tour. Using Aperture Priority mode made exposure a doddle. 03 BEYOND BUILDINGS Once you’ve had your fill of famous landmarks, think about different subjects that also capture the…

A QUICK scour online will bring up plenty of companies ready to print out your postcards. The challenge, of course, is picking the right one. Think about how many you might want to print, what type of finish you’d like, and whether you want to make lots of different designs or stick with just one – Moo (www.moo.com) is a great option, with 25 postcards from under £16. You can use different designs at no extra cost, and choose from Matte and Gloss finishes on one or both sides. It’s easy to drop your images into pre-existing designs, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, upload your own from a PDF or JPEG – paying heed to their design guidelines!…

Photographers have always experimented with ways to create intriguing effects, ever since the early days of film. Traditionally, to create a doubleexposure, the same frame of film was exposed twice to produce a superimposed image. Nowadays the effect can be reproduced in-camera using a DSLR that has a dedicated multiple exposure mode, but if your Canon doesn’t have such a mode, or you want a bit more creative control over the final result, you can also mimic the effect in Photoshop. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to combine a basic profile shot with a monochrome fill image for a really on-trend blended portrait. The first thing you’ll need is your portrait, but it’s no use starting with any old shot. Your willing subject needs to be against a…

Born in Helsinki in 1960, Markus qualified with an MSc in Economics and Business in 1987. He became a full-time professional bird photographer in 2005. Since then, he has published books including Birds: Magic Moments (2011) and The Handbook of Bird Photography (2013). His many awards include 2011 GDT European Wildlife Photographer Award (‘Birds’ category) and a World Press Photo award (‘Nature’ category) in 2014. He is a founding member of bird photo resource www.birdphoto.fi and has been one of the Wild Wonders team of photographers, an international conservation communication initiative, since 2008. He became a member of the Canon Ambassador programme as an Explorer in 2012. Birds in Pictures by Markus varesvuo is published in hardback by Reed New Holland, price £30. More of his work atwww.facebook.com/ Markus.varesvuo / photos…

Professional photographers reveal their top six tools of the trade they couldn’t shoot without "I love exploring the mountains and coast of Wales and trying to predict what night sky wonders I can line up" I live in Wales, which is the country with the highest percentage area of its land protected against light pollution. It’s something I will never take for granted, as it means I’m never too far away from a window to the cosmos. My addiction to the night sky stems back as far as I can remember. Seeing my first shooting star at the age of seven is one of my most vivid memories, and the highlight of passing my driving test was the freedom to dash up to the dark skies of the Brecon Beacons…

Flying to your destination? Always keep your fragile electronic kit and glass with you as your carry-on baggage. A smallish backpack is ideal as it will spread the weight of your kit evenly and keep both hands free, but you’ll need to make sure it fits the size regulations of all the aircraft you’ll be using. If your destination is a city, then a backpack that only gives access to the main compartment through the back or side is likely to prove more secure than one that opens at the front. Camera IDEALLY YOU’D have a main camera and a backup, but unless you’re on a once-in-alifetime trip – or you’re loaded – one should do it. Don’t buy a new camera just before you go as, although EOS bodies…

UNLESS YOU have access to a hotel room where you can charge batteries at your leisure, one of the big stresses on holiday can be ensuring that you have enough power to see you through – especially if you’re tempted to routinely browse your shots on the rear screen, rely on a built-in flash and activate GPS. I take at least two spare batteries per camera and rotate each cover so that the battery symbol is blue or ‘cold’ as it runs out of power. I do a similar thing with my memory card case, rotating full cards 90 degrees so that I can instantly grab an empty one without even thinking about it. Because you’ve got to have a system, right?…

Ask Brian! Confused with your Canon DSLR? Email EOSSOS@futurenet.com Macro lenses are one of the most popular prime lenses on sale. Mostly this is because they make pictures that are substantially different to what you’d normally see. Seeing subjects larger than life sure makes interesting pictures, but what else can you do with a macro lens? Portraits are a common alternative. Most macro lenses are telephoto, they compress depth and this helps to make more flattering portraits. Lenses with a focus range limiting switch will focus quickly over a 80cm to infinity range. Most macro lenses have a relatively fast maximum aperture, enabling you to take pictures with a limited depth of field – a look quite different to kit lenses. Faster apertures mean lenses will focus in lower light…

The original Canon EOS 6D, introduced back in 2012, has proved a popular camera. It offers the quality of a fullframe sensor and an affordable entry point into the world of professional photography. But it’s five years old and showing its age: the EOS 6D Mark II is its replacement, and it’s better than its predecessor in practically every way, from its sensor to its ISO range, and from its autofocus system to its continuous shooting mode. The brand-new 26.2-megapixel sensor has six more megapixels than the original EOS 6D – a near- 30% increase. More importantly, perhaps, this new sensor uses Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor to deliver fast phase-detection autofocus even in Live View mode. This means movie autofocus is faster and smoother, and Live View focusing…

THE CONTENDERS Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM £1850/$2050 Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM C £790/$1090 Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x £11,000/$11,000 Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S £1330/$2000 Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM £1100/$1660 Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD £830/$870 Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM C £780/$800 Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 £1340/$1400 Sometimes a standard telephoto lens can simply come up short. A typical 70-300mm zoom can lack sufficient telescopic reach when you’re shooting anything from birds in the garden to animals in the wild, or from sporting events to air shows. For greater reach, you’ll need a longer lens with more pulling power. Over the next few pages, we’ll compare all of the…

Super-telephoto zoom lenses with larger maximum focal lengths will naturally deliver greater telescopic reach. This sequence of shots, taken on a full-frame camera body, shows the relative reach of popular minimum and maximum zoom settings. As you’ll notice, there’s a big difference when stepping up from 200mm to 400mm, and the changes are still obvious when extending the focal length further to 500mm and 600mm.…