Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

01 BLUE EYED BEAUTY BY GILLIAN PLUMMER “The centre of this Osteospermum ‘Serenity Blue Eyed Beauty’ plant contains concentric circles of deep blue, stencil-like stars, which provide a textured contrast to the smooth purple-tipped petals.” Gillian’s gorgeous floral portrait was highly commended in the Macro Art category of this year’s International Garden Photographer of the Year. By using a tripod and cable release, she has rendered the centre of the flower pin-sharp, even at the extended shutter speed. Lens Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Exposure 0.4 sec, f/8, ISO100 02 ASTRANTIA BY MANDY DISHER “Before photographing the Astrantia, I pressed them for a crisp two-dimensional feel in order to reveal their remarkably intricate patterns.” Mandy then lay these charming perennials on top of a lightbox in order to backlight…

01 GET EQUIPPED Start by clipping the Strobo Honeycomb Grids directly onto the flashgun bracket. Then fasten this to your Speedlite with the Velcro straps. You can set up two (to light the model and background separately) but to keep things simple we started with one. 02 POSITION THE LIGHT Attach the flashgun to your hotshoe or on a stand in front of your model, out of shot. Angle it directly towards the model’s face. If you want to use a second flash to light the background, mount this on a stand positioned to the side of the model. 03 THE ENVIRONMENT We were using a studio for our shoot, but you can set up anywhere. Just find an area with enough space and a desirable background. Plain walls work…

01 GET PREPARED Use a wide-angle lens with a focal length of around 18mm or 24mm. Compose with your camera low to ground level. If your tripod doesn’t allow for this, try propping the camera up on a rock or clump of grass. 02 ADJUST YOUR EXPOSURE Aperture Priority is best for this as we can set an aperture around f/8. As for ISO, we need it to be high enough to allow for a shutter speed that will freeze the action – at least 1/100 sec. Here we’re at ISO1600. 03 ATTACH YOUR TRIGGERS The best way to trigger the camera remotely is with a wireless release. You can pick up a set like the Hähnel triggers here fairly cheaply. Set the camera to continuous high drive mode for…

THE MISSION To reduce unwanted image noise with Photoshop’s Reduce Noise filter Time needed 10 minutes Skill level Easy Kit needed Photoshop CC When shooting with a traditional film camera, you could use film with different ISO speeds to capture more detail in low-light conditions. The faster (higher) the film’s ISO speed, the more sensitive it was to available light. A fast film enabled you to avoid using slow shutter speeds in low light, so you could capture detail without the need for a tripod. You could also shoot handheld in locations where flash was prohibited, such as in a museum or church. Today’s digital cameras can reach blistering ISOs compared to the film cameras of yore, but bumping up the sensitivity of the sensor isn’t without any noise at…

01 EXAMINE THE COLOUR MIX Load the processed image into the Develop module. As you move the cursor around the image you’ll see that the RGB values below the histogram change. The sampled dark-blue sky here is a mix of 28.2% Red, 34.7% Green and 50.4% Blue, for example. 02 SEE A PROOF PREVIEW To get an idea of how the photo will look when printed, click the Soft Proofing button. The white backdrop is the paper border around the print. The area below the histogram shows specific numerical values for each RGB colour channel, rather than a percentage. 03 ACTIVATE THE GAMUT WARNING To discover which colours won’t print correctly, click the Destination Gamut Warning icon at the top right of the histogram window. Any unprintable colours will turn…

01 RUFOUS-NAPED LARK I was lucky enough to witness this display on the top of an anthill Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x Extender III Exposure 1/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO400 02 SPIKE-HEELED LARK The bird had just taken off from its perch on a thorny shrub Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x Extender III Exposure 1/800 sec, f/5,6, ISO125 03 LITTLE BEE-EATER WITH BUTTER FLY An early-morning encounter in the Kruger National Park Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x Extender III Exposure 1/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO100 04 YELLOW-BILLED DUCK A duck reveals the lovely texture of its underwing feathers Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x Extender III Exposure 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO1600 PROJECT INFO…

Wide-angle zoom lenses are somewhat notorious for barrel distortion. Indeed, all of the lenses on test produce noticeable barrel distortion at the short end of their zoom ranges, where the viewing angles are the widest. The Sigma 12-24mm lens produced surprisingly little distortion in our real-world tests, considering its ultra-wide maximum viewing angle. Toward the longer end of the zoom range, distortion is usually negligible or very slight, and very much less than from standard zoom lenses at matching focal lengths.…

Lateral chromatic aberrations are an image aberration in which coloured outlines form around high-contrast edges in a scene. In a landscape image, for example, colour fringing can be visible around the branches and leaves of trees against a relatively bright sky. The same goes for the roofs and walls of buildings in architectural shots. Colour fringing tends to be worst at the corners of the image frame and, for these wide-angle lenses, at the short end of the zoom range.…

For ultra-wide viewing angles on a full-frame camera, without needing to spend a fortune, the Sigma 12-24mm is simply unbeatable. It’s a superb performer with great handling and build quality, and it’s nearly half the price of the Canon 11-24mm. Similarly, the Tamron 15-30mm delivers the same fast and constant f/2.8 aperture rating as the Canon 16-35mm lens, again at half the cost, while also adding image stabilization In the APS-C format camp, the new Tamron 10-24mm is the most desirable lens, combining the best handling and image quality, along with effective stabilization. The Canon 10-18mm lens is also stabilized but rather more basic, although it still performs well.…

Take part in our summer survey and enjoy an exclusive 10% reader discount on magazines (not subscriptions), books, DVD s and binders at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk FILL IT OUT Spend five minutes filling out our survey – do it on your computer, tablet or smartphone YOUR OPINION Tell us a bit about yourself, your camera kit, and your opinions on the magazine GREAT SAVINGS After you’ve filled in our simple survey you’ll be given a 10% discount code Every issue, we do our best to create a magazine that you love to read, and we’re always looking for ways to make it even better. So, we’d like your help in improving PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine and all you need to do is answer some quick questions about yourself, your camera kit and…

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 Camera techniques for all I’m getting increasingly frustrated with your magazine. As a new reader, I notice that you hardly ever mention low-end beginner cameras. I’m the proud owner of an EOS 1300D, which I consider to be a great starter camera. It would be nice if you recognised that there are many beginners. As a pensioner, I’m limited to the cost of equipment. Richard Bance, Maidstone We’d say 95% of the Canon camera techniques we feature will still be relevant to you, regardless of whether you have a Canon 1300D or a top-pro 1D Mk II. You can still set exposure, white balance and…

1 CONTROL DEPTH OF FIELD WITH AV MODE Understand how changing the aperture affects which parts of your image are sharpest Use Av mode on your Canon DSLR to set the aperture and control depth of field. The aperture determines how much light reaches your camera’s sensor. Measured in f/stops, values range from f/1.2 to f/32 and above, depending on your lens. The lower the number (eg f/2.8), the wider the aperture, which means more light is allowed into the camera lens, making images brighter. Conversely, the higher the number (such as f/22), the narrower the aperture, therefore less light reaches the camera sensor, causing images to be darker. Aperture also affects an image’s depth of field (DoF). Wide apertures capture a shallow DoF, so whatever is in front and…

THE MISSION Shoot a person covered in fabric, then remove their legs Time needed One hour Skill level Intermediate Kit needed Tripod • Light, colourful material Something as simple as a piece of lightweight fabric can add an incredible burst of colour and shape to your portraits – especially if you can find a windswept location and a willing subject who doesn’t mind being buffeted by the breeze. Not only is the fabric fantastic for conventional photos, it can also be used to create beautiful effects, like our ghostly figure. In this project, we’ll explain how it’s done using a cunning combination of shooting skills and simple Photoshop techniques. The fabric in question here is a shiny dress-lining material – light enough to get picked up by the wind and…

01 HIDE THE LEGS Open your main image and empty frame in Photoshop. Grab the Rectangular Marquee tool and make a rough selection of the empty area that corresponds to the subject’s legs. Next, you’ll need to hit Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy, then go to the other image and hit Cmd/ Ctrl+Shift+V to paste it in place over the top. 02 PAINT A MASK Go to the Layers panel (Window>Layers), hold Alt and click the ‘Add Layer Mask’ icon to hide the layer behind a full black mask. Grab the Brush tool and set the colour to white, then paint over the legs to reveal the empty space. If necessary, you can tidy up any messy patches by using the Clone tool. QUICK TIP! Dodge and burn the highlights and shadows…

01 I LIKE DRIVING IN MY CAR We’ve hired a convertible BMW car for this shoot so we can position our Canon camera above the windscreen for the best composition. But you can capture similar shots from any car by shooting through the windscreen instead. 02 DSLR AND LENS We’re using a Canon EOS 5D Mk III, with an ultra wide-angle 16-35mm lens, as we want the full-frame sensor and wide 16mm focal length to capture as wide a view as possible of the passing scenery from the passenger seat of the car. 03 MONOPOD FOR STABILITY We’re using a monopod inside the car, with the leg positioned carefully down the side of the seat, and held firmly against the windscreen. With the camera in position, we pre-focused on the…

01 SPOT HEAL Open your image in Adobe Camera Raw. Start by using the Spot Removal tool to erase any small blemishes, stray hairs or distractions on the background – all these elements will be accentuated by the bright flash. You can then drag the brush around to find a similar area to sample. 02 GENERAL ADJUSTMENTS To make the honeycomb effect more dramatic, increase the Contrast level, and take Blacks and Shadows down. If you want to darken the edges of the frame even more, head to the Lens Correction panel and reduce Vignette too. The histogram should be skewed to the left. 03 GO BLACK AND WHITE Once you’ve made a few basic tweaks to the exposure, you might want to convert your image to black and white.…

01 ANALYSE THE NOISE Open your image up in Photoshop. To see the ISO setting used to capture it, go to File>Info and click the Camera Data tab. Here you can see that the ISO speed is 1000, so there will be noise present. Click OK. Click the Zoom tool to display the image at 100%. 02 OPEN THE REDUCE NOISE FILTER Grab the Hand tool and drag it to examine parts of the magnified image. Noise is especially noticeable in darker, smoother areas such as the light reflections. Go to Filter>Noise>Reduce Noise. To see how the sliders work their magic, start with them at 0. 03 REDUCE THE COLOUR NOISE Colour noise is easy to remove because there’s no risk of smoothing out important detail. Zoom in to 200%…

01 MICHAEL PHELPS American Michael Phelps leads South Africa’s Chad le Clos in the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final, Rio 2016. Lens Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Exposure 1/2000 sec, f/4, ISO3200 Adam Pretty shoots hundreds of sporting events around the world every year, and the only way to fit an interview for PhotoPlus in his busy summer schedule was to do it while he was at an event. So I spoke to him by phone while he sat poolside in a quiet period at the 2017 World Swimming Championships in Budapest. The 40-year old Australian pro photographer has specialised in sport for two decades and broadened his work to include sports advertising ten years ago. Here he talks about how he got into sports photography, the changes he’s seen…

My engineering background has helped me to better understand my equipment I have always loved photography, and my interests are not confined to one any genre. I enjoy astrophotography with the same sense of awe as I do landscapes, wildlife and sport. Formula 1 is an extremely thrilling event and the biggest challenge for the photographer is to be able to capture a sense of speed in a still frame when the cars zoom past on the racetrack in excess of 300kph. Photographing F1 requires special skills, but also a sound knowledge of the sport. I use all of the lenses in my collection, depending on where I’m positioned and the effect I want to create. The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with built-in Extender 1.4x is a particularly…

When it comes to shooting landscapes (hackneyed advice alert!), a sturdy tripod and tripod head are key to reducing the shakes and making the most of your lens and camera sensor. They’re also essential if you’re using strong ND filters for long exposures to blur the movement of clouds and water, as well as giving you the opportunity to stand back and assess the framing and composition. But really, it’s the little things that make the difference between acceptably sharp and bitingly sharp. Use a remote release to take the picture, rather than risk nudging the camera when you press the shutter release; you could use the camera’s self-timer instead, but that makes it harder to time shots. Manual focus Switching the lens to MF enables you to place the…

Ask Brian! Confused with your Canon DSLR? Email EOSSOS@ futurenet.com Since the introduction of dualpixel AF in the EOS 70D, it has become much simpler to use an EOS camera for movie making. Making good movies requires skill as does taking photos, but there are both similarities and significant differences. A good movie tells a story, as a sequence of movie clips that lead the viewer on a clear storyline, and it is beneficial to try and plan the story in advance to guide the shots you need to capture. Take the typical holiday movie: start with a wide-angle shot to set the location and how it fits in the landscape. Then take a closer view, maybe focus attention on the specific building or maybe your hotel, and then go…

01 Canon Selphy CP1300 Printers don’t get much more convenient £130/$130 www.canon.co.uk The adorable CP1300 can print a 6x4in, 300x300dpi lab quality photo in just 47 seconds, thanks to dye sublimation print tech. Direct printing is a breeze from an SD card or USB stick, or via Wi-Fifrom smart devices. Simple image edits can be made using the enlarged 3.2in tilting screen. There’s also a new option to print 2x6in photobooth party strips, and if you want to go totally wireless and print on the go, add the battery pack. 02 Cokin Gradual ND Kit & Holder Quality landscape filters on a budget £60/$83 www.intro2020.co.uk This trio of filters are ideal for balancing a bright sky with a darker foreground. The kit includes a P-size holder, 1-stop and 2-stop hard…

Shooting outdoors, you’re at the mercy of the weather. Under glaring sunshine, the best you can really hope for from a regular flashgun is to fill in a few shadows up close. Elinchrom’s new ELB 1200 system aims to deliver vastly more power and versatility, while still being manageable for the long haul. The new kits are based around a relatively lightweight yet robust and weather-resistant power pack. It weighs in at 4.3kg, including an easily interchangeable Li-ion ‘Air’ battery, with enough juice to deliver 215 full-power flashes, or up to 80 minutes of full-power constant lighting for shooting video. The latter comes courtesy of highperformance, daylight-balanced LEDs, that can also work as a proportional modelling lamp. An optional ‘HD’ battery boosts the range to 400 flashes and 120 minutes…

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 we test the speed and accuracy of autofocus. APS-C format lenses were tested on 70D and 7D Mk II bodies, whereas full-frame compatible lenses were tested on a 5D Mk III. In-camera corrections for the likes of 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 Analyzer suites. Test charts are shot throughout the range of apertures and zoom settings (where available), then analysed for sharpness, distortion and…

hen you want to maximize depth of field, one trick is to use an app to calculate the ‘hyperfocal distance’ for any given combination of focal length and aperture. For example, using a 10mm focal length with an aperture of f/8 on an APS-C body, the hyperfocal distance would be just 67cm. If you set the focus position to this value, everything from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity will be rendered sharply. Some lenses don’t have a focus distance scale, though. So, as a rule of thumb, when using a focal length of up to 15mm on an APS-C camera (or 20mm on a full-frame body), with an aperture of f/8 or narrower, autofocus a couple of metres away and everything from 1m to infinity should be sharp.…

CANON PRO Na me: Morag Paterson Ca mera: Canon EOS 5D Mk IV Morag, 43, has collaborated with her husband Ted Leeming as a professional photographer for over ten years, selling prints, running group and private workshops, mentoring and taking on a small number of commissions. Their work varies from traditional landscape capture to abstract and impressionist photography, exploring the natural world from the smallest crevices to majestic panoramas. As keen environmentalists they have also created portfolios addressing climate change, and live on a tenacre wind-powered smallholding in Dumfries and Galloway which they are gradually replanting with native trees. More info and galleries at www.leemingpaterson.com APPRENTICE Na me: Janet Hoggan Ca mera: Canon EOS 5D Mk III Janet is 49 and a keen amateur Canon photographer living in Falkirk, Scotland.…

Quebrada de la Conches, Valles Calchaquíes, Salta Province, Argentina. 18:57 local time. 29 January 2017 Heading south out of Salta we pass through a range of hills into a gorge of arid red rock. I could swear I’m in Utah, but this is the Quebrada de la Conches in the Valles Calchaquíes. It’s stunning; I never knew northern Argentina had such epic landscapes. Yes, the Rough Guide hints at this region’s majesty, but I always take glowing travel-guide descriptions with a pinch of salt. As we drive down the valley, stopping to check out likely locations under the hot vertical sun, it becomes increasingly apparent we’ll not be short of photographic options here. In fact it’s all slightly overwhelming – it’ll be difficult to decide where to start. We’ve stayed…

COMPOSITION Think about how to use negative space when composing your frame. We chose to leave plenty of empty beach to the right of the model, so that when the fabric blew in the wind it wouldn’t be cropped and cut off. In this instance, a pareddown composition really enhances the ghostly nature of the image. Next mont h: smashed mirror effect 01 WAIT FOR WIND For this project you’ll need a willing model and a windy spot to shoot. The space should be wide enough for the fabric to flow, and with enough of a breeze for it to catch in the wind. Hilltops, open fields, high buildings or beaches all work. An uncluttered backdrop is best. 02 SHAPE THE FABRIC The fabric needs to be light but not…

as well as our ghostly effect here, it’s also worth experimenting with other kinds of portraits. The fabric can look fantastic if you have a subject who knows how to jump or dance gracefully. Our model Helen worked wonders, despite taking a battering from wind at blustery Brean on Somerset’s west coast. A side-on view shows off the shape of the fabric, especially if you get down on the ground and shoot from a low angle to blur the foreground and frame the fabric against the sky.…

THE MISSION Get your camera up close to wildlife and trigger the shutter remotely Time needed 2-4 hours Skill level Intermediate Kit needed Canon DSLR • Tripod • Wireless shutter release • Animal food We’re used to seeing wildlife through the barrel of a telephoto lens, so why not take a different approach and try capturing animals with a wide angle? The altered field of view you get with a wide angle will give your photos an entirely different feel, as well as showing off more of the animal’s surroundings. By contrast, the narrow angle of a long zoom results in blurred backgrounds and compresses the perspective. So with a wide angle you can simultaneously create greater intimacy with the subject and make wildlife photos that are unlike anyone else’s.…

01 SELECT THE SKY Open dodge_burn01 and 02 in Photoshop Elements and click Expert Mode. Grab the Move tool. Drag the 02 image up to the tab of the other image, then down and in to copy over. Grab the Quick Selection tool and paint over the sky to select it, then click Refine Edge. 02 MAKE A GREY LAYER Increase the Radius to about 2 pixels, then paint over any unselected parts of the edge with the Refine Radius tool. Set Output: Layer Mask and hit OK. Next go to Layer>New Layer. In the New Layer dialog set Mode: Overlay, check the ‘Fill with...’ box and click OK. 03 DARKEN THE EDGES A newly created grey layer will appear in the Layers panel. We can paint or dodge and…

THE MISSION To ensure that the printed colours of your images are accurate Time needed 15 minutes Skill level Easy Kit needed Lightroom Processing a landscape photograph is the best way to reveal more detail in the image and create attractive, vibrant-looking colours. Even after you’ve processed a photo to look good on-screen, it can be frustrating to end up with a print that looks less bright and vibrant than the digital version of the photo. Your printer may struggle to reproduce the processed picture’s colour accurately. This is because computer displays produce millions of colours by mixing reds, greens and blues (RGB) together, while most domestic printers combine cyan, magenta, black and yellow (CMYK) to create a narrower range of colours. Colours that can’t be printed are referred to…

Join in the fun! One of the great things about photography is being able to share your view of the world. This issue we see how glam portraits can be created in the smallest of spaces, and how birdwatching can lead to serious photography. We want your photos and stories! For your chance to show off your images in PhotoPlus, send three to five high-resolution JPEGs, along with a brief synopsis – explain why you took the shots, the location, whether they’re part of an ongoing project or a one-off shoot, and anything else unusual or interesting. Also include Canon DSLR, lens and exposure details. Email photoplus@futurenet.com Online www.facebook.com/photoplusmag www.twitter.com/photoplusmag Post PhotoPlus: The Canon Mag Future, The Ambury Bath BA1 1UA, UK 01 LEIGH HUTCHINSON A simple fake window adds…

01 Canon TS -E tilt-shift lenses Canon has launched three new tilt-shift TS-E lenses, and expanded the focal range of its perspective control lenses at the same time. The new TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro and TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro replace the existing TS-E 45mm f/2.8 and TS-E 90mm f/2.8, while the TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro is an entirely new lens that offers the longest focal length yet for a TS-E lens. Canon’s existing TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lenses are ideal for architectural photography, where the shift movement can help counter converging verticals. In the studio, tilt movements become more useful, because they can be used to extend the depth of field in a macro shot or a still-life where the subject is at an angle to…

THE CONTENDERS Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM £200/$280 Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM £500/$650 Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM £600/$700 Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD £580/$500 Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM £2700/$2800 Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM £1900/$2000 Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM | A £1400/$1600 Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD £930/$1200 Following on from last month’s round-up of super-telephoto lenses, we’re now going to the opposite extreme. With zoom ranges starting at just 8mm for APS-C format lenses, and 11mm for full-frame, you can shoehorn vast areas into the image frame. They’re great for shooting sweeping landscapes or architecture, and arguably even more useful when shooting indoors, where space is limited – but that’s just the start of the fun. A key attraction…

Shoot a tall building from ground level, from a fairly close distance with a wide-angle lens, and its walls will appear to converge very noticeably towards the top. This isn’t always welcome. While Canon makes a range of ‘tilt and shift’ lenses with which you can correct perspective while shooting, they’re tricky to use and expensive to buy. A cheaper option is to make corrections with perspective tools, using an image editing program such as Photoshop.…

Canon’s latest and greatest wide-angle zoom lenses for full-frame cameras are hugely expensive. The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM costs much less, at £820/ $1,000. It’s considerably smaller and lighter, but still beautifully engineered. Naturally, it’s an f/stop slower than the pricier 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, but gains image stabilization. Similarly, Sigma’s latest 12-24mm Art lens is excellent, but the previous Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 II DG HSMz is still on sale at £650/$950. Again, it’s much more compact and lightweight, and still delivers very good image quality, although the Art lens is sharper and produces less distortion. In the APS-C camp, the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM is still great value at £330/$400.…