Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

These unprecedented times continue as the world stops and we all stay at home to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of writing, the figures for confirmed cases in the UK were finally showing signs of slowing down. But while restrictions remain, I wanted to reassure you that we’re all in this together, we’re here for you, and we’re still all working hard to produce the best possible No.1 Canon magazine every month for you. We also have bonus gifts for everyone this issue – your complete Adobe image-editing software package, worth over £70! Turn the page to find out how to access four 196-page eBooks dedicated to Photoshop CC, Elements, Lightroom and Raw in Photoshop! Inside this issue, we have more great Canon photography techniques, many you…

The decision you face when buying a Canon DSLR vs a mirrorless camera can be tricky. They both take the same pictures, but they use very different designs. Some say that the DSLR is dead and that mirrorless cameras are the future, but Canon continues to release new DSLRs, so it’s clear they don’t think so. In late 2019 Canon launched the EOS 90D, for example. This is a DSLR which can do anything Canon’s mirrorless cameras can, right down to Live View autofocus and video capabilities. On top of that the flagship EOS camera for professionals – the imminent EOS-1D X Mark III – is a DSLR, not a mirrorless camera. The fact is, both camera designs have pros and cons, so we will explain what the differences are,…

There’s no doubt that full-frame sensors have advantages. Their larger surface area means that the photosites can be larger, for example, leading to the potential for reduced levels of unwanted picture noise – or smaller, allowing for more megapixels. The vast majority of Canon cameras use APS-C sensors, though, and this allows them to typically be cheaper, smaller and lighter than their full-frame cousins. The same is true of EF-S and EF-M lenses, which are designed to match the smaller proportions of the sensor. Smaller systems can transform the way you shoot, because they are more discreet and easier to carry. Case in point, the EOS M6 Mark II. This camera weighs about 40 per cent less than the EOS 90D, but shares the same 32.5Mp APS-C CMOS sensor tech.…

Mirrorless cameras have an advantage over DSLRs when it comes to video recording for two reasons. First, their design makes them better suited to the constant ‘live feed’ required for video. Second, this is where Canon is concentrating its video capture technologies and where you’re going to get the best video features and performance. For example, the recently announced flagship full-frame mirrorless EOS R5 will be the first Canon camera to record in 8K resolution – putting it ahead, even, of Canon’s Cinema EOS bodies. ​8K isn’t only big news for video enthusiasts, it’s also a big one for photographers. Extracting a still from an 8K video gives you an image with a resolution of around 34 megapixels – that’s a higher resolution than a photo taken on the EOS…

Canon has now manufactured over 130 million EF-series lenses, and anyone that opts for a Canon EOS DSLR today has 30 years’ worth of native optics to choose from. Factor in the number of compatible third-party lenses that are available, and you’re not going to be short for choice, whether you’re buying new or second-hand. ​Canon’s mirrorless cameras use two different lens mounts: EF-M (on the smaller EOS M cameras) and RF (for the full-frame EOS R system). But that doesn’t mean you have to sell your DSLR glass if you get an EOS mirrorless body. Canon makes adapters for each of the mirrorless mounts that enables you to attach EF lenses to EOS M and EOS R cameras. These adaptors also allow you to use EF-S lenses that are…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_2 THE MISSION Turn stars into long trails of light Time needed 1-2 hours Skill level Advanced Kit needed • Photoshop • Tripod • Wide-angle lens • Shutter release Astro photography is a fantastic way of taking photographs that are well and truly, out of this world! Excuse the terrible pun, but star pictures have the ability to instil a sense of awe and wonder in your viewers, and this month we’re going to look at how to create amazing star trails, where the moving stars appear to spin through the sky with a pin-sharp foreground. The secret is to set up on a tripod and take multiple shots, each 30 seconds long, this will record the rotation of the earth, therefore blurring the stars into long…

Pack the right kit and ensure you don’t get lost – so you can capture fantastic scenic shots 01 PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! A successful landscape shoot can hinge on good planning – know what location you’re going to, how long it will take you to get there and keep checking the weather. Make sure you have the precise timings for events such as sunrise and sunset. 02 GET THE RIGHT BAG A comfy backpack is a must. We used the Gitzo Adventury 30L backpack, which is ideal for hiking. It boasts ample provision for camera kit, a sizeable compartment for other gear, straps for holding a bedroll and a rain cover for adverse conditions. 03 CHARGE IN YOUR CAR It’s worth having an in-car battery charger you can use as…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_5 THE MISSION Use Photoshop’s Camera Raw plugin to make local adjustments to boost colours and detail Time needed 20 minutes Skill level Intermediate Kit needed Photoshop CC DOWNLOAD PROJECT FILES TO YOUR COMPUTER FROM: http://downloads.photoplusmag.com/pp165.zip How often do you open up a freshly captured photo with great anticipation, only to be lightly underwhelmed by the image on-screen? Colours can look dull, highlights washed out, or shadows too deep. However, it’s easy enough to enhance these details, add punch and create an image that looks more like the actual scene, as you remembered it when you took the photo. Take our bluebell portrait here. Initially the colours look rather disappointing and nothing like the vibrant blues we experienced during the shoot. But with a few simple tricks it’s possible…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_6 01 COPY AND PASTE Open the portrait and the two blend images (multi_01-03) into Affinity Photo, then make sure you’re in the Photo Persona (top-left icon). Go to the multi_02 image, press Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy it, go to the multi_01 portrait shot and hit Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste it in. 02 BLEND THE LAYER Go to the Layers panel. Click the blend mode dropdown at the top and hover over the different options on the list to see how they blend the images together. The Screen option is ideal for multiple exposure effects, but you may find a mode you prefer. 03 FINE-TUNE THE PLACEMENT Grab the Move tool and click on the corner of the blue bounding box around the image to resize and reposition the…

Professional travel photographer, Joe Buergi, shows off the essential Canon equipment and accessories he takes with him to all four corners of the globe For me, photography is a spiritual journey that opens the doors to many diverse cultures My photographic work is a journey of self-discovery and expression. It’s the way by which I choose to get in touch with the people and the world. I’m fascinated by exploring and seeing the world, music festivals, life and joy through my eyes. My experiences are both a source of pain and joy – my source of inspiration. I aim for my images to bridge cultures and to express the universal human spirit. On a more personal level, they are my spiritual journey. A journey that opens the door into many…

EOS UTILITY SIMPLIFIES TETHERED SHOOTING EOS Utility is the simplest way to shoot tethered or remotely control your EOS camera, and is freely available at the same time a camera launches. You can use camera controls to alter settings, or remotely control them with your computer, and choose where to save photos; computer, camera or both. 01 CONNECT YOUR CAMERA Install the latest EOS Utility for your camera, and connect your camera to a computer with a USB cable. Not all bodies have a USB cable and if they do they are short, so you might want to get a longer one. Cables up to 5 metres work without a problem, for longer lengths use an extension cable. 02 CHOOSE REMOTE SHOOTING When EOS Utility starts you need to select…

One of the benefits of recording in 4K is that it’s possible to save individual frames as 8Mp JPEG stills. To do this, play a video frame by frame on your camera, then hit the Frame Grab icon to extract your shot. These images are recorded in 16:9 or 17:9 ‘widescreen’ aspect ratio, but when you consider that each second of video is typically made up of 25 or 30 frames, then you do at least get plenty of shots to choose from. This feature becomes more useful with the introduction of 8K video on the EOS R5, as each JPEG will be around 33Mp – that’s a higher resolution than the EOS R or the EOS 5D Mark IV when shooting photos! However, you don’t have a Raw file…

There are some caveats that come with shooting at very high resolutions, the biggest of which is the extra storage requirements. Video recorded at a resolution of 4K or higher creates large file sizes that eat up space on cards and hard drives. To help alleviate this, many EOS bodies offer various video compression options. Take the EOS R: it has a choice of ALL-I or IPB compression when recording 4K. ALL-I is what’s known as ‘intraframe’ compression, this means each frame of video is compressed individually. IPB uses ‘interframe’ compression, which compresses groups of frames together. In order to do this, it retains full detail in a few ‘key frames’, and then only records the info that changes in subsequent frames. As a result, IPB gives smaller file sizes…

Ask Brian! Confused with your Canon DSLR? Email EOSSOS@futurenet.com GPS info can be added to photos when they are captured by most cameras. Some cameras have a GPS receiver built-in and it just needs to be switched on. Most are compatible with the GP-E2 GPS receiver accessory, and some make use of the GPS from a mobile phone. GPS info is useful to help identify the exact spot a picture was taken. Though you might want to turn it off to make sure that it doesn’t provide other people with the location of your home, a model, or rare wildlife. GPS info is saved with the many bits of info, called metadata, in your photos. The GP-E2 and some cameras not only pinpoint the location, but will also store the…

01 Joby Beamo Pocket-sized pro lighting £60/$70 w ww.joby.com LOOKING for ultra-small yet ultra-powerful lights? Meet the Joby Beamo and Joby Beamo Mini. The pocket-sized Beamo measures just 47x51x51mm and weighs 134g. It boasts 1500 Lumen output, for 750 Lux at 1m, with a 95+/-colour rendition index (all the same as the Lume Cube). It’s waterproof to 30ft/100m, lasts up to 40 minutes at 100% power or 100 minutes at 50%, and can charge either wirelessly or via USB-C. The Beamo Mini is a tad tinier, at 39x51x51mm, and is magnetic, making it perfect for travel. It delivers 1000 Lumens/470 Lux at 1m. 02 Manfrotto Chicago Backpacks Discreetly styled, built to last and versatile £179/$200 www.manfrotto.co.uk THE CHICAGO bag collection consists of two backpacks in small and medium sizes. Both…

We recently visited Canon UK for a first-hand look at the Canon EOS R5 – the manufacturer’s groundbreaking new full-frame mirrorless camera that has sent the industry into a bit of a tizzy. The Canon EOS R5 was announced a month ago, and with it key specs we revealed: 8K video, 20fps burst shooting with electronic shutter, 16fps burst shooting mechanically, dual card slots, in-body image stabilization (IBIS). These are the things we already knew – and they’re already enough for this to potentially be one of the best mirrorless cameras, as well as one of the best cameras on the market for filmmaking. Having been and inspected the new camera in person, we’ve come away knowing quite a few new things about the Canon EOS R5. However, there are…

1. Go to our web page via this link bit.ly/165ebooks 2. Enter your details on the quick form online. This is so we can securely email you with details to access the Adobe software eBooks. 3. You will now receive an email in your inbox to view the eBooks. 4. From the email, click on the ‘View the eBook’ red button to view each eBook. It will open the eBook PDF in your internet browser. 5. While viewing the eBooks bookmark the page or save the file on your device. Or if on your computer you can click on the icon at the top of the page to download them.…

CANON PRO NAME: EMMA FINCH CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MK IV EMMA IS an award-winning boudoir photographer, influenced by femininity and elegance. She specializes in female portraits under the name, Belle Privé. She works for private and commercial clients from her Manchester studio and has been published multiple times on front covers. She’s also a tutor, event planner, and runs photography sessions with Graham Currey. On top of all that, Emma has a separate photography business specializing in Family and Lifestyle photography. www.belleprive.co.uk APPRENTICE NAME: TOM BECKER CAMERA: CANON EOS 90D TOM IS a Sheffield-based photographer with a keen interest in landscapes, cityscapes and street photography. He’s dabbled with portraiture before and it’s something he’s always wanted to do more of – he’d love to have the confidence to take more portraits and expand…

Lens Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Exposure 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO100 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! Send an email to photoplus@futurenet.com with ‘PhotoPlus Apprentice’ in the subject line, and include your telephone number and address. TOM’S COMMENT For our final setup we moved over to this stunning red velvet chaise lounge, which is just one of many fantastic vintage inspired pieces in Emma’s studio. This complemented the dark blue wall and Rachel’s darker garments. We set up the octobox with flash to light her from one side. Portraiture is something I’ve wanted to get into more…

While image processing and sensor technologies vary across DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, the fact that many mirrorless models use the same APS-C and full-frame sensors that you’ll find in DSLRs, means that neither system has any inherent advantage when it comes to image quality. Indeed, this is the main sell of the system: the same size of sensor and image quality as offered by a DSLR, without the bulk. The Canon EOS M50, for example, has the same 24.1Mp APS-C sized sensor and technology as Canon’s equivalent DSLRs, but is a fraction of the size. ​The main reason for the size reduction is that DSLRs have a mirror assembly just behind the lens mount and an optical viewfinder positioned above it, whereas mirrorless cameras do not. On an entry-level DSLR…

The second gen of the EOS 6D – Canon’s ‘entry-level’ full-frame DSLR – is a big improvement over its predecessor. The nudge in resolution to 26.2Mp is perhaps to be expected, but the new camera gets a seriously improved 45-point autofocus system. All the AF points are cross-type and nine of them enable AF at a max aperture of f/8. ​The newer EOS RP is the mirrorless equivalent to the EOS 6D Mark II, and shares the same 26.2Mp resolution, touch-sensitive Vari-Angle screen size and resolution, and native ISO range of 100-40,000. It’s lighter, though, (485g with battery and card, compared with the EOS 6D Mark II’s 765g), comes with a newer DIGIC 8 processor, and has a more sensitive AF system. ​Its battery life is quite bad though: just…

Top reasons to subscribe now! Great savings Subscribe for 12 months and get your issues delivered to your door, plus choose between these two fantastic gifts Vanguard VEO GO 34M messenger bag An ideal compact and stylish messenger bag for small Canon DSLR or EOS R mirrorless with tripod and accessories Lowepro SlingShot 102 AW backpack A stylish Lowepro backpack that will fit a Canon DSLR or mirrorless and standard zoom, plus other lenses and kit Option 1 6 month subscription £27 (No gift) For 6 issues of PhotoPlus print edition delivered simply go to: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/php/choose1/#print Option 2 Annual digital subscription £50 (No gift) For 13 issues of PhotoPlus digital edition simply go to: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/php/choose1/#digital Option 3 Annual print subscription £56 • 13 issues of PhotoPlus print edition delivered •…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_1 THE MISSION Learn how to get the best portraits using fast prime lenses Time needed One hour Skill level Intermediate Kit needed Fast 85mm or 50mm prime lens A fast 85mm prime is the perfect portrait lens, combining a fast f/1.2 or f/1/1.4 maximum aperture for soft background blur, with the 85mm focal length on full-frame EOS cameras. This is considered to create the best balance between flattering facial perspectives and a useful working distance. Shooting at wide apertures around f/1.2 or f/1.4 can be exciting, as you can capture such amazing blur around your focal point, plus this means radically faster shutter speeds. Which makes fast primes perfect for low-light indoor shots, without fear of slow shutter speeds causing camera shake and unusable photos. To…

01 CAMERA & LENS Any Canon DSLR, or mirrorless camera, will work for this technique. What’s more important is using a wide-angle lens to fit in some foreground and the stars above – go for a wide maximum aperture, like f/2.8, to let more light into the sensor. 02 SHUTTER RELEASE CABLE This essential photography accessory costs just a few pounds, so everyone should own one. They allow you to fire the shutter remotely, removing any chance of camera shake when pressing the shutter button while shooting long exposures. 03 STURDY TRIPOD A rock-solid tripod will help deliver shots with an identical composition, making it much easier to merge your images. Be careful not to knock it while taking your exposures, as this will alter your framing and you’ll have…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_4 THE MISSION Sharpen key details, like facial features, in a portrait image Time needed 15 minutes Skill level Beginner Kit needed Photoshop Elements While we don’t have the ability to turn a completely out-of-focus shot into a sharp one, or at least not for the moment anyway, we are able to make a sharp shot look razor-sharp… or turn a slightly soft image into a passable one. Sharpening is a key part of the editing process, but what you’re actually doing is boosting contrast around hard lines and edges in your shot to raise the perceived level of sharpness. This can be done in various way in Photoshop CC or Elements, and we’ll be using the latter for this tutorial. The steps are identical in both pieces…

01 CHECK FOR CLIPPING Go to the image in Adobe Bridge, right-click it and choose ‘Open in Camera Raw’ (this works for Raws and JPEGs). Hold Alt while dragging whites to show clipped pixels. Alt-dragging also changes the view for Blacks, Exposure, Highlights, Shadows and Dehaze. 02 BOOST WEAKER COLOURS Set the whites and blacks to a point just before clipped pixels appear. Keep tweaking the other sliders to enhance the tones as shown. Increasing Vibrance will target and boost the weaker colours, so it’s great for enhancing colours while retaining skin tones. 03 PAINT TO ADJUST Grab the Adjustment Brush and begin painting over the bluebells. You can press ‘Y’ (‘O’ in Lightroom) to toggle a mask overlay on or off, this helps check which areas are affected. Once…

LIKE MANY of us, Canon professional photographer Rory Lewis was expecting to spend a few days at The Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham in March, but COVID-19 changed all that… “I was supposed to do a workshop for 18 people, fully booked, so people were asking, ‘is it going ahead, are we moving the date?’” Well, currently, the world is staying indoors as we unite to overcome the pandemic, yet Rory seems well prepared when we both take a breath and settle down to have a talk: “I’ve just done a massive shop on Waitrose, got that delivered, and just done a massive shop on Amazon, so I don’t have to go out for anything. I’ve got tons to do, I want to work on my website and…

With still images, more pixels give you more flexibility when it comes to cropping. You can make the subject look bigger in the picture or fine-tune the composition, while still retaining enough resolution to produce large, detailed prints. When it comes to videos, the resolution your films will be played back in dictates how much cropping freedom you get in video-editing software. For example, if your movie is going to be displayed in Full HD, and you’ve recorded clips in Full HD, then any crop you make in post-production will make the image look softer. This is because you’re simply blowing up a smaller image to fill the Full HD display. The same is true if you play a Full HD movie on a larger 4K display; it will look…

IF YOU set a faster frame rate on your camera, you’ll fill up the memory card more quickly. This is because more images are recorded to create each second of footage. It’s easy to confuse frame rate with shutter speed as they are both measured in units of time. However, frame rate controls the recording speed (in frames per second) and shutter speed determines how long each frame is exposed to light. A slow shutter speed can make motion look smoother in video, but there is a risk that moving objects will be blurred. A good starting point is to use Tv or M mode to set a shutter speed that is double the frame rate – for example, 1/60 sec if you’re recording at a frame rate of 30fps.…

PETER CARTER, AYLESBURY SAYS… Taken in Knight Inlet, British Columbia, Canada, the sheer beauty and vastness of the place is amazing, with sheer cliff faces and trees. The tranquillity is only broken by the sound of a boat, which is the only way to travel. However whilst the peace was disturbed here, I think the boat adds something to this image. I used my favourite Canon compact camera for this shot, the PowerShot G7X Mark II, as it gives me lots of control when I want and is so easy to use when I’m on holiday. This was composed in-camera and has had no post production. BRIAN SAYS… I like the picture, and it shows that a good eye can create a great photo with any kind of camera. I…

01 How many megapixels? Curiously, possibly surprisingly, Canon is being incredibly coy about the resolution of the sensor in the Canon EOS R5. While a hi-res version of the EOS R is long-rumored to be in the works (with recent reports suggesting a Canon EOS with a 150Mp sensor), that is expected to be a different model. The R5 will have a more modest resolution – and the full-readout 8K video gives us a big clue as to what this will be. As alluded by CameraLabs, 16:9 8K video on a standard 3:2 sensor would require 7680x5120 pixels – which works out as about 39Mp. However, if the video is DCi (as the EOS-1D X Mark III offers) then it would require 8192 pixels – and that means a 45Mp…

Choosing lenses Key factors to watch out for THE MAIN factors to consider in a lens are its focal length, maximum aperture, and whether or not it’s full-frame compatible. We’ve categorized lenses by focal length range – from wide-angle to telephoto. The larger a lens’s maximum aperture, the ‘faster’ it’s considered to be. Zooms are more flexible than primes, but tend not to have such fast maximum apertures. Full-frame lenses will also work with ‘crop-sensor’ EOS DSLRs, but crop-sensor lenses aren’t compatible with full-frame cameras. For Canon EOS R System mirrorless cameras you need dedicated Canon RF lenses.…

Peter Travers Editor • 5D Mark IV peter.travers@futurenet.com “While staying safe at home, read our big guide on Canon EOS DSLRs vs mirrorless cameras, where we reveal all the pros and cons of each system.” PAGE 28 Dan Mold Technique editor • 7D Mk II dan.mold@futurenet.com “I went to visit Canon portrait pro Emma Finch, and paired her up with our Apprentice Tom to help him add some fantastic boudoir portraits to his portfolio.” PAGE 08 Ben Andrews Lab manager • 5D Mark III ben.andrews@futurenet.com “During times like these, it’s nice to reminisce and photo books are great for this! So, we checked out the best book builders on the market.” PAGE 90 James Paterson Technique writer • 5D Mark IV james.paterson@futurenet.com “Sometimes your photos can come out looking a bit underwhelming and…

MANUAL MODE EMMA SET Tom’s camera to Manual mode, so he could dial in precise settings that wouldn’t change if the natural light did – important when using studio flash. To begin, a shutter speed of 1/125 sec was set, a low ISO of 100 for the best image quality and an aperture of f/2.8 for a shallow depth-of-field, which will add to the dreaminess of the images. ONE SHOT AF THE FOCUS mode was set to One Shot AF, so the camera would only focus once when half-pressing the shutter and also to a single point. This meant Tom could place a lone AF point directly over the model’s closest eye, ensuring that this became the sharp focal point of the portrait.…

01 WILL YOU? BY HENRIK SPRANZ Henrik’s wonderful shot of two European ground squirrels is the deserved winner of this month’s Perfect Moment contest. He’s done a fantastic job at capturing this delightfully emotive image, making sure the squirrels were frozen in time with a fast shutter speed. Shooting at ground level has also created a more intimate perspective too. The colours are soft and gentle and the pose of the squirrels is perfect – with great foreground and background blur by shooting at f/5 and a 400mm focal length. Lens Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Exposure 1/2000 sec, f/5, ISO640 02 SMILING CHILDREN BY MARCO TAGLIARINO This is a fantastic and intimate moment between five young boys in a remote village in Madagascar. Marco explains: “The curious thing about this shot…

When mirrorless cameras first became available, the way in which they autofocused was essentially the same as a compact camera, a system known as contrast detection AF. This uses the main image sensor to measure the point at which contrast is highest as a lens moves through its focusing range. As this is the same sensor that ends up capturing the image, the method is very precise: what you see is what you get. But it’s also quite inefficient. In effect, the camera has to focus to and fro, until it zeros in on the focus distance that gives the sharpest image. Compact cameras have much smaller lenses with lighter internal elements, and these can move efficiently when focusing. Mirrorless cameras have larger sensors and, hence, larger and heavier lens…

When it was launched, the EOS 5D Mark IV bridged the gap between DSLR and mirrorless better than any other Canon, apart from the top-end, top-priced EOS-1D X Mark II. We’re not talking size – the EOS 5D Mark IV is heading towards 1kg in weight after all – but in the way that it combines stills and movie functionality in one versatile body. ​Able to record DCI 4K video at up to 30fps – admittedly, with a 1.74 crop – and fitted with headphone, microphone ports and ‘silent’ controls, the EOS 5D Mark IV is a highly-specced hybrid. It also boasts a Dual Pixel CMOS AF image sensor and Dual Pixel Raw function. ​The EOS R is Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless and is, currently, the flagship mirrorless option (until…

For some people, it’s the availability of one or two features that are crucial to their shooting that pushes them to one of Canon’s mirrorless cameras. There are far too many to go into here, but even if we just focus on one, namely the silent shutter, we can see what kind of a practical difference this can make. ​Anyone shooting in conditions where discretion is key will appreciate a camera’s ability to shoot silently, not just quietly. Some Canon DSLRs offer ‘silent’ shooting modes, but these simply damp, or delay, the mechanical sound. ​Most mirrorless cameras still depend on mechanical shutters, even if they don’t need mirrors, but the EOS R bodies also have an electronic shutter option that offers truly silent shooting. Well, as close to silent as…

David Noton talks to us today, not to simply reminisce, but to remind us that you can find pleasure in your old work I must admit I’m struggling for words this month. As I write this a quarter of the world’s population is on lockdown. Our world has been turned upside down by the Coronavirus pandemic. Hopefully, by the time you're reading this, the situation will be improving, or at least past its worst, but few outside the White House are predicting that. So with our health in peril, movements limited and livelihoods tenuous, writing about how a picture was taken seems somewhat glib. What’s important now is staying healthy, fed and solvent; my photography, apart maybe from the odd macro picture of spring buds in the garden, seems irrelevant,…

SHOOTING FAST WITH LIGHTS To be able to shoot with lights at wide apertures, and with the faster shutter speeds required for a good exposure, we used the Elinchrom Transmitter Pro trigger. This enabled us to shoot beyond the usual flash sync speed of 1/200 sec (or 1/160 sec) for more creatively-lit portrait with prime lenses – e.g. an exposure of f/2 at 1/1000 sec. 01 PRO CANON KIT To complement our pro Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM Mark II prime lens, we’re using a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II pro body. However, any Canon camera with a fast prime lens will work for this technique – such as a 700D and EF 50mm f/1.8 lens. 02 DEPTH OF FOCUS We used a window to light our subject. At f/1.2-f/1.8…

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_165_3 THE MISSION Prepare for a landscape shoot Time needed 30 minutes Skill level Beginner Kit needed • Hiking rucksack • Cleaning kit • Sturdy tripod • External HD QUICK TIP A first aid kit, torch, compass, OS map, snacks and water are essential. Don’t be tempted to rely on the map, compass and torch apps on your phone. You should always carry the physical kit, so if the phone’s battery runs out, or stops working, you can utilize the real thing. You may be isolating safely indoors, but you can still take your camera out for your daily exercise on your own. In Spring you can take advantage of the wild blooms, walking in fresh meadows, and there’s the benefit of shooting at reasonable sunrise and…

01 REMOVE IMPERFECTIONS The first thing to do is to remove any blemishes and imperfections on the skin with the Spot Healing Brush Tool, otherwise these will become more exaggerated when sharpened. 02 DUPLICATE YOUR LAYER Head over to your Layers panel by going to Window>Layers – it’ll appear on the right of the interface. Now, hit Ctrl+J on a PC, or Cmd+J on a Mac, on the keyboard to duplicate the Background Layer. 03 CREATE A HIGH PASS LAYER Next, head to Filter>Other>High Pass and set the Radius amount in the High Pass dialogue box to a low value, around 3-5px usually works well. Now hit OK to apply your sharpening effect. 04 REMOVE THE COLOUR Your high pass layer currently has a small amount of colour in it,…

On December 19, 2018, the captain of the dry cargo ship, Natalia, called for help at 4.30am. The ship drifted to the shore due to a severe storm. At 9am, the ship hit the rocks in the Karaburun region of Natalia. 16 personnel on board were rescued by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. More than two years have passed since the Natalia ship was stranded. This region known as Karaburun, which translates to English as ‘Black nose’, on the black sea coast, is about an hour away from Istanbul. I decided to go and take pictures on January 18, 2020. The stormy weather conditions at the time were awful and it’s not a place to go without a vehicle, but I had to take a picture of the ship.…

An EOS camera’s sensor is packed with millions more pixels than are needed for 4K video recording, so Canon have employed different methods to deal with this disparity. The simplest option is to use a 1:1 pixel crop, where a 3840x2160 (or 4096x2160) pixel portion in the middle of the sensor is used, and the rest of the sensor is ignored. This is used for 4K capture in the EOS 5D Mark IV, EOS R, EOS RP and EOS 250D. While this gives sharp results and puts less pressure on the camera’s sensor than other options, it effectively increases the focal length of the lens. This is good if you’re filming wildlife, but less useful if you want to capture a wide view. It’s also a pain when you want…

JPEG IMAGES being able to crop a video image, but still retain enough pixels for your chosen output resolution can be useful in numerous circumstances. This is handy when you’re filming subjects that you can’t approach too closely, such as wildlife or competitors at a sporting event. It also allows you to add variety to a sequence that has been shot from just one position using a single lens. On top of that, you could cut from a full-length view to a head shot during an interview, for example, or pick out a detail in a wide scene. But it doesn’t stop there, there are a few more advantages to consider… Moving USING A smaller output resolution allows you to digitally pan and zoom, and track a moving subject within…

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Letter of the Month I first bought PhotoPlus in 2009, when I bought my first DSLR, a Canon EOS 40D, and I’ve subscribed for the last three years. I read with great interest the article in issue 164 by James Paterson on Focus Stacking (photo project on page 46). I have been using a Canon camera tethered to a laptop for a couple of years. I use Photoshop to process my stacked images, but to create the stack it is not necessary to use anything other than the free EOS Utility we all get with our Canon EOS cameras. Once you have chosen the shooting mode (I have found that Manual is best) every aspect of the camera’s settings can be controlled from the computer. Manual focussing is easy using…