Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

What’s the best time of day for photographing coastal landscapes: is it at sunrise or sunset? I’ve always had more success shooting seascapes at sunset, with richer colours in the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. However, this month, on a surprisingly sunny two-day trip in Wales, we were spoilt for choice when both sunrise and sunset produced incredibly vibrant skies. Decide for yourself which time of day produced better seascape photos, as top Canon pro landscape photographer Drew Buckley showed our PhotoPlus Apprentice how and when to capture winning shots with his Canon gear. See page 8. Also inside, we have some amazing autumn photography in our Inspirations gallery on page 20, and a seasonal camera skills guide to help you make the most of awesome autumn…

01 WINNER THE MILLSTONE BY HYWEL EVANS Hywel’s stunning landscape from the UK’s beautiful Padley Gorge in the Peak District was taken at peak autumn. There’s a lot to love about his image, from the spooky misty woodland to the hits of orange that come from the fallen leaves that litter the forest floor and add a nice pop of colour to the millstone in the foreground. Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Exposure 1 sec, f/11, ISO100 02 MOUNT FUJI BY HANG ROSS Hang’s given her shot of Mount Fuji a lovely autumnal twist by using vibrant orange and yellow leaves to frame this iconic location with a colourful border. We don’t think it would look out of place on a postcard. Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Exposure 1/60 sec, f/16,…

Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan. 11:22pm. 8 October 2023 In October 2023, I ran my first photography tour of Jordan with my good friend Bashar. Then on 7th October 2023, the attacks in Gaza changed the world. But this was unknown to our group initially, as we were hiding out deep in the deserts of Wadi Rum, without phone signals. The building news was harrowing and it left me concerned about how I was ever going to get us out of the Middle East. The day after I safely jetted home, I reflected on a tense ending to a very memorable photographic trip. Working in the camp with us at Wadi Rum Desert Camp was an unassuming 27-year-old American, with the unlikely name of Malibu Taetz. It wasn't clear what his…

Over five years into the lifecycle of Canon’s mirrorless EOS R system and the only lenses available were Canon’s first-party glass (manual-focus lens options aside). That was until very recently, in July earlier this year third-party lens manufacturer Sigma got the green light to release its 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN C, and followed up with the more recent 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN C, with four more of Sigma’s Contemporary lenses slated to drop later this year: the 16mm f/1.4 DC DN, 23mm f/1.4 DC DN, 30mm f/1.4 DC DN and 56mm f/1.4 DC DN. You might have noted that the one thing in common between all of Sigma’s latest RF offerings is that for now these lenses are all for Canon’s APS-C mirrorless RF-S cameras. You can use these lenses on…

With the emergence of Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and similar AI-powered image generators over the past year, it was inevitable we would eventually see a generative AI feature come to Photoshop. Powered by Adobe Firefly, the new Generative Fill and Expand features in Photoshop could be the most seismic update in the application’s history. The tools work like other prompt-based image generators. Select an area, type something and watch as it appears in your image. It’s equal parts dumbfounding, scarily intelligent and also somehow reassuringly disappointing. There are some things it does brilliantly – the way it matches the backlighting in our original portrait is mind-boggling. The Expand feature works well and there’s much enjoyment to be had by cropping outside your original frame. But ask it to generate a…

In part 45 of our series: Take low-light or night-time shots that stay sharp and without lots of image noise Night photography presents a number of challenges for your EOS camera. The lack of light makes focusing and exposure more difficult, and the extended shutter speeds present a greater risk of blurred shots than during the day. It’s worth persevering, though, as Canon cameras have a remarkable capacity for recording details in the dark that are hard to see with the naked eye, making it possible to capture evocative images of familiar subjects from twilight to dawn. Before you head into the night, it’s worth preparing your camera kit. Pack a spare battery if you can, because longer exposures and cooler nighttime temperatures can drain power faster. If you have…

Canon does a good job of assigning sensible defaults to all the buttons and dials on its cameras, and this is partly why it is so easy to move from one Canon EOS to another. However, with the significant expansion of capabilities in mirrorless cameras, each button may be better configured to access a specific feature that is valuable to you. Features you need to access quickly are likely to be different from other photographers, even for the same subject. Many online videos explain the best way to set up your custom buttons, but often they are the best way that photographer has found it to work for them; plus, there may have been no chance for field testing of these claimed best settings. Also consider your own skill level…

Canon has announced a new flagship pro printer, the Canon ImagePrograf PRO-1100 – an update to the nearly decade-old ImagePrograf PRO-1000 professional printer aimed at studios, professional photographers and businesses. It boasts the exact same physical dimensions (723x435x285mm) and weight (32.4kg) as its predecessor, but don’t be fooled by its similar appearance; inside it’s brimming with new exciting tech, such as 5G Wi-Fi. The PRO-1100 can print at sizes up to A2+ or 17-inch. However, using paper roll, the PRO-1100 can now make prints well over twice as wide as the PRO-1000 could; while its predecessor could produce panoramas up to 1.2m wide, the PRO-1100 can create panoramas up to 3.27m. The ImagePrograf PRO-1100 is designed for high yields using a wide range of 12 inks and Chroma Optimizer. “By…

Letter of the Month I’m a 63-year-old hobbyist photographer with a strong interest in action photography. I also have an interest in diesel locomotive photography – a hangover from trainspotting days. I have a Canon EOS 1200D and EF-S 55-250mm, 10-18mm and 18-55mm lenses, and I have arranged with a local farmer to get access to the harvest of a maize field. Do you have any archived articles or advice on this type of photography? I’m hoping for sunset and night-time images with the harvester vehicle’s lights in the scene. Martin Gray, Radley, Oxfordshire A great idea, Martin! Shooting before sunset in the golden hour is best for getting warm tones in landscapes. Capturing the harvesters with lights on in the maize fields will most likely require two exposures. Use…

APPRENTICE NAME: JOHN MEADS CAMERA: CANON EOS R5 JOHN IS a part-time carpenter, 67, based in Bromley, Kent. He enjoys photographing landscapes in his local area, and around the UK, such as recent trips to Glencoe and Northumberland. He also travels the world with his Canon camera in his spare time, with trips to such places as Salt Lake and Bolivia, and planned trips to Nepal. He asked for our help to really master his EOS R5 and RF lenses, and improve his landscapes. CANON PRO NAME: DREW BUCKLEY CAMERA: CANON EOS R5 DREW IS a pro photographer based in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He has an expert eye for landscapes, seascapes, wildlife and astro. He runs workshops, guides for Canon on Skomer Island, and features in a wide range of publications, global photographic competitions. He…

It is that time of year again when the hours of daylight are growing shorter and there is a crisp, cool bite to the air each morning. The landscape is changing, with an array of fiery colours replacing the fresh, green foliage of spring and summer. The light is more attractive thanks to the sun’s lower position in the sky, and moisture in the atmosphere produces glistening dew and eerie mists. The weather is generally less predictable, resulting in dramatic skies and gorgeous transient light. Berries, seeds and the fruits of autumn are to be found everywhere, along with toadstools, which decorate gardens and woodland. Autumn is nature’s most bountiful time of year – and it can prove hugely fruitful for photography, too. Surely no season provides more colour or…

Macro photography is one of our favourite subjects as it has the power to reveal extraordinary compositions from the natural world. We’d been wanting to shoot these super-colourful ‘rainbow’ roses for a while, and this project was the perfect excuse to whip out a macro lens and get up close to reveal their striking colours and details. Believe it or not, these special flowers aren’t something you’ll find walking around your garden centre; they’re injected with dye to give the petals their vibrant petals. This does make them a tad pricey at about £6 a pop, and they wilt a little sooner than normal flowers, but for the photographic opportunities they create, we think it’s well worth it. Depth of field is limited when shooting so close to your subject,…

There are several tools for pushing and pulling pixels around in Affinity Photo, but none can rival the Liquify Persona. This dedicated workspace offers a range of features that allow you to reshape objects and people. As such it has all sorts of uses. Here it lets us craft a smoky shape from a series of simple photos of smoke. An effect like this might look complicated but it’s really very easy to carry out and encompasses many key features in Affinity Photo. We begin by making a new black background and bringing in a shape to use for our smoky structure. We’ve used a bat shape here but you could experiment with all sorts of different things. Once done, we copy in pieces of smoke and blend them in.…

Canon expert Brian explains why sharpening your photos is necessary and how to do it with Canon’s free DPP Sharpening enhances the contrast of defined edges in a picture. Individual pixels in EOS camera sensors capture only the brightness of a single predetermined colour: red, green or blue. Groups of neighbouring pixels are processed to realize full colour information at each pixel. The resulting images are not as sharp as they would be if captured with separate red, green and blue sensors at each pixel, which is why sharpening is necessary. Despite the name, sharpening cannot fix images that suffer focusing errors, as they lack the details at the edge of the subject. Canon’s image processing typically adds only a low level of sharpening, which makes its images, JPG and…

Canon has launched what is, on paper, a trinity lens without the red ring or the price tag. The new Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM doesn’t pack the same elite optical performance, but it’s a far more affordable alternative to both the RF 28-70mm F2L and the RF 24-70mm F2.8L. “Canon’s non L-series lenses aren’t usually weather-sealed, but the new 28-70mm bucks this trend” It’s set to be a great accompaniment to Canon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras such as the EOS R6, R6 Mark II and R8, and will be a substantial upgrade over kit lenses such as the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 or RF 24-105mm F4-7.1. It has a slightly more limited focal range, with a 2.5x optical zoom compared with the 4.3x zoom of the 24-105mm, it’s about 14%…

Limited back issues of PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine print editions are available on our new MagazinesDirect.com secure store at www.magazinesdirect.com/photoplus-magazine-single-issue But if you’ve got an iPad, Android, Kindle or Nook tablet, or iPhone or Android smartphone, you can download PhotoPlus back issues from the following digital edition options: • Got an Apple iPad or iPhone? Get the free PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine app in the App Store or at bit.ly/photoplus_app then browse through our back issues or subscribe and save through the app. • Kindle Fire or Nook HD? Simply search for PhotoPlus on Amazon’s Newsstand or in B&N’s Nook store. • Windows or Mac? Use Zinio to read PhotoPlus on your laptop or desktop computer or via the app! Go to www.zinio.com and search for PhotoPlus where you can…

JOHN’S COMMENT “I really enjoyed the PhotoPlus Apprentice photo experience on the Gower coastline. We had some great weather conditions from sunrise to sunset, and Drew shared his knowledge and showed us several of his favourite locations. We were fortunate for this shot, as the tide had gone out far enough to reveal the shipwreck, and coincided with colours becoming their most vibrant in the sky post-sunset. A 24-105mm lens with a CPL and 6-stop ND filters was enough for long exposures and motion blurring the sea. Drew showed me how to use the Bulb timer built into our R5 cameras, as the shutter speeds were over the maximum 30 secs in Manual and Tv modes.” DREW’S VERDICT “What a fantastic day John and I had. I don’t think I’ve…

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Traffic trails have to be one of the most magical camera tricks. Even those of us who’ve been shooting for years may still marvel at the vivid trails of light that occur when vehicle lights are captured with a long exposure. The usual approach to traffic trails is to wait for night so that the light levels are low enough to stretch the shutter speed out to several seconds. Of course, this often means the surroundings come out very dark. But what if – like our scene of Cheddar Gorge in Somerset here – we want to capture the majestic scenery along with trails of light? One solution is to shoot for a time blend - that is, to blend frames taken at different times of the evening. We begin…

Even in this age when everyone has a camera in their pocket, the humble postcard is still a great souvenir of your trip or holiday. You might even have some still lying around from childhood holidays. Usually, they represent the optimum that a given location might look. Of course, we’re not always as lucky as the original photographer, but we can make our photos have that feel. As the weather grows colder, you can break out some of your summer photos to edit and warm up your thoughts. Take this photo of the postcard-perfect village of Cobh, located in the south of Ireland. Taken from a boat, it shows the painted houses and the magnificent Cathedral Church of St Colman. Our Start.jpg image has a few issues, though. The perspective…

DREW Gibson captures the drama, adrenaline and atmosphere of motorsports with expertise and grit. He’s been shooting for over a decade, but his love for the genre has lasted a lifetime. Drew was obsessed with cars as a child, started documenting races on film during college, and has honed his craft shooting thousands of global events in the years since. Despite a full-on schedule and the constant pressure to deliver, Drew is still just as in love with motorsports photography today. Last time we spoke was during the pandemic. Life must have moved on since then. Tell us about the last few years… Like many photographers, work stopped for me in the summer of 2020. This was tough, but I’d been working flat out since going full-time in 2007 and…

GuruShots is billed as the world’s leading photo game. It’s an online platform that gives global exposure to people who love taking photographs. GuruShots members start out as Newbies and compete with other photographers to win challenges, increase their ranking on the site and eventually progress to coveted ‘Guru’ status. Challenges are voted on by Gurus and the wider GuruShots community, and there’s freshphotochallengeeveryday. Winnersreceive prizesfrom GuruShots’ sponsors, including Lowepro, Kodak and Lensbaby. Check out www.gurushots.com to find out more.…

Sigma’s second lens for the Canon RF mount is here, and it’s the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN | C. Announced back in October 2023 for Sony E, Fujifilm X and L-Mount, the 10-18mm f/2.8 is “the world’s smallest and lightest ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C cameras” – and is the perfect complement to Sigma’s first Canon RF mount lens, the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN | C. With a full-frame equivalent focal range of 16-28.8mm and constant f/2.8 aperture through the zoom range, the lens fills a much-needed gap for Canon EOS R7, R10, R50 and R100 owners. It retains the same core technical specs as previously seen, with 13 elements in 10 groups, 7 aperture blades, a minimum focus distance of 11.6cm (at 10mm), weather sealing, and a…

What to look for Canon EOS camera ranges Canon splits its EOS range into mirrorless cameras and DSLRs. Its older DSLR line-up includes beginner, enthusiast and pro ranges; the EOS 4000D is the most basic, the 850D for intermediates, the 90D and full-frame 6D Mk II for advanced enthusiasts, and the full-frame pro-level 5D and 1D lines. Over the page are the two EOS mirrorless ranges: Canon’s smaller, older APS-C EOS M cameras, and Canon’s EOS R System APS-C and full-frame cameras that offer the very latest digital technology. The APS-C crop-sensor EOS R50, R10 and R7 are smaller, affordable entry-level options. While the EOS R8 up to the R6 Mark II, R5 and flagship R3 are full-frame for serious enthusiasts to professionals. Canon’s EOS R cameras are packed with…

FREE VIDEO GUIDES! In the next Canon Skills chapter… ◼ Motion blur with a leaf blower! ◼ Time for magical macro shots of watches ◼ How to shoot dewy spiderwebs at dawn ◼ Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo tutorials PLUS ALL THIS… ◼ New Canon Setup Guide: Discover how to get the best out of your EOS camera◼ Canon Profile: Awesome architecture photographer Fernando Guerra◼ Super Test: Which Canon EOS R mirrorless camera is best? We test eight of the current range in the lab ISSUE 224 ON SALE 7 NOVEMBER 2024 * Content subject to change…