Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine

As photographers, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut with the places or things we photograph, and the way we capture them. To help you start the year with an open mind, to be inspired to improve your Canon camera skills and start a new chapter with your photography, we’ve got 25 great tips for you in 2025. We’ve covered everything from cutting-edge techniques to creative camera skills, plus we show you how to use light in better ways – see page 28 to get cracking. Also inside, our PhotoPlus Apprentice and Canon pro Jeremy Flint reveal Part 2 of our special photography city break in Budapest, concentrating on the Pest side of the city, and the incredible architecture, both inside and outside. See page 8. In Canon Skills,…

01 BONNETS IN FERNS BY SOPHIA SPURGIN CATEGORY: FUNGI & SLIME MOULDS Sophia took this beautiful shot of a pair of fungi nestled among ferns in Hatfield Forest, Hertfordshire. She explained: “When photographing flowers, I often use a technique called ‘shooting through’, where you place other flowers or foliage in front of the lens. I wanted to try this with fungi to create something a little different and more painterly. I chose two fungi in good condition and placed some moss in front to soften the foreground. Then I arranged a few pieces of fern around the fungi, keeping them slightly closer so they weren’t quite in focus. I still wanted detail in the fungi, so I took several photos and stacked them at home using Zerene Stacker. Some additional light…

I do not hold fast to all tenets of modern photography thinking. For example, good light is (to me) appreciated, not required. I firmly believe that composition and content trump light any day of the week, but I do agree it is better if you have both. If you take a strong image, light is always the complement, that sprinkle of magic. With good light there is always an immediate intrigue, but this soon fades with weak composition. Composition is the heart, the centre and the strength of an image. Some of my best imagery has been taken in hard light, simply because the content of the image is very strong. I managed to remind myself of this fact last year, on a roadside on Ireland’s famous Ring of Kerry, when…

Winter months bring cold and frost, but they also spoil us keen landscape photographers with days of unparalleled light – low, warm and directional. It’s in these conditions where we do our best to shield our lenses from flare. However, avoiding this by-product of the low winter sun can mean you miss out on a chance to inject some atmosphere and character into a landscape scene – particularly more wellknown viewpoints that have been snapped a thousand times before. By embracing and seeking out flare, you can make the most of the conditions and inject ethereal character into your pictures. There are some approaches to this technique that will prove more successful than others however. Try to avoid landscape scenes without a main focal point – the flare is there…

Point Color is a new feature in Lightroom and Camera Raw that allows for fine adjustments of colours. It works by allowing you to zero in on a specific colour range. As such, it’s a bit like the Hue, Saturation and Luminosity controls in the Color Mixer panel. But while these older tools only allow for adjustments to eight predefined colour ranges, with the new Point Color tool, you can be much more specific in defining your own range of colours to be adjusted. When you want to tweak something like the delicate range of reds and oranges in a sunset, the tool can work wonders. Once you’ve targeted the range of colours to tweak, you can change their Hue, Saturation and Luminosity. The tool isn’t designed for huge colour…

Photo essays from PhotoPlus readers and professional photographers alike The Ski World Cup is held in Wengen, Switzerland, and is a sight to behold. Every January, the Lauberhorn ski races draw crowds from all over the world. As a photographer myself, it’s a goldmine for action opportunities. The Lauberhorn slope isn’t just any course – it’s the longest in the World Cup, stretching an impressive 4.455 km. Skiers race down a course that takes a whopping two and a half minutes to finish. Not only is it long; the course is breathtakingly beautiful. Then there’s ‘Hundschopf’ – a heart-stopping 130ft jump over a rock nose that fans flock to. Watching skiers navigate this jump is like watching poetry in motion. I’m always up for a challenge. And boy, does ski…

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…

APPRENTICE NAME: PETER BAKER CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MK IV SINCE retiring 10 years ago, Peter, 70, has been enjoying getting out with his camera and regularly enters his camera club’s photography competitions. He has even picked up a few awards in recent years; achievements include becoming a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society (LRPS) and Distinction award at the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (DPAGB). We join him on the second day of his weekend trip to Budapest as our Apprentice understudying Canon travel pro Jeremy Flint. CANON PRO NAME: JEREMY FLINT CAMERA: CANON EOS R5 OXFORD-BASED Jeremy, 48, gave up his day job as an accountant in 2016 to follow his dream of becoming a travel photographer. He won the National Geographic Traveller Grand Prize in 2016 with an image of fishermen…

The first month of the year is a chance for new beginnings, lifestyle changes and fresh endeavours. So, why not start by getting creative with your camera? Over the next 12 pages, we’ll explore a range of ideas to help you kick-start your photography in 2025. You’ll find a host of camera tricks, project ideas and lifestyle hacks that will leave you keen to grab your Canon and get shooting. We’ll begin by exploring some of the cutting-edge techniques and technological advances that make Canon photography in 2025 more accessible and exciting than ever. We’ll explore an array of fun shooting projects that anybody can try, from simple camera tricks to eye-catching lighting techniques. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or keen to learn new camera skills, you’ll find plenty of…

Bokeh is one of the most beautiful optical effects. These out-of-focus highlights not only lead to wonderful, dreamy backdrops, but they can also be used for creative composite effects. In this project, we’ll look at how to combine a series of bokeh images with a portrait. If you want to use your own portrait for this effect, it needs to be shot against a dark backdrop, so shoot it against black material or outside at night. To enhance the atmosphere, light the portrait from one side and slightly behind, like our image here, as this way the bokeh blends more naturally with the light over the subject. We’ve also supplied a range of colourful bokeh images for you to try out on your photos. But why not go out and…

Landscape photography has been a passion of mine now for over a decade and with having my own dog walking business, that’s enabled me to travel across the UK to capture some of my favourite locations. I started off mainly taking images with my camera, but over the last few years I’ve taken more images with my DJI drone which has taken my photography to a whole new level. Alternating between my camera and drone allows for different perspectives at the same location. I’ve been lucky enough over the years to be able to travel all over the UK from the Isle of Skye to the coasts of Cornwall to capture some beautiful landscape images. More recently I have been trying my hand at intimate landscapes close to home, which…

Organize and find your photos Digital Photo Professional’s tools make it simple to find and process your best shots DPP is primarily thought of as a RAW image processing tool for extracting outstanding image quality from your EOS camera’s RAW files. However it can also help manage your collection of images – which is great when you have a continuously expanding archive. Learning how to make effective use of Canon’s DPP’s organization features can save you money too, if you’ve ever found yourself purchasing extra storage instead of deleting old uninteresting photos. Few people can keep track of the location of their best images across multiple folders, so the effort pays off in the long term. Some of the default settings in DPP need changing when working with large numbers…

DAVID COBB, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE SAYS… While ambling up Botswana’s Chobe river in a small wobbly boat, we came across this kingfisher perched on the reeds surveying its next meal. I had several failed attempts to follow the bird and capture its dive into the river using full zoom on my RF 100-500mm lens. Ultimately I decided to have the start and end of the entire dive in the frame and let the EOS R5’s AF Eye Detection and tracking do the work. I used 186mm for the actual picture, but cropped in to an area similar to using a 400mm. Subsequent action was so fast that I had no idea what I actually had until later. BRIAN SAYS… What an amazingly colourful bird, and the vibrant colours make it stand out…

Choosing lenses Key factors to watch out for The main factors to consider in a lens are its focal length, maximum aperture and if it’s full-frame compatible or not. We’ve categorized lenses by focal length range from wide-angle to telephoto. The larger a lens’s maximum aperture, the ‘faster’ it is. 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 mirrorless cameras, the dedicated Canon RF lenses are best, but using Canon’s Mount Adapter EF-EOS R enables EF-S and EF lenses to be used on EOS R cameras. Contacts Canon www.canon.co.uk Peleng www.digitaltoyshop.co.uk Samyang www.samyang-lens.co.uk Schneider www.linhofstudio.com Sigma www.sigma-imaging-uk.com Tamron www.tamron.co.uk Tokina www.tokinalens.com Zeiss…

Letter of the Month I read your project on using vintage lenses with great interest in PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine issue 226, as I’ve been wondering for years what to do with my old film SLR lenses, sat in a box in my study. But I couldn’t help noticing the Canon camera used had a bit of tape covering the model number on the front? Was this perhaps a new unreleased Canon camera PhotoPlus mag had access to? Stephen Cooper, Swansea Dan Mold, deputy editor, replies: “Unfortunately the answer is not as exciting as you are perhaps thinking! I simply use a bit of black tape to cover up the Canon logo and model number on my cameras when I’m doing street photography, to make it stand out less and…

media://hotshot-5.jpg/ PETER’S COMMENT “302 steps took us to the St Stephen’s Basilica gallery, rewarding us with fantastic panoramic views of the city and many of the iconic landmarks including the Ferris wheel of Budapest, Danube river and Hungarian parliament building. It was an overcast, rainy evening so we didn’t get a sunset. Instead we prepared to photograph the parliament building in blue hour and set up our cameras on tripods in order to combat the low light. I zoomed in to 180mm to get a frame-filling shot. The best blue colours came about 20 minutes after sunset when the bright lights on the parliament building lit up and strongly stood out from the dark blue background.” JEREMY’S VERDICT “What a brilliant weekend we’ve had in Budapest! It was worth splitting…

Take out a subscription to PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine with a great half-price discount, plus no-hassle home delivery Reasons to subscribe today • Subscribe to PhotoPlus for essential Canon camera techniques, tests and photography projects every issue • Free delivery to your door or device every month • Pay less than in the shops. Subscribe now and enjoy a 50% saving off print issues – that’s just £3 per issue! OPTION 1: SAVE 50%!* PRINT SUBSCRIPTION EVERY 6 MONTHS FROM £19.46* • 6 PhotoPlus print issues delivered to your door • Get print issues for only £3 each • Digital access to over 110 issues when you subscribe!** OPTION 2: SAVE 50%!* DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION EVERY 6 MONTHS FROM £22.71* • 6 PhotoPlus digital issues for your device • Get digital…

One of the most captivating – albeit often infuriating – things about photographing glassware is how the glass reflects the light around it. When it works, the light can wrap around the object and highlight the curving shape in the most delightful way. But when it goes wrong, it can be a complete mess. Often, the difference between perfection and failure is in the slight tweak of a light position, or perhaps the use This is one of the best things about photographing glass at home, the problem solving and the process. It’s hugely rewarding when everything eventually gels in a perfectly-lit image. There’s something wonderful about spending an afternoon with nothing more than a few glasses, a flash and your Canon camera. It’s a challenging subject to shoot, but…

If there’s one thing that can really make a difference to your photos, it’s increasing the contrast. What’s contrast, I hear you say? In a nutshell, adding contrast deepens the darker areas of the photo and brightens the lighter areas. Reducing the contrast does the opposite and makes everything look greyer. There’s another word you can use for low contrast – flat. And who wants their images to look flat? Contrast has an added side benefit. Unless a tool specifically includes a way to prevent it, adding contrast will also add saturation as a bonus effect. As well as getting a richer tone, you also get better colour – a true win-win situation. Lightroom has several tools that add contrast in different ways and you’ll see these in action as…

JOSH DURY has been fascinated by the night sky since he was young. At seven, he loved watching the animated series Biker Mice from Mars (and programmes like The Sky at Night) and soon set about finding ways to view Mars himself. Josh initially used CCD cameras for planetary imaging but later transitioned to landscape astrophotography due to the lower cost and improved technology that allowed him to capture the night sky. His love of astrophotography comes from his love of astronomy, and the idea that looking up at the night sky makes our problems feel small, compared to the vast galaxy. His work is a love letter to the awe of stargazing, and camera high ISO noise performance, image sharpness and wide-angle lens development have all helped him improve…

Get all these benefits with PhotoPlus for your iPad and iPhone Wherever you are in the world, you can get new issues when they go on sale in the UK! And much more… 1. GET THE APP Scan the QR code (left) or go to the App store on your Apple device and search for ‘photoplus’ and then install the app. Now you can open the app on your iPad and/or iPhone. Any issues you buy will be stored in My Library. 2. USE THE APP In the app, you can then buy any single issues, preview the current issue, scroll to find and buy any previous issues, as well as buy a selection of our great camera and photo bookazines available. 3. START YOUR FREE TRIAL Tap Subscribe for…

“If flash is only a brief burst of light, why does a Speedlite have a high speed sync setting to freeze action?” James Kirby, Blackpool BRIAN SAYS… The flash terminology is the common cause of confusion. At very low power levels, a small battery-powered Speedlite emits a very short duration of flash, lasting less than 1/1000 sec, which is enough to freeze most action. Only when the sensor is fully uncovered by both shutter curtains will the flash fire in sync with the shutter. High speed sync mode causes the flash to emit light for a longer duration, so it’s more like a short duration of constant light, and it can be used with shutter speeds faster than the camera’s sync speed, above 1/200 sec, say. Portrait photographers often like…

THE CONTENDERS The new year is the perfect time for a new start, or at least for trying something new. And there’s always something new to try when it comes to photography, with a vast range of genres to sink your teeth into. Some of us might have been lucky enough to get a new Canon EOS camera for Christmas, others might already have one. Either way, the chances are that your camera probably came with a kit zoom lens. These typically stretch from a moderately wide viewing angle at the short end of the zoom range, to modest telephoto reach at the long end. They work just fine for general, everyday shooting, but won’t enable you to see the whole picture, so to speak. For sweeping landscapes and cityscapes,…

THE NO.1 MAGAZINE FOR CANON USERS! FREE VIDEO GUIDES! In the next Canon Skills chapter… ■ Starling murmuration photo tips ■ Liven up still lifes with light painting ■ Taylor Brady’s newborn photography advice ■ New Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo tutorials PLUS ALL THIS… ■ Outdoor Photography: Top Canon pro Guy Edwardes shares his best 20 tips ■ Super Test: We test the best Canon Speedlites to light up your world ■ Canon Profile: Amanda Akokhia, award-winning UK-based Nigerian photographer, on her success story ISSUE 228 ON SALE 27 FEBRUARY 2025 * Content subject to change…