Table of contents for February 2021 in Digital Camera Magazine

Happy New Year – let’s hope it’s a good one! And it will have got off to a great start if you found yourself unboxing a camera on Christmas Day. If this is your first step into the wonderful world of digital photography, then help is at hand – our Camera Crash Course (p60) covers all the basics, whether you are the proud owner of a new DSLR or a mirrorless. And if you need some inspiration on what to shoot with it, we have this covered, too, with some terrific new projects in Photo Active (p16) and Stay at Home (p43). You’ll also learn a lot from the work of the two top pros featured in this issue: Christy Lee Rogers (p10) and Rankin (p132). Elsewhere this month, read…

Alongside my main career as a veterinary surgeon, I have been enjoying photography for about 10 years now, and take most inspiration from the natural world and the wildlife that fills it. In 2017, I was lucky enough to take a year out from work, to travel the world backpacking with my wife. I visited so many beautiful places and saw so much incredible wildlife that my passion for photography just grew and grew. I experiment a lot with post-processing, and use my images to try to capture the emotions I experience while enjoying the natural world. I enjoy working with light and shadow to sculpt a scene, and use colour to set the tone. This condor was shot as it soared across the peaks of Torres del Paine National…

Get this great Vanguard shoulder bag by subscribing today at: www.magazinesdirect.com/dcm/veo38 or call 0330 333 1113 and quote ‘Veo38’ Subscribe to Digital Camera for a year and get this brilliant bag to store your camera grear NIall Hampton Editor, Digital Camera Great features of the Vanguard Veo Discover 38 shoulder bag It’s a discreet messenger bag that fits a DSLR or mirrorless camera with lens There’s also enough room for 1-2 lenses, a flash, essential accessories, an 11in laptop or tablet, and a tripod Low-key and contemporary design for the modern world Top reasons to subscribe now! ✓ Great savings Subscribe for 12 months and get your 13 issues delivered to your door, your digital device, or both! Just choose between the three options below ✓ Vanguard Veo Discover 38…

FRONT VIEWS 1 SHUTTER BUTTON The shutter button triggers the camera’s shutter, which exposes the sensor to light that enters through the lens. A half-press of the shutter triggers the autofocus and locks the metering. 2 POP-UP FLASH The camera works out the strength needed for the flash by metering the subject. You can also dial in more or less power with flash compensation. A lower power is often useful outside: it creates a fill light that subtly lifts shadows. 3 ZOOM RING Zoom lenses have a barrel ring that lets you adjust the angle of view. Rest the underside of the zoom ring in the palm of your hand with the fingers on the right and thumb on the left for an easily adjustable grip. 4 EXPOSURE COMPENSATION The…

THE RULE OF THIRDS Divide the scene into three and place important points on the intersections This is a classic technique that works well when the scene has a single, easily definable subject. Place the subject on a point where the lines meet in the image. Visually, this is often more interesting than plonking it in the middle of the frame. For landscapes, place the horizon line on a third. Like all rules on composition, don’t be afraid to break it if it leads to a more interesting image. USE LEADING LINES Look for lines that point towards your subject Straight or bendy, you’ll find lines everywhere you look: roads, rivers, fences, walls, trees, skies, and so on. The viewer’s eye will naturally be drawn along the lines, so position…

1 CAMERAS As well as the type of sensor and feature set, the size and weight of your camera can make a big difference. DSLRs are larger and heavier than mirrorless cameras but are more established, but mirrorless systems keep on going from strength to strength. 2 EXTRA LENSES One of the biggest advantages of owning a DSLR or mirrorless is the interchangeable-lens system. A quality lens is just as important as the camera body, so it really pays to build up your collection of extra lenses over time. 3 FILTERS Lens-mounted filters offer a variety of effects. A polarising filter intensifies colours; a neutral-density or ND filter cuts out light; and a graduated ND filter balances landscapes by darkening the sky. 4 MEMORY CARDS Memory cards are cheap, so…

WINNER Debrani Das Instagram: @debranidas Debrani Das is a Kolkata-based street photographer. She loves being on the street, capturing unseen and magical moments which are unpredictable and candid. Photography not only opens up new avenues for Das to explore, but it also helps her to reinstate herself. Das is one of the curators of World Photographic Forum and a member of StreetEye Collective. Her work has been exhibited in NewYork City and Kuala Lumpur. “The series is based on a woman, and I named it Woman in Solitude,” she says. “I love to play a rhythm with my images. A visual poetry has to have its soul, and I love to bring out that soul though my photographs.” SHORTLISTED Zsuzsanna Nagy, @zzaphotoaday Zsuzsanna Nagy grew up in Hungary and currently…

FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 9 PAGES OF EXPERT ADVICE! 25 FREE SKIES! Give your photos a new look This month 96 Step by Step: Replace your skies Give your scene a new sky – and use one of your 25 free skies in your download! 98 Tool School: Color Mixer Get to grips with a versatile chroma tool for Camera Raw or Lightroom 100 Fundamentals: Female portraits Get your model shots looking their best with Lightroom or Camera Raw 102 Get The Look: Skies Four fast ways to give the sky in your landscape shots a whole new look This month’s video tutorials and start files The issue 238 download includes 77 minutes of video that provide more details on the techniques in the tutorials – see page 8 for…

SAVE THE DATE! MARCH 6 & 7, 2021 Join us for Spring Shoots The Photography Show & The Video Show virtual festival returns in March – don’t miss its programme of talks, demos and clinics, plus a 24/7 shopping platform Save the date! Spring Shoots, The Photography Show & The Video Show’s virtual festival, will take place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March. Building on the format of last September’s online event, Spring Shoots will offer another extensive programme of talks, workshops and masterclasses, plus advice clinics and product showcases. A dedictated shopping platform will be open on a 24/7 basis over the weekend; this and all other features of Spring Shoots can be accessed through one event website. Going into more detail, the show’s tutorials will run for…

114 Fujifilm X-S10 _ A new compact mirrorless with DSLR-like controls 118 Leica Q2 Monochrom _ A treat for fans of black-and-white photography 122 Nikkor Z 14-24mm _ Another compelling lens for Nikon Z users 123 Lumix S Pro 50mm _ This fast prime gives fabulous image quality Fujifilm’s new X-S10 is an interesting move for the brand. Its excellent compact X-T camera range needs no introduction here, with form factors and dials familiar to anyone who has used a 35mm film camera. The new X-S10 dispenses with some of these controls, in favour of the PASM dial as seen on many DSLRs. Reading between the lines, perhaps it was felt that some DSLR photographers needed added familiarity before crossing over to a mirrorless system. But while its controls may…

www.nikon.co.uk Most of us wanting a wide-angle zoom for a Z-mount Nikon mirrorless camera should look no further than the impressive Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S, which delivers exceptional image quality and excellent all-round performance in a relatively compact and lightweight construction, at an affordable price. There are those, however, who desire a faster, more top-flight f/2.8 aperture rating. That’s the driving force behind the newer 14-24mm, which doesn’t go as far in terms of zoom range, but gives you a whole extra f-stop to play with. The optical path of the lens is of the highest order, featuring three top-grade aspherical elements and four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, along with both Nano Crystal Coat and Arneo coatings, plus a moisture- and grease-repellent fluorine coating on the front element, which also…

Christy Lee Rogers Visual artist Having grown up in Hawaii, perhaps it’s not surprising that water features so large in Christy’s work. Find out how she channels it on page 10. Rankin Portrait photographer In a glittering career, Rankin has shot all the global rock stars who matter. But what’s it like photographing your icons and heroes? Turn to page 132. Shona Dickson Photographer A multi-discipline photographer based in Scotland, Shona takes us behind the scenes on one of her outdoor styled shoots – with a Viking theme! Page 32. Jon Devo Photographer and writer Is in-game stills capture taking photography to new places? As a keen follower of technology as well as photography, our columnist thinks so. Page 112. Storm Self-portraitist Meet an image creator with a very distinctive…

10 things to shoot, edit or create this month, including Viking portraits, bodypaint in the dark and wily foxes Shooting portraits featuring multiple subjects has been always been a crucial skill set for me, whether it is for a magazine feature or campaign imagery for a record label. In my experience, time with my subject is a luxury, not a given, so my ability to deliver a brief in any location and in an efficient manner is crucial. Using strobes on location opens up a whole world of possibilities that simply relying upon ambient light does not offer. The ‘hurry up and wait’ nature of being on assignment means I have to be constantly adaptable, and able to offer consistently solid results – regardless of whether we lose the break…

Many businesses have had difficulty surviving during the lockdowns, and photographers are no exception. In order to stay afloat myself, I felt the need to adapt my plans to progress some ideas I had prior to lockdown. I was disappointed to have to cancel a group photoshoot I had planned with Norse Dragon Armoury when Covid restrictions took hold – but, rather than give up the opportunity to photograph Viking-themed shots entirely, I enlisted the help of my husband Scott. He may not have been the entire group of models I’d initially booked, and we didn’t have the assistance of the makeup artists I’d initially planned, but as an avid Viking fan, he was keen to help me out. We kept it simple and local. Caerlaverock Castle provided the perfect…

As photographers, we strive to own the best cameras and accessories we can afford, but are we getting the best from them? One path towards self-improvement is to join one of the online groups that can be found on sites such as Flickr. Being part of such a group means much more than simply being a member. The opportunity exists to share ideas; to gain knowledge from others with their hands-on use of the latest generation of digital cameras; and to learn new techniques. Being able to view a large and diverse collection of images can only encourage and inspire other members towards capturing that winning shot of their own! I am part of Purist Photography, which began last summer. We have recently started our own Image of the Month…

Projects to do in the comfort of your own home! The New Year is bringing hope of an ever-closer end to lockdowns and restrictions, but right now it’s still a good idea to stay close to home. This issue’s projects offer inspiration for shooting in your back garden or enjoying some fresh air with a quiet walk in the woods. Many winter days start with mist and fog: we show how getting out early on such days is the perfect chance to capture truly evocative images, and offer tips for editing them to perfection. And there’s another batch of brilliant reader photos! PROJECT 1 44 Marvellous mist and fog Find out how to take advantage of these conditions during the winter months to create ethereal photos of landscapes and treescapes…

1 ‘Tills’ by Dave Atkinson “This shot of my mother-in-law’s miniature dachshund Tilly was taken against a black backdrop in the dining room, with a couple of flashes either side to balance the lighting. I used an aperture of f/8 for a little extra depth of field, testing my hyperfocal knowledge to ensure everything in focus was sharp. I then made a little adjustment in Lightroom to flatten the black backdrop and selectively bring out some of Tilly’s features. The in-laws were so pleased with the results that they had it printed and framed: it’s now pride of place in their lounge!” Digital Camera says: Shooting black on black always presents a major subject separation challenge to photographers. A conventional style always results in a highquality finish when executed well.…

APERTURE Adjust the lens to allow more or less light through When you focus on a point, there is an area in front and behind the point that also appears sharp. This is the depth of field. It can be changed by the lens aperture. A wide aperture lets more light in and produces a limited plane of focus. A narrow aperture restricts the light and records a greater expanse of sharpness. Aperture sizes are referred to as f-numbers, like f/8. f/2.8 IDEAL FOR… PORTRAITS Use a wide aperture to create dreamy background blur (bokeh) when you want to emphasise your subject. f/8 IDEAL FOR… OUTDOOR ACTION A medium aperture is great for shooting moving subjects in natural light, and achieving focus throughout the image. f/16 IDEAL FOR… LANDSCAPES For…

WIDE-ANGLE Shorter lenses fit more scene in the frame The angle of view of a lens is determined by its focal length. Wide-angle lenses have a focal length of 24mm or below, and allow you to fit more of a scene into the frame, so they’re useful for shooting landscapes or architecture. But wideangle lenses exaggerate perspective and create distortion when used too close to a subject, which can be unflattering if you’re shooting people close-up. (The exception would be if this look was a deliberate aesthetic choice.) TELEPHOTO Longer lenses get you closer to distant subjects A telephoto lens (anything above a focal length of 85mm) produces a tight angle of view. This allows you to zoom in to distant details or focus attention on a small portion of a given scene.…

Jon is a professional photographer and writer. He also provides one-to-one and smallgroup tuition in both digital SLR and Photoshop image-editing skills. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 25 FREE SKIES! digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 In this digital age, there are two schools of thought in photography. One says you use your skill and judgement to capture a single moment in time in-camera, while the other says you use all your skills and judgement to create the best possible image. With these two extremes, most of us are on a sliding scale somewhere between the two: even a photo purist will push the adjustments in raw conversion software to eke out the best version of what they got in the can. The new Sky Replacement Tool in Photoshop CC 2021 definitely pushes you out towards…

James is a professional photographer who specialises in landscape and portraits. He’s an advanced Photoshop user and has created hundreds of tutorials. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 The sky is a crucial element of landscape photography; in many respects, it can make or break scenic shots. Of course, there are landscape images that don’t include the sky for compositional and aesthetic reasons, but for those that do, it’s an area of interest that offers a great deal of potential for applying effects to this part of the scene. While much of the control you have over how skies are captured is achieved through the use of filters during shooting, there are a few post-processing techniques you can apply. The techniques we’ll cover include transforming a scene from day to night using…

www.fujifilm.co.uk The Fujifilm X-S10 marks an interesting shift in Fujifilm’s camera range. Until now, its more advanced mirrorless cameras have all featured external shutter speed dials, plus (depending on the model) external lens aperture rings and ISO dials. Instead, the X-S10 reverts to a regular mode dial as seen on countless competitors. Fujifilm’s old-school approach to camera design and external exposure control has won it lots of fans, and is featured on the Fujifilm X-T4 flagship model, the rangefinder-style X-Pro3 and the super-compact X-T30. Fujifilm also makes more beginner-orientated models with conventional mode dials and exposure controls, namely the Fujifilm X-A7 and the X-T200. The Fujifilm X-S10 also has a conventional mode dial, and might at first seem like a bridge between Fujifilm’s beginner cameras and its more advanced models.…

www.panasonic.co.uk One advantage of mirrorless cameras over SLRs is that they’re lighter and more compact. It seems that nobody told Panasonic, however: its full-frame mirrorless S1, S1R and S1H cameras are at least as big and heavy as competing SLRs. It seems that its L-mount lenses are following suit, if this S Pro 50mm f/1.4 is anything to go by. It measures a whopping 90 x 130mm and tips the scales at 955g, making it almost as large and considerably heavier than most full-frame compatible 70-300mm telephoto zooms. That’s because Panasonic, with more than a little help from Leica, has set about creating an absolutely top-performance 50mm prime with absolutely no concession to compactness. For a 50mm prime, the S Pro has a large and complex optical path, based on…

HOW TO GET YOUR DIGITAL GIFTS STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 Enter the URL above into the destination bar of your internet browser – we’re using Google Chrome, but other browsers work in a similar way. Please do not enter it in any search field or search bar (see the examples above). This will take you to a page on our website. STEP 2 START YOUR DOWNLOAD Just click the highlighted link Here you’ll find all the files, videos and resources to accompany this issue of Digital Camera. Scroll to just underneath the image and click on Download the disc for Digital Camera 238 and your download will start. It should only take a few minutes on most broadband connections. STEP 3 ACCESS YOUR FILES Open the. zip In…

Since his childhood in Padua, Italy, Giuliano Scarparo has always been attracted to photography and nature in all its aspects. Over the last several years, he has developed an interest in nature photography, setting out in search of various encounters with the whole animal world. Photography is leading him to collaborate with various companies in the industry, always trying to improve his skills and grow his community on social media. His continuous contact with nature leads Giuliano to experience incredible emotions. The need to feel free leads him to look for the perfect scene, the perfect light and the perfect subject to be immortalised, in order to share the emotion that surrounds him with all his followers. He has a particular interest in the world of mammals, especially foxes, as…

If I’m being honest, this is a completely new genre for me – but I’m a great believer in pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to acquire new skills or improve on old ones. I had worked with Panda, aka ‘Painted Peach’, a couple of times in the past on larger-than-life character portraits: she is the go-to girl for creative makeup or bodypaint. When you try anything new, it’s often a case of trial and error. Our set of three ultraviolet lights weren’t particularly powerful, but they did the trick. Once we had shot a bunch of simple portraits to get the ball rolling, I tried to introduce some movement into the shot. I upped the shutter speed to 1/500 sec to get a reasonable capture of the movement,…

Motorsport and taking photos are great passions of mine. I believe photography is the best way to get involved with this sport (after actually being a racing driver). I see a resemblance between these two worlds. As I watch drivers work in harmony with their cars, pushing the limits of themselves and their machines, trying to go faster every lap, I intuitively use my camera, always trying to execute the next shot better than before. I always set myself challenges to look for new angles to creatively capture the sense of motion, the colours and the vibrancy of the sport. Learning and experimenting with new techniques and ideas is what I find very enjoyable and motivating. I know that the journey to becoming a professional motorsport photographer is long and…

Winter is a season of fantastic legends and stories, which reflects the weather at this time of year. You can produce your own magical shots with a bit of planning; keeping an eye on weather forecasts will enable you to venture out to capture some marvellous mystical scenes in your local woodland or countryside. Whether there’s snow, fog or mist, it is worth getting out with your camera and tripod at dusk or dawn to bag the sort of moody shots you can only get at this time of year. Make sure you are well prepared with the right clothing: a warm woolly hat, gloves, and a flask of a warm drink – as well as making sure you take your phone with you. Do not venture too far from…

Spending more time at home has given us a great opportunity to take full advantage of winter sunlight as a creative light source. In this project, we’re going to explore some ways to get the most from this kind of lighting, and experiment with camera settings to produce different styles of image. At this time of year in the northern hemisphere, the sun is lower in the sky and casts long shadows, so if it’s a cloudless morning you’ll be rewarded for making an early start. First, analyse your garden or outside space to find out where the light hits, and when and how it affects objects. With light and shadow levels changing throughout the day, brightness will come from different angles, and its intensity will vary. Applying this method…

One of the best things about photography is that it’s so easy to take up, yet it offers untold depth to those who choose to seek it out. Anybody can take a picture, and almost everyone you know has a camera in their pocket. But all it takes to separate the real enthusiast from the occasional taker of snapshots is a little extra knowledge. This crash course focuses on the fundamentals of photography, and will benefit anyone who has just received a new camera and wants to get the most out if it. So go ahead and dive in! YOUR CRASH COURSE CONTENTS PART 1 CAMERA ANATOMY Your guided tour to what all those buttons actually do… PAGE 62 PART 2 UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE The three factors that decide how a…

THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE How aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together in perfect harmony Imagine that aperture, shutter speed and ISO are three sides of a triangle. If you alter one element, you have to compensate by adjusting at least one of the other two. For example, a wide aperture and a short shutter speed might produce the same exposure as a narrow aperture with a longer shutter speed, but the resulting images will look different. Widening the aperture allows more light through, so you compensate either with a short shutter speed to keep the flow of light brief, or a low ISO to make the sensor less sensitive to the light that hits it. The longer the shutter is open, the more light shines through. To prevent overexposure, compensate…

FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 With over a decade’s experience as a writer and photographer, James is also an accomplished image editor – and an expert in Affinity Photo. Raw editing is the essential first step in the editing process for any photographer who takes advantage of the raw format. It might require an extra step in the post-processing workflow, but the benefits of shooting raw are worth it: greater dynamic range, more colours, and multiple options for achieving the look you want. Just as essential are the right tools for the job. In Affinity Photo, we process our raws within the Develop Persona. Offering a range of familiar tonal tools, lens correction settings, sharpening sliders and local adjustment tools, this dedicated raw workspace is a one-stop shop for making initial…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc238 Available in both Lightroom and Photoshop’s Camera Raw filter, the Hue, Saturation and Luminosity tools within the Color Mixer box give you a fine degree of control over the colours and tones in your images. Whether you want to subtly alter a colour or change it completely, these tools can help. Here we’ve made use of the Color Mixer tools to re-colour the backdrop without affecting the subject. This takes mere seconds with a targeted Hue adjustment, and doesn’t require any complicated selections or cut-outs. You simply enable the Hue sampler, then drag over the backdrop to alter the colour. If you want…

www.leica-camera.com The Leica Q2 Monochrom (like the regular Q2) does not form part of Leica’s regular camera ranges. It might look closest in design and audience to the Leica M range, and the Summilux lens bears the same name as some legendary M lenses, but this is a compact camera with an electronic viewfinder and a fixed lens, and is about as far from the M rangefinder design as you can get. The Leica Q2 is designed for photographers who are happy to embrace the limitations and the creative constraints of a fixed focal length lens in exchange for a stripped-down way of seeing and composing images, combined with some of the finest engineering in the camera world. You don’t buy a Leica Q2 to get the most features for…

www.apple.com In the newest annual round of iPhone releases, not only are there four different new iPhone models, there are also four different camera variations. In the past, Apple has used the same camera unit in both its standard-sized Pro model and the Pro Max. This year, however, there are some key differences between the two. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is arguably the very best option for iPhone photographers, with a range of features designed to entice photographers who are willing to pay a premium for them. Key features At first glance, the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s camera set-up doesn’t seem too different from its predecessor (the iPhone 11 Pro Max), or indeed its smaller sibling, the iPhone 12 Pro. Each has a triple-lens set up, but there are…