Table of contents for August 2021 in Digital Camera Magazine

Could you shoot a creative photo portfolio in just one day? That’s the challenge we’re issuing in this month’s cover feature, from page 62. Follow the hints and tips to make the most of the many photo opportunities offered by the long summer days – we look forward to seeing how you get on. You’ll also find plenty of fresh inspiration in Photo Active (p18), Stay at Home (p43) and Camera College (p74), while Hotshots (p84) serves up a platter of tasty treats courtesy of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards. Also in this issue, we enjoy a One to One pro masterclass with maternity photographer Kitty Clark (p10), and Kristin Bedford takes us behind the scenes of her Cruise Night project, set in Los Angeles (p134).…

56 MINUTES OF VIDEO DEPTH BLUR www.bit.ly/dc245blur Download 56 minutes of video training for Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc245 COLOUR-GRADE YOUR PHOTOS www.bit.ly/dc245grade CREATE PERFECT SUNSETS www.bit.ly/dc245filter CITYSCAPE COLOUR www.bit.ly/dc245city CREATE A PORTRAIT COLLAGE www.bit.ly/dc245collage IMPRESSIONIST IMAGES www.bit.ly/dc245borders FABULOUS FLORALS www.bit.ly/dc245flower GO ON A DAMSELFLY SHOOT www.bit.ly/dc245damselfly…

“On a photographer-model level, success comes mostly from an empathetic approach while shooting – helping the mother-to-be relax by talking openly and inviting discussion about motherhood and birth, their hopes and dreams for the future, and how they have felt during this pregnancy. Empowering the model by being both a guide and a cheerleader helps, too; giving gentle instruction for movement, while reminding them how powerful and beautiful they look. (Many of them won’t feel this way for much of the pregnancy, so you need to encourage this feeling for a successful shoot.) “Social media has really been the main driving force for my paid work. You may need to do some free or low-paid shoots in the beginning to help get the content you need to attract paying clients.…

The UK has several birds of prey species, but how do you find them and photograph them in flight? Great places to get started include nature reserves, such as RSPB Titchwell and RSPB Minsmere. They have various habitats that suit marsh harriers, kestrels, red kites and buzzards. The reserves have their own websites, which will have a sightings page to let you know what has been seen and when. There are also various apps and websites dedicated to bird sightings, such as www.birdguides.com. When you’re out and about looking for wildlife, wear dark clothing, be as quiet as possible, take your time, and use your ears as well as your eyes. You are more likely to hear a buzzard calling before you see it, so familiarise yourself with its call.…

Do you ever get home and wished you had used a reflector or some additional lighting on an isolated part of your image? Using the Adjustment Brush in Camera Raw or Lightroom, you can increase or decrease the amount of exposure, among other basic settings, in an isolated part of the frame. You can actually make multiple adjustments to the same image if you have areas that vary greatly in their exposure value or appearance. In this image, the face is a little in shadow, whereas the foreground is a bit bright and cold in hue. To fix this issue, I used a +1 exposure stop brush on the face and hair of the model; in the foreground I used another brush to reduce the exposure of the blanket and…

As wonderful as summer is, there’s always a rainy spell that offers the perfect opportunity to try out some fresh ideas from the comfort of your home. This issue, Dave Kai Piper demystifies the concepts behind workflow, explaining the clear steps you can take to organise your photo collection and process new images as smoothly as possible. It’s also time to dust off your scanner and try taking some photos with it! Simeon Meinema shows how you can do far more with this familiar technology than scan in the gas bill. PROJECT 1 Create a digital workflow 44 Learn from pro photographer Dave Kai Piper as he explains how to organise your photo selection and image-editing PROJECT 2 Best buys 48 From printers and scanners to gear for holding video…

1 Don’t take too many shots Ending the day with just enough images on your memory card is always going to save time in the long run, regardless of who will be editing the images. Check your images in the field and be confident – if you feel you have the shot, then you have the shot. 2 Delete images on camera While you’re checking back over your images, you might notice that some of them are total fails. Save time and space by removing them as you go along – these could be times where you totally missed the action or when the lighting from the flash was off. 3 Back up in the field… Thanks to falling hardware prices, some amazing storage options can be had for a…

With a long day and a clear night, summer gifts us with 24 hours of photo opportunities – if you’re up for a challenge! For the energetic photographer, the extended shooting time offers a host of fun photo projects to tackle. You’re going to have to burn your creative candle at both ends of the day, but it really is possible to shoot a new and diverse portfolio in one mega session within a single day. If you go for it, we’ll allow you a quick siesta in the middle of the day to recharge your personal batteries, while giving your camera’s battery a quick boost too. But the rest of the day, it’s shoot, shoot, shoot! Early and late in the day will deliver some warm, evocative light, allowing…

As the sun drops below the horizon, you might think that your 24-hour photo mission is destined for an early finish – but there’s still loads more to do, if you’ve got the energy! Twilight and night-time offer stacks of photo opportunities but for many shots, a little colour in the sky works wonders, and the window to get this before it blacks out is relatively short; less than one hour after sunset. That means you need to work fast – even though your shutter speed will be pretty slow! Because two of these projects are best with an inky-blue sky, make sure your traffic trail and industrial locations are only a short distance apart (unless, of course, you can combine the two in one shot…). The moon can be…

Wide-angle lenses (between the focal lengths of 14 and 35mm) are great for showing flowers in context, particularly if you’re limited by where you can stand in order to take the shot. But they can distort flowers that are close to the lens and, because they pull so much into the shot, it can be quite challenging to keep distracting objects out of the picture. Longer-focal-length lenses (70mmplus, say) enable you to create ‘tidier’ compositions. Their narrow angle of view makes it easier to line up the subject with a clean backdrop, and they make it easier to achieve shallow depth-of-field effects that can make the subject stand out. They do require faster shutter speeds in order to produce sharper handheld images, although image stabilisation can help. For flower details,…

Motion blur Who says flower shots have to be pin-sharp? Try setting a slower shutter speed and moving the camera or zooming the lens during an exposure. Alternatively, set a very long exposure and jolt the camera at the end. Off-camera flash Bring a touch of mood to a flower portrait with a remote flashgun. Experiment with the angle to create different looks, use a softbox to diffuse the light, or fit a snoot (or a tube of black card) to create a tight beam. Multiple exposure If your camera offers a multiple-exposure function, this can be a great way to create unique, layered treatments. Try combining different shots of the same flower, or blending a bloom with a totally different subject. Black and white Colourful flowers can look surprisingly…

Timothy Simmons In issue 243 of Digital Camera, we challenged our readers to create their best multiple exposure image. Well done to Timothy. for ‘Fun in the Sprinklers’ (pictured, right). Digital Camera says: This is a brilliant example of using multiple exposures to create a really artistic photo. It makes you stop and think, and invites you to pause and explore the image. 2nd place: Kate Parmaku A thought-provoking image that is enhanced by its conversion to black and white, while the plain background really helps to lift the subject. 3rd place: Nick Cambourne Three photos multiplied over each other with one shadow to create a graphic shot. This shows how well multiple exposures can work for action images. Join us on Facebook! We’ll reveal the winner of issue 244’s…

Andy Rouse is a wildlife photographer and animal-hugger who advocates the benefits of nature and photography for mental health and well-being. Andy received the Cherry Kearton Medal and Award from the Royal Geographical Society for services to wildlife photography, and supports conservation causes worldwide. Andy’s new book Tuning into Nature is the story of a very personal experience he undertook. When the world changed in March 2020, Andy found himself (like many of us) struggling with the huge changes affecting the global travel industry. His new book is packed with astounding wildlife images, but it’s more than just another photography book. This is the intimate story from behind the lens, not only of the fieldcraft and photographic process, but also the inner thoughts and struggles which can affect us all.…

Lightroom Classic has progressively become a one-stop shop for your image needs. It was always designed with batch-processing in mind, but recently it’s begun to excel in this area, especially at image finishing. The basic Split Toning Panel has been succeeded by the Color Grading Panel, with more control over the colour in your shadows, midtones and highlights, as well as region brightness. Finishing your image is a key part of taking your photo from capture to final output. Here, you’re going to get a look at applying what’s called analogous colour. In simple terms, this is a palette that uses similar hues – here, we’re using warm and earthy shades to suit the styling and the location of our photo. To make the process even faster, I’ve made you…

What is the dioptre? It’s an on-camera adjustment that enables you to customise the viewfinder, to achieve a sharp and clear view for your eyesight. Why would I need to adjust the dioptre on my camera? Everyone’s eyesight is different, so it stands to reason that any default setting on a viewfinder can’t be perfect for everyone; a small adjustment on your own camera may well make what you see that bit clearer. Even if you think your viewfinder gives you a clear view, it’s worth checking. How do I adjust it? Most cameras have a small dial positioned near the viewfinder marked with a plus and minus symbol, which you can turn to see whether the view and the exposure markings get clearer or more blurred. All you need…

Nikon Z fc rolls back years New 20.9MP APS-C camera harks back to the glory days of film photography, but also has the chops to be popular with image-conscious vloggers – and it’ll be £899 While the Big N’s new retro-styled APS-C format mirrorless camera references the brand’s iconic FM2 SLR film camera from the early 1980s, it shares many tech specs with the present-day Z 50. Chief among these is a 20.9MP APS-C sensor and an Expeed 6 image processor; 209 hybrid autofocus points cover 90 per cent of the sensor area and Eye-Detection AF and Animal-Detection AF are available for stills and video. The Z fc’s standard ISO range is 100-51,200, expandable up to ISO 204,800, and high-speed continuous shooting maxes out at 11fps. Video recording supports uncropped…

Vote for your favourite camera kit and honour the best photo and video kit of the digital era – the MPB Photo and Video Kit Hall of Fame is back for its second year. Launched in 2020 by the world’s largest resale platform for photo and video equipment, MPB will announce the results of the poll on World Photography Day (19 August). Nominees in the five categories – Classic, Trendsetter, Iconic, Game Changer and Road Tested – will be chosen by a 10-strong committee that includes Digital Camera’s very own Rod Lawton. Vote now for one of your favourite cameras, lenses or accessories! photoandvideokithalloffame.com; free…

www.nikon.co.uk Building on the success of Nikon’s AF-S VR Micro 105mm f/2.8G macro lens for F-mount DSLRs, this Z-mount lens takes everything to a new level. While it delivers the same full 1.0x macro magnification at its closest focus distance of 0.29m, it has an optical VR system that boosts effectiveness from three to 4.5 stops. It also adds a feast of handling finery as well as delivering a mighty upgrade in image quality. The optical path is top-notch, featuring one aspherical element and three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, in a total line-up of 16 elements in 11 groups. Autofocus is driven by a Dual-Motor Multi-Focus STM system, which is super-fast and virtually silent. The lens is comprehensively weather-sealed and has a really pro-grade feel to it, matching the standard…

Spectator sports are back on track, and with actual spectators in tow. It’s time to rediscover the joy of nailing the action and capturing definitive moments – or maybe trying something completely new if you’ve never been into sport photography before. Pretty much any DSLR or mirrorless body will suffice – but when it comes to a suitable lens, it pays to choose wisely. One thing that practically always holds true is that, if you’re not fortunate enough to have a media pass, you’ll be shooting sport from a spectators’ enclosure, and probably won’t be able to get as close to the action as you might like. To cover the distance, super-telephoto lenses are the order of the day. They’re typically big, heavy and expensive lenses, but they don’t have…

Lens mount Nikon F Nikon has long made an 80-400mm VR lens – but, while it delivers excellent image quality, the focal length is relatively limited, and it’s pricey at £1,999/$2,299. This newer 200-500mm zoom is more affordable and packs in smart additional features. These include a constant-aperture design, and an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm that ensures greater exposure consistency in rapid-fire shooting. Uprated VR (Vibration Reduction) is good for 4.5 stops and adds a ‘Sport’ mode for improved stability while tracking moving subjects. Performance Good levels of sharpness remain impressively consistent throughout the entire zoom range, and overall image quality is of a high standard. Autofocus and stabilisation systems work quickly and effectively. Digital Camera verdict The maximum focal length falls a little short compared with Nikon-mount Sigma and Tamron…

Lens mounts Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma This Sigma Sports lens tips the scales at nearly 3kg. Sigma makes a smaller and lighter Contemporary 150-600mm lens, but this one is better built. The barrel and hood are metal rather than plastic, and there’s a full set of weather-seals. Optical highlights include two FLD (Fluorite Low Dispersion) elements and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. Advanced features include dual autofocus modes, one of which gives priority to manual override, plus dual-mode stabilisation for static and panning shots. Performance All aspects of image quality are excellent, throughout the entire zoom range. Autofocus is very fast, and the stabiliser works very well in both static and panning modes. It’s a fabulous super-telephoto zoom with suitably ‘sporty’ performance. Digital Camera verdict Relatively…

Kitty Clark Fine-art photographer We join Kitty on a maternity shoot, a photographic genre she has successfully pivoted to during the pandemic. Find out how she creates her images on page 10 Audrey Bellot Dog photographer France-based Audrey reveals how she approaches her photoshoots with dogs, and you can use her tips to create paw-fect pictures of pooches every time. Page 26 Paul Smith Wildlife photographer Based in East Anglia, Paul’s first love is photographing birds of prey. Catch his advice for success in this field, plus some invaluable hands-on tips, from page 18 Renate Aller Visual artist & photographer Captured in the spring of 2020, Renate’s Side Walk: 6’ Apart in New York City is being made into an exhibition. She explains how the project came about on page…

Camera Nikon Z 7II Lens Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G Exposure 1/640 sec at f/1.8, ISO 32 Animals, especially dogs, have always been a passion of mine. They are incredibly patient, full of love and are always ready to make you happy. I had the chance to grow up with animals since my childhood. They showed me how much we should live and be happy with simple things. I now live in Auvergne in the middle of France in with my dog Laos, a border collie who came from a dog shelter. Then my passion for photography arrived and in 2018, I decided to specialise in dog portrait photography. I travel for photo shoots for amazing dog owners, but also for workshops for anyone who wants to learn how to create such portraits.…

1 Use a clean memory card for every shoot This means you’ll know that everything on that card is linked to the same shoot. I use a ‘dot’ system on my cards – anything with a green dot has been cleaned and wiped, ready to use. The dot gets removed before it goes into the camera. 2 Confirm all your camera settings Before making any exposure settings on the camera, take a second to check that the date, time and copyright information is correct. Check that you’re shooting in the suitable exposure mode and that there is no dirt inside or outside the camera. 3 Review your images as you go along You will naturally find yourself checking back over the images as you shoot. Remove any captures that are…

As we all know from pinhole photography, there are alternatives to using conventional cameras to produce images. And you may just have one of them in your house. Likely to be lurking in a corner of your office or study, or even packed away in your loft, is a piece of equipment that can produce distinctive digital images. Your flatbed scanner would have been purchased for digitising photographs and documents, but did you know that it will also make a great camera? The unique feature of a scanner is its minuscule depth of field: it is literally designed to have a focal length that’s the width of a piece of paper. Used creatively, though, a scanner will produce good results from many types of composition. What a scanner is very…

One of the problems of getting eye-to-eye with a flower to take its portrait is that you can end up pulling more of its surroundings into the shot. While this isn’t such a problem when you’re shooting cut flowers in a vase, where you have more control over the composition, it can be an issue when it comes to shooting plants in nature. The great outdoors is a messy place, and other flowers and blades of grass can ruin the background of your perfect specimen. Using a wide aperture to reduce the depth of field doesn’t always help, as the distractions can continue to be discernible when they’re close to the flower. ‘Gardening’ your shot to conceal or remove the worst offenders is a common practice. We’re not talking about…

Flowers and plants are perennial subjects for beautiful photos, but to make them look their very best, it helps to know a few editing tricks in Affinity Photo. In this project we’ll look at a range of tools and techniques – from essential edits like sharpening to selective colour boosts – that can be used to benefit almost every flower photo you open. Once done, we’ll take our effect one stage further and add creative colour sprays using Affinity Photo’s excellent array of brush tips. We can sample colours from the flower using the Brush and Clone Tools, then create all manner of spatters and sprays around the frame. Our edits and effects can each be applied to a separate layer, so we have ultimate freedom to go back and…

There are several ways to turn a photo into an image that looks like an Impressionist painting. These extend from creative shooting techniques with intentional camera movement during the exposure to more obvious digital manipulation when you process the picture. We’ll focus on the latter here, with a technique that’s not only quick and easy to apply, but also one that doesn’t use any stock paint effects from Photoshop’s Filter Gallery; it can also be varied in all kinds of subtle ways to get a huge variety of different looks. This project involves starting with a single base image, but you’ll then blend that image with multiple copies of itself, each of which is shifted and blurred to break up the continuity of the edges, until you achieve the painterly…

WATCH THE VIDEO! Colour is a powerful element to work with in Photoshop. The act of adjusting colours can create a multitude of results, ranging from corrective effects to special and creative effects. Maintaining a sense of reality is always important, because you can easily push and pull colours around in such a way that images begin to look like a psychedelic nightmare. With careful and refined application, however, you can achieve subtle results that blend seamlessly with the original colours. Natural colour always looks best, even when hues have been shifted away from their starting point. So, in this month’s four techniques, we’re going to look at different ways in which you can shift the colours present in an image to provide effects that work perfectly for artificially lit…

We’re starting with an underexposed landscape image, with the intention of turning it into a strong black-and-white in Lightroom. (The same tools are also available in Camera Raw.) To get started we need to press V or click on the Black & White button at the top of the Basic Panel. With the image now in black and white, we can select the B&W Panel and play with the individual colour channels, to help separate the tones and give the image some shape and dimension 1. With this image, the Orange, Yellow and Green Sliders are going to have the most effect Next we need to lighten the foreground more, so we’ll run a Graduated Filter from the bottom up, boost the whites and add some more contrast 2 Now…

New colour camera straps by Peak Design The brand’s popular Slide, Slide Lite, Leash and Cuff straps will soon be available in Midnight and Sage. The new colours join the established Ash and Black – all straps have a lifetime guarantee. www.peakdesign.com; from £22/$30 The second Prints for Nature sale is on now Wildlife lovers can do their bit for conservation by purchasing a fine-art print from more than 150 acclaimed wildlife photographers. Prints cost $100 each, but be quick: the sale is only open until 11 August. printsforwildlife.org Leica Vario Elmarit SL 24-70 f/2.8 ASPH Ideal for a wide range of uses, this new SL optic lacks image stabilisation so can fit into a compact metal body. The lens has 11 aperture blades, and autofocus is delivered by a…

On the same day that Nikon announced the retro-styled Nikon Z fc, it also gave details of a new superzoom specifically designed for DX-sensor Z-series cameras. The Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR offers a 7.8x zoom ratio and, taking account of the crop factor, goes from a wide-angle effective focal length of 24mm to a 210mm telephoto. The lens joins another superzoom in Nikon’s Z lineup – the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR – and is scheduled for release later this year. www.nikon.com; £TBC/$TBC…

Slightly slower, slightly wider and a much cheaper alternative to the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM “trinity” lens for professionals, the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM has the broadest-ever zoom range for a Canon full-frame autofocus lens. Boasting a sophisticated optical formula, with 16 elements in 12 groups, the new lens is weather-sealed for optimum performance in all conditions and has a minimum focusing distance of 20.1cm across the entire focal range. And despite the 14mm ultra-wide coverage, the new lens accepts regular 77mm screw-in filters. www.canon.com; £1,749/$1,699…

Mastering Lighting & Flash Photography £33/$35 www.ammonitepress.com As the author Richard Bradbury notes in his introduction, “It can take less than a thousandth of a second to fire a flash and capture a photograph, but it takes a lifetime to master the art of lighting.” Over 178 pages, Bradbury draws on his many years as a successful photographer to cover everything you could expect to know about the subject, whether you shoot still-life, portraits and many more genres, using natural or artificial light sources. There’s also a chapter devoted to creating lighting effects in software. 52 Assignments: Nature £15/$15 www.ammonitepress.com The latest in the series of camera bag-sized technique guides turns its lens on the natural world. The format of the 52 Assignments series is simple: a year’s worth of…

www.panasonic.co.uk The Lumix GH5 II is a new version of the GH5, a camera that was ahead of its time when it was launched in 2017. The GH5 was the vanguard of a new generation of hybrid stills/video cameras; its 4K 60p recording capability was stellar then, and remains pretty impressive now. So the GH5 II has a tough act to follow, and inevitably there will be those who feel that Panasonic hasn’t gone far enough – to be fair, the original GH5 didn’t leave it much room! Not only that, but the upcoming GH6, still in development, is likely to be the new flagship powerhouse in the Lumix G range. What Panasonic has produced with the GH5 II is a camera that keeps the GH5 concept fresh and current.…

www.panasonic.co.uk Think super-telephoto zoom (see Group Test, page 126), and what comes to mind are big, heavy lenses that are a chore to carry around and a pain to shoot with for any length of time. This Panasonic lens bucks the trend, with a relatively compact and lightweight construction, taking full advantage of the Micro Four Thirds crop factor to deliver an effective zoom range of 200-800mm in full-frame terms. That makes it ideal for sports, action and wildlife, when you can’t get as physically close as you might like. Designed in partnership with Leica, the Panasonic boasts an impressive optical layout, which includes an Ultra extra-Low Dispersion element, two regular extra-low dispersion elements, plus a complex aspherical extra-low dispersion element. Another headline feature is the Power OIS optical stabiliser.…

Lens mount Canon RF The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM has long been a favourite with Canon DSLR shooters, with the Mk II edition having a twist-ring zoom mechanism, rather than a push-pull arrangement. The RF 100-500mm for EOS R-series mirrorless cameras follows suit, also inheriting the smooth control ring. Handling is refined, with a triple-mode, five-stop image stabiliser, a customisable control ring and an autofocus-range limiter switch. Performance Helped by the inclusion of six UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements, one Super UD element and Air Sphere Coating, image quality is excellent. The image stabiliser lives up to its claims on EOS R and RP cameras, and its effectiveness is further boosted when combined with the in-body stabilisers of newer EOS R-series cameras. Digital Camera verdict The RF 100-500mm…

Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Like the Fujinon 100-400mm lens on test, this Panasonic is designed for crop-sensor cameras, but this time of the Micro Four Thirds variety. As such, the size of the image sensor enables an even smaller, lighter construction, along with a 2x focal length multiplier that boosts the effective zoom range to a humungous 200-800mm. Credentials include Leica backing, aspherical elements and optical image stabilisation, which can work in tandem with the in-body stabilisers of various MFT cameras. The optical path includes two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, one aspherical ED element and one Ultra ED element. Performance Autofocus is fast and accurate and image stabilisation works well, although it lacks a switchable panning mode. Optical performance is highly impressive all-round. Digital Camera verdict Weighing in at…

Lens mount Sony E We’ve been impressed by the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master OSS super-tele zoom for E-mount mirrorless cameras, but the newer 200-600mm really boosts telephoto reach, with only a minimal narrowing of the aperture rating. It’s also considerably less expensive. Handling is excellent, with a switchable triple-mode optical stabiliser, an autofocus range limiter and customisable AF-on/AF-lock buttons. Unusually for this type of lens, the overall physical length remains fixed throughout the zoom range. Performance The Direct Drive Super Sonic Motor autofocus system is fast, accurate and ultra-quiet. The optical stabiliser works best in conjunction with in-body stabilisers featured in recent Sony cameras, and sharpness is both scintillating and consistent. Digital Camera verdict Picking up the baton from Sony’s FE 100-400mm G Master, this lens has similarly…

Sony has come up trumps with its FE 200-600mm. Building on the success of the FE 100-400mm G Master, the newer, bigger lens adds a third stabilisation mode and a more effective autofocus range limiter switch that can lock out both short and long sectors. Image quality and all-round performance are superb, as are handling and build quality. For Canon and Nikon DSLRs, as well as for full-frame mirrorless cameras via adapters, the Sigma 150-600mm Sports is our top choice for performance at a reasonable price. The Canon RF 100-500mm is a strong contender, but relatively poor value for money. The Nikkor 200-500mm is an excellent and more affordable own-brand buy. The Tamron G2 is an appealing alternative if you want maximum telephoto reach in a smaller, lighter package than…

9 ALL-NEW TIPS CARDS Our collectable shooting tips cards enable you to carry handy settings and suggestions around in your kit bag, ready for when you need them. This issue, get wallet-sized advice on tracking go-karts on race day, photographing rutting deer and going mono to make roots look amazing. NEW-LOOK TIPS CARDS! ✔ 9 subjects ✔ Techniques ✔ Settings ✔ Kit list 20 brushed borders for Photoshop CC Give your photos the perfect finishing touch with these hand painted and digitally scanned borders. Find them in the Gifts folder of this issue’s download. And on page 94, read Jon Adams’ guide to adding borders to Impressionist-style photos, in his creative tutorial. Buyer’s Guide ebook 256 pages of the latest camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice for accessories! See…

Of the many and various creative benefits that O Mother Nature bestows on photographers, golden light has to be one of the most highly prized – adding drama and texture, it can help transform many promising scenes into amazing images. And the quality of light is what Kitty Clark is here to harness, on a hillside halfway between Bath and Bristol in south-west England. We’ve joined Kitty, a photographer who only works with natural light, as she shoots some new maternity images for her portfolio – a strand she added to her photographic offering during the pandemic. But while the gorgeous lighting and a blue sky overlaid with dappled clouds are creating an aesthetic to definitely reward the long walk up here, it’s actually pretty chilly – and especially so…

1 “I have a quick scan and make general adjustments to the white balance and brightness of the image; if an image is too dark, for instance, I bring the Exposure up and play with the Shadows.” 2 “I apply my preset. I have three main presets that I use for my work – one is a brown-toned preset that I use for the majority of my client work; one has more colour luminance and less texture for a dreamy, cinematic effect; and one is slightly warmer for golden hour and dramatic skies.”  3 “I usually bring down the Highlights and the Whites quite far, if not completely, then add them back into the key areas (like the face, hands or folds of fabric), using the Adjustment Brush to make them pop in…

My photography has made a major shift in the past six years, and has gone from glamorous to gritty. For many years I photographed live music, cabaret, burlesque and art nude photography, for which I still have a passion. But my son Sylvain started kart racing, and I wanted to capture these moments. What started out as a few shots for my own pleasure and amusement soon became the talk of the paddock. Parents and teammates would ask me to capture a few shots for them. This led to me being the club photographer for Clay Pigeon Kart Club in Dorset and Dunkeswell Kart Racing Club in Devon. Still wanting to maintain my style of arty captures, I would often take candid shots in the paddock. This would be the…

The photographic buzz for me started back at the beginning of the first lockdown. I’ve always been interested in photography, and how a camera can make you see an image differently to what the naked eye sees. A Nikon D90 was passed down to me, which I used until a dog decided to knock it over into a stream! Not deterred from giving up – although slightly annoyed – I then invested in a Nikon D7500. As the hobby developed, I realised that you need certain lenses to achieve what you want, so the Sigma 18-35mm Art came on board: it gave me massive confidence when shooting at night, which is something I’ve always wanted to progress in. Nothing can compare to sitting underneath a sky full of stars and…

FREE camera bag worth £70! (RRP) Get this great Vanguard camera bag by subscribing today at: www.magazinesdirect.com/dcm/range32 or call 0330 333 1113 and quote ‘BM24’ Make sure you use this URL or quote the code on the phone: other offers are available that do not include the camera bag gift *Offer closes 31 August 2021. Offer open to new UK subscribers only. Pricing is guaranteed for the first 12 months and we will notify you in advance of any price changes. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (up to eight weeks overseas). Your gift will be delivered separately within 60 days after your first payment has cleared. Gifts only available to subscribers on the UK mainland. Gift not available with a digital subscription. The…

1 ‘Surrendered To Time’ by Matt Harrington “This boat wreck in Tollesbury, Essex, mimicked the shore line – and during editing, I found that the clouds mirrored the shape of the boat.” Digital Camera says: An old boat surrounded by water and dramatic clouds makes a perfect recipe for a long exposure. 2 ‘Daisy Do’ by Sarah Swan “Taken in my garden on a rare hot sunny day in spring – Scottish weather doesn’t always comply with the seasons!” Digital Camera says: We always love the use of shallow focus at Digital Camera. It draws focus to your subject and elevates the image with a professional aesthetic. 3 ‘Fields of Gold’ by Dale Hodgetts “A stunning English sunflower field in the Cotswolds, shot on a Canon EOS 5D Mk IV…

The middle of the day in high summer is often regarded as the worst possible time to take photographs, as the high sun produces unflattering light for most subjects. But with your creative hat on, you can use the harsh brightness of direct sunlight to your advantage, and construct a makeshift outdoor studio that’s perfect for an advertising-style still-life shot. Nothing sets up a summer mood better than an ‘ice and slice’ shot: by freezing the motion of ice or colourful fruit splashing into a tumbler, you can capture a great-looking image that will look like it’s been taken in a pro studio with high-end flash kit! You need to spend a little time constructing your ‘set’, but all that’s required is a plain white backdrop. We used a couple…

Depth of field is an important consideration for flower photography. The closer you are to the subject, the less depth of field (or depth of sharpness) you have to work with, so the choice of aperture plays a key role. Narrower apertures, such as f/16 and f/22, increase the depth of field, while wider apertures reduce it. On the face of it, you might think you need a narrow aperture so that everything looks sharp, but the large degree of blur you get from working with a wide aperture can really suit the soft, delicate features of a flower – although you’ll really need to get your focus bang-on. Whichever route you prefer, it’s usually a good idea to keep away from aperture extremes. Select the narrowest aperture (f/22, say),…

While it’s relatively easy to control the elements in a portrait of a single flower, it’s more challenging to do this when you want to include multiple blooms in your shot. The good news is that it’s not always so important to seek out subjects that are in perfect condition, as it’s the overall impact that counts. Formal gardens are a great place to get to grips with ‘flowerscapes’: they offer ready-made arrangements with an appealing blend of colours, textures and patterns. The challenge is to frame them in a way that produces an equally compelling two-dimensional image. One easy technique is to fill the frame into the corners, so that the flower bed appears to stretch beyond the image. Standing farther away and zooming in with a relatively long…

When you’re shooting vivid flowers, it’s worth checking the RGB histogram, which shows you the red, green and blue channels. The regular histogram tends to mirror the green channel, so if you’re shooting red or blue flowers, you might not be aware that there might be a problem in the reds and blues. If you’re shooting a red flower and the red colour channel is clipped, you may lose detail in the petals. Shoot raw, and you’ll have more flexibility for fixing this in software.…

Open to professional and non-professional, old and young, the Awards celebrate the very best in food photography and film from around the world. Since 2011, over 70,000 images and films have been submitted from over 77 countries. pinkladyfoodphotographer oftheyear.com…

Neural Filters are part of a new wave of image-editing tools that make use of machine learning and artificial intelligence. These tools analyse the content of the image and are able to recognise people, animals and other objects. Such tools now allow for automated processes that we could only dream of a few years back. One of the most interesting Neural Filters to photographers is Depth Blur. It allows you to alter the depth of field in your photos and create both background and foreground blur, with realistic fall-off in-between. Previously, this could be done by carefully isolating the subject, then applying blur manually to the background. Depth Blur does away with all that pesky masking work. Instead, it’s able to recognise and isolate the subject for you, then soften…

While the Nikon Z fc can be purchased in a kit with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR SE, there is an alternative kit option for street, still-life and portrait shooters. The compact and lightweight Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 SE will provide the smooth bokeh that’s unique to prime lenses, and has a heritage design inspired by classic Nikkor lenses from the early 1980s. Nikon Z fc buyers keen for the flexibility of a versatile zoom lens can instead opt for the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR SE kit. Based on Nikkor’s Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, the new SE variant also references the distinctive exterior design of the Nikon Z fc. www.nikon.com; £1,129/$1,129 (Z fc and Z 28mm f/2.8 SE); £1,039/$1,129 (Z fc and Z DX 16-50mm…

Designed for adventurous photo hikers, Lowepro’s new PhotoSport III collection of backpacks is made from 75% recycled fabrics (measured as recycled yarn content by surface area as a percentage of total fabric surface area). Two sizes are available: 24L (for a full frame-sensor camera and extra lenses or a compact camera drone) and 15L (crop-sensor camera and extra lenses or a compact camera drone). Both models feature a removable GearUp camera insert plus an accessory strap system that offers multiple carrying configurations. Two colour variations are available (grey/black and black/blue), and an all-weather cover is included. www.lowepro.com; £210/$230 (24L); £165/$180 (15L)…

Most of my time behind the camera, looking for the best light and finding creative angles, brings me joy. I love taking pictures. I’m in my element when covering events, anticipating key moments and getting ‘the shot’. However, despite being someone who found their way into photography as a retoucher, I can no longer stand spending countless hours at a desk, selecting, processing and editing my images. While some people revel in the post-production side of things, after two decades in image-making, I’ve found it’s become the most tedious element of my work. If only there was some way for the images to be sorted into ‘keep and delete’ automatically. It turns out there is – and the technology behind these new tools is becoming increasingly sophisticated at knowing what…

www.olympus.co.uk The Olympus PEN E-P7 is a surprising camera. While the world was waiting to see what OM Digital Solutions, new steward of the Olympus brand, would do with its first-ever product, nobody predicted that it would resurrect the E-P series of PEN cameras. In doing so, however, it has not only breathed new life into the pedestrian PEN line, it has also shown that it isn’t afraid to shake things up. There hasn’t been an entry in this series since 2013’s Olympus PEN E-P5, a cult classic among Micro Four Thirds users. The PEN E-P7 combines the finesse and form factor of its predecessor, a Profile Control switch inspired by the fan-favourite PEN-F, and the functionality of the new OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. The result is the best non-OM-D…

www.benroeu.com Comprising three models, the SupaDupa range of six-section carbon-fibre monopods debuted earlier this year, and joins a series of new Benro products with easy-to-remember names (the Bat and Tortoise tripods, for example). The SupaDupa MSD46C, as tested here, is the mid-range option of the trio; it extends to 1.83m and folds down to 45.5cm, weighs 0.59kg and has a 40kg payload. The other models are the range-topping SupaDupa Pro MSDPL46C, boasting a levelling head with its own pan mechanism, and an Arca Swiss-compatible camera plate; and the SupaDupa MSD36C, the most affordable monopod in the collection. Key features of the SupaDupa MSD46C include a quick-release flip clamp for speedy height adjustments, which it shares with its two siblings, and a rubber rotating foot to enable gliding between shots, rather…

Lens mount Fujifilm X This is the only lens in this group that’s designed exclusively for APS-C format cameras, on which it gives an ‘effective’ maximum focal length of 600mm. It comes with a string of letters after its name, denoting a physical aperture ring, a linear motor autofocus system, optical image stabilisation and a weather-resistant construction – ticking pretty much all of the boxes on a Fujifilm photographer’s wishlist. The lens is beautifully engineered, with a high-precision feel to all its controls, and no hint of zoom creep. The optical path includes five ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, plus a Super ED element. Performance The autofocus system’s dual linear stepping motors enable very fast performance, and the five-stop stabiliser is highly effective. Digital Camera verdict This high-performance zoom comes up…

Lens mount Pentax K Pentax designed this full-frame compatible lens at a time when the company only made APS-C format DSLRs. The decision has come good with the subsequent launch of Pentax’s full-frame DSLRs. There’s plentiful autofocus finery with both auto and manual priority ‘Quick Shift’ modes, plus an AF preset facility and four customisable buttons around the middle of the lens. Other attractions include a tough, weather-sealed construction, HD coatings to reduce ghosting and flare, and a ‘super protect’ coating on the front element. Performance Autofocus speed is a little pedestrian compared with other lenses on test. Sharpness drops off rather noticeably at the long end of the zoom range – a situation that isn’t helped by the lens’s reliance on in-camera stabilisation. Digital Camera verdict It’s a high-tech…

Lens mount Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A Tamron’s original 150-600mm was a good lens, but the newer G2 edition is a major upgrade. Two additional Low Dispersion elements are fitted and secondary nano-structure coatings are applied, along with better weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. New and improved VC (Vibration Compensation) is rated at 4.5 stops, with three operating modes instead of just one. These include static and panning options, plus a mode for tracking erratically moving subjects, The autofocus system is faster, and a new flex zoom lock can be engaged at any focal length. Performance Everything works well, especially the revamped autofocus and stabilisation systems, and handling is very refined. Outright sharpness is a little lacking in the short to medium zoom sector. Digital…

Editing is an essential part of the image-making process; one that can’t be ignored if you want to get the best from your images. But where editing software has traditionally been difficult to learn, Skylum Luminar AI breaks the mould by making professional editing achievable for everyone. Luminar AI focuses on producing great results with ease, rather than the complex tools and processes. How does Luminar AI achieve this? The software uses the power of artificial intelligence to achieve highly creative – and what would normally be complicated – edits in traditional editing software, but without any complexity. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or are more experienced with image-editing software, Luminar AI will revolutionise your editing workflow to give you back more time for shooting while producing professionalquality results with…