Indice dei contenuti per September 2017 in Practical Photography: Lite

FROM SHUTTER DRAG and strobism to high-speed and fill-in, flash is a hugely varied and creative area of photography (not to mention full of weird and wonderful terminology). Often seen as complicated, it’s actually surprisingly easy to master the basics, and there are techniques for every occasion – whether you’re working indoors in low light or outdoors in the full glare of the sun. This issue’s masterclass explores the magical world of flash, starting with the right settings and setups, and working through four bite-sized projects that will give you a comprehensive insight into the power of light and how you can control it. We’ve also set out to prove that flash photography is cheaper than you think, with the six best flashguns under £300 compared on page 140. FREE!…

IF YOU’VE EVER TAKEN a portrait in very dark conditions – such as at a wedding reception or on a night out – you’ll know how difficult it is to get a sharp, well-exposed result. You either have to pump up the ISO and hope your subject stays still, or use flash and risk an underexposed or completely black background. But there is a technique that will allow you to combine flash and ambient light that will give you the best of both worlds – a sharp, well-lit subject with a bright, colourful background. It’s called dragging the shutter, and it’s a favourite technique with pro wedding shooters, who often have to capture the excitement of the evening celebrations with only a couple of coloured lights to work with. Put…

“A BURST OF FLASH CAN BE AS FAST AS 1/50,000SEC, IDEAL FOR FREEZING MOTION” EVERYONE knows that in order to freeze a very fast-moving subject, such as a bird in flight or a car racing around a track, you need an extremely fast shutter speed. Most DSLRs and CSCs allow exposure times as short as 1/8000sec, although they’re only really achievable in very bright outdoor conditions. Unfortunately, this isn’t very useful if you want to freeze the movement of smaller objects in a home studio setting, such as a bursting bubble or an exploding water balloon. Here the light levels are far lower, so very fast shutter speeds are out of the question. The simple solution is to throw in some light from your flashgun, but the method you use…

RANGEFINDER RANGEFINDER FOCUSING This unique mechanic made focusing quick and accurate QUIET SHOOTING With no mirror, the shutter was impressively quiet MIRRORLESS Rangefinders didn’t feature a mirror, and were smaller and less intrusive as a result SLR MIRRORED FOCUSING Relied upon traditional focus, which was often hard to perfect INTRUSIVELY LOUD Having to move the mirror for every shot meant increased noise CUMBERSOME MIRROR SLRs relied upon a mirror to feed the viewfinder, meaning they were large and bulky…

“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT A DOG’S LOVE THAT WE’LL NEVER TIRE OF...” THE HAPPY GAZE AND eagerly wagging tail of man’s best friend is hard to resist, especially when it’s your very own pooch. There’s something about a dog’s love and adoring nature that we’ll never tire of – even when they’ve chewed up your shoes and left a fragrant ‘surprise’ in the hallway. You might think that the best way to capture pet portraits is outside, or in a professional studio setting, but you can actually achieve amazing results in your own living room. Throw in some homely blankets and well-worn toys and you’re well on your way to the perfect dog portrait. Find natural light The shoot itself is bound to be lots of fun, but let’s be realistic…

THE REGAL ELEGANCE of horses is undeniable. Their soulful faces can portray a wealth of emotions, especially when captured outside in the natural world. Try venturing out with a horse on a sunny day to capture a beautiful photo with plenty of personality. While the basic technique is similar to the last project, it’s best to use a 70-200mm lens for equine portraits, as this will allow you to capture amazing close-ups without having to place yourself physically near the horse. You should also make sure that you’re using a minimum shutter speed of 1/250sec, as horses’ ears tend to flick around even if they’re otherwise still. Use minimal kit When photographing horses it’s essential to remember that not only are they quick to panic, but they’re also large and…

SPLIT TONING IS A BRILLIANT little trick that allows you to add colour to black & white images. As with mono conversions, split-toned pictures can be pushed quite vigorously to increase contrast throughout the shot. However, the addition of colour helps make the picture much more vibrant and emotive. Lightroom’s Split Toning panel lets you assign your two chosen hues to the shadow and highlight areas. Traditionally, these are set to complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel), such as the blue and yellow we’ve gone for here, or green and magenta. But this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Instead the most important thing is to just have fun experimenting with your picture until you produce a result that you’re happy with. In this tutorial, we’ll also cover how…

WE’D PUT MONEY ON the fact that you or someone you know has a box full of old family photos, gathering dust at the back of a cupboard or in the attic. In this tutorial, we’ll share the perfect technique to bring them back to life. Transforming black & white images into full colour ones may seem like an impossible task, but it’s relatively easy, as all you need is some basic equipment. A scanner is essential for digitising old prints – the basic ones built into all-in-one printers are perfect for the job. You’ll also need a version of Photoshop or Elements to restore any rips, scuffs or tears on the original, and to hand-colour it. The issue’s CD/download contains a free colour swatch file for you to use,…

BOKEH IS THE JAPANESE word we use to describe the aesthetic quality of blur in out-of-focus areas. In the past few years, adding the distinctive dappled effect to images has become very popular. Bokeh comes from using wide apertures for a shallow depth-of-field, but this can be hard to achieve with a kit lens. Other times your background may have a different luminance to your subject, making it look odd. This month’s free bokeh background kit fixes both of these issues. Just load up the bokeh shot you want to replace your background with, using the step-by-step below. Or lay one on top of your picture for an arty finish. 1 Open up the bokeh In Photoshop go to File>Open and navigate your way to the Free Gifts folder, where…

 Gabriel Scanu is a young Sydney-based drone photographer who specialises in bird’s-eye views of coastlines and beaches. He’s amassed 250,000 Instagram followers and has been published by the likes of Wired and Huffington Post. gabscanu.com “I LOVE MAKING PEOPLE LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY & GIVING THEM A SENSE OF WANDERLUST” EVER WISHED YOU COULD fly? Orville jokes aside, it’s surely up there with world peace and true love in the list of things we dream about most. Drones have brought us one step closer to this dream, and Gabriel Scanu has taken full advantage of this new phenomenon, using a DJI Phantom 4 to capture vertiginous images of his native Australia and more recently the Californian coastline. Meet the inventor of travel drone photography... What is travel drone photography? It’s…

\\ MODULE 1 LANDSCAPES CAPES Issuee : May 2017 On sale 13 13 April 2017 2017 2017 Homework work deadline : : 10 May 2017 Marks announced: 24 May 2017 \\ MODULE 2 PORTRAITS AITS Issuee : June 2017 On sale:11 May 2017 2017 2017 Homework work deadline : 7 7 June 2017 Marks announced: 21 June 2017 \\ MODULE 3 NATURAL WORLD WORLD WORLD Issuee : July 2017 On sale: 8 June 2017 2017 2017 Homework work deadline: 5 5 July 2017 Marks announced: 19 July 2017 \\ MODULE 4 CREATIVE STILL LIFE Issuee: August 2017 On sale : : : 6 July 2017 Homework deadline: 2 2 August 2017 Marks announced: 16 August 2017 \\ MODULE 5 MOVEMENT Issue: September 2017 On sale: 3 August 2017 Homework deadline:…

Nikon 18-55mm kit lens Almost all DSLRs are sold with a standard kit lens, which usually offers a zoom range of around 18-55mm. Used fully zoomed in, Nikon’s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens is great for shooting most fast-moving objects. It also comes with Vibration Reduction to reduce camera shake caused by lens movement, which is ideal when shooting long exposures. Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 A handy zoom is worth its weight in gold when it comes to panning action photos. There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule on which particular focal length works best, as it depends on how far away you are from the action. The Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens allows you to zoom in and out to capture the perfect shot.…

The image above has a good amount of active space in front of it, so the car doesn’t butt up against the right edge of the frame. We also panned as soon as the opportunity presented itself. This meant we were ready to get the shot when it was absolutely straight-on to the camera. A long movement in your arms helps create super smooth pans, while a shorter, jerkier motion can lead to blurry images. So be sure to start your pan and fire the shutter as soon as you see the action. SHOT EARLY OR STRAIGHT-ON Pans look much more interesting if the shutter is fired when the subject is coming towards you, or you’re straight-on to them. We’re looking for either of these compositions in your homework submission…

A common by-product of using the Continuous autofocus mode to shoot a fast-moving subject is the danger of the camera focusing on the background, so you’ll need to be extra precise with your pans and check your results regularly. While a small degree of motion blur on the edges of your subject is acceptable, and can even add to the feeling of speed, the subject itself should still be the sharpest part of the image. Once you’ve taken your shots, review them on the LCD screen to ensure they’re in focus and sharp. Do this by pressing the playback button and then zooming in with the zoom button, which looks like a magnifying glass with a ‘+’ symbol. Zooming in will allow you to make sure you have a sharp…

Rogue Flashbender Large Softbox Kit £55 This portable softbox fixes to the top of your flashgun, and allows you to diffuse your light over a large area with a soft and natural glow. It’s perfect for pairing up when using off-camera, to give your portraits softer shadows. rogueflash.com Lambency diffuser £10 Lambency diffusers come in all shapes and prices, though we recommend hunting through eBay for the best bargain. The large semi-translucent cup attaches to the top of your flashgun to produce 360°of soft, even light, which is great for shooting groups of people or illuminating large subjects. ebay.co.uk Kaiser SoftCap Diffuser From £10 This single piece of semi-translucent plastic simply fixes over your flashgun’s head to diffuse the light. It’s ideal for situations where you want to lessen the…

1 Create unusual portraits Louise experiments with three fun portrait techniques, including multiple exposures, raindrop portraits and freelensing. 2 Get pro product shots Kirk shows you how to use a light tent and a couple of flashguns to take your product photography to a whole new level. 3 Shoot an abstract macro grid Tim ventures out into the back garden to photograph stunning abstract images and create a natural world macro grid. 4 Colourise vintage photos Dan revives an old black & white print by scanning it into his computer and using our free hand-colouring swatches (see page 80) to add colour in Photoshop. Contact us if you have any problems with your free gifts practical.photography@bauermedia.co.uk Practical Photography, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA…

LENSES Tamron launches two zoom lenses Tamron has produced the world’s first ultra-telephoto all-in-one zoom lens to cover an astonishing 18-400mm. The 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD offers impressive optics and performance in a sleek 705g body, making it the perfect travel companion. Its moisture-resistant construction includes a mammoth 16 elements in 11 groups, which comprise LD (Low Dispersion) and aspherical elements to lower chromatic aberrations and distortions for high optical quality. Also released is the SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2, which joins Tamron’s premium Superior Performance range of high-quality optics to offer a great alternative to more costly own-brand telephotos. This lens features a moisture-resistant design, and its colossal 17 elements in 12 groups includes 2 XR (Extra Refractive Index), 3 LD (Low Dispersion) and 3…

“A MERE 13-MILE ROUTE & 1600M OF ASCENT. ‘I CAN DO THAT,’ I THOUGHT NAIVELY...” I WANT TO TAKE YOU BACK TO A TRIP I WENT ON LAST summer, where so many lessons were learned. I always strive to photograph new locations. However, this is becoming more difficult today, especially in the UK, due to the amount of areas covered by fellow photographers. One area that is relatively unexplored photographically is Knoydart, a small peninsula on the west coast of Scotland, which has also been dubbed ‘Britain’s last wilderness’. Only accessible by boat or foot, it’s an unspoilt corner of Scotland that I’ve been wanting to visit for years. It’s also home to Ladhar Bheinn, the most westerly and one of the remotest munros on the Scottish mainland. This trip…

The X-Pro2 and X100 Series feature a hybrid viewfinder, another throwback to the world of film cameras. A switch on the front of the camera lets you select between the EVF or a more traditional optical viewfinder called an ERF (electronic rangefinder), which displays the scene as you would see it through a traditional rangefinder. The beauty of the ERF is that it also overlays a small window on top of the frame, which is the same reading as you’d get from the EVF, meaning you can check your focus, preview your settings and ensure you have the perfect framing before taking your shot – just another innovation from Fujifilm.…

FOR ME, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS about Photoshop is its ability to turn nothing into something. That is to say, with the right approach you can take very forgettable images and use them to create something much more interesting. The visual total becomes more than the sum of its parts. This is a sort of digital alchemy, where instead of turning base metals into gold, we can turn unremarkable shots into striking results. In this technique we’ll be taking a couple of hastily-shot snaps of London and, from them, making an interesting graphical image, highlighting some of the capital’s most famous landmarks. The method makes use of Layers and also Layer Masks, to combine the two separate shots, as well as a texture Layer or two, but it’s all…

Andrea says: I took this photo in a beautiful location called the Wicklow Gap, located in County Wicklow, Ireland. It’s a very popular tourist route, as it’s in an area of spectacular scenery. I wanted to capture a landscape shot with the valley, the Vale of Glendasan, being the focal point. One of the biggest problems I faced was the tour buses that arrived throughout the day. So I had to work quickly between the buses to avoid getting people in my picture. I made simple tweaks such as brightening the picture and adding contrast back at my computer. Dan says: Well, Andrea’s patience has certainly paid off – she’s captured a brilliant shot of this popular location, with no tourists in sight. She’s also cleverly framed up with the…

Tim Berry PP’s deputy editor has a master’s degree in photography and has taught undergraduates. Dan Mold PP’s Photoshop editor is a former Digital Photo staffer who has encyclopedic photo knowledge. Louise Carey PP’s features editor is an experienced fine art and documentary photographer. How do I set up my DSLR to shoot video? INVEST IN A MIC Most cameras have an audio-in port so you can attach an external mic. These offer better sound quality than the built-in one. USE A TRIPOD Jerky, handheld footage is a sure-fire way of giving your video an amateur feel, so shoot from a tripod. A smooth, fluid head is ideal if possible. MONITOR YOUR AUDIO Some higher-end cameras have a headphones port so that you can listen to…

• Once you’ve finished editing, you’ll need to export your movie. Start by clicking on the Produce tab at the top of the screen, and choose Standard 2D. • Choose H.264 AVC for a high-quality movie with a relatively small file size. H265 is better still, but only available by upgrading to PowerDirector 15. • In the Profile name/ Quality drop-down menu, choose MPEG-4 1920x1080/25p (16Mbps), which will export your movie in Full HD. This is ideal for playback on a TV or computer. • For more in-depth editing tutorials, check out the PowerDirector University YouTube channel.…

1 GET READY The most essential part of any shoot is preparation. Making sure you have all your gear will save you headaches down the line. Batteries should be charged, memory cards cleared and spare propellers packed in case you manage to get yourself into any accidents. 2 FILL THE FRAME Look for busy, interesting scenes. The more that’s happening below you, the more interesting your image will be. Look for a landscape that has a lot going on – that way your image will have a sense of atmosphere and will be more attractive to the eye. 3 STAY SAFE Aviation photography isn’t like standard photography where you can just pull out a camera and shoot. You need to consider your safety and the safety of those around you…

Shooting high-energy action photos might seem intimidating, but it’s actually a lot easier than you think. While you may expect to be using a fast shutter speed to capture your subject, this technique actually relies on a panning movement combined with a slow shutter speed. This blurs the background while keeping your subject sharp. The basic premise is that you follow your moving subject with your camera as it goes past. Check out the diagram below for how to perform a successful panning motion. There are two main factors that will affect how fast your shutter speed needs to be. The first of these is how quickly your subject is moving. If you’re shooting a car you’ll need a faster shutter speed than if you’re photographing a person on a…

Panning is a versatile technique that works with pretty much every subject on the planet. Any subject that moves can be panned, though its velocity, and the speed you track it at, can vary wildly. From racetrack sprinters to a buzzard in flight, or a speeding train to a cyclist, there’s bound to be a subject right for you. The panning technique is the same regardless – hold the end of your lens barrel (or lens hood if available) to keep it sturdy, track your subject through your camera’s viewfinder, and fire the shutter as you do so. If your shutter speed is correct (see previous page), your subject will be sharp but the background will become a vibrant wash of colour. This is slightly easier if you’ve got a…

Now you have your camera set up and know how you’re going to frame your shot, it’s time to get the focusing right. With so much movement going on, you can’t rely on the Single-Servo mode, which focuses just once when you half-press down the shutter. This technique means that your distance will change relative to the subject while you’re shooting, so use Continuous autofocus (AF-C) instead for the best results. This setting makes the camera continually adjust its focus to keep the subject sharp. You’ll also be using 9-point Dynamic Area AF (the way to change this setting varies between cameras, so make sure to check your manual), which lets the camera choose the best focus points for moving objects. Now you know how the camera will behave, simply…

For your homework, we want to see a shot that you’ve taken using the panning technique. We’re looking for a sharp subject captured using AF-C, a background with plenty of motion blur, which you can achieve with a slow shutter speed, and a composition with plenty of active space in front of your subject. Your image should be in colour and unedited, other than being resized to the 5MB limit. Once you have your shot, upload it to camera-school.com/mod-5-mov If you need to ask any questions, go to the Camera School Facebook page (facebook.com/ppcameraschool). Your deadline for this month’s homework is 30 August, so have your shot uploaded by then. Good luck! BEFORE YOU UPLOAD • Have you used the right settings? • Have you chosen the best composition? •…

1 Smallest DSLR with vari screen The 200D is a great feat of engineering, offering Canon quality and a vari-angle screen in an insanely small and light 453g body. 2 80D sensor Canon has made the 200D the fifth camera in its line-up to share the 80D’s sensor, an inclusion that guarantees better image quality than many DSLRs at the same price point. 3 Guided Menu The 200D features the Guided Menu system, which pops up on the rear screen and walks you through the effects of features such as shutter speed and aperture, perfect if you’re experimenting with shallow depth-of-field or motion blur. 4 Instant Wi-Fi The Wi-Fi button on the top-plate is perfect for anybody raring to get their shots up on social media. CANON IS HAVING an…

LENS Sigma 100--400 4 mm f/5-6.3 DG G £799 9 • WITH ALL EYES currently on Sigma’s amazing Art and Sports ranges, we almost take its Contemporaryy line-up for granted – but this fresh release’s massive reach and sharp optics swiftly remind us why Sigma is so successful. This full-frame lens, which boasts a massive 21 elements in 15 groups and haas 9 rounded diaphragm bladess, is just as at home on an APS-C C body, where it will give you up to a whopping 640mm on a Canon or 600mm with Nikon’s 1.5x crop. Such an extensive telephoto focal range in an incredibly svelte 1160g package makes this lens ideal for wildlife and sports photographers. The lens embodies Sigma’s excellent design quality, with a very sturdy hard plastic shell,…

Camera Buying Guide Unsure about which camera is best for your needs? Our ebook includes reviews, spec and prices for every camera available right now. The latest additions include the Canon 200D and Canon 6D MkII. 17 Bokeh Effects Add colourful out-of-focus backgrounds to your images with our complete bokeh kit, which includes 17 effects and a full step-by-step guide on page 92. Photoshop video lessons Learn how to use Lightroom’s Split Toning panel to add colour to a black & white image. Then use Elements to retouch skin and remove blemishes. DOWNLOAD FREE CONTENT AT bit.ly/2vgKUu4…

Nikon D760 Now Canon’s 6D MkII has finally been released, all eyes are firmly trained on Nikon for a response. Our money is on the imminent arrival of the successor to the enthusiast full-frame D750. The D760 is expected to pack in an upgraded version of the excellent D810 sensor, and boast a 36MP count, as well as an increased native ISO of 51,200, Nikon’s tilting touchscreen tech and 4K video features. nikon.co.uk Fujifilm X-E3 Many people thought Fujifilm would discontinue its X-E line-up, but we’ve had word that it is planning to release a fully upgraded X-E3. It is likely to feature the upgraded 24MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, X-Processor Pro and 4K video, as well as lightning-fast AF (to match the previous version’s phenomenal 0.08sec focusing speed). It’s…

“WHEN I HIT A CREATIVE WALL, I SWAP FASHION & BEAUTY FOR KIDS...” EVER GET STUCK IN A RUT? I KNOW I DO. It happens more often than most pros would like to admit. You hit a creative wall and have to figure out what to do and where to go to get around it. The solution? Do something different. Step away from whatever it is that’s causing the rut and maybe even try another genre. For me this means swapping fashion and beauty for young children. There’s something about the innocence in a kid’s portrait that’s so special. I’m lucky to have good friends with adorable children, so when I’m feeling creatively challenged I call them up and arrange a spontaneous shoot. I like to do this every now…

The Profoto B1X improves on the B1 in three significant areas: power, power and power. A more powerful modeling light, a more powerful battery and extended HSS power range. Add to that two new OCF reflectors and you’ll find with the B1X, we’ve redefined the on-location flash yet again. How to set up your camera and flash... 1 Choose your key settings Start by putting your camera into manual mode, and changing the aperture to f/5.6, the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to 1/200sec. You might need to tweak these very slightly, but they’ll be more or less the correct settings whenever you shoot outdoor strobist portraits. Don’t go faster than 1/200sec, as this is the maximum flash sync speed on most cameras. 2 Switch your flashguns to…

1 USE GOBOS TO CREATE INTERESTING SHADOWS A gobo (a shortened version of ‘go between’) is a stencil that is placed in front of your flashgun to create a pattern on the subject or the background. The most common type of gobo is a window or shutter pattern, but there are a huge number of designs available that you can experiment with. You can easily create your own gobos from fabric or cardboard, altering the distance from the flashgun to affect the hardness or softness of the shadow. Alternatively, you can invest in a flashgun gobo kit such as Lastolite’s Strobo version (see right). You might opt to put the gobo on a single flashgun that lights the model (as in the image above), or alternatively it could be mounted…

YOU’VE PROBABLY seen this tilt & shift effect before – it’s a digital classic, and now comes preloaded on many cameras and smartphone apps. But if you’ve never done it yourself in Photoshop, you’re missing a trick. Not only is the Photoshop route more accurate and adaptable, you can also twin it with other processing techniques to take the look further. The effect is based on photos taken with tilt & shift lenses, wherein the ‘tilt’ part angles the plane of focus away from its usual alignment with the sensor. This gives a shallow depth-of-field look where just a small part of the scene stays in focus, along an unusual plane. In the example here you can see how the sharpness picks out the figures in the foreground but the…

FANTASTIC PICTURES CAN be created even with the most mundane, everyday subjects. Architecture is a great example – take a moment to examine buildings that you would normally walk straight past and you’ll start to see all sorts of interesting colours and shapes that could make awesome abstracts. And the really great news is that architecture can look striking in all types of weather, meaning you can get out and start shooting in rain or shine. If you plan to sell your images you’ll need a property release, but if they are for personal use and you’ve taken the shots on public land, then it’s fair game. Our three quick treatments this month cover everything from straightening the lines of your buildings to removing unwanted reflections. But we’re kicking off…

EVERY SERIOUS portrait photographer knows the importance of making their subject look amazing. One of the most important aspects of facial retouching is to ensure the skin is blemish-free and even in tone. Just open up any magazine or check out a cosmetics advert and you’ll find images of models glowing with health and vitality. Frequency separation is widely regarded as the best technique for achieving smooth skin tones, and as such is used the world over by industry-leading professionals. Almost every tutorial you’ll find will tell you that you need Photoshop CC to accomplish this technique, but I’ve created a very simple work-around which will give you almost identical results in Photoshop Elements. It’s quick to do too, with only six steps to follow. The key to my technique…

LIGHTROOM Change the crop orientation in Photoshop Lightroom If you’ve ever cropped your picture in Lightroom you’ll no doubt have come up against one small issue – the crop bounding box can only be rotated by a maximum of 45° in either direction, so it’s not possible to change a landscape to portrait or vice versa. If you’re left scratching your head as to how to get around this issue, don’t worry. The solution is really easy. Just hit X on your keyboard or go to Settings>Rotate Crop Aspect to change the crop orientation. If you want to crop your shot multiple ways go to the Filmstrip, right-click on your image thumbnail and choose Create Virtual Copy. You’ll then have an identical file to work on which you can apply…

Panasonic GX800 £399 This CSC offers 4K (25p) at 100Mbps, so compression is impressively minimal. It also has Full HD at both 25fps and 50fps should you want to shoot slow-mo. The former has a bit rate of 28Mbps and the latter 20Mbps, both of which are decent for an entry-level camera. Sadly, there are no mic or headphones ports. panasonic.co.uk Fujifilm X-T20 £899 The X-T20 is one of Fuji’s first 4K cameras, offering 10min bursts of ultra high-res footage at 1000Mbps, without any cropping. It also shoots Full HD (25p or 50p) at 36Mbps, for 15min bursts. Unfortunately, the camera has no headphones port and, oddly, the mic port is a 2.5mm jack, rather than 3.5mm. fujifilm.eu/uk Sony a7S II £1449 The highly-rated full-frame a 7S II is a…

HIGH-SPEED BURST Select Continuous High (CH) to activate burst mode. This lets you hold down your shutter to take between 3fps and 10fps, depending on your camera. SHUTTER-PRIORITY Ensure total control over your shutter speed with shutter-priority (S). You can find this setting on your camera’s mode dial. DYNAMIC AREA AF Select 9-point Dynamic Area AF to focus on moving subjects, such as fast vehicles, with greater accuracy. SLOW SHUTTER SPEED A good starting point for your panning action shots is 1/30sec. However, you may need to adjust your shutter speed allowing for both the speed of your subject, and how far away it is from your camera. LOW ISO SETTING As you’ll be using a relatively slow shutter speed while working in daylight conditions, you’ll be able to keep…

Panning is such a versatile technique that you can get great results with pretty much any focal length. But what you have to consider is how far away your subject is, and how large it appears in your frame. You’ll want the subject to be a good size within the image, as demonstrated here. Shooting with a wide-angle lens will work well with a close subject, but it won’t for a far-away one. The opposite is true for telephoto lenses like a 70-300mm – these are ideal for far-away subjects and not close-ups. Carefully consider your choice of lens and focal length when composing your pan, as if your subject is too small in the frame you won’t be able to clearly see the rush of movement behind it.…

1 Choose your focus mode For this technique you’ll be using AF-C (Continuous autofocus). This tells the camera to keep the focusing motor engaged so long as the shutter button is half-pressed. The camera will hunt for the best focus by making micro-adjustments based on the distance of the subject, meaning it’s the best way to ensure sharpness with moving subjects. 2 Set Dynamic Area AF Choosing 9-point Dynamic Area AF will allow the camera to work out the best focus points to use to get the sharpest results. This mode works by constantly switching points to track a moving subject and offers you the best chance of success with panning shots. Keep the shutter button half-pressed until you’re ready to take your shot. 3 Focus accurately Dynamic Area AF…

Tom Miles Tom Miles is an editorial and commercial photographer based in London. He shoots mostly sports, fitness and lifestyle images for a variety of editorial and commercial clients, as well as teaching for Nikon. See more of Tim’s superb action images online at tmphoto.co.uk • What’s the first lesson a new action photographer should learn? The aim of panning is to get a sharp image of a moving subject that’s crossing the frame from one side to the other, so matching your movement to that of the subject is crucial. Subjects closer to the camera will move relatively faster than subjects further away, and you’ll need to move accordingly. You should avoid using too slow a shutter speed as this will make it difficult to keep your subject sharp.…

• WHO I AM AND WHERE I’M FROM IS A HUGE PART of my photography. I’m proud to be a woman, to be black and to be South African, so I try to create work that reflects that love and pride. There are a lot of bad things happening in my country, but it’s also overflowing with beauty, culture and diversity. The media often chooses to portray African countries as poverty-stricken and war-torn, but I wanted to present an alternative narrative that shows the incredible beauty and strength of South Africans. I enjoy photographing women as simultaneously strong and soft, as I believe that we have the capacity for both. When I was growing up I was told to know my place, to be humble and to stop trying to…