Tabla de contenidos para November 2017 en Practical Photography: Lite

1 Gear advice If you’ve got two camera bodies, fit one with a long lens of at least 300mm on a cropped-sensor body attached to a tripod with a fluid head. This is for photographing sections of flocks. Fit the second body with a shorter lens such as 24-70mm or 70-200mm. This is for individual birds within large flocks. 2 Settings A shutter speed of 1/1000sec or 1/500sec should be sufficient for most flight photography, so whatever mode you choose, keep an eye on what the camera is doing and check histograms. You could learn about correct exposure by practising using manual mode. That said, just about any mode should be fine if shooting silhouettes. 3 Technique To have the best chance of focusing on birds approaching a roost, switch…

MEET YOUR GUIDE ROSS HODDINOTT Since winning the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award aged 17, Ross’ career has gone from strength to strength. He’s travelled the world, written a number of best-selling books, runs Dawn 2 Dusk Photography with Mark Bauer and Adam Burton, is a Manfrotto ambassador, and recently completed a year-long stint as a Practical Photography columnist. rosshoddinott.co.uk 1 FILL THE FRAME WITH INTRICATE STRUCTURES Autumn is the perfect time of year to photograph spider webs bejewelled with morning dew. After clear, cool nights, webs will be sparkling with tiny water droplets, adding interest and scale to your close-ups. Webs are easily wind-blown, so a still, windless morning is best. If you want to fill the frame with the shape and structure of your web, use…

Many of the Fujinon lenses keep true to the classic Fujifilm aesthetic, bearing a manual aperture ring. This pays homage to a time before digital cameras and electronic lenses when everything was manual, including focusing and aperture control. By adding this feature in, the X Series gives you a glimpse into the past, feeling like you have ultimate control, by using the lens to switch your f/stops as you need them. Of course, there are people who prefer to let the camera make the decision – twisting the aperture ring to the ‘A’ position puts it in automatic mode – based on the needs of the subject, which is perfect for covering all eventualities.…

Heather Neilson is a specialist family photographer based in West London, renowned for her naturally-lit portraiture. She’s passionate about creating beautiful images for future generations to enjoy. heatherneilson.com How did you become a maternity and newborn photographer? I think I’ve probably had a slightly unusual career path! I was a city lawyer for over a decade in London and the Cayman Islands. I’d always been creative and eventually I got to the stage where I decided to explore life outside the corporate world. I initially did an intensive photography course in the US, and then worked for a couple of different studios that specialised in family portraiture. In those sessions I was always drawn to photographing mothers and mums-to-be. How would you describe your style, and how did it develop…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop Lightroom 6 or CC • A RAW you’d like to apply a gritty faux HDR look to YOU’D BE HARD pushed to find a photographic genre as opinion-dividing as HDR. The acronym, standing for High Dynamic Range image, is the subject of much controversy – some photographers loathe it, while others simply can’t get enough. Many people associate HDR images with picture bracketing, where several exposures of an identical composition are merged together, often producing an over-processed, gaudy style. But there’s no clear line drawn in the sand that marks what a HDR is. In fact, just by boosting the shadows in Lightroom, you’re expanding the dynamic range of that image. Love it or loathe it, we’re going to show you how to fake the…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop CC • An image with a small amount of blur that you’d like to subdue or remove THERE’S NO DOUBTING the creative merits of blur. A shallow depth-of-field is a great way of using out-of-focus areas to draw the viewer’s eye towards a particular point in your image. But finding out your image is covered in camera shake or, worse, completely out-of-focus back at your computer has to be one of the most disheartening moments that us photographers come up against. When shooting fast-paced action like wildlife, or weddings, it’s all too easy to take the shot without double-checking its sharpness. So this month we’ve come up with a trio of ingenious solutions to fix three types of blur – camera shake, the image-softening blur…

WHAT YOU NEED • A DSLR or CSC • A tripod, torch, flash gels and flashgun • Photoshop or Elements THE EVENINGS HAVE WELL and truly drawn in, but don’t let the darkness or the colder weather stop your photographic pleasure. Now is the perfect time to get out and do some light painting pictures. Flashguns, torches, lamps and pretty much anything that emits a light or glows can be used to create amazing light painting images, just drag the light source through the frame to create ethereal streaks of light. Light orbs follow this principle, but require a bit more preparation to achieve. A piece of string needs to be attached to your torch so that you can spin it around and create the spherical shape. They’re great fun…

1 Correct colours & exposure Open your RAW file into Adobe Camera Raw and drag the Temperature slider until the image looks as cool or warm as you like it. We warmed this shot up a little to make it look more sunny, and lifted the Exposure slider too. This is a simple tweak that really brightens the image, making it more appealing. 2 Remove distractions The rocks on the beach are a little distracting in this shot, so to turn it into a pristine shore, open up Photoshop and grab the Spot Healing Brush Tool from the Toolbox. Now hover your cursor over the distraction you want to remove and resize the brush with the [ and ] keys until the cursor is slightly bigger than the distraction. Now…

Creative skills PROS Shot in a beautiful location at the best time of day, with a vivid sunset that creates an attractive colour palette. The image is alluring, and having the jetty in the foreground helps to lead the viewer into the scene. The rocks in the foreground help anchor the eye. CONS The horizon is positioned centrally in the frame, whereas it may have been better on the upper third. Also, the jetty doesn’t quite lead the eye towards the image’s main focal point. Could the shot have worked better with a person on the pier, maybe? Technical skills PROS Image is in focus and the mid-range aperture of f/11 has ensured everything is sharp. The exposure is correct and the low ISO of 100 means minimal digital noise.…

1 PLAN FOR EVERYTHING The easier it is to find the place without getting lost, the more time you can spend scouting out unique compositions. Use a free offline map, like Maps.Me for your smartphone, so you’ll never get lost. Some locations are closed at certain times of year or don’t allow tripods, so check before you make plans. 2 STAY SAFE Buy a camera bag that comes with a rain cover that fits over the entire bag. Make sure the cover is over your bag wherever you suspect pickpockets may be around. That way, all of your zips and pockets will be covered, making you a less vulnerable target. 3 SEEK ADVICE Find forums or Facebook pages for photographers local to the area. Ask them for lesser-known places, or…

1 SHOOT BLURRED PEDESTRIANS At busy locations, it can be difficult to capture a shot that isn’t cluttered with h people. You can turn this to your artistic advantage by shooting with a slow shutter speed to creatively blur moving people into a figurative smudge. Not only will this lessen the distraction of lots of people, but it will also add a poetic element to the capture. To achieve this, all you need to to do is shoot in shutter-priority mode and nd set your shutter speed to 1/2sec. To avoid void the risk of overexposing, set your ISO to to 100 100 .. You’ll need to keep your camera perfectly ctly still still or or camera shake will blur the entire shot. Use a tripod if you have one,…

1 SEE IT AS YOU SHOOT IT Mirrorless cameras have one large, obvious strength over their DSLR counterparts – an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). This simply means that your viewfinder is a small screen which projects the image the sensor is seeing into the viewfinder, meaning you can see your exposure as the camera does, before you take your shot. 2 HIGHLY PORTABLE The lack of a focusing mirror found in DSLRs has the advantage of making CSCs considerably smaller than their more advanced relatives, meaning they’re perfect for walkabouts or longer adventures, fitting into your hand luggage almost unnoticed. 3 STEALTH Thanks to the small, non-intimidating size, CSCs are becoming very popular for street and wedding photography, allowing you to shoot silently and blend into the crowd in a way…

The T 24-hour photo p challenge special! The team have one day to create 24 brilliant images, using all their skill and experience to complete the ultimate creative challenge... • Dan visits an owl sanctuary to shoot dramatic portraits and birds in flight, while sharing tips about choosing the right lens. • Kirk takes to the streets and focuses on colourful floral abstracts and spontaneous portraits of complete strangers. • Louise works through the night to create incredible light orbs, low light self-portraits and fiery light paintings. • Tim focuses on innovative time-slice landscapes, sun-kissed beach huts and flash-inspired alien invasions. 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…

CAMERAS Fujifilm power-pair After last year’s mass of excellent releases, including the X-T2, X-Pro2 and GFX 50S, you’d be forgiven for thinking Fujifilm would be resting on its laurels. However, we have just been treated to a couple of exciting new releases. First up is the X-E3, a rangefinder style CSC, in the same mould as the X-Pro2, though lacking the hybrid EVF. It features the excellent 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS APS-C sensor and X-Prosessor Pro engine. It’s also the first Fujifilm X Series camera to feature always-on low energy Bluetooth (alongside Wi-Fi), allowing you to transfer your shots to a smart device as you shoot them. It also bears the distinction of being the smallest and lightest X Series camera with a viewfinder, making it a real draw for anybody…

I’M WATCHING THE SUNSET UNVEIL ACROSS THE Exe estuary from a beautiful, but empty, new penthouse apartment. I’m coming to the end of a 15-hour time-lapse I’ve been working on, taking in the views and hive of activity of the boats below for the building’s owner. Penthouse apartments aren’t my usual stomping ground, but jobs like this make up a fair amount of my business. I’ve been a full-time freelance photographer and filmmaker for just over two years and I have learnt a lot along the way. We all have hopes and dreams of what a career as a freelance photographer will be like – having heaps of time to visit bucket list locations, buy those new lenses and put together that book you’ve never had the time to complete.…

MEET YOUR GUIDE SIMON ROY Simon is an award-winning photographer based in Yorkshire. His images have been highly commended in both the International Garden Photographer of the Year and British Wildlife Photography awards. Check out the first instalment of his new column in next month’s issue. simonroy photography.co.uk • Why do hedgehogs make such great autumn subjects? Hedgehogs, especially hoglets, have a very cute reputation and are often the subject of myths and children’s stories. They are typically portrayed in an autumnal setting, which is largely due to their habit of hibernating in piles of fallen leaves and even under bonfires. They also tend to be quite active at this time of year as they build up fat reserves for their big sleep. Seasonal images of popular creatures, like a…

1 Gear advice For intimate woodland landscapes, you’ll need a medium telephoto lens between 70mm and 400mm. I always use a tripod, as it aids composition, slows you down and is essential for working with long shutter speeds. I always use the 2-second self-timer release to avoid camera shake. 2 Settings I always shoot in manual exposure mode and, given that most woodland scenes are mid-toned, evaluative metering mode is reliable. Shoot ISO 100 or as close as your camera will allow, and set an aperture of around f/11-f/13, and stop down further to f/22 or beyond to deliberately slow your shutter speed. 3 Technique For vertical panning, I start with a shutter speed of 1 second and smoothly pan down the scene. I take care to ensure the camera…

GITZO IS CELEBRATING its 100th birthday this year and to mark the occasion the luxury brand has announced the 100 Year Anniversary Edition Tripod. A limited edition of just 1917 pieces (a reference to the year of Gitzo’s foundation), with the number of each piece laser-engraved on one leg, this exclusive travel tripod has an RRP of £1249.95 – and you can win one! The 100 Year e Anniversary Edition Tripod features Gitzo’s latest Traveler Series 1 technology, including Carbon eXact tubing and 180º leg folding mechanism, together with a brand-new Center Ball Head for superior smoothness and precision. Included is an ergonomic strap made of genuine Italian leather. Presented in a black branded chest with leather detailing, the 100 Year Anniversary Edition Tripod also features a certificate of authenticity,…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop or Elements • An image that needs a white balance and exposure fix. COLOUR CAN MAKE OR break a landscape image. And no matter how fiery a sunset, or rich a blue sky, your image is sure to look odd if the white balance isn’t exactly spot-on. This trap is all too easy to fall into, though thankfully it’s an easy problem to rectify, and one that makes a huge difference. Exposure is another area you’ll want to take some time to finesse, particularly with sunset and sunrise landscapes. Here, you’ll want to underexpose these types of images to help the warm yellow and orange tones come through. But if you haven’t underexposed in-camera, fear not. It takes just a few clicks to get the…

Whether you want to shoot a lone light orb, or a whole mob of them, it’s best practice to create a single light painting per image. This makes it much cleaner and easier to merge your shots in Photoshop, which we’ll be doing over the page. In addition to the standard creative camera and tripod you’ll need for any long exposure, you’re going to require a few inexpensive materials. The orb is produced by torchlight – to create it, tie some string to the end of a torch so that you can swing it around in a circular motion to create the light sphere. For the best light painting results it’s best to wear dark-coloured clothing. Wrap yourself up in a hat, scarf and gloves to make sure the torchlight…

1 Lower your exposure The warm golden tones of a sunset can easily be lost if your camera’s metering system overexposes the image. Luckily, if you shoot in the RAW format you can adjust the exposure to restore this lost detail. Just drag the Exposure or Highlights sliders to the left a little to stop details clipping to pure white. If the colour doesn’t look as warm as you remember it, drag the Temperature slider to the right to get the colours looking right. It’s worth increasing the Vibrance slider a little too, to make the colours stronger. 2 Cut through mist Mist can wash out details in your shot. The Dehaze slider in ACR and Lightroom is really useful for not only removing haze and revealing details, but also…

WHAT YOU NEED • A computer with the minimum required spec • Internet access • A RAW or JPEG photograph System Requirements • Microsoft Windows OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and newer Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher Graphics: 512MB RAM: 2GB Disc space: 4GB • Apple OS X OS: 10.10 Yosemite and newer Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher Graphics: 512MB RAM: 2GB Disc space: 4GB WE’VE GOT A FANTASTIC offer for you this month, as we’ve teamed up with DxO to secure a free copy of its powerful DxO OpticsPro 11 Essential (worth £99) for every Practical Photography reader! This comprehensive imaging software supports both JPEG and RAW file formats and makes it a breeze to improve the exposure, colours and sharpness of your images. Just open…

1 Select the irises Double click on the Edit in Quick Mask mode icon at the on the Tools Panel. Choose Selected Areas, click OK, then press D on the keyboard. Choose the Brush Tool, change Hardness to 80%, and paint a red mask over your model’s irises. If you want to delete areas, press X, then X again to repaint. 2 Add brightening Press Q to convert to a selection, then click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Choose Selective Color from the list. Select Neutrals from the drop-down box, then move the Black slider to the left. You should notice the irises brighten. 3 Repeat for the pupils Press Ctrl+D to deselect the irises, then repeat step 1 and…

Biography: Andrew is a portrait & fashion photographer based in Manchester. Starting at a catalogue studio, where he specialised in loading film backs, he landed a job at the BBC, where his first day was spent photographing Charlton Heston. He still freelances for the BBC and recently shot the Dragons’ Den promos: “A particular favourite as I get to light and direct the shoot.” On being an Olympus enthusiast: “Our relationship began in the early ’80s when David Bailey appeared in Olympus’ TV ad campaigns. I didn’t actually own an Olympus camera – the iconic X-A – until many years later. By this time, I was working at Carlton Studios, where Nikons were used for most jobs, though I kept an Olympus Mju II in my pocket all the time.…

1 ZOOM RANGE Compact cameras come with a single, fixed lens which usually packs a massive zoom range. Many of them boast 35mm equivalent lengths of approximately 20-600mm, which gives you scope to shoot almost everything without having the burden of carrying around extra lenses. 2 PORTABLE As the name suggests, compact cameras are, well, compact – this means a camera which can accompany you around the globe without ever leaving your person. Though the sensor size isn’t quite as large as others in test, the image quality has come on leaps and bounds in modern times, making compacts a great choice for travellers or simple everyday use. 3 INCONSPICUOUS For safety conscious shooters, big name brand cameras can often be a target for thieves. The benefit of blending in…

LIGHTING Honey Badger £259 • Thanks to countless nature documentaries, the Honey Badger has gained a reputation for being fearless and tenacious, with the Guinness Book of World Records naming it the ‘World’s Most Fearless Creature’, which gives this namesake 320w flash head a lot to live up to. It’s a compact system, managing to fit a decent amount of power into a body that weighs a relatively tiny 1.4kg and measures 15x13x13cm. Regardless of the size, there’s a lot of well-honed tech in this unit. It manages a very respectable recycle time of only one second on full power, which is impressive, and that recycle time gets quicker as you cycle down in power output, meaning i a very hi high h hit hit-rate t . The duration time…

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 Nikon’s D850 and Canon’s EOS M100. DxO DxO OpticsPro OpticsPro 11 11 Download the full version of this powerful editing software worth £99. Photoshop video lessons Fix colour casts and exposure issues, add autumn leaves to portraits, and create a gritty HDR effect with three complete editing tutorials. DOWNLOAD THE DISC CONTENT AT bit.ly/ppdisc1712…

Canon 5DS R MkII For those still looking for more megapixels, there’s talk of Canon updating its 50MP 5DS R model. The new MkII version will make a jump to a massive 60.1MP, made even more impressive with the omission of an optical low pass filter for maximum sharpness. It will also include 4K video, though we are expecting it to concentrate on stills more than movies. It will also include Dual Pixel AF and focus peaking. canon.co.uk Canon PowerShot G1 X MkIII Canon’s line of excellent 1in sensor compacts, the Powershot G series, is reportedly looking to step up and use APS-C sensors (like those found in many DSLRs). This will start with the G1X MkIII, rumoured to be coming soon. It will include the same intuitive control scheme,…

INSPIRATION COMES TO ME IN MANY DIFFERENT forms. I’m a very visual person; all of my life, I knew I saw the world differently, and when I found photography, it all made sense. When you find your passion in life and are able to pursue it, there’s no greater feeling. As artists, however, I feel like we’re sometimes our own worst critics and that can cause us to doubt our work and ourselves. There are times when my mind overflows with ideas and I want to shoot constantly. And there are times when inspiration and motivation fail me and I find it hard to get back into a rhythm. At the beginning of my career, I constantly compared myself to other photographers in my city. “You’re not as good as…

1 Gear advice Use the longest focal length you have. If an animal is relaxed it’s more likely to behave naturally. Hedgehogs don’t react well to noise – the further away you are the better. A longer focal length, combined with a wide aperture, will also help to isolate the subject and create nice background blur. 2 Settings I shoot in aperture-priority mode and use this along with ISO to control shutter speed. For portraits I tend to use my widest aperture and then stop down once to increase sharpness. I use autofocus in combination with continuous drive mode and typically only select a single AF point, as I find this to be more accurate. 3 Technique Always try and focus on the subject’s eye. This is especially important when…

1 Gear advice I used to use a massive 500mm f/4, but bought Canon’s 100-400mm last year and find that it gives greater flexibility and is extremely sharp throughout its range. I also use Gitzo’s Systematic range of tripods, as these are extremely sturdy and can also fold out to shoot at very low angles. 2 Settings I always shoot in aperture-priority mode and set aperture and ISO to dictate the shutter speed I can work with. I usually want to work above 1/250sec for portraits, but for action I’m trying to shoot with much faster shutter speeds so shoot wide open and choose higher ISOs. Modern cameras control high ISO and noise so well. 3 Technique Autofocus is amazing, but not always fast enough, so when working with leaping…

Sometimes, regardless of the length of your telephoto lens, you want just a tiny bit more, which is where teleconverters come into play. Fujifilm has two of these handy units, which sit between the lens and the camera mount, magnifying the effective length of your glass. The XF 1.4x TC WR and the XF 2x TC WR are both designed to work with your longer focal length zoom lenses to offer you the most from your shooting g experience, allowing extra reach ach without having to shell out on on a new lens. Both teleconverters nverters also feature a tough and w w eather-resistant design, which allows you to brave the usually inclement weather with confidence.…

Sally Josko is an award-winning maternity, baby and child photographer. She specialises in capturing beautiful images of newborns, utilising her 14 years of experience as a qualified childcare worker. sallyjosko.co.uk How did you become a maternity and newborn photographer? When I left school, photography was what I loved, and as a mum with two children to support it remained my weekend hobby. I undertook a career in childcare, working with babies and young children in a private nursery. After 13 years working in education and being fully qualified in childcare, I decided to do the two things I was passionate about, so I opened my studio specialising in newborn photography. How do you arrange newborn shoots? I ask my clients to book their session at around 20 weeks of pregnancy…

Roxy van Staden is a newborn and child lifestyle photographer based in Gravesend, Kent. Her cake smash sessions have captured the delight of both parents and toddlers across the UK. roxieartphotography.co.uk How did you hear about cake smash photography and why did you incorporate it into your business? The first time I ever saw a cake smash image was on Facebook in 2011. I never dreamed that it would someday be a part of the business that I set up in 2013, but by early 2014 I was busy photographing babies making a mess. It’s always a fun experience, from the creative process of setting up the shoot, to the complete destruction at the end. Babies love exploring and this lets them experiment with different tastes and textures at their…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop Elements • A warm, autumnal portrait with plenty of space and central interest AUTUMN IS PERHAPS THE most photogenic season for many of us. The leaves are turning from deep greens to vibrant reds, and the tonal palette is natural, warm and welcoming. You only have to go out for a walk in the country to see the trees furiously shedding their summer coats for another year. Sadly, leaves rarely fall perfectly when you’re pointing a camera at them, which is why, this month, we’re taking a look at faking falling leaves, a really simple technique that will interject a magical sense of movement and add depth to any image. All you need is a shot with a strong subject, plenty of space and a…

WHAT YOU NEED Photoshop CC or Elements A landscape, a portrait and some birds in flight THERE ARE FEW photographic genres as instantly recognisable as double exposures. These images, created by overlaying multiple scenes together, are extremely stylish and iconic, and are great fun to experiment with. Many digital cameras give you the option to shoot double exposures in-camera, just like you would with a film one, where the technique originated, but creating them this way doesn’t give any room for error if the two images don’t line up correctly, the exposure isn’t right, or you’d like to swap one of the images. Instead, we recommend shooting your images separately and bringing them together in Photoshop. This takes a little more time to create the effect, but gives you the…

1 Smooth out skin Go to your Layers panel and hit Ctrl+J to duplicate your image. Now go up to Filter>Blur>Surface Blur , set the Radius to 3px and the Threshold to 15px then hit OK. Now click on the Add Layer Mask icon and hit Ctrl+I to invert it. Now, with a soft white Brush Tool, paint over the skin to smooth it out. 2 Clone out distractions Open your shot and grab the Clone Stamp Tool from the Toolbox. Hold the Alt key and click on the area you want to sample. Now, set the Flow to 20% to make it gradual and brush over the part you want to replace. More detailed information can be found on page 82.…

ACR / LIGHTROOM Get a finer level of control with the Graduated Filter Tool The Graduated Filter Tool is really handy for applying broad adjustments to sections of your image. It’s most useful for editing the sky or foreground, and its hardness can be adjusted by dragging the lines around the adjustment pin when you’ve applied it. This helps you replicate the effect of a soft or hard filter. However, there are times when the filter may cover a part of the image you don’t want to affect – in this shot we just want to darken the sky, and not the horse’s head. Adobe recently changed the Graduated Filter Tool, meaning you can now remove or add to your graduated adjustment by clicking Brush. Here, you can click Erase…

1 BE PASSIONATE I instinctively know what I’d like to go and spend my time shooting on, so go with your gut and make sure you’re excited about your potential project. I like to spend time thinking about the work, so that I know I’ve thought it through as much as possible. Then simply find good contacts to help you tell the story as you want to tell it. 2 BE FLEXIBLE I think many people go into their shoots with a clear intention of what images they want to create. I’ve always worked differently with personal projects. I never go in knowing what I’m going to come away with at the end. I let the idea evolve organically as I’m shooting. I always like the element of surprise and…

1 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II The bigger battery and dual memory card d slots allow me to work for longer without having to worry about the spontaneity of a shoot being marred by a full card or a battery change. 2 Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO Unbelievable sharpness, even wide open, and with bokeh to die for. Super-quick AF, especially when coupled with Olympus’ E-M1 MkII, and really close minimum focusing distance. It sits perfectly with the E-M1 and PEN-F bodies with battery grips. 3 Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm f/1.8 Such a great portrait lens and another one that’s phenomenal when used wide open. It’s tiny compared to an 90mm full-frame equivalent and is subtly flattering in its rendering, though even at f/1.8 it can be too…

1 SMALL SIZE Action cameras are designed to be small, robust and tough. They are purpose-built to be ready at the drop of a hat to capture your wildest adventures and have a construction philosophy to match. Many are also waterproof and shock resistant, to a degree, allowing you the freedom to go places that other cameras can’t follow. 2 UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE They’re usually intended to give you a unique view, which traditional cameras can’t quite manage. This includes the lens design, which is usually very wide-angle to allow you to capture every last detail of your outings. 3 HANDS-FREE OPERATION While not always the case, a lot of action cameras allow you to mount them to clothing, suction cups, tripods and even helmets – or, in the case of…

1 MORE POWER Without exception, DSLRs are the kings of battery life. While the other cameras on test will leave you changing batteries regularly, a DSLR can give you 100% more shots per charge. This is largely thanks to not requiring an EVF, which may come in handy but does come at the rather drastic cost of reduced battery life. 2 ALL THE LENSES While action and compact cameras have fixed lenses, and the mirrorless CSCs have a respectable range of glass, it’s DSLRs that have the widest range of optics on offer. With a lens for every occasion, you can’t beat DSLRs for versatility. 3 PROGRESSION Although every camera fulfils its purpose well, and CSCs will manage every job you need, it’s usually DSLRs that offer full-frame sensors. This…

• MY EARLIEST PHOTOGRAPHIC INSPIRATION WAS nature. Both my grandad and father became interested in capturing their local environment when I was about 12. Walking around woodlands with my dad and his camera definitely inspired the way that I photograph my subjects today. I’m constantly driven to find new ways of presenting nature through photography. The main focus of my recent work has been to capture the connection between natural and manufactured environments by digitally manipulating my subject matter. For my photography A Level coursework, one of the areas I explored was how I could show the progress of change in landscapes by creating composite images. I believe that a single image of a vista can’t possibly show the full beauty of a scene, as the world around us is…