Tabla de contenidos para February 2018 en Practical Photography: Lite

Russian sunrise by Daniel Kordan • To take this photo I woke up long before sunrise in a mountain hut at the foot of Taganay National Park, in Russia’s Ural Mountains. I hiked up the mountain in -30°C, reaching the top an hour before sunrise, and then the show began. The clouds turned pink and red, and danced around the sky, so I quickly took advantage of the amazing light. Nikon D810 | 19mm | 1/13sec | f/16 | ISO 160 Daniel Kordan is an award-winning landscape photographer who has featured in National Geographic and includes Apple and RedBull among his key clients. danielkordan.com Shipwreck by Eric Volto • My wife and I like to snorkel down to the wreck of the Pecorella, which is at the exit of a…

Canon 15-45mm f/1.8-3.5 Anybody currently in love with their EOS M mirrorless camera is in for a real treat, as we’ve seen a reported Canon patent for a brand new wide aperture zoom lens. Offering a perfect walkabout focal length range of 15-45mm and a maximum aperture of f/1.8-3.5, this lens is set to bring something truly unique to the system. We don’t have an ETA, but all fingers are crossed for a 2018 release. canon.co.uk Canon EOS 7D MkIII Canon has had a number of big releases this year, but we’ve not seen any sign of the 7D MkIII until now. Rumours have started to circulate that an update to the popular 7D MkII will emerge around March 2018. While there are no official details or specs yet, we’ve…

“THE NEED TO FEED MAKES THE WINTER GARDEN AN OASIS FOR MANY WILD CREATURES” THE COLDER WEATHER, SHORTER DAYS AND lack of natural food make the winter garden an oasis for many wild creatures. The need to feed leads to bolder, more competitive behaviour and this can give the wildlife photographer ample close encounters with usually timid subjects. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy though, as unpredictable weather can make opportunities fleeting. Being prepared is, therefore, essential. I typically plan my shots in advance, and by that I mean I start putting food out in early autumn. This gives the wildlife time to get used to a setup and become confident with it before the colder weather arrives. One of the classic winter images I aim for every year is…

1 Hang your torch Attach the end of your torch to a length of string, then tape the other end of the string to the ceiling with duct tape. Alternatively, attach it to a light fitting if it’s steady enough. Ideally the torch should hang around 3ft from the ground. 2 Choose your settings Working in manual exposure mode (M), set an aperture of f/16, an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of 15-30sec. Set self-timer mode to 2sec, and zoom out as far as your lens allows (about 18mm will be plenty). 3 Focus your shot The easiest focusing method is to point your camera at the floor from the approximate height of the torch, and half press to focus. Then without knocking the focus ring, switch to…

MEET YOUR GUIDE KINGSLEY SINGLETON An expert tutor in camera skills and Photoshop, Kingsley has been teaching creative photography in magazines and courses for over a decade. kingsleysingleton.com • IMAGINE IF YOU COULD be in two places at once. Well, digital cameras and Photoshop can make that possible... in terms of image-making at least. With the right approach you can quickly repeat a person, animal or object multiple times around a picture, making it seem like there are more of them than there are. And although the concept can seem complex to start with, it’s actually very quick and easy to do – it took well under an hour to make the image above. It is, therefore, a perfect technique if you have a bit of creative energy, and will…

LOOKING FOR A DIY challenge and eager to put your crafting skills to the test? If you’re after a fresh spin for a panorama then we’ve just the project for you. Turn your favourite photograph into a living room staple, illuminated from within and taking pride of place as a stylish lamp. Pick your image As you’ll be printing your image on normal copy paper, you’ll want to steer away from big blocks of dark colours. The only time you’ll typically be able to get away with this is if you’re using an image that has a silhouette. However, the vast majority of your shot should be a bright colour, as this will allow the light from the bulb to shine through. You’ll also want to avoid shots that have…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop or Elements • An image you’d like to add a variety of film effects to TONING YOUR IMAGES IS A great way of increasing their appeal. So we’ve rounded up a trio of toning effects, each of which can be completed in just five minutes. Adding colour or contrast will transform your pictures, making them look much more dynamic and eye-catching. Converting your shots to mono, or adding a single toning effect, is a great way of removing colours in the frame that distract the viewer’s eye away from your focal point. This occurs in our busy street scene, which is bursting at the seams with vibrant colours. We kick off with this simple but effective cyanotype treatment, where you’ll learn how to apply a…

WHAT YOU NEED • A DSLR or CSC and some basic equipment • A cloudy landscape • Photoshop CC YOU’D BE HARD PUSHED TO FIND somebody that isn’t familiar with the term time-lapse. The innovative photographic process is all the rage with nature documentaries and cinematic films as a new way to show time passing. To shoot one, you need to take a sequence of images at regular intervals – for example one every minute – over a period of time. You can then turn these stills into a video to show movement, such as the sun setting over a mountain range, a flower coming into bloom or cars racing through bustling city streets. Our time-stack technique is similar to a time-lapse, but the end result merges all of the…

Stephen says: This angle of the Gherkin reflecting in the Scalpel building really caught my eye. I liked the way the sun highlighted its shape, though it was difficult to get a shot without glare. It was also very windy, so keeping my camera still was a problem too! In Lightroom I tweaked the contrast, clarity and vibrance. reservation would be to remove the beam from the top right corner, as it breaks up the uniform window pattern and pulls the eye away (see Photo Fix panel). The glare has been suppressed well, though a polarising filter might help cut these out entirely in the future. Stephen’s got a great eye for photography, and these tweaks take his shot to the top of its game. Photo Fix Distractions 1 Copy a…

LIGHTROOM Copy as DNG to save space and maximise compatibility DNG is a RAW format that is universally compatible with any version of RAW editing software. Users of Lightroom have the option to Copy as DNG using the Import dialogue from within the Library module. Here, you use the Source panel on the left to find the RAWs you want to copy over, and then on the right side of the interface click To and choose the place on your hard drive where you want to save your newly converted DNG pictures. In addition to being universally friendly, DNG files in our tests were found to be around 15% smaller in size. Adobe claims this is because the lossless compression used when converting to DNG is more efficient. That means…

Canon EOS M100 kit £419 The M100 is an ideal CSC for outdoor photographers because, at just 302g including a battery, it’s incredibly portable. Boasting a 24.2MP resolution, Wi-Fi, and a tilting 3in touchscreen, it comes fully loaded with an impressive spec. Bear in mind that due to its size there’s no viewfinder. canon.co.uk Nikon D3400 kit £429 This ultra-compact 24MP DSLR might be inexpensive, but according to sensor experts DXO it contains the second-best APS-C sensor on the market, with a monster dynamic range of 13.9 stops. The camera comes with an 18-55mm kit lens, but doesn’t have touchscreen or Wi-Fi built in. nikon.co.uk Sony a5100 kit £449 Sony’s highly-rated entry-level APS-C CSC comes with an impressive 24.3MP sensor, a light, compact body, a tiltable 3in screen (though no…

“THERE HAVE BEEN SOME LOCATIONS THAT I’VE VISITED FIVE TIMES BEFORE I COULD GET IN...” FOR THOSE OF US WITH AN inner intrepid explorer that’s just waiting to break free and set off on epic adventures, Thomas Mueller’s images are the perfect inspiration. Each one transports you into a different dilapidated building, covered in decades’ worth of grime and dust. Having shot hundreds of abandoned locations the world over, Thomas is now an expert in capturing the eerie beauty of total dereliction. How did you first become interested in photography? While I bought my first camera in the early 2000s, I didn’t actually stray outside of the auto setting until around 2007, which is when I bought my first DSLR. The most wonderful thing about photography is that it’s so…

Factfile Photographer: Simone Cmoon Full-time occupation: Fine art photographer Aim of project: To remember the sheer splendour of our earth Location: I’ve been lucky enough to shoot all over the world Time spent: I spend almost every clear moon-free weekend shooting Duration: I’ve been working on this project for around two and a half years now Images taken: I’ve taken many photographs, but I’m yet to finish working on them Website: cmoonview.ch “I CAPTURE LITTLE PIECES OF NATURE TO REMEMBER HOW BEAUTIFUL OUR WORLD IS...” THERE’S SOMETHING TRULY enchanting about the quiet majesty of the night sky. Stealing out to a magnificent location in the dead of night, under a thick blanket of stars, is on many a photographer’s bucket list. However, Simone Cmoon has transformed her passion for the…

• WHILE I MAY ONLY BE 12 YEARS OLD, I’VE BEEN photographing local wildlife for a little over five years now. My dad is a full-time wildlife photographer, and we own and operate a gallery in a tourist area in the Canadian Rockies. My older sister, Jenaya, became really passionate about photography when she was 13, so I was always going out on trips into the wilderness with my father. By the time I was seven, I started asking my dad if I could use one of his extra cameras. Once I started shooting, it didn’t take long for me to completely fall in love with it. From the beginning, my dad always encouraged me to choose the kit, composition and settings that I wanted for myself. He helped me…

The table-top project special! The Practical Photography team head indoors to bring you a variety of brilliant fine art and presentation ideas that will keep you inspired and motivated through the winter months... • Dan uses a premium compact and a drill to get inside an acoustic guitar and find a very different viewpoint of a very familiar object. • Louise shows off a trio of ingenious presentation ideas, from DIY canvasses to Polaroid-inspired photo scratchcards. • Kirk cooks up a tasty food still life setup in his kitchen using a flashgun, diffuser and a sprinkling of creative flair. 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…

MEET YOUR GUIDE NATASHA BREEN With almost 10 years’ shooting experience, Natasha is a professional food, product and still life photographer who blogs and shoots for stock agencies like Shutterstock as well as private clients in the industry. breen-photo.com What draws you to creating these kinds of still lifes? What’s compelling about the ‘flat lay’ look? Flat lay is certainly trendy right now, and you’ll see a lot of it on Instagram. It’s popular in many photography genres, including food. It’s not a good fit for classic still life compositions where you want depth, but what I love about it is how clearly it lets me define the shapes of objects. I like to use it to better show the beauty of many dishes, as well as utensils and tools.…

MEET YOUR GUIDE ALEXANDRINA ANA Digital artist Alexandrina creates captivating scanner art, as well as portraits and urbex images. alexandrinaana.deviantart.com What’s the attraction of using a scanner to ‘shoot’ rather than a camera? It’s very different – of course the primary use of a scanner is to replicate documents, but when you start digitising objects and textures it becomes an artistic tool. A scanner lets you represent objects in a new way – there’s an absence of perspective and depth-of-field. It’s a new way to represent the world around me, and even myself. And it’s accessible, too, as any sort of flatbed scanner can be used. What made you decide to create scanned portraits? I’d made scanned images of objects, like flowers, and wanted to produce something new. I think…

MEET YOUR GUIDE VESA LEHTIMÄKI Vesa Lehtimäki is a graphic designer and illustrator from Helsinki. Check out more of Vesa’s intriguing miniature photography in his book Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy. instagram.com/avanaut When did you start your miniature photography? My first images were in about 1980. One of them was a Hawker Hurricane under fire while landed. I still have the Hurricane with its twisted prop and molten from the heat of pyrotechnics. Sadly, there are very few images left. Most were thrown away in anger because they were always out of focus. Bad camera. My real passion was ignited by movies like Star Wars. I loved explosions, miniatures, special effects and all that. I would scratch-build ships and try to do the same, to grab myself a piece…

WHAT YOU NEED • Lightroom 6 or CC • A portrait which needs some attention paying to blemishes and skin texture PORTRAITS ARE the ideal subject for getting creative in post-processing. While there’s no doubt that a simple, straight-out-of-camera JPEG can look very nice in the family album, a few tweaks in Lightroom will really elevate your people pictures from mere snapshots to pro-level status. All it takes is a series of colour, exposure and blemish removal steps, and you’ll end up with professional-looking portraits in no time at all. If you don’t have Lightroom, you can also use these techniques in Photoshop’s Adobe Camera Raw converter. And you can always export your images into Photoshop at the end of the technique if you want to take anything a step…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop & Elements • An image with a blown out sky you’d like to replace LANDSCAPES ARE ONE OF THE TRICKIEST subjects to expose for, as for the vast majority of the time you’ll be faced with much darker foregrounds than skies. It’s no surprise then that our scenics often come out with well exposed foregrounds, but skies that are far too bright and burned out (like our example shot). Shooting in RAW format will help, as these files capture lots of extra info and detail that can be revealed in post-production. But sometimes it’s just as easy to simply add a new, better sky from your existing portfolio. This month we’re giving away 13 skies on the free disc/download. So find a shot with a…

Chris says: I wanted to blur the water, but retain the detail in the rocks with this shot. I ran into the frame, but it was hard to keep still during the exposure! I had a friend illuminate the rocks and myself with a flash to make sure these areas came out sharp. Dan says: Chris has done well to capture an exposure of several minutes – it’s helped him to smooth out the water into a wonderfully blurred, milky texture. The warm tones in the sky have also been blended together, which gives this image a timeless quality. The picture is a little soft, possibly because the tripod was knocked or blown by a breeze during the two-minute exposure. This is easily done, but a little sharpening brings the…

Tim Berry PP’s contributing 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 back up and store images safely? A photographer friend of mine recently lost a significant number of her images and I’m getting increasingly paranoid about this happening to me. What’s the best way to protect my shots? Paul Taylor, Leicester Tim says: Secure image storage isn’t exactly the most exciting avenue of photography, but if you don’t put the proper measures in place to protect your files, you’re running a huge risk of serious data loss. These days,…

Project 365 Shooting one image every day is a great way to keep the creative juices flowing through the year. Most photographers focus on a specific subject, such as self-portraits, but you don’t have to. If you’re short on time, a Project 30 may suit better, as it only spans a month. ABC or numbers project Keep your eyes open for attractive letters and try to photograph the entire alphabet, or do it with numbers from 1-25. You can then make them into a grid in Photoshop to display on the wall. This is ideal if you don’t have much time, as you can grab shots while out and about. Stick to one colour Over a period of, say, one month, only shoot objects of a particular colour. At first…

1 FIND AN IDEA If you want to start a project, you just need an idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to pick something quite specific and focus on it, such as taking all your images in black & white. Or perhaps you’re very interested in a theme, or you’re shocked about something and want to create change. Embracing your emotions will help you create a great personal project. If you’re really interested in something, then you’ll have the energy to chase after it. 2 GO DEEPER If you don’t want to just scrape the surface of your subject, then you’ll need passion for it. Don’t be afraid to spend time informing yourself of the theme you’ve chosen and the equipment you’ll need. There’s always something new to discover! 3 PLAN YOUR…

“THE 200D IS THE PERFECT FIRST CHOICE FOR A SIMPLE DSLR” This test is teeth-clenchingly close. With massive advances in technology practically every year, entry-level cameras are now often just as capable as their more advanced counterparts. So armed with a little bit of skill and a creative eye, there’s nothing on this list that will hold you back. The downside to this is that it’s extremely tough to choose a winner. Canon’s 1300D is massively popular, and offers a great core set of features to aid you on your photographic journey, but it’s getting on a bit. The lack of a tilting touchscreen, lower resolution sensor and limited focus points all count heavily against it. Similarly, the Sony has some features that are best in test – like the…

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 Sony α 7R III and Panasonic G9. Toning presets & skies Get 25 one-click Lightroom effects, from moody mono to punchy colour and even artistic borders, plus 13 dramatic skies for improving your overexposed scenics. Photoshop video lessons Retouch RAW portraits in Lightroom, replace an overexposed sky, and turn your people pictures into colourful silhouettes in Photoshop or Elements. DOWNLOAD THE DISC CONTENT AT bit.ly/ppdisc1802…

DRONES The government is expected to create a bill in 2018 designed to tighten the regulations regarding civilian drone usage. It is anticipated that the Department for Transport will head up this new incentive, which will see police officers demanding drone users cease and desist operation should they infringe on the new laws. One expected inclusion in the bill is mandatory drone registration. This is already compulsory in America for any craft weighing over 250g and, should a similar weight limit be imposed here, it will certainly affect most of DJI’s current line-up. The policy director of the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has already acknowledged the economic and workplace benefits, and supports the safe development of drone usage in the UK. He also confirmed that he’s in favour of increasing…

“I’LL DROP A COUPLE OF BATTERIES INTO MY SLEEPING BAG...” WINTER IS A FANTASTIC TIME OF YEAR TO capture great images. The low sun provides soft directional light throughout the day, and snow and ice transform scenes into something really special. Sunrise and sunset occur at much more sociable hours than other times of the year too. The season does come with a few challenges though, and none more so than the issues it causes our cameras when it’s so cold. Here are my tips for when temperatures tumble. Batteries There’s nothing worse than watching your battery power drain away when you’re out on location, and cold weather only accelerates this. Although camera batteries are now more efficient and powerful than ever, cameras have become equally dependant on them. Be…

“THE IDEA TO SHOOT MATCHES WAS INSPIRED BY A COMMERCIAL ON TV...” MEET YOUR GUIDE MUHAMMAD AL-QATAM Radiologist by day Muhammad has been a passionate photographer for almost 15 years, shooting many wonderful macro projects for which he’s won numerous awards. 500px.com/alqatam What got you started shooting macro? I live in Kuwait and the weather is very hot for most of the year, so outdoor shooting is not always a suitable option. Indoor projects like this are a preferred choice – I guess it’s the same when it’s too cold! Then there are the amazing discoveries that a macro lens brings you. The magnification uncovers a hidden world not usually seen by the naked eye, and it turns everyday objects into something amazing. How did you come up with the…

WHAT YOU NEED • Photoshop or Elements • A variety of images you’d like to merge together FANTASY COMPOSITE IMAGES ARE A brilliant way of letting your hair down in Photoshop. You can create scenes that would be impossible to capture in a single still photograph, position your subjects exactly where you want them and change their proportions too. We’ve rounded up a hotchpotch of pictures to create our narrative, including a snap of the Milky Way, a lone tree, some animals, a girl pointing upwards and an old cottage. There are loads of royalty-free image websites, such as pixabay.com or pexels.com, so download a handful of images and use them to make your own narrative, or use them in conjunction with your own shots for more personalised results. In…

Declan says: I’m a big motorsports fan and I took this shot at Donington Park’s Craner Curves. I get the best shots here as there are no obstructions. I like the speed in this shot and the motion in the wheels too, and added a slight crop and colour adjustment in post. Dan says: If this isn’t a high-octane shot, then I don’t know what is! Declan’s panning technique is great – the rider is in focus and the background has been transformed into a fantastic rush of colour. I’d suggest adding extra sharpening to any panning shot because the camera is moving as you shoot, so it’s always going to be a little blurry. Our method below sharpens just the rider to hide any camera shake. A slight boost…

EDITING IS ESSENTIAL FOR making your shots look as good as possible, but time spent at the computer could be time spent outdoors getting the most out of your hobby and adding more cracking photos to your portfolio. Presets are a fantastic way of speeding up your workflow, as they allow you to apply a whole raft of predetermined adjustments in just a single click. You can then fine-tune the effect easily and produce fantastic results in an instant. To get you started, we’re giving away 25 unique presets on this issue’s free disc/download for quickly toning your shots, giving them a border or converting to black & white. Here’s how you can do it. 1 Create a folder Open up Lightroom and click Develop at the top of the…

If the worst happens and, for whatever reason, you do lose important data, what you do next could make all the difference when it comes to potential recovery. The most common cause of image loss is accidental deletion or card formatting, in which case you should be able to recover images, as usually the data isn’t actually deleted, but rather marked as ‘available’ should the camera wish to use it. So it’s vitally important that you don’t use the card again following the deletion. Accessing the data is usually only possible with the help of special software. We recommend EaseUS, which is free to use up to 2GB, and won’t break the bank beyond it. The other option is a device such as Sanho’s HyperDrive ColorSpace UDMA 3 (left), which…

We asked Jonathan Appleby, a copyright expert at Copytrack, for the low-down on how UK copyright law works... • Copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution. Image copyright lasts the lifetime of the creator plus 25 years. After this it can be used by anyone. Such rules are why works from Shakespeare can be created however and whenever one wants without any concern. • An infringement occurs whenever someone breaks the terms of your copyright. Online this often occurs when users share your images without permission. Due to the availability of content online, infringement sometimes occurs without the abuser knowing they’ve done anything wrong. When your rights have been abused you are able to claim compensation. •…

SETTING A PIN-SHARP focus is the most critical step in taking a shot. Unlike exposure or white balance, the focusing can’t be altered in post-processing, so it needs to be spot-on at the moment of capture. The good news is that mastering your camera’s autofocus system is simple, so with a bit of practice you can always be sure that your focus is 100% accurate. What is autofocus? Your camera’s autofocus (AF) system is responsible for adjusting elements within the lens to focus the incoming light onto your sensor for a sharp image. The autofocus is usually activated by half pressing the shutter button, which sets it within a fraction of a second. To get the best results, you’ll need to select the optimum focusing mode for the subject you…

Kodak PixPro 4KVR360 £399 360° ACTION CAMERA If you’re anything like us, you’ll be obsessed with new technology. And in the field of photography, it doesn’t get much newer than 360° cameras. With the ability to shoot or film an entire 360° scene in Full HD or 4K, and then share it as an interactive file to sites such as YouTube and Facebook, this new technology can tell a story like never before. The Kodak 4KVR360 is a very exciting addition to the existing 360° line-up. Footage from the dual 20MP CMOS sensors is stitched together to create high-quality stills and video. The front lens boasts a 197° field-of-view, while the rear lens offers 235°. The uneven lenses allow the PixPro to better stitch the output from the two sensors,…