Tabla de contenidos para July 2020 en Practical Photography: Lite

IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A thousand words, as Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen first said, then with this issue we’ve written a veritable novel. Storytelling is an often overlooked aspect of photography’s ability to delve deeper and move the mind, yet I’d argue it’s also one of its most important. Like a particularly evocative song, a well-crafted documentary image provides the visual building blocks that allow us to create a narrative to take us beyond the limitations of a single frame. For this issue’s centrepiece on p32, Adam Atkins, himself no stranger to the documentary genre, has compiled an immersive ten-step guide that will help you create pictures that are indeed worth a thousand words. facebook.com/ PracticalPhotographyMagazine youtube.com/ppmagazine instagram.com/ practicalphotography twitter.com/practphoto…

■ Going up close and using a wide-angle lens to a person will exaggerate their features into a cartoonish look. Great for making a comical or fun portrait, and ideal for pets. ■ An element’s size within the frame plays a big part in telling a story. Place your figure large and barely-contained within the frame to create a feeling of being cramped and claustrophobic. ■ Have a figure featuring small in the frame, surrounded by empty sweeping space will invoke a sense of isolation.…

SO FAR WE’VE concentrated our efforts on creating single images with narrative impact, but one shot can only say so much. Building up a series of images that explore the story you’re trying to tell will allow you to go a little deeper. All the previous points still apply to each image but the context from each helps to inform the whole. This allows you to focus on things that might’ve been overlooked or impossible to convey had you tried to include it all in one shot. Weave your story The trick with a photo series is to start with a general image that gives a broad overview of what’s going on. It should introduce all the major elements and themes, and set the tone for the subsequent images. It…

Let your imagination run wild and follow these steps to create your very own realistic model scene... ■ Use a focal length between 50mm and 100mm. This increased focal distance helps draw your background and subject closer together. ■ Try to position your camera low, looking slightly up at your model in order to give your subject a larger, more realistic perspective in your composition. ■ Pay particular attention to the way you light your scene – this can be the difference to giving your scene a realistic look. Aim to recreate expected lighting conditions with gels or specific bulb types. For a daylight effect, opt for colour temperature bulbs between 5000 and 6500 kelvin. To recreate fire or sunset lighting effects, use directional lighting fitted with bulbs between 1800…

Q How should I save my photos? Is it better to save as a TIFF? I don’t understand image compression. What does it all mean? Tony Anderson, Oxford Chris says: There are a number of file types you can use to save your photos. Each one uses a different form of image compression to reduce the file size. Obviously, it would be more efficient to store images and transfer them if the file size could be reduced without impacting the image visibly. This is where image compression comes in. It allows smaller image sizes, taking up less space on hard drives and offering faster transfer times while keeping as much image quality as possible. Lossless v lossy There are two types of compression – lossy and lossless. Lossless compression is…

Q Where do I measure focus distance from? Is it the front of the lens or from the camera? Tim Mullford, Coventry Kirk says: Focusing distance is measured from your sensor plane to the point on the subject you are focusing on. It’s quite easy to imagine it could extend from the front of the lens, as that’s where the light enters your camera, but that’s not the case. If we dig a little deeper, the light passes through the lens and converges on the sensor, and it’s this convergence point that we are measuring. We want the distance from subject to that point of convergence to be the same as the distance from the subject to our sensor. So in any application where you need to measure your focus…

MODULE 1 CUTLERY FLAT LAY You’ll learn how to expose, compose and light a classic black & white flat lay using nothing more than everyday cutlery and a chopping board. How Camera School works Camera School is a free skills course for photographers, designed to help you harness your inner creative and capture brilliant photos. It spans six modules aimed at improving your photography skills without leaving your front door, and will include subjects such as flat lays, still life and creative self-portraits. To take part, all you need is a camera, be it a DSLR, mirrorless or creative compact. You’ll also need a bit of spare time for each issue, and some artistic vision. Each of our six modules has been tailored to push you toward capturing creative…

I shoot most of my documentary work on a Fujifilm X-Pro3. The rangefinder style suits the way I work, and I can get two bodies and a selection of prime lenses into a shoulder bag. I also love the way you have all the key information in front of you without having to endlessly dive into menus. When I need a consistent ‘look’ for a project I’ll use one of the built-in film simulations, my favourite being Acros. As for lenses, my all-time favourite is the XF 23mm f/1.4 – the perfect match for my X-Pro3.…

Ben Hall Not even lockdown can keep Ben’s love for the natural world at bay, as he shares his insight on style, fieldcraft and the pros of keeping it local. Turn to p44 Angi Wallace Combining her love of flowers and fairy tales has led Angi to create a beguiling abstract style that makes ingenious use of backgrounds. Join her on p52 Kirk Schwarz Gear guru Kirk is the creative brains behind this year’s lockdown-themed Camera School course, which gets underway on p70. Sign up now!…

THE TWO MAIN approaches here stem from either the creation of an image from concept to fruition, or the building of one out of scenes that unfold in front of you. However you choose to work, the first thing to figure out is what story you want to tell. This is the first step to figuring out how to achieve the connection between the viewer and the scene. You want to find the emotion or feeling that will underpin your story – the hook from which you can hang the rest of your story. Images have a much greater power to engage and leave an impression on people if they resonate with them. You should be thinking about how to make your shots relatable. This is straightforward if you’re reacting…

In a more subtle way, items can be used as building blocks with which to craft your story. Keep an eye out for suitable things as you plan out your shoots, adding them in bit by bit. Including old tools on a bench near an item in pieces, for example, will start to create the idea of something being made or fixed. Add to that an ordered background of shelves filled with other items or parts and you start to get the notion that this might be a crafts person or artisan at work.…

It may look like clutter, but to photographers it’s the next project. Here’s how to get great results when snapping objects... ■ Reach for a macro lens or attach an extension tube to allow for closer focusing distances on your subject. ■ Choose the right aperture for the results you’d like to achieve. If you’d like to single out one or two pencils, use a wide aperture to give you a shallow depth-of-field. Want more in focus? Use a narrower aperture. ■ To achieve a perfectly even dark background with no reflections, consider using materials such as velvet cloth or plain cotton clothing.…

How do I go about taking pics of pets? Q I’ve been looking for something new to shoot and so have just started a personal project on pet photography. I am really struggling to get decent results. How do you get good pet images when they just don’t seem to want to cooperate? Sandra White, Manchester Adam says: Photographing your pets can be frustrating. Sometimes they will be the perfect model – wonderfully obedient and engaged. Other times, their mood might make them wary or uncooperative. It might seem like pot luck as to whether your shoot will be a success or not. In reality, though, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of success. The name of the game is to get them feeling comfortable around the…

Q There’s a switch on my lens that has different distances on it. What does it do? Cedrine Urnst, Kingston-upon-Hull Adam says: That’s a focus limiting switch. Often found on mid to high-end telephoto lenses, switching it on prevents your lens from focusing at its closest setting. Why wouldn’t you want your lens to be able to focus throughout its entire range? Surely more options can only be a good thing? Well, reducing the range like this has a number of benefits. Firstly, subjects you’ll be shooting with a telephoto lens tend to be far away. Switching this mode on will prevent your camera focusing on things you might be shooting through, such as long grass or tree branches. Secondly, it can speed up autofocus. In situations where the camera…

I used my garden shed as a hide and hung camouflage netting in the doorway, poking my lens through to photograph the birds. I then nailed a small plastic pot on top of a post and filled it with soaked bread and lard. Using Olympus’ Pro Capture High mode, I manually focused 2in behind the pot – this mode takes 14 frames in a continuous loop, but doesn’t write them to the card until you fully press the shutter. To freeze the bird’s wings, I pushed ISO to 800, which gave me a very fast shutter speed. rogerhancefrps.com “This level of detail wouldn’t have been possible without a super-fast shutter speed, and high ISO”Starling in flight by Roger Hance Ben says: We often see starlings as pests, but have you…

\\ MODULE 1 CUTLERY FLAT LAY Issue: July 2020 On sale: 4 June 2020 Homework deadline: 1 July 2020 Marks announced: 15 July 2020 \\ MODULE 2 GARDEN SAFARI Issue: August 2020 On sale: 2 July 2020 Homework deadline: 29 July 2020 Marks announced: 12 August 2020 \\ MODULE 3 SILHOUETTE SELFIE Issue: September 2020 On sale: 30 July 2020 Homework deadline: 26 Aug 2020 Marks announced: 9 Sept 2020 \\ MODULE 4 OIL AND WATER Issue: October 2020 On sale: 27 August 2020 Homework deadline: 23 Sept 2020 Marks announced: 7 October 2020 \\ MODULE 5 HAND PORTRAIT Issue: November 2020 On sale: 24 September 2020 Homework deadline: 21 Oct 2020 Marks announced: 4 Nov 2020 \\ MODULE 6 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Issue: December…

By adding contrast to the cutlery, you draw the eye and elevate it away from the background even further. There are two ways to achieve this. The first is by using a slightly darker, rustic background such as a wooden chopping board. The second is by crafting light with the use of a sheet of white paper. Grabbing a piece of white paper, whether it’s straight from your printer, a sketchbook or even some craft card, and holding it just out of shot opposite your window light, you’ll redirect the light back onto your subject to help illuminate the darkest edges.…

1 Set black & white Go into your camera menu and look for your Film Simulations or Picture Styles options. Since you want a black & white image, set your style to the black & white option, also known as monochrome. If you’re unsure how to do this on your make and model of camera, refer to your user manual. 2 Choose a focus mode Switch your camera over to autofocus mode, then go into your menu and select single-point AF and set the focus mode to AF-S. This means your camera will focus and lock as long as you half-press the shutter button. Remember, any time you move or recompose your shot, you will need to release and half-press again. 3 Select the focus point Single-point…

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS STAY INSPIRED AT HOME WITH NEW PROJECTS ■ Chris uses a simple focus stacking technique to shoot a colourful still life close-up with front-to-back sharpness. ■ Adam employs a few ingenious tricks to photograph an exploding pencil. ■ Kirk’s breakfast cereal fights back in this entertaining camera and editing tutorial. EBOOK NEW! BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO FLASH Get more from your flashgun with this 30-page how-to guide PRESETS 30 INSTAGRAMSTYLE EFFECTS Get the hipster look with our latest collection of actions EBOOK COMPLETE BUYERS’ GUIDE Concise reviews of every current DSLR and CSC BONUS VIDEOS ENHANCE YOUR BEST IMAGES Improve long exposures, and create a window composite Problems with your free gifts? Email us at practical.photography@bauermedia.co.uk and include ‘Free gifts’ in the subject line DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CONTENT AT…

Sony α7 IV The Sony α 7 III is set to get an upgrade. We believe this will be revealed by July, and will build on the impressive specs of its predecessor. The latest version will likely retain a 24MP BSI sensor, with improved low-light handling, as well as the 5.5-stop image stabilisation system and 10fps burst rate. However, it should feature improved AF and a higher resolution EVF and LCD. sony.co.uk Nikon Z 8 Nikon’s brace of full-frame mirrorless cameras are expected to be ramping up for a new flagship. The Z 8 is believed to feature a high-resolution 60MP BSI sensor, improved IBIS and dual card slots split between XQD and SD. While nothing has been confirmed, it is likely that this will be the mirrorless alternative to…

“I’VE SPENT MANY HOURS IN MY HIDE TO SEE BIRDS THAT VISIT MY GARDEN” S A YOUNG BOY, I WOULD LISTEN AS MY grandparents recounted stories of their lives during the Second World War. My mother’s father, having lied about his age, joined the Royal Navy as an under-age seaman, served as a radio operator on the light cruiser HMS Newfoundland and was present in Tokyo Bay when the Imperial Japanese delegation formally surrendered on the American battleship USS Missouri. On returning home he married my grandmother who, together with her sister, had worked in a local munitions factory while he was away, a dangerous job that didn’t benefit from the modern standards of health and safety. Even with the peace that followed the end of the hostilities, my grandparents…

A great shortcut to creating a connection between the story you want to tell in your image and the viewer is to use people. As soon as a human element is added, the image instantly becomes much easier to relate to. People are social animals and rely on recognising emotions in others to form and maintain relationships. This has a huge effect on understanding what’s going on in a photo. Our empathy is a powerful tool for creating emotion. Want to convey a feeling of adventure, for example? Have a person in a remote location that hints at peril. The same shot without a person in would feel much less adventurous by comparison.…

NARRATIVE IN an image can be shaped and set by the perspective used when taking the shot. With subtle positioning, you can entirely change the feel. Perspective is the relationship between the things in your image and their relative distances. It’s dictated by where you stand to take your photo. For example, stand close to a person and a mountain in the distance will appear smaller than them. Move further back from them and the mountain will appear much larger in the frame, altering the relative perspective of the elements in the scene. It’s the perspective effect that causes the sides of a tall building to converge towards a point, and a road to appear to narrow as it stretches off into the distance. It’s this ability to change comparative…

1 KEEP IT LOCAL  Spend time getting to know your local patch and study the behaviour of the subjects that can be found there. Even your own back garden can be a haven for wildlife. Putting out some bird feeders and setting up a few natural perches is a great way of bringing wildlife to you. 2 CHOOSE YOUR MOMENT  Aim to capture those special moments in nature. A garden feeding station can attract a large number of birds, and with lots of birds coming down to feed at once, squabbles often break out, offering the perfect opportunity for shooting some action. Keep your camera set to continuous shooting mode so you can fire off bursts of images, increasing your chance of success. 3 STRIVE FOR SIMPLICITY  When it comes…

There’s no need to brave the elements to capture the beauty of nature. Follow these tips to achieve Angi’s effects from the comfort of your home... ■ Take and print off out-of-focus nature photos to use as your backgrounds. This helps provide the shallow depth-of-field look at any aperture. ■ Achieve a soft, even light across your subject by positioning your setup next to a window and reflecting the light with white card or paper. ■ Hang objects such as LED lights, petals or beads over or in front of your lens to create a soft and dreamy foreground effect.…

Q Is there a left-handed camera available for the average consumer? Leslie Knotts, Plymouth Kirk says: Unfortunately not. Cameras are exclusively set up with the shutter button on the right-hand side. A few manufacturers have experimented with some left-handed designs in the past but the idea never seemed to gain any traction. Yashica made an old half-frame film camera called the Samurai that had a left-handed model. It was an interesting idea and looked more like a video camcorder than a 35mm stills camera. Then there’s the Samsung Q10 video camera released back in 2011 that could be used in either hand, but these are more curiosities now than solutions to shooting left-handed. If you can’t use a right-handed camera, some people have found success with a monopod and cable…

With everything that’s been going on in recent months, we’ve tried our best to adapt and overcome. This translates to six modules that can be completed exclusively in your own home or back garden with everyday objects you are guaranteed to have access to. We will provide you with fun challenges, essential tips and tricks and, of course, the top-flight creativity that’s associated with Camera School. For the first module, we’re asking you to capture a classic overhead still life, also known as a flat lay. Arrange your still life Flat lays have taken the social media world by storm. Whether it’s on your favourite Instagram account or a designed brand advertising shot, this genre has fast become a go-to for photographers everywhere. To successfully set up and shoot an…

Best for versatility This versatile zoom is ideal for creating shots whatever the size of your scene. It offers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 27-83mm and a wide variable f/2.8-f/4 aperture. The long end lets you get closer to your subjects, maintaining a narrow field-of-view that helps framing out background clutter, while the image stabilisation helps fight motion blur when shooting slower shutter speeds. Best for quality Boasting the same optical quality as the XF 35mm f/2 R WR lens, this XC option uses a resilient lightweight plastic body and omits the aperture ring to cut the price in half. It offers a 50mm full-frame equivalent focal length, ultra-wide aperture for easy background blur, and is both portable and compact, making it the ideal camera travel companion.…

YOUR BRIEF For your homework, we’re asking you to shoot one cutlery flat lay using window and bounced light. Your image should be sharp throughout, with a balanced, central composition and perfect exposure. You should use no more than three pieces of cutlery and your shot must be taken using your camera’s black & white picture profile in the JPEG format. While we do allow light editing, your photo should appear natural . Once taken, resize it to within the 10MB limit and then upload it to camera-school.com/module-1. JUDGING CRITERIA ■ Your image should be in focus from front to back. Use an aperture of f/5.6 to help ensure this. ■ Make sure you use white card to bounce light back onto your subjects for maximum contrast and impact. ■…

■ Why is black & white still so popular? This is the century of retro – just look at the resurgence of vinyl music and our taste for old clothes and cars. Black & white is the photography zeitgeist and across all genres. People have a hunger for it – weddings, fine art prints, portraits and my own genres, street and documentary. But it goes much deeper, and I think a lot of people are realising there’s a lot of learning value to be had from a ‘back to basics’ approach. I encourage my students to embrace black & white to help them grasp the principles of light and composition. ■ Can it be used to accentuate tone and texture? Remember that your colours will be converted to tones of…

1 Improve exposure, fix colours and clean up distractions AS MUCH AS YOU’LL AIM FOR LONG exposures to be perfect straight out of the camera, they rarely are. For instance, calculating exposure time is straightforward, but can be complicated if the light changes during a shot. Colour can need work too, especially when you’re working with very strong neutral density filters, as many photographers do to extend the exposure time. These strong filters will often add a cast, making colours look too warm or cool. What’s more, smoothed out water and skies will show up sensor dirt and noise more easily. Shooting long exposures in RAW is therefore a great idea as it gives you plenty of scope for editing... 1 Open the RAW and improve the Exposure Load…

Image stabilisation isn’t a new feature, having been first introduced to lenses by Nikon in 1994, and to cameras by Konica Minolta in 2004’s Maxxum 7D. The latter, and foundation for Fujifilm’s version, puts the sensor unit on a cradle that dampens and absorbs shocks. However, the X-T4 takes this up a notch, having revolutionised the X-H1 unit and come up with something a lot more compact. This new IBIS system is 30% smaller and 20% lighter, allowing it to fit into the relatively compact X-T4 body. Furthermore, it uses a mix of magnets, instead of traditional springs, and gyro sensors. This also means that it’s 8x more sensitive than that of the X-H1’s IBIS, and able to carry out over 10,000 corrections per second.…

Sony’s newest flagship APS-C, the α 6600 is another hybrid that packs a powerful punch. This 24.2MP body offers a 5-axis image stabilisation, 720-shot battery life, real-time tracking and Eye-AF. It has a 180° flip-up LCD, 4K at 30fps and both S-Log and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) – perfect for vlogging. sony.co.uk A Micro Four Thirds that’s aimed firmly at sports and wildlife shooters, a recent firmware upgrade has given the G9’s video a boost. It manages 20fps continuous blackout-free shooting, 30.3MP sensor and can film 4K 60fps as well as offer internal 10-bit recording. It also has a vari-angle LCD. panasonic.co.uk…

A genre that has been around for over a century, reportage is the act of capturing ‘happenings’ as they unfold in front of you. Because it’s a way to tell a story, those who are in the know love lenses that offer context to the shot, so you’ll see plenty of 35mm and 50mm optics pop up on our list – staples of greats such as Robert Capa and Sir Don McCullin. Photographers who trade in this style, such as photojournalists, wedding photographers and even documentarians will also often favour prime glass that gives a good mix of sharpness, discretion and wide apertures to deal with any potential dark and dingy locations. These are our ten favourite reportage optics. RF 50mm f/1.2L USM £2329 THIS 50MM IS DESIGNED FOR Canon’s…

IMAGE SHARPNESS Each lens has been tested for image quality, including sharpness and chromatic aberration while shooting at the widest aperture. They’ve been used in real-world testing to ensure they have what it takes to stand out. QUALITY AND VALUE Shooting reportage is quick and often over in a blink, so we have looked at any features that can help you get the edge on your settings. However, we have also put a high priority on value and versatility to ensure that you won’t have to break the bank for a great lens.…

GIMBAL Zhiyun Crane 3S £729 ZHIYUN IS KNOWN FOR its collection of ultra-capable gimbals. Coming to prominence with the Crane series that started life as a humble 3-axis one-handed run-and-gun stabiliser, Zhiyun has branched out into more diverse styles, leading to this behemoth of movie making, the Crane 3S. Main features Designed to carry the brunt of Hollywood heavy-hitters, such as the ARRI or RED variety of movie camera, the modular 3S delivers a payload capacity of up to 6.5kg and is also perfect for those filming using bulky DSLR and lens combos, such as the new Canon 1D X MkIII. There’s a detachable trigger EasySling handle with a quick release system and LCD to help navigate the menus. You can also connect your smartdevice with the ZY Play…