Table of contents for October 2018 in Digital Camera Magazine

Photographer Damian Kuzdak/Getty Lens Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Exposure 1/200 sec at f/1.8, ISO 200 Autumn is a time of change in the animal kingdom, as animals get ready for the colder months ahead and scurry to store food. It’s easy to focus on the big and majestic wild spectacles of autumn, such as deer rutting, but seeking out curious and smaller creatures is equally rewarding. Grey squirrels are easy to spot out foraging – red squirrels less so – but you’ll need to learn the habits and preferences of shyer species. Why not set up a regular feeding station on your local patch with your subject’s preferred food source? For example, badgers thrive on peanuts, dried pet food, fruit and mealworms, which you can find in…

Photographer Guy Edwardes Lens 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Exposure 1/25 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100 Photographer Guy Edwardes Lens 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Exposure 1 sec at f/32, ISO 100 Intricate fungi start to flourish in the autumn. They’re often found on the forest floor, and getting to the same level as the species usually yields the best results. A groundsheet and waterproof trousers come in useful to avoid getting soggy, and a diffuser can be used to reflect light back onto your subjects. (This could be homemade, with tin foil on a strip of cardboard.) Mushrooms are often covered in dirt and bits of vegetation, so cleaning them up a little before photographing them is a good idea. Grab a wide-angle lens (with a close-focusing ability) and shoot…

Wildlife photographer Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 500 www.spranz.org Alpine marmots are not always difficult to photograph. I’ve encountered shy creatures while hiking in remote places in the mountains, but I’ve also found marmots that are much more used to people around the Grossglockner in Austria. If you’re patient and you move very slowly, it’s possible to take ultra-wide angle shots of them like this one – just don’t expect the eyes to be in perfect focus on your first try! An aperture of f/8 helped to increase the impact of this shot, with that tack-sharp head of the marmot coming out of the slightly blurry landscape. The overcast day worked well, too – a high…

Category 1 Urban Landscape The JUDGE SIMON BUTTERWORTH Winner Heidi Elena This is such a weird image – and I love it! It’s great to see how the photographer has taken such a unique and abstract angle on this iconic landmark, which has been photographed so much over the years. The bubbles are interesting shapes, with some being perfectly formed and others looking misshapen. 2nd Tom Nikon The symmetrical lines really draw you into the scene, and the beam of light reflecting from the top onto the floor creates a striking cross shape with the hand rails. This image has a uniqueness; the tunnel, although mundane in its day-to-day function, becomes a piece of artwork captured in-camera. 3rd Shoykot Roy You’re lifted when you see this scene: the cloud formations…

Sean McCormack is a photographer and writer, based in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. He’s the author of The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC. 1 The Parametric Curve The Parametric Curve has four sections: Darks, Shadows, Highlights and Lights. The three triangles at the bottom choose where the sections lie on the image. By moving the first triangle left, you decrease the areas that Darks works on, while increasing the area for the Shadows control. It’s the same for the other sections. As you hover on the curve, each section gets highlighted as you move. The grey areas show the maximum and minimum places you can push each section. Clicking and dragging on the curve moves the corresponding slider below the curve. 2 The Point Curve The Point…

Alien Skin Blow Up 3 VS On1 Resize 2018 Blow Up 3 ‘vectorises’ your photos to make them scalable On1 Resize uses the well-known Genuine Fractals resizing technology £78 / $99 www.alienskin.com £47 / $60 www.on1.com What does it do? Blow Up 3 is a resizing plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom which analyses images to create vector paths around object details in photos so that they can then be resized to practically any magnification for posters, wall art or even advertising hoardings. On1 Resize is sold as a standalone app; it’s also a module within On1 Photo Raw 2018 and works as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom. It uses Genuine Fractals photo enlargement technology to produce upsized images that don’t suffer from blurring. What is the range of features?…

This shot has a beautiful sense of depth, with layer upon layer of repetition. I feel the hills near the middle might work better on an intersection of thirds, which can be achieved by cropping into the frame slightly. While the haze in the photo helps reveal depth, it’s also denying us a view of the detail, so this will need to be fixed. It’s not needed everywhere, so I think a combination of the Grad Filter and some brushwork will help in separate areas. I’ll first need to fix colour. With the new Profile Browser in Lightroom, I can quickly preview different options. WHAT I WANT TO CHANGE: 1. Colour and crop 2. Fix contrast and haze 3. Highlight the foothills SEAN’S SKETCH PLAN FOR THE RAW IMAGE FINISHED…

Camera Sony Alpha 7 III Lens 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm Exposure 1/200 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1,250 Challenge 3 Craig Pitts Rather than have a free-for-all, with both photographers trying to capture action shots at the same time, Craig and Graham got around half an hour each to run through their shots. Craig admits he felt less at home when it came to photographing Carys and Dylan in full flow. “For me, the action shot provided the hardest challenge, due to the fact that I’m usually shooting posed portraits or landscape shots,” he acknowledges. “I wanted to get an image of a judo throw, and experimented with a few different angles and locations around the gym. I struggled to find a background that I liked, so I opted to…

This shot of a steam train in the sidings is underexposed. We need to carefully brighten it and make the most of the tonal range without adding any unwanted noise in the shadows. I’m using Lightroom Classic to make the adjustments, but you’ll find the same tools in Adobe Camera Raw as well. Instead of using the Exposure slider to adjust the tones, we are going to take a more refined approach. First we are going to lighten the whole image slightly, by using the Whites slider in the Basics panel 1, just pushing it to +40. If we took it any further, the bright steam would be overexposed and we’d start losing detail. We need to lift the shadows as well to achieve the range of tones we want,…

At one time, a flashgun was essential for shooting indoors or after dark. But cameras have improved, and we don’t need a flashgun in lowlight as frequently nowadays. Flash still has some important creative uses, however: either as a supplement to natural light, or as a replacement you can direct and control. Many cameras have a pop-up flash, but these are pretty weak and don’t offer much control. That’s why you need an external flashgun, which can either be attached to the camera’s hotshoe or used off-camera. They range from inexpensive devices for undemanding everyday use, through more advanced, dedicated flashguns from camera makers themselves, to powerful studio flash systems for professionals. 1 Guide Number This indicates the power of the flash. In theory, you divide the guide number by…

Time is a vital ingredient in photography. For the French photographer Réhahn, producing his vibrant, intimate portraits isn’t just about composition and light, but about the time he spends with his subjects, whether he’s smoking cigars with locals in Cuba or sharing tea and a lengthy chat with tribal chiefs in Vietnam. “The secret of a great portrait is a great interaction,” he says. The photographer, who now calls Vietnam home, is currently working on a major project, Precious Heritage. He aims to photograph all 54 of the country’s tribes, documenting their costumes and learning about their traditions. So far, he’s photographed 49, with more on the way in 2018. He runs a cultural museum, also called Precious Heritage, in Hoi An; this presents his photography alongside examples of the…

Réhahn Portrait photographer Réhahn has travelled the world for his art, but his main focus now is on the tribes of Vietnam. Explore his work and get inspired by his views on page 140. Benedict Brain Creative photographer A recent trip to Alaska and its unexpected contrasts gave Ben the perfect opportunity to explore narrative in a photo series, as he reveals on page 37. Alyn Wallace Astrophotographer Alyn is a creature of the night, staying up late to capture amazing starscapes and time-lapses. We join him for a nocturnal shoot on page 8. Jo Bradford Smartphone photographer Jo has embraced the smartphone for her photography, and her series explains how you can do the same. On page 32 she looks at storytelling in a 365-day project. Andrew James Our…

Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Exposure: Various (all handheld) www.benedictbrain.com Recently I was in Alaska, USA, where I had the good fortune to witness some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen. Sailing through Glacier Bay was a joy. However, while I took the obligatory ‘classic’ shots – which was partly why I was there – they left me a little cold. (Excuse the pun.) They didn’t fully reflect my broader experience of the place. It was the small towns and cities along the coast that fired my creativity and my desire to make photographs. The juxtaposition of the outstanding natural beauty, mega-tourism, guns, God and booze raised some interesting questions to me. I didn’t have long in each location, and I wasn’t on a…

Photographer Mark Hamblin Lens 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Exposure 1/4 sec at f/16, ISO 50 5 TIPS TO SHOOT STILL-LIFES 1 Zoom in Focus on the hues, shapes and textures of autumn by filling the frame with your subject – perhaps a particularly glorious leaf or a dew-covered cobweb. A telephoto lens such as a 70-200mm is a good choice for easy recomposition. 2 Try freelensing Remove your lens from the camera body, turn it in front of the camera, and move it away or towards. (A 50mm works well.) Use manual mode, manual focus and Live View. 3 Motion blur Be creative by setting a shutter speed such as 1/30 sec or slower, then panning vertical trunks. Fitting a polarising filter will darken the exposure and boost colours. 4 Look…

Category 1 Urban Landscape The JUDGE SIMON BUTTERWORTH Winner Peter Stevens I love the textures of the buildings in the background, teamed against the vibrant colours of the people below. The photographer has created an interesting image of a modern-day scene that would otherwise be quite mundane. Its originality makes it a great winning Urban Landscape. 2nd John Baker The clock on the right-hand side of the frame is the key to its success. The time reads 9.55am, and you get the impression that at 10am the pool will be open and the stillness and calmness captured beautifully in this scene will be gone! I love the play of the vertical and horizontal lines against the curves of the pool. It’s a clever composition I could look at for ages.…

Every month two of our resident expert Photoshop experts are challenged to interpret one raw file in any way they see fit. Over the following pages, they reveal their rationale and show how you can achieve their looks… The original raw by Chris George This mountain landscape was shot high in the mountains above the tea plantations of Kerala in southern India last year. The breathtaking scenery is a challenge to process due to the haze. It was shot with a Fujifilm X-T1 and an 18-55mm zoom, set to 1/85 sec at f/6.4, ISO 250. ORIGINAL RAW FILE Jon Adams Jon is a photographer and writer, and provides tuition in digital SLR and Photoshop skills. Raw warrior 1 wants to create… A split-toned fine-art shot Sean McCormack Sean McCormack is…

Camera Sony Alpha 7 III Lens 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 70mm Exposure 1/160 sec at f/2.8, ISO 500 Challenge 1 Craig Pitts We had the run of the Bristol Dojo martial arts academy to ourselves for the day. It’s a 6,000-square-foot facility that offers a sprawling matted training area, a kickboxing ring, an MMA cage and more, so there were plenty of setups to play with. The day divided naturally into three stages, with Craig and Graham warming up by taking it in turns to photograph portraits of our models – brother and sister martial arts specialists, Dylan and Carys O’Brien – before shooting the siblings in action later in the afternoon. “I wanted to try and capture a candid image of Carys, rather than a formal portrait,” explains Craig.…

Andrew is a highly-experienced writer and photographer – if you have a problem, he is here to help. Balancing act Q I’m still confused by white balance and Kelvin. I shoot Auto WB all of the time, but should I set it manually? Roger Goole A There is a good argument for setting a custom white balance, Roger, because that would certainly make the colour temperature for each light situation you are shooting in much more accurate. But while creating a custom white balance is relatively straightforward, it’s not always practical in every shooting situation. I’d suggest you opt for a halfway house when you don’t have time to work out the white balance manually. Instead of just using your camera’s Auto WB setting, start to use the white balance…

Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 The second generation of this wide-angle zoom for Canon and Nikon full-frame cameras features new coatings to reduce ghosting and flare, and 4.5 stops of vibration compensation. www.tamron.eu/uk; £/$TBC Benro GH5C gimbal This tripod head weighs just 1.1kg, but is said to support up to 30kg of equipment. It has an Arca Swiss-compatible quick release plate www.benroeu.com; from £440 3 Legged Thing Patti A new ‘entry level’ addition to the Punks range from 3 Legged Thing, Patti measures 45cm when folded and extends to 1.63m. It can support 10kg and comes bundled with a new AirHed Mini ballhead. www.3leggedthing.com; from £100/ $120 Sony HX95/HX99 Claimed to be “the world’s smallest travel high-zoom cameras”, these two new 18.2MP models each sport a 24-720mm…

Manfrotto Pro Light FastTrack-8 2-in-1 £109 / $120 www.manfrotto.co.uk Manfrotto’s FastTrack-8 sling offers some fresh thinking in sling bag design. Mounted on its main shoulder strap is a secondary, smaller strap that functions like a standalone camera sling strap, letting you smoothly slide your camera from its resting position by your hip up to shooting height. When you need to slip your camera away, slide the bag under your shoulder as normal and there’s a pocket at the base that’ll swallow your camera with it still attached to the strap. Two zips then close the compartment; the zippers even attach to each other to keep the pocket closed. You get a conventional side opening that reveals a dedicated lens compartment, but accessory storage is limited to a tablet slot and…

Battery life Most external flashguns use AA batteries: either regular disposable alkalines, which are easily available, or rechargeable NiMH batteries, which last longer. The Modus 600RT, however, uses a lithium-ion cell to give a battery life of 600 shots – far longer than most. Diffuser and catchlight panels If you’re using an on-camera flash, the light can be quite harsh; so many flashguns come with a built-in diffuser panel. The Modus 600RT also has a flip-up catchlight panel, designed to add sparkle to the eyes of bounce-flash portraits. Recycle time The 600RT has a short recycle time for a battery-powered external flash: just 1.5 seconds at full power. Shooting at lower power settings or in TTL mode shorten recycle times. Fast recycle times become very important for rapid-fire portrait photography.…

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9 all-new tips cards Our ever-popular tips cards have had a makeover, and there are now three separate sets to start collecting. In addition to the Camera Skills cards, you will now find cards which will help you with posing portraits, and tips with setting up studio lighting. 164-page Camera Shopper ebook Looking to buy a camera or a lens? There are plenty of reviews of new gear in this issue, but this 164-page PDF guide will give you reviews of 120 more SLRs, CSCs and lenses. Find this in the Gifts folder on the disc. Landscape FX Pack plus 30 free creative Photoshop textures Jon Adams’ brilliant Landscape FX Pack lets you transform photos with just a few clicks: he explains all on page 70. Plus: 30 cool textures,…

Autumn is a dream for the outdoors photographer. Landscapes are awash with golden shades, mornings are misty, and low-angle afternoon sun brings atmospheric effects. Instead of reaching straight for your wide-angle lens, though, you can approach scenes with your whole kit bag in mind. Telephoto lenses compress the perspective of distant hills or animals shrouded in mist, a polariser boosts autumn hues, and a graduated ND filter balances exposures. At this time of year, you’ll find the lighting at its warmest just before sunset or after sunrise. Good news if you’re stuck in an office all day, too: the end of the day tends to be warmer than early morning. Switch your white balance from auto to cloudy or shade to really boost the autumn colour palette, but don’t dismiss…

Photographer and writer Marcus is a former editor of Digital Camera What’s the big deal with going full-frame? A bigger sensor gives you bigger images, right? Not necessarily – but there are more reasons why you might want to move to full-frame… If you’re new to digital photography, you might well be wondering what all the fuss is about regarding the unveiling of full-frame mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon. (See In Focus, page 110, and our Nikon Z7 review on page 116.) What’s the big deal about having a large sensor in a smallish camera? And what exactly does ‘full-frame’ mean anyway? Most SLRs and mirrorless cameras have an imaging sensor that’s the same size as a single frame of APS-C film – about 22 x 15mm. A full-frame…

This landscape has bags of potential. In terms of the composition, the only real issue is the tree at the bottom of the frame; after cropping this out, I’d focus on balancing the exposure to even out the bright sky and dark foreground, then spend time reducing the haze on the mountains. This area is lower in contrast than the rest of the shot, and as a result, it interrupts the visual flow. Although the vivid greens and blues are attractive, I really want to try this as a fine art, split-toned black-and-white shot: I think the elegant shapes and tones would work well with this treatment. WHAT I WANT TO CHANGE: 1. Convert to mono 2. Fix haze and contrast issues selectively 3. Split-tone and add vignette JON’S SKETCH…

Camera Sony Alpha 7 III Lens 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 47mm Exposure 1/1,000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200 Challenge 2 Craig Pitts Although we had a selection of Rotolight continuous LED lights at our disposal to get creative with, Craig also came armed with his own strobe and umbrella, which he put to good use for this moody shot. “I wanted to capture a strong image of Dylan and decided on shooting a posed shot of him dressed in his gi, with the MMA cage out of focus in the background,” he says. “To make the portrait look dramatic, I first cut out most of the ambient light, using a fast shutter speed of 1/1,000 second, and paired that with the high-speed capability of the flash unit I was using…

In theory, the launch of full-frame mirrorless cameras from both Canon and Nikon should disrupt the camera market, broadening the choice of compelling alternatives to the digital SLR. But theory means nothing unless the products are right. Over the page, we get our first taste of this new era when we test the Z7, Nikon’s flagship for its new full-frame mirrorless Z range. Does it deliver on its promise? You’re about to find out. Photo-editing software is another market sector seeing rapid change, with Adobe pitting its subscription-only Photography Plan against a host of competitors, including Affinity Photo and Capture One Pro. In our group test, we assess 10 packages and help you find the best one to suit your needs and budget. Meanwhile, Chris George gets his hands on…

Datacolor Spyder5 Express £99/$129 www.datacolor.com Datacolor’s Spyder5 range of calibration products uses an identical piece of calibration hardware: only the accompanying software and licence code define whether you have the entry-level Spyder5 Express, the midrange Pro, or the feature-filled Elite version. The advantage of this system is you can upgrade to a more advanced model by simply buying new software: the hardware already contains a dormant sensor capable of ambient light detection. The software for the Express is essentially the same as you get with fancier Datacolor products, but with almost all extra features stripped out. Consequently the appearance isn’t as friendly as X-Rite’s competing and bespoke Colormunki Smile software, but it’s easy enough to use. Hover your mouse over key terms and helpful tips pop up to explain them, and…

1 Which of these filters do landscape photographers use to ensure that the foreground in the shot does not appear too dark? A Neutral-density (or ND) B Ultraviolet (or UV) C Linear polariser D Graduated neutral-density (or ND grad) 2 If you grab a still image from a 4K video, how many pixels it contain? A 4 million B 8 million C 16 million D It depends on the resolution of the camera’s sensor 3 Which of these is used to calculate depth of field? A Circle of Confusion B Circle of Willis C Circle of Life D Circle of Excellence 4 Leica M rangefinder cameras are popular amongst street photographers (and monarchs). What does the M stand for? A Mirrorless B Messsucher C Maastricht D Messerspiegel 5 Which Alfred…