Table of contents for April 2018 in Practical Photography: Lite

SIMPLICITY IS SO OFTEN the key to success. As the late, great Jane Bown proved so emphatically, all you really need is a camera, lens and a certain amount of modest assuredness. (If you’ve never seen Jane’s iconic work, put this magazine down now and get Googling). It’s this pared-down approach that inspired this issue’s big feature – Richard Collins’ guide to studio-style portraits, without the studio-style trappings. Richard worked for the likes of Dazed & Confused and i-D during the heady ’90s and knows how to make a little go a long way. Every image in his 16-page masterclass, starting on page 36, was made using a single light source, from small windows to a cheap £25 ringflash. So keep it simple, get stuck in and don’t forget to…

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 Panasonic GH5S and Leica CL. 25 wedding presets Add a variety of modern one-click effects to your wedding photos, from stylish black & white and colour to split tones and creative borders. Photoshop tutorials Enhance your wedding RAWs, discover three quick and easy edits for pro results, and show your natural world images in the best possible light. DOWNLOAD THE DISC CONTENT AT bit.ly/ppdisc1804…

Samyang Nikon-fit AF lens Samyang first announced it would create AF lenses for Nikon and Canon in 2016, and after hearing it’s delivering a Canon AF lens (see page 18) we can’t help but think a Nikon alternative is just round the corner. With a 14mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f.1.4 all sporting pin-sharp optics and causing waves, it would be great to see them appear on the prestigious system. samyanglensglobal.com Fujifilm X-T3 Word has it that Fujifilm is set to announce the latest X Series revamp. We’re expecting to see a new X-Trans sensor, with a higher resolution of at least 26MP. It may include image stabilisation (though this may be introduced in the brand-new X-H1 camera), a continuous shooting speed of 20fps and a blackout-free EVF. It…

“UNDERSTANDING A SPECIES AND ITS BEHAVIOUR ENABLES SUCCESS IN THE FIELD” PART OF BEING A WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER IS accepting that there will be missed opportunities and long waits. Even the most advanced equipment can lag or misfocus, and the best photographers still make mistakes. Luck plays a part, but there are ways to improve your chances. Knowing your camera’s capabilities is a must if you want to produce consistently good photographs. The best way to do this is to go out and take pictures – you’ll make mistakes and learn how to fix them. These skills are especially useful for the wildlife photographer, as your subject is unlikely to hang around while you try to focus or change settings. Awareness of your species and its behaviour makes a big difference…

Entry-level Nikon D3400 £430 Nikon’s budget DSLR is ideal for studio work as it’s very easy to use, offers great image quality with its 24.2MP sensor and is available for a really good price. While it’s not full-frame, its APS-C format does mean that your lens choice is easier, as a cheap 50mm will be ideal for portraits. nikon.com Intermediate Canon 5D MkIV £3200 Canon’s 5D is a great all-round camera for the serious amateur photographer or those just dipping their toes into the pro market. It’s also an excellent portrait camera due to its full-frame 30.4MP sensor. PP used a 5D for all of the home studio shots in this feature. canon.com Pro choice Hasselblad H5D £35,000 Yes, this camera does cost the same as a very good car,…

If you decide to use your home studio for portrait photography you will need to find people to photograph. That seems rather obvious, but it can be one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of a shoot. Organising a photo session that requires a model takes planning and flexibility, as you may need to work around the availability of your subject. Finding someone to photograph can also be difficult, and the success of your shoot can rely just as much on the ability of your subject to sit well as it does on your skill with the camera. BEGIN WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS When you’re starting out and need to build up a portfolio of images you will probably turn to friends and family for subject matter. It…

1 Find your light This window offered us the most diffused light we could find – even if it meant a rather tight space to work in! And while the light was at quite an acute angle to the subject, the white walls acted as perfect reflectors to soften the shadows. 2 Shoot on the cheap As we were just shooting a head-and-shoulders image we didn’t need to pay out for a big backdrop. Coloured card, available from most decent art shops, makes a great backdrop and comes in a range of colours to suit your shot style. 3 Set for the best quality As the light from a window cannot be varied in intensity, your camera settings may have to be a compromise. To get the best possible image…

1 Light it up We wanted an even, soft light for this image, while keeping true to the spirit of doing things on a tight budget. The key light is a simple lamp with greaseproof paper taped to the front, while a basic card reflector creates a ‘clamshell’ light effect. 2 Shoot wide open As this shot is all about the shallow depth-of-field, we set for full manual with the lens wide open at f/1.2. The dim lighting meant an ISO of 800 – not a problem on a modern DSLR – and the longest exposure that we were still happy to handhold. 3 Review the image While it’s very important to limit any interruptions to a portrait shoot, the ability to review shots on a digital camera is a…

IF YOU’VE ALREADY shot a wedding day, and successfully come away with cards full of great images of all the key moments and protagonists, then congratulations, you’ve definitely managed the hardest part of any wedding photographer’s job. Capturing both the intimate moments and the set pieces is the first step to victory when shooting weddings. However, if you’re looking to set yourself apart from the millions of other wedding photographers, use our savvy editing tips to make your images really stand out. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create the low-key look that’s currently all the rage in today’s wedding market. You’ll also be adding a split tone and some sharpening, giving your images that final professional touch. How do I shoot for the edit? Shooting for the…

PHOTOGRAPH a wedding and you’ll end the day with multiple memory cards full of images waiting to be worked up. Many professional photographers will offer around 250 edited images for a half-day shoot, or 500 for a full one. That’s an enormous number of pictures to go through and edit individually. So it’s no surprise that a single wedding can take weeks to process before the images are ready for the happy couple to view. Presets are a great way of speeding up your workflow, as they allow you to apply your favourite settings to any image in a single click. You can make your own, but to get you on your way we’ve created 25 bespoke presets that are perfect for weddings, and the best news is they’re absolutely…

• PEOPLE IN THE STREET So long as you are in a public place you may photograph whatever and whoever you want to. But while the people in this scene have no rights to their image, they do have the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy. This means that if you intend to publish your shots it is best to obtain a release first. • CHILDREN IN A SCHOOL A school is private property and as such you would need permission to take any photographs inside one. Additionally, children cannot consent under the law, so you would need the written permission of parents or guardians in order to shoot them. Children in a public place can be photographed, but bear in mind that this is a contentious and legally…

Alien Skin Exposure 3 £110 There are plenty of plug-ins that offer film emulations, and others that produce wonderful retro effects, but only Alien Skin combines the two in just one package. This software gives you everything from subtle enhancements, creative effects and on to really edgy looks. The options are almost limitless. alienskin.com Imagenomic Portraiture £145 This plug-in definitely falls towards the more subtle end of the retouching spectrum, but it’s a hugely powerful and user-friendly addition to Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. It’s a very effective tool for smoothing skin while maintaining texture for a realistic result and offers other enhancement options too. imagenomic.com Topaz Lens Effects £58 This is one of a number of plug-ins from Topaz, with this particular suite offering more than two dozen creative effects…

1 FIND YOUR STYLE This sounds a lot easier than it actually is. I took photos of anything and everything until I found what I really loved – travel photography. This isn’t to say that you can’t shoot anything else ever again, but it’s a good idea to focus on something you get a thrill from. 2 USE THE LIGHT Most of my images use light in some form, whether that’s from a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, or by using the sun to create some sort of lens flare. These can help add so much more to a photo. To get some of the best shots you’ll ever take, make the effort to wake up before the sun does. 3 RESEARCH LOCATIONS This one is absolutely vital to a successful…

#WINNER Best Professional DSLR #WINNER Best DSLR For Video #WINNER Product Of The Year In a year which saw some truly amazing camera releases, bringing innovative tech well and truly to the fore, Nikon has raised the bar. The latest pro DSLR to grace the market from the Japanese giant is also the best DSLR we’ve ever seen. Featuring a newly developed, whopping 45.7MP back-side illuminated sensor capable of a 14.8-stop dynamic range, it also has a rapid 7fps burst mode and 153-point AF system, closing the gap between high-octane and high-resolution to become a master of all trades. The ISO has been improved over the D810 to offer an extra stop of sensitivity in low light performance. Its AF system has been lifted straight out of the amazing Nikon…

#WINNER Best Drone DJI MAVIC PRO PLATINUM Widely considered to have brought drones to the masses, the Mavic Pro is as fun as it is advanced. Sport mode allows it to ascend at 5m/s and hit a rapid 40mph. It can stay airborne for up to 30 minutes, which is equivalent to 9 miles! If amazing performance wasn’t enough, it features a 3-axis stabilised gimbal with 1/2.3in sensor, capable of 12MP stills or 4K UHD video capture. #WINNER Innovation Of The Year DJI SPARK DJI’s tiny personal drone is packed with cutting edge technology. It’s capable of recording 1080p Full HD video, performing complicated aerial manoeuvres with a single click and achieving blistering speeds of 31mph. Not to mention you can control it with nothing more than hand gestures. If…

Softbox From £25 The good ol’ faithful staple of any studio photographer, a softbox is designed to create a large light source which results in a soft and even light. This makes it ideally suited to most types of photography where a natural look is required. There is even a range of alternative styles, such as octaboxes and stripboxes, which give slightly different effects or more control. Beauty dish From £40 Want an instant professional look? Reach for the beauty dish. This rounded bowl sits on your flash head and reflects the bare-bulb light in on itself. This then produces a contrasty effect with a rather harsh light. It’s ideal for sculpting dramatic shadows on your subject’s face, which has seen it take pride of place as a favourite of…

How to shoot evocative film noir pastiches • WHAT IS IT? The film noir pastiche is a fun way to liven up the standard portrait shot and can easily be recreated in a ‘home studio’ environment. It’s all about telling a story and the narrative should drive the image. • KEEP IT SIMPLE The stark, theatrical look of much of this genre of shot lends itself to a simple lighting setup. Whether you’re using natural light, continuous lighting or flash, keep things uncomplicated and stick to just one light source. • MODIFY YOUR LIGHT The classic, noirish window slat look was created using a cheap, basic venetian blind. Continuous lighting – we used a torch – is the best solution as you can clearly see the effect as you shoot,…

Tom Carter Better known as nomadlad to his legion of Instagram followers, Tom is spearheading the travel photography revolution. Join the charge on p108 Nicholas Hughes With a unique style that borders on art and Impressionism, Nicholas’ evocative landscape project has been 15 years in the making. See the epic results on p130 Matt Roseveare Still in his teens and already winning awards, Matt uses his amazing wildlife photos to spread the message of conservation. Join the flock on p162…

Over stormy seas BY KEVIN MORGANS / HABITAT • This image was taken during a camping trip at the stunning Hermaness National Nature Reserve in the Shetland Islands. The plan was to photograph the gannets soaring over the stormy oceans below, but dense fog for the first eight days of the trip made the images impossible to achieve. Thankfully, during the last two days the fog cleared and strong winds arrived, making it finally possible to take the photographs that I’d had in mind all along. Canon 1D X | 200mm | 1/8000sec | f/5.6 | ISO 800 Kevin Morgan is a wildlife photographer passionate about conservation. His images have been awarded in a variety of prestigious competitions. kevinmorgans.com Open wide BY MARK THOMAS / ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR / HIGHLY COMMENDED…

WHY USE A PRIME LENS? As we touched on earlier, the kit zoom lens that probably came with your DSLR is fine for starting out with, but serious studio work needs a serious lens and that means a prime. A prime lens has a fixed focal length, which means less glass and a wider aperture. This allows greater control over depth-of-field as well as superior image quality. CAN ONE LENS CUT IT? If all you plan to shoot is portraiture then you can realistically get away with just one lens in your bag – but it needs to be the right one. If you’re shooting on a full-frame DSLR then the optimum focal length for a good portrait lens starts around 85mm, going up to around 110mm. Lenses at this…

1 Any light will do Photography is all about light, but your choices in ‘studio’ illumination don’t have to be expensive. For this shoot we used a simple handheld torch that allowed us to alter and control the intensity of the light falling on our subject. 2 Modify  your illumination Having settled on our film noirinspired ‘slatted’ look, we lacked enough window light to pull the trick off. Our solution was to shine a torch through a Venetian blind that could be moved about in order to create the desired effect. 3 Check the exposure The point of this shot is to create bands of light and dark across our model’s face. Proper control of the exposure is vital, as we don’t want the highlights to blow out because they…

• WHETHER YOU USE NATURAL LIGHT, lamps, a flashgun or studio strobes, there are some basic lighting setups that you should be able to reproduce quickly and easily, over and over again. Photographers who are just starting out in the studio often believe that the only way to achieve a professional look is to use two, three or even four lights. But each of the setups below was done with just a single light (the key light) and, where required, a simple reflector. By keeping your lighting setups straightforward you will be able to work quickly and produce consistent, fuss-free images. Split light A classic and moody look that particularly suits male subjects. Your key light is positioned at quite an acute angle to your subject and there’s no reflector…

LOOKING FOR A WAY to freshen up your portraits and give them a graphic twist at the same time? Well, look no further. This month I’ve got a fantastic technique that allows you to merge typography with a portrait image to produce an interactive and eye-catching shot. You’ll learn loads of Photoshop skills, such as Layer Masks and making selections, along the way. Adding text is a great way of giving the viewer extra nuggets of information about your subject, and when arranged horizontally and vertically, it hooks them in as they’ll have to study your shot closely to find out what is being said about that person’s character. You can follow our eight steps in around half an hour, but once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll be…

• GAPS IN YOUR TRAILS If you find gaps in your trails when you blend them together (see over the page) this means there was a pause between your shots. You want your images to be fired in straight succession, so switch off any self-timer mode, make sure your remote shutter release is locked down to fire continuously and switch off any in-camera noise reduction too. • BATTERIES RUN OUT OF POWER The cold nights and long exposures are likely to drain your battery life a little quicker than usual. To get the most juice out of them, go into your camera menu and reduce the display brightness, switch off the image review and disable any long exposure noise reduction. You can also get battery grips for many cameras that…

PHOTOSHOP Turn colours into selections with Select Color Range Ever wanted to create a selection based on the tones or colours within your image? Well, if you have the full version of Photoshop the Color Range feature is perfect for the job. Just open up your shot and head over to Select>Color Range to start creating your selection. You can manually click on the colour within your shot that you want to select, then hold the Shift key and click over other areas to add them to the selection, or the Alt key to remove them. The Fuzziness slider changes how broad the selection of the colours is. It can also be handy to use the preset selections at the top of the dialogue box to select colours and tones…

Work with sunlight It’s not always possible or practical to shoot at the ‘golden hour’ but the midday sun can be just as dramatic if you work with it. In this shot the sun is high in the sky but by moving into the cover of some trees, where some mist lingers, dramatic lighting is achievable. Use inclement weather Fluffy, white clouds are all very well, but for a real sense of drama keep an eye on developing weather and consider the effect of a dark and stormy sky. Here, the bright yellow of the fields, still under sunlight, is dramatically juxtaposed against the gathering black storm. Set up for long exposures This seascape wouldn’t be anywhere as dramatic without the use of a long exposure. Here, the sea has…

UNDERPINNING EVERY image are three interdependent exposure variables. In this series we’ve seen how the aperture controls the size of the opening in the lens, and how shutter speed dictates how long the sensor is exposed to the light for. The third exposure variable is ISO, and it controls how sensitive your sensor is to light, and your overall image quality. What is ISO sensitivity? ISO can be adjusted in any shooting mode to make your shot either lighter or darker. When you increase the ISO value you’re making the camera more sensitive to the light, so your image will be brighter. The ISO value is always displayed as a number, such as 100, 200 and 400, and with every doubling (or ‘stop’) of the ISO, the sensor becomes twice…

The budget travel adventure special! The PP team flew to Norway to put together the essential video guide to planning a trip and shooting amazing images – and if this doesn’t inspire you to head out on your own photographic trip of a lifetime, nothing will! Here’s what’s coming up: • Hands-on info on planning a budget travel photography trip, from sourcing tickets, hire cars and accommodation at the best price to how and where to wild camp for a real ‘back to nature’ adventure experience. • Essential gear to pack, from telephoto, wide-angle and creative lenses to drones – and cameras suited to low light conditions. • Explore a wide range of landscapes, from mountain vistas to scenic fjords, plus low light cityscapes and epic waterfalls. Contact us if…

“I WAS GREETED WITH A SEA OF CLOUD OVER LOCH ARKAIG AND GLEN DESSARY” THERE ARE FEW UK LANDSCAPES YET TO BE photographed. Being such a small island, it’s not hard to see why. Yet there’s one untapped wilderness I know of – the Knoydart Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands, west of Lochaber. Accessible only by boat or foot, it’s devoid of tourists and you won’t find it in any guidebooks. It’s not called the ‘Rough Bounds’ for nothing. My visit coincided with a few days of sunny skies and low winds. I had my sights set on a three-day hike to Glen Dessary and the summit of Sgurr na Ciche, on the boundary of Knoydart. This was an 18-mile round trip, no easy feat with a 28kg backpack. I’m…

Backdrops From £53 For a proper studio look you will need a blank backdrop, as any clutter in the picture will detract from your subject. Art shops sell coloured card that’s fine for close-ups, but rolls of paper are quite cheap and come in a range of colours. You can buy a dedicated stand or tape it to a handy wall. manfrotto.co.uk/lastolite Reflectors From £30 After a camera, a lens and a source of light, the next most important bit of kit for the studio photographer is a reflector. Bouncing your key light back on your subject is often vital, and while a piece of white card will do a decent job, a collapsible reflector is easier to use and doesn’t have to cost much. This 5-in-1 model (right) is…

1 Don’t spend a fortune Ringflashes are great fun and a guaranteed route to those ‘edgy’ fashion-style portraits seen in leading design magazines. But there’s no need to invest too much money – our ringflash cost just over £20 from amazon.co.uk 2 Shoot close up Budget ringflashes may be a cheap way to a cool look but they won’t be very powerful. Experiment with your exposures to get the right amount of ambient light in the shot and get close to your subject for the full dramatic effect. 3 Get the edge More than any other shot reproduced here, this image requires you to give your model clear direction. We wanted a picture that looked like it had leapt off the pages of an edgy fashion mag, so we needed…

SHOOTING A WEDDING IS a gargantuan task that requires rigorous planning, reliable equipment and a thorough understanding of your camera’s settings. If you can master all this then you’re on your way to taking some brilliant photos on the big day. However, shooting the wedding is only half of the job, as the real grafting starts back at your computer, where it’s easy to spend days, if not weeks, working up the many hundreds of images that the excited newly-weds are anxious to receive. To take the pain out of this arduous task, this month we’ve come up with a trio of edits to help you process your wedding pictures and give them a stylish finish. Our tasteful colour popping technique will make colourful details such as flowers or gold…

WILDLIFE HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST rewarding avenues photography has to offer. Whether you’ve waited hours to catch a bird landing on the precise branch you’ve framed up on, or photographed deer in the early morning mist, you just can’t beat it. But taking the shot is only half the story. Editing is where you can really bring your pictures to life, though it’s important you don’t overdo this, as it can make your subject look unnatural. Our new six-part wildlife series will help you process your wildlife pictures for realistic results. We’re kicking off with a RAW conversion, as you’ll do this before going on to do more complex edits within Photoshop. Editing things like white balance and exposure are all fair game, as it’s simply using…

CHANGING THE SIZE OF AN image is key to creating composites, where different pictures are layered up to make a custom scene. But if you’ve spent your money on a high resolution digital camera, it would be a shame to reduce image quality simply by resizing your pictures. Conventional resizing methods don’t retain the original image resolution, so if you shrink a picture down and then enlarge it at a later date because you change your mind, the image will look pixelated. Fear not though, as Photoshop’s Smart Objects are special Layers that retain this information so you can resize to your heart’s content, while retaining the full quality. 1 Cut out your subject In Photoshop CC, head up to File>Open and find the landscape you want to use in…

Elliot says: I was shooting Matterhorn at 3am and was mesmerised by the beauty of the scene in front of me. The composition really came together when I found a lake that I could use to reflect the iconic mountain. And with no clouds in the night sky, the stars came out perfectly. Dan says: What an incredible image! Elliot’s central composition works fantastically well, and there’s some great foreground interest with the lake creating a brilliant mirror image of Matterhorn, in the Alps. The sky is overflowing with stars and a superb Milky Way – expertly achieved with a tripod and by making his camera more sensitive to light (see settings above right). My only criticism is that the foreground is very dark and some extra detail here would…

• Turn it off immediately and remove the batteries • Take out the memory card and dry it before checking the contents; remove the lens • If you dropped your camera in salt water you should now put it in a bowl of clean water for five seconds • Place the camera, battery pack and lens into separate plastic bags containing rice or silica gel packs and leave them there for several hours • Once your camera is dry, see if it works • If it doesn’t, contact the manufacturer for their advice…

WITH AN INSTAGRAM account that looks as travelled as a well-used passport, Tom Carter is no stranger to a long commute. But his destination isn’t a climate-controlled office. Instead, he embarks on pulse-quickening adventures through a variety of weather conditions, terrains and cultures. From incredible coasts, to towering mountains and bustling cities, each new location is ripe for exploration. With a signature style perfect for catching the eye, Tom’s work leaves his tens of thousands of followers hungry for more. “IF MY PHOTOGRAPHY MAKES PEOPLE EXCITED, THEN THAT’S ALL I CAN ASK FOR...” How did you first become interested in photography? When I was 12 years old my school organised a summer trip to Austria. My parents bought me a few disposable cameras to take with me, as this was…

#WINNER Best Specialist DSLR Lens SIGMA 14MM F/1.8 DG HSM ART If you only ever fall in love with one ART lens, this is the one. While it may be impractical for 90% of shots, when you find the need for it you won’t be able to live without it – whether it’s astro or interiors. This ultra-wide prime is the world’s first 14mm to boast a massive f/1.8 aperture. It also manages to incorporate three premium FLD and four SLD elements to virtually eliminate all forms of optical distortions. #WINNER Best DSLR Lens SIGMA 100-400MM F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM CONTEMPORARY Taking the coveted Best DSLR Lens medal, this glass boasts an insane focal range and features Sigma’s trademark exceptional optical performance. It’s not only extremely compact for such a…

• AS A CHILD I WAS ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY animals. My mother used to rescue anything she could help, from underweight hedgehogs to frog spawn in a drying pond. Living near the New Forest National Park, there was always something unusual to find near my house. I first picked up my family’s point-and-shoot camera at the age of 10. After a little patience and perseverance, I was able to teach myself how to take better and better images. I’ve always been motivated by the adventurous side of photography, so I’ve spent lots of time close to nature with some of our more elusive wildlife. The thrill of waking up at 4am on a crisp, summer morning to photograph deer at sunrise, before quickly sprinting back to college in time for…