Table of contents for February 2019 in Practical Photography: Lite

AROUND THE TIME I FIRST TURNED MY camera to wildlife, I saw an image that had been successful in a competition showing a sanderling running along the shoreline. I was overawed by this brilliant picture and commented to my dad, who’s also interested in photography, that I could never hope to take such a stunning picture. “I RETURNED TO THE SAME PLACE TO FIND PERFECT CONDITIONS” His response, quite rightly, was that I was being too negative and should be inspired by such images and use them to positively influence my own work. This conversation has stayed with me and these days I always try to take inspiration from others’ photos. In those early years, I collected books from several highly prestigious wildlife photography competitions and enjoyed not only viewing…

Your camera views the world through a lens, and those lenses are not fixed. Altering the focal length of your lens – by either swapping out one lens for another, or by altering the setting on a zoom lens – will also have a big effect on the composition. Wide-angle lenses are great for landscape work, but they will generally include a lot of information that might clutter a scene, while a wide-angle’s ability to exaggerate perspective will also impact on your composition. At the other end of the scale, a telephoto will compress the perspective and narrow the field-of-view to cut out a lot of your scene. Zoom lenses are very useful for composing as they let you see the scene at a variety of focal lengths and then…

Use a beanbag to go low If your tripod doesn’t have an invertor column but you need some low-down support, a beanbag makes a great camera support. Take to the skies with a drone For a completely unique perspective, consider a drone. They now pack some serious camera kit for great images. Climb up a ladder If you need to get well above your subject, a simple stepladder is a really useful bit of kit. And now it’s over to you… Digest these rules and try to shoot every one of them until they become second nature. And then, send us the shots you’ve taken.…

Q I’ve downloaded the latest version of Photoshop CC 2019 and have been using it just fine. But the other day my cursor suddenly turned into a tiny crosshair and I can’t see the brush reticule anymore, so I have no idea how large my brush size is. Help! Claire Williams, North Wales Dan says: Don’t worry, help is at hand and we are sure we can find that elusive cursor for you! What you describe is actually quite a common phenomenon and it’s usually due to the Caps Lock being inadvertently hit while you’re working on an edit. When the Caps Lock is active it turns on a precision mode that displays a crosshair so that you can more easily visualise the middle of your brush. Check to see…

Q I’m trying to make a selection of the pupil of an eye in Photoshop to darken it, but I’m finding it really tricky to draw the right size and shape of selection straight off the bat with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Any tips? Peter Slant, Perthshire Dan says: Some selections can be tricky, no matter which tool option you choose, but Adobe are aware of this and offer a solution – even if it’s not immediately obvious. There’s a fantastic feature in Photoshop that will allow you to perfect your selection once you’ve made it. Draw the selection roughly over the part you want to select and you’ll see the marching ants appear as normal. Now, go to Select> Transform Selection and you’ll see a bounding box appear around…

■ EXPOSURE BRACKETING This is the process of shooting multiple frames with different exposure settings, therefore producing darker and lighter versions of the same scene. ■ EXPOSURE STOPS The difference between the darker and lighter frames in a bracketed exposure is measured in exposure stops. ■ DYNAMIC RANGE Dynamic range is a measure of a scene’s contrast, which is the difference between the lightest and darkest tones within it. In a scene with a narrow dynamic range, the highlights and shadows will be similar in tone. However, in a scene with a broad dynamic range, there will be a big difference between the highlights and shadows, creating a tricky exposure. ■ EXPOSURE BLENDING This is an editing process where bracketed exposures are blended together manually, using helpful tools such as…

TRY OUT THESE SIMPLE PROJECTS, TO SEE HOW you can make the most of the HDR features on your camera, as well as in software. It’s all about using these creative tools to bring out the best in your subject and to extend your creativity. 1 GET PERFECT LIGHTING FOR INTERIORS Most cameras now have a High Dynamic Range mode built in, freeing you from having to process the images after your shoot. The perfect time to use this is when trying to balance internal and external lighting, such as for a window-lit interior on a bright day. Your camera’s HDR mode works much like the regular bracketing mode, but instead of leaving you with several exposures, it will combine the pictures for you. Parameters, such as the number of…

FOR THIS TRULY eggscellent technique, all you need is a box of eggs, somewhere to take a nice photo of them, and a group of willing subjects that you can coax out of their shells to pose for portraits. From there, it’s simply a case of using some of Photoshop’s basic features to seamlessly merge the faces with the eggs. For the best results, there are a few steps you can take in preparation. Ask your subjects to pull funny faces to add to the humour. We’d also recommend you experiment with a wide-angle lens – this will help to mimic the eggsaggerated shape. Another consideration is how to light the different elements. When shooting the eggs, aim for the lighting to be as flat and even as possible to…

Exporting your shots onto your hard drive is all well and good, but you can also host your shots on an online gallery through Lightroom, which you can then send to your clients. This may be quicker than exporting your shots and sending them via email. Here’s how you can do it… ■ Make sure you’re synced with Lightroom Mobile in Lightroom Classic CC by clicking on the Identity Plate and choosing Sync with Lightroom Mobile. ■ Go to the Library module and click on the plus icon located on the Collections panel, then choose Create Collection. Give your collection an appropriate name and, in the Options, make sure Sync with Lightroom CC is ticked. ■ Underneath the module headings you’ll see a Make Public button, so go ahead and…

1 Home button A Home button now sits in the Tool Options taking you to the home screen you see when you boot up Photoshop initially. 2 Multiple undo now possible In previous versions you’d have to hit Ctrl+Z to Undo your last move and then press Ctrl+Alt+Z to Step Backwards and revert back further. In Photoshop CC 2019 you can just press Ctrl+Z to undo as many times as you need to get back to the point you need, which saves time. 3 Free Transform proportionally In Free Transform Mode you’ll notice that you don’t have to hold the Shift key to resize proportionally when dragging the corners. Holding Shift will now break away from the constrained proportions. This control reversal may take a little getting used to for…

The lower-resolution 24.5MP sibling to the Z7, this camera boasts near-identical specs. However, it boasts an ISO range of 100-51,200, increased 12fps continuous shooting speed and 5 stops of handy in-body image stabilisation – ideal for low-light shooting or video. You also get 273 points of on-sensor phase detection autofocus, a sumptuous 3.2in rear 2100k-dot tilting LCD touchscreen and phenomenally impressive 3690k-dot Quad-VGA EVF. nikon.co.uk Undoubtedly the hottest contender for camera of the year, Sony’s entry-level full-frame CSC packs a 24.2MP BSI sensor, 100-51,200 ISO range and impressive 10fps continuous shooting. There’s also 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, 693 points of on-chip phase detection and outstanding 4D focus tracking mode. The tilting rear touchscreen boasts a 921k-dot resolution, perfect when shooting 4K movies at 30fps, or Full HD 1080p at 120fps.…

Camera: Nikon D3500 Lens: AF-P 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Kit price: £479 Effective resolution: 24.2MP Sensor: 23.5x15.6mm LCD: 3in 921k-dot fixed LCD Shutter: Bulb, 30sec – 1/4000sec Autofocus: 11-point phase detection AF system ISO: 100-25,600 Shooting speed: 5fps 16 RAWs Pop-up flash: Yes Video: Full HD 1080p at 60fps Other features: Dynamic-area AF, Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), built-in microphone, exposure compensation, Active D-Lighting, scene modes eg portrait and sports, special effects modes such as night vision, toy camera effect and selective colour Battery life: 1550 shots Card type: SD, SDXC, SDHC Size (WxHxD): 124x97x70mm Weight: 415g Web: nikon.co.uk…

The Pros Often more compact and lighter than their DSLR counterparts EVF lets you see your settings in real time and review images in bright sunlight Focus points cover more of the frame Most CSCs allow you to shoot completely silently The Cons Battery life is often worse than DSLRs Mirrorless can cost more than DSLRs EVF may be slightly off-putting to those used to traditional optical viewfinders Smaller control layouts may be harder to use for beginners or DSLR users…

This SDXC memory card from ProGrade is a UHS-II memory card, available in 64, 128 and 256GB versions. It boasts an impressive maximum read speed of 200Mb/s, and write speed of 80Mb/s. It also guarantees that the write speed will never drop below 60Mb/s, making it ideal for high-speed continuous shooting, or capturing 4K video. While the price may seem a little steep to those not making use of memory-intensive feats, for those of us who are rattling out 45MP files and UHD video like there’s no tomorrow, the quick speeds and higher storage sizes make the SDXC a must-have bit of kit. progradedigital.com…

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. New additions include Fuji’s GFX 50R and Panasonic’s Lumix LX100 MkII. 15 tree brushes Build foreground interest from scratch with our collection of tree brushes for Photoshop and Elements. Turn to page 122 to find out how to use them. Photoshop video lessons Create fun egg portraits (yes, really), discover Photoshop CC 2019’s latest features, and get the best from this month’s free tree brushes.…

Sony α 7000 The α 5000 and α 6000 series of APS-C CSCs have proven popular, and highly capable. However, we’ve heard that Sony is now set to introduce a new APS-C model, which will be aiming itself more towards the higher end of the market. Details are sketchy at present, but we expect to see a similar AF system to the α 9, fresh body design and blistering 20fps continuous shooting speed. sony.co.uk Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens With Samyang now providing autofous lenses for the major players, it still refuses to leave its roots. The latest whispers suggests that the company will introduce a 35mm f/1.2 lens into the manual focus XP range. While no further details are present, this will be an excellent addition for a wide range…

I’M THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT I SUFFER FROM wanderlust on an unprecedented level. I’m regularly seduced by the grandeur of the landscape in the Lake District and Scotland. Many an hour has been spent planning trips to far-flung places in the hope that the conditions will be kind and I’ll have the opportunity to capture something impressive. “THERE’S PLENTY TO LEARN IN EXPLORING LOCAL LANDSCAPES, URBAN OR RURAL” However, the weather rarely plays ball and I’m often met with challenging conditions, from constant sideways rain to endless flat grey. This was my experience on a recent trip to the Lakes. Don’t get me wrong, we had a day or two of some excellent conditions, but I found I wanted to be in at least five different places at once,…

While the two-dimensional nature of a photograph means that many compositional rules concern the placing of elements on a flat plane, as photographers we can also control the depth of an image through the use of different apertures. One of the fundamentals of taking a photo is to understand that a small aperture (represented by a large f/number) will render much more of a scene in sharp focus than a wide aperture. This ability to control the depth of focus within a scene will also impact on the composition. Having foreground interest is a key compositional tool, but depending on the aperture you choose and where you set your point of focus, the foreground can be pin-sharp or artistically blurred for effect.…

REFLECTING ON THE STICKY THEME of cultural identity in such tumultuous political times isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially with the prospect of Brexit looming on the horizon. Enter Michal Iwanowski, and a journey from his home in Wales to his birthplace in Poland, showing the beauty of human connection, no matter your political beliefs. Why did you start this project? “I DECIDED TO GIVE THE ANONYMOUS IMMIGRANT A FACE BY SHOOTING SELF-PORTRAITS...” It started in 2008, when I saw a small piece of graffiti in Cardiff. Scrawled across the wall was ‘Go home Polish’. At that time, I felt very much at home in Wales, and I’d never experienced xenophobia on a personal level, so it was a confusing moment. Was I an addressee of that message? Should I be…

LANDSCAPE MODE GREAT FOR CAPTURING STUNNING SCENES Usually indicated by an icon that looks like mountains, this is the mode you should use when you want to get the best landscapes. This will tell your camera to set colour management to ‘vivid’ and the aperture to its smallest opening for maximum depth-of-field. The ISO will also be set low for the best possible quality. NIGHT PORTRAIT MODE GREAT FOR MIXING LIGHT SOURCES If your camera has an icon of a person with a star or moon behind them, you have a night portrait setting. This mode fires your camera’s flash to illuminate your subject, but it also slows the shutter speed and boosts the ISO to capture any ambient light. Want to take a picture of a person in front…

Ben Hawkins With over 17 years as a photographic journalist, Ben is an experienced competition judge, picture editor and writer. Richard Collins PP’s deputy editor is a hugely talented journalist, photographer and tutor with an eye for the minimalist and abstract. Dan Mold PP’s technique editor is an Adobe Certified Associate and has a passion for wildlife photography. Swing carousel by Graham Herbert “Shooting into the light is a brave choice, as it creates strong contrast and graphic silhouettes” This was taken at last year’s Great Dorset Steam Fair. I shot into the sun, which meant using an ND grad to capture the motion blur. I had to time my shot just right to get the riders in the correct position. It was shot in RAW and processed in Lightroom,…

■ WEIGH DOWN YOUR TRIPOD WITH A BAG Some tripods have a hook on the bottom of the centre column that you can hang your bag on to weigh it down and add stability. If it doesn’t have this feature, try hanging your rucksack over the top of the centre column to add the extra downward force. ■ TURN OFF IMAGE STABILISATION It’s a good idea to disengage any image stabilisation, whether it’s lens or sensor based, as these can correct for movement that isn’t there when locked off on a tripod. This will give you the sharpest possible results. ■ BLOCK YOUR VIEWFINDER WITH THE PROVIDED COVER Light can pass through the optical viewfinder of DSLRs and cause odd lens flare when shooting for several minutes. Most DSLRs will…

1 WORK LOCALLY Get to know your local area and the species that can be found there. It doesn’t matter how common or mundane they may appear, every animal has its value and a story to tell. Learn how the light changes through the year, and when certain behaviour might be displayed. Then, simply have fun. 2 KNOW YOUR KIT Working locally means you can easily familiarise yourself with your camera. This is where you should hone your skills and learn your craft. Then, if you travel to more exotic locations, you’ll be less likely to mess up unique encounters. 3 BE COMPASSIONATE Remember that for you, this is just an image, but for the animal, it may be a matter of life or death. Approach your subject with respect…

I INITIALLY SAW PHOTOGRAPHY AS A FUN hobby that I could enjoy during the time I spent in the game reserves in the school holidays. However, I soon fell in love with the art and found myself trying to shoot at every opportunity. At first, I didn’t realise how many doors it could open for me, but now I know that I want to pursue it as a career. I’ve tried many different genres, from fashion to documentary. This was due to my course encouraging us to experiment as much as possible. However, I personally enjoy shooting on location rather than working in a photo studio. You can never fully predict what’s going to happen, and you always know that you’ll end up being surprised and delighted. I think this…

Now it’s over to you! We absolutely love to see how you’re getting on, so whether you’ve given this tutorial a crack, or had a go at any of the other editing techniques in the magazine, send your results over in an email to ppsubmissions@bauermedia.co.uk with the subject heading ‘The Edit’ to be entered into our monthly image editing competition. The winner will receive a Manfrotto Pixi Mini tripod worth £26.95 and all of the entries will be displayed on our Facebook page. Send yours over for a chance to win!…

ONE CAMERA FEATURE THAT HAS become a talking point in recent years is dynamic range, an ability to capture a wide range of tones from deep shadows to bright highlights. It’s easy to forget that brilliant eye-catching results can be had with a low dynamic range scene too, such a silhouetted tree in the foreground of a sunset. This month we’ve created 15 bespoke Photoshop brushes that allow you to paint trees in your shot wherever you’d like them to appear. We’ll be using a black foreground colour so the trees look silhouetted, so for best results be sure to use a bright picture of a sunset, moonlit landscape or aurora shot that would naturally turn the trees into silhouettes. Read on to get started… 1 Open up an image…

Blending Modes are a hugely important and useful feature of Photoshop and, as the name suggests, they help you blend multiple images, or layers, together. One of the most practical enhancements in Photoshop CC 2019 is that the effect of the Blending Modes is now live, so you can see the result of each Blending Mode in real-time as you hover your mouse over the modes in the drop-down list. This is a real time-saver as before you’d have to click on a mode to see if you like it or not, then go back to the drop-down list to choose another. Go to the Layers panel (Window> Layers) and click on the box that says Normal to set a Blending Mode.…

The Pros Ultra-compact so ideal for travelling light Compacts often boast long zoom ranges without having to buy additional lenses Controls are designed to be beginner-friendly The size makes them very discreet The Cons Battery life is often worse than DSLRs or even CSCs Smaller sensors mean image quality is often less impressive Compacts generally don’t fare as well when shooting in low light The autofocus systems are usually less complex or capable…

There’s more to the rule-of-thirds than simply placing elements on one of the horizontal or vertical lines. Where the lines bisect one another they form a positional marker referred to as a power point. Placing your subject on one of these power points will ensure that the viewer’s attention snaps straight to it, as it’s subconsciously where the eye lands first. When your image is composed of a larger subject, or it’s a close-up, such as a portrait, placing one of the elements within the subject, like one of your sitter’s eyes or a particularly interesting part of a building, on one of these power points will give your image much more punch. Power points are widely used in art and it’s worth analysing images to see how they’ve been…

There’s more to a tripod than just a stable base to sit your camera on, and with a range of accessories and add-ons available there’s usually a solution to any compositional problem you might encounter in the field. ■ The first thing to consider when buying a tripod is whether to go for a ball head or a three-way. The classic pan-and-tilt three-way gives you more delicate control but can be bulky and slower to use. The ball head is popular as it’s compact and easy to use, but can be less precise. ■ The ability to shoot from almost ground level is key to many good compositions, so a tripod with a reversible centre column is a virtual must-have. ■ One of the most useful accessories is an L-plate,…

Photographer: Michal Iwanowski, a Polish-born  photographer based in Wales Aim of project: To humanise the ‘other’, and present the  experience of an immigrant from a personal perspective Location: I’ve photographed a variety of countries,  including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic Duration: My journey through Europe took 105 days in total,  including days when I rested Images taken: I captured around 7000 photos in the  course of the project See more of Michal’s work at his website:  michaliwanowski.com…

Besides my camera equipment, my most important piece of kit is my walking boots. Without your feet, you won’t get very far, so it’s important that you invest in a sturdy pair of shoes. I spend a lot of time in mountainous areas, so I need footwear that’s waterproof with over-the-ankle support and a grippy sole. In the pursuit of great pictures, I tend to spend a lot of time off the beaten track. This is where the ground can easily be unstable, boggy, wet and cold. Even in my local woodland, I notice the benefit of good boots to keep my feet warm and dry. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get footwear that fits like a glove, especially if you’re planning on undertaking long walks.…

1 Shutter speed While the exact speed you set will depend on the distance between you and the subject, you want it slow enough to create some blur. Start around 1/15sec-1/30sec and experiment. 2 Shooting modes In order to capture those fast-paced action shots you should set your camera to a high-speed continuous shooting mode and set the autofocus to continuous (AF-C or AI Servo). 3 Focusing It’s a good idea to set a focus zone that covers the size of the car, or if you can’t do this, use single-point. Back button focusing will also make things easier as it frees up your trigger finger for shooting.…

Q When I’m making selections in Photoshop I keep getting elliptical shapes rather than the rectangle I’ve selected. Why is this? Alan Johnstone, Inverness Dan says: It sounds like you’re having an issue with feathering, Alan. When you make a selection you will select a feathering value for it in pixels (px). The bigger the number, the greater the feathering, or how blurry the edge of your selection will be. Setting a feathering value of ‘0’ will give you the hardest edge. If you think about the rectangular selection shape, the corners will need to be quite ‘hard’ in order to form the shape. So if your feathering is still set at quite a high number, it will not be possible to make a rectangular selection. The feathering value will…

ANDOER PH-720B 720° £110 Available from Amazon, this Andoer pano head is a great budget option. It has a quick-release plate for fast attachment and has a rotating base that locks at regular intervals. andoer.com NODAL NINJA NN3 MK3 & ROTATOR MINI £180 The Nodal Ninja MK3 is a lightweight and compact panoramic head created by a CNC machine. It has a maximum load of 1.5kg with the Rotator Mini, and this goes up to 3.5kg when used with the more expensive Rotator D10 (£120). red-door.co.uk MANFROTTO VR PANO HEAD £387 Tipping the scales at 2.43kg this model is a solid, aluminium panoramic head capable of handling up to 4kg of equipment. It has a swivel base that can rotate 360° and can be set to lock at regular intervals.…

In our Camera Know-how series, we cast an expert eye over the ins and outs of your DSLR’s or CSC’s key features, revealing precisely what they do and how you can make the most of them to boost your photographic skills. In this issue, Kingsley Singleton takes a detailed look at how you can use bracketing to achieve accurate exposures, and how effective in-camera processing can be at tackling scenes with a high amount of tonal contrast. THE WAY YOUR CAMERA records light is governed by your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These exposure settings are either manually decided by you, set automatically by the camera, or a mixture of the two (such as aperture-priority). When using any kind of automatic setting, the camera will be able to produce a…

Set up your camera for basic autobracketing If you’re not going to combine your bracketed exposures later in editing, you can shoot handheld. However, we recommend using a tripod for the best results. You should also lock the focus position so it doesn’t wander between shots. Input a three-shot, 1-stop bracket (as shown above). Depending on the exposure mode you’re shooting with, either the shutter speed or the aperture will be altered to make the exposures lighter or darker. So, in aperture-priority, with a base exposure of 1/60sec at f/11, you’ll end up with exposures of 1/60sec, 1/30sec and 1/125sec, all at f/11. If you’re shooting in shutter-priority, you’d get exposures with f/11, f/8 and f/16, all at 1/60sec. Use positive or negative exposure bracketing If you think you’ll need…

IT’S THE FINAL PART OF our Lightroom Classic CC editing series, so of course it makes sense that in this module we’ll be looking at exporting your pictures, to turn them from large RAW files to smaller, more manageable JPEGs. Think of exporting as saving your pictures – you’ll be setting up the location on the hard drive you want the images to be stored on, and the file type, but it’s also so much more than that. In Lightroom’s export options you’ll be able to apply settings to every single image as they’re saved out. This includes the ability to rename each image and give them sequential numbers – handy for large batches of files such as a wedding shoot – add a watermark to stamp your shots with…

ADOBE MADE THE MOVE to a rolling subscription for Photoshop back in 2013, the idea being that you pay a set monthly price and always have access the latest iteration of the software. Photoshop CC 2019 has just landed, and with it comes a raft of enhancements – some big like the addition of new tools, and others more minor to streamline the Photoshop user interface, making it even easier to use. Here’s our pick of the new features and everything you need to know about them so you can update to the new version and use it with confidence. Use the new Color Wheel to choose your colours Go to Window>Color to bring up the Color panel and you’ll now be able to choose Color Wheel from the fly-out…

Camera: Canon EOS R Price: £2349 Effective resolution: 30.3MP Sensor: 36x24mm LCD: 3.15in 2100k-dot 3-axis 180° tilting touchscreen Shutter: Bulb, 30sec – 1/8000sec Autofocus: 5655-point phase detection AF system ISO: 100-40,000 (expanded to 50-102,400) Shooting speed: 8fps, or 5fps in continuous autofocus, for 47 RAWs, or 78 C-RAWs Video: UHD 4K 30fps, 1080p Full HD at 60fps, 720p at 120fps Other features: Canon-Log, Eye AF, 4K Frame Grab, Silent Shooting, Scene Intelligent Auto, time-lapse movies, Picture Styles Battery life: 370 shots Card type: Single slot SD, SDXC, SDHC UHS-II Size (WxHxD): 136x98x84mm Weight: 580g Web: canon.co.uk…

IMAGE QUALITY The most important part of any camera is image quality. So these offerings have undergone real-world testing to ensure they have what it takes. FUNCTIONALITY AND USE We also took into account factors such as the quality of the included lenses, focal lengths and aperture ranges. In the case of the compacts, we also looked at the zoom range and quality. Each camera’s pros and cons were then weighed against their prices, ensuring these entry-level models offer great value for money.…

The Pros The build quality often feels better in more advanced DSLRs DSLRs have been around for years, meaning a wider and cheaper lens choice DSLRs usually boast the best battery life Ergonomics and controls have more space to spread out The Cons Optical viewfinder lacks the Live View settings preview of EVF These are often less discreet than mirrorless cameras DSLRs are traditionally larger and bulkier than CSCs Features fail to compare to similar-priced mirrorless cameras…

RESOLUTION 40/20/8MP SCREEN 6.4IN AMOLED VIDEO 4K Welcome to a higher intelligence. That’s the tag-line for this follow-up to the critically acclaimed P20 Pro, and its impressive triple Leica lens design. But can Huawei really eke anything more from its small-form sensors? Main features The Mate 20 Pro subscribes to the bigger is better philosophy, boasting a glorious increased 6.4in AMOLED display, with a high 3120x1440 resolution – 0.3in larger than the P20 Pro’s. It offers a choice of 128GB or 256GB internal memory, and a new Kirin 980 processor, which trumps the last-generation 970. Huawei has made a big deal about the AI in this camera. It claims the Mate 20 Pro can analyse 1500 unique scenarios, in 25 categories, and offer the best settings. The triplet of rear…

Master of tripods Manfrotto has just released its latest entry into the Befree range. The 2N1 is a traditional aluminium travel tripod with a twist. One of the legs can be removed to use as a monopod, which holds up to 5kg and doubles its versatility. As a more traditional tripod, it weighs in at a rather respectable 1560g and can take an 8kg payload. The four section legs extend to give a maximum working height of 150cm, or minimum of 40cm. They can be set to three distinct angles, and feature Manfrotto’s M Lock twist design for easy release. The 2N1 includes the 494 ball head, which allows for some unique compositions. When you’ve finished, it will also fold down to a compact 40cm and pack into the included…

WITH WINTER IN FULL swing, natural daylight is in short supply, and this opens up some amazing low-light creative opportunities. It’s a great time to try out one of the lesser-known smartphone techniques and capture dramatic motion blur. The key technique behind this project is creating a long exposure, which you may think is impossible on a smartphone. Many modern phones are now capable of this effect, you just have to know where to look within the settings. To find the perfect location, look for a clear driveway and ask a friend to reverse a car away from you. The slower the better, as this will give your phone’s camera more time to capture the car. We recommend shooting at dusk and turning the headlights on for the best effect.…

Whether you want to film a quick video, shoot a long exposure photo or even read from an online recipe while cooking, having a self-standing phone is incredibly useful. The Adonit PhotoGrip isn’t just a mini-tripod, it has a wide range of uses that make it the perfect phoneography companion. The PhotoGrip’s self-standing mode allows your phone to be free-standing in portrait mode. This is the function we used to shoot the image above. If you’re interested in capturing a photo without having to be near your phone, the Bluetooth shutter remote allows you to do so. Attached to the phone holder itself, all you need to do is slide it off and walk up to 10 metres away to grab your shot. Once you’ve taken your image, you may…