Innehållsförteckning för December 2022 från Digital Camera Magazine

Although the days are becoming a little cooler, this hasn’t put A off London-based fashion photographer Sam Nash. Sam is an award-winning published freelance photographer with over 15 years of experience in portrait and fashion photography. Recently, the title of Master of Light was conferred on Sam by British lighting company Rotolight – an accolade bestowed on a select few who have excelled in the world of portrait photography. Today, we’re keeping things local by making a short trip from Digital Camera Towers to Bath Spa railway station, where Sam has arrived from London with model Mallu Camerini. Fellow model Rhos Lapworth is making a slightly shorter trip, across the bridge from Cardiff in Wales, to join us for the afternoon. Although Sam is well known for his contemporary and…

I only got into photography about six years ago, so it’s still a relatively new pastime for me, but it has quickly become a passion. Over time, I fell in love with shooting seascapes on the Norfolk and Suffolk coastlines, with their varied landscape features. During the autumn months, I like to shoot more locally; I am just a stone’s throw from Thetford Forest. I have a few favourite spots to shoot along the River Little Ouse, which can yield some lovely misty conditions in the morning. Autumn and winter are by far my favourite times of the year for shooting. The days are getting shorter, so the early starts become easier to get up for. www.flickr.com/photos/richardpotterphotography 1/10 sec f/11 ISO 100 Use an ND Grad filter Here, I used…

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Open a Raw file in Photoshop CC and it will automatically launch Adobe Camera Raw in its own plug-in window (see below). The first thing to do is correct any lens distortions such as barrel distortion from wide-angle lenses or pincushion distortion from using a telephoto optic. You’ll also want to fix any vignetting in the corners and chromatic aberration where bright purple or green colours appear in areas of strong contrast. It’s near impossible for a lens to not have any chromatic aberration, though premium lenses do a better job at mitigating this. The last of the initial tweaks is to apply a crop, as there’s little point working on areas that will be cropped out of the final image. THE ACR INTERFACE This is what you’ll see when…

1 Noise reduction Head to the Detail panel and click on the dropdown arrow next to Noise Reduction, then zoom in on your photo to see any noise clearly. Dragging the Noise Reduction slider to the right will soften details – the more aggressive your noise reduction, the softer the details will become. 2 Dial down graininess The standard Noise Reduction slider reduces the ‘graininess’ you see from using a high ISO. As the name suggests, dragging the Detail slider to the right will bring back some detail to reduce the softening effect of the noise reduction, and Contrast will boost the contrast. 3 Banish chroma noise Chroma noise looks like colourful specks, and can be effectively targeted with the Color Noise Reduction slider, as well as Detail and Smoothness in the expanded…

There are several ways you can change the colours in your raw images, from boosting the overall saturation to making your colours appear cooler or warmer with white balance adjustments. We’ll show you how to use the individual colour channels to take full control of your colours. Additionally, you can colourgrade your images, also called a split tone, where you assign a colour to the shadows and highlights for a cinematic look. Alternatively, you can work in mono. You’ll still have all of the raw colour channel data to play with, which will help you with the black and white conversion. Here’s how to do it… 1 White Balance and Tint In the Basic panel, you can tweak the White Balance slider to make the shot warmer or cooler. You can…

The final step is to save your shots to lock in your edits and create a smaller, more manageable JPEG file. Click on your image thumbnail in the filmstrip, or hit Ctrl+A [PC] or Cmd+A [Mac] to select all of your images, then right-click on any image thumbnail and choose Save Image. In the Save options, set the destination to where you’d like the photos to be stored. To batch rename a group of shots you can set a custom filename and add sequential numbers, too – just be sure to add a two- or three-digit serial number in the File Naming dropdown box. For example, you can create a batch of images called Landscape_01.jpg right through to Landscape_100.jpg. You can also add the date that the image was taken.…

1 ‘War Rations’ by Neil Porteus “Taken during lockdown after being inspired by stories about how tough life was during rationing. But after living through difficult times, people came out smiling at the other end – perhaps a lesson for us all. I used a single light source for this, with final edits done in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.” Digital Camera says: A beautiful shot with a strong narrative to match. Expert control of your lighting and exposure. A worthy winner this month. READER SHOT OF THE MONTH Neil Porteus wins a year’s subscription to Digital Camera for this image. Well done, Neil! 2 ‘Lighting the Way’by Ian Brierley “Taken at Beachy Head in Sussex, this image required a lot of planning. I used readily available apps to plan the alignment of the…

WORTH £53/$69! Free for Digital Camera readers Mac & PC The latest cameras boast astounding high-ISO image performance, but that doesn’t mean image noise can’t be a problem. When you shoot at high ISOs, noise is inevitable, but DENOISE projects 2 can clean up images in an instant. The higher the ISO or longer the exposure, the more of an issue noise becomes. There are many types of noise: DENOISE projects 2 is adept at handling chroma, luminance, hot pixels, ‘salt and pepper’ artifacts, gaps, banding and colour clouds. While identifying and reducing noise is complex, DENOISE projects 2 couldn’t be simpler. Drag an image into the program and it is analysed, and noise reduction applied following a number of preset algorithms. The program highlights the best preset, but you…

James is a professional photographer who specialises in landscape and portraits. He’s an advanced Photoshop user and has created hundreds of tutorials. WATCH THE VIDEO! BONUS COLOUR GRADING KIT Turn to page 94 to find out more! Colour grading has been an integral part of filmmaking for many years, helping to establish the tone and mood. While colour grading has been around in digital stills photography for quite a while, its popularity as a creative tool continues to grow and shows no sign of falling out of fashion anytime soon. The easiest way to colour grade in Photoshop is to import LUTs, otherwise known as lookup tables. There are some already built into the software, but it’s also possible to import. cube format LUTs that have been created in other…

1 UPDATED LCD SCREEN New 4-axis unit combines the usefulness of a conventional tilting monitor with sideopening vari-angle flexibility. 2 SENSOR STAYS AT 61MP RESOLUTION The 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS image sensor is paired with the latest Bionz XR image processing engine. 3 DUAL MEMORY CARD SLOTS Stills and video are written to SD UHS-II/CFexpress Type A cards; high-speed 5GHz Wi-Fi connectivity also features. Sony unleashes the A7R V Sensor resolution stays the same as the preceding model, but Sony has expanded the capability stakes with AI autofocus, a faster burst mode and a new LCD screen Sony is never shy of releasing cameras that are staggering technical achievements, and the A7R V is no exception. While it retains the 61MP full-frame sensor resolution of its predecessor, the new body makes a…

www.nikon.co.uk Specifications Mount: Nikon Z Full-frame: Yes Lens construction: 22 elements in 14 groups Angle of view: 3.17º Autofocus: Yes Image stabilisation: Yes Diaphragm blades: 9 Max aperture: f/6.3 Min aperture: f/32 Min focus distance: 5m Max magnification ratio: 0.16x Filter size: 46mm (rear, drop-in) Dimensions (L x D): 385 x 140mm Weight: 2,385g The Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S is a pro-grade super-telephoto prime with powerful reach and an impressive set of high-end features. There’s no getting away from the fact that super-tele lenses are typically big and heavy. However, thanks partly to the inclusion of a Phase Fresnel element the Z 800mm certainly isn’t massive and, at 2,385g, you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to tackle handheld shooting. By comparison, the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC…

1 | LANDSCAPES Pier pressure Alistair Campbell shows how to use a graduated ND filter to smooth out a crashing sea A lthough it is by no means my speciality, I have always enjoyed shooting landscapes, A as it’s a type of photography that gives me a chance to slow everything down and really take in my surroundings. When I used to shoot on a Canon EOS 5D Mk II DSLR, I had a reasonably affordable Samyang MF 14mm F2.8 and a Samyang SFH-14 filter holder. As they tend to be quite expensive, I only had a single filter (a Lee Filters 1.2 ND). Not long after that I switched over to mirrorless, and promised myself that I wouldn’t become overrun with lenses and accessories again. This promise was broken…

Sports photography can be tricky on the best of days. Going into the winter months, the increased frequency of overcast skies makes decent exposures easier to achieve, but also means flatter, less dynamic and ultimately less dramatic images. Fear not, though – you can still score big during the editing stage. When I’m shooting sport, I tend to shoot wider: firstly because it’s easier and secondly because I tend to be at the long end of the reach on my telephoto lens a lot of the time. Recently, I went to Chew Valley RFC as they hosted local rivals Weston-super-Mare. Armed with my Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 50-140mm F/2.8 R, I spent the afternoon near the try line to pick off a few shots. A good image needs to draw…

People tend to be my preferred photographic subjects. During the colder seasons in the UK, photographing people is relatively easy, as they don’t tend to move too fast, and usually you’ve got their permission to take a photo of them first. We all have our strengths, but if you’re finding yourself a bit bored, or your favourite genre is becoming a little too easy, why not get out and try something new? Chances are that you might not have all the equipment you need, but you can beg, borrow or hire a good telephoto lens for a day. Lately, I’ve been trying to shoot more sport and wildlife as a way to challenge myself and pick up some new skills and techniques. Deer can be found in the wild, but…

Product photography looks simple, but there are often many people involved in nailing that one epic image you’re relying on to sell hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of items across the world. Whether it’s the latest craft ale, a luxury watch or a celebrity-endorsed cologne – you can bet there’s big money behind it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a stunning product picture is worth a thousand website visits and hopefully the sales to match! Here, we’re going to look at a makeshift way you can have a go at shooting your own images at home. Who knows – maybe you’ll shift a few bottles afterwards, too! Ideally you want to achieve an image that’s fun and vibrant, but also eye-catching and clean. The choice of…

OVERALL YOUTH WINNER ‘Dawn Reflection’ Natasha Burns “Winter dawn breaking at Loch Creran, Argyll, Scotland.” OVERALL WINNER ‘Brecon in Winter’ William Davies “Dawn sunlight warms up a winter morning in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. This image was taken from the Pen-y-Crug hillfort, which provides a spectacular panorama of Brecon and the surrounding mountains. On this December morning, sunlight broke through a clearing snowstorm, adding a wonderful burst of warmth and colour to the scene. I used a telephoto lens to help compress the sunlit fields and distant snowy hills.” WINNER, Black & White: ‘Souls Tied’ Paul Killeen “This is a very poignant and personal image. A good friend of my wife sadly passed away in 2021. Lynsey was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2015, and was informed that she would…

In the next set of adjustments, you’ll really start to see the full potential of shooting raw files. It’s easy to change the exposure by a few stops if it’s too bright or dark, and pull back highlight detail to stop bright areas like clouds from clipping to pure white, while simultaneously lifting the shadows to reveal detail in darker spots. This process simply wouldn’t be possible with smaller JPEG files, which are compressed and would have lost this information captured at the point of shooting. As JPEG files are processed in-camera, they have contrast and colour adjustments baked in. Raw files, on the other hand, are untouched and leave you to apply contrast and colour adjustments at the editing stage – this is why raw files often look flat…

1 Convert to mono Black and white conversions can look striking and are a great way to get the most from a capture that was taken with poor exposure settings, or in this case, very flat lighting. Just above the Basic panel, you’ll need to change the Profile to Adobe Monochrome to get started on working up your mono shot. 2 Edit mono ‘colours’ Having access to the colour channels with a black and white conversion may sound a little odd, but it’s very handy. Here you can fine-tune the contrast of certain tones, making the green grass lighter or a blue sky darker by adjusting the colour channel sliders in the B&W Mixer panel (under Detail). 3 Add some contrast with a curve You may be familiar with Photoshop CC’s Curves…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. WATCH THE VIDEO! Introduced in 2021, the Masking panel has been one of the best improvements to Lightroom and Camera Raw in recent years. Now, in the latest major release of Photoshop and Lightroom, the masking panel is even better. Intelligent AI-powered tools allow us to isolate intricate objects or backgrounds with a couple of clicks, without any need to spend time painstakingly masking out areas by hand. In particular, portrait lovers have been treated to an array of masking features that let us target parts of a face or body with ease. Enhancing portraits is often about making delicate changes to different parts of a face,…

This month, we have curated a collection of LUTs, actions and presets to help transform your images. Actions, LUTs and presets can make a big impact on your photos in a matter of seconds. Once they have been installed in Lightroom or Photoshop, they are on hand for whenever you need them. You can soon build up your own library of actions and presets by collecting the ones we are releasing with our tutorials. One of the main advantages of using these digital shortcuts is that they save time – rather than having to manually adjust a photo to give it a certain look, actions, presets and LUTs will get you there in a few clicks. So give your photos a little extra with this issue’s collection… How to use…

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https://radiantimaginglabs.com 1 At the top of the Radiant Photo screen, you can switch between the Quick Edit or Detailed Edit modes. 2 The extent of the editing controls available in this side panel is related to that choice. 3 In common with many of its peers, Radiant Photo offers a split screen view to assess adjustment effects. Windows Requires: Intel Core i5 or better, Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit editions), 8 GB RAM or more (minimum), 16+ GB RAM (recommended), 1 GB free space; SSD for best performance, 1280 x 800 display (minimum) 1920 x 1080 (recommended) macOS Requires: Apple ARM processor (M1/M2), Intel Core i5 or better, macOS 10.9 or later (64-bit), 8 GB RAM or more (min), 16+ GB RAM (rec), 1 GB free space; SSD for best performance, 1280…

9 PHOTO TIPS CARDS TO TAKE ON LOCATION! Our latest selection of tips cards gives wallet-sized advice on areas including landscapes, action, coastal scenes, pet portraits and shutter speeds. WORTH £53/$69! Free for Digital Camera readers Page 86 DENOISE Projects 2 software Clean up image noise, hot pixels and other artifacts with this simple to-use software. Transform your images in a few clicks with LUTs, actions and a preset for a variety of image editors We’ve curated a great selection of software extras to complement this issue’s tutorials and give your shots a professional look. You can find them with this issue’s other bonus digital gifts – see the instructions below. 15 BONUS SOFTWARE EXTRAS! Turn to page 94 Buyer’s Guide ebook Over 280 pages of camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice…

Over the last few years, my photographic journey has seen me evolve from a photographer into a passionate self-portrait photographer. I still document my husband and our two children, our travels and memories, but have found self-portraits to be less stressful in the long run. I have far more control over how, where and why I shoot them. I am inspired by light, colour, flowing dresses and detailed textures. I am an expat from the USA who moves around every couple of years (I’m currently living in Kosovo), so I’m constantly adapting to and finding new environments. Whenever I find myself in a new house, I first look for the light. Light is everything in photography; you cannot create a photograph without it. In our current house, not all the…

Learning how to use your flash off camera will allow you to manipulate light in any situation. You can overpower or shoot directly into the midday sun in July or create dark, atmospheric scenes in January. I personally find that off-camera flash works best in an overcast situation or woodland where you have a natural canopy overhead. Autumn is a great time, as the weather begins to change and we see less sun. This is a fabulous opportunity to learn how to create your own light just how you want it. Many of you will already own a detachable flashgun – all you need is a way to trigger it off-camera, plus a cheap shoot-through white umbrella, and you’ll be shooting more professional images in a flash! In these photos,…

I am Asia’s most awarded wedding photographer, having won more than 420 international awards to date within a span of seven years. Born in Malaysia, I am also an ambassador for Canon, as well as Profoto lighting. I travel to different corners of the world to photograph weddings in the most picturesque locations for adventurous couples. Hailing from a family with a strong photography background (my great uncle had an Honorary Fellowship from the RPS), I never had any interest or formal training in photography until I failed my exams, after which I was introduced to the medium by my mother – everything else was history! My vision for simplistic yet sophisticated compositions and cinematic lighting is often inspired by the movies of Wes Anderson and Baz Luhrmann. I love…

Benedict Brain www.benedictbrain.com Camera: Sigma fp L Lens: Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN | Art 022 Settings: 1/60 sec at f/5, ISO 250 Creativity can manifest itself in many different ways – sometimes it flows easily and images present themselves to you, while at other times it can seem a struggle to ‘see’ anything at all. In my workshops and talks, I often speak about ways to find your creative mojo. Surprisingly, I find myself often using words such as exercise, discipline, accountability and boundaries, which seem at odds with creativity and more at home in a corporate boardroom. However, they do play into the creative process and can help fuel creativity, especially if you’re in a slump. Sometimes just getting out there, taking your camera out of your bag…

1 Use the upright modes To fix geometric distortion in your images quickly and easily, use the automatic upright modes in the Geometry panel, such as Auto for balanced perspective corrections; Level, which applies only one level correction; Vertical, which applies level and perspective corrections, or Full. 2 Vertical and Horizontal If you find yourself needing to take more control, click on the Manual Transformations panel and individually adjust the Vertical slider to make vertical lines bend in or out more towards the centre. You can also drag the Horizontal slider in order to shift the horizontal plane across. 3 Guided mode For architectural shots that have defined straight lines, an easy way to make sure that your lines are straight is to click on the Guided mode. After this, draw at least…

While heavy cloning or sky replacement edits are best saved for Photoshop CC, you can tidy up small blemishes in portraits, or distractions such as a piece of litter or a fence post in a landscape, using the Spot Removal tool while editing your Raw file in ACR. As with all of the adjustments you make to your raw file, they are completely non-destructive, so if you go wrong then you can always revert back to the original raw and start again by clicking the fly-out menu at the bottom of the toolbox (its icon looks like three dots) and then clicking Revert to Original. It’s worth zooming in with Ctrl+Plus [PC] or Cmd+Plus [Mac] so you can see the area you’re editing clearly, then hold the Spacebar to drag…

With over a decade’s experience as a writer and photographer, James is also an accomplished image editor – and an expert in Affinity Photo. One of the great things about nighttime photography is how we can create bold, vibrant highlights against the darkness. Shooting for traffic trails is a classic example. Here, we set up a tripod on an island in the middle of the street heading towards London’s Piccadilly Circus, then captured a series of 15-second exposures as the traffic passed by on both sides of the road (shooting in Manual mode with an f/29 aperture, ISO 100). This transforms the headlights and tail lights into vibrant streaks of blur, and flashing lights become attractive dashed patterns. However, the traffic trail effect can be difficult to control. Thankfully, from…

www.fujifilm-x.com The new Fujifilm XF56mm F1.2 R WR brings a significant number of improvements to the eightyear-old XF56mm F1.2 R, which has been a must-have lens for portrait photographers. The ultra-fast prime offers an equivalent focal length to the best 85mm lenses on full-frame cameras, thanks to the 1.5x crop-factor of the X-Series of cameras. The Fujifilm XF56mm F1.2 R WR is now weatherproofed, and the resolution has been improved to take advantage of the newest X-Trans sensors on Fujifilm cameras. It is one of 20 lenses approved by Fujifilm for use with the new 40MP X-H2, which was announced alongside this lens at the New York X-Summit. It is the fourth pro-grade f/1.4 prime lens that has been updated with the X-H2 in mind, the others being the XF18mm…

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