Table of contents for January 2021 in Digital Camera Magazine

New Year resolutions are a wonderful thing – but many of them get broken by the end of January. There’s no chance of that happening to any of our 29 resolutions for 2021, as suggested in our cover feature (p56), as Digital Camera readers are a determined bunch. From the importance of running longform projects to trying out new styles and genres, there’s something for photographers of all abilities to take on board. As always, it’s inspiration galore this month, with a sledge-load of new photo projects in Photo Active (p16) and Stay at Home (p41), while it’s bird’s eye views all the way as our Hotshots gallery (p82) showcases the winners of 2020 Aerial Photographer of the Year. Plus, we round up some last-minute gifts for photographers (p114) and…

HOW TO GET YOUR DIGITAL GIFTS STEP 1 ENTER THIS URL www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237 Enter the URL above into the destination bar of your internet browser – we’re using Google Chrome, but other browsers work in a similar way. Please do not enter it in any search field or search bar (see the examples above). This will take you to a page on our website. STEP 2 START YOUR DOWNLOAD Just click the highlighted link Here you’ll find all the files, videos and resources to accompany this issue of Digital Camera. Scroll to just underneath the image and click on Download the disc for Digital Camera 237 and your download will start. It should only take a few minutes on most broadband connections. STEP 3 ACCESS YOUR FILES Open the. zip In…

f/1.8 25 sec ISO 1,600 Growing up in Orkney, getting into landscape photography after I first picked up a camera seemed inevitable. Pair that with the long, dark nights of winter, and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights, and the night sky, always intrigued me. After a few chances to capture the Northern Lights in Orkney, my passion for astrophotography was ignited. When my partner and I decided to travel to New Zealand for a year, it really took off. We spent a year in a campervan, meaning that we could really make the most of the remote dark sky areas around New Zealand. I travelled with a very light setup: just one camera, two lenses (one fast wide prime, one zoom), and a good budget travel tripod. The…

f/2.8 1/2,000 sec ISO 800 Winter: cold, dull and grey. Sure, the winter can be challenging, but when the sun shines or the snow falls, there is no better season for wildlife photography, and there is every reason to wrap up warm and get out to make the most of it. Fortunately, when it comes to bird photography, birds are at their most obliging at this time of year. This is because their main driving force is simply finding enough food to help them survive another day or so. As a result, with a little planning and a watchful eye on weather conditions, photographers can pretty much guarantee an array of different subjects to train their lenses. For hardy individuals, winter is the perfect time of year to be heading…

f/8 1/30 sec ISO 1,600 Times are strange, and lockdowns are changing from one week to the next. This is an opportunity to explore your camera better, and to find out what you can achieve at home with some creative thinking and a few extra items. Oil and water shots can sometimes be complicated to set up – often using a glass table with lights underneath – but this economical option can produce stunning results. We always remember the excitement at school of looking through a microscope into a new world, but you can do it through your very own viewfinder! Give it a go, and have some fun. WHAT YOU’LL NEED TRY IT NOW! Use your free tips card TOP KIT Macro lenses Using…

1 ‘Dead Tree’ by Mick Collinge “This image is of a dead tree in a local park, and was taken in early November. I’ve photographed it many times before, but I was never really satisfied with the results. Only when the area I live in was under a thick blanket of fog was I able to get both the separation and atmosphere I was looking for. “I used a Sony Alpha 7R III with a Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens, and the finished image was processed in Lightroom. There was very little editing: some tone adjustment and a black-and-white conversion using a RNI All Films preset.” Digital Camera says: What a fantastic image, Mick – ethereal and timeless, yet modern and edgy at the same time. This looks like a…

With over a decade’s experience as a writer and photographer, James is also an accomplished image editor – and an expert in Affinity Photo. AFFINITY Photo FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237d Usually associated with high-end portrait retouching, frequency separation is a technique that separates images into high and low frequencies. As such, it’s useful for retouching faces without damaging skin textures. But frequency separation has other, less known uses too – it can work wonders in food photography. Most high-end retouchers would carry out their frequency separation workflow in Photoshop just because it’s the industry standard software. However, Affinity Photo has a tool that’s arguably better than what’s on offer in Photoshop. Frequency separation splits details into separate layers. ‘High frequency’ is fine detail, like the texture on the lemons and…

Curating a platter of photogenic festive treats was one of the highlights of organising this shoot – and as Christmas tends to start before Halloween in the retail world these days, we had no difficulty at all in procuring some suitable items from the local supermarket. With a huge variety to choose from, the hardest thing was actually deciding what to leave out. A tray of luxurious mince pies, a box of Christmas chocolate cup cakes, iced fruit cake bites and a small fruit cake adorned with a frosted design formed our hamper. With a lighting setup (see below) in place and all ready to go, the first challenge was to shoot a festive ‘tasting plate’ arrangement. There are many ingredients to a successful food shoot, of course, but it…

etting creative with motion would be a fun way to round off the day. For this challenge, we were thinking of a creating a cookery technique shot, rather than a photo to showcase a finished recipe. To build her set, Jocelyn combined two surfaces that had worked well in her previous shots – the distressed wooden board, and a piece of slate placed on top of it. For the composition, Jocelyn formed a triangle of mince pies as the focal point, and dressed the edges of the scene with some everyday kitchen objects, including a bowl, a jug and a storage jar. As your Digital Camera correspondent’s hands didn’t really match the aesthetic we were looking for, it fell to Jocelyn to be the model in her own photograph –…

www.nikon.co.uk The Z 6II replaces the original Z 6 from 2018 as Nikon’s enthusiast-level full-frame mirrorless camera. With a 24MP sensor, it hits the sweet spot between resolution and processing power, and for many users is a preferable option to the professional-grade Nikon Z 7II, which comes with approximately double the megapixel count. The Z 6 ticked many of the right boxes, so what we see here is very much a refinement rather than anything radically new. It receives incremental improvements to speed and functionality, after Nikon listened to user feedback on the Z 6. Externally there is little difference between this new camera and its predecessor. The only giveaways are the ‘II’ nomenclature next to the Z 6 logo, and a marginally deeper battery door. To accommodate some of…

Sarah Bowman Photographer Always learning something new after having spent 10 years taking photographs, Sarah specialises in fashion and portraits. Discover one of her styles on page 16. David Shoukry Portrait photographer This Wiltshire photographer specialises in studio shoots, but enjoys a very short commute. We pay David a visit and learn about lighting and backdrops on page 8. Nicola Osula Creative photographer Starting her photographic journey on an iPhone, Nicola now uses a camera to explore colour, texture and elements of randomness. See page 34. Jon Devo Photographer and writer A photographer as well as a keen follower of technology, Jon explains the impact of Light Detection and Ranging tech on autofocus systems. Page 120. Usha Harish Wildlife photographer A contributor to the Prints for Nature Sale, an international…

Portrait photographer Following spells working as a musician and teacher, David turned his hobby into his career. Based in Wiltshire, he specialises in shooting portraiture. www.davidshoukry.com www.cinematicportraits.co.uk Among many other things, 2020 will be remembered as the year that working from home became the norm rather than the exception for a lot of people. But many photographers didn’t need to make this transition – whether photographing people, pets or plants, they’d been successfully running operations at home for years. So when life locked down, they were fully prepared and able to carry on as much as normal under the circumstances. David Shoukry is one such photographer – based in Wiltshire, he specialises in portraiture of people working in the performance arts, including actors, models and musicians. This latter category is…

After starting to take photographs in 2016, I now spend the majority of my photographic time travelling around the UK coastline. I shoot landscapes, seascapes and, most importantly, lighthouses. My passion for photographing Lighthouses started following a talk at the camera club Fstop Foto Group, about the advantages of having a particular photographic subject to pursue, followed by a club trip to Cornwall. We spent an evening photographing Godrevy Lighthouse. After some 6,500 miles travelled, and 27 UK lighthouses photographed out of more than 60, I think I can say that I have found my niche. Using the Trinity House lighthouse map (www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels), I plan and research weekly trips for myself and my two friends. I endeavour to capture each lighthouse’s individual story and character, as no two are the…

f/9 1/50 sec ISO 100 My determination to become a photographer started at a young age, when my granddad would inspire me with his camera on holidays. Back in 2010 I bought my first DSLR, a Canon EOS 450D. After doing various types of photography through my 10 years of experience, I finally found my passion for landscape work. These days you can find me chasing waves in Cornwall or hiking around the Scottish Highlands capturing their beauty. Some of my work has been published in leading photography magazines worldwide and shortlisted in various photography competitions. I just love photography, and being out with a camera has changed my life. I used to be very shy and always do things by myself, but since getting into landscape photography I’ve met…

Nicole Osula is a self-taught British Nigerian-Sierra Leonean photographer and creative director. Her journey into photography began in 2015, when she took to capturing images of friends on her iPhone. During the summer of 2016, she was given a camera for her 21st birthday. She has since developed additional interests in creative direction and styling. Nicole’s imagery explores colour, texture and elements of randomness; themes that are woven into her work via the hair, makeup and styling she incorporates. The motivation behind her portraits stems from wanting to highlight people who look like her – her subjects of black skin are a statement that they too are art, with an array of features and complexions worthy of being captured. Nicole’s imagery has featured in CRWN, Portrait of Humanity Vol 2…

The most typical use of a lensball is for landscapes, where it is used to invert and miniaturise the subject. But when the subject is placed close to or touching a lensball, it appears the right way up and is also significantly magnified – so a lensball is also a de facto macro lens. This project can be undertaken in an extremely small space. If, as in my case, there is no room for a tripod, then drill a hole in an appropriate piece of wood and attach the camera with a 1/4-inch bolt. The camera should be perpendicular to the ball and level with its centre. Other small pieces of wood may be required to achieve this positioning. Place your subject behind, and at the centre of, the ball.…

MAKE A START TO 2021 WITH OUR 9 FREE TIPS CARDS We can all agree 2020 has been a year like no other. Like the rest of the world, we have no doubt that you’re probably keen to move forward into 2021 and get your photography aspirations back on top of the priority list. As with any new year, it’s a great time to assess your situation and what your goals are for the year, and to make some new year photography resolutions. While we need to be considerate to the new normal we’ve adapted to live with, and respect any local, national or international Covid-19 restrictions that may be in place, we can all begin to think about our photography aspirations for the year and put our plans into…

Jon is a professional photographer and writer. He also provides one-to-one and smallgroup tuition in both digital SLR and Photoshop image-editing skills. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237 FREE Black & White FX Kit When you want to create a black-and-white rendition of a picture, there are so many different ways of processing the mono image that it can be difficult to know where to start. The colours in a regular picture can be turned into different shades of grey, so a red object, for example, can be made to look very bright, very dark or anything in-between, depending on how you choose to convert it. Add all the other colours into the mix, and making a mono conversion can leave you scratching your head! For this issue’s download, we have the…

James is a professional photographer who specialises in landscape and portraits. He’s an advanced Photoshop user and has created hundreds of tutorials. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237 There are so many entry points into image-editing that it’s almost impossible to list them all, but choosing an unexpected element of an image to work on can result in new and exciting techniques that give your shots a welcome refresh. Shadows are one such entry point that can be easily overlooked. Their dark aspect makes them the perfect vehicle for applying a variety of creative effects. Using an image that’s predominantly made up of darker tones provides an effective method of showing some of the ways you can edit from the shadows. While it may sound like an unconventional approach, it can be…

LUME CUBE 2.0 Add light wherever you need it with this tough, waterproof and adjustable daylight-balanced LED. £80/$90 www.lumecube.com LOWEPRO GEARUP CREATOR BOX L II Use this brilliant bag for a camera, accessories and an additional lens. £31/$40 www.lowepro.com LEXAR MULTI-CARD 2-IN-1 USB 3.1 READER Unleash the speed of UHS-II SD and microSD with this super-fast reader. £17/$20 www.lexar.com CRUMPLER TRIPLE A TOPLOADER Stylish, practical and tough, this is a versatile messenger bag. £34/$39 www.crumpler.eu SPECIAL OFFER 13 ISSUES PLUS LOWEPRO BAG ENDS 31 JAN DIGITAL CAMERA SUBSCRIPTION Gift an entire year of your favourite camera magazine to friends and family – or just treat yourself! £44.99 See page 38 LASTOLITE CUBELITE 45CM Take your own pro-grade product shots without distracting reflections that could spoil the image. £74/$89 www.lastolite.com SRB…

www.sigma-imaging-uk.com We’ve been impressed with Sigma’s previous 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens, aimed largely at Canon and Nikon DSLRs but also available in Sigma and Sony A- and E-mount versions. This new macro lens is something completely different, designed from the ground up for Sony E- and Leica L-mount lenses. The 105mm DG DN has a maximum magnification ratio of 1:1, enabling small objects to be reproduced on the camera’s image sensor at life-size. Fully internal focusing means the barrel doesn’t extend as you near the shorter end of the focus range. The result is a comfortable working distance of 14.5cm between the front of the lens and the object you’re shooting. Like many modern macro lenses, the 105mm DG DN also works well as a fast,…

Quintin’s epic journey in facts and figures 454 days 6,835 miles 47 historic counties 179,222 photos taken Seven pairs of shoes…

LOOK! B&W FX Kit for Photoshop 10 photographer presets for Lightroom Created by Digital Camera’s Alistair Campbell, these 10 presets for Lightroom Classic add effects at a click! Grab them from the Gifts folder in your download. 9 all-new photo tips cards They’re back! Physical cards you can keep in your kit bag, then refer to whenever you need settings info. Buyer’s Guide ebook 248 pages of the latest camera and lens reviews, plus buying advice for accessories! See the Gifts folder in your download. PRACTICAL Photoshop SENSATIONAL IMAGES MADE SIMPLE! 60 MINUTES OF VIDEO PHOTOSHOP The Sky Replacement Tool Download 60 minutes of video training for Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237 LIGHTROOM/CAMERA RAW Edit photos with movie techniques PHOTOSHOP Add punch to colour with a…

10 things to shoot, edit or create this month, including urban memoryscapes and a collection of lighthouses Specialising in fashion and portraits, my style consists of surreal, ethereal, and whimsical imagery. I’ve gained attention through my conceptual and surreal photography, which I find to be the most soul-fulfilling. Although I’ve been a photographer for more than 10 years, I still consider myself a newbie, as there is still so much out there to learn. Some of my favourite works are from experimental shoots, where I attempted to do something out of my comfort zone. Initially, I’m often sceptical of it working, but if you don’t try something new, you will never learn. From compositing to crafting, and from wardrobe creation to set design, the possibilities are endless! Once you’ve gained…

For Burnham Arlidge, photography is not about capturing scenes, but instead moments and feelings. In the same way that only certain things stand out in our memories, Burnham likes to play around with the architecture of a scene to give it an almost dream-like quality. The single eye contact in a sea of faces is always used to striking effect by Burnham, who calls these intricate and vibrant images “memoryscapes”. The idea for the style sprang to life in Bangkok, where Burnham struggled to capture the liveliness of the city streets in a single shot. The images don’t come easily, however, and are the product of hours of meticulous editing in Photoshop. Born in Australia, Burnham now lives in Bristol where he continues to wander the streets and hone his…

As you’ll see from page 70, Camera College has returned to the magazine… and for the next eight issues, it will be the place to visit for our monthly reader photo challenge – that’s why you won’t find your new challenge issued on this page. This month, Camera College gives you hints, tips and insights for photographing food, and culminates in a reader photo challenge where the winner, as judged by the editorial team, will win a copy of Serif Affinity Photo software worth £49/$50. Subjects planned for the forthcoming instalments of Camera College include light trails and star trails, smoke art, dramatic landscapes, multiple exposures, motion blur, fine-art still-life and pet portraits. So below, we’re publishing the top three entries for issue 235’s ‘Abstract’ challenge, which saw lots of…

SPECIAL SECTION Projects to try in the comfort of your own home! While landscapes and seascapes will never lose their appeal, there’s plenty you can achieve without stepping foot outdoors. That’s what this section is all about, with a compelling mix of creative projects to try, practical jobs to complete and inspiring images aplenty! This issue, find out how to create colourful abstract images with just a clear bowl, art paper, tap water and a few drops of olive oil. We also look at how you can get a fresh angle on familiar subjects with the addition of an affordable lensball. PLUS! Visit our website for more home-focused inspiration www.digitalcameraworld.com/tag/homephotography www.digitalcameraworld.com/tag/homeworking…

People, Third Place ‘Harvesting Grass’ by Khanh Phan Villagers in Vietnam harvest grass to feed to cattle. The grass is over a metre high. The land is about 10 hectares, with abundant fauna: snakes, frogs and fish live in the surrounding puddles. People raise ducks in the pasture. The grass is also used as fertiliser and to moisturise ornamental plants. “Vietnamese people stick to the traditional profession and take it as a way of gratitude to their ancestors,” says Khanh Phan. Overall Winner and Architecture, Winner ‘Abstract Greece’ by Sebastien Nagy The title of Aerial Photographer of the Year 2020 was awarded to Sebastien Nagy, thanks to several awarded photos in different categories and a high average score. Residing in Brussels, the photographer began his aerial photography journey on the…

With over a decade as a writer and photographer behind him, James knows exactly which Photoshop and Lightroom tools and techniques matter most. FILE & VIDEO www.digitalcameraworld.com/dc237 In October Adobe released the latest version of Photoshop. One of Photoshop CC 2021’s headline features is the new Sky Replacement Tool, which uses machine learning to automatically recognise the sky in your outdoor photos, isolate it and drop in another sky of your choice. You can now replace a dull sky with a few clicks. Of course, there’s a whole debate around whether the act of sky replacement tarnishes landscape photography, diminishing the joy of capturing a real-life scene. But leaving that aside, this new tool is astonishingly good at what it does. It’s able to isolate even difficult areas of sky,…

Oh, the many wonders of food… For more and more of us these days, the great sustainer of life is also a great sustainer of our photography. Whether it’s grabbing a cameraphone snap of a lovingly created restaurant dish to share on social media – or more likely in these times of pandemic, capturing an arty shot of a home-cooked culinary speciality – there has never been a time when food photography has been so popular. And camera manufacturers have recognised this – food has its very own creative mode on Canon’s entry-level EOS 2000D DSLR, for example. But what could you take away from a day spent shooting food in a professional environment? We asked one of our readers to join us on a socially distanced food shoot at…

Regular readers who recall issue 228’s One to One pro masterclass with Donna Crous will know just how much preparation goes into shooting images for recipe books – and Donna goes one better by actually cooking the dishes herself! Lacking such seriously impressive skills and having to use bought-in food did free up some time for us to discuss the cookery book aesthetic with Jocelyn, and how she felt she could achieve it here. Flicking through a couple of photo examples we had brought with us on the day, a few things jumped out: while a composition containing a combination of colourful elements, arranged with a nod towards colour theory, will jump off any recipe book page, a limited colour palette can be just as effective. Looking through the various…

Go to www.digitalcameraworld.com for the latest news, reviews & techniques Leica Q2 Monochrom The latest black-and-white-only camera from the iconic brand may be as expensive as it is niche – but that won’t stop you from wanting one The only full-frame compact camera on the market with a dedicated monochrome sensor, the Q2 Monochrom swaps the 47.3MP full-frame sensor used in the Q2 for a newly developed 47.3MP monochrome one. Although the Q2 Monochrom enjoys many of the same features as the standard Q2 – a Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens, the same 49-point area AF focusing system and a 0.5-inch OLED electronic viewfinder with 3.68 million dots resolution – the Q2 Monochrom has an ISO range of ISO 100 to 100,000, compared to 50-50,000 on the Q2. Referencing the…

www.sony.co.uk The Sony Alpha 7C answers a burning question: what if you could have the fullframe sensor of Sony’s Alpha 7 mirrorless cameras in the compact rangefinder-style body of APS-C Alpha 6000 cameras? It looks like that’s what you get here – but things aren’t always what they seem. The Sony A7C is like a compact version of the Sony A7 III, with some advances in design, ergonomics and autofocus. The resolution is the same, however, at 24 megapixels, and the video tops out at a relatively unambitious 4K 30p. Sony is aiming the A7C at a new, younger market, but placing its faith in a steady evolution of its digital capture technologies rather than any headline-grabbing technical breakthroughs. The biggest news around the A7C is its design. Lots of…

www.canon.co.uk Think light, affordable, fixed-aperture super-telephoto prime, and you’re probably thinking along the lines of a reflex/mirror lens like the Rokinon/Samyang 800mm. They used to be quite popular a few decades ago, but image quality was mediocre at best. The other option has more recently been a conventional super-tele prime – like the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM, which is big and heavy, and costs around £13,200/$13,000, putting it beyond the reach of most of us. At a fraction of the weight and cost, Canon’s RF 800mm f/11 lens aims for an ideal compromise. Let’s get the most glaring ‘feature’ out of the way first, in that this lens has a fixed aperture of f/11. Many might consider that rather too narrow, while others might be unimpressed that…