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www.amateurphotographer.co.ukRLDS NO.1WEEKLY PHOTOMAGAZINE
FIRST LOOK:SONYRX10MK IIIWITHPOP-UPEVF
NEWNIKONCSCTOARRIVE INJUNE
Saturday 31May 2014
PAGE45
PAGE26
THEPERFECT LIGHTHow Rupert Vandervell usescontrast for his
street photos
PAGE33
CANONG1XMARK IIWe put Canons top-of-the-rangePowerShot camera to
the test
ONTEST
INCREDIBLE INFRAREDFollow our step-by-step guideto taking these
striking images
APGUIDE
STREETPHOTOGRAPHY
Your best animal images in print, as we revealthe winners in the
latest round of APOY 2014
ANIMALMAGIC
-
HOW TO HAVE YOUR PICTURES PUBLISHED IN READER SPOTLIGHT Send in
a selection of up to ten images. They can be either a selection of
different images or all have the same theme.Digital les sent on CD
should be saved in a Photoshop-compatible format, such as JPEG or
TIFF, with a contact sheet and submission form. Visit
www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/spotlight for details.We cannot
publish images without the necessary technical details. Each RGB
image should be a minimum of 2480 pixels along its longest length.
Transparencies and prints are also accepted. Werecommend that
transparencies are sent without glass mounts and posted via Special
Delivery. For transparencies, prints or discs to be returned you
must include an SAE with sufcient postage.
HOW TO CONTACT US Amateur Photographer, IPC Media, Blue Fin
Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU AP Editorial
Telephone: 0203 148 4138 Fax 0203 148 8123Email
[email protected] AP Advertising Telephone: 0203 148
2516 Email [email protected] AP Subscriptions Telephone:
0844 848 0848Email [email protected] AP test reports
Telephone: 01707 273 773 www.testreports.co.uk/photography/ap
NEWS,VIEWS&REVIEWS
5NEWSInnocent photographer in shock over deletion of picture;
Junedebut for Nikon 1 S2; Canon unwraps new wideangle zooms;Pentax
645D price slashed 50% in four years; Jessopslaunchesmotorsport
courses; Calumet reopens US stores
11REVIEWThe latest books, exhibitions and websites
44MASTERINGDSLRVIDEOTake part in our one-day DSLR video tuition
seminar atPinewood Studios with leading lm-maker Victoria Grech,
inassociation with Tiffen
90THEFINALFRAMETime is the basis of all value, says Roger Hicks,
and weshould spend it wisely, whether in photography or in life
TECHNIQUE
16PHOTO INSIGHTPhotographer andmountaineer Doug Kofsky
discusseshis epic image of the Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan and
theadvances in camera technology that havemade his imagesmore
easily achieved
TESTS&TECHNICAL
6SONYCYBER-SHOTDSC-RX100MARK IIIMichael Topham takes a rst look
at Sonys Cyber-shotDSC-RX100Mark III the rst premium compact
camerato feature a pop-up electronic viewnder
1APGUID NNFRAREDLANDSCAPESfrared doesnt have to be daunting.
Phil Hall revealsow to take striking infrared landscape images
3TESTBENCHyelead Sensor Gel Stick and Be-ez LA Robe graphite
bag
5CANONPOWERSHOT1XMARK IIanons latest premium compact sets its
sights on improvinghere the PowerShot G1 X left off. Michael Topham
nds outhether the newmodel is a signicantly better camera
3SAMSUNGNXMINIeet the worlds smallest and lightest
interchangeable-lensamera, the 20.5-million-pixel NXmini. Jon Devo
takes a loo
6 INTERFIT EX400Ti 2-LIGHTOFTBOXKITndrew Sydenham tests Interts
most powerful offeringrom the well-established EX budget range of
ash heads
9GITZOMOUNTAINEERGT1542aunched back in the 1990s, Gitzos
carbon-bre Mountaineerange of tripods still have a reputation for
excellence. Now theyave been given an overhaul, as
CallumMcInerney-Riley explain
0ASKAPur experts answer your questions
OURWORDS&PICTURES
4 LETTERSP readers speak out on the weeks issues
5BACKCHATP reader DaveMason takes a lighthearted look at
theengths people go to in their quest to upgrade their camera
6APOYRESULTSROUND2e reveal the top 30 photographs in our Animal
Planetound of Amateur Photographer of the Year
8APPRAISALamien Demolder examines your images, offeringords of
wisdom and constructive advice
EATURES
3SPIRITOFHESTREETine-art photographerupert Vandervelliscusses
the themesehind his personalnd haunting take ontreet photographynd
explains how theight camera helpedim realise his vision.liver
Atwell reports
subscribe08448480848 31May2014 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
3
Amateur Photographer For everyone who loves photography
WHEN I was learning to print in the darkroom,I was fortunate
enough to spend some of mytime trying to print in colour. I say
trying, as intotal darkness, with only a kettle to help keep
theexpensive chemicals at the right temperature,the results were
somewhat hit and miss. I quicklygave up on colour printing and
didnt take it upagain until I was at university, when I
usedautomated developing processors.I guess my initial experience
was similar to that
of Rupert Vandervell (see page 33). He shunnedthe complexity of
colour darkroom printing, buteven with the simplicity of digital
imaging he stillshoots only in black & white. The power of
his
stunning street photographs comes fromthe dramatic contrast
between highlight andshadow they would lose theirhaunting quality
if they wereshown in colour.We can all learn something
from just concentrating on lookinat highlights and shadows.
Thisweek, why not shoot solely inblack & white and see
whatdifference it makes to yourphotography? Then send usa selection
of yo r i tshow us how yo
Richard Sibley
THEAPREADERSPOLLIN AP 10MAYWEASKEDWhen you buy new camera gear,
do you prefer to shop onthe high street or online?Contents
COVERPICTURES:
STEVEWEBB,PHILHALLANDRUPERTVANDERVELL
YOU ANSWEREDA On the high street I prefer dealing face to face
25%B Online its more convenient and/or cheaper 27%C It depends on
the price of the item 20%D I look online but buy on the high street
14%E I look on the high street but buy online 8%F None of the above
6%
THIS WEEKWE ASK How do you create black &white images?OTE
ONLINEwww.amateurphotographer.co.uk
BC
DE
A
F
e test CanonowerShot G1ark II premiuompact camer
45
RUPERT
VANDER
VELL
P33
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AN80-year-old photographyenthusiast has told of his shockafter
police urged him to deletean image of a child playing ona bungee
trampoline inside ashopping centre.Mike ORegan (pictured)
had been taking pictures whilewaiting for his wife inside
theWesteld Centre in Derby onEaster Saturday (19 April).A woman
identifying herself
as the boys mother complainedto the malls security guards,who
alerted police.ORegan told AP: I used
my [Samsung Galaxy S4]phone to take a shot of aningenious
bungee/trampolinedevice for children.I took three shots in
quick
succession, all showing thecomplete trampoline apparatus,and the
same small boystrapped into it.It then transpired that a lady
had complained to two securityguards that I had taken a shotof
her son.
A Derbyshire Policespokeswoman told AP thatORegan who says the
boywas fully clothed agreed todelete the photo when askedby ofcers,
although he hadnot broken any laws.ORegan says guards
prevented him from leavingthe scene until police ofcersarrived,
but did not explainwhy he had been stopped.I was not physically
touched
by the security guards, butwhen I made a move to ndmy wife (who
was in M&S) theymoved in to block my way.ORegan said two
police
ofcers arrived around 30minutes later, took down hisname and
address and insistedhe erase the offending shotfrom his phone.In
the end, he erased all
three. I found this episode bothupsetting and embarrassing,said
ORegan, who lives in Toton,Nottinghamshire, and has beena keen
photo enthusiast formore than 60 years.The attitude of all
those
involved was not what an80-year-old should have
to endure.ORegan added: I was so
shocked that I didnt think totake any badge numbers ofeither the
security guards orpolicewomen.A spokeswoman for the mall,
which has since become partof property group Intu, told APthere
are signs at entrancesabout photography.ORegan does not recall
seeing any notices.In a statement, Intu Derby
added: Staff acted according
News I Analysis I Comment 31/5/14
to Westelds policies, whowere the owner and managerat the
time.Child protection is, of course,
our number-one priority, butwe also support families right
totake photographs of their lovedones and our photography andlming
policies reect this.We are currently training
all our staff at the centre onIntus policies and
procedures,including those aroundphotography.Derbyshire Police said
in
a statement: A complainthad been made to securitystaff regarding
a man takingphotographs inside the centre.Ofcers attended and
spoke
to the man and asked him todelete one of several images hehad
taken. This was done on therequest of a woman whose sonappeared in
the picture.The man deleted the image
as requested. No offencestook place.The force says it works
closely with the centres staffand security personnel toensure
the safety of the centreand its customers.
subscribe08448480848 31May2014 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
5
Doyouhave
a story?Contact Chris CheesmanTel: 0203 148 4129Fax: 0203 148
[email protected]
Sony camera salesfell by a third in theyear to 31 March
2014.Combined sales ofcompact system,compacts andlens-style
camerasdropped by 32.3% to11.5 million. Sonypartly blamed
thedecline on asignicant fall in unitsales of compacts.Sony expects
demandto decrease to 8million in the nextyear. Overall salesrevenue
at SonysImaging Products &Solutions division fell2% to 741.2m
yen.
Olympus hastweaked its Pen E-P5CSC and Stylus 1compact cameravia
new rmwareupgrades. Claimedimprovements of E-P5rmware version
1.4and Stylus 1 rmware1.1 include improvedremote
controlfunctionality whenusing the OlympusImage Share app. Forfull
details, and todownload, visitwww.olympus.co.uk.
Shopping centre pics spark complaint Security staff alert
police
us w en youthought a pocketcompact couldntget any betterSony
Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III, page 6
RIGHTSWATCH
Committed to defendingyour photographic rights!
Police took no action againstORegan, who said securityguards had
detained him
NIKON UK has conrmed that its newNikon1S2 compact system camera
willbe out in June.The S2 carries a14.2-million-pixel
imaging sensor,135 AF points (including73 phase-detection
points) and sensitivityranging from ISO 200 to12,800.It will be out
in a kit with an11-27.5mm
lens, priced 379.99, while an outt thatadds a 30-110mm zoom will
cost 529.99.
Nikon claims that the camera is idealfor people wanting to make
the stepup from smartphones and compactcameras.The S2 incorporates
an Expeed 4A
dual-engine image processor and boastsa 20-frames-per-second
burst rate, forup to ten raw images.It will be available in a
choice of black, red,
white and yellow.
JUNEDEBUT PLANNED FORNIKON 1 S2 CSC
INNOCENTPHOTOGRAPHERINSHOCKOVERPICDELETION
-
6 4 subscribe08448480848
THE PRICE of the Pentax645D medium-formatcamera has dropped to
lessthan half what it was whenlaunched in the UK underfour years
ago.The 645D (pictured below)
has fallen from 8,999.99
a reduction of 4,750.Pentax had already cut
the price to 6,299.99 inOctober 2012.The price repositioning
is
one of several announced byPentax camera maker RicohImaging,
which includes the
.99), theK-50 (now 499.99) andQ7 (now 339.99).Ricoh has also cut
the price
of15 Pentax lenses, includingsistant DFA
100mm f/2.8 macro, whichis now 549.99.
For full details, visitwww.shop-uk.ricoh-
ing.eu.
PENTAX 645D SLASHED50% IN FOUR YEARS
Just when you thought a pocket compact couldnt get anybetter,
Sony unveils the RX100 III.Michael Topham reports
Sony Cyber-shotDSC-RX100 Mark III
AP hands-on
CANONUNWRAPSNEWWIDEANGLEZOOMLENSES
16-35mm and 10-18mm
THERES been a lot of talk in the pasttwo years about the future
of the compactcamera, and more so about the directiontheyll take
given the ever-evolving natureof smartphones. Never one for resting
onits laurels, Sony understood that to ensurethe compact camera had
a future it hadto improve signicantly for the better something the
manufacturer successfullyachieved in 2012 by launching the RX100.At
the time of its launch, the RX100
was revolutionary in the way it managed tosqueeze a1in sensor
inside a tough, travel-friendly aluminium body. With a
sensorapproximately 4x larger than conventional1/2.3in-type
versions found in traditionalpoint-and-shoot compacts, the
RX100quickly became the compact to own forthose who wanted to
resolve the highestlevel of detail from a pocket camera.Ever since,
Sony has been working hard
to develop the RX100 to ensure it staysone step ahead of its
competition, and12months later, the Mark II version
arrived.Improvements included a back-illuminatedExmor R CMOS sensor
that was claimed tobe 40%more sensitive to light, a tiltable
3inWhiteMagic LCD screen that improved onthe xed variety found on
its predecessor,and the addition of a multi-interface shoe,which
opened up the opportunity to attachan external ash, electronic
viewnder orstereo microphone.
In addition to these new features, theRX100 II introduced
Wi-Fi/NFC connectivityand the option to shoot HD video at 24pfor
cinematically styled movies. Anotheryear on, and Sony has gone one
better byreleasing the third member in the RX100series the RX100
III.
FEATURES
After consulting consumers about theexperience and expectations
from theRX100 II, Sony looked to improve itsRX100 III premium
compact in three keyareas. While the1in, 20.1-million-pixel
With a ick of a switch at the side ofthe body, the RX100 IIIs
electronicviewnder pops up ready to be used
CANON has unveiled a pairof wideangle zoom lenses inthe shape of
the EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM and EF-S10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM.Aimed at
professionals and
enthusiasts, the16-35mmzoom is Canons rst ultra-wide L-series
lens to includeoptical Image Stabilizer (IS)technology (offering a
4-stopadvantage over non-IS lenses).It features a nine-blade
circular aperture and boasts awater and dust-resistant build.The
compact and
lightweight EF-S10-18mmf/4.5-5.6 IS STM is designedfor DSLRs
with an APS-C-
sized imaging sensor.The10-18mm lens is
due out this month priced299.99, while the16-35mmzoom is
expected to cost1,199.99 when it is releasedin June.
-
subscribe08448480848 31May2014 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
7
A
20.1-million-pixel1in Exmor CMOSsensor
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8
Bionz X image-processingengine
ISO 80-25,600 Retractable OLEDTru-Finder
5-axis imagestabilisation
3in, 1.23-million-dot, tilt-angleLCD
Price to beannounced
Exmor sensor is essentially the same as thatfound in the RX100
II, it is now partneredwith Sonys latest and most powerful
Bionzimage processor, which has already
seen use in other recent cameras such asthe Sony Alpha 77 II.
Claimed to operate3x faster than the previous Bionz engine,the
RX100 III maintains a maximumsensitivity of ISO 25,600 and is
capable ofshooting at up to10fps in its speed prioritycontinuous
shooting mode.The biggest change of all is found in
front of the sensor, with the RX100 IIIslens better suited to
those who would liketo squeeze more into the frame. Equivalentto
24-70mm, the lens doesnt extendas far as its predecessor at the
long end,although it is a brighter optic that permitsan aperture of
f/2.8 to be used at fulltelephoto. Added to this, the
improvedfocusing distance of the lens sees it capableof focusing up
to 30cm from a subject atthe long end of the zoom. The
improvedlight-gathering capabilities of the lens alsoallow faster
shutter speeds to be used tofreeze fast-moving subjects, while
theaddition of a built-in ND lter gives usersthe option to use
slower shutter speedsin bright lighting conditions.Another area
Sony has looked
to improve in the RX100 III is itsviewnder. Those familiar with
theRX100 II will remember the optional, andvery expensive (309),
EV1MK electronicviewnder that was designed to clip ontothe camera
via the hotshoe andconnect via the accessory port.The accessory
port and hotshoehave both been removed fromthe RX100 III and inis a
pop-up ash thausing a small switch abovethe screen.Instead of
clipping
a viewnder ontothe body, Sonyhas produced therst-ever
premiumcompact with apop-up EVF. This risesingeniously from the
corner of
the body, helping to keep the camera asstreamlined as possible.
It features 1.44million dots and uses a Zeiss T coating toreduce
reections and deliver excellentedge-to-edge clarity. Impressively,
it canalso be used to power up the camera asan alternative to using
the on/off button.Other improvements to note on the
RX100 III include the option to record fullHD video footage at
up to 50Mbps, orup to100fps in the XAVC S format. Dualvideo
recording will also be appreciatedby those who would like to record
high-quality AVCHD/XAVC S footage alongsidea smaller MP4 format le
thats easierto share. To help ensure steadier moviesare created,
the RX100 III also features a5-axis stabilisation system a rst on
theRX100 series.Working out at just 9g heavier than the
RX100 II, the RX100 III also features a 3inXtra Fine LCD that
ips by180 and downby 45. It is perhaps no surprise to ndthat Wi-Fi
and NFC connectivity have alsocarried over, and with the support of
SonysPlayMemories app, theres the option toenhance the cameras
functionality by usinga selection of free or paid-for
creativeeffects and lters.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Although the shape and design of theRX100 III are very similar
to the earliermodels in the RX100 series, the removalof the
multi-interface shoe makes it looka little more like the original
RX100 thanthe RX100 II. In the hand, the RX100 IIIfeels every bit
the same as the RX100 II,and for those who purchased an RX100but
didnt feel there was enough on theRX100 II to justify an upgrade,
the RX100III is a tempting proposition for its in-builtelectronic
viewnder alone.The way Sony has engineered the
1.44-million-dot OLED Tru-Finder into thebody is a great
technological achievementconsidering how small the camera is.
Flicking the EVF switch pops up theviewnder much like a pop-up
ash, theonly difference being that youre requiredto pull the EVF
towards you slightly beforeit can be used. I didnt nd this to be
aproblem, though, and the eye sensorperformed responsively just as
wevecome to expect from Sonys electronicviewnders. Up to the eye,
the viewnderoffers a clear, bright view with good clarity.The
resolution sadly doesnt match thatof the clip-on viewnder as
offered forthe RX100 II, but itll be more than goodenough for most
users.Beneting from Sonys new Bionz X
processor, the cameras autofocus andlock-on speed seemed just as
snappy asthat of the RX100 II, locking onto subjectswith minimal
fuss, even in fairly low-lightconditions. Some users will
appreciatethe improved customisation control, andthe customisation
thats been added tothe control ring is an advantage over
theprevious model. Anyone coming to theRX100 III from a previous
version will beable to pick it up and use it from the wordgo very
little has changed in the menuother than a few new
additions.Overall, its an improvement on an
already excellent premium compact. TheRX100 II picked up
numerous accoladesand theres no reason to say the RX100III will be
any different. Now with anin-built EVF, it offers the perfect
blendof what users want from a premiumcompact camera. The only
question is,how much will consumers have to pay toget their hands
on it? Pricing informationwas unavailable at the time of writing,
butbased on the launch price of the RX100II and the benet of having
a new EVFbuilt in, Im guessing that the price of theRX100 III wont
be a million miles awayfrom a four-gure sum. The good news,however,
is that anyone looking at theRX100 or RX100 II can expect the
priceof both to fall in the coming months.AP
Left: Other than the pop-up EVF andpop-up ash, the design of the
RX100III is much the same as its predecessor
Above: The RX100 IIIs brighter lensallows a maximum aperture of
f/2.8 tobe used at the long end of the zoom
-
JESSOPS has announcedthe dates for a series ofphotography
courses formotorsports enthusiasts.The next Jessops Academy
Motorsport PhotographyExperience will take place on 21June at
Snetterton in Norfolk.Sessions are also planned
at Brands Hatch, Kent, on 29August and at Donnington
Park,Derbyshire, on 13 September.Hosted by Volkswagen Racing
UK, the 199 course promisesa behind the garage doors
experience, plus the chance tomeet competitors taking partin the
Milltek Sport VolkswagenRacing Cup.Areas covered will include
focusing methods and effectivepanning. Participants areadvised
to bring a DSLR, atelephoto lens, spare batteryand a monopod.The
courses run from
8.30am-3.30pm.For details call 0844 800
4444 or visit www.jessops.com/academy.
JESSOPSLAUNCHESMOTORSPORTCOURSES
CALUMETREOPENSUSSTORES
8 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
Amateurs andprofessionals areurged to enter theTaylor
WessingPhotographic PortraitPrize, which offers12,000 to the
winner.The deadline forentry to thecompetition is 7 July2014. An
exhibition willopen at the NationalPortrait Gallery inNovember. For
fulldetails visit www.npg.org.uk/photoprize.
Dozens ofphotographers are dueto be laid off at one ofAustralias
biggestpublishers. FairfaxMedia Ltd, whichpublishes
newspapersincluding The SydneyMorning Herald,plans to reduce
itsphotographic teamfrom 50 to 20, reportednews agency
Reuters.Staff threatened to goon strike over the costcuts, which
will alsoaffect journalists.
CALUMET has reopened the rst of its US stores sincebeing rescued
by C&A Marketing, the licensee of Polaroidinstant digital
cameras. The store is the Oak Brook shop, which isaround a 30-mile
drive from Calumets Chicago base and one ofthe newer
locations.C&A recently bought Calumet Photographic, a
75-year-old chain
that was forced into bankruptcy in March, closing its14 US
stores.C&A, which is based in New Jersey, said the reopened
shop
employs core staff.In a statement, the rm added: For 75 years,
Calumet dened
photo retailing to professionals and C&A is determined to
rebuildthe brand as quickly and efciently as possible.The statement
added: C&A will make further reopening
announcements shortly. However, it is not clear what
otherCalumet stores are due to reopen.In March, Calumet UK said the
closure of the US stores would
have no direct impact on the UK, where it runs nine
shops.Calumet said its European operations are nancially and
operationally independent.
JONATHANHOBLEY
JONATHANHOBLEY
-
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-
Sublime Nature:Photographs thatAwe &
InspireByCristinaMittermeier
NationalGeographic, 27.50, hardback,
224pages, ISBN978-1-42621-301-4
WHATS left to say about NationalGeographic? Its a name that has
basicallybecome a kind of shorthand form ofpeerlessly good
photography. CristinaMittermeiers collection of images fromNational
Geographic is titled Sublime Nature,and is just that. The beauty of
the subjectsis at times overwhelming, but its the skill
of the photographers thats often moston show here. Sit back and
appreciatethe intrepidness of Frans Lanting, thecompositional skill
of Art Wolfe and thepainterly wisdom of Jim Brandenburg. Ihave to
make a personal special mentionfor David Doubilets half-in,
half-outunderwater images (see top right), whichare absolute
triumphs of composition andtiming. When you view these, it wont
bethe last time the book will make you say,How did he do that?, but
itll probably bethe loudest. Honestly, its hard not to justkeep
gushing Paul Nicklens Arctic andunderwater images (top left and
above
left) are well worth a mention, and theawe-inspiring landscapes
of Carsten Peterand George Steinmetz display not only thebeauty of
nature, but also its power.Its hard not to read the book with a
little melancholy, though. As the scienticcommunitys warnings
grow increasinglydire, you cant help but wonder if youregoing to
have to explain to your children andgrandchildren why the amazing
things theseexceptional photographerscaptured no longer
exist.Still, its a really coolbook to have on yourcoffee table.
BOOK
APReviewThe latest photography books, exhibitions and websites.
By Jon Stapley
Books, exhibitions andwebsites
subscribe08448480848 31May2014 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
11
DAVDDOUB
LETGEORGE
STENMETZ
PAULNCKLEN
JOELSARTORE
PAULNCKLEN
-
www.photographyblogger.net
ASA SOURCE of inspiration, this site isslick, readable and easy
to lose yourself in.Posts come generally twice a day, and
offerbite-sized chunks on various subjects. Thereare some good tips
on getting the mostout of your gear, as well as short interviewsand
galleries that throw the spotlight onindividual photographers. None
of it is terriblycomplicated, nor does itgive of the impression
oftaking all that much time oreffort to pull together, butits
eminently consumable.
WEBSITE
12 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
subscribe08448480848
Books, exhibitions andwebsites
The worlds best-selling
weekly photographymagazine
NOWAVAILABLE
TO DOWNLOAD!
Books, exhibitions andwebsites
CONDENSEDREADINGA round-up of the latestphotography books on the
market
CANON POWERSHOT G16: THEEXPANDEDGUIDE by David Taylor,
14.99 The Canon PowerShot G16 isone of the best premium
compactsaround and it has plenty of nicefeatures good Wi-Fi with
geotagging,excellent image quality and a lovelyfast f/1.8-2.8 lens.
It is an easy camerato get to know, so you may well be ableto
survive without a strategy guide,but if you do need a helping
handDavid Taylor is, as ever, here to help. NEWYORK by Ron Galella,
34The godfather of modern paparazzigets a book to himself, and if
youdont nd that thought off-puttingthen you may enjoy this
collection.Most of the book consists of famousfaces squint in the
glare of poppingash. There is artistry, I suppose, inphotographing
people who clearlydont want to be photographed. Ronhimself is a
character. At one pointhe recounts a story of sneakingpast airport
security to pap BrookeShields and John Travolta, and usesthis
anecdote to liken himself toCartier-Bresson. Hmm. PIKIN SLEEby
Viviane Sassen, 30 VivianeSassen takes a detour from thefashion
work for which shes knownto focus on inhabitants of a villageon the
Upper Suriname River on thecoast of South America. The villageis
inhabited by the descendants ofpeople who escaped slavery underthe
Dutch. Theres a lot of focus onthe signicance of objects,
seeminglyhumdrum things that neverthelessform integral parts of
these peopleslives. Theres beauty in the everyday,to paraphrase
Sassen herself.
Double Exposure Portraits7-22 June. ZebraOneGallery, 1 Perrins
Court, Hampstead,
LondonNW3 1QX. Tel: 0207794
1281.Website:www.zebraonegallery.com.
OpenTue-Sun 11am-4pm.Admission free
THE DOUBLE Exposure Portraitsexhibition is the culmination of a
ten-month project by YOUYOU Mentoring thatbrings together the work
of four aspiringphotographers from London and Essex.Mohamed Abdi
(18), Marina Tilahun (20),Susannah Alltimes (20) and Chloe
Thacker(21) were mentored by professional
photographers and the fruits of their laboursare displayed in a
series of celebrity portraits,including Game of Thrones star
MaisieWilliams (above) and Spandau Ballets MartinKemp, whose
daughter Harley Moon Kempis one of the mentors. Its fantastic to
see aproject like this giving young photographersa start in an ever
more difcult industry.
EXHIBITION
SUSANN
AHALLTMES
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Letters
14 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
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Have your say
Share your views and opinions with fellow AP readers every
week
MEMORIES OF 126
Does anyone remember those little SupaSnaps Snappit cameras from
the1990sthat used126 cartridges and produced square photographs?
Mine was a brightpink one that came with stickers and was the rst
camera I ever owned when I wasa kid. My gramps used give me tips on
how to get the best pictures. Looking backthrough some of my dark
and blurry photos, it seems I didnt take much heed of hisadvice.
One time, I used up an entire lm by taking pictures of pigeons in
Warringtontown centre in Cheshire. When I got the pictures
developed, my mum conscatedmy camera for a month for wasting her
money.I still have that camera under my bed. The stickers are
hanging off, but I bet it
would still work. Its a shame they dont make126 lms any more, as
it would be funto use the camera again to take more pictures of
stupid things, as my mum wouldsay. Gareth Houghton, Merseyside
I dont remember the camera, but the story mademe laugh, Gareth.
Your mumsounds like someone not to bemessed with! Nigel Atherton,
Group Editor
Write toLetters at the usualAP address (see page3) fax to 020
31488130 or email [email protected] andinclude
your fullpostal address
Earn 50BackchatSend your thoughtsor views (about 500words) to
Backchatat the usual APaddress (see page 3).A fee of 50 will bepaid
on publication
:PRIZEAPPLIES
TOUKANDEURESIDEN
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LETTEROFTHEWEEK
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5-ProoTechnology 16GB Samsung SDHCPlus memory card offering up
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OPPOSITE EXPERIENCE
Mike Hay paints a rosy picture indeed ofthe merits of
independent retailers (Letters,AP17 May). I dont dispute that this
is anaccurate mirror of his personal experience,but Im afraid my
experience was theexact opposite.About ten years ago, I wanted to
by a
Konica Minolta Dimage A2. This was abridge camera that was
highly regarded inits day and it retailed, if I remember
rightly,for around 450 (even now, incidentally,that camera is an
object lesson in ergonomicdesign, although image quality is
obviouslysomewhat lacking by modern standards).
My local retailer had the camera in stock,but I couldnt help
noticing that I could getthe camera for 100 less online, which wasa
very large difference in percentage terms.It seems slightly quaint
now, but like manypeople ten years ago I was nervous aboutmaking a
major purchase online, so I went tothe shop, looked at the camera
and liked it.Then I made my big mistake and said,
This is being sold for 100 less online, but Ialso appreciate
that you have overheads andgive personal service and advice that I
value,so can we compromise halfway? The replywas, If you wish to do
that, you may leavethese premises and never come back again.
Needless to say, that retailer wasinstrumental in pushing me
into the onlineexperience which I have been doing eversince.
Personally, I only use online retailerswho also have a main
showroom attached totheir operation or those who operate a chainof
shops as well. I nd that if I pay a visit, Iinvariably get good
advice from enthusiasticstaff, but the really big advantage is that
theycarry a vastly bigger range of stock than anyindependent can
hope to do. Judging fromthe way the market has changed in the
pastten years, I suspect I am not alone.Roger King, Essex
I wonder if that independent retailer yourefer to is still in
business. It certainlydoesnt deserve to be, if your experienceis
anything to go by Nigel Atherton,Group Editor
MORE ABOUTMOVIES
I read with interest that your magazineis going to give more
attention tovideographers (Letters, AP19 April). I havebeen reading
AP since the late1950s and,as I was working selling cameras
whencameras were cameras (just joking) with GEWilliamson a big name
in Glasgow I havefollowed cine cameras, from 9.5mm, 8mm,Super 8 and
now digital. My interest wasstill photographs, with a passing
interest inmovie photography.But six years ago, I bought a
budget
Panasonic camcorder and, with helpof iMovie and YouTube, I
became anenthusiast. I am sure there are thousandsof keen
moviemakers out there lming theirinterests. I nd it odd there has
never beena magazine for the amateur in this eld.Maybe its because
there is plenty adviceon the net. But its still nice to read
reviews,advice and comments the old way relaxingin an armchair! I
am glad to hear that youintend to rectify this. I wait with
eagerenthusiasm.Stuart Smith, Ayrshire
I should make it clear that we are notgoing to start writing
about camcorders,but we will be offering advice on gettingmore from
the movie-mode buttonon still cameras. Were also about tohold our
rst masterclass on video atPinewood Studios, details of which canbe
found on page 44 of this issue NigelAtherton, Group Editor
CAMERA TEST QUERY
Your tests provide a good picture ofhandling of a camera, but
they tell thereader nothing about the extent of intra-camera
variability within a particular modelpopulation. For example, if I
were a cameradistributor, I would ensure that the specimenreceived
by AP for testing was faultless,so how condent can a reader be that
theindividual camera they buy off the shelfor online will meet the
same standards ofquality as the model tested by AP?You always focus
on the contrasts
between different models, but never on thevariability within a
specic model population.
-
AP reader Dave Mason takes alighthearted look at the lengthssome
people may go to in theirquest to upgrade their camera
THE 1970S were notorious for crimes against good taste,and yet
against all odds the period produced some extremelyattractive
cameras a point not missed by Fujifilm andOlympus, among others,
which have taken advantageof the retro trend.In your review of the
Fujifilm X-T1 (AP15 March), I read
that I should prepare to want one. Thank you. I do now.However,
the problem is one of funds because my incomejust cant keep up with
the speed of upgrades and newcameras. Unfortunately, my original
wealth-creation plan,to create a global brand of potato-sack
pockets for thediscerning photographer who wants to discreetly
carry hislarge DSLR, failed. With cameras in said pockets,
robustbraces were necessary to offset gravity. However, duringfield
trials, an unforeseen side effect was that with the bracesattached,
my trousers behaved like a berserk bungee jumper,resulting in what
was described by our local police officeras repeat boxer
shorts-related incidents. My solution toliberate some components
from the Clifton SuspensionBridge has been stalled by not being
able to work out whatwont be missed. So its time for plan B.Under
cover of darkness, I shall write anonymously to
all the camera manufacturers, detailing enhancements totheir
existing cameras that will truly recreate that retro
filmexperience. These suggestions will be so irresistible that
theywill be unable to help themselves as they claim them for
theirown, and so the next generation of cameras will be born.As
everyone part exchanges their old cameras, I shall takeadvantage of
the now over-supply of equipment. Simple.Its a work in progress at
the moment, but Im thinking along
the lines of a scratch-and-sniff panel with that authentic
filmsmell, for when you put the card in the camera. Or, how aboutno
matter how many gigabytes on the card, it will only save36
pictures? Maybe, when downloading, it will take a weekto transfer
the pictures to the computer, with the equivalentcost of postage
deducted from your bank account. As anadded bonus, random images
could be stamped with a digitallabel stating overexposed or camera
shake. These could beautomatically uploaded to photo-sharing
websites, for a gameof photo bingo, creating a whole new
entertainment industry.Of course, there is an alternative. I could
just get off the
upgrade express, rather than letting my lack of willpowerconsign
me to a life of camera envy and angst. Wouldthat be so bad? Film,
digital, APS-C or full frame? I couldgo on. Each solution has
itsown characteristics that willfind favour with some andfault with
others. Whateveryour preference, they areall different roads to
thesame destination takingphotographs. That said, though,I still
wouldnt mind if my roadwere 1970s shaped with atwist of the 21st
century.
Have your say
The increasing hostility towards photography in public places by
the public, while theexponential growth in surveillance of the
public continues unabated, is one of themost depressing aspects of
modern life. The only thing that saddens me more thanseeing us
sleepwalking towards Orwells vision is the widespread support for
it fromlarge sections of society.However, a school sports day is
another matter. Giving out copies of the video to
other parents who want them is one thing, but selling them is
another. Schools arenot public places and they have a duty to
protect the children in their care. Thereare good reasons why some
childrens identities and whereabouts need to keptout of the public
realm Nigel Atherton, Group Editor
Just how consistent are individual cameraswithin the same model
range? It would beilluminating if you were to test, say,
threespecimens of the same camera and assessjust how consistent is
their performance.I should hasten to add in APs defence
that this is not an issue peculiar to AP.Whichever magazine or
website onechooses to read, just how condent can areader be that
the camera they purchasewill perform as well as (or better than)
thespecimen provided for magazine/websitetesting? Pete Jeans,
Gloucestershire
Most cameras we receive for test aresealed and packed in the
same way asthey would be when sent to a store orto a consumer.
Manufacturers buildtheir products to within a certaintolerance, and
having visited factoriesmyself, I know that these tolerancesare
very small, and that manufacturers
test a number of items that roll of theproduction line in each
batch. Sensors,for example, are rejected if they have acertain
number of defective pixels.To really test any form of
consistency,
I would suggest that a test of a lot morethan three cameras
would be needed,all of which would probably come fromthe same
initial batch. The problem is,manufacturers have a limited number
ofreview samples and a lot of publicationswanting to test them, so
even if theywere from different batches, hoggingpotentially the
entire loan stock of a newmodel for a test would not be possible
unless it were done once everyoneelse had nished with them, in
whichcase who knows what knocks and bangsthey may have endured
along the way.Besides which, AP always strives tobe rst on the list
for samples, not thelast Richard Sibley, deputy editor
KEEP UP THE FIGHT
I was shocked to see that the screening thecouncil had put up
around a primary schoolin Woodford Green, north-east London,
hasstarted to break. Shock horror! This meanssomeone walking down
the road might seea child playing hop, skip and jump. ShouldI ring
the police or try to repair it myself?Actually, of course, the
screening has longbeen a local joke a perfect example of
theparanoia of todays world.My son, Dr Patrick Green, who has
been photographing the developmentof the Olympic site nearby as
a record,says he nds it virtually impossible to
visit the area today without being stoppedby security guards or
police. We willsoon be like Hungary where, as reported(AP19 April),
one should not photographif there are people in the area unless
onehas their permission.Years ago a friend recorded a video of
his grandsons sports day. He took12copies to sell at the
Christmas Bazaar.The headmaster was horried.I hope AP will keep up
the ght for
photographers to photograph in a publicplace otherwise, in a few
years, the use ofthe camera in public places will be banned.Alan
Green, via email
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15
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PHOTONSIGHT
Photographer andmountaineer DougKofsky discusseshis epic image
ofPakistans Baltoro Glacierand his fascinationwith the history
ofmountaineering
THE REASONS for my love ofmountaineering are very personal.
Theearliest parts of my life were spent growingup in the suburbs of
Boston in the USA,and when I reached the age of18 I decidedto take
my rst trip. I spent a month hikingin the Sangre de Cristo [Blood
of Christ]mountains, a subrange of the ColoradoRockies. I was
following in the footsteps ofmy father, who had been on
expeditionsto the Alps in Nepal and to Pakistan. Hehad this
beautiful book full of newspaperclippings that I would leaf through
on analmost daily basis. I was struck by how theseadventurers would
go to these places andthen come back with images to show thatthese
kinds of places existed.When I went on my rst trip, it was,
without any sense of hyperbole, absolutelylife-changing. While I
was in the Rockies, Idiscovered a different order and structure.It
gave me a lot of strength. I had just startedphotography around the
same time and Irealised that my success lay in combiningmy twin
passions of photography andmountains. I quickly understood
thatphotography is about more than justskill its about knowing what
to shoot. If youshoot something you really care about, it
willconsistently show through in your images.That gave me the focus
to concentrate onone subject in my photography, and, as aresult,
photograph the greatest mountainsin world in the best possible way
I could.This image was taken on the Baltoro
Glacier in Baltistan, Pakistan. Its a regionthat is particularly
signicant for me. Ivespent a lot of time studying the exploits
ofworld mountaineers, and the stories andhistory that dened them.
The great Britishmountaineer Chris Bonington has been onexpeditions
to this area, and in 2011, I nallygot the chance to travel there
myself.The picture was taken about halfway down
the glacier near a camp called Urdukas,which is the last place
you can step onto theglacier. The glacier is potentially the
biggestcliff in the world, and Id read about thevarious attempts to
get to the summit.The Baltoro track is very hemmed in.
Youre always looking at the huge glacierlooming above you. I was
standing on agrassy slope where I could trek a little wayup the
glacier. I only hiked a little waybecause everywhere you go youre
afraidsomethings going to fall on your head. Youneed to be a bit of
a climbing arachnid!During my trips, I always make a point
of getting up when its still dark because I
nd that I have the greatest luck with thelight as its rising
over the landscape. Onthis occasion, the sun shone through a
thickbank of clouds and gave a stunning pop oflight on each of
these mountains acrossthe glacier. It was incredible and I spent
theentire morning documenting the scene.On my rst few trips to the
Himalayas
I took a compact camera. The pictures I
The sun shone through a thick bank ofclouds and gave a stunning
pop of light oneach of these mountains across the glacier
16 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
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Photo insight Doug Kofsky
DOUGKOFSKYAmerican photographerDoug Kofsky tookhis rst hike
intothe mountains whenhe was just 18 andright away begandocumenting
thesites through hisphotographic work.Since then, he hastravelled
to variouslocations throughoutthe world, includingthe Himalayas in
2008.He lives in New YorkCity. To see more ofhis work, visit
www.dougkofsky.com.
BRINGINGYOUESSENTIALEXPERTADVICEEVERYWEEK
-
DOUG
KOFSKY
Doug Kofsky Photo insight
produced were very disappointing. Thecamera unfortunately
suffered on thepixel front when it came to trying to makebig
prints. The picture here was takenusing a Canon EOS 500D with a
50mmlens. I chose the EOS 500D over a moreprofessional DSLR because
of weight.The digital sensor of the EOS 500Dis fairly close to that
of a more expensivecamera, although what you do get withthe more
professional camera is weathersealing, which I knew Id miss.
However,the need to travel light outweighed myother requirements.I
fund my own expeditions, which take
place every12-18 months and usually lastfor a minimum of ve
weeks. The longestI have been at a location is around tenweeks. You
have to consider the logisticsof getting to somewhere like Asia,
thealtitude and also the fact that some ofthe areas are quite
remote so it can takea while to get there.I enjoy travelling in
Asia the region has a
mythical feel to it. Gaining an understandingof the cultures in
these areas is somethingI nd fullling. Its interesting because
the14 greatest mountains in the world are all inthe areas of Nepal,
Pakistan and Tibet. Thelogistics of how people travel to these
places
also fascinates me. For example, when theDuke of Abruzzi, an
Italian mountaineerand explorer, rst came to the Baltoro in1909, he
had 500 porters and probablybrought four-poster beds. Im fascinated
bythe evolution that has taken place over thepast100 years or so,
and whats possiblenow compared to what they did then. Whenthe
Italian photographer and mountaineerVittorio Sella visited the
Himalayas, heused horses to transport his tripod, large-format
camera and around 40 30x40cmglass plates. Now, all I need is a
convertedbackpack and a DSLR full-frame camera.It couldnt be
simpler.AP
Doug Kofskywas talking toOliver Atwell
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17
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21
Infrared AP guide
ShootinginfraredlandscapesInfrared doesn't have to bedaunting.
Phil Hall revealshow you take strikinginfrared landscape images
AP guide to...Infrared can
produce somewonderful
effects that givethe image real
bite with asurreal look
-
AP guide Infrared
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THANKS to its unique characteristics,infrared photography can
produce sometruly beautiful results that have a lovelyethereal
quality about them. Its a perfectechnique for landscapes, and one
thatdoesnt require you to get up at the crackof dawn for the best
light. Well discoverwhy a little later, but rst we need
tounderstand a little more about thescience behind infrared.In a
nutshell, infrared light is a spectrum of
light beyond what the human eye can see.This is because our eyes
can only detect asmall range of wavelengths that make upthe
frequencies of visible and invisible light,known as the
electromagnetic spectrum.The light we see is classed as visible
lightand ranges from red to blue (violet), withthe typical human
eye responding towavelengths from about 390-650nm(nanometers).
Infrared light has awavelength longer than is visible to thered
receptors in our eyes at 700nm andsits just below visible red light
in theelectromagnetic spectrum. This results inan invisible
infrared light world that lookscompletely different to the one
wereaccustomed to, with subjects reectingback infrared light as
well as visible light.
INFRARED LIGHT
The sun is by far the best source of infraredlight, although how
much infrared light asubject reects back will vary, with
somesubjects reecting infrared light better thanothers. For
instance, we perceive a leaf tobe green as the chlorophyll in the
leaveshas a high green reectivity. However, italso reects infrared
light incredibly well, sowhen you're shooting an infrared black
&white image, it results in foliage appearing aghostly bright
white.In contrast to this, bright-blue skies
absorb infrared light, rendering them almostpitch black, while
even relatively pale skiescan take on a much darker tone. In
bothinstances, the effect is most pronouncedwhen the sun is at its
most intense duringthe middle of the day. While shooting undersuch
conditions normally means harshshadows and high contrast that arent
suitedto a lot of landscape images, its perfectfor infrared, with
the combination of thebright-white foliage and rich, dark
skiesresulting in an image with bags of contrastthat has real
bite.
SHOOTING INFRARED
While shooting with lm simply required adedicated infrared lm
and lter, things area little different for digital imaging. This
isbecause digital sensors have been designedto block out infrared
light to ensure that thecaptured visible light is rendered
faithfully,with sensors engineered with an infraredblocking lter
(also known as a hot-mirrorlter) that sits in front of the
sensor.To shoot infrared, one option is to remove
the hot-mirror lter from the sensor lterpack and replace it with
another lter of thesame thickness that only allows infraredlight to
pass through it. There are a numberof lter strengths available, but
perhaps the
most popular is the 720nm lter. Blockingout the entire visible
colour spectrum, onlyinfrared light can pass through. It
requiresonly around +1EV of exposure adjustment,so handheld
shooting is possible. Andbecause the lter isnt blocking the
optical
path between the lens and the viewnder,you can compose and focus
as you woulddo normally.This is a great option if you wish to
shoot
infrared regularly, but because the cameracan no longer capture
visible light, the more
Compared tounfiltered images,infrared imagesrender foliagebright
white andblue skies almostpitch black
Hoyas R72 filter is
point for infraredphotography
Unltered
-
INFRARED lters are almost black inappearance, and by blocking
out any visiblelight they bring with them their own specicshooting
characteristics.The rst of these is that the exposure time will
be extended considerably, increasing by 5-6 stops,so even in
bright conditions a tripod or supportwill be required. The knock-on
effect of this isthat in many instances, it wont be possible
tofreeze elements of your scene.Just as you might have experienced
when
shooting with a strong neutral density lter,focusing and
composition also need to be setbefore the lter is tted. This isnt
too much of aninconvenience once you get used to this process,but
youll need to take extra care with focusing.Lenses are designed to
focus on visible light andnot infrared light, so its advisable to
offset yourfocus accordingly to compensate for this. While notso
prevalent on mode lenses, many optics carryan infrared focus marker
to indicate how far youmust offset your focus to compensate for
infraredlight. This is merely a guide as it will vary depending
on the lter you use, and so long as an apertureof around f/8-11
is used, it should be enough toensure that the depth of eld is
sufcient to bemaintained throughout the scene.Finally, perhaps the
most important creative
decision you make when shooting infrared iswhether you want your
images to display adramatic mono look or amore surreal
colourtreatment. Black & whiteimages offer a morereadily
acceptedrepresentation, withcolour infrared imagesa little too
unnaturalfor many viewers.
Infrared AP guide
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23
Older lensesfeature an infraredfocus marker, as isthe case with
thewhite dot on thisNikon lens
When shooting infrared, you have the choice of shooting false
colour or more traditional mono shots
False colour Traditionalmono
HOWTOSHOOTINFRARED
If youre seriousabout infrared,you may wantto think
aboutconverting a DSLR
casual shooter will need a second or thirdbody that can be
converted. Opening upand operating on your DSLR and removingthe
hot-mirror lter is a skilled job, withsome DSLRs being easier to
adapt thanothers. This is because some hot-mirror
lters are glued in place and requirechemicals to release them
from theirmounts, while in other cases its just notpractical to
convert certain models.If you do fancy taking the conversion
route, look for an affordable second-handmodel and either
attempt the conversionyourself or use one of the
specialistcompanies that offers infrared conversion,such as
www.advancedcameraservices.
co.uk. They offer conversions from 290and will be able to tell
you whether or notyour desired model can be converted.
FILTERS
The alternative to converting your camerato infrared is to
attach a dedicated infraredlter to the front of your lens,
allowinginfrared light to pass through but blockingout all or most
visible light. This is a muchmore cost-effective solution.Infrared
lters are available from the
likes of B+W, Cokin, Hoya and Tiffen, andare available in
various strengths, indicatedby the wavelength at which it passes
light,measured in nanometers (nm). The strengthyou opt for will
depend on their intendedapplication (some are used in the
scienticeld, for example), but for general infraredphotography,
Hoyas R72 circular infraredlter is a popular choice. Available in
threadsizes from 46-77mm (35-85), the lterhas a strength of 720nm
and is classed asnear-infrared as its near the redlight wavelength
(600-700nm) onthe electromagnetic spectrum.
Infrared
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AP guide Infrared
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1Best practice is to shoot in raw and set a customwhite balance.
With your infrared lter attached,select custom white balance from
your cameras
menu and then, pointing the camera downwards, take areading from
a patch of grass. This will massively reducethe appearance of red
in the display.
2Remove the lter and frame up your image beforesetting the
focus. Then set the focus to manual andif your lens has an infrared
focus marker, use that to
adjust focus. Failing that, ensure youre using a smalleraperture
than usual to ensure theres sufcient depth ofeld in your shot to
compensate for this.
3Shooting in manual or aperture priority, take a testexposure
and then review the histogram. Yourelooking for a wide histogram
that spreads out to the
edges as much as possible. This will perhaps require +2 to3EV
exposure compensation to achieve this. Adjust, shootagain and then
review.
STEP BY STEP GUIDEWhitebalance ReviewhistogramComposeand
focus
Andy Lindenwww.andylinden.co.uk
I FIRST tried infraredphotography about 25years ago with an
OlympusOM-1, Kodak High Speedinfrared lm and a red lter. Iloved the
photos I could getwith it, but the lm was quite
tricky to process without fogging it.With the advent of digital,
I started using
the Hoya R72 Infrared lter. The onlyproblem with this technique
is that the lteris opaque to normal light and the minimumexposure
time required is about 30secs. Itspossible to take decent
photographs in this
TROUBLESHOOTINGLENSESTHERE are a couple of pitfallsthat can
beset you when shootinginfrared. One major issue is thelens you
shoot with, as some canproduce a hotspot at the centreof the
photograph caused byinternal reections of the infraredlight within
the lens. With this ismind, its worth experimentingwith the lenses
you intend toshoot with at different aperturesand focal lengths to
assess howthey perform, while there areextensive lists online of
suitablelenses for a range of systems.
way, but Ive found that the long exposureoften causes a lot of
noise in the nal image.It was then that I decided to invest in
a camera converted to infrared, allowingme to take infrared
photos handheld, withnormal exposure times, and without theneed for
a tripod. I bought a second-handCanon EOS1000D and had it
converted,opting for the 720nm lter. In the old daysof lm, taking
an infrared picture was veryhit and miss, and the nal result would
beunpredictable, so the great thing about aconverted digital camera
is that you cansee straightaway whether a shot is goingto work or
not. Images straight out of thecamera usually have a reddish-brown
tone,so I usually adjust the colours a little inLightroom and
Photoshop.
ANDYLNDEN
ANDYLNDEN
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5To swap the brownish red cast that youve probablygot in the
sky, we need to channel swap the Red andBlue channels. Select the
Channel Mixer from the
Adjustments panel and for the Red Output Channel set Redat 0 and
Blue at 100, while for the Blue Output Channel,reverse this.
6If you want to produce a mono infrared image, selectBlack &
White from the Adjustments panel andadjust the sliders until youre
happy with the look of
the image. Noise can be introduced here, so make sure youassess
the image at 100% to ensure that the image hasntbeen
compromised.
Auto colour
MonoFalse colour
4Bring the images into Bridge and open them in AdobeCamera Raw.
Here you can make some minoradjustments to the contrast and
exposure, but the
biggest change in the colour characteristics of the imageneeds
to happen in Photoshop. First, open your image andthen go to
Image>Auto Color.
Lee Casterwww.leecaster.com
I HAVE only recentlystarted shooting infrared,but am already a
massivefan. I nd its perfectfor producing impactfullandscape and
architecturalimages, especially when
the light is too harsh, or too dull for shootingdecent colour
images. Although its great forshooting the more usual trees and
clouds,Ive also been very impressed by the extradimension it has
added to my more usualblack & white shots, nding clouds
andcontrast in seemingly empty blue skies, andbringing out shadow
details which are barelyvisible on the standard spectrum.I had my
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
converted with a 720nm lter, shooting in
raw to give complete control over the imagein processing. I have
the camera mode setto black & white, and using live view I can
geta fairly accurate impression of what the nalshot will look like
as it takes a little gettingused to seeing the world in infrared.
Thedirection of the sun in relation to the camerahas a massive
impact. Shooting into low suncan make for a very washed-out
image,whereas shooting with your back to the sun,or side on, can
totally transform a scene.
Lee loves infraredfor the extradimension it giveshis mono
images
LEECASTER
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photographers
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2MarkHelliwell
Cheshire 49ptsNikon D300, 18-200mm, 1/125sec at f/5.6, ISO
100Hes Behind You Judges say Looking at this imageof two owls a
great grey and a horned theres avery famous photograph that
instantly springs tomind: David Baileys image of the Kray twins.
Thisis such a different and humorous take on animalportraiture that
we couldnt help but award itsecond place
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2ndPRIZE
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Gerard Sexton, of Wallingford in Oxon, is thewinner of our
Animal Planet round of APOY2014. Gerard will receive an Olympus
OM-DE-M10 with a 14-42mm EZ Pancake zoom, a45mm f/1.8 portrait
lens, a 40-150mm zoom, a9mm sheye lens, a macro adapter and a
streetcase. Thats a total retail price of 1,200. TheE-M10 has a
16.1-million-pixel, four thirds-sizedCMOS sensor and a TruePic VII
image processingsystem. The 14-42mm EZ Pancake zoom lens isthe most
compact pancake lens and the 45mmf/1.8 portrait optic is ideal for
low-light portraitwork without ash.Our second-placed winner is Mark
Helliwell,
of Maccleseld in Cheshire, who will receive anOlympus Pen E-PL5
camera plus a 14-42mmand 40-150mm twin-lens zoom kit worth
500.Despite its small size, the E-PL5 offers seriousimage quality
with its powerful 16.1-million-pixel sensor and a new OM-D
component in theTruePic VI image processor. It also has
lightning-fast autofocus.Ellie Willis, of Newton Abbot in
Devon,
nished third and wins an Olympus StylusSP-100EE Ultra Zoom
camera, with a 16-million-pixel sensor and 3in LCD screen. The
SP-100EEincludes an autofocus lock so you need neverlose a shot due
to fuzzy focusing. The cameraalso features a 50x optical Ultra Zoom
lens witha focal length ranging from 24-1,200mm.
1 Jevgenijs Scolokovs 82pts
2 DanDeakin 79pts
3 ChrisWood 70pts
4 Conrad Ziebland 68pts
5 StevenWebb 64pts
6 George Taylor 61pts
6 Jianwei Yang 61pts
8 AndrewBlake 60pts
9 GerardSexton 59pts
10 DusicaParipovic 58pts
THE2014LEADERBOARDJevgenijs Scolokovs from Latvia has leapt into
the top spot with 82pts,having taken tenth place two months in a
row. In second place with 79ptswe nd 2012 APOY winner Dan Deakin.
In third place is Chris Wood, whotook fourth place in the rst round
and 28th in this round
Animal PlanetThere were a number of strong entries for
round 2 of APOY 2014. Here we reveal the top 30
photographs from our Animal Planet round
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3 EllieWillis
Devon 48ptsNikon D90, 18-50mm, 1/125sec at f/16, ISO200, 2-point
ash lighting and two largesoftbox attachmentsFerrets Judges say
Ellies image of herbrother and his two beloved ferrets
afterbuilding them a new home was a shot wekept revisiting. Where
it succeeds is in itssimplicity. Its a portrait that brings
togetherthe human and animal world in a clean andunfussy
photographic manner and whodoesnt love ferrets?
1 GerardSextonOxon 50ptsCanon EOS 1DMark 1V, 400mm,
1.4xconverter, 1/3200sec at f/4.5, ISO 800Heron Judges say This was
one ofthose shots where the judges had tostop and stare to work out
whetheror not the heron was real. The reasonis that its such a
perfectly capturedmoment. The position of the legs, thespread of
the wings and the arc of thebranch have all come together to forma
dynamic image. Not only that, butthe subtle lighting has resulted
in adramatic and engaging shot
3
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1stPRIZE
3rdPRIZE
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4 Chris DixonHampshire 47ptsNikon D700, 70-200mm, 1/500sec at
f/2.8, ISO 200Working on the chain gang Judges say Amoving
imagefrom Chris bringing home the reality of captive animals
5 IainMcConnellWrexham 46ptsOlympus E-510, 14-45mm, 1/160sec at
f/8, ISO 100, 2 remoteashes with RF-602 triggersCat and toy Judges
say Iains accomplished image reallyimpressed the judges and is more
than deserving of fth place
6 AngelaNelson Tyne andWear 45ptsCanon EOS 60D, 60mmmacro,
1/200sec at f/18, ISO 100Baby tree frog Judges say Angela keeps
frogs as pets, andas such, is well equipped to capture these small
creatures inunique ways
7 SteveWebbWest Midlands 44ptsSigma DP1Merrill, 19mm, 1/160sec
at f/7.1, ISO 100Derwent the duck Judges say This was a very
popular shot withthe judges. Getting down low, Steve has given us a
ducks-eye view
8 LeoWaltonNottingham 43ptsNikon D600, 70-200mm, TC-14E
teleconverter, 1/1250secat f/4, ISO 200, tripodGoing for a waddle
Judges say Taken in Antarctica, this shot ofchinstrap penguins
makes great use of simplicity and depth of eld
9 Dennis LowWest Sussex 42ptsSony Alpha 7R, 50mm, 1/125sec at
f/1.8, ISO 320Orphaned lambs Judges say The colour and light are
the keyingredients here in this nicely observed shot from
Dennis
10 Jevgenijs Scolokovs Latvia 41ptsCanon EOS 5D, 35mm, 1/2000sec
at f/1.6, ISO 100On a lead Judges say The success of this image
hinges on twofactors perspective and depth of led. The monochrome
is alsovital in its ability to reveal the details
11 SusanHardingWest Sussex 40ptsNikon D800, 70mmmacro, 1/8sec at
f/2.8, ISO 640Daydreaming Judges say This was shot during a day
trip to theBritishWildlife Centre and is an imagemany of us could
easily miss
12 YehyaBelhadad Algeria 39ptsSony Alpha 33, 18-55mm, 1/125sec
at f/7.1, ISO 400Buttery Judges sayWhat a beautiful image. The
backgroundcolour and insects details are genuinely mesmerising
13 Bill Sell Carmarthenshire 38ptsNikon D100, 50mm, 1/200sec at
f/1.8, ISO 500Eye of the duck Judges say This is a typically
excellent imagefrom Bill. The focus on the eye really draws in the
viewer
14 Conrad ZieblandHertfordshire 37ptsPentax K-3, 35mm, 1/180sec
at f/3.2, ISO 400, ash, radio triggerThe look Judges sayPet
portraits are not an easy task, but with alittle technical
ingenuity Conrad has certainly pulled it off
15 IanBramham Cheshire 36ptsNikon D700, 16-35mm, 1/100sec at
f/4, ISO 6400Moon jellysh Judges say Theres an eerie alien quality
to thesemoon jellysh, photographed in Ians local aquarium
16 Al Punja East Sussex 35ptsCanon EOS 7D, 15-85mm, 1/800sec at
f/4.5, ISO 100Lunch in the park Judges say Theres so much to say
about thisshot. Its a great nd and exposes one of the great virtues
of havinga keen photographic eye capturing the moments others
maymiss
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17 PeterWarringtonOxon 34ptsOlympus E-3, 14-60mm, 1/3500sec at
f/22, ISO 100Gull perch Judges sayPeter waited near a post that was
popularwith gulls to catch this nice backlit image
18 Farid Sani Iran 33ptsOlympus E-30, 12-50mm, 1/400sec at
f/5.6, ISO 320Bluethroat bird Judges say The vivid colours and
simplecomposition made this a real stand-out image in the
competition
19 MarkCrockerGreater London 32ptsCanon EOS 5DMark III,
70-200mm, 1/2500sec at f/6.3, ISO 800Stag Judges say A truly
majestic representation of an iconic andrevered creature. This
image oozes atmosphere
20 Florinel SanduRomania 31ptsNikon D90, 150-500mm, 1/400sec at
f/8, ISO 500Great tit Judges say Florinels image of a great tit
benets from avivid clean background and pin-sharp focus on the
subject
21 DanDeakinBristol 30ptsNikon D700, 24-70mm, 1/125sec at f/11,
ISO 560, Speedlight,softboxJoey Judges say A lovable portrait of a
friends dog from APOY2012 champion Dan Deakin. Using just a small
squeaky toy, Danwas able to grab the dogs attention for just a
couple of seconds
22 SeshikanthMiddelaManchester 29ptsCanon EOS 5D, 70-300mm,
1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200Capuchin monkey in a glass house Judges
sayPatience is a virtue.Seshikanth waited for over an hour to get
this beautifully abstractportrait of a capuchin monkey through
enclosure glass
23 JennyCoughlan Ireland 28ptsNikon D700, 70-300mm, 1/125sec at
f/5, ISO 200Toowit Judges say This is a stark andmoody portrait,
one thatbenets from the fact that Jenny has exposed for the
highlights
24 Alison LythgoeBuckinghamshire 27ptsNikon D600, 70-200mm,
1/4000sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250Four mallard ducklings Judges sayWhat
an idyllic scene. Thestill water and haze of the sun are beautiful
elements
25 AaronKarnovskiKent 26ptsNikon D800, 180mm, 1/500sec at f/4,
ISO 800Red squirrel Judges say Considering the declining numbers
ofred squirrels, its always a pleasing sight to see images of
them,particularly when the pictures are as good as this
26 George TaylorNottinghamshire 25ptsOlympus OM-D E-M5, 75mm,
1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250Walking with my dogs Judges sayGeorge
was looking to capturethe power and grace of his Weimaraner dogs
with this image
27 David Tolliday Cheshire 24ptsCanon EOS 7D, 100-400mm,
1/320sec at f/5.6, ISO 400Kruger National Park, South Africa Judges
say This is a beautifullylit monochrome image that exudes a tender
atmosphere
28 ChrisWoodGloucestershire 23ptsCanonEOS7D,
100-400mm,1/125secat f/1.8, ISO100Bow to the king Judges say
Sometimes all you need is a simplycomposed portrait to convey the
power of a subject
29 AndrewBlakeNorth Yorkshire 22ptsCanon EOS 400D, 70-300mm,
1/640sec at f/22, ISO 1600Tchaikovsky Judges sayWhat a stunning
image. The reectionadds necessary compositional balance to lead the
viewers eye
30 DusicaParipovic Sweden 21ptsNikon D5000, 35mm, 1/250sec at
f/6.3, ISO 200Wet through Judges say APOYs 2013 overall winner
enters oursecond round with a hilarious shot of her cat
post-bath
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Black &white Street photography
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33
Spirit of the streetFine-art photographer Rupert Vandervell
discusses the
themes behind his personal and haunting take on street
photography and explains how the right camera came to
help him to realise his vision. He talks to Oliver Atwell
-
THE CITY can be a lonely place. Despitethe rapid rise in
population and the seemingovernight construction of architecture
toaccommodate the swarm, cities can oftenmake you feel like youre
the last personon earth. These themes of isolation are
theunderpinning of a body of work createdby London-based
photographer RupertVandervell, a man who revels in the solitudelife
can bring. Each graphic image in fourseries called Urbanites, Man
on Earth,Late Night Tales and Duel tells itsown story, yet easily
functions within anoverarching narrative about urban isolation.Im
obsessed with one particular
theme the lone gure in the street, hesays. Ive often asked
myself why. Theidea of isolation is very indicative of mycharacter.
I have always enjoyed spendingtime alone. Sometimes I feel like Im
takinga photograph of myself in these guressurrounded by light and
shade.It would be easy to imagine Rupert
as a morose misanthrope from thisopening admission. In fact,
nothing couldbe further from the truth. During ourconversation, it
becomes clear that Rupertis an individual infected by the joy
ofimage-making, particularly when itcomes to shooting in the city.I
feel happiest when Im shooting in
the urban environment, says Rupert.That really is the only place
I want totake photographs. I love concrete andarchitecture, and the
way light interacts withit. Its never the same two days in a
row.The sun is always moving, which of coursecreates different
lines and shadows. I getgenuinely excited when I see these
things,and I feel compelled to record them.Rupert shoots
exclusively in London,
which is his home town. However, it ismore than convenience the
architecturethat makes up the buzzing metropolisperfectly
complements the imagesRupert forms in his head.Im drawn to the
modern side of London,
says Rupert, particularly in the smoothsurfaces that often go
hand-in-hand with
these buildings. The way the light comesoff smooth modern
structures is interestingand clean. Theres an area I adore
aroundthe Barbican. Its freshly done and theroads look great. It
looks like a scene from aFuturist lm. The great thing about
shootingin London is that its always changing.Every time you wake
up, theres anotherfascinating structure.
THE RIGHT LIGHT
Ruperts images are a wonderful exampleof the interaction between
form, light andshade. Of course, such considered imagesneed the
right conditions and Rupert hasstrict ideas about what he
requires.Ill only ever go out when the light is right,
he says. The summer is perfect because ofthe brilliant sun we
often experience overLondon. I always look for what the light
isdoing in a location. Ill then gure out whereI want to photograph
it from and where I canmake the most interesting picture. I need
toconsider how the geometry of the locationwill work with the
light. It can sometimestake a while to get it all right.As any
street photographer worth his
or her salt will tell you, the time of dayyou shoot is crucial.
Different times offerdifferent types of light, and for
Rupertsimages to work he must act within arelatively tight window.I
cant go out all day, he says. The best
time for me seems to be between 10am
and11am. If you have guaranteed sunshine,its a good hour to
work. The middle of theday is the worst. Its like when you have
auorescent bulb in a room its harsh lightwhere nothing looks
attering. I could alsoshoot between 4pm and 6pm, but thingscan look
a little softened then. Morninglights seems to be a little cleaner.
If theresany kind of optimism in my work, its to befound in that
clean light.
PEOPLE AND PLACES
The human element is what each ofRuperts images hinges on, and
all thateach image requires is a single gure.However, working in
such a populatedcity can often be a problem.Its becoming harder and
harder to get
the right kind of gure in my images, saysRupert. And even when I
do have the rightperson, sometimes someone extra wandersinto the
frame. Its often the case that Illnd the right location, but theres
too muchpedestrian trafc. This will mean I have toreturn to the
location another time, but ofcourse that means the look of the
light willhave changed.That said, revisiting locations is
not something Rupert is averseto. In fact, it forms part of
hisworking method.
Left: Rupert uses
architecture, light
and shade to frame
his human subjects
Below: While
daylight figures in
much of Ruperts
work, he is not
averse to working
at night
The time of day that Rupert shoots is crucial. He tends to
favour
the hour from 10am to 11am, when he says the light is
cleaner
Street photography Black &white
34 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
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ALLPCTURESRUPERTVANDERVELL
Its often the case that Ill ndthe right location, but therestoo
much pedestrian trafc
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RUPERT generally exposes for thehighlights in his images. The
details inthose areas of the frame are crucial tothe image, so I
cant afford to blow themout, he says. Given the times of day Ilike
to work, exposing for those areasworks perfectly. Ill see where the
lightshottest point is and ensure everything
is correctly exposed in that area. As Imsure everyone knows,
blown highlightscan be a nightmare to x. There are acouple of minor
tweaks I have to makein Photoshop such as the Levels butotherwise I
try to get everything right onlocation. Doing everything in
Photoshopjust wouldnt look right at all.
EXPOSINGFORHIGHLIGHTS
-
I do tend to go back to placesbecause, as Ive said, they
alwayslook different each time, says
Rupert. As places are often reconstructedand altered, the way
the light falls on themdiffers. Consequently, the way
peopleinteract and walk within the space changes.Thats all part of
the picture-making process.One thing I do nd particularly
benecial
is giving myself restrictions, continuesRupert. These days, I
shoot mostly withina square mile. When I restrict myself tosmall
areas, I look harder for shots ratherthan casting my net too wide.
It benetsa project to introduce restrictions. Whenyou work with the
minimum resources,creativity kicks in.In addition to the location
and light,
stark black & white serves to furthercommunicate the themes
of urban solitude.By his own admission, colour would donothing more
than complicate matters.I guess Im a black & white person
through and through, he says. I dont wearcolourful clothes and
my house featuresminimal tones, much to the dismay of mygirlfriend.
Black & white has always spokento me. To be honest, I get a
little confusedby colour. Theres a quality to black &
whitethats sorrowful and Im very happy withhow the aesthetic
functions. Even when Imfaced with a vivid colourful scene, Im
alwaysthinking how it can function within theparameters of
monochrome.Of course, Rupert isnt averse to colour
as a medium. In fact, hes full of admirationfor those who are
able to master it.Honestly, my opinion is formed from the
fact that I began my journey in photographyby producing black
& white prints in thedarkroom, he admits. Printing in colourwas
never an option for me becausethe resources simply werent
available.
Therefore, my images have always takenplace within the world of
black & white.
OLYMPUS FEVER
Most photographers have their favouredweapon of choice, and for
Rupert therehas only ever been one camera brand thathas accompanied
him on his photographyodyssey Olympus.Im a big fan of Olympus OM-D
series,
says Rupert. I actually had a break fromphotography for around
25 years. Duringthat time, I was working making shortfashion lms
for brands such as Vogue andGlamour. Prior to that, I was working
inphotography capturing minimalist naturallandscapes that look
similar to the work Icreate now. I used Olympus cameras, thenand
returned to them when I put down thevideo camera and picked up an
OlympusOM-D E-M5 camera. Once Olympusproduced its micro four thirds
technology,I knew Id found what I was looking for.The size of the
camera is perhaps the
biggest appeal for Rupert. The ease ofcarrying around such a
compact camerameans that it can be slipped into his jacketpocket
with no concern for bulk and size.I have no interest in carrying
around
something like a Canon EOS 5D, saysRupert. Ive used the EOS 5D
for video andif I was working in a studio perhaps Id bemore
tolerant. But for street work, I needsomething I can easily carry
and conceal.I dont want people to know Im carryingaround a camera.
Its difcult to blendin when youre advertising yourself as
aphotographer. You stand out and, as a result,the nature of your
subjects actions change.That thinking extends to the lens too I
usea 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens. I dont want touse a zoom lens, as Id
prefer to be in thebest position to begin with.Ruperts upcoming
project continues
the themes so familiar from his previouswork. This time the
project is less about thearchitecture and more about the
abstract.Im working in similar locations to my
previous projects says Rupert. However,this time Im also
including a couple ofshots from Barcelona. The way the lightfalls
on this Spanish city is fantastic and itsbeen brilliant for my
latest work. Im usingthe human gure in a much more abstractway. Its
like looking at a piece from anincomplete puzzle youre not quite
surewhat youre looking at. Its been a challenge,but Ive had a lot
of fun doing it.AP
Below: Using
a lightweight
Olympus OM-D
E-M5, Rupert is
able to get covert
shots in the city
Above left:
Through the
considered use
of location and
subject, Rupert
is able to hint
at mysterious
narratives
36 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31May2014
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Street photography Black &white
AS RUPERT wanted to do a series where he was able tocontrol
things a little more, he worked with some models sohe could
position them in a way that he wanted. The imageshave a very lm
noir feel to them, he says. That particulargenre and its aesthetic
is something Ive always loved. WithLate Night Tales, I thought it
would be interesting to createsomething where there was more of a
narrative runningthrough it. I could dress the models up and direct
them.I was able to create a bunch of characters from all walksof
life. I found some places in the East End of London thatwere
fantastic, such as in Bethnal Green. All the imagesare set at
night. At that time, these areas were like ghosttowns. Something
else that was new for me was workingwith articial light. Sometimes
the characters needed a littleextra illumination, so I used a
single portable light panel.
LATENIGHTTALES
It benets a project to introducerestrictions. When you work with
theminimum resources, creativity kicks in
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includedetails of equipmentused and exposuresettings. Send
yourimages to Appraisal atthe address on page 3.Enclose an SAE if
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WINThe person who takesthe picture of theweek* in Appraisalwill
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ActiveBackpack 1 is a high-capacity yet compactrucksack that can
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APappraisalExpert advice, help and tips from AP Editor
Damien
WEALL love to be amazed by the tricksof a conjurer and feel a
sense of wonder.Here the conjurer is Sergiy. Through sleightof hand
and subtle suggestion, he showsus a massive view but forces us to
look ata tiny part of it. The draw is undeniable andirresistible.
When the picture is seen at theright size, the rst thing our eyes
go to isthe skier even though he occupiesonly a minuscule part of
the frame.The skier stands out for several reasons:
he is the only black part of the scene; hecontrasts dramatically
with the bright tonesbehind him; he is perched on the seam wherethe
groundmeets the distant slopes; and he
is the only person in a subtle landscape.Blowing the image up to
study it closer,
I noticed that some of the detail andedges are a little crunchy
and digitalfrom oversharpening. If you shoot in JPEGformat, this is
sometimes an effect thecamera introduces to