Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 254 i Digital Photographer

Canon’s first APS-C EOS R System mirrorless cameras, the EOS R7 and EOS R10 have recently been announced. These bring the benefits of Canon’s full-frame models, such as deep learning and intelligent autofocus, to an enthusiast-level and price point. Alongside the EOS R7 and EOS R10 Canon will also release its first two RF-S kit lenses – the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM (£320) and 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM (£520). Canon EOS R7 While it’s a 7-series camera, the R7 isn’t a direct replacement for the much loved Canon EOS 7D Mark II, but a combination of the 7D and the Canon EOS 90D, leveraging the 1.6x crop factor and 32.5MP sensor to provide performance, particularly for wildlife shooters looking to ‘get closer’ and crop further with their shots. The…

1 Scout your location Gavin highlights the importance of becoming familiar with a location as much as possible before the day of the shoot. This helps minimise surprises and unexpected setbacks, keeping your shoot running smoothly. 2 Light position Arrange your light sources to make it as simple as possible to control environmental light. This is especially important on location. Try to prevent light from spilling onto the background to create separation. 3 Set exposure In the confined space of the studio and then outdoors in daylight, Gavin kept his sensitivity at the base ISO 100, with the aperture at f/5.6 and shutter speed at 1/60sec. With flash, the slower exposure shouldn’t cause blur. 4 Vary focal length Try multiple angles in pursuit of the key images your client has…

A travel photographer has one main goal – to transport their audience to a new location and give them a view of this place through the eyes of a local resident. The reason viewers love to sit and gaze at travel imagery is that they wish to understand how people across the world live, discovering uplifting similarities and fascinating differences. Anybody can take a camera with them and shoot what they see in a foreign location, but where many amateur images fail is that they present the place from the perspective of a tourist. If an image is to be truly engaging and informative it needs to show a novel environment from the point of view of somebody who knows it well. There lies the challenge for the professional travel…

Social media is awash with travel imagery, with spectacular photographs of places from almost every corner of the planet. Indeed, with its location maps and tags, platforms such as Instagram are ideally designed to display travel shots. Due to the way social media algorithms work, there are many developing trends in image processing style that come in and out of fashion. At one time, intense, bold colours were seemingly popular, though today, airy and slightly subdued tonality seems preferable. This Instagram ‘look’ is not difficult to achieve and, with a little experimentation, it is possible to tailor the process to your own style of shooting and subject choices. Before processing and uploading images to social media and stock sites, you must first sort, rate and archive images from your shoots,…

Whether you are relatively new to photography or a lifetime hobbyist, the chances are you will, at some point, have used a flash. But not everyone has used one off-camera. Many flashes are built-in or easily fixed to the topmounted hotshoes and fired with no extra gadgets needed. SPEE DLIGHT OR STROBE? Deciding on a flash type depends on factors such as power and portability. Speedlights are more practical when travelling and can be handheld for greater flexibility. However, strobes are better for light output By introducing a trigger and receiver system you can take your flash off your camera body and fire it from an alternative angle. This will allow you to add a new string to your photography bow and elevate your images away from indoor party-style, full-frontal,…

PICK A SOURCE For convincing environmental lighting, ensure the light coming from your flash has a credible source. Light doesn’t appear from nowhere, so consider colour, intensity and direction to match your flash to a suggested source If you are shooting in a studio with your subject framed against a seamless background, you probably won’t need to use high-speed sync (HSS) flash mode. That’s because you can easily keep your shutter speed below the maximum flash sync speed, by stopping down your lens to f/11 or smaller. However, if you are shooting outdoors with an ultra-bright lens such as an 85mm f/1.4, and want to throw the background out of focus, there is an additional challenge. At these settings in full sun, even at the base ISO of 100 or…

It’s no secret that prices of camera equipment only seem to be going one way – up! A dedicated macro lens can be an expensive purchase costing anywhere between a few hundred pounds and upwards of £1000 for the more specialised models. That’s a lot of money to spend if you aren’t sure macro is for you. Luckily, we’ve found a way you can take fantastic, highquality close-ups and it costs less than £50. All you need is an old prime lens from a film camera (you may even have one at home) and a cheap reversing ring that you can pick up online for around £5. A 35mm or 50mm focal length is perfect, though it’s worth noting that the wider your focal length the more macro effect you’ll…

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL Shifting colour values has become a popular editing style these days because it can be used to create some unique retro effects. Creating vintage pastel colours works particularly well with bright summer images and street photography featuring bold colours. To make applying these effects even simpler, we’ll show you how to create a Lightroom Preset, so you can easily reapply it in the future. What you’ll be using • Shadows & Highlights • HSL/Color • controls • Contrast • Whites Blacks 1 Starting adjustments The first thing to do is to compress tones and massively reduce contrast for a hazy, vintage look. Set Contrast to -70, Highlights to -30, Shadows to +60, Whites to -70 and Blacks to +65. These settings stay the same for every image, but…

Stuck on what to pack I have the opportunity to photograph a music event this summer but feel a bit overwhelmed at the prospect. What kit should I take? Any advice is welcome. Emily Pickett We handed this question over to expert music photographer Abbie Jennings. Read her full interview on the page opposite. “Well Emily, it depends on the venue. In terms of kit, I believe that you don’t need the best kit to take the best photographs, so I still shoot on a Nikon D750. This camera is perfect for low light and music photography and, over time, I’ve built up my kit with two bodies and an array of lenses. If I’m shooting at a small or mediumsized venue, I’ll always use my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, as…

Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022 Now in its 11th year, PLFPOTY is one of the biggest competition dates in every enthusiast and pro photographer’s calendar. Covering not only delicious dishes from around the world but also the people and culture associated with them, these awards are considered among the most prestigious in the photography industry. Overall first place went to Debdatta Chakraborty with his stunning image of a street food vendor. To view more images and find out how to enter future contests, visit pinkladyfood photographer oftheyear.com…

p96 Affordable standard zooms For versatility, there’s no beating a standard zoom lens, such as the 24-70mm ‘trinity’, but there are cheaper options available. Here, we test four alternatives from Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Tamron. 104 OM System OM-1 Does OM System’s first serious camera release, the OM-1, deliver enough new features to keep users of the former Olympus photographic stable on board? 108 Star Adventurer Mini Sky-Watcher’s star tracker could be ideal for astrophotographers on the go. We try out this useful space-watching wonder 110 Lenses We take two professional optics out into the field and test their performance. This month, it’s the Fujifilm XF18mm F1.4 R LM WR and Canon RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM 112 Accessories It’s the little things that can enhance your photography. We’ve…

Digital Photographer EDITOR'S CHOICE The past few years have seen a turbulent period for the camera industry and part of the fallout has been the sale of Olympus’s photographic business and its re-emergence as OM Digital Systems under the OM System brand name. The first camera to come from this brand (we don’t count the Pen E P7 as that was from Olympus) still has the Olympus badge. Nevertheless, it’s called the OM System OM-1. In case that isn’t confusing enough, the OM-1 is the successor to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and it takes the OM-D E-M1X’s place as the company’s flagship camera. Inside the OM-1 is a 20.4MP Four-Thirds Type stacked, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. It’s the first time that a stacked sensor has been used in a…

Affinity prizes Every month, we team up with Photocrowd – the world’s leading photography competition platform – to give you a chance to win an Affinity Photo editing software licence (worth £49 for Mac or Windows), plus your images printed in Digital Photographer. Affinity Photo is a toolset engineered for modern photography professionals. Whether you’re editing and retouching images or creating full-blown multi-layered compositions, it has all the power and performance you’ll ever need. For a chance to win, head to Photocrowd and discover our latest contest. It’s easy, free and fun – we love seeing your entries! Visit: www.photocrowd.com/digitalphotographer…

Photographer: Mostafa Nodeh Instagram: @nodehphoto Image location: Iran Type of commission: Personal Shot details: Canon EOS 7D, 18-135mm, 1/20th sec, f/5, ISO125 About the shot: Photography can be both literal and metaphorical. This is one of the unique strengths of the medium compared with other forms of art, which are generally an undeniable interpretation of a subject by the creator. When photographing something, the resulting scene can be viewed as a mere record of a moment, or it can be read for deeper meaning, through suggestion. With this image, photographer Mostafa Nodeh wanted to convey the imaginative and limitlessly ambitious mind of a child. While the composition itself is simple, amusing and joyful, Mostafa tried to convey a deeper meaning. In this case, the child behind the glass appeared dreamy…

Travel has been somewhat restricted over the past two years, so it’s with a sense of cautious optimism that we can look forward to the freedom to explore the world with a camera once again. Travel photography is a popular genre for good reason – such images allow the viewer to immerse themselves in far-off places they may never be able to visit while gaining an education in the cultures and customs of these exotic destinations. There is, however, a common misinterpretation of what defines travel imagery and what separates it from other forms of image-making. Though it incorporates elements from landscape photography, architecture, street shooting and portraiture, a cursory glance at the main photo-sharing platforms reveals a misunderstanding of what the genre actually entails. Many shots on 500px or…

Buildings are not only the structural units that comprise a city, they are the product of decades or even centuries of culture and history. The way a city’s buildings are designed says a lot about every aspect of the society in which they are found – climate, religion, history and cultural aesthetics. For this reason, we can use architectural imaging when travelling to tell a story about a place. Intense, bold colour is a common theme in travel photography and often this will make or break an image series. Where it is present, such contrasting areas of colour can overwhelm the frame if used without care, or they can act as a visual distraction from other key subject elements. When managed with focal length and composition, we can use a…

In many cases, flash is at its most effective when the viewer is unable to tell whether it was used. With care, it is possible to integrate the light from your flash so seamlessly that it is not easy to identify which source is dominant. This technique is popular because it is capable of producing seemingly ‘impossible’ lighting, where the subject and environment are illuminated so it appears natural, but the distribution of shadows and highlights is such that detail is perfectly controlled, which is unlikely if only natural light is present. This is described in terms of flash ratios – the relative contribution of the total light originating at each source. For blending purposes, aim for an equal contribution. Where possible, the subject should be lit by environmental lighting,…

Octagonal softboxes are a great lighting accessory to improve your flash-lit portraits, but what exactly is an octabox, and how can you use one to achieve stunning results? An octabox is a lighting modifier with eight sides. It can be attached to the front of a speedlight, studio flash, or continuous lighting source, depending on the mounting compatibility. Creating quintessential diffused lighting effects, this look is my go-to lighting style for simple and effective portraiture. Note that octaboxes come in many different sizes, from small to very large, the latter often being used for large product photography and full-body portraits. I prefer small softboxes such as the Profoto OCF, which direct all of the light onto the faces of my subjects. rorylewis.studio Essential flash accessories Choose the peripherals for easier…

AFTER Take your portraits to a higher level by adding some motion to the scene. If your model isn’t completely relaxed or is unsure of how to pose, then get them to interact with elements surrounding the scene or in the background to loosen up their posture. Creating a lighter atmosphere and using props will shift the focus away from being solely on them and put your subject at ease. Use a fast shutter speed and you’ll be able to capture a more genuine side to your subject while they move around or, in this case, throw flower petals into the air. When shooting at outdoor locations, always use what’s around you to the best of your ability and put that photographic eye to work – everything can be a…

While the digital world is growing ever larger with more of our images being shared online there’s still something satisfying about creating amazing physical prints that your clients can hang on their walls at home. In the age of the internet, there’s no excuse for professional photographers not to have a website – it’s essential for showing off your best shots, telling the world about who you are and what you photograph, as well as a way for prospective clients to get in touch. Many website builders are able to add a shop function, usually at a small extra cost. This can be a great place to sell and ship physical prints of your photos or limited edition runs directly to your customers, in addition to offering services such as…

STABILISATION Although much of a good panning shot is about movement, it must be stable to make sure the focal point comes out sharp. “I use a gimbal head on my tripod so I can pan smoothly and track the red kites from my wildlife hide,” says Sean. “I switch the optical stabilisation mode on my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM to Mode 2 as this only corrects for movement on the vertical axis. I don’t want the horizontal panning blur to be affected.” EVEN LIGHTING Lighting is the key to any photo but natural sunlight can be problematic, especially in the harsh midday sun. On an overcast day, clouds act as a huge softbox, producing a diffused light with gentle shadows. Exposures are more even with fewer bright…

Photographer: Daria Sandelewska Title: Star of the show Location: Limerick City, Ireland www.flickr.com/photos/189155915@N06 Tag us @dphotographermag for a chance to feature here Every issue, we’ll be sharing the best images from our Instagram community. Tag us on @dphotographermag for a chance to appear as our Shot of the Month. WIN! SAMSUNG 256GB PRO PLUS MICRO SDXC MEMORY CARD WITH SD ADAPTER Every issue, one Digital Photographer reader wins a Samsung 256GB PRO Plus MicroSDXC memory card with SD adapter. Boasting up to 160MB/s and 120MB/s read/write speeds, the card is perfect for high-res stills and Ultra HD video. It is the go-to card for the modern content creator using mirrorless, smartphone, action cam and drone cameras. Find out more at samsung.com/uk/ memory-storage…

GROUP TEST There’s no beating the versatility of a standard zoom lens for everyday shooting. For many, the preferred option is a ‘trinity’ zoom with a 24-70mm range and a constant aperture of f/2.8. It’s not always an affordable option though, with Canon, Nikon and Sony lenses for fullframe mirrorless cameras costing upwards of £2,000. On relatively lightweight bodies, they can feel a bulky mismatch, but the good news is that they aren’t the only option. Tamron brought something different to the market with the launch of its 28-75mm f/2.8 standard zoom for Sony mirrorless cameras. Naturally, it’s not so generous in its wideangle coverage as a 24-70mm lens but it adds a few millimetres at the telephoto end while retaining that f/2.8 constant aperture. And it does so in…

Do you want better images of the night sky? Earth’s rotation means any long exposure photograph of space is limited to about 30 seconds before the stars begin to trail. This is where a star tracker, such as the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini, comes in. This device follows the Earth’s rotation, allowing for long exposures of up to four minutes, resulting in much richer star fields and a more impressive Milky Way. The Star Adventurer Mini tilts your camera so it can track stars, keeping them ‘still’ in your image, despite them appearing to move in an arc around Polaris. It is designed to support a mirrorless or DSLR camera and can also support time-lapse photography in the daytime. In the box of the ‘Pro Pack’ bundle we have on…

At Fujifilm’s X-Summit in May, it revealed a new fifth-generation X-mount camera, the X-H2S. Fujifilm is celebrating ten years of the X system: the Fujifilm X-H1 was launched in 2018 and the X-T4 in 2020 and the X-H2S builds on both. Inside, there is a 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS sensor (as in the X-T4) but stacked. The camera is designed for action and sports photographers, shooting at an impressive 40fps using the electronic shutter with full autofocus capabilities. This is the first Fujifilm camera to use AI technology, and while an improved AF algorithm is said to make tracking subjects faster, we don’t know whether this includes helmet tracking, a feature found on fast pro models such as the Canon EOS R3. The viewfinder is 5.76 million dots (3.69…

One of the most challenging aspects of travel photography is that it takes you away from familiar ground and, consequently, any opportunities to replace equipment, maintain your gear and stock up on power and storage solutions. Add to this the difficulty in revisiting and re-shooting locations in the ideal lighting and there is plenty of scope for stress and frustration to develop. For this reason, professional travel photographers have to make a great effort to plan as much of their trip as possible, down to the smallest detail and well in advance of their departure date. This is important when travelling for leisure, but even more critical when shooting for a paid assignment or attempting to capture as many sellable images as possible. After all, to a pro shooter, every…

Ultimately, the people of a place give it life and dynamism. A city street, swarming with market sellers and traffic, tells the viewer a lot about life in an overseas location and provides an identifiable element that anchors them in the familiar. From this, our audience can make comparisons to their own lives and fill in the blanks with their imagination – the sign of any good story. This is the case even in remote locations, the lack of human habitation is in itself a defining feature. A secret trick many pro travel shooters employ is to ensure each image has a human aspect. It can be subtle, featuring a single figure in the background, or a fully posed portrait, set in engaging surroundings. Alternatively, the scene can feature elements…

Alistair Campbell As the Technique Editor for our sister magazine Digital Camera, Alistair writes about a broad range of photographic genres. For this feature he has kindly put aside some time to discuss the benefits of using gels and also gives some tips for controlling ambient light with an artificial source. digitalcameraworld.com Rory Lewis Renowned for his oil painting-inspired lighting style Rory is an expert in controlling flash and shaping light to bring out drama and detail. This makes him the perfect tutor in how to use flash modifiers to direct light to the key areas of the subject and scene. Read his step by step tutorial over on p46. rorylewis.studio Flash is a tricky aspect of photography to learn. If used incorrectly, the artificial light can spoil the ambience…

What you’ll need • Digital SLR or mirrorless system • Macro lens or close-up attachment • Tripod with low-level capability • Small LED Light or device Adobe Lightroom Difficulty level: Intermediate Time taken: 2 hours All images © Ross Hoddinott Photographing close-ups of insects can be frustrating and fiddly. Technically, it can prove challenging due to the depth of field growing increasingly shallow at higher magnifications. Light can also be in short supply when the camera is positioned so close to the subject. And photographers need to be careful their own shadow doesn’t obscure light or frighten the subject away. However, close-up photographers also possess a huge amount of control over light. When working so close to popular close-up subjects such as flowers, fungi and insects, photographers can alter or…

Erika Valkovicova Originally from Slovakia but now living in Prague, Erika’s work reflects both her passion for travel and her hobby of photographing UNESCO World Heritage Sites. She hopes to raise awareness to protect and preserve natural and cultural heritage. Her favourite place in the world is always the next destination. To see more of Erika’s work: www.epicbyerika.com @epicbyerika Hey Erika. Where in the world are you right now and what are you working on? I’ve spent the past two weeks at home in Prague after doing a photo tour in Budapest. My next destination is Israel to photograph in the Negev desert for a few days, and I will be leading tours in Seychelles and the Faroe Islands in the upcoming months too. Tell us about your journey in…

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best wild landscape shots. After working through all the entries, the winners have been selected. Both crowd-voted and expert winners will win a licence to Affinity Photo professional editing software. Congratulations to all of the winners – as usual, the standard of submitted images was extremely high and it was a difficult task to pick out the best ones. 1 STPLACE WINNER Dunes of Stokksnes Photographer: Joel B Our comment: Iceland is one of the first places that come to mind when imagining wild landscapes and this image perfectly demonstrates why. We love the sense of movement in the foreground grasses, suggesting a windswept vista, and the way the mountains appear out of the mist. A…

PRICE: £1,449/$1,399 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.26m WEIGHT: 730g Build and handling Lenses such as this demonstrate the advantages of the mirrorless design. For its size and optical layout, the RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM is lightweight and perfectly balanced on an EOS R5/R6 body, making it possible to comfortably shoot one-handed if necessary. The focus, SA control and forward control rings are sensibly placed and smooth to operate, giving accurate fine-tuning. Although it has a plastic finish, the barrel feels tough and up to pro standards. Performance Images are exceptionally crisp, revealing plenty of fine detail. There are no unpleasant aberrations to speak of and performance is well-maintained across the frame, at all apertures. The SA (Spherical Aberration) Control is an unusual feature, but there are some genuine applications –…