Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 289 i Digital Photographer

Hello and welcome to this very special issue of Digital Photographer. In celebration of the launch of our new DP University program, we’ve brought you a premium edition packed full of extras. If you’ve picked us up on the UK newsstand, you’ll notice the bundled bookazine, which brings together the best projects and features of the magazine condensed into an invaluable reference to shooting pro images. If you’re a subscriber don’t worry, you can access the bookazine in digital format at the link on page 8. Meanwhile, ahead of The Photography & Video Show, we’ve put together a special Photographer’s Guide to London. Before heading to ExCeL in March, read this for inspiration on how to get the most out of your time in the city, capturing beautiful images. As…

Leica has announced its fastest camera ever. The full-frame Leica SL3-S is the sibling of last year’s resolution powerhouse, the Leica SL3. But where its bigger relative is all about the muscle, the Leica SL3-S is all about speed. The SL3-S boasts a brand new BSI CMOS sensor with a native resolution of 24.6MP but can produce 48MP and 96MP photographs via pixel shift multi-shot. It has an enviable sensitivity range of ISO 50-200,000, with a dual base ISO (50-560 and 640-200,000). It also inherits the Leica SL3’s triple-tech AF, combining phase detection, contrast detection and object mapping. Perhaps most exciting is that it features a super-fast continuous shooting speed of 30fps – unlike its sibling, it can shoot at 30fps with full AF. For video, the Leica SL3-S can…

Cityscape and landscape photography can often be quite literal genres of photography. When you arrive at a new location, most of the key landmarks are fixed and your compositions are therefore largely defined by what is already in front of your camera. This point of view doesn’t really inspire creativity, however, and it can be tempting to simply shoot the classic scenes as they are, just like the many thousands of photographers who have likely shot them before you. With a little thought however, it is possible to find exciting and energetic new perspectives by looking more closely at the colours, shapes and textures of the urban environment, using these to create collage-like effects with an abstract twist. Today, I’m attending a shoot that is slightly different from the normal…

1 Capture textures Graffiti, stickers and even grimy walls or bins make fantastic base layers for a multiple-exposure shot. Think of this layer as your canvas on which you can add other brighter colours and textures in another orientation. 2 Shoot near and far Look to combine objects close to the camera and further away to collage objects that could never be seen together in a single frame. The texture layer will be your close-up, or even macro shot, and a bridge or building is the overlay. 3 Choose frame count Bill recommends starting with fewer frames as part of our multiple exposure, usually two or three. Once you have a better understanding of how blending works, you can explore textures by selecting a larger number of frames. 4 Look for…

Modern cityscapes are often comprised of angular buildings made up of a lot of steel and glass, usually with strong solid lines and patterns. Think big, bold and beautifully shiny. If you have read any photography literature, then you’ll know exactly what a leading line is and modern cityscapes make the perfect subjects to practise this premise. The angular nature of many modern buildings as well as the structured streets that surround them make it easy to find leading lines in the frame that will draw the viewer in and lead their attention to the focal point of your choice. Modern cities are constantly evolving and changing, so images end up being a bit like a time capsule that have preserved a snippet of a city’s identity and life at…

AI-generated imagery typically blends elements of surrealism and abstraction, based on supposed perfection, by introducing or combining unexpected image elements. These dream-like scenes are created by the use of algorithms to generate unique outputs that may not conform to conventional artistic styles. This challenges our understanding of imagery and evokes a sense of wonder in the viewer by provoking their curiosity. Characteristics of this style are unusual colour palettes, combined subjects and distorted forms of our perception of reality. Key factors to observe are the use of light and composition, as generated imagery often uses clever compositional techniques to draw the viewer’s attention to harmonious image elements. Although AI imagery is computer-generated, it is often good at evoking a sense of emotion in the viewer and conveying a narrative. The…

THE CAMERA BEHIND THE IMAGE “I shot the image with a Nikon D750 DSLR, my go-to camera for travel. While I own an analogue camera, digital photography fits my nomadic lifestyle better. This robust, portable, full-frame camera strikes a great balance. I’ve tried models with smaller sensors, but image quality can suffer. The Nikon offers the technical features I need while still being compact and easy to carry.” Hey Miles, can you tell us a bit about your journey and what inspired you to enter the 1839 Awards with your real-life image ‘FLAMING ONE’? I’m a writer and photographer, blending both on my website, inspired by my travels over almost 13 years. I embrace a nomadic lifestyle, immersing myself in local cultures to get a feel for the place and…

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL Focus stacking is a technique that allows you to take advantage of the sweet spot of the lens while capturing a greater depth of field in landscape shots than the narrowest aperture. Focus on three or four points in the scene, ensuring there’s some depth-of-field overlap between each subsequent shot, then merge them quickly and easily in Photoshop for ultimate sharpness. What you’ll be using Lightroom Scripts Auto-Blend Layers Crop Tool Flatten Image 1 process in Lightroom If you shot in RAW, Process your bracketed shots in Lightroom, Sync settings and Export images in jpeg or TIFF format to a folder on your desktop. If you captured in jpeg format, copy the bracketed photos to a folder on your desktop so they can easily be found during the…

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Do the greatest breakthroughs in photography stem from technical skills or is it the creative side that truly propels us forward? How can you develop a unique photographic style that sets you apart in a sea of talent? And with niche photography genres on the rise, what do you need to explore new spaces? For any aspiring talents in the world of photography, discussing these questions is essential for their artistic development. Over the next few pages, we interview three industry-leading professionals, offering a glimpse into their approaches to photography that, hopefully, will inspire your career journey. We begin by speaking to David duChemin, a professional who balances multiple roles. He addresses the fundamental question of how photographers can stay inspired and keep the spark alive in their work. Next,…

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best Garden Animals images. After working through all the entries, the winners have been selected. As a prize, the winners will receive a licence for 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 select the best ones. 1ST PLACE WINNER Just a nibble Photographer Paul Rollison What a lovely image! We love the simplicity of this shot and how it keeps the theme of the round nicely grounded in accessible animals seen in many gardens. The lighting is soft and beautiful while the framing is well balanced. We’re not sure how the scene was set…

Price: £5,900/$6,895  Website: leica-camera.com There is a quote that frequently pops up in motivational circles, ‘Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change’. This was perhaps on the designer’s mood board for the new Leica Q3 43, a refresh of 2023’s Leica Q3, but with a brand new lens with a 43mm perspective. I really enjoyed using the original Q3 and it was actually runner-up for my favourite camera of 2023. However, it perhaps suffered from one of my ultimate hang-ups, as I don’t generally like a wide perspective in photography – and the 28mm of the original lens was a little too wide. So on paper, the Leica Q3 43 might be the perfect camera for my style of photography. It’s the same…

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When we mention cityscapes, we aren’t just talking about shooting skyscrapers in modern cities such as London and Dubai, older and more historic places such as Rome and Barcelona have just as much to offer. However, much like the highly reflective, glass-dominated modern cities, older locations come with their challenges too. More historic cities will be dominated by non-reflective surfaces and bricks that can appear dull. Older buildings will be less symmetrical and feature fewer structured and straight lines, and streets will seem less thoughtfully laid out. However, these are the characteristics you should embrace in these locations. Like all cityscapes, you should strive to take your shots from a new and unique angle or find a way to make your capture interesting. In older cities, you might find interesting…

Balancing realistic scenes with surrealistic elements requires precision and storytelling. By photographing real components and blending them seamlessly, you can create an illusion that feels grounded yet also imaginative. This is where my fine art and minimalistic work connect, as I am dedicated to creating surreal imagery without the use of AI-generating programs. My focus lies on emphasising the authenticity of the creative process, blending reality and imagination solely through photography and post-production using tools such as Photoshop. What I love most about this style is the challenge of visualising surreal concepts and translating them into physical scenes to photograph. It allows me to create a visual language that feels personal, genuine, and emotionally impactful. Here, the biggest challenge lies in achieving the balance between realism and surrealism. Every element…

With the shorter days, it’s easy to think we have less time to get out with our cameras. However, that isn’t the case; you just have to be creative with your lighting. Photography literally means light (photo) and draw (graph) so we can add our own light to night scenes with a technique known as ‘painting with light’. Unlike shooting in the daytime, where your lighting is completely at the mercy of the sun and weather – harsh direct light, soft diffused overcast lighting, golden sunset light and so on – once the sun has set, you have full control over what light is in your scene and how you want to light it. You can ‘paint’ large swathes of your scene with a flashgun and even use flash gels…

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL High dynamic range (HDR) photography is the perfect way to capture detail throughout high-contrast scenes. Using Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) set to capture three or five shots at two-stop exposure increments, you can easily merge these exposures in Lightroom. What’s more, the results can look so natural no one will know that you’ve used HDR to capture and edit your shot. What you’ll be using Photo Merge HDR Tone adjustments Presence adjustments Tone Curve Masking 1 Select bracketed exposures In the Develop Module, select your exposures then right-click on the selected thumbnails. When the menu expands, go to Photo Merge > HDR, this will open the HDR Merge Preview where you can set your parameters for merging the exposures into a new DNG file. 2 Merge to HDR…

Building a personal stock library is a powerful way for photographers to generate recurring income, showcase their city or passion and provide accessible, high-quality images for media use. As photography continues to evolve, so does the demand for authentic, niche images, especially of iconic and dynamic cities like London. A personal stock library offers creative control, letting photographers shape how their work is shared and appreciated without relying solely on larger stock agencies. Establishing and curating such a collection can be both a fulfilling and profitable pursuit, though it requires a keen eye for what sells, attention to technical detail and a commitment to consistency. In this feature, I will share practical tips on creating a personal stock library, from researching the right themes to fine-tuning your workflow and marketing.…

Tell us about yourself and what you do… After graduating with a degree in geography, I decided to go down another route and ventured into marketing. At the time, I was living in London and applied to numerous marketing positions without success. Then, an opportunity arose for a personal assistant role at the BBC, working for the marketing director of BBC Worldwide. I jumped at the chance and, after six months in this role, new opportunities opened up within the organisation. Over the next five years, I moved through different marketing roles at the BBC until I became the circulation manager for Top Gear magazine. After getting as much as I could out of the BBC, I transitioned into the investment banking world, spending the next 12 years at UBS…

Speaker: David duChemin Date: 9 March Time: 15:45 - 16:45 Stage: Behind the Lens Hey David, what do you think are the most rewarding aspect of capturing wild subjects? There is a wildness, not only to the subject but to the process itself. It’s unpredictable and every encounter is different – I love that! But most of all, it’s the encounters themselves. Even those times when nothing goes well or the results aren’t what I had hoped for, to have had time in the presence of incredible creatures like bears or wolves and to have been outside and part of the natural world – that feeds my soul. I use the word ‘wonder’ a lot in discussing my work and the reason why I do it is in the hope…

World Sports Photography Awards World Sports Photography Awards celebrates the finest images of dramatic action and stories in the sports genre. The 2025 contest highlights the very best images from over 60 different sports, from elite to grassroots levels, telling compelling stories about the emotion, passion, athleticism and focus that are at the heart of sport. Now in its sixth edition, the World Sports Photography Awards are the only global awards for sport photography. The contests are entered by the top pros in the sector and judged by leading figures from sports, media, photography, brand and creative industries.…

Price: £2,699/$2,995 Website: blackmagicdesign.com Blackmagic Design’s hugely popular Pocket Cinema camera range did so much so well but the shape and build left a lot to be desired for many, me included. That led to camera forums and user groups being inundated by requests for a box-style camera with Blackmagic’s image quality at an affordable price. The Pyxis 6K is the result of that substantial customer feedback and, with it, Blackmagic has delivered a true box-style camera, costing under £3,000/$3,000, but will it satisfy the demands of the modern shooter? Firstly, the most important question you have to ask yourself when buying this, or any other camera is, what are your shooting needs? Are you a documentary filmmaker or do you produce narrative work or commercials? The answers to these questions…

PRICE: £829/$899 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.72m WEIGHT: 1,300g Build and handling This is the first of the new ‘LAB’ series of Viltrox full-frame compatible lenses. Engineered in Nikon Z and Sony E mount options, the new lens takes the fight to the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena and Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 G Master lenses. Compact and lightweight are words I don’t generally associate with full-frame compatible 135mm f/1.8 lenses, and this Viltrox is typically big and weighty. It’s well-built though with the mount and barrel made from metal, with good weather-sealing. The aperture ring has no markings because the control ring can be customised to take on alternative functions, (depending on your camera body). You can also keep tabs on the aperture setting with a quick glance at the…

Photographer: Andy Nelson @ndrwnlsn Image location: Valencia, Spain Type of commission: Personal Shot details: Canon R5, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8, 1/6000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 About the shot: “Many will recognise the location, the city of arts and sciences in Valencia, Spain. It’s an architectural marvel and one of the most popular places to photograph in Europe, and here, I saw a lot of photographers taking the same photo as everybody else. When I’m in a popular tourist destination, I always challenge myself to take a photo that nobody else has taken. If it’s busy, I try to use the crowds and low aperture to frame images; on this occasion, as it was quiet, I opted to compose with a tripod and wait for the right moment. I researched the…

Cityscapes are often associated with modern photography; however, painters have been depicting the urban environment for as long as we can remember and since the invention of photography, photographers have been no different. You don’t need to head into the countryside to capture epic landscapes, cityscapes can be just as impactful as any rural shot, if not more so. They can be many things, from dramatic and overwhelming to minimal and abstract. The great thing about cityscapes is that they don’t require lots of specialised kit, you can head out with one lens attached to your camera and easily find subjects to capture. Obviously, there are some special pieces of kit, such as tilt-shift lenses, that will take your cityscapes to another level, but they are not necessarily essential. The…

Make your cityscape photography stand out by using creative techniques. If you are shooting in popular cities like London or New York and are photographing buildings that have been captured thousands of times, then getting creative will help you to get a unique capture that will stand out from the others. Use long exposure in your pictures to blur and erase people moving around at street level creating an ethereal deserted cityscape or use a long exposure to create light trails flowing through a city street for a dynamic and one-off image. A long exposure can also be used to blur the sky for a more interesting skyline. Convert your imagery to black and white to create high-contrast shots that will emphasise the texture and form of the buildings captured.…

The rise of AI in photography has dramatically reshaped the landscape of image creation. One of the most immediate effects is that it has compelled photographers to compete by producing even more captivating images using classic techniques. In an era when the possibility of generating mesmerising AI images is limitless, this could be seen as a challenge. But where some may see this trend as a threat the authenticity and skill inherent in photography, others may view it as a way of opening up the art. Many photographers and creatives have enthusiastically dived into the world of AI-generated imagery, fuelled by curiosity and a desire to explore new horizons. However, a key question emerges: why does AI-generated imagery resonate so deeply with viewers? The answer lies in its striking visual…

COLOUR Enhance the blue and pink hues in the sky to evoke a sense of the supernatural, contrasting with the golden-orange tones of the dry, sunlit hills. This interplay of colour adds depth and tension to the composition. LIGHT AND SHADOW Focus on capturing long shadows that intertwine with the evening’s low-angled sunlight, creating a dynamic interplay of light and dark. These shadows introduce an element of mystery, enriching the narrative within the frame. By chance, two people were climbing the hill with the tree while I was shooting, instantly providing a reference of scale that added depth and context to the composition. FOCUS AND TIME This image was captured in the Diablo Range, near San Francisco, during early autumn. After eight months without rain, the hills take on a…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Are you ready to unlock your creative potential this year? If honing your photography skills or diving into new facets of content creation is on your agenda, then mark your calendar for The Photography & Video Show. From 8-11 March, ExCeL London will transform into a vibrant hub for photographers, videographers and creatives alike. You can expect four thrilling days filled with the latest innovations in photography, video and content creation. Connect with fellow enthusiasts and industry leaders, explore cutting-edge camera gear and discover a dazzling array of accessories – all from over 250 top brands and at exclusive show prices. Additionally, the Creator Playground and stylish shooting invite you to produce your own captivating content. With more than 350 highly skilled speakers, you’ll discover pro tips…

Speaker: Christie Goodwin Date: 11 March Time: 12:20 - 13:00 Stage: Behind the Lens Hey Christie, what motivates you to capture musicians and their art? What motivates me is the profound connection between the artist, their music and the audience. There’s a unique energy in live performances, a raw, unfiltered emotion that resonates deeply with everyone present. My passion lies in capturing those fleeting moments when the music and the performer’s essence merge into something truly magical. When I’m behind the camera, I don’t just see an artist on stage; I feel the music, the lights and the collective energy of the crowd. My goal is to translate that feeling into a visual narrative. It’s not just about getting the perfect shot; it’s about freezing an emotion in time so…

Photographer: Tiago Carregã Title: Wings of Grace Location: Santuário de Fátima, Portugal @tiago.c.photo @tiagostreetphoto tiagocphoto.myportfolio.com About the shot: “This photograph captures the elegance of a pigeon in mid-flight, wings fully spread – a fleeting moment of liberation, where shadows yield to light. I almost didn’t get this shot as it all happened so fast. To this day, I still find this image very inspiring for what it truly represents – freedom.” WIN! SAMSUNG 1TB PRO PLUS MICRO SDXC MEMORY CARD WITH SD ADAPTER Every issue, one Digital Photographer reader wins a Samsung 1TB PRO Plus microSDXC Card with SD adapter. Boasting up to 180MB/s and 130MB/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…

PRICE: £599/$699 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.23m WEIGHT: 640g (Z) Build and handling Tamron has been making somewhat legendary 90mm macro lenses for 45 years and counting. The new 90mm F2.8 Di III Macro VXD for mirrorless cameras has an internal focus mechanism and, as such, retains its relatively compact physical length of about 13cm (5in), rather than extending at shorter focus distances. That’s an important factor as far as I’m concerned, the bonus is that it doesn’t eat into your working distance for macro shooting. Performance Typical of modern macro lenses, the Tamron certainly isn’t a one-trick pony. Not just for extreme close-ups, it also aims to be ideal for portraiture, still life and more. This is Tamron’s first-ever 12-blade aperture diaphragm, which helps to maintain a particularly well-rounded iris when stopping…

The London Underground is a world of contrasts. It is a giant museum that celebrates the old and new, spanning the city of London and granting every passenger the ability to become a time traveller. Walking down a hallway surrounded by old signage and original features can magically transport you back to the early 1900s. We can experience a world that existed over 100 years ago and see hints of how our society functioned before today’s technological advances. However, ride just a couple of stops on the train or walk to a different area of the station and we can suddenly feel like we are roaming a futuristic society with shiny walls, metallic buttons and modern architecture. Luke’s latest book Contrast – Photography on the London Underground is a celebration…