Innehållsförteckning för No. 259 från Digital Photographer

It is a testament to the power of the visual arts that how we perceive each season of the year is potentially influenced by how they are represented in the media. It can be a challenge to work out the natural order of things – did we choose to represent winter through Christmas card-worthy scenes because of the way in which the landscape stirred our emotions, or did we grow to love those pictureperfect elements because we saw them in print? Either way, there is far more to winter than Christmas trees and other commercialised facets of the holiday season. Turn to p22 of the magazine to read our step-by-step guide to capturing incredible frozen landscapes, full to the brim with fascinating details and aesthetic balance. Once you’ve enjoyed that,…

The winners of the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest have been revealed. US photographer Karine Aigner won the grand prize of the 58th competition for her image, ‘The Big Buzz’, taken on a ranch in Texas. Karine captured the activity with a macro lens as a buzzing ball of cactus bees rolled over the hot sand. A few minutes later, the pair at its centre, a male clinging to the only female in the scrum, flew away to mate. The Young Wildlife POTY 2022 was won by 16-year-old Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn from Thailand for his image, ‘The Beauty of Baleen’. The two images were selected by a panel of judges from a total of 38,575 entries over 19 categories, based on their originality, narrative, technical excellence and ethical…

Laowa is renowned for its twin specialities, ultra-wide primes and high-magnification macro lenses. As the creator market booms, the company is adapting more of its lenses to the specific needs of video shooters. The two new lenses are the Laowa 65mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine (S35) and Laowa 100mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine (FF). The Laowa 65mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine (S35) will come in Fujifilm X, Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon EF-M mounts, offering macro magnification up to 2x – twice the 1:1 ratio of regular macro lenses. The Laowa 100mm T2.9 2X Macro APO Cine (FF) is a full-frame macro lens that will come in Arri PL, Sony E, Canon EF, Canon RF, and L-mount versions. Like the 65mm lens, its lens has a…

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…

It’s that time of year again. Along with the end of daylight saving, many of us in the northern hemisphere find ourselves setting off for work before sunrise and returning home after sunset, as well as wrapping up warm for the commute. Sunny day photography is consigned to the weekend but photo opportunities still abound at dusk and dawn – and in the blue hour of twilight. Any good camera is capable of delivering excellent results in wintry conditions, however, some excel when it’s cold and dark. For starters, mirrorless cameras with their live exposure preview in the viewfinder can make it much easier to see what you’re doing. The boost in brightness is a bonus for composing shots, as well as giving live feedback on how exposure settings will…

DOWNLOAD TEST SHOTS https://bit.ly/3MRya6l PRICE: £1,049/$1,097 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.35m WEIGHT: 630g Build and handling The 24-150mm focal range is a crowded market, mostly because of the versatility of qualifying optics. Therefore, any zoom lens in this category is going to be of interest to working event, portrait and landscape photographers. The Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S feels solid in the hand and reassuringly cold to the touch. This may seem an odd metric, but it indicates the presence of metal or high-impact materials in the construction. Though not the lightest Z series lens, it is by no means heavy and should be at home in any travel photographer’s kitbag. The zoom travel is smooth with just enough resistance, while the track distance is manageable, allowing rapid zooming throughout the range.…

PhotoLab 6 is the latest version of DxO’s RAW processing, lens correction and editing software for photographers. This version brings DeepPRIME XD (eXtreme Details), a development of DxO’s DeepPRIME tech to deliver yet more fine detail. There’s an all-new de-noising technology, a ReTouch tool, improvements to the Library panel and the integration of perspective correction tools so that the ViewPoint add-on is no longer needed for perspective fixes. DxO ViewPoint 4 is designed specifically for complex geometric corrections and can be used as a standalone application, or Photoshop, Elements or Lightroom plug-in. DxO has also been working on its colour management and processing algorithms and, in PhotoLab 6, it introduces a new, ultrawide gamut colour space to ensure that no subtleties of colour are lost during editing. PhotoLab 6 Essential…

The Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7 smartphones feature‘computational photography’features powered by Google’s newTensor G2 chip At its ‘Made By Google’ event on 6 October 2022, the company officially unveiled its Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones. The cameras on both devices offer small improvements over the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro released last year. The Pixel 7 Pro has the same 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, and 48MP telephoto lenses as the Pixel 6 Pro, but boasts 30x high-resolution zoom thanks to a Super Res Zoom feature. Google is focusing on the Pixel’s ‘computational photography’ features, including the new Photo Unblur (an expansion of Face Unblur, first seen on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro). Along with Night Sight introduced on the Pixel 4, Photo Unblur…

Winter landscapes are often portrayed as desolate, uninviting places, yet rarely does this detract from their regal nature. There is a visceral element to snowenveloped terrain that stimulates an emotional response beyond the common perception of beauty. From a psychological point of view, human vision is drawn to the brightest or most colourful aspect of a scene, but when devoid of such objects, a landscape can conjure a mix of feelings. The emptiness of a snow field and frozen mountain range activates a sense of vulnerability in the viewer, but at the same time, can bring about a feeling of peace and tranquillity. A stretch of ice over a frozen lake can be both ominous and inviting. Snow-dusted forests can signify danger, due to their impenetrable nature, but also seem…

Long exposure is a well-known method used by photographers, especially under difficult lighting conditions, to improve images that would otherwise be undesirably dark. However, this technical approach can be extended with the addition of a flash light, which can offer new perspectives and open up creative possibilities. For this tutorial, you will need a flash, whether it is a studio or a practical hand-held flash. By integrating this technical lighting kit into your shoot, it is possible to bring the main subject of your image into sharp focus while combining it with artistically captured movement through long exposures. With this approach, it is important to note that the flash must fire automatically at the end of the exposure to achieve the best results. This is known as rear sync or…

For many photographers, social media is a love-hate relationship. It’s no secret that the photo-sharing app, Instagram, has changed, becoming more like video platforms such as TikTok or BeReal. With its algorithm now biased towards reels, it is clear Instagram is no longer a photography app. When we share our images, we want to do so without losing control over our visibility. We want to reach potential clients, build a network and community – and explore inspiring photography. However, Instagram is anything but inspiring at the moment – the same content appears again and again, there is competition for likes and followers and the web platform is basic at best. It also only allows low-resolution uploads and restricts the format. As photographers, these are negatives we shouldn’t have to accept.…

Marketing issues I’ve been a photographer for about a year now full-time but I’m having trouble identifying what type of photographer I am! I enjoy shooting a variety of genres but think my marketing strategy is unclear and my website is all over the place. Any advice? Anonymous You are not alone here and we would say many photographers also struggle with this aspect. It can be hard to create a coherent website that shows off your skill set yet also quickly relays to your client what you do, especially if you shoot a variety of genres. That said, you’ve only been a full-time photographer for a year so give yourself a chance as it takes a while to adapt to the industry and find your path, style and way.…

Having a love of wildlife, an interest in photography and one of the most remote and extreme places on Earth as his backyard meant that for Danish photographer, Jonas Beyer, getting deeper into the field of wildlife and nature photography was a nobrainer. Beyer spends every minute of his free time in the great outdoors, not only documenting the wildlife of our amazing planet but also educating and raising awareness of what we need to preserve. As a tour guide, Beyer works with enthusiastic nature photographers in Greenland, both above and below water. Swimming with orcas or observing polar bears are both part of his life as a wildlife photographer. Based on his experience and extensive knowledge of the animals and their habitats, he is able to capture wildlife in…

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best Perfect Pet shots and, after working through all the entries, the winners have now 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 select the best ones. 1ST PLACE WINNER Snow dog Photographer: Gej Our comment: The harmonious colour scheme and the rule of thirds make this a well-balanced photograph. The depiction of the husky combined with the blurred snowflakes is a nice composition. We like how the sky on the left is a little brighter, drawing the viewer’s eye across the rest…

British life photographer Amy Bateman began a journey to record the stories of 40 farms across Cumbria in March 2021. An exhibition of her photos, which runs until 4 January 2023, will also be accompanied by a hardcover book with over 500 images, called Forty Farms. Amy visited 40 farms from isolated farmsteads unchanged in generations to businesses at the cutting edge of innovation; from world-class sheep breeders to awardwinning cheese-makers, capturing a record of farming during a period of profound change. Over the course of a year, Amy interviewed and captured farmers such as international best-selling author James Rebanks, Michelin chef Simon Rogan of L’Enclume fame, and Susan Aglionby, who has helped educate hundreds of young people at her farm. “Photography is a powerful tool in the documentation and…

Photographer: Tony Menias Website: www.beloveful.com Instagram: @beloveful Image location: Nandgaon, Uttar Pradesh, India Type of commission: Personal Shot details: Fujifilm X-Pro2, Fujifilm XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR f/7.1, 1/110sec, ISO 200 About the shot: Traditions and festivals are a good way of documenting a new and foreign country. Here, the art of photography is to quickly familiarise oneself with the unknown surroundings. In this way, it is possible to capture unique moments and direct the view, not only to active events but also to quiet and unusual scenes. Tony Menias travelled to India to experience the Holi Festival. “Holi can be celebrated for six days in various small cities that lead to the birthplace of Krishna, Mathura,” he says. “One of the first days is held at the temple on…

The concept of fashion and the ideal of beauty are themes that have captivated society for centuries. Inspired by music, films and events, the fashion world is constantly changing, either reflecting current trends or, in many cases, setting new ones. The world of fashion photography is a tough and varied one. All the skills required in fashion photography are widely applicable to other genres, with creativity and technical knowledge the only essential basics, though organisation and communication also contribute significantly to good results. However, in this genre of photography, creative ideas have to be based on the fashion itself, with everything else being staged around it. The particular language of the fashion brands, but also the products themselves, bring great challenges. In most cases, photographers will already have their subjects…

Running a photography business can be tough. Dan Mold shares his top tips to help you stay organised and keep things running smoothly Running a well-oiled, properly organised photography business is the best way to give yourself a competitive advantage. Maintaining a professional appearance is key to securing clients, as if you’re late to an appointment or realise that you’ve double-booked a shoot last-minute, that client is unlikely to give you a second chance. Being organised also helps you to see exactly what jobs you have lined up throughout the year and gives you a good indication of whether you have the scope to take on more work, meaning you can optimise your workflow and maximise profits. Having a full calendar of work may sound like the ideal scenario, but…

Tell us about yourself and what you do… I’m Rebecca Peake, owner of Peake Photography, mum to two little ones and a lover of all things storytelling. Originally, I felt self-conscious about being a ‘mum with a camera’ who turned professional, but that is where my journey started and it has definitely shaped my style of photography. I am now approaching my third year as a professional photographer, offering a mix of wedding and motherhood photography. What skills do you need as a photographer to shoot weddings, maternity, newborn and family portraits? Across all four genres, the key is being personable and relaxed. I got that from starting out photographing my two young children. As any parent knows, you need to work with them rather than expect them to listen…

Spotlight Photography Awards 2022 Created by Spotlight magazine, published by Production Paradise, the Spotlight Photography Awards is now in its fifth year. It focuses on promoting commercial photographers and photographic art within advertising categories. With a panel of over 60 judges, consisting of representatives from advertising agencies, magazines and brands, the contest is open to commercial photographers and offers over $40,000 worth of prizes across 13 categories. For further details, visit: www.productionparadise.com…

96 Low-light legends Most good cameras can deliver results in wintry conditions, but some excel when it’s cold and dark. Here, we test cameras from Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony that can take winter in their stride. 104 Canon EOS R7 Canon’s new flagship APS-C format mirrorless camera is aimed at experienced enthusiast photographers. Angela Nicholson tries it out and sees what it has to offer 108 Oppo Find X5 Pro Will Oppo’s partnership with renowned camera brand Hasselblad tempt professionals to purchase its latest premium smartphone? 110 Lenses Every month, we take two professional optics out into the field and test their performance – this time it’s the Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S and the Panasonic Lumix S 18mm F1.8 112 Accessories It’s the little things that can enhance…

PRICE: £799/$998 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.18m WEIGHT: 340g Build and handling All of Panasonic’s high-end Lumix lenses have a premium feel and this recent addition to the L-Mount family continues the trend. It has a plastic finish but retains a sense of ruggedness and balance. The low weight makes it a joy to use and it is comfortable on the Lumix S5 we used. It’s another example of the advantages of mirrorless technology – a DSLR lens of this focal length and aperture combination would be cumbersome. The design is minimalist, with only a single AF/MF control switch present on the barrel. This makes it easy to use and frees up the surface area for comfortable handling. Performance Sharpness is good in the centre of the frame, even wide open, improving…