Innehållsförteckning för No. 265 från Digital Photographer

Buying a new camera is one of the most exciting things a photographer can do. Thoughts of the new image possibilities it will unlock are motivating and can force us to try branching out and expanding our skills. But while upgrading can revitalise your work, modern cameras are so advanced it’s easy to overlook many features. Our guide on p24 is all about digging deeper and unveiling the tools and tricks you might already have at your fingertips. Read on and reveal your existing kit’s full potential. However, if you are in the market for a new model be sure to check out our review of the new Canon EOS R8 mirrorless camera, which you can find on p104. Meanwhile, on p36, we explore the many facets of coastal photography.…

The coast is the perfect place for taking spectacular pictures. The aim of the photographer should be to combine the beauty of the coastal landscape with its unique atmosphere in one image. This often presents many challenges as the environment can be harsh and the power of nature overwhelming at times, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. Planning is therefore one of the most important things, along with a technical understanding of how to compose shots and highlight colour. The secret to coastal photography is to engage with the surroundings so you can avoid creating images that the world has already seen. Coastal landscapes consist of a multitude of elements that are just waiting to be staged – that’s why it’s vital to pay attention to details and…

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL Meet the editing pro James Abbott is a professional photographer and photography journalist, specialising in shooting and editing techniques. He recently released his first book, covering professional image editing skills in both Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo. @jamesaphoto www.jamesaphoto.co.uk Quickmask is one of Photoshop’s more underused tools; allowing you to make precise selections through painting with the Brush Tool. So, whether you’re cutting out an element of an image or applying local adjustments, Quickmask can be the best tool available for the job. We’re going to use it here to apply precise dodging and burning style adjustments as quickly and easily as possible. What you’ll be using Palette Color Quickmask Brush Tool Curves Levels 1 Process the image Make any minor adjustments, such as global adjustments using Adjustment…

Online platforms and social media are now much more than just a way to present photos – they have become indispensable and affordable PR tools. The only problem is that everyone else uses them too, so how do you make your business stand out from others in this digital jungle? The first step to optimisation is to find out how quickly and under which search terms your business can be found in the world’s most popular search engine – and we all know that means Google. Here, a ‘Google My Business’ profile, with an overview of your services, location and contact details, will help you to be discovered. It is also useful to change the category of your Facebook business page to ‘Local Business’. This way, potential customers can easily…

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best golden hour landscape shots and, after working through all the entries, the winners have been selected. Both crowdvoted 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 difficult to select the best ones. 1ST PLACE WINNER Snowdonia Sunrise Photographer: Jay Birmingham Our comment: What a dramatic shot! This image represents everything we love about golden hour – great colour, detail and depth. The foreground rocks are beautifully highlighted. We love how the clouds seem to be illuminated from both above and below and the sun is perfectly exposed too. Well composed…

The Canon EOS R8 reminds us just how far Canon has come since launching the original EOS R nearly four years ago – and just how many cameras, for all different types of consumers, the R system now encompasses. The R8, despite being one numerical value below the APS-C-equipped Canon EOS R7, actually sports a full-frame sensor. Canon says that the R8 sits between the Canon EOS RP, its entry-level full-frame camera, and the Canon EOS R6 Mark II for serious enthusiasts and professionals. And the EOS R8 is certainly something of a Frankenstein’s monster out of the two, whether you see it is an upgraded RP or a down-specced R6 Mark II. In Canon’s DSLR ecosystem, the full-frame range doesn’t go any lower than the Canon EOS 6D Mark…

DOWNLOAD TEST SHOTS https://bit.ly/3TvyuL0 PRICE: £2,979/$2,899 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.90m WEIGHT: 1,365g Build and handling Long gone are the days when a 500mm lens weighed enough to sink a cruise ship. While superzooms have been around for some time, they have really found their place in the mirrorless era. This Canon RF mount lens is still on the large side but can easily be held with one arm and, in its retracted state, fits into most backpacks. The controls are a breeze to operate, especially with the zoom ring being wide and easy to grip. We also appreciated the Smooth-Tight ring switch, which allows the user to customise zoom rotation. The overall construction is excellent and it feels like a serious piece of pro kit. Performance Being an L-Series zoom, the quality…

Canon has officially confirmed that the EOS R1 is in development – and that it will be the flagship model. The news comes as little surprise, as it has been rumoured since the launch of the original Canon EOS R. The statement was made by Go Tokura, general manager of Canon’s Imaging Division, during an interview with Photo Trend. Asked about Canon’s current flagship camera, he replied: “If you look at our portfolio, our highestend case is the EOS R3, so we can say that is our flagship product,” he said. “But if you compare the EOS-1D with the EOS R3, you know it’s worthy of the ‘flagship’ designation because it’s equivalent in terms of Canon’s advanced features. Of course, the EOS R3 could claim the flagship title, but there’s…

Rumours about the appearance of the Nikon Z8 have been circulating since 2019 when it was revealed that Nikon placed a huge order for the same 61MP sensor found in the Sony A7R IV. Nikon has since fleshed out its Z system lineup, with entry-level cameras such as the Nikon Z50, mid-range models including the Nikon Z6 Mark II, and the professional powerhouse Nikon Z9. What is still missing from the lineup, however, is a resolutionfocused body. So, could this be the Z8? It seems likely that the Nikon Z8 will be a 61MP camera to match today’s 60+MP models, including the Sony A7R V, Sigma fp L and Leica M11. Little is known about the Z8, but with Nikon inviting all major camera dealers to an event in March,…

GET YOUR DISCOUNT Sugar Studios is offering Digital Photographer readers an exclusive 25 percent off studio hire. Use the code DPSUGAR25 when completing the booking form to redeem this offer. Sugar Studios, Greenwich Sugar Studios is located in the former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery building on the Greenwich Peninsula in south-east London. With four dedicated studio spaces, the team at the studio prides itself on versatility and supporting creatives. The studios also double up as dynamic event spaces. www.sugarstudios.co.uk @sugarstudiosgreenwich At one time, owning and running a photo studio was the ultimate goal for many professional photographers. Before the era of remote working and easy file sharing, having a fixed studio location on the High Street was essentially the only way of maintaining a sense of brand and of…

Difficulty level: Expert Time taken: 4 hours It is possible to turn night into day, capturing nighttime landscapes in a way that closely mimics what the eye sees, but also takes advantage of the bright light from a full moon. Using your camera’s astrophotography settings produces a surreal result – the scene looks as though it was shot in daylight but the giveaway is that stars are visible in the bright blue sky. The best time for shooting this technique is in the seven days around a full moon, with the full moon itself being optimal. A clear evening is also best so you can see the stars in the sky and, more importantly, so that the light from the moon isn’t significantly reduced by the moon being obscured by…

Any image can be transformed into a moody masterpiece, although those with some kind of dark moodiness to begin with will carry a more natural appearance after a reduction in exposure and saturation adjustments. That’s exactly the type of image we’ll work on here, and by darkening the image and saturation control, among other adjustments, we can create an image that looks as if it’s from a movie. 1 Process the RAW file Process your images as usual but without adjusting HSL, using Masking where necessary to apply localised adjustments. To add contrast, use the Medium Contrast preset with the Tone Curve – we’ll use this as a starting point for applying the matte effect in a later step. 2 Darken the image Reduce exposure by one or two stops…

The golden years of stock photography, when you could earn thousands from your images, may have passed, but if you are a photographer with a library of great images on your hard drive, it might still be worth submitting them to a stock site. You will no longer get rich from a few popular images but with the right type of work and strategy, you can earn a decent extra income. 1 Choose the right stock site Before you sign up with a stock site, it’s important to do some research and find the right site for your work and your expectations. Are you happy to sell lots of photos for a few pennies each or would you prefer fewer sales but with a higher average price? It’s important to…

Hi Cath, tell us about your business, IPSA, and what it is that you do… I’m a sustainability consultant and marketing strategist for ethical businesses, charities and NGOs. I enable business owners, founders and trustees to navigate complex issues and enable them to seek clarity on their purpose and direction, then I help them get there. Out of the services you offer, what would you recommend to photographers and how can it help their business? Photographers are often great at showcasing their portfolio of work but they aren’t so good at marketing to their target audiences. I’d recommend developing a marketing strategy that will specify their target audience and develop creative routes to target them. What advice would you give to any photographers who are starting out or those who…

International Garden Photographer of the Year The International Garden Photographer of the Year continues to be one of the world’s most highly respected photography competitions, particularly within the genres of garden, plant, flower and botanical photography. The competition is organised by Mirror Plate Media and supported by The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. The main exhibition is usually held annually at Kew, with a rolling programme of touring exhibitions in the UK and around the world. For more information, visit igpoty.com “IGPOTY covers garden, plant, flower and botanical photography”…

96 Top crop-sensor cameras Full-frame isn’t the only option for pro photography. Check out our roundup of the very best APS-C and Micro 4/3 mirrorless cameras and discover the best option for speed, quality and weight 104 Canon EOS R8 Evolution or revolution? Expert Gareth Bevan discovers if the latest Canon mirrorless offers a true bargain for the price compared to its other R-series siblings, the EOS RP and R6 Mark II 108 MacBook Pro 16 M2 Max 2023 Can any laptop really be worth the price of the latest Apple MacBook Pro? We put it through its paces to find out how it measures up 110 Lenses Every month, we take two professional optics out into the field to test their performance. This issue, we test the Canon RF…

PRO BIO Terry Mendoza discovered his passion for portrait photography when shooting his wife’s vintage clothing business. He recently launched Terry’s Headshots, specialising in actor and commercial headshots. retrophotostudio.co.uk terrysheadshots.co.uk Modernisation, such as the building of roads to formerly inaccessible areas, is influencing tribal dress and customs – and not in a good way. I set out to highlight the diversity of these tribes, in the hope that raising awareness may help to protect their cultures. My trips took me off the beaten track to small villages in Kenya, Angola, Ethiopia, South Sudan and India, camping in remote regions and travelling along barely used tracks or dry river beds to visit the tribes. I initiated each visit without my camera, so I could get to know my subjects first and…

Every month, we team up with Photocrowd – the world’s leading photography competition platform – to offer you the chance to win an Affinity Photo editing software licence (worth £60 for Mac or Windows) and have 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 need. For a chance to win, go to Photocrowd and discover our latest contest. It’s easy, free and fun – we love seeing your entries! Visit: www.photocrowd.com/digitalphotographer…

Sony has announced the ZV-E1, which it claims is the ‘world’s most compact and lightweight full-frame interchangeable lens camera’. The ZV-E1’s body looks like a combination of the Sony ZV-E10 and 7C cameras and it features weather sealing and a more premium design than previous ZV models. It shares the same processor as the A7S III, with a 12MP, back-side illuminated (BSI) sensor, that offers a huge 15+ stops of dynamic range and ISO from 80-102,400, which can be extended up to 409,600. This is paired with the Bionz XR processor and a separate dedicated AI chip, both from the latest Sony A7R V, that will power the autofocus and AI features of the ZV-E1. These new features include an AI-based Auto Framing mode that can track a person and…

Samyang has released full details of its second autofocus lens for the Fujifilm X-mount mirrorless system. The 75mm f/1.8 lens was first demonstrated at the CP+ trade show in Japan in March. Samyang released its first lens for the Fujifilm APS-C sensor system – the Samyang AF 12mm f/2 – at the end of 2021. As usual with Samyang lenses, it will be sold under the Rokinon brand in North America. However, the new Samyang 75mm f/1.8 X seems to be a completely new design for the system, in that it doesn’t currently appear to be available in any other mount. As it isn’t made for full-frame sensors, it is obviously different from the existing Sony-mount Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE. The Fujifilm version will have an equivalent focal length…

At Digital Photographer, we often advise our readers to spend time becoming familiar with all of the functions and features our cameras offer, highlighting the importance of this over getting the latest model. A new camera opens up possibilities, but these will go to waste if we don’t know the layout and menu structure well enough to make setting changes. Once you do, you can make rapid adjustments without taking an eye off the viewfinder. After a few months of using them, we probably think we know our cameras pretty well. But even if you have used it for several years, it is possible to find hidden treasure among the sub-menus and custom functions. As an experienced shooter, what tends to happen is that we use the same tools regularly…

ADAPT TO THE SITUATION If you can’t avoid reflections or shooting in the rain, then get creative. A well-placed reflection or extra raindrops can enhance your image, adding new visual layers and atmosphere. Think differently and play with blurring and sharpness, for example. Sometimes, the best subjects or most spectacular landscapes are right in front of us but we can’t access them. For example, when passing mountains, cliffs or bridges by car it may be too dangerous to leave the vehicle. Or, if you are travelling by coach or train, there is no way of stopping immediately. Taking photos as you pass is the only option, but this can also offer a new perspective of famous landmarks. Sitting in a car, bus or train has the advantage that the viewing…

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   Photographer: Ajith K Jose Title: Sunlight kissing through the foliage Location: Nelliyampathy, Kerala, India @akj_ajith About the shot: “Nelliyampathy Forest Reserve is blessed with immense flora and fauna, so I planned a photography trip there last year. An alarm call from the forest separated a young Bonnet macaque from his family. Fear, anxiety and sudden loneliness…

Website: www.apple.com Larger laptops, with their increased screen size, often make the best photo-editing and video-editing laptops. For the past few years, Apple’s top entry in this category has been the MacBook Pro 16 and now it’s back, having had a refresh with an all-new and all-powerful chip. Apple has designed what it calls the most powerful chip yet in its just over two-year-old endeavours into making its own in-house processors and, on paper, the M2 Max is a beast. Able to be configured up to an absolutely monstrous 38-core GPU, 96GB of unified memory and 400GB/s memory bandwidth, Apple claims that the new 16-inch M2 Max can be up to 2.5x faster in photo editing in Adobe Photoshop and 6.5x faster in video editing in Final Cut Pro than…

PRICE: £1,499/$1,298 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.38m WEIGHT: 516g Build and handling Sony has introduced the new FE 50mm f/1.4 as a replacement for the ageing Zeiss Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA, which is known for its clinical sharpness, bokeh capabilities and solid, high-quality build. The FE 50mm f/1.4 is a significant improvement in both size and weight over its predecessor – at just 516g, it is a third lighter. The lens is made of a hybrid of metal and plastic, a great design that is both compact and manageable. The focus ring is large and has a nice grippy texture. The aperture ring also has the option to turn clicking on or off with a separate switch, which is especially useful for videographers. Performance The autofocus on this lens is…