Amateur Photographer (2016-01-02)(TI Media)(GB)

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by  TI Media

Power Shot
Saturday 2 January 2016
G 5 XCanon’s best premium
TESTED
compact camera yet?
Passionate about photography since 1884
Small world
Our expert guide to shooting bugs using focus stacking
Front
runner
Craig Roberts
on why he thinks
foreground
interest is
overrated
Best
of the
RPS
Our picks from
the 158th print
exhibition
NS TEST We put the Fujifi lm 35mm f/2 through its paces
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7d ays
A week in photography
COVER PICTURE © MIKAEL BUCK Wttasiaubmkeco heeuc ,autr bnepaus ncaoth eltnuawhetnei wyorgee neca’ sshor saau to lrhblm ealitinetv mgtemheso i aaonrkterg e a sn y mitrnheTyc ep ehmihsmisos ie atnyosge s oeabusfro s, m oIpw keayhsnm he,d tra ephardltedah ra nd eonnrrni iitmv nhseghaas etn,t ieooo jt nunpsl s roiytin f nci mpttoh ammpepr ioednirrsage oor ntokro if n lgif e
In this issue special. Photographic ones can help to give when electricity is passed through them.
our hobby a greater sense of purpose and What’s your photographic resolution going to
10 Forget
direction. Last year I decided to shoot fi lm for be for 2016? If you’re stuck for ideas you’ll fi nd
foreground
the fi rst time in a decade. I bought a Nikon plenty of suggestions in this issue. Let us
Can a landscape image
FM2 and some Kodak Tri-X and off I went. know what you decide and how you get on.
still engage the viewer
without foreground You can fi nd out how I fared on page 8. Nigel Atherton, Editor
interest? Craig Roberts
believes it can JOIN US Like us on Join our Flickr group Follow us
20 High society ONLINE amateurphotographer.co.uk Fpahcoetobgoroakp.hceorm.m/Aamgaaztienuer. aamt fla itcekurr.pchomot/oggrroaupphse/r o@nA TPw_iMttaegrazine
We take a look at some of
the best images from the
ONLINE PICTURE OF THE WEEK
158th Royal Photographic
Society print exhibition
27 Bitten by the bug
Discover a hidden world,
as Mikael Buck shows you
how to shoot incredible
close-up images
36 Photo insight
Robert Canis discusses
his lengthy commitment
to photographing a badger
sett, and how he achieved
his goal
38 Evening class
4 2 PEppCPWcPapMoivhrhohmciooaenoowtoIcnhntttetwneeroooi edornas-gsro Sl gesenarhswha idteno,nsro e piypttogttSa-h hhi r RnlgGeeptehtgsuir h5r l.eC o reo oanCuoXbayuntft a nlMiph ted lsop Gulum y anhuptso r y5smsoiutsa sii r nisXtt c - ta l © PHILIP WILSON IMAGES MAY BE USED FOR PROMOTION PURPOSES ONLINE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Untitled by Philip Wilson
to the test
Nikon D3200, 18mm, 1/100sec at f/5, ISO 200
51 Fujinon XF
35mm f/2 R WR Sometimes we can utilise art surreal, daunting and isolated feeling
Win!
and photography in an attempt to that comes with the condition.’ Each week we choose our favourite
Michael Topham pairs the
communicate something that is Sleep paralysis is a subject that picture on Facebook, Flickr or
XF 35mm f/2 R WR up with
perhaps diffi cult to describe through seems to be getting a lot of the reader gallery using #appicoftheweek.
Fujifi lm’s X-T10 to fi nd out
words. Such is the case with this coverage at the moment, with PermaJet proudly supports the online picture
how it shapes up against
unusual image by Philip Wilson. fi lms and music taking this often of the week winner, who will receive a
the older XF 35mm f/1.4 R
‘My photography often refl ects frightening condition as inspiration. top-quality print of their image on the finest
Regulars a dream-like state infl uenced by If you would like to see your PermaJet paper. It is important to bring
my own experiences with sleep images in print, upload your shots images to life outside the digital sphere, so we
3 7 days
paralysis,’ says Philip. ‘Throughout to our Facebook, Flickr, Twitter encourage everyone to get printing today! Visit
16 Inbox my work I have tried to recreate the and online gallery pages. www.permajet.com to learn more.
32 Reader portfolio
40 Accessories Send us your pictures
If you’d like to see your work published in Amateur Photographer, here’s how to send us your images:
55 Technical
Email Email a selection of low-res images (up to 5MB of attachments in total) to [email protected].
support
CD/DVD Send us a disc of high-resolution JPEG, TIFF or PSD images (at least 2480 pixels along its longest length), with a contact sheet, to the address on page 17.
82 Final analysis
Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or the gallery on our website. See details above.
Transparencies/prints Well-packaged prints or slides (without glass mounts) should be sent by Special Delivery, with a return SAE, to the address on page 17.
NEWS ROUND-UP
The week in brief, edited by Chris Cheesman
Mamiya buyout
Phase One has taken over Mamiya Digital Imaging Company (MDI),
having held 45% of shares in the camera maker since 2009. This
has led to the formation of Phase One Japan. Appointed president
Makoto Honda said: ‘Phase
One Japan is
committed to
developing new and
custom-designed
masterpiece
leaf-shutter optics.’
Terms of the deal
were not disclosed.
Envy-driven editing
Around one in three Britons edits
photos before posting them online,
a survey has claimed. According to
a poll of 10,000 people across the
UK by Digitalab, almost a fifth
(19.6%) edited photos to enhance
their professional image and
©18.1% to make themselves look
PIXABAYmore attractive.
Leica S upgrade
The AF speed and precision of the Leica S has been boosted via a
new firmware update. Leica S (Typ 007) firmware update 2.0.0.1 is
also designed to optimise
white balance with
manually entered colour
temperature values.
This should help deliver
more precise skin-tone
rendition when using
flash. For full details visit
uk.leica-camera.com.
Lytro ‘breakthrough’
Lt‘bhyreter aIolk lhutahmsr o iltua gcuhlna cdihmeepsdt wha-i letlod doiteli lnfiovgre’ r © MIKAEL BUCK/SONY
capabilities’. The Desktop 5.0
update features DepthFX that, WEEKEND PROJECT
claims Lytro, makes chroma-
keying unnecessary. Chroma-key 1
Start a photo project Think very carefully about
editing allows a coloured
the subject matter you’re
background to be replaced with a
going to base your project
background of choice. Lytro Desktop 5.0 for the Lytro Illum is free Every time you get an opportunity to get out with on. It’s a good idea to have a
for Windows users from http://illum.lytro.com/desktop. your camera, rather than aimlessly shooting for the keen interest in whatever it is
sake of it, why not set yourself the challenge of a you’re planning to shoot. This
Drone backpack long-term project that you can work on and build will help you when things may
up over the course of this year? While there’s no not go as planned.
The Manfrotto D1 Drone denying the joy of capturing a stunning one-off
Backpack ‘all-in-one’ carry image, a coherent body of work will produce a
2
system is designed for quadcopters much more satisfying sense of achievement. Think about the access
such as the DJI Phantom 3. It also Shooting a photo project off ers a number of you need – if it’s going
has room for a DSLR, a laptop and benefi ts, and does away with the ever-occurring to be a mission to get
a tripod. The drone propellers problem of what to shoot. It should keep your into somewhere or find people
sit outside the bag. The D1 motivation high, as enthusiasm for the project will to photograph every time you
Drone Backpack costs drive you on. Ultimately, if you’re passionate about want to go out and shoot, the
£159.95. For details visit your subject, this should carry through to your project will die a death before
www.manfrotto.co.uk. images and make you a stronger photographer. you’ve even started.
4 2 January 2016 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555
BIG
picture
British photographer
explores the Vatnajökull
glacier in Iceland
The image you see here
is part of a series of
photographs taken in Iceland’s
otherworldly ice caverns. The
cave’s bright-blue and bubble-like
walls almost resemble an
underwater scene. Many of the
other images capture fl owing
waterfalls, crystal-clear crevasses
and icy tunnels. Icelandic guide
Einar Runar Sigurdsson and
British photographer Mikael Buck,
(who, incidentally, photographed
the cover this week) explored the
world of Iceland’s Vatnajökull
glacier using Sony’s back-
illuminated full-frame sensor
featured in the small-form Alpha
7R II camera. The images were
taken without a tripod and were
not pan-stitched in post. For
contrast, take a look at Mikael’s
macro work on pages 27-29.
Words & numbers
Photography
takes an instant
out of time,
altering life by
holding it still
3
Consider the style and A moody shot of Aldeburgh
approach you’re going to beach in Suffolk, for Dorothea Lange
apply to the project – example, could be the start
of a photo project in 2016 American documentary
experiment with some 1pho8tographer
techniques before you commit, 1895-1965
and test out two or three ideas
before you decide on your
chosen project.
4
Consider how many
images you want to
end up with and if a
narrative is required. Think
about how long you’re going to
give yourself to complete the new sizes of Marumi fi lters
pshroajreec tt haen dse hto owf fyionua li nimteangde tso. © PHIL HALL K(3e7nmrom. V-1i0s5itm wmw)w la.kuenncrhoe.cdo .buyk
subscribe 0330 333 4555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 2 January 2016 5
Londoners
‘least happy’
in selfi es
LONDONERS have
the gloomiest faces in
© DON McCULLIN, COURTESY HAMILTONS GALLERY, LONDON sousLheeoolfass TMlfepnsefith idpdweowxe y osrafhc a e,n‘r fisetaca eeeiLreecc relotcfies-so n oe rws whede’rc.eadocositrdotirnyenal gd’et g bphpnwr ltiseiircstoio d ihtto‘ juhleae entra. cahs enttsad u tt d y
A Palestinian woman returning to ruins of her house in Sabra, Beirut, Lebanon, 1982 wearing glasses (29%
compared to 18% in
Digital photos ‘can’t be other cities).
The capital also had
the most people with
their eyes closed.
trusted’, says McCullin The team analysed
152,462 Instagram
images taken in central
London from 21-27
September 2015.
DIGITAL photography can be a 2015, the Australia-based Nikon- The project also studied
‘lying experience’, says famed Walkley Awards was forced to Bangkok, Berlin ,New York,
war photographer Don McCullin. issue a statement about an altered São Paulo and Moscow.
Speaking at an event to promote image after photographer David Selfi ecity London forms
PHpnwetaogxehhho Spoxotoouhplt ttals eoeeeoMeinn g a I tLaaerirkhnoaabydiin n,qpnlL egMtg dhohwd eoencca arhnadCatr irwno hum2lzi’nilieot0sll li,tr n nb 1d,tow eaeM6ae hs k dca teceeari dseCu rftceeie souSeewd tnltoevnl:h i enydmt‘teTroen .e’ he atr srerse sst ‘tefia u rtgr sent © DON McCULLIN, COURTESY HAMILTONS GALLERY, LONDON Cmp‘sofdrefhaoo aAAeIoimcsrnmtstdrt io topaf Wihaginreuneirrglnola iaa lbegrdayptlaen’ dvih rectded ewxPsk r arpto torr aegehwfi sk nigso2ma ets2ets0ls oyar0 P 1as ggoeh0at5renenoac6,s d tkpLt,oe,o e ehwtrra dhbg.er he Reaadfilco nne eiahmriouas ndtsepeei.ragrsdcsi t ’ta lly pSr2uao0nrm1ts 6 oeu.frn sateinlt 2eH8xoh uFibseeibti,ro wunah aricyt h
hand’, rather than having to rely on Near Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, 1961 a code of ethics in a bid to ensure
images published by the media. entrants provide an ‘accurate and
McCullin’s comments came soon However, not everyone agrees with fair representation of the scene
after Reuters confi rmed it had McCullin’s remarks, including AP they witnessed so the audience
Subscribe to
banned freelance photographers forum user RogerMac, who pointed is not misled’.
from sending images as raw fi les. out that fi lm images were not The guidelines state, for example,
Reuters moved to tackle immune to manipulation. ‘The only that entrants must ensure there
photographers’ use of image thing that seems to have changed are no material changes to content
enhancement by demanding is that with digital it has become and they do not ‘intentionally
freelance photographers send easier,’ he wrote. contribute to, or alter, the scene
in only images as JPEGs. Fellow forum user Benchista they picture by re-enacting or SAVE
A Reuters UK spokesman told posted: ‘He’s quite right about digital staging events’.
AP: ‘As eyewitness accounts of photography. He’s simply omitted Last year, one in fi ve images that 43%*
events covered by dedicated and to say the same thing about fi lm reached the penultimate round of
responsible journalists, Reuters photography. There’s never been any World Press Photo were rejected
Pictures must refl ect reality. While guarantee of truth in photography.’ on grounds that manipulation
we aim for photography of the Digital manipulation of press compromised their integrity. Visit amateurphotographer
highest aesthetic quality, our goal is photos has led to controversy in Twenty entries were stopped subs.co.uk (or see page 34)
not to artistically interpret the news.’ recent years. In November from reaching the fi nal stages. * when you pay by UK Direct Debit
6 2 January 2016 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555
Get up & go
The most interesting things to see, to do
and to shoot this week. By Oliver Atwell
LONDON
© ASHLEY WEE
Ashley Wee bagged the £5,000 award with this shot of a turtle in the Bahamas
Amateur scoops Out of © ALEC SOTH
Gathered Leaves: Photographs by Alec Soth
the Blue photo award
Recently described by The Telegraph as the greatest living
photographer of America’s social and geographical landscape, Alec
AN IMAGE of a turtle graduate who had spotted judges, said: ‘What Soth is showing his work at the Science Museum, including his
surfacing for air has a group of six or seven immediately captivated experimental approach to books, magazines and digital forms.
won the Out of the Blue turtles while snorkelling me… was the implied Until 28 March, £8, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
photography competition – said: ‘As we drifted vulnerability of the animal.
fptwohhirAeto h as£t hoaC5lgnea,r 0yinam 0paWadh0egiea eetrno., s p2ah m6per, a iwzteeo unr wtdpmhriisaetethissunieenrt bna tauiecn erdfeet ldabwes ys a f t hewhqeueeutmryi eeo at f nn ato hnted m , Ttsimolhig ‘peItnhhl in teemlye ds ca okgknpya y,se s ttwnphre aeaftoy ncmsrhd , aoe ftoiudhr.rt e uhm p e, MANCHESTER LONDON © LEE MILLER ARCHIVES
captured off the coast natural demeanour. this embodies the state of
of Nassau, Bahamas. ‘One in particular our oceans: vast, simple
The environmental caught my attention, but vulnerable.’ Photo Walk
photography contest as it was bobbing at the Ashley received her
was organised by the surface. It made me think award from the Prince of If you’re in the area, then why
Prince of Wales’s about this animal and Wales at the Maritime not go for a photographic Lee Miller
International Sustainability how it was affected by Museum in Malta. walking tour in Manchester
Unit and was open to things both above and To view the best entries with photography tutor and It’s not often we get to see
Commonwealth citizens. below the ocean.’ from the competition, writer Aidan O’Rourke. The Lee Miller’s incredible images
Commenting on the Hanli Prinsloo, a visit http://outoftheblue walk combines handy tips for hanging on gallery walls, so
photo, Ashley – a biology freediver and one of the competition.com. improving your photography take a look now at Lee Miller:
with a lovely sightseeing tour A Woman’s War at the Imperial
of the great city. War Museum, London.
44% of Brits have ‘lost’ a digital photo
10 January, www.aidan.co.uk/ Until 24 April, £5-7,
manchester-photo-walk www.iwm.org.uk
ALMOST half of © to never having printed.
digitaBlr iimtisahg aeds,u alt sJ ehsasvoep lso’s t GETTY IMAGES saJide:s ‘sIto ips ss tCaEgOge Nrienigl Othladt RUTLAND Birdwatching
survey has revealed. so many of us have lost These three-hour walks are led by Terry
Jessops said: ‘44% of some of our precious Mitcham, the bird recorder of Rutland
British adults have lost digital photos, while Natural History Society, and a very
a digital photo that they have lost digital photos ironically photos stashed experienced birdwatcher and author. This
wish they had printed, due to technology in old boxes by parents could be just what you need to brush up
wh“aaictrhcd idw“leoansrietna”g lla/ybn drdee alektiinngg cpchohamontpogase tssib,a leveeg wd o itnldho dtn ibegweitia nlg astniTldl hh geer rsaeun rdtvopedayar yoe.fn’ 2ts, 1a9re2 © TERRY MITCHAM eo2nv9e Jynoatunsru bairryd, pwhwotwo.grruatplahny.dwater.org.uk/
the photos” being the technology.’ adults, which was carried
mo(2f oJ0loes%tss iscn oeogpam dcs hmiag)di.ot’danle wpdha: yo‘Msto osr e (pm8hoL%oent)sot hss aa, ttaihd nlae tdnah smeotyn oo eprn ericni net htt eaaan n oNt‘mhuoeotv blbeaiymlue Ynb-coferhurie ,G ocnfood vJiln yeicn’s iw sdoeepbdss ’wi teit h DWofhtoeilnne- hD Maornr coMwCciuCngul lldliionnc iusm kennotws no fb ewsatr ,f othr ihsi s SOMERSET © JOEL MEADOWS
than one in ten (12%) one in fi ve (21%) admitted for ordering prints. Hauser & Wirth exhibition, called Conflict
– People – Landscape, also finds space to
For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk display his more recent work.
Until 31 January, www.hauserwirth.com
subscribe 0330 333 4555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 2 January 2016 7
Viewpoint
New Books
Nigel Atherton
The latest and best books from the
world of photography. By Oliver Atwell
Nigel Atherton refl ects on how his recent
re-acquaintance with the classic Nikon
FM2 has taught him a few things
about his older self
E
arlier this year, I went back to my lot more toing and froing of the focus
photographic youth and bought ring as I struggle to differentiate between
a Nikon FM2. I bought it not just almost in focus and pin sharp. I fi nd myself
to shoot fi lm with after more wishing it had focus peaking, like modern
than a decade of digital capture, but also to EVFs do. With moving subjects my hit rate
get back to basics with an all-manual is poor – although I don’t, of course, get
camera after years of using, effectively, a to fi nd out just how poor until much later.
Mexican Crime Photographs
computer with a lens on the front. Which leads me to my second point.
I love technology, but I’ve also missed Technology has made me impatient. By Stefan Ruiz, Gost Books, £26.36, hardback,
the purity of the FM2. Perhaps it’s the I’ve become so used to instant, pixel- 188 pages, ISBN 978-1-91040-104-0
nostalgia that it evokes for simpler times. based gratifi cation that it’s frustrating FLEA markets and second-hand stores
It’s a beautiful camera and, if anything, it not being able to see immediately the can offer treasures. Time and again
has grown more attractive with age. That shots I’ve just taken. So much so, that throughout the world we have seen
isn’t just my opinion – it turns heads when I’ve taken to duplicating on my iPhone the incredible discoveries of images and
I’m out with it in a way that no DSLR does. pictures I shoot on the FM2. Sometimes documents of historic worth tossed out
Film still has much to recommend it. For the iPhone version has been on Facebook by people either ignorant or uncaring
a start, it liberates the user from digital’s within minutes. of their value. This book, a series of images from the
endless decision-making, the pages of Until recently we had no choice but to archive of photographer and collector Stefan Ruiz, is a
menus and multitudinous buttons to wait for our pictures until we could get to perfect example. It was in 2010 that Stefan made his
check to ensure that they’re set correctly, a lab or our darkroom, but now we’re discovery as he was browsing the stalls of La Lagunilla,
and the tyranny of constant battery spoilt. The waiting game forced upon me one of Mexico City’s largest fl ea markets. Over the
charging. It offers freedom from the need by the FM2 is fun for a while, but short following months, he purchased hundreds of these
for a computer, and the time-sucking of a zombie apocalypse (or, more prints, many of which consisted of mugshots and
chore of post-processing. realistically, a mental detox from the crimes in progress. Each of the images was taken from
But in using the FM2 I have also learned high-speed pace of modern life) I could the 1950s to the 1970s. On the surface, this is a book
things about myself. First, manual focusing never permanently forego the instant that features some interesting vintage images, but on a
with an SLR is no longer the joy to me feedback of digital capture any more than deeper level the collection illustrates a society that, in
that it once was when my eyesight was I could re-adapt to having to traipse to the eyes of the rest of the world, is unfairly defi ned by
better and my subjects snapped crisply the library to fi nd information, instead of its criminal element. It’s also a nice look at how easily
into focus on the ground-glass screen at having the entire internet on the phone we elect our villains to status of hero. It’s diffi cult not
the turn of the lens. Nowadays there’s a in my pocket. to feel a tinge of seduction when fl icking through the
mugshots. This really is a fascinating and nicely
+++++
produced book, and well worth your time.
Penn Station, New York
By Louis Stettner, Thames & Hudson, £35,
hardback, 112 pages, ISBN 978-0-50054-450-1
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE OR TIME INC. (UK) D50o0 y wouo rhdasv teo stohme aedthdirnegss y oonu ’pda lgikee 1 7t oa ngde tw oifnf ay oyuera rc’hs edsigt?it Sael nsudb ussc ryipotuior nth toou AgPh, tws oinr tahr o£7u9n.d99 +eomnHodiFactmholxfoeremo aaiimawa+ragswitmnoglrti ssnmwsetest+w sa,avwta is u lwloeial a nni +taftrronhbeodh.,tr ndashrAr,et + thstmtl ay tyhrs he, tasw h te,hgaa chaaaph LmSidPiurntgmsep or oOocnedsr hr oeepwe attehctn otUjirmsrrisemgurpo nnueso ieuIbcenmrogtb ScmjealeSestls t ltee i , ied, sutmSci nao owsreatewn trti shf fid ntpetaetnn t deiehPsmos oe stotoi o t setna hfhndphrNwnce ecitttota .lraaoei mua a hueo Wvtictpsm rtnmwone neoo fotbtcio gshr s nusanaeretaYee rri yhergsvlonocamno eee.ia aie ftdapnsgar nTd snssts kmteheneh h b h .tfi’ itrw yo s-soneeoTieoeie.m m gt re hotn fhdTtbs thsa rhikmeooptthe slperehaaa e woerdi–a gai sc te sns rm1eitc -onk eo tfcoooalev 9e ayeaxnNao &tan c ct5ps sv jalyindoeeslr t toiee0newotei ti weronslanitcad ianlshehvhwln ltsr t Yi.iimiaaetn iwessnotovhoet.n.d gen ro eier tdk rkds to ko f
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Distant subjects
The brain can be made to ignore the lack
of foreground if the main focal point is
strong enough to draw the eye to it
without an obvious beginning. The other
job of foreground is to give balance
to the scene, so the main focal point
doesn’t dominate the picture. Landscape
photography is all about balance, but as
we work our way to the horizon, the
main subject may still be quite small
within the frame and therefore not
shout for attention, despite having
the picture to itself.
A strong focal point often eliminates
the need for any prominent foreground
feature. Even a bare foreground, if
relevant to the overall image, can be
used effectively in this way. Let your main
focal point draw the viewer in, but in
such a way that it is slow and considered.
Forget
Foreground
Can a landscape image still engage the viewer without
foreground interest? Craig Roberts believes it can