Amateur Photographer - October 10, 2015

84 Pages·2015·18.51 MB·English

F u j i X-T 1
Saturday 10 October 2015
Read our long-term test
of the CSC everyone wants
Focus on
Passionate about photography since 1884
Heather Angel reveals
the secrets of her latest project
Expert guide to
Light
painting
TESTED
Cokin
Nuances
ND f lters
LOCATION GUIDE Jeremy Walker explores the abandoned slate mines of Cwmorthin

7d ays
A week in photography
NGEL Working at AP is a bit like other so that we can form an overall opinion.
© HEATHER A bTehienrge ’as ac hsieledm inin ag slyw eenedt lsehsosp . Sexinpceer iwenec aelsl whaev cea dni ftfheernen bte isntt ienrfeosrtms a ynodu .
COVER PICTURE souupt.p Wly eo of fnteewn sepqeunipdm weenetk teon dtrsy reSsoomnaetteism, aens da wpiee cfi en odf oeuqrusieplmveesn ats rkeianlgly t he
taking images with a new camera, or trying manufacturer if we can borrow their kit for
In this issue
out a new tripod. It’s all part of the job. a specifi c project or article we have planned.
11 Expert guide to Some items strike more of a chord than This gives us even more opportunity to assess
light painting others, and there are products so good that on the camera, just as Callum McInerney-Riley
Painting with light is a Monday morning we rush in to tell everyone has done on pages 44-47 with his long-term
a great way to give your
else about them, or show off the images we’ve review of the Fujifi lm X-T1.
images a creative twist.
taken. We share our experiences with each Richard Sibley, deputy editor
Three master light painters
share their secrets
JOIN US Like us on Join our Flickr group Follow us
22 Secret life Facebook.com/Amateur. at fl ickr.com/groups/ on Twitter
ONLINE
of plants amateurphotographer.co.uk photographer.magazine amateurphotographer @AP_Magazine
Heather Angel explains
the techniques she’s used
ONLINE PICTURE OF THE WEEK
for her fi ve-year project
on plant pollination MEDIA
32 LJeorecmay tWiaolkne rg euxpildorees ND ON SOCIAL
34 tiRSnhp eeCo wtaalbmidgahonertdt orohnni npe ,rd eoW asraldatleetfresso ’m liinoes MOTION PURPOSES ONLINE A
40 etEhxvecyee lclneanpittn uimrgead cg telhsae masns d how MAY BE USED FOR PRO
Martin Evening sorts out MAGES
I
your photo-editing and
post-processing problems
44 Fujif lm X-T1
Callum McInerney-
Riley rates his in-depth
experience with the
Fujifi lm X-T1 after using
it for almost a year
48 Cokin Nuances
ANreD C of klint’es rlastest neutral- © IAIN BROOKS
density fi lters better than
Green Castle Mist by Iain Brooks
the Big Stopper? Michael
Topham fi nds out
Nikon D7000, 17-50mm, 1/2sec at f/11, ISO 100
51 Zeiss Batis WWiinn!!
This atmospheric image was sunrise over the Cairngorm EEaacchh wweeeekk wwee cchhoooossee oouurr
25mm f/2
uploaded to our Flickr pool by AP mountains. I looked onto the favourite picture on Facebook,
Michael Topham couples reader Iain Brooks. ‘I’ve wanted to landscape and noticed the mist Flickr or Twitter (#appicoftheweek). PermaJet
the Zeiss Batis 25mm capture the castle ruins surrounded rolling in. Seeing my chance, proudly supports the online picture of the
f/2 lens with the Sony by mist at Scotland’s Loch Morlich I packed up and rushed to Loch an week winner, who will receive a top-quality
Alpha 7R II to test if it’s for a few years now,’ says Iain. Eilein and luckily the conditions were print of their image on the finest PermaJet
the ideal wideangle for ‘However, every time I was there the exactly what I’d always hoped for. paper. It is important to bring images to life
full-frame users conditions were never exactly right. I set up in two feet of water to get outside the digital sphere, so we encourage
Regulars During one trip I was all set up on this shot. Unfortunately, not thinking everyone to get printing today! Visit
Loch Morlich’s shore to catch the ahead meant I forgot my wellies!’ www.permajet.com to learn more.
3 7 days
18 Inbox
Send us your pictures
42 Accessories If you’d like to see your work published in Amateur Photographer, here’s how to send us your images:
Email Email a selection of low-res images (up to 5MB of attachments in total) to [email protected].
55 Technical
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 19.
support
Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or the gallery on our website. See details above.
82 Final analysis 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 19.
NEWS ROUND-UP
The week in brief, edited by Chris Cheesman
©
IVOR PRICKETT
Taylor Wessing fi nalists
A photograph of a displaced Iraqi family who fled their village near
Mosul after Isis took control is one of four images shortlisted for
the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015. The photo,
by London-based Ivor Prickett, shows Amira and her children in
northern Iraq in September 2014. It was one of four selected from
nearly 5,000 entries. The results will be announced in November.
Drone ‘hobbyist’ banned
A drone enthusiast who
flew his device over
Buckingham Palace and
the Houses of Parliament has
been banned in the first prosecution
of its kind in the UK. Nigel Wilson, 42, from
Nottingham, was fined £1,800, ordered to
pay £600 costs and banned from buying,
IMAGE FOR ILLUSTRATION owning or flying a drone for two years.
PURPOSES ONLY
CyberLink revamps software
CyberLink has revamped its photo-editing software. PhotoDirector
7 provides raw-format support for the latest cameras. Features
include ‘Photo Merge: Panorama’, which is designed to automatically
create seamless panorama images without the need for cropping,
and ‘Content-Aware Object Removal’. PhotoDirector 7 costs from
£49.99, for the Windows-only version. Visit www.cyberlink.com.
WARD
© ED
Olympus assembly in Vietnam
WEEKEND PROJECT
Olympus may assemble
more cameras in Vietnam,
where labour costs are Keep it simple 1A wideangle lens isn’t
lower, Olympus president necessarily your best
Hiroyuki Sasa says. The option here. A telephoto
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark Complex compositions with many elements all lens is often a better bet as it
II (left), is already made f ghting for your attention can of en make a shot will allow you to isolate your
there, with more models unsuccessful, as the eye doesn’t have anywhere to desired subject much more
possibly to follow. rest, and the overall feel can be rather chaotic. easily and maintain the purity
With this in mind, why not shoot an image that of the composition.
360° video editing has been stripped back to the bare bones, keeping
your composition as simple as possible? By adopting
2
Magix Movie Edit Pro 2016 Plus, £69.99, is the philosophy of less is more, your images can take Be bold with your
designed to enable users to import video on a much more tranquil, ref ective mood thanks to framing. You don’t have
from 360°cameras such as the Ricoh Theta. the pared-back arrangement of elements. to fill the frame with
Features include image stabilisation, which It goes without saying that this method requires a foreground interest or follow
aims to remove ‘unwanted movements, considered approach. You’ll have to survey the the rule of thirds. Position the
dampen CMOS sensor errors and smooth scene to exclude the elements that will clutter your point of interest in the centre
out unstable camera pans…’ For details shot. Head out with a clear mind and a fresh pair of of the frame, for example, to
visit www.magix.com/gb/movie-edit-pro. eyes and you’ll be surprised what you can achieve. break the classic rule.
4 10 October 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555
BIG
picture
Daredevil photographer
scales New York
buildings with DSLR
If you’re scared of heights,
look away now. Edward,
a photographer from Brooklyn,
New York, USA, lives life on the
edge, quite literally, using his
Canon EOS 5D Mark III. The
30-year-old freelancer is a
self-confessed ‘roof-topping’
photographer who admits he has
a fair chance of being seriously
hurt or killed in pursuit of a
passion that has seen him scale
the Waldorf and the Four Seasons
Hotels. Edward – who has asked
that his surname is not published
– is quite clear where he stands,
in a legal sense as well as a
physical one. ‘Roof-topping is
highly dangerous and is illegal,’ he
says. He also claims that he has
always been scared of heights…
Words & numbers
Your fi rst
10,000
photographs
are your
worst
3
Long exposures A minimal landscape can
automatically lend convey as powerful a Henri Cartier-Bresson
themselves to message as one that
contains many elements French photographer
minimalist scenes, with the
(1908-2004)
extended exposure forcing
clouds and water into blurred 30%
scotrnedaiktiso nosf maroev reimghetn.t if the SOURCE: KODAK ALARIS
4
Some scenes are
naturally suited to this
style of photography,
but the weather is just as
important. Overcast, misty
conditions can be ideal for of people in the UK worry
scotrmipppoinsgit iboanc tko etlheem menintism oufm a. © PHIL HALL tthheeiyr wimoang’te bse in a bthlee tfou tf unrde
subscribe 0330 333 4555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 10 October 2015 5
The ‘Haze Removal’
function helps achieve
a sharper image
Nikon opens
Film Festival
NIKON has issued a
call to amateur and
professional fi lmmakers to
enter its European Film
Festival. The contest’s
theme is ‘Everyday
Moments’, and fi lms
submitted can be up to
140 seconds long.
This year’s jury is headed
up by Asif Kapadia (above),
the fi lmmaker behind Amy,
the documentary about
the life of Amy Winehouse.
Films should be in English
Elements update adds
or have English subtitles,
and be shot in HD format.
Sub-categories include
4K and Haze Removal Best Narrative, Technical
Excellence, Best Student
Entry and People’s Choice,
and each winner will receive
ADOBE has released the latest a Nikon D750 fi lm kit.
versions of the stripped-down The Grand Prix winner
Elements versions of its Photoshop will receive a Nikon D810
photo-editing software and Premiere DSLR and an all-expenses-
video-editing software. paid networking trip to the
The new version of Photoshop Cannes Film Festival.
Elements introduces one-click Entries can be submitted
removal of blur caused by camera online from 13 October
shake, as well as a new ‘Haze 2015 to 15 January 2016.
Removal’ function that can be Visit www.nikonfi lmfestival.
applied with one click or fi ne com for further details.
tuned with sliders.
Elsewhere there are Guided Edits
to help newbies through the task of
eeddiittiinngg tthheeiirr iimmaaggeess,, aanndd aa ‘‘QQuuiicckk
Removing backgrounds is straightforward with the new version of Elements
Edit’ function to streamline basic editing, and new motion titles make
adjustments such as image rotation. it easy to add animated text and
The new version of Premiere graphics to movies.
Subscribe to
Elements, meanwhile, brings the In both programs, users can use
capacity for users to edit and view the Elements Organizer to tag and
high-resolution 4K movies, which catalogue videos and images by
can be easily exported in formats for factors such as the people in them
viewing on any device or screen. or the place they were shot.
It also offers movie editors the Both Adobe Photoshop Elements
chance to make their footage pop by 14 and Adobe Premiere Elements SAVE
pushing individual colours in a scene, 14 are separately available to buy
or to add drama with slow-motion either as an upgrade for £64.81, 42%*
and fast-motion effects. or in their full versions for £79.10.
Audio features are brought into Alternatively, you can purchase the
one place for convenient audio pair in a bundle, costing £98.16 for
Visit amateurphotographer
an upgrade and £119.14 for the full
Adobe Photoshop Elements is available versions. Visit www.adobe.com for subs.co.uk (or see page 28)
as an upgrade or as a full version more details. * when you pay by UK Direct Debit
66 10 October 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555
The GoPro
Hero+ comes Get up & go
with Bluetooth
and Wi-Fi
connectivity
The most interesting things to see, to do
and to shoot this week. By Jon Stapley
VARIOUS
W.PHOTO-NATUR.DE
W
W
NDREAS TREPTE,
© A
Winter birds
As we slide inexorably towards winter, we’ll start seeing the arrival
of migrating birds from further north as they make their temporary
Af ordable GoPro Hero+ homes in the UK. Ready your camera for shots of many different
species of bird, from winter thrushes, including redwing (above)
and fieldfare, to the stalwart robin.
with Wi-Fi announced
Ongoing throughout winter, countrywide
SCOTLAND HAMPSHIRE ©
THHeEro N+ EoWffe Grso aP ro i3m0pfrposv oefm theen to oring itnhael Hero torfi mvimdeinogs. and sharing CARL TAYLOR
fully-functioning action model), and is also Additional photo modes
camera at a competitive capable of capturing include timelapse and
price, with the added 8-million-pixel stills. As 5fps, while auto-low-light
bonus of Bluetooth and you’d expect from GoPro, mode adjusts for optimal
Wi-Fi connectivity. it’s also waterproof up to low-light performance. Scottish landscapes Triggersmart
Expanding the Hero depths of 40m. The GoPro QuikCapture
seminar
Get in your best photos of
range, the new GoPro The Wi-Fi and mode is also incorporated,
the Scottish landscape for
Hero+ is a basic, no-frills Bluetooth connectivity allowing users to power up Learn everything you need to
a chance to win a cut from
version of the Hero+ LCD, allow users to join and start recording with know about camera and flash
a prize fund of over £10,000.
removing the touchscreen the camera with a the camera with the press triggering at this workshop held
Specific awards include best
but retaining wireless smartphone via the GoPro of a single button. by Flaghead Photographic and
portfolio, best seascape and
connectivity. app, which in turn allows The new GoPro Hero+ Double Exposure Photographic
best urban landscape.
It shoots 1080p and for remote control of the will cost £170, and is in Bournemouth.
720p video at 60fps (an camera as well as instant available from 4 October. Until 16 November, 10 October,
www.slpoty.co.uk www.flaghead.co.uk
Ricoh announces Pentax 24-70mm
Infl uence and Intimacy
LONDON
RICOH has revealed the HD Pentax-D FA Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Julia
24-70mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR, bolstering its Margaret Cameron’s birth, the Science
lfeunll-s flrianme-eu pD SinL pRr.eparation for its forthcoming M, BRADFORD Mexuhsibeiutmio’ns dMraewdina fSrpoamc et hper ewsoernldts’s a lna rgest
The new zoom follows Ricoh revealing that its MUSEU collection of her photographs, including the
long-awaited Pentax full-frame DSLR will fi nally The new zoom brings Pentax’s MEDIA only existing print of her portrait ‘Iago’ (left).
mbeaekne sitlast deedb fuotr itnh esp ernindg o2f 0th1i6s ,y heaavr.i ng originally full-frlainmee--ucpo mtop eaigtihbtle lens © NATIONAL Uwnwtiwl .2s8c Mieanrccehm 2u0s1e6u,m.org.uk
The 24-70mm f/2.8 includes a Supersonic
Direct-drive Motor (SDM) for autofocus, Lee Miller: A Woman’s War
LONDON
weather-resistant construction, and HD coating.
It comprises 17 elements in 12 groups, including Miller’s remarkable photographic career
three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) optical elements, for Vogue magazine gets a deserved
one anomalous dispersion glass aspherical and comprehensive tribute at London’s
element and three aspherical elements. Imperial War Museums. Starting this ND 2015
foFrTo h£re1 ,tl1eh4n9es .w 9lai9ll t.bees atv anileabwle sfr vomis liatt ew Owctowbe.ar mateurphotographer.co.uk melFiranoorgnlmeyt r hw1in,5 ogi trO kacc fowttoveiebtrhrmes rs a,eutvhrer eorayf tltihhsimen gw t foar rot.hme her MILLER ARCHIVES, ENGLA
www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london © LEE
subscribe 0330 333 4555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 10 October 2015 7
Viewpoint
New Books
Mike Smith
The latest and best books from the
world of photography. By Oliver Atwell
Yosuin’llge blqeeu i gtieplammd eoynfo gtu eg saopre ewsn wht eatinlmk yaeob luoarub pterlleincigo euvse ry © DENNIS STOCK/M
AGNUM
D PHOTOS
uring a climbing trip to the
Llanberis Pass in North
Wales, I had just hiked up
to the base of some cliffs
near the Pen-y-Pass youth hostel and
took off my rucksack, which had my
1985 Canon Sure Shot in a padded case
Dennis Stock: James Dean
attached to one of the outside straps.
I then got my climbing gear together and, By Dennis Stock and Joe Hyams, Thames
attached to my partner, proceeded to the & Hudson, £24.95, 144 pages, hardback,
fi rst part of the ascent. ISBN 978-0-50054-451-8
At the start of the climb, I turned around
IT’S BEEN 60 years since screen icon
in time to see a sheep walk past my
James Dean died at the age of just
rucksack and knock it over. In slow motion
24, when he crashed his Porsche
I saw it tumble and then bounce its way
550 Spyder while travelling US Route
down 100 metres of rocky scree to the
466. Dean left behind him several
bottom, rolling over and over. The
magnifi cent roles and became,
recovered camera didn’t work but,
in retrospect, a bastion of screen cool.
remarkably, it was repairable.
This series of images, all taken by Dean’s close friend
At some point most of us have had an
Dennis Stock, provide a moving catalogue documenting
item of equipment broken, making for a
a young man on the verge of global fame.
pretty painful experience. You either have Mike uses a Dymo label maker to brand
Stock’s images begin in 1954, just before fi lming
it insured or bear the brunt of repair or every piece of his photographic kit
had begun on East of Eden. The images also follow
replacement. However, having something
him on the set of Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.
lost or stolen is purely frustrating, because removed if you want to sell any gear. If
Each frame is accompanied by commentary from
you’d hope that there was an outside you fi nd your label peeling I’ve found that
Stock, who gives us some beautiful insights into the
chance you’d get it back. 3M clear Scotch tape over the top works
mind of a man poised to become one of the world’s
This was highlighted in a post by well. If you haven’t labelled your gear, then
biggest fi lm-star legends.
photographer Jeff Cable (http://goo.gl/ using the lost/found section on sites such ★★★★★
NdM8ud), who left his Gitzo tripod on as Craigslist or camera forums can help.
a beach in California, USA, after a shoot. Of course, if your gear is stolen then the
person has no intention of returning it! Lives of the Great
‘Image searches using Your best option (and this also goes
Photographers
for lost gear) is to register the serial
serial numbers in the By Juliet Hacking, Thames & Hudson, £28, 304
number on one of several sites such as
pages, hardback, ISBN 978-0-50054-444-0
Exif data increase www.cameratrace.com, www.lenstag.com
ME INC. (UK) your chances of being othri sw fworwc.est yooleun tloos wtfroituen ddo.owrgn. aNllo yto ounrl ys edroiael s ManYo tHheErA bRoTo akl wdaeytas ilsiningk tsh ae lwittolerk w ohfe tnh e
MAGAZINE OR TI reunited with your kit’ nyouIumm tbaoge leriss ts (eahanar victehe meyos uau?ss) is,n tbgou lsete nitr. i aall snou amllobwerss sotiomn- mecsay ly ledodeu s ‘ckga.r enTah ltoe porehk oaatrtoe tg horean plsyha semore sm’ laannyd s
MATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER Rsoefe Scgmtoeio athtnriokn owagfb cgClyaer, naaa rifgw tbseelari s cmatk, a?shxe eWiam hreciaslhlde, a iionts u rtwreh itectuhh ‘r fanJoneeucfdnfe.’dss’ ibbbnuee tieynh nage n srEoyex lusdifen odcitnaoet.nd aId n wi- ntihctuharre nnyad,o si ufee ryq yokuouiitpu’ rsmreh c eoihnnuattlend, ncy idoet isuhn agocv fat eon JuHlieetr eH, aschkein dge ilsv ibemsesoa hminginteeodts h ttaihhnneegd m l birv.ee eHtastd oeo wrtf.h etehv ees rap, mthhoeist o sbtgoorroaiekp shb eyr s
WS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF A cthoaahD5anrfa0 Ieeossd c0uy e ay sl ssew,otnm oeiiducfoe e koraaehmdry n adasDf v)e r e t teiey owenot mq sont oiothbu dhuolmeeialp g y mlabeaamh dtepbb,yhd elee yl ireenanreel gsmbsttpt os os(ycr abnoo ioancin ollunu fiot ad’epn tdnadeyard t l,lgdla is–yslkeroec ee yet1t n o9bh svtyso sueeea,o . rrgn tul yrades.i t pbtpwT uooeiheiffnldffsics yae o y uera cmtfMSroo’hesie re kiTdns eswhaieitg mSi ?wesibmt S aiwiisigesiflt.e n fshiapo tud a i cosbh snua stamalsyec ic s.r ynacrip peobotlaoltiu. eaituitorinvelek n tev gnnhf eptoao tohrsis uia omntAtgtolm.oo Phllgr,oe eterws asnin nposi.nfht ero e tirasrhnm.r ob£ayut7yoi9no ucn.d9.hr 9 eticmkein g bHshugfiu ugrpneeaMNeru fhrcpwaaeroikonriet,irt i itsdn slHsphytai g nl sat ienam bhugcpaneoec krpscdgho oiuooin lm kvefranrgu eictdfsa tlao fitel egt yeCnnrhxs e dtledtaa als a ynstf iu.n lo, n aj yCsdow r ozpti heynhhtyua. hot e iC celbeodesearr sei esoi haimf ncswoklulotg airnistnnv ghe3 adegaee, 8s r nfsb a e u td ounpwwhs ftdhMe u e vwr,o a oabaaathll tdoiltuoshol agutmgk eimrcsmnrraeapa oepoesnpew h.ns cYh oI,.eet tiefes r tvit ssseoao, nowr nce fdibu t heerl .
THE VIE ★★★★★
8 10 October 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555
Winner of theTIPA Award
m
o “Best Photo Lab Worldwide”
c
a.
d
e
m
4
g
ny
om: l v German Awardedbytheeditorsof28leadinginternationalphotomagazines
errors. Ro7 Berl n,
ect 058
nd corr 2, 1atz
e pr ces aReuter-Pl
angnst-
ht to chmbH, Er
e r gO G
hS
e tEN Your photo as
vV
eserM. A
We rCO a gallery print
d. AS.
eM
ervLU 120x90cm
esm
All r ghts ra lable fro £3fro6mju.s9t 5
d. av
udeok -
nclwl
not er Pa
s n
ster
oW
c
g y
nb
p a’
pd
Sh vre
de VAT. se of Sa
uu
nclHo
es d: ‘
ce
All pr P ctur
Your photo under acryl c glass, 120 x 90 cm: £257, W th frame: £443
Don’t just take photos, show them off.
In gallery quality.
60awardsandrecommendat ons.Made nGermany.Galleryqual tytrusted
by12,000profess onalphotographers.D scoverusatWh teWall.com
WhiteWall.com
©FINNBEALES
KEEP MOVING
Yougowhereyouwanttogoandcapturethingsastheyare.
Oryoustaywhereyouareandlightthingshowyouwant.These BBEESSTT PPRROOFFEESSSSIIOONNAALL
LLIIGGHHTTIINNGG SSYYSSTTEEMM
usedtobetheonlytwooptionsaphotographerhad.
ButtheProfotoB2presentsathirdoption–doboth.
Keep ovingandshapelight.
Addtothatthespeed,powerandTTLfunctionalitythatProfoto
lightsareknownfor,andyouhaveaflashthatwilltakeyouto
placesbeyondtheordinary.
Seeitandactionandlearn ore:www.profoto.com/keepmoving
ProfotoLtd|Unit21McdonaldBusinessPark,He elHe pstead,HP27EB|PHONE[phone]