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Practical Photography 2017年2月 PDF
Practical Photography 2017年2月 PDF
l 26 PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS
How to shoot
February 2017
Creative
Portraits
>> 15 eye-catching projects
>> Full step-by-step guides
>> Develop your technique
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Welcome
Learn
from
the
best
Meet this month’s
world-class experts
Mikko Lagerstedt
If you love epic
landscapes and a
whole lot of solitude,
Mikko’s depictions
of Finland’s beautiful
Ekatarina Marinenko
countryside will
blow your mind.
Turn to p50
W
30 Start the new year with
hat better way to get a creative portrait project
the new year off to the
perfect start than with a
head full of ideas and the
drive to get out there and
be creative? And whether
Bella Kotak
your passion is for portraits, landscapes, wildlife
Bella is no stranger
to these pages and or still life, we’ve got all the winter-themed
we never tire of her inspiration you need right here. Starting on
fairytale-inspired p30, our portrait special includes a diverse array 58 Discover the beauty
portraits. We’re even of styles and techniques to embrace, still life gets a 21st century of still life photography
giving away six of makeover on p58 with three envelope-pushing projects, and British
her Actions – worth wildlife is at its most accessible in our seasonal guide on p76. In even
$89! Turn to p66 more exciting news, next month sees Practical Photography undergo
a massive overhaul, and we’re celebrating by bringing you the biggest
and best package for photo enthusiasts ever. Get a sneak peek on p104
– you won’t want to miss it!
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 3
February
On the cover
006 Free disc! 44 minutes of videos
110 14 wide-angle zooms tested
030 How to shoot creative portraits
058 Three brilliant still life projects
076 Accessible winter wildlife
070 Construct a Hockney collage
Features
008 Beyond the lens
A gallery of the most amazing
pictures we found this month.
016 10 clicks
Brilliant project ideas to fuel
your winter photography.
16
82
4 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Subscribe!
Get the next
three issues
for just £5
Photo Skills See p48
108
simulators, smartphones and fine art.
082 Feedback
Pro Dan Mold takes a closer look at
your landscape and wildlife shots.
Editing Suite
096 Improve skies
76 Capture winter wildlife shots
Use Layers and Selections in
Elements to banish bland skies.
30
16-35mm f/4G, Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8,
Pentax 12-24mm f/4, Sigma 10-20mm
f/3.5, Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5,
Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, Nikon
10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G, Tokina 12-28mm 110 Find out which wide-angle
f/4 and Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6. is best for you with our big test
Plus
006 On this issue’s cover disc
026 Ross Hoddinott
028 Lisa-Marie McGinn
048 Subscribe & save money
108
Multimedia Content
YourFreeCD
our
Over 40 minutes of hands-on camera and editing
lessons and tutorials to help you shoot better pics...
1
Shoot urban architecture
Dan shows how to add dynamic
elements to your graphic city scenes
with a few simple camera techniques.
2
Make a home studio
Tim turns his living room into
Expert tuition a photo studio for less than £100
and shoots a series of stylish portraits.
3
Know your DSLR
Got a new camera? Georgie talks
you through the main dials and
buttons so you know which to select.
4
Create frosty fine art
Louise embraces the winter chill by
Projects putting her freezer to good use with
a bunch of frozen roses and an ingenious
way to turn still images into floral fine art.
6 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Flipside Trek Series
Geared for off-road
8 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The photographer
by Nicholas Roemmelt
l i’m indebted to my friend niki for this
shot. It wasn’t easy for him to literally ‘freeze’
for over 10 seconds on the top of that sand
dune, but he did it. We seemed to be plagued
by problems that night. The wind reached
a speed of 25 metres per second and we kept
being hit by blizzards, which made it almost
impossible to take any shots. However, when
it briefly died down we could see the Northern
Lights. These gaps only lasted for a few
minutes though, so we had to work quickly.
Canon EOS-1D X | 14mm | 15sec | f/2.8 | ISO 6400
Dr Nicholas Roemmelt is an
award-winning photographer
based in Tyrol, Austria. He has
been published internationally
in both books and magazines.
venture.photography
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 9
McLaren P1
by George F Williams
l i shot the prototype of the mclaren p1
out in Bahrain, using my car rig. This
contraption attaches to the car and the
camera hangs on the end of a 6m carbon pole.
The camera will always move perfectly
relative to the car, which means that the body
will remain nice and sharp while there’s still
movement in the background and wheels.
Nikon D800 | 20mm | 6sec | f/11 | ISO 50
10 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 11
12 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Bubbles in snow
by Don Komarechka
l soap bubbles are an enigmatic
subject. They’re unpredictable and
constantly changing, so they pose quite
a challenge to shoot. The ideal conditions
are absolutely no wind and a temperature
of between -10°C and -20°C. I use my
camera handheld in order to obtain the
proper angle quickly, and the colour
comes from a custom-made colour filter
that’s placed in front of a flashlight. The
light is then further focused down onto
the subject using a cheap sheet magnifier.
Canon EOS-1D X | 65 mm | 1/160sec | f/2.8 | ISO 800
Don Komarechka is
a nature, macro and
landscape photographer
based in Ontario, Canada.
Exploring the world we
can’t see with our eyes is
a common thread in his work.
donkom.ca
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 13
Green door by Alfonso Novillo Trigueros Alfonso Novillo
Trigueros is based
l i always enjoy photographing abstract objects and putting together in Madrid, Spain and
beautiful compositions. I love shooting staircases, windows, doors, facades and buildings enjoys taking abstract
that are filled with lots of colour. I had the idea of presenting these different colours and minimalist
together, in a deceptively simple composition. It was quite difficult to get this framing architectural images.
right, but I managed it in the end. Nikon D7000 | 18mm | 1/250sec | f/11 | ISO 200 500px.com/alfonsonovillo
14 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
© Andreas Lundberg
Always up to speed
Profoto D2
16 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
What you need
Editing software
Wide-angle lens
How to do it
If you spy something
spectacular for your shot,
make sure you can capture
it in its entirety with a
wide-angle lens. British cities
often have narrow streets, so
using a telephoto lens can put
you at a disadvantage and
stop you from getting the raw
ingredients for your
composite. Use a wide-angle
lens at a narrow aperture like
f/16, which will ensure that
you capture your whole
subject in perfect focus.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 17
10Clicks
18 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
3
Pair up for
fun results
Get creative with colour
l if you ever find yourself losing
interest in your work, why not try
a creative collaboration, just like
German photographer Frederik Sens.
“This image shows my girlfriend
Maya. She used to be a professional
dancer when she lived in her native
Israel, but was forced to give it up when
she was conscripted into the army. She
moved to Berlin in 2012 and rediscovered
her passion for dancing. I was inspired
by her movements and wanted to
capture the beauty of them.
“I took this photo in her studio and I
used my Olympus OM-D E-M1 with a
45mm portrait lens at f/14. The 0.4sec
exposure time allowed me to capture
Maya’s movements as she danced. I set
my ISO to 1600 to compensate for the
low light.
“Whenever I photograph her it
always seems to turn into a disaster.
I had a very precise idea about what
I wanted to shoot, but so did she.
“After the first 100 shots we were
both exhausted and started fighting.
That was the turning point, when we
were full of passion. She started dancing
like there’s no tomorrow and I got my
shot. It wasn’t the image I’d originally
wanted, but it was infinitely better.”
Frederik Sens is a German
photographer based in
Berlin. He shoots for local
businesses, fashion
companies and musicians.
instagram.com/freddybln
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 19
10Clicks
20 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Shoot tasty treats
5 Get creative in the kitchen for great shots
l With a huge proportion of Instagram’s and rustic serving boards that had
images being quick snaps of people’s been used for years. Everything was
dinners, it’s not surprising that food so simple, welcoming and honest.
photography has become so popular And that’s how it’ll remain, regardless
in recent years. Anna Ivanova has of time and modern trends. That’s
created a beautiful portfolio based what inspires my photography.”
solely around food.
“I’m always excited to get Anna Ivanova is a Russian
acquainted with new cultures and food photographer who
cuisines and bring their personality has been travelling around
What you need into my work. Wherever I travel I draw Europe and the Middle
Telephoto zoom inspiration for my food shots. I mostly East for inspiration.
Tripod like to shoot foods that are from older 500px.com/2enroute
Long shutter speed eras. We mostly know houmous as a
How to do it vegetarian dish that has become very
While a wide-angle lens is typical fare for popular around the world over the What you need
landscapes, a telephoto zoom lens can also past few years. However, it’s definitely Narrow aperture
be a useful addition to your kit bag. Being able not a new discovery, as foods like Standard lens
to focus in on specific details is particularly houmous were created centuries ago. How to do it
helpful when you’re in a mountainous region “This shot was inspired by my Depending on your sensor size,
with incredible sights stretching in every travels around the East Mediterranean different lenses mimic the human
direction. To capture traffic trails you’ll want to region, where I encountered lots of eye best. If you have a full-frame
ensure that your shutter speed is long enough small family-run restaurants. It was camera, use a 50mm lens for as
that all of the individual cars’ trails merge into often hot during the daytime, so I’d little distortion as possible. Use
one, especially if you’re shooting before dawn head into the cooling darkness of an 85mm lens for an APS-C. Avoid
when there will be less traffic. The best shutter these tiny places to have a bite to eat. a wide aperture, as this may leave
speed will be between 30sec and 1min. There were old shabby table surfaces parts of the image out of focus.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 21
6 Create stunning wildlife portraits
React quickly to make the most of fleeting opportunities
l amazing wildlife images can be like polar foxes, wolves and lynxes. They
taken anywhere, even in captivity. have a very large area of natural habitat What you need
Cecilie Sonsteby (500px.com/nemi1968) to roam around in and I’m lucky enough Telephoto zoom lens Fast shutter speed
took this shot at a nature park. to be able to go inside the fences. How to do it
“My love for wildlife photography “I took this shot in January, which is Even if you’re in a wildlife sanctuary, that won’t
make the animal any more tame. Your subject
began when a friend suggested a trip to my favourite time of year to photograph
will likely be skittish and move quickly. In order
Langedrag Nature Park, in our native lynx. I cropped this image quite a lot to get your shot, use a telephoto zoom lens like
Norway. This is a place where they to get a better composition and to get a 70-200mm. This will let you get closer to the
protect many different Norwegian close enough to give the eyes the viewers’ action without spooking the animal. Use a fast
animals, including endangered species full attention.” shutter speed to minimise the risk of blur.
7 Shoot colour
...against a night sky
l Capture the excitement of New Year fireworks, just
like photographer Dan Mold (danmoldphotography.
com). “Hanoi in Vietnam puts on amazing fireworks
displays for the Lunar New Year around the Hoan Kiem
Lake. I knew it would be busy, so I set up my tripod
hours before they were due to start. To create this image
I took several shots using the black card method and
then stacked them in Photoshop using the Lighten
blending mode.”
22 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
10Clicks
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 23
10Clicks
10 Use bokeh
...for magical results
l Sometimes the simplest techniques can provide the best
images. Ivan Vukelic (500px.com/ivovuk) took this photo
from one of the highest buildings in his town. “This is one
of the most beautiful views around and it always inspires
me to take photos. I set my glasses on the light stand in
front of my camera and started experimenting with
different shutter speeds. After several shots I got an image
with a good combination of bokeh and the night sky.”
24 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Built to enable.
Created to inspire.
Y
ou’ll often hear me sleigh! My plans to shoot seasonal views of regularly, spending as much time as I could
banging on about the Dartmoor and Exmoor were dashed and I felt laying out in the snow in our garden
benefits of shooting close to really frustrated. I quickly came to my senses photographing the resident birds. My poor
home. I take a good number though. Did I actually need to go anywhere? little girls would peer out at me from the patio
of my wildlife shots within a This was an opportunity to practice what windows, desperate to get out and play, but
15-20km radius of where I preach. Our backyard was alive with bird banished indoors while ‘daddy was taking
I live. I’m not being lazy, I just believe that by activity, with the feeders hanging in our photos’. It all sounds pretty bonkers, but do
getting to know your local wildlife and garden providing a welcome lifeline in the you know what? I thoroughly enjoyed the
reserves intimately you’re more likely to freezing conditions. experience. It’s easy to overlook the wildlife
achieve unique and interesting shots. However, Wildlife gets more tolerant of people in on your doorstep, but being so close to the
a couple of winters ago, I had to take my own cold weather, their need for food residents of my garden renewed my
advice very literally – we got snowed in! overwhelming their wariness of us. So I got appreciation for them.
I’m a big kid at heart, so I I took a lot of shots. Many
love snow – making snowmen
and having snowball fights with
“Every hour or so I’d go indoors to were average, but a few were
okay. In fact, one of a robin
the kids is always a good day in
my eyes. Of course, wintry
thaw out and eat a mince pie” strutting territorially was later
commended in the Wildlife
we a t h e r i s a l s o h u g e l y Photographer of the Year comp.
photogenic. Snow transforms the landscape my camera and a big lens, wrapped up extra It proved a fruitful couple of days, yet I barely
into a winter wonderland, creating endless warm, and went outside in the garden and lay walked more than a few steps from my front
photo opportunities. The problem is, I live in in the snow. Using seed and oats helped door. It just goes to show that you don’t
Cornwall and we rarely get a dusting of the entice subjects close to me. I had to keep still always have to travel to far-flung places to
white stuff. Winters come and go, and I in order not to disturb the birds feeding just capture good nature shots – this winter, why
seldom get the conditions I long for. However, a couple of metres in front of me, but given not take yourself on your own garden safari?
when I finally got my wish, the damn stuff that it was -7ºC and bloody freezing, that
just never stopped falling. And by the time it didn’t present much of a problem. Every hour Ross Hoddinott is an award-winning natural
did, it was obvious I was going nowhere. or so, I would go indoors to thaw out by the world photographer based in Cornwall. He’s
We live right in the sticks and the little fire and eat a mince pie or two – another written eight books on the subject and has won
country roads were like an ice rink. Even benefit of working so close to home. the inaugural British Wildlife Photography
tractors were struggling. If only I had Santa’s For the next couple of days I did this Awards. rosshoddinott.co.uk
26 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Lisa-Marie McGinn
Lisa
Adventures of a fashion photographer Opening doors
I
’ve been shopping at my local camera light shooter, the Elinchrom Octabox gives photo with a little bio on myself. I couldn’t
store for just under seven years. They’re me a large enough light source to mimic stop beaming! My butterflies disappeared at
the only store in town that sells sunlight in the studio. After a few phone calls that moment – I knew what I had to do. I’m
Elinchrom lighting and modifiers. and emails back and forth, the camera store not a public speaker, I never have been, but
When an ad popped up on my social invited me to speak at the ProFusion Expo, I’m proud of myself for going out there and
media announcing a photo contest, a massive photo show for professionals held showing people the love I have for
I figured “Why not?” and entered one of my in Toronto every year. As someone who uses photography. I had four seminars throughout
images. The first image didn’t go through for Elinchrom, they wanted me to present the two days of the Expo and had an incredible
some reason. I look back now and think it a creative lighting seminar showcasing how team both days. We gave two fashion
must have been fate. I tried a second image I shoot in the studio using minimal gear. Just seminars and two beauty seminars. Thank
and it went through right away. I didn’t think three years out of university, I couldn’t believe you ladies, it was a pleasure.
I’d win but thought it would be fun to enter what an amazing opportunity this was. Quite a few people stopped to watch my
the contest. I’d never entered a seminars, and I had people
photography comp before, but
I woke up one morning to an
“Just three years out of university, come by once I was done to ask
questions. There were even a
e m a i l t h a t my ‘ Tw i s t e d
Fairytale’ image, which I spoke
what an amazing opportunity... ” few people who knew who I
was and wanted photos with
about in my last column, had me. I’ll never forget the
won the contest. I was speechless – I’d never During the months leading up to the Expo, experience. Thank you so much to the camera
won a competition and there were so many I focused mostly on studio work. store and Elinchrom for believing in me and
wonderful entries from other artists. I experimented with different lighting, giving me the opportunity, I’ll be forever
Winning this competition really opened focused mostly on beauty and fashion grateful. The ProFusion Expo is held in
doors for me. I was contacted by the camera editorials and worked with some fabulous Toronto every autumn, so if you’re in the
store who were ecstatic they’d found me, as local talent. As I sat on the plane ready to take area, make sure you check it out.
they loved my work and some of the off to Toronto, I had butterflies in my stomach.
employees even recognised my image from Questions and doubts ran through my mind: Lisa-Marie is a Scottish-born fashion and
social media. They asked what gear I used, “What if I mess up? What if no one watches beauty photographer based in Alberta, Canada.
lighting equipment etc. I’ve used Elinchrom my seminar? What if I let people down?” I told Her work is regularly published in glossy
gear since I was in university and absolutely myself to breathe and not to worry. magazines, and clients include Elinchrom,
love their lights and modifiers. As a natural As we arrived at the centre, I saw my Canon and Vistek. lisamariemcginn.com
28 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 31
1
Shoot a creative
self-portrait
l unlike landscape or your subject well, there’s always So if you’re new to it. Obviously handholding your
wildlife photography, shooting pressure to get results, which can photographing people, why not camera isn’t possible, so you’ll
portraits can be a nerve-racking stifle your creativity and leave start with yourself? This way you need to work from a tripod. To
experience. Even if you know you flustered over settings. can experiment with different actually take your shot, your best
ideas, angles, focal lengths and bet is to invest in a set of remote
apertures without feeling you triggers. Any that use a radio
have to get a decent shot of out it. signal will allow you to be at least
No one ever has to see any of the 100m away. If you’re on a budget,
images, so you don’t have to feel you can always use the camera’s
self-conscious about what you or self-timer instead, where you set
your image looks like. You can a 10sec delay on your shutter
even turn away from your camera button, and run into position
so your face isn’t in shot, as in before the camera fires.
Elizabeth Gadd’s image above.
Remember, the only way to get Increase confidence
better at photography is through Once you’ve tried a few self-
practice and experimentation portraits, you should feel more
– there’s absolutely no shortcut. confident photographing other
Perhaps the biggest challenge people, which is what the other
with self-portraiture is how to 14 projects here are all about.
trigger your camera, given that Follow the advice for each
Above Wireless radio triggers are the best way to shoot self- you can’t be behind the camera at project and you’ll be surprised at
portraits as they allow you to fire your camera from a distance. the same time as being in front of the quality of work you’ll achieve.
32 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dynamic Portraits
Elizabeth Gadd
Pro advice
Flashpop
Master focus
Another tricky problem you’ll
need to overcome when
shooting self-portraits is
2
Create a quirky Tip
Create
eate the right
how to focus your shots,
which is much harder without collage of your kids atmospher
atmosphere
a subject in frame. The
High-energy background
easiest way is to decide There’s an old photography adage that you image shape by
music creates a party feel,
exactly where you’re going should never work with children and animals. joining two or
which will make your kids
to be standing, focus on that Ignore it. Children are the most expressive three shots more confident on
spot using autofocus, then and energetic subjects you can shoot and, together in a row. camera.
switch to manual focus using unlike adults, are totally unselfconscious in Find a suitable
the AF/MF switch on the front of the lens. This enables you to get truly background – a plain
lens. This is to stop the natural shots with genuine expressions. If white wall will do the job – and
camera trying to refocus there are children in your family, or if you have use an off-camera flashgun with softbox.
every time it takes an image. a upcoming birthday party, shoot a collage of Work in manual mode and set an ISO of 100,
Improve your chances of fun and jaunty images for the wall. Get the an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of
securing a sharp shot by kids all together at the same time, and ask 1/160sec. Set your flash to 1/4 power.
using a mid-range or narrow them to bring along a fancy dress costume. Alternatively, you can use window light and
aperture. This will give you You can then photograph each one in turn, add a reflector to fill in any harsh shadows.
a relatively wide depth-of- and join the shots together into a grid that In natural light it’s easiest to work in aperture-
field so more of the scene you can frame. If you want to keep your final priority mode, keeping an eye on your shutter
will be in focus. This ensures image in the 3:2 aspect ratio (the same shape speed to ensure it’s faster than 1/125sec to
you’ll still appear acceptably as a regular photo), you’ll need four, nine or avoid blur. Ask your subjects to dance, pull
sharp if your focusing is 16 kids, as this will produce a 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4 faces and jump around in front of the camera
slightly inaccurate. grid. Or you could go for a less standard for shots with lots of energy and movement.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 33
3 Before
Pro advice
Know your
Capture attractive glass
bokeh backgrounds Not all lenses produce
the same quality of
l bokeh (pronounced wide aperture, such as a 50mm a test shot. If the bokeh is too bokeh. It all depends
boh-keh), comes from the f/1.8. This will ensure an ultra- bright or dark, adjust the shutter on the optical design
Japanese word ‘boke’, which shallow depth-of-field for the speed. If the subject is too bright of the elements, and on
means blur. It refers to the visual blurriest background. or dark, adjust flash power. Focus the number and shape
quality of the out-of-focus Whenever you’re shooting on the subject so that the of the blades that make
highlights that you often see in portraits at night, you’ll need background falls out of focus. up the aperture opening.
the blurry backgrounds of some form of light source to If there are only five or
night-time portraits, as in the illuminate the subject. This Create fake bokeh six blades, the bokeh
shot above. could be your camera’s built-in If you have some existing may appear polygonal,
but if there are eight or
Bokeh is a superb way to add flash or, for a more flattering portraits that could benefit from
nine it generally appears
colour and interest to after-dark result, an off-camera flashgun a colourful bokeh background, circular. You can even
images and is easy to achieve with a softbox. Working in you can easily add some in make bokeh stencils
in-camera. The trick is to find a manual mode, set the widest Photoshop. Just shoot an out-of- that fit over the end of
background with lots of colourful aperture your lens will allow, ISO focus night-time shot using the lens, allowing you
lights. A city centre is ideal, or use 100 and a shutter speed of a wide aperture, then overlay it to have highlights in
some festive fairy lights to do the 1/125sec. Set your flash to manual onto your portrait. We explain any shape you like.
job. You’ll need a lens with a very and start at half power. Take how it’s done below....
1
Tweak your bokeh
2
Layer your images
3
Adjust blending mode
Open your after-dark image in Press Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C to copy your In the Layers panel, change the
Photoshop, and in the Camera Raw bokeh, then open your portrait. Press blending mode of your bokeh Layer
window make some basic changes to your Ctrl+V to paste, and adjust the size and to Screen. Then select the Eraser Tool from
image, including a Saturation and Clarity position of the bokeh as required using the Tools panel and erase some or all of the
boost, and a white balance adjustment. Ctrl+T. Press the Return key to place. bokeh shapes that cover the subject’s face.
34 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dynamic Portraits
4
Use negative space for a Tip
Wait for
contemporary minimal look a clear sky
According to Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Simplicity more powerful and visually arresting If there’s going to be lots of
is the ultimate sophistication’. If you can results. So the next time you’re out sky in your frame, a clear,
blue-sky day will help
remember that phrase every time you take shooting, try to find a clean backdrop
keep your shot clean
your camera out to shoot a portrait, you with very little detail or distraction. In and minimal.
won’t go far wrong. By eliminating as much some locations, such as forests or cities,
clutter and detail from the background as this isn’t always easy, but if you hunt around
possible, you’ll separate your subject from you should be able to find the side of a shed
their surroundings and really help to keep the or a colourful brick wall that could work well.
eye focused on the subject. If there simply isn’t a background free of Below Keeping
Inexperienced photographers are often excessive detail at your location, try shooting your subject
afraid of leaving negative space in their your subject from above, as the ground is very small
within a minimal
images, because they feel they should be usually clutter-free, or from below to frame
frame might not
filling every part of the frame with detail to them against the sky. You could also try other seem intuitive,
offer more to the viewer. But virtually all techniques for simplifying your scene, such but it produces
great portrait pros employ a less-is-more as using a much tighter crop, or setting very effective
approach, and it almost always produces a wide aperture for a shallow depth-of-field. results.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 35
5
Silhouette
a subject
for mystery
& drama
l most portrait techniques a bonfire, as in the shot above.
Mark Holland
36 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dynamic Portraits
Srdjan Vujmilovic
6
Focus on the eyes for emotive results
The eyes are undoubtedly the This will help focus the plane of focus to ensure they’re
most expressive and engaging viewer’s whole attention on the both sharp.
part of the face, so are usually eyes without any distractions. Cameras have a habit of
the focal point of a portrait. Portraits where the subject autofocusing on the lashes,
If your model has very is looking directly at the which can leave the iris slightly
striking eyes, you might opt camera are often much more soft, so check that this isn’t
to go close up so that only part captivating than if they are not. happening. A good way to
of the face is in frame and no If you’re using a wide aperture, avoid this is to have one active
Mike Monaghan
background is showing at all. try to keep both eyes on the focal point rather than a group.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 37
Dynamic Portraits
Tip
Avoid stark
trees
winter tr
If you use a tree for one of your
images, choose one with
thick foliage. Spindly
winter trees don’t
really work.
Take a
double
exposure
l back in the days of film, potential of double exposures, double exposures combine
some cameras, including most and over the past couple of years a head and shoulders portrait
SLRs, required you to wind your many DSLR and CSC with a cityscape or tree, as in the
film on before you could take a manufacturers have started image above. For best results,
shot, ensuring that a fresh section adding a digital double exposure shoot both images against
of film was exposed each time. functionality to their cameras. a bright sky, and adjust exposure
Other cameras, though, had no All you have to do is activate it in compensation so that the sky
such mechanism, meaning you the menu and then shoot your burns out to white. This will
had to remember to do it every two images, which the camera ensure that the information in
time you pressed the shutter. If will automatically blend the second image is contained
you forgot, you’d get a double together. Some models will even within the shape of the head.
exposure, where two different let you blend any two shots on Double exposures are very much Pro advice
images would appear in the same
photograph. Photographers have
your card, so they don’t have to
be shot consecutively.
a trial and error technique, so the
more you experiment the better
Do it in
long exploited the creative The most commonly taken the results you’ll achieve. Photoshop
Exposure 1 Exposure 2 If your camera doesn’t
have a multiple
exposure function, you
can achieve the same
effect in Photoshop.
Open both your images,
copy the first one by
pressing Ctrl+A and
Ctrl+C, then paste it
onto the second with
Ctrl+V. Change the
blending mode of the
Above A double exposure merges two images into one for an abstract and graphic result. top Layer to Lighten.
38 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Dynamic Portraits
9 Create a
cinematic
image
l if you’re an avid movie fan, you means they complement each other
Before
may have noticed a visual style that well. They could equally have used red
has become increasingly popular over and green, or purple and yellow, but
the past 15 years or so, where orange happens to work well for skin,
everything in the frame takes on and blue for skies and shadows, so
a distinctive orange or blue hue. If these have become the colours of
you’re not sure what we mean, take a choice. By adjusting the colours of
few minutes and go to YouTube to your portraits you can give them that
watch a trailer of Transformers 2 or Hollywood look, and ensure that your
Iron Man 2 (both particularly extreme colour palette is attractive to the
examples). Pretty noticeable when viewer. It’s important not to overdo
you know it’s there, right? Editing the effect (remember those trailers!),
teams colour-grade their movies in but a subtle tweak can inject your
this way because orange and blue work with a high-end cinematic look. Above Nudging your colours towards orange and
(actually it’s more of a teal), are Below we check out a quick and easy blue hues can help to give your portrait images
opposites on the colour wheel, which way to achieve this effect in Photoshop. a high-end Hollywood movie look.
1 2 3
Open two versions Create a Layer Mask Brush in your orange
Open your RAW image, and in the Press Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C on your Carefully brush over any area you
Camera Raw window adjust the cool image, then bring up the warm think would work better warm. In the
Temperature slider towards blue for a cold image and press Ctrl+V. At the bottom of shot above, we brushed over the face, hair
look. Click Open Image. Now open the same the Layers panel, click Add Layer Mask and and wooden trim in the car. If it looks
RAW but this time move the slider towards select the Brush Tool from the Tools panel. unnatural, feel free to adjust the Saturation
orange for a warm tinge. Click Open Image. Set Opacity to 100% and Hardness to 95%. of either Layer by using Ctrl+U.
40 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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10
Make a fun
album with
a difference
l the period between it will work with as few as four
Christmas and New Year is the or five. Consistency is the name
one time of year that you’re most of the game here, so pay plenty of
likely to have your entire attention to detail as you shoot.
extended family all together in Set up your camera on a tripod
the same place for a while, making and connect an off-camera
this the ideal opportunity for flashgun or studio light. This
a quirky family portrait project. should be positioned in front of
The basic idea is to the subject, and ideally with a
photograph a head and shoulders light modifier such as a softbox
portrait of each family member or reflector. Work against a plain
in exactly the same position white background, and place
using identical camera settings a stool in front for your subjects
and lighting. You’ll then print out to sit on. This will ensure they
your portraits and compile them remain a constant distance from Pro advice Choose
into a plastic binder album.
Alternatively, you could get
the camera. Make sure the lens is
at eye height for each subject,
your camera settings
a photobook made. which means carefully adjusting Set your camera to output of the light. You
Next, each face is sliced into the tripod’s central column manual mode so that you should leave the settings
thirds, with one cut above the depending on the height of the control all of the settings. on both the camera and
eyebrows and the other across subject. Take a portrait of each This will keep your the light exactly as they
the bridge of the nose. Provided person, ensuring you focus on portraits consistent. are for every portrait.
the cuts are made in the same the eyes. For more on camera Choose an aperture of f/8, Work in RAW and keep
a shutter speed of white balance set to
place on every page, each of the settings, see right.
1/160sec and an ISO of Flash. If you edit your
three sections can be turned over
100. Turn on your flashgun shots afterwards, ensure
individually to create new and Choose your focal length or studio head, connect it that any global changes
hilarious Frankenstein-esque The most flattering focal length to your camera via you make, including
family members. for head and shoulders portraits triggers, and switch to brightness, contrast,
on APS- C sensor DSLRs is manual. Try a shot, and if white balance and
Take your shots 50mm, so stick to this if possible. it’s too bright or too dark, saturation, are applied
Ideally you’ll shoot around 10-20 If you have a full-frame camera, simply adjust the power equally to each shot.
people for this project, although work at 85mm.
42 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dynamic Portraits
Tip
Carefully align your images Match
face width
Although the concept for
this project is relatively It’s much more important for
simple, getting your the width of the head to be
consistent across all
portraits perfectly lined up
images than the
before you print is actually
length.
quite tricky. The best
method is to open each
portrait as a Layer in the
same Photoshop
document. Turn off all the
Layers except the
Background Layer and
Layer 1. Click on Layer 1 to
select it, and reduce the
Opacity to 50%. You should
now be able to see both
faces. Press Ctrl+T and
adjust the size of the Layer 1
face so that the eyes and
mouth roughly line up with
the Background Layer face.
Once you’re happy, restore
Layer 1 to 100%, and
repeat for all other Layers.
1
Mark your cuts
Using a pencil, mark two cut
points on your first portrait
– one above the eyebrows and
one halfway down the nose.
Measure the position of these
marks with a ruler, then make
them in exactly the same place
on the other pages. Make sure the
lower cut doesn’t bisect anyone’s
glasses. Don’t slice the pages yet.
2
Bind your images together
3
Cut your pages
The best format for your album is as Now your album is complete, you can
a ring binder, preferably one with around make your cuts along the marks you
Above By combining details of 20 rings as less than this just won’t work. made in Step 1. Use a craft knife and steel
three different faces you can Many people have access to a 20-hole punch ruler, and cut each page individually. It’s
create quirky, fun portraits that at work. Be as accurate as possible when important to be as accurate as possible here,
everyone will love. punching your holes so everything lines up. or else the individual sections won’t turn.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 43
11
Work in
snow for
perfect light
l achieving perfectly exposed portraits in
natural light is considerably more challenging than
in the studio. Constantly changing weather means
you can be faced with bright sunshine one minute
and dark storm clouds the next, so you’re constantly
having to keep an eye on settings. Additionally, for
most of the day, the light comes from above so in
direct sun you tend to get harsh shadows under the
chin and nose that have to be filled in with a reflector
or flash. But there is one type of weather that
produces some of the best portrait lighting you’ll
ever work in. A blanket of snow combined with an
overcast sky is rare in the UK, but when it occurs
your landscape doubles up as a gigantic 360°
reflector. With light coming in at all angles, there are
no notable shadows or highlights anywhere on the
face, helping to hide wrinkles, pores and blemishes.
Work in RAW
It’s good practice to shoot everything in RAW
format, but it’s crucial for snowy portraits. This is
because large parts of your frame are going to be
close to pure white, and RAW files contain much
more image information in bright highlights. This
will give you more scope to adjust these areas at the
editing stage. Don’t forget that when working in cold
conditions, battery life is significantly reduced so
make sure you have at least one spare in your kit bag.
Also be sure to wrap up warm as you’re likely to be
standing relatively still for a long period of time.
Ekaterina Marinenko
44 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Baranozdemir Dynamic Portraits
Pro advice
Converting
ing
to mono
There are a million and
one ways to convert an
image to black & white in
Photoshop, depending
on the look you want to
achieve. For younger
female faces where you
don’t want to exaggerate
skin detail, a quick and
effective mono
conversion is to create
a new Channel Mixer
Adjustment Layer, then
check the Monochrome
box. For grittier results,
which work better for
older men, try nudging
the clarity and contrast
sliders to the right in the
Adobe Camera Raw
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 45
Dynamic Portraits
14
Shoot through
glass for artistic
reflections
Nina Masic
Next step
l as photographers we tend give your shot that creative edge, face. The less perpendicular Find a
to like our glass to be as glare-free helping to lower contrast and (straight on) to the window you
and as non-reflective as possible, introduce interesting shapes into are, the weaker the reflections model
as this gives the clearest image the frame. You’re effectively will be, so try to shoot from an
quality. The blue or green sheen combining two different scenes angle. Rainy days work well as If you don’t have friends
or family willing to pose
that you may have noticed on into one, which can make for a there’ll be droplets of water on
for you, there are lots of
your lens’ front and rear elements particularly eye-catching image. the glass, and try working at night websites designed to
is in fact anti-reflection coating, Shop or cafe windows are for colourful bokeh within your help photographers find
and it comes as standard on ideal and urban areas are the best reflection. You could even try models. Most are free to
virtually all modern lens models. places to find them. Ask your using a car window. use, and you can often
Photographers will also use a subject to sit or stand in the Shoot your pics at around arrange a ‘TFP’ shoot ,
polarising filter to remove window, then adjust your 50mm, which is a flattering focal where no money changes
unwanted reflections within the position until the reflection looks length for portraits, and use your hands – you just have to
scene itself. Sometimes, though, right. Ensure that any strong widest aperture for a shallow give the model a copy
reflections are the ideal way to reflections are not obscuring the depth-of-field. of the images.
46 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 51
Pro Showcase Mikko Lagerstedt
E
pic is a seriously a sense of solitude. Together, this almost Finland – it’s beautiful in that region – and
overused word these alchemic triumvirate help Mikko turn his was driving through the countryside after
days. But when we native countryside into a place of a particularly rainy evening. The weather
stumbled upon this otherworldly enchantment and wonder. was just starting to clear, the sun was setting
particular portfolio, Yet Mikko’s career as a photographer and the clouds were vanishing from the sky,
brimming with images didn’t take the route we’re all familiar with. but I could see a carpet of fog gracefully
that are so jaw- You know, hobbyist grafts for years and hanging over the field that ran next to the
droppingly impressive, nurtures talent into something incredible. road. The evening’s golden hour treated me
and, well, large, it His entry ticket into photography was as to light that looked like it could only exist in
seems perfectly justified. But what makes magically unconventional as the pictures he a fairytale. It cast a stunning glow that
shots like these? What creates the wizardry/ now produces. dappled through the trees across the misty
X factor/undefinable but undeniable quality Previously a graphic designer, Mikko landscape. I stopped for a second to take in
that makes us reach for the biggest word readily admits he never had any inclination this work of natural art, astonished by the
we can think of? that he wanted to go into photography. No, way such a view could move me, and it was
Well, when it comes to Mikko Lagerstedt, for Mikko the about-change was more like at that precise moment I realised I wanted
the photographer behind this stunning body an epiphany – a virtual bolt from the blue of to start capturing these spectacular instances
of work, it’s the combination of a discerning pure inspiration. in our world through photographs.”
photographic eye, the beauty of the Finnish “I was on my way to visit relatives at their The experience lingered in Mikko’s mind
landscape, and the ability to encapsulate holiday cabin at Tampere in southern for a few months until he bought his first
52 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Above To take this image, on a beautiful autumnal night near Tampere, Mikko set his
camera’s self-timer then ran into the frame to act as the figure in the shot.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 53
Pro Showcase Mikko Lagerstedt
Above Mikko shot this image of the aurora borealis in Porvoo in Finland, as it’s great for
images of the Northern Lights. He positioned himself in the image to provide scale, setting
his camera’s self-timer and running into the scenery to stand against the lights.
While some photographers take years to and one which he uses to great effect to
hone and develop their style, Mikko evolved emphasise this sense of solitude, is placing
his almost immediately, by simply gravitating human figures within the landscape. “I love
towards what had awakened his creative to make the viewer stop and think about an
mind. “When I shoot, I try to capture the image, and adding a person to a scene can
atmosphere and translate the unique aura make it extremely striking.
that each location offers. Ever since I was “A human element gives a regular
a child, I’ve loved the outdoors, particularly landscape a different dimension, making you
in wintry weather, so it’s only natural that see the scene in a different way. It also makes
I utilise my emotions and let nature become it easier for people to find a connection with
my muse for my photographic work.” the image, as the figure can anchor the image
No surprise then that it is intense to reality. Incorporating a person into
ambience and strong a landscape is also a
atmosphere that great way to make the
really define Mikko’s “I try to translate the epic even more epic,
portfolio. “When I’m
at a location, I try
feelings I have in the by putting something
next to it to give the
to translate the moment through viewer some context
feelings I have in the and an idea of scale.”
moment through my my images” Mikko’s love of
photographic work. low light, and night
I take the emotions I feel at that place and shots – “I really can’t resist astrophotography
channel them into my images.” I love the feeling I get when I’m out
With so much time spent on his own in photographing stars. There’s something so
remote and uninhabited locations, the magical and beautiful about it” – means long
feelings of loneliness and solitude rate highly shoots, often through the night and into the
in many of Mikko’s compositions. “I often following morning.
feel like this when I’m out shooting alone at “When I shoot night photography, I leave
night. I channel these emotions into my home after sunset and head to a location I’ve
images and they help me create extremely previously scouted. If it’s a long drive I plan
powerful shots.” a few spots to stop and do some shots on the
Another common theme to Mikko’s work, way to the main shooting location.
54 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
This shipwreck is near
Emäsalo in Finland. The
fog and stars really
capture the mystical
atmosphere.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 55
“A pigeon flew
straight into
my head...”
Working alone in the dead of night
means Mikko spends a large
proportion of his time alone.
Or so he would believe...
“Recently, I was photographing
near some old castle ruins called
Raasepori in Finland. I’d been
shooting right though the night so
I moved inside the ruined buildings
to take some shots looking out of
the windows. I started to set my
tripod up and suddenly a pigeon
came out of nowhere and flew
straight into my head. It scared
the life out of me. It sped off into
the distance looking just as shocked
as I was. Luckily, it was unharmed,
and I didn’t have a heart attack.”
56 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Pro Showcase Mikko Lagerstedt
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 57
Reinvent
the art of
Still life
58 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The Art Of Still Life
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 59
Create an icy masterpiece
Capture the beauty of frozen flowers
T
he bitter winds of is your camera, a selection of
winter may be flowers, pins, cling film, some
blowing in full force, food containers and a freezer.
but this fun project Choose vibrant flowers that’ll
lets you recreate the shine through the ice and really
icy effects of the season in the capture your viewer’s attention.
comfort of your own kitchen, by Place them face down in the
simply freezing flowers in a block container, as you’ll find it easier
of ice. Once shot, the resulting to control their placement once
images show off the delicate the water has been poured in.
nature of each and every petal. This will also mean that the
Everything you need for this petals are closer to the edge of
project can be sourced from your the ice, ensuring better visibility.
local supermarket and your Don’t put too much water in, as
kitchen, making this the perfect it won’t add anything to your
way to dip your toes into the image and will take longer to
winter season without running freeze. The ideal amount to use
the risk of frostbite. would be between 5-8cm, which
will freeze over completely Above Match the colours of your flowers to your background
Freeze flowers when left overnight. by planning your shots beforehand.
If you’ve been looking for a To keep the flowers in place
refreshingly simple and low-cost after the water has been added, it will keep the flowers roughly the ice, cloudiness and slightly
project, then look no further. place some cling film over the top where you want them to be. off-centre flowers are not only
There’s no need to mess around and then stick the pins into the Part of the fun of this project expected, they’ll help give your
with filters, triggers or tripods flowers through the film. While is that you’ll always be leaving images unique quirks and
with this technique. All you need this won’t ensure total accuracy, some of it to chance. Cracks in individual character.
60 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The Art Of Still Life
Tip
Watch the video
Transform your flowers into frozen wonders on your CD
Before you start on your own
icy images, watch Louise
creating these photos
in this month’s Learn
Photography Now
show.
1
Double-boil the water
2
Create your composition
One of the most potentially frustrating parts of this project Dust off your colour wheel and give your inner florist its
is cloudiness in the ice. While it can provide an interesting chance to shine. The flower bouquets you can buy in
dynamic to your image, you still need to be able to see the actual shops will come pre-arranged with complementary colours, but
flower. Cloudiness comes from additives in the water, so boil the don’t be afraid to buy a few different bouquets and create your
water you’re going to use twice in order to purify it. own colourful masterpieces.
3
Choose your background carefully
4
Set up your camera
A colourful background will make all the difference To ensure the minimum amount of distortion, select
with this project. Not only will it be more interesting than a focal length of 50mm. Choose a wide aperture to allow
a plain white or black background, but the viewer will be able as much light in as possible. If you’re working handheld, set
to see it through the ice. Try choosing contrasting colours a minimum shutter speed of 1/125sec. This will reduce the risk
such as green and red to create a vivid and striking shot. of camera shake so there’s no unwanted blur in your image.
5
Shoot your icy still life images
6
Edit the shot in Photoshop
For a soft and even light in your photograph, natural Open the image in Photoshop and bring up the Layers
light works best. All you need to do is position yourself panel. Click on Create new fill or adjustment layer (the
next to a window and have a reflector handy. Place your reflector half-black/half-white circle icon) and select Levels, then adjust
perpendicular to the window in order to bounce back the natural appropriately. Use the Spot Healing Tool to get rid of
light and soften any shadows. imperfections on the ice or paper.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 61
Tip
T
oil, dust and
smears.
he scanner, a own right, scanography is a perfect photographic project, no side on to
humble piece of fantastic way to spend a creative matter whether you’re an i t . If yo u
technology usually afternoon. The scanner doubles experienced pro, enthusiastic were to try
resigned to digitising up as both camera and light amateur or complete beginner. shooting the objects with your
documents, can also source, which means that it’s DSLR, you’d notice that the
create surprisingly beautiful art. literally the only piece of gear Know your scanner closer an object is to the edge
Now a well-known genre in its you need. This makes it the There’s a distinct advantage to of the frame, the less ‘top down’
using a scanner over a regular appear
it would appear.
camera, and it’s to do with the
way it collects light. Scanners Arrange your still life
work by moving a scan head over The nature of scanner
the top of the subject, which photography is that your subject
collects image information as it is lit with a strip of light that runs
goes. This is why scans take along the scan head. This light
several seconds to complete. might look bright, but it drops off
DSLRs, on the other hand, very quickly, so objects that are
expose every part of the frame at just 2-3cm from the glass will be
the same time. underexposed. They’ll also start
The moving scan head system to drift out of focus. This means
is advantageous in that it means that it’s best to use low-profile
the scanner’s effective sensor subjects that will sit comfortably
size is the same as the size of the against the scanner’s surface,
whole frame, and so a scanner such as feathers or leaves.
captures every part of the subject Flowers are another great subject
directly from above. In other for scanner art, but it’s best to
Above Scan dried poppy heads for a rustic look. The scanner’s words, it’s always looking down press them gently against the
lighting will create soft and visually appealing shadows. at an object, and never slightly glass to let the light capture as
62 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The Art Of Still Life
1
Set the resolution & settings
Resist the temptation to set your DPI as big as possible, Exper
Expertt advice Create
as this will create a massive file size. It’s best instead to
work out how large you want your image to be printed. If you glitched images
use 300dpi then your picture can be printed at A4. However,
if you use 600dpi then you can print it at A3. The way that a scanner Scanners work in a
records images isn’t that fairly similar way, except
far removed from how a much, much slower. If you
camera with an electronic want a completely crisp
shutter works. While a image then you’ll simply
mechanical shutter will need to ensure that the
snap instantly shut and subject stays still during
capture a unique point in the scan. However, if you
time, an electronic shutter want to experiment with
works by capturing a line the scanner art genre, then
of pixels at a time. If you’ve take advantage of this fun
ever used your smartphone quirk by creating heavily
to take a picture of the distorted images. While
outside world rushing past this picture looks a little
while on a train, you may complicated, the technique
have noticed that straight is actually very easy. All
objects appear slanted. you need to do is set up
This is because the the scanner in a dark room
electronic shutter has and then slowly wave your
2
Clean up your shot in Photoshop
No matter how careful you are, dust attached to your recorded pixel information subject across the frame
subjects can often cause imperfections in your image. at the top of the screen as it scans. Use an object
If this is the case, load your picture into Photoshop and select before the pixel with a recognisable pattern
the Spot Healing Brush Tool. Then simply click on the information at the bottom. for the best effect.
offending articles and the tool will get rid of them.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 63
The Art Of Still Life
Tip
Share your
shots with us
retro technology
us on Instagram. We’ll
repost the best
ones!
C
reate an engaging 30 years old, you may find that
still life image by some of the screws remain
destroying a piece stubbornly in place despite your
of old technology. best efforts. There will also be
This project can be parts that are pretty much Expert advice
shot with any mechanical impossible to get off without
product, such as a radio or some form of brute force, so be How to create the
non-digital watch, but why not prepared to relieve some
shoot something that reflects aggression! Don’t worry if some
perfect deconstruction
your passion instead? Film of the parts aren’t wholly intact
Shoot your deconstruction in order to use the flash
cameras are wonderful pieces of after you’ve taken the camera
against a white background off-camera.
technology that are easily apart, as that will just add to the to make sure that all of the Setting up your still
recognisable even when pulled charm of the image. camera parts show up life on the floor will give
apart. If you have an old, broken Once you’ve wrestled with clearly. If you have access you plenty of room to
film camera laying around, it’s your camera, it’s time to arrange to studio kit, then position physically move up and
time to put it to good use by it into an interesting composition. two flashes either side of down to frame the image,
creating a deconstructed still life. This part is really up to you, and the deconstructed camera. and, just as with the frozen
what you find aesthetically This will ensure that your flower still life, a 50mm
Destroy to create pleasing, but you’ll want to image is evenly lit and focal length will ensure that
that there are no harsh your image isn’t distorted.
A screwdriver with a selection of position the larger pieces of the
shadows. If you’re working Set an aperture of f/11, just
heads and sturdy pliers will be camera, such as the chassis, first.
with less kit, set up a to ensure that everything is
your best friends for this project. Once you’ve set out the main flashgun on one side and in focus, especially if there
In a perfect world you’d be able shape of the image, fill in the gaps a reflector on the other to are parts that are higher
to take the camera apart solely with the cogs, wires and screws act as your second strobe. than others. Select a
using a screwdriver, but given to create a fun and visually You will need a trigger for shutter speed of 1/125sec
that your camera may be 10, 20 or engaging image. both of these techniques and set ISO 100.
64 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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£1,188 10x25 Trinovid BCA £549 Stealth Series Carbon FibreTripods:
25mm f2 £375 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC
28mm f2 £899 8x20 Ultravid BR £510 £279 CLT004 £180 CTL303 £269
35mm f2 Milvus £745 10x25 Ultravid BR £535 8X25 PocketCL Green/Black
n/Black
/Black £504 18-300mm f3.5-6.3 DC C £349 CLT103 £189 CLT303L £295
35mm f1.4 £1,346 8x20 Ultravid BL (Leather) £561 10X25 PocketCL Green/Black
n/Black
/Black £540 24-35mm f2 DG Art £699 CLT104 £207 CLT304L £315
50mm f1.4 Milvus £854 10x25 Ultravid BL (Leather) £578 8x32 ELFieldPro £1,475 CLT203 £245 CLT403 £342
£949 8x32 Ultravid HD -Plus 10x32 ELFieldPro 24-105mm f4 DG Art £599
50mm f2 Milvus £1,350 £1,495 CLT204 £260
85mm f1.4 Milvus £1,379 10x32 Ultravid HD-Plus £1,375 8.5x42 ELFiieldPro £1,800 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 DG £849 Grand Series Stealth Carbon Fibre Tripods:
100mm f2 Milvus Macro £1,299 New 8x42 Trinovid HD £745 10x42 EL FieldPro £1,820 70-200mm f2.8 DG £729 GIT303 £387 GIT304L £432
135mm f2 £1,599 New10x42 Trinovid HD £789 10x50 ELFieldPro £1,935 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG C £739 GIT304 £399 GIT305L £449
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10x32 ConquestHD £627 7x42 Ultravid HD-Plus £1,399 10x42 EL RangeWB
g £2,268 35mm f1.4 DG Art £599 GIT404XL £499
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g £599
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BHL1 £175/BHL2 £224/BHL3 £262/GHB2 £349
8x42 VictorySF £1,820 12x50 Ultravid HD- Plus £1,665 ATS80-HDAngled+25-50xscope £1,999 £629
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66 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Pro Insight
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 67
Pro Insight
T
o create an image that your model and coax these out of them. You
transports the viewer to simply don’t get that chance with any other
a different world is quite the genre of photography.
challenge, but Bella Kotak I also love to create stories, especially
has made this her craft. fairytales. Creating these concepts is where
With her elaborate, mystical my creativity really shines. I channel my
images, she takes portraiture daydreams of magical stories into all my work,
to a whole new dimension – one of fairytales so my portraits may not be the most
and the beauty of nature. Her work has really conventional but are rather a reflection of my
turned heads, with hundreds of thousands of imagination and artistic mind.
online followers from across the globe, but
what does it take to become a rising star in the Who are the biggest influences
world of fine art portraiture? in your work?
How did your photographic Tim Walker is someone who has had a huge
career begin? influence on my work. His work is so unique,
with creative, quirky concepts. It inspired me
Photography was a hobby that turned into to explore my ideas and discover what I want
a full-blown obsession. While I was training my photographic voice to be like and to
Above Bella created this atmospheric image
to become an architect, I started a ‘self- pursue my own visions. His images really at a retouching retreat that she co-hosted.
portrait a day’ challenge, which is something speak about him as an artist, and I strive to be
I can’t recommend enough for aspiring as authentic and playful in my work too. the shape – or their hands, or certain angles on
portrait photographers. I took on the their face and so on. I use this as a starting
challenge to try to improve my Photoshop How do you come up with point for the image and build my concept
skills and apply them in my architecture your concepts? around that feature.
work. It worked, as my proficiency came on
really quickly, but in the meantime I start with a little spark of inspiration, which What’s your planning process
I completely fell in love with the medium of is usually something mundane. I love to find for your shots?
capturing light and moments and I haven’t beauty and wonder in the everyday. Most of
looked back since. my concepts grow out of a moment that we Once I have an idea I start to think of every
After that, I started to pursue my might pass by and not even notice, like the element of the shot and prepare all the details.
photography more, drafting in my friends as vibrancy of the world following the rain, the That means pricing up all the various elements
models for shoots. The more work I did, the soft, golden light at the end of each day, or the of clothes, make-up, hair, model, location and
more I started to get bookings and it unfurling of flowers during spring. so on. This process can take anything from
snowballed my career into what it is today. When I shoot I want to create an image a day to a month, or even longer depending on
that’s otherworldly, like something out of your the weather or season. Sometimes my ideas
What drew you to portraiture deepest imagination or from folklore. Simple need to be shot at a particular time of year, so
in particular? ideas are the building blocks for my concepts, I have to hang fire until the right time.
and these come from many different directions
From the beginning of my photography – they can be from the model, the location, or How did you create this
endeavours, I was portraying faces. I was a song. Anything can be a catalyst for a creative feature’s main image?
capturing my own in a series of self-portraits, spark. I keep my mind open and let my
or those of my friends. thoughts merge, grow and develop into one of I had my eye on shooting at this specific
I have always been drawn to faces. Our my portraiture creations. location for a while as I loved the lavender.
expression is the window to our emotions and, I find I’m drawn to a particular feature on I was planning a shoot with this model and
as a photographer, it’s your duty to work with somebody, such as their eyes – the colour or designer, Ophelia Overdose, and she showed
1
stitching them together will give you a lot more scope in
post-processing to make changes to your composition.
3
with pin-sharp subjects.
68 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
me an outfit she’d made that I knew would fit
this shot perfectly. And I knew exactly how I
was going to shoot it.
Natural light alone lit the scene. It was
a grey, rainy day and the clouds diffused the
light from the sun so well that it was lovely
and soft with no harsh shadows. Although
overcast isn’t always the best for photography,
clouds can act as a fantastic natural softbox
and give you beautiful light for portraiture.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 69
CAPTURE
CRE ATE
Make a quirkky
Hockney-insp pired
photo colllage
This classic Polaroid-based technique can be
brought right up to date with your digital camera
and Photoshop, as Kingsley Singleton explains.
I
f ever there was a type The separate te shots of the
of picture that’s greater subject and the location are then
than the sum of its parts, it’s combined as Layers in
a photo joiner. A joiner is Photoshop. Once you get used to
a collage that’s made up of it, it’s similar to sliding actual
separate exposures. This photos around on a piece of
technique can be used on any paper, just like a real collage or
subject, and it works particularly joiner. And while you could get
well on portraits. a similar effect from a single
Shooting a joiner is a bit like digital image, cutting it up and
taking the pics required for overlapping it in Photoshop, by
a panoramic stitcher, except that investing more time you’ll get
we don’t want to create a a far better final image.
seamless blend, we want to We’ve used the technique on
literally see the joins. So while a portrait. To get the best out of
shooting a pano you would it, try twinning it with an
rightly be interested in keeping environmental
onmental portrait ait style,
tyle
angles and focus consistent, with wheree you pick a subject and
a joiner the imperfections are a location
location that’s full of detail and
actually a benefit. meaning to them.
70 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Capture & Create
What
you’ll learn
How to process multiple
RAW files ready for use
How to add Layers to an image
How to re-order Layers easily
Software Photoshop
Do it in 30 mins
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 71
Capture the shots IN FOCUS DEFOCUSED
Lighting Location
You can shoot in available In many ways, this technique
light if you want, but this can works best in an environmental
be tricky if the location is style, so choose a location that
dimly lit, like a regular home means something to the
interior. Adding some flash subject, or tells a story about
will help. For my image, them for a good character
I positioned a flash behind study. Places with lots of
the subject to add some details, textures or lines, are
hair lighting, and fired it with good too, as the collage-look
a simple radio trigger. I also will break them up in an
took care to position my attractive way.
model away from the kitchen
spotlights, which would have
caused heavy shadows. Shooting position
For once in Capture & Create,
you can leave the tripod at
home. Instead, this technique
is all about moving around the
scene, changing your shooting
angle slightly so that the
separate pieces of the collage
have subtle differences. Just
make sure you shoot enough to
cover the scene, as explained in
the step-by-step opposite.
72 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Capture & Create
1
Set up and shoot wide
Once you’ve found the right location, get your
subject in position and set up any lighting you
want to introduce. I set a flashgun up on a stand
behind my model, Brenda, for a backlighting effect,
and then set it to Manual mode, with power at 1/8.
I also fitted a grid to the flashgun to stop it flaring
into the lens and fitted a lens hood. Then I added
a radio rreceiver
eceiver to the flash and a trigger to the camera,
setting them to the same channel
and group. That done, I framed up
the scene as a whole, composing
a little wider than the height and
width of the intended collage. To do
this I set the lens to its shortest
focal length, which was 24mm.
I then set the camera to Manual
mode (M), and, using the exposure
bar in the viewfinder as a guide,
dialled in settings of 1/80sec at
f/2.8, ISO 400. Finally, I focused Above Shooting in Manual keeps the exposure consistent, but
on BrBrenda and took the wide shot. for variety in the brightness of each frame try aperture-priority.
2
Zoom in to a cropped view
3
Focus on the subject and shoot
With the wide shot taken, change the focal length to a longer Make sure Autofocus (AF) is switched on and you’r
you’re
setting like 55mm or 70mm. If you’re using a zoom with in Single (rather than Continuous/Servo) mode. Then,
a variable aperture, you need to adjust the shutter speed or ISO through the viewfinder, position the active AF point over the subject
to compensate. So, for example, say the aperture at the long end falls and half-press the shutter release button or the AF-On button to
from f/3.5 to f/5.6, you’ll need to drop the shutter speed from 1/100sec lock focus. Holding the button, you can now recompose and shoot,
to 1/40sec. Or you could raise the ISO from 400 to 1000. Either way will concentrating on different parts of the subject in turn – face, hair,
ensure the brightness of the exposure is consistent. neck, shoulders and so on.
4
Turn attention to the rest of the scene If you’ve worked around the scene methodically, you’ll
With the subject taken care of, you’re free to concentrate on the probably have it covered. To be certain, make a mental note of
rest of the scene. Using the same technique as before, focus on where the end of one frame is then check it’s still visible on the
a part that you know is at the edge of the composition and shoot, then other side of the next shot. That way you’ll have some overlap.
shift the view slightly and shoot again. Work across the scene in this And if all else fails you can use the safety-net wide shot from
way until the whole of it is covered. Vary the point of focus and the the first step to fill in parts.
perspective and it’ll add to the cut-up look.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 73
Create the image
in Photoshop
As previously mentioned, this technique uses Layers – a lot of
Layers. My final collage contained 35 pieces, plus a white
Background Layer and a wide shot to use as a guide, so 37 Layers in
total. And because part of the editing involves fine-tuning the
composition by re-ordering and shifting the position of these
Layers, you need to make sure you’re in full control.
Something that helps enormously is switching the Move Tool
to Auto Select Layer mode. In this mode, it activates the Layer
1
you click on. So all you need to do is click on the part of the picture
Convert your RAW files
If you’ve shot in RAW mode, go to File>Open, highlight the shots
you want to edit, and that Layer will become active in the Layers to make up your collage, including the wide pic, then click Open to
palette – you don’t need to find it manually. launch them into Camera Raw. Process the first of the shots, controlling
We’ll start by processing the multiple images that make up the the exposure as desired, then press Ctrl+A to select all the files.
collage, ready for use, which also involves resizing them as there’s Right-click (Ctrl-click on a Mac) on the first file and choose Sync
no point working with pixels you don’t need. Settings. In the panel, click OK and the settings will be applied to all.
2
Save and resize as JPEGs
3
Make a blank page to work on
Now click on the Save Images button, choose a destination for In Photoshop, go to File>New, set Document Type to International
the files (a new folder is best), set the format to JPEG and Quality Paper, and choose A3 from the menu (or whatever print size you
to 10 or 12. Under Image Sizing, next to Resize to Fit, choose Long Side, want to make the final image – but it’s best to make it the largest you’ll
and set it to 2000 pixels. Next, under Output Sharpening, set to Screen need). Call it Joiner and set the Background Contents to White. See that
(Standard) and click OK to start the saving process. Depending on your the Resolution is set to 300ppi, and then click OK. Now, if working in
PC and the number of files, this can take a few minutes. landscape format, go to Image>Image Rotation>90º Clockwise.
4
Add the wide image as a guide to the joiner
5
Add the first of the joiner pieces
Open the wide shot you took, press Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C and Open the joiner piece with the face and pick the Rectangular
close it down. Back on the blank page, press Ctrl+V to paste it Marquee Tool (M). In the Options bar, set Feather to 0px, and, for
in. Now press Ctrl+T to enter Free Transform mode, hold Shift, and pull square pieces set Style to Fixed Ratio, entering 1 for Width and Height.
the corner handles to resize it, leaving a bit of a border around the Drag a selection over the part of the image you want to use, press
edges of the frame. Once you’re happy with the size, click the tick and, Ctrl+C to copy, and then close it. Back on the joiner, press Ctrl+V, then
in the Layers palette (Window>Layers), drop Layer 1’s Opacity to 50%. Ctrl+T. Resize the piece to suite the scale and click the tick.
74 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Capture & Create
7
Add more pieces in Layers
Taking note of the pieces you’ve
already added to the collage, open the
6
Add another piece and reposition next section to add, Copy and Paste it in as
Open another shot from the collage and copy the part of it you before, then Transform and reposition it in the
want, then close it as before. Paste the new part in as in Step 5, joiner. Continue adding pieces. If you want
and then resize it to roughly the same size as the first piece. Now pick a more scattered look, click and drag outside
the Move Tool (V), and in the Options bar, set it to Auto Select: Layer. the piece while Free Transforming to rotate it
Click on the new piece and move it into position, overlapping the first, slightly. Keep adding pieces until the scene
then in the Layers palette click and drag it down, so it’s underneath. is covered.
8
Assess the collage and check for gaps
9
Improve the lighting
When you’re done, assess the composition. If a piece doesn’t With the joiner complete, use File>Save As and pick PSD as the file
look right, click on it with the Move Tool and, in the Layers palette, type (so you can edit later). Go to Layer>Flatten Image and then
click and drag that Layer to the bin icon, then replace it. Also check the Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves. Drag the curve down, then in the
overlap, making sure there are no gaps. To see better, switch off the attached mask use the Brush Tool to paint Black, hiding the effect on the
visibility of the wide shot (Layer 1) using its eye icon. If a Layer needs to subject. Add another Curves Layer, push the Curve up, and paint black to
be moved above another, drag it up or down in the Layers palette. hide the effect at the edges. Finally, Flatten Image again and save.
2 closely, watching out for areas that jar, like slivers of one picture
left behind another. You can fix this by clicking on the Layer and
using the arrow keys to nudge them one pixel at a time.
An attractive finish
3 Like most montaging techniques, the use of Layers isn’t
the end of the process. Once complete, make sure you lavish
some attention on the contrast and colour before sharpening
the final image, ready to share and enjoy.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 75
Know
YourStuff
All your technique and gear questions answered by
our team of experts knowyourstuff@bauermedia.co.uk
What winter
wildlife can
Tim Berry
PP’s deputy
editor has a
master’s degree
I shoot?
This winter I’d love to have a go at photographing some
in photography animals in the snow. Which species are out and about
and has taught at this time of year, and where can I go to find them?
undergraduates. Ben Meddings, Berkhamsted
76 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Tip
Bait your subject
Try to get your local wildlife
into the habit of visiting the
same spot every day by baiting
an area with food. You can
then set up your camera
in a certain position
and wait.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 77
Which camera bag should I buy?
carry around with you on a shooting trip – you might opt for a wheeled bag, many of
I’m in the market for a new
cameras, lenses, flashguns, triggers – then buy which are airline carry-on friendly. Or if your
bag but have no idea which one
a bag about 50% larger. This will give you gear is likely to take serious punishment,
to get. Do you have any buying advice
extra space should you buy more kit in the a hard plastic case might be the best bet.
before I part with my money?
future. Remember, you’re likely to use your It’s also well worth thinking about looks as
Carol Adlington, Hove
bag for at least three years. well as practicality. Travel back in time 10
The next step is to decide which type of years or so and everything was plain black, but
Georgie says: There are hundreds of kit bags bag would suit you. If you own lots of gear, these days there are a wide range of colours,
on the market and, once you start looking at a backpack is the best option, as twin shoulder styles and designs to choose from. Many are
all the types and sizes, picking the right one straps make for more comfortable carrying. even fashioned to look like regular, smart
can be a pretty involved decision. Single strap bags are usually smaller, but leather handbags.
The first job is to decide on how much swing around your body for easier access Finally, have a think about the features you
space you need. A good rule-of-thumb is to without removing from the shoulder. might want your bag to have. Below we take a
gather together everything you might want to If you travel abroad regularly with your kit, look at some of the most important options.
Rear opening
Anyone concerned about
security should consider
a bag that opens from the
back rather than the front,
as this means the kit can’t
be accessed while the
bag is on the back.
Tripod holder
For outdoor photographers
who carry their kit over long
distances, a bag with a tripod
Padded Accessory pocket or holder is a good idea.
dividers pockets This allows you to keep both
hands free as you walk.
Generously padded Space for your
dividers are the best camera and lenses
way to keep your is one thing, but
gear safe. Most are make sure there
All-weather cover
moveable so you are smaller pockets The vast majority of bags are not
can change the for essentials too, waterproof, but many come with
internal layout of such as memory a waterpr
waterproof
oof cover to keep your
your bag depending cards, batteries kit dry in bad weather. This is often
on your kit. and lens cloths. stowed in the base of the bag.
78 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Know Your Stuff
How do 360°
-
cameras work?
I’m interested in buying a
360° camera. Could you
explain to me how they work?
Katie Sutcliffe, London
Ian Bramham
Tim says: 360° photography and
videography have started to
become much more mainstream,
with several affordable consumer-
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 79
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Know Your Stuff
Adjust exposure comp Use pano for wider angles Lock focus for close-ups
If you feel your scene is a little under or iPhones have a fixed 35mm (equivalent) You’re probably aware that you can focus
overexposed, you can easily adjust lens, which isn’t always wide enough for on a certain object with a simple tap on the
exposure compensation. Simply lock landscape photography. For a slightly screen, although focus generally reverts
focus, as above, which also locks wider angle-of-view, use the pano back to auto if you recompose. But by
exposure. Then slide your finger up or function, but only pan far enough that the tapping and holding, you can lock focus in
down on the screen to brighten or darken. image is in a 3:2 aspect ratio. a certain position until you take the shot.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 81
F dback
Fee
Wildlife pro Dan Mold
analyses and critiques
your best images. Send
them to ppsubmissions
@bauermedia.co.uk
Dan Mold
UK-based wildlife
and travel pro Dan
has a keen eye for
detail and has loads
of advice and
insight to help you
improve your shots.
The final
glimmer of
light from
the sunset
injects a
strong kick
of warmth
Kirkjufell
by Jackie Tran Anh Dan says: When it comes to stunning although the sky could potentially do with
Tucked away at the top locations for landscapes you could do much a little more motion. A 2-minute exposure
of Iceland’s Snæfellsnes worse than Iceland. In Jackie’s shot there’s would create dynamic streaks and mix the
peninsula sits the stunning a good juxtaposition of textures, from the blues with the oranges in the sky. But you’d
Kirkjufell mountain. fluffy clouds to the gritty rocks. The grass in need a strong ND filter to do this.
Its snow-capped top, the foreground arches around the bottom The original image is slightly panoramic
conical shape and edge a little bit like a vignette, guiding the and I’d be tempted to crop the sides into a
nearby waterfalls
eye towards the middle of the frame. more standard 2:3 ratio. You won’t lose
make it a popular destination for many
The final glimmer of light from the anything by doing this, but it would
photographers, including myself when
I took this photo in October
October. I love how sunset and fiery orange clouds injects a strengthen the composition fractionally.
you can see the mountains, waterfall, strong kick of warmth, balancing out the There’s a lot to like about this landscape
sea and vegetation all in one photo. colder blues and greys within the pic. and Jackie should be congratulated for
jackietrananh.com Jackie’s 20-second exposure was perfect for making such a well-photographed location
turning the waterfalls into an eerie blur, look completely different and otherworldly.
82 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Canon 5D MkIII | 24mm | 20sec | f/13 | ISO 400
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 83
Feedback
84 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Feedback
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 85
Canon 5D MkIII | 50mm | 1/200sec | f/2.2 | ISO 100
detailed file taken close to the model. Ellie has done well
to keep the focus and exposure consistent
throughout each frame and has seamlessly
countless opportunities to crop the pic. For
me, the wide framing is quite loose. The
composition would be stronger with a
86 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Feedback
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 87
MY PHOTO
PROJECT
Delicate
designs By creating exquisite portraits of intricate
blooms, Magda Indigo reveals the true
beauty of flowers to her audience.
88 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Factfile
Photographer:
Magda Indigo
Full-time occupation:
Photographer
Aim of project:
To create moments of
visual beauty and a
thoughtful experience to
truly enrich the lives of
the people who view
my images
Location:
I find that
I mostly work
in my home studio
22
Duration:
I’ve been
working on
this project for 20 years
Time spent:
I spend eight
hours a day on
it, and often a couple of
hours each night as well!
Images taken:
I must have
taken thousands
of images over the years
Website:
indigo2photography.com
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 89
My Photo Project Magda Indigo
Y
ou could be industries have taken notice, from Apple to was always a camera around, so I became
forgiven for Avon. The intricate curves and delicate lines familiar with photography from a very young
mistaking Magda of thoughtfully chosen flowers tell Magda’s age. Being surrounded by so many diferent
I n d i g o ’s w o r k audience a story that is simultaneously both genres of art inspired me to take up painting.
for that of a enthralling and beautiful. In a typical Flemish farmhouse you could
Renaissance often find the walls adorned with black
painter. The subtle borders with flowers painted onto them, and
light wraps around “Sometimes I’ll wake I loved seeing how the colours of the blooms
each of her subjects
so gently that it’s almost as if there’s no
up at 3am to shoot stood out. I started to create soft oil paintings
of flowers on a black background. As my
tangible source, it’s just innately there. But no a flower when it’s interest in photography grew I started to
oil paints were used in the creation of these experiment. We always had black velvet paper
images, even though painting is exactly where reached perfection” and fresh flowers in our home, so I started
Magda first began her visual journey. Her photographing them together, which is when
photography is the result of hours spent the journey really started. Flowers were the
behind the camera, perfecting her lighting What first inspired this project? perfect subject matter for me, because I loved
and composition. Every single flower portrait their diferent colours, shapes, textures and
is crafted with the love and care of a I was born in Flanders, Belgium, into an their individual ‘characters’. My biggest
photographer that knows their subject artistic family. My father painted, played the advantage was that I’d had a garden and had
intimately well. Her work is so instantly piano and wrote poetry. Whenever we went experience growing my own flowers, so I had
recognisable that art directors across all out for the day with my grandparents there an intimate knowledge of my subject matter.
90 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
How did this project evolve?
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 91
My Photo Project Magda Indigo
Each flower is unique and is treated as such. How do you choose which flowers you happen, so I wake up and go to the studio at
It’s really wonderful to be recognised for my want to use? 3am to shoot it. Some may call that madness,
work. Seeing my images displayed on but I’m driven by a passion to create the
billboards, book covers and used in advertising I closely follow the flower seasons so that I images I have in my mind. I’ll never tire of
campaigns is sometimes strange, but it’s know which ones are in bloom. Each one I shooting flowers.
a definite thrill. shoot has something special about it that
catches my eye. When I’m choosing which Is there ever a deeper meaning to
Why did you choose a black flower I want to photograph I always think your photographs?
background? about how it’ll develop. If you pick one that’s
perfect when you see it, then you have to rush I think there very often is, and not just
The black background is my signature style. to the studio and shoot it immediately, or the meaning too. I use flowers to reflect the broad
It works because it makes the flowers stand moment will have passed. I know my subjects spectrum of human emotions. There’s also
out in all their colour and detail. Black is a so well that I can predict exactly when they’re the sensuality of flowers, and a certain
void. It doesn’t assert a presence, so viewers going to be at their peak. Sometimes a flower eroticism. I feel that they often relate to each
are left to concentrate on the subject and give reaches the perfect moment during the other in the composition like people do. As I
it their full attention. middle of the night. I know it’s going to always say: “I don’t talk to flowers, they talk
92 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
to me and I gladly listen.” That’s why so many
of my photos have so much attitude.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 93
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50.6 50.6 20.2 AF-S 40mm f/2.8G ED £239.00 AF-S 300mm f/4E PF ED VR £1,469.00 AF-S 28-300mm ED VR £749.00
MEGA MEGA MEGA AF 50mm f/1.4D £259.00 AF-S 400mm f/2.8 FL ED VR £9,999.00 AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR II £269.00
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AF-S 50mm f/1.8G £189.00 AF-S 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR £14,999.00 AF-S 200-400mm VR II £5,999.00
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DSLR
DSLR photo
photo equipment
equipment plus
plus personal
personal gear
gear for
for aa day’s
day’s adventure
adventure inin nature. performance
performance with
with quality
quality craftsmanship,
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and user
user friendliness.
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nature. friendliness.
£1
£1
Suite
BACK TO BASICS
SPECIAL
PART 2
Quick and easy
tutorials to improve
skies, crop images &
remove distractions
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 95
Basic Skills
After
Kingsley Singleton
96 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Video
ideo Lesson On The Disc Editing Suite
1
Select the sky
Pick the freehand Lasso Tool
(L) and in the Tool Options set
Feather to 0px. Draw just above
the point where sky meets the land,
following the contours (which the
Rectangular Marquee can’t), but
don’t go too low or you’ll darken the
landscape too much. Run the tool
around the rest of the sky and back
to the start to make the selection.
Hit Refine Edge and press F until the
preview shows what’s selected and
what isn’t (in red).
Increase Feather until there’s
a broad, soft join – too little and the
darkening will look unnatural. The
Left The position and
amount needed depends on the
the Feather of the
image’s pixel dimensions, so hi-res Selection are vital.
pics need the maximum 250px If you start off in the
Elements offers. Set the Output To wrong place, results
setting to Selection and click OK. can look odd.
2
Darken the sky
using Levels
Go to Layer>New Adjustment
Layer and pick Levels. Now, in the
Levels palette, move the Midtone
slider to the right to darken the
midtones. The amount used
depends on the image, but don’t
push it too far (here I set it to 0.67),
or you’ll add too much contrast and
the effect will look unnatural.
If further darkening is needed,
move the White Output Level slider
to the left to darken the lightest
tones. Take a look in the Layers
palette (Window>Layers) and you’ll
see the Selection you made is now
being used as a mask, so only the
sky is darkened. You can add more Above Although some
Levels Layers in the same way as darkening improves the sky,
before, selecting just the top of the if you push the sliders too
sky, which is what I did here. far it can look false.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 97
Intermediate Skills
Rohappy
as an alternative to good composition skills when Before
shooting, in fact both are vitally important to successful
photography. Yes, a poorly composed starting point can
often be saved in editing, but it’s not an ideal approach
as aggressive cropping will reduce image quality when
making enlargements.
On the flip side, as good as your composition skills
might be, minor distractions and loose framing can
occasionally creep in and the ability to remove them
and concentrate attention on the subject, or to see an
image within a wider scene that you didn’t spot at the
time of shooting, is a great ability to have. Cropping is
actually as much of an art as composition.
Here the example image is a portrait, so it gives us
a wealth of options, as outlined below, and while
there’s nothing too far wrong with the starting point,
cropping away some of the pixels will increase the Above Shot with plenty of the room around the subject, there’s a little too much
impact, and also provide some creative options. headroom and space to camera-right in the original photo.
Panoramic crop
Above The basic crop uses roughly the same ratio as the
original but tightens the framing, giving the picture more
impact. The panoramic crop adds a filmic look and the
traditional upright route is more focused on the face.
98 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Editing Suite
1
Select the
Crop Tool
Pick the Crop
Tool from the Toolbox,
or press C on the
keyboard to toggle
between it and the
Cookie Cutter Tool.
Once active, click on
the Tool Options
button at the foot of
the interface to reveal
the options shown below right.
2
Choose the
Crop settings
Click where it says No
Restriction to pick an Aspect
Ratio or size of crop. The
presets are useful if making
prints to exact sizes, and you
can input manual sizes too.
No Restriction gives complete
freedom, while Use Photo Ratio
locks the dimensions and
resolution to the original file, so
any crop will be resized to that.
Click and drag out a crop box
Crop box Confirm the crop
Everything inside the crop will be Use the Commit (tick) icon to
over the parts of the pic you
kept in the resulting image, and the confirm the crop you’ve set, or the
want to keep, then fine-tune it
greyed areas outside will be lost. Use Cancel sign to abandon it and go
with the control handles. You
the corner and side handles to resize back to the uncropped state. Even
can drag within the box to
the crop box, and click and drag after making the crop you can, of
reposition it too. The Rule of
outside the box to rotate it. course, go to Edit>Undo.
Thirds overlay is helpful here, as
it helps align the focal point (the
subject) with an intersection, for
a more powerful composition.
3
Make the crop
and Save
Before cropping, check
the edges to make sure you
haven’t cut off something you Aspect ratios Auto cropping Resolution Grid Overlay
wanted to keep, and resize if Pick a preset size, set Hover the cursor over If you want to increase Use these icons to
necessary. Click the tick or hit to No Restriction for these thumbnails and or decrease the swap between no
Return to crop, then use File> complete freedom, or you’ll see them on the image’s resolution, overlay, a rule-of-
Save As to save the cropped pic enter the dimensions image. Click one to enter a number here, thirds overlay and
as a copy, so you can return to manually in the Width choose it and you can like 300ppi for printing, a grid, which is useful
the original if required. and Height boxes. still refine the crop. or 72ppi for web use. when rotating.
Stand up straight
You can also crop an image as part of straightening it up, as you
would do when editing a landscape to make sure the horizon is on
the level. The tool to do it is found in the same Modify section of the
Toolbox as the Crop Tool, and it’s called the Straighten Tool (you can
also activate it by pressing P on the keyboard).
To use the Straighten Tool, click and hold on the image and drag
out a line that follows something you know should be horizontal, like
a waterline or the horizon. Release the mouse button again, and the
image will automatically straighten up based on that measurement.
There are three options to how the image will react to this: Grow or
Shrink Canvas to Fit, Crop to Remove Background, or Crop to
Original Size. The best of these to pick is Crop to Remove
Background, which will automatically snip off any awkward empty
areas left by rotating the image.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 99
Advanced Skills
After
Kingsley Singleton
1
Clone Stamp
Press S and check the tool
options, making sure it’s set to
Sample All Layers, Opacity is at
100%, Mode is Normal, and the tip
has a soft edge. Tick Aligned, which
will help avoid repeating patterns, by
moving the source point between
strokes of the tool. Also check the
Clone Overlay, ticking Show Overlay, Above Avoid repeating patterns,
then set the Opacity of the preview as this will usually look false.
(50-70% is good) – this helps you line
up the cloning to follow edges or
patterns, like the sand textures here.
Add a new Layer (Ctrl+Shift+N) and,
holding the Alt key, click to set the
Sample point. Now paint over the area
you want to hide. Here I cloned over
a stump in the background, and then,
having cloned onto Layer 1, used the
T to blend it neatly with the
Eraser Tool Above Also avoid fuzzy edges
foreground. around complex shapes.
2
Healing Brush
Press J on the keyboard to find
the Healing Brush Tool (or to
toggle between it and the Spot
Healing Brush Tool). The Healing
Brush works in a similar way to the
Clone Tool, as you need to set
a Sample point before using it, but as
one of the Healing Brushes it will also
blend the new pixels based on the Above Sampling the wrong area
underlying colour and shade of the in your shot looks unnatural.
original photograph.
Set the Source to Sampled (rather
than Pattern), tick Sample All Layers,
then Alt-click just as with the Clone
Tool to sample a point. Make a new
Layer as before, and paint over the
imperfection.
Take care to sample an area that’s
in keeping with what you’re cloning
over, especially if you’re seeking to Above Mismatched perspective
work around defined edges. can also look wrong.
3
Spot Healing Brush
Press J to find the Spot Healing
Brush (it’s grouped with the
Healing Brush and looks similar). If
removing large objects like the stumps
here, set Type to Content Aware.
Working onto a blank Layer (as is
advisable), click Sample All Layers,
and paint closely around the object to Above While the tool is automatic,
remove it – painting wider than required be aware objects can still repeat.
invites errors. After painting watch out
for a smudgy loss of detail, bad edges
or repeated objects. If required, paint
over the area again, but if you don’t get
the result you want after a few tries,
delete the Layer and start over. If you’re
working on smaller areas like pebbles,
blotches on skin, or sensor dirt, using
Proximity Match can give better
results, as it creates a smoother look Above Painting over too wide
after healing. an area causes problems.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 101
Free Actions on the disc Editing Suite
Elements Install and apply the Actions Photoshop Install and apply the Actions
Insert the Learn n Photography Now disc into your PC or Mac, Double-click the Learn n Photography Now disc icon, drag the
double-click the disc icon and drag the ‘PP Collection – Graduated ‘PP Collection – Graduated Filters’ file onto your desktop and double-
Filters’ file onto your desktop. Open Elements, select the Photo Editor click on it. This will automatically import the Actions into Photoshop CS.
module and click the Expert tab. Go to Window>Actions, click on the Now open Photoshop and go to Window>Actions to open the Actions
drop-down menu top-right in the Actions palette and select Load palette. The ‘PP Collection – Graduated Filters’ file should be visible. Go
Actions. Locate the ‘PP Collection – Graduated Filters’ file and click to File>Open, locate your image and click Open. Now simply select the
Open. Your Actions will appear in the Actions palette. Open your image, Action you want to apply and click the Play icon (grey triangle) at the
select the Action you want to apply and click the Play icon. bottom of the Actions palette.
NOW
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Solid
Poor
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IN
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WIDE ZOOMS
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HIGHLY
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108 Gear news
Get 2017 off to a cracking
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PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 107
Photo News
2017
BEST NEW
PHOTO KIT
ROUND-UP
Kick
Kick off the new year in style with some exciting new kit...
Leica TL £1450
The TL is Leica’s second touchscreen-
controlled mirrorless camera. It has a 16MP
APS-C sensor, and uses the T-series lens
mount, for which there are six models
available, plus seven compatible SL lenses.
The stylish body has virtually no controls, and
instead has a 3.7in touch-LCD. New to the TL Above The Leica TL
is 32GB of in-built memory, improved Wi-Fi is available in three
and a better AF system. leica-camera.com different colours.
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 109
14
WIDE-
OF THE VERY
BEST MODELS
RATED
ANGLE
ZOOM
LENSES
TESTED
WHAT WE TESTED
FULL-FRAME LENSES
P112 Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
P113 Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
P113 Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM | ART
P114 Tamron
amron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
amr
P114 Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
P115 Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
P115 Tokina
okina A
AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX
APS-C LENSES
P116 Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED (IF)
P117 Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
P117 amron SP AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD
Tamron
amr
P118 Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
P118 Nikon AF-S DX 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
P119 Tokina
okina A
AT-X 12-28mm f/4 PRO DX
P119 Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 111
Wide-Angle Lenses
FULL-FRAME
WIDE-ANGLE
ZOOMS
I
f you own a dslr with a full-frame sensor
then you need a wide-angle lens to match this
format. The main reason for this is that lenses Ca
designed for APS-C sensor cameras have a smaller
‘image circle’ – the circle of light that is transmitted
from the end of the lens onto the sensor. The
diameter of this circle is smaller than the width of
Canon EF 16-35mm
a full-frame sensor, which means the corners of the f/2.8L III USM £2020
image simply appear black. On full-frame Nikon, Sony
and Pentax cameras there’s a crop mode that The EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
automatically chops off these corners so you can still belongs to Canon’s flagship L-series,
use APS-C lenses, albeit with a lower resolution and which uses premium materials for
a less wide angle-of-view. But on Canons the mount is superior build and image quality. It
different, so crop lenses won’t fit onto full-frame bodies. offers a constant wide aperture of
Full-frame lenses also tend to offer superior image f/2.8, making it ideal for low light
quality and more advanced features. shooting or creating background
On the flipside, full-frame lenses are heavier and blur, and a near-circular 9-bladed
bulkier than their APS-C cousins. They’re also pricier, aperture diaphragm designed for The 16-35mm offers
due to their high-quality manufacture, although the smooth ‘bokeh’. Inside the lens there an impressive range
with over 2x zoom.
sturdier components do increase their durability. are 16 elements in 11 groups,
When using a full-frame lens on a full-frame body, including large-diameter double-
the effective focal length is identical to the one surface Glass Moulded (GMo) lenses
printed on the lens body. And as there’s no crop factor, and Ultra Low Dispersion elements
it’s possible to fit more of a scene into your composition, to reduce distortion and chromatic
making full-frame wide-angles perfect for landscapes aberration. There’s also Advanced Air
and architecture. Sphere and SubWavelength coatings
on the glass to control ghosting and
How many lens options for each mount? flare. For focusing the lens uses
Each camera manufacturer has its own mount system, so Canon’s Ultrasonic Motor (USM) You can set the
you can only use lenses that are compatible with your which operates with impressive focus manually,
brand of camera. Canon users have 10 EF wide-angle speed in near silence. Full-time even in AF mode.
optics to choose from. Nikon produces nine FX manual control is also available,
wide-angle lenses, and all Nikon lenses work on all its so you can adjust the focus without
cameras, so you can also use DX lenses, at a 1.5x crop. leaving AF mode, with a minimum PROS
Third-party manufacturers, like Sigma, give consumers distance of 0.28m. There’s an older Constant f/2.8
aperture
more variety than own-br
own-brand makes. MkII version of this lens available,
Lightweight
priced at £1199.
compared to rivals
Canon L-series
Image quality CONS
Canon’s EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM No built-in image
delivered very impressive results stabilisation
during testing. At the wide end of the Most expensive
zoom we detected a small amount of lens in our test
barrel distortion, but this is a
one-click fix when you process your SPEC
RAWs. With the aperture wide open Min aperture: f/22
there was some vignetting Elements: 16/11
Filter size: 82mm
throughout the zoom range, but it
DxL: 89x128mm
wasn’t present when stopped down Weight: 790g
to f/5.6. Our test images were
impressively sharp from the centre of
RATING
the frame to the corners.
OUR PICK OF FULL-FRAME WIDE-ANGLE LENSES...
canon.co.uk
HIGHLY
Ni RATED Ca Ni Si So
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 113
Wide-Angle Lenses
Ca Ni So Ca
Ni Ca Ni
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 115
Wide-Angle Lenses
WIDE-ANGLE
ZOOMS FOR
APS-C
I
f you own a dslr with an aps-c sensor, you’re
usually best of with a wide-angle lens that is built
for your format. At a glance, it seems as though Pe
lenses designed for APS-C cameras tend to ofer
the widest focal lengths, going as low as 10mm, but
don’t forget that there’s a crop factor to think about,
so the efective focal length is always roughly 1.5x longer.
Pentax DA 12-24mm
This means you have to multiply the focal length stated f/4 ED (IF) £739
on the lens body by around 1.5x, so a 20mm lens on an
APS-C camera is always the approximate equivalent of The DA 12-24mm f/4 ED (IF) is
a 30mm lens on a full-frame body. Pentax’s only dedicated wide-angle
The advantage of using lenses specifically designed lens for its APS-C DSLRs, although
for APS-C cameras is that they tend to be much cheaper, users of this system also have the
much smaller, and much lighter, owing to the fact they choice of the Sigma and Tamron
contain far less glass. However, there’s nothing to stop lens’ featured in our test. This lens
you using full-frame lenses on any APS-C camera if you has a full-frame equivalent focal
wish, bearing in mind you’ll still experience the same length of 18-34mm when the 1.5x
1.5x crop factor. There are, however, some distinct crop factor has been applied, and The 12-24mm is
advantages to doing this. The first is that because your features a maximum constant designed for the
Pentax K-AF mount.
sensor is much smaller than the image circle – the area aperture of f/4. Inside the lens there
of light collected by the lens – you’re actually only using are 2 aspherical elements and
light from the central area of glass, where image quality 1 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element
is at its best. This means you’re guaranteed sharp results to reduce distortion, and the 13 lens
even in the very corners of your frame. Secondly, elements are arranged in 11 groups.
full-frame lenses tend to be sharper, and usually boast The 12-24mm has no internal AF
better build quality. And, finally, should you ever upgrade motor and so the autofocus
to a full-frame camera, you’ll already have a collection generates a moderate degree of
of compatible lenses. In other words, you’ll be future- noise, but still operates with
proofing your entire lens collection. satisfying speed. There’s a Quick Quick Shift focusing
Shift focusing system that allows for for instant manual
How many lens options for each mount? instant manual override. As the lens override.
Canon tops the charts with eight lenses available for the achieves focus internally the front
EF-S mount system, exclusively used by its APS-C element of the lens doesn’t rotate,
DSLRs. Nikon users have access to six wide-angle optics, so it’s possible to use polariser filters PROS
while Sony shooters have a choice of five different that match the 77mm filter thread. Constant f/4
aperture
lenses. There are four wide-angles available for Pentax Priced at £739, it’s the most
Pleasing image
DSLRs, and two for Sigma bodies. expensive APS-C lens in our test.
quality
Lightweight
Image quality CONS
The 12-24mm performed well. With More expensive
the zoom set to 12mm detail is very than rivals
sharp across the entire frame, at all Focusing noisy
aperture settings. When zoomed in as no AF motor
to 24mm, the centre remains sharp
but the corners become a little more SPEC
fuzzy. The lens was at its sharpest at Min aperture: f/22
f/11. We did detect a fair amount of Elements: 13/11
Filter size: 77mm
chromatic aberration and some
DxL: 84x88mm
barrel distortion in test images – Weight: 430g
more pronounced at the wide end of
the zoom – and some vignetting with
RATING
the aperture wide open.
OUR PICK OF APS-C WIDE-ANGLE LENSES...
ricoh-imaging.co.uk
Ca Ni Pe Si So Ca Ni Pe So
Sigma
g 10-20mm f/3.5 Tamron SP AF 10-24mm
EX DC HSM £329 f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD (IF) £377
The Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC Available for Canon, Nikon, Pentax
HSM is available for Canon, Nikon, and Sony mounts, the Tamron
Pentax, Sigma and Sony mounts, 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 offers a full-frame
and is the most affordable wide- equivalent focal length of 15-36mm.
angle optic in our round-up at just At the widest end of the zoom the
£329. Once the APS-C crop factor maximum aperture setting is f/3.5,
has been taken into consideration, but should you zoom to the longer
the lens offers an effective focal end of the focal length the aperture
range of 15-30mm. The aperture A Hyper Sonic Motor reduces to f/4.5. Inside you’ll find Available in mounts
can be set to a maximum of f/3.5 sets the focus 12 elements in 9 groups, including for Canon, Nikon,
quickly and quietly. Pentax and Sony.
throughout the zoom range and a glass aspherical lens element and
creates a pleasing background blur. 3 hybrid aspherical elements to
Sigma’s internal HSM (Hyper Sonic counteract distortion. There are also
Motor) offers quick and quiet 2 LD (Low Dispersion) elements and
autofocus, while the focusing itself a HID (High-refractive Index) element
can be set as close as 0.24m with to keep chromatic aberration to
full-time manual focus override. The a minimum for better colour
lens houses 4 aspherical lens accuracy. To combat ghosting and
elements, 2 ELD (Extraordinary Low flare, the glass features multi-layer
Dispersion) elements and an SLD Constant f/3.5 and internal surface coatings, while Internal focusing
(Special Low Dispersion) element to aperture allows for the included flower-shaped lens so you can use
keep distortion and chromatic faster shutter speeds. hood keeps out stray light. There’s polarising filters.
aberration to a minimum. The glass a minimum focusing distance of
also features Super Multi-Layer 0.24m, and the internal AF motors
coatings to keep ghosting and flare PROS work fairly quietly without much PROS
at bay. This 10-20mm lens boasts Most affordable hesitation. Priced at £377, it’s the More affordable
wide-angle lens than most others
13 elements arranged in 10 groups, second most affordable wide-angle
Constant f/3.5 Tamron’s Super
and weighs 520g. lens in our test.
Lightweight Performance range
CONS CONS
Image quality Not as sharp as Image quality Variable
With the zoom set to its widest some others The Tamron 10-24mm creates maximum aperture
setting, the Sigma produces a slight Larger thread a small amount of barrel distortion at Some rivals in
amount of barrel distortion, but this size makes filters the wide end of the zoom, and there the test offer better
is easy to fix when editing. At f/3.5 more expensive is still a traceable presence when image quality
we found the corners of test images fully zoomed out to 24mm. With the
to be slightly soft, along with some SPEC aperture wide open at f/3.5 we found SPEC
subtle vignetting. At f/8 the image Min aperture: f/22 the centre to be pin-sharp but detail Min aperture: f/22
was sharp and bright across the Elements: 13/10 in the corners to be slightly soft, and Elements: 12/9
Filter size: 82mm Filter size: 77mm
frame, but instances of chromatic the edges were gently darkened by
DxL: 87x88mm DxL: 83x87mm
aberration appeared throughout Weight: 520g
a vignette. Results improved when Weight: 406g
testing. The performance was better the aperture was stopped down to
at 20mm, with sharper results and f/8, but we did detect chromatic
RATING RATING
less coloured fringing. aberration across our test images.
sigma-imaging-uk.com tamron.eu
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 117
Wide-Angle Lenses
Ca Ni
BEST IN
TEST
Ca Ni Ca Ni Pe Si So
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 119
Buying Guide
5
Best value
carbon fibre
tripod kits
Need a strong, light
tripod that ticks all
the boxes? Tim Berry
checks out the best
MeFOTO RoadTrip
C1350 £249
HIGHLY
RATED
Vanguard
VEO 265CB £250
carbon models on At £249, the MeFOTO RoadTrip carbon The extremely affordable 265CB kit folds
is the cheapest tripod in test, and also down to just 39cm, making it the joint
the market... the lightest, weighing in at just 1.4kg. most compact tripod in test. Vanguard
The tripod is available in five colours – has achieved this by combining a rapid
black, grey, blue, red and green – and column rotation feature, where the legs
F
rom landscapes to
macro, a solid tripod comes with MeFOTO’s 5-year warranty. fold upwards against the central column,
is an indispensable Given that the RoadTrip folds down and no fewer than five leg sections.
tool for virtually every to a very compact 39cm, it offers a Having so many sections can have an
genre of photography. respectable maximum height of 156cm, impact on stability, but it’s not the case
But with literally hundreds of although the minimum working height of here – the 265CB is rock-solid even at
models to choose from, finding 39cm could be an issue for macro full extension. The trade-off to this
the right set of sticks is no easy photographers. For sports and wildlife portability is a slightly limited maximum
task. In this round-up, we take enthusiasts, one of the legs can be detached working height of 150cm (including the
a closer look at carbon fibre and used as a monopod, which extends to head), though for shorter photographers
tripod kits, which are around 163cm. The tripod supports 8kg of this won’t be an issue. Build quality is
30-40% lighter, and 10 times equipment, so can handle a DSLR and long solid, and the Arca-Swiss ball head is
stronger, than their aluminium telephoto lens. An aluminium version of very sturdy with a smooth, fluid-like
counterparts, albeit slightly the RoadTrip is also available, which has panning action. The tripod can support
more expensive. This makes an identical spec, but is 226g lighter. 8kg of equipment, which is impressive
carbon a great option if you’re Overall, a very versatile and well-specced for a travel tripod. At £250, the stylish
an outdoor or travel tripod/monopod combo with a great 265CB is excellent value for money.
photographer and have to carry price-tag. mefoto.com/uk vanguardworld.co.uk
your kit around over long
distances. We check out the Specifications Specifications
Max height (with head): 156cm Max height (with head): 150cm
key spec of five of the best
Closed length (with head): 39cm Closed length (with head): 39cm
carbon fibre kits (legs and Weight (with head): 1.4kg Weight (with head): 1.7kg
head) to help you decide which
will suit you best.
BEST IN
TEST
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 121
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Watch tutorial videos and read the Improve your skills with advice from the Read concise reviews, key specs and
step-by-steps at the same time magazine’s team of photographers prices for every available camera
PART-EXCHANGE WELCOME
27-29, Bolton Street, Brixham. Devon. TQ5 9BZ. SAT 9am - 3pm. SUN 10am - 1pm.
£ASK APS-C APS-C 8-15 F4 L USM Fisheye. . . . . . . £999 200-400 F4 IS L USM . . . . . . .£9444
Body only 11-24 F4 L USM . . . . . . . . . . . .£2679 200 F2.8 II L USM . . . . . . . . . . . £727
M3 + 15-45 16-35 F2.8 L USM MKIII . . . . .£2348 300 F2.8 IS L USM II . . . . . . . .£5248
£998 16-35 F4 L IS USM. . . . . . . . . . . £977 300 F4 L IS USM. . . . . . . . . . . .£1138
£478 17-40 F4 L USM . . . . . . . . . . . . . £648 400 F2.8 IS L USM II . . . . . . . .£8388
Canon EOS 5D MKIV Plus 18-55 STM £1079
Plus 18-135 STM £1298 20 F2.8 USM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £448 400 F4 DO II IS USM . . . . . . . £6777
Full Frame Canon EOS 750D Canon EOS M10
24 F1.4 L II USM. . . . . . . . . . . .£1478
24 F2.8 IS USM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £439
400 F5.6 L USM . . . . . . . . . . . .£1098
500 F4 IS L U II . . . . . . . . . . . . £7589
APS-C APS-C 24-70 F2.8 L II USM. . . . . . . . .£1998 600 F4 IS L USM II . . . . . . . . . £9598
Body only Body only 24-70 F4 L IS USM. . . . . . . . . . . £798 1.4x III converter . . . . . . . . . . . . £348
Body only 24-105 F3.5/5.6 IS STM . . . . . . £368 2x III converter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . £318
price £528 £199 24-105 F4 L IS USM MKII. . . .£1128 12mm EF MKII ext tube. . . . . . . £69
£ASK
Plus 18-55 STM £628 28 F2.8 IS USM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £398 25mm EF MKII ext tube. . . . . . £119
Plus 18-135 STM £798 Plus 15-45 £288 35 F1.4 USM LII . . . . . . . . . . . .£1798 CANON FLASH & GRIPS
35 F2 IS USM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £418 430EX III RT Speedlight . . . . . . £218
Canon EOS 760D Canon EOS M LENSES 40 F2.8 STM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £168 600EX-RT II Speedlight . . . . . . £499
Canon EOS Full Frame Bodies 11-22 f4/5.6 IS STM ....................... £319 50 F1.2 L USM . . . . . . . . . . . . .£1278 600EX-RT Speedlight . . . . . . . . £399
APS-C 15-45 f3.5/6.3 IS STM .................... £229 50 F1.4 USM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £348 BG-E20 (fit 5D MKIV) . . . . . . . . £297
EOS 5DsR body ..................................£2699 18-55 f3.5/5.6 IS STM .................... £199
50 F1.8 STM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £109 BG-E16 (fit 7D MKII) . . . . . . . . . £179
EOS 5Ds body ....................................£2499 Body only 18-150 f3.5/6.3 IS STM .................. £429
70-200 F2.8 IS LII USM. . . . . .£1997 BG-E18 (fit 750/760D) . . . . . . . £115
22 f2 STM ....................................... £198
EOS 5D MKIII body ............................£2498 £548 28 f3.5 Macro IS ............................. £294 70-200 F2.8 non IS L USM. . .£1179 BG-E14 (fit 80D). . . . . . . . . . . . . £137
EOS 6D body ......................................£1447 55-200 f4.5/6.3 IS STM .................. £268 70-200 F4 L IS USM. . . . . . . . .£1018 BG-E13 (fit 6D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £147
£ASK
20 F1.4 DG HSM Art . . . . . . . .£629
18-300 F3.5/6.3 AFS VR . . . . . .£628 85 F1.8 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£428 24 F1.4 DG HSM Art . . . . . . . .£599
35 F1.8 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£178 105 F1.4 AFS E ED . . . . . . . . . £2048 24-35 F2 DG HSM Art . . . . . . .£699
Nikon D5600 40 F2.8 AFS G macro . . . . . . . .£238 105 F2.8 AFS VR macro . . . . . .£748 24-70 F2.8 EX DG . . . . . . . . . . .£549
APS-C NIKON FX 200-500 F5.6 AFS E ED VR. . £1178 35 F1.4 DG HSM Art . . . . . . . .£598
Nikon D750 FULL FRAME LENSES 300 F2.8 AFS ED VRII . . . . . . £4897
Plus 18-55 AF-P £799 14-24 F2.8 AFS G ED. . . . . . . £1638 300 F4 AFS E PF ED VR. . . . . £1497 50 F1.4 EX DG
Full Frame Plus 18-140 VR £989 16-35 F4 AFS VR . . . . . . . . . . £1018 400 F2.8 G E FL ED VR . . . . £10398 HSM Art .£579
Body only 18-35 F3.5/4.5 AFS G . . . . . . . .£618 500 F4 E AFS FL ED VR . . . . . £8147
Nikon D3400 20 F1.8 AFS G ED. . . . . . . . . . . .£647 600 F4 E AFS FL ED VR . . . . . £9699 50-100 F1.8 DC HSM Art . . . .£829
£1698 APS-C 24 F1.4 AFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £1788 TC14EIII converter. . . . . . . . . . .£428 70-200 F2.8 EX DG OS . . . . . .£729
24 F1.8 AFS G ED. . . . . . . . . . . .£628 TC17EII converter . . . . . . . . . . .£347 105 F2.8 EX DG OS HSM . . . .£329
Plus 24-120 f4 VR £2297 150 F2.8 EX DG OS. . . . . . . . . .£649
Body only £348 24-70 F2.8 AFS G ED VR. . . . £1598 TC20EIII converter. . . . . . . . . . .£394
150-600 F5/6.3 OS Cont. . . . .£739
24-85 F3.5/4.5 AFS VR . . . . . . .£428 NIKON FLASH & GRIPS
Nikon D810 Plus 18-55 AF-P £438 24-120 F4 AFS G ED VR . . . . . .£797 SB500 flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£194
Full Frame Nikon DSLR Cameras APS-C Format 28 F1.8 AFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£598 SB700 flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£238
28-300 F3.5/5.6 AFS VR . . . . . .£828 SB5000 flash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£489
D7200 Body only ..............................£848
35 F1.4 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . £1578 MBD-17 (fit D500). . . . . . . . . . .£327 150-600 F5/6.3 OS Sport . . £1199
Body only D7200 + 18-105 VR .........................£1087
D5500 Body only ..............................£578 35 F1.8 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£438 MBD-16 (fit D750). . . . . . . . . . .£249 TC1401 converter. . . . . . . . . . .£229
£2398 D5500 + 18-55 VRII ...........................£679 50 F1.4 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£377 MBD-15 (fit D7200). . . . . . . . . .£229 TC2001 converter. . . . . . . . . . .£269
D5500 + 18-140 VR ...........................£848 50 F1.8 AFS G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£188 MBD-12 (fit D810/800/E) . . . .£329 USB Lens dock CAF/NAF . . . . . £39
X-T2
Body Black
£1398
Plus 18-55
X-T10 + 18-55mm .................. £715 23mm F1.4 XF ......................... £788
SYSTEM
90mm F2 R LM WR ................ £828
16-300 f3.5/6.3 Di II VC PZD .... £428
18-200 F3.5/6.3 Di II VC............. £189
150-600 F5/6.3 VC USD G2 ....£1350
X-T10 body Blk/silv................ £449 23mm F2 XF R WR ................. £418 100-400 F4/5.6 OIS WR ......... £1397
£1647 X-E2S + 18-55mm .................. £729 27mm F2.8 XF ......................... £348 1.4x XF TC WR .......................... £299
X-E2S body ............................... £548 35mm F1.4 XF ......................... £498 2x XF TC WR ............................. £349
10-24mm F4 XF ...................... £828 35mm F2 R WR........................ £368 11mm Extension tube ............£64
14mm F2.8 XF R ..................... £788 50-140mm F2.8 R OIS .........£1328 16mm Extension tube ............£64
X-Pro2 16mm F1.4 XF ......................... £828 50-230mm F4.5/6.7 XC OIS £269 VPB-XT2 Vertical grip............ £297 150-600 F5/6.3 SP VC USD ....... £828
Body only 16-55mm F2.8 ......................... £949 55-200mm F3.5/4.8 OIS XF. £618 EF-20 TTL Flashgun ..................£98 Kenko Converters
18mm F2 XF............................. £498 56mm F1.2 R APD ................£1158 EF-42 TTL Flashgun ............... £168 1.4x Pro 300 converter .............. £159
£1347 18-55mm F2.8/4 OIS ............ £618 56mm F1.2 XF ......................... £828 EF-X20 TTL Flashgun ............ £168 2x Pro 300 converter ................. £159
18-135mm F3.5/5.6 XF......... £649 60mm F2.4 XF ......................... £578 EF-500 TTL Flashgun ............ £449 Auto ext tube set ..................£109.99
Family Run Pro Dealership With Friendly, Knowledgeable Staff. Open 7 Days Per Week. Prices Inc VAT - Correct 27/11/2016. P&P Extra. E&OE.
FULL PRODUCT LISTINGS AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE - UPDATED DAILY. FREE COURIER DELIVERY FOR NEW ITEMS ORDERED ON-LINE (U.K. Mainland only)
Although we are the best stocked dealer in the West Country, Website altered daily inc. manufacturers cashback & promotions
we cannot always have every item listed in stock at all times, so
we are happy to reserve new & used items for customers
planning to visit. Prices correct 27/11/2016 but subject to
change without notice. See website for up to date prices. E&OE.
www.mifsuds.com
Subscribe to our newsletter - send your email address to info@mifsuds.com.
QUALITY USED EQUIPMENT. See website for full list. Call us to check condition. 6 Month warranty on most secondhand.
BRONICA ETRS 645 USED 18-200 F3.5/6.3 HSM OS..£149 MAMIYA RB 6x7 USED NIKON AF USED 50 F1.8 AIS pancake.........£139
Used Canon 40 F4 MC ..............................£149 18-250 F3.5/45.6 DC OS...£149 Pro SD + 127 KL + WLF F4E body ..............................£299 50 F1.8 E.................................£59 Used Nikon
EOS 5D MKIII
body box
50 F2.8 E...............................£149
75 F2.8 PE ............................£149
105 F3.5..................................£99
135 F4 PE M- box ..............£249
24-70 F2.8 HSM....................£469
28-135 F3.8/5.6 ...................... £99
50 F1.4 EX DG Art................£499
50 F1.4 EX DC........................£249
+ back M-.............................£649
Pro S + 90 + WLF + back £449
Pro S body ...........................£149
Pro S body scruffy ..............£99
F65 body ................................£39
F801 body ...................... £29/59
F601 body .............................£29
F55 body ................................£25
55 F2.8 AIS...........................£199
85 F1.8 AI ...............................£99
105 F2.8 AIS macro ..........£199
180 F2.8 AIS ED scruffy ...£179
D4s body box HOYA Filters
NEw STOCK
150 F3.5 E ..............................£99 50 F2.8 EX macro ............... £149 Plain prism late..................£199 10.5 F2.8 AFS DX box ......£399 500 F4 AIS.........................£1499
150 F3.5 PE M- Box...........£149 50-500 F4/6.3 EX DG .......£399 WLF.......£79 Chimney........£99 10-24 F3.5/4.5 AFS DX ....£549 500 F8 mirror early...........£279 HOYA PRO 1D
200 F4.5 PE..........................£199 70-200 F2.8 EX DG ..........£399 120 645V back .....................£99 14-24 F2.8 AFS M- box .. £1099 TC200 ......................................£49 Circ ular Polariser
E14 or E42 ext tube ea......£49 105 F2.5 EX DG OS box ..£269 50 F4.5 ..................................£199 14-24 F2.8 AFS ................£999 TC301 ....................................£149
120 RFH ..................................£69 120-300 F2.8 DG OS 90 F3.5 KL ............................£299 16 F2.8 Fisheye AFD .....£499 SC-17 TTL lead .....................£25 52mm .... £49 67mm..£79
Polaroid Back .......................£39 Sport box ..........................£1899 127 F3.5 KL..........................£299 16-35 F4 VR.......................£799 DW-3 WLF find fit F3 .........£99 55mm .... £49 72mm..£89
AEIII prism ...........................£199 120-300 F2.8 EX DG .........£749 180 F4.5......................................£149 16-85 F3.5/5.6 AFS VR ...£399 DW-21 fits F4 ......................£149
Plain prism ............................£59 120-400 F4/5.6 DG ...........£399 Pro SD ext tube 2 82mm..... £99 17-55 F2.8 AFS ......................£499 Nikon bellows II box ..........£89 58mm .... £69 77mm..£99
£1599/1799 Rotary prism .........................£99 150 F2.8 EX DG OS mac ...£499 Pro SD ext tube 1 45mm..... £99 18-35 F3.5/4.5 AFS ..............£479 OLYMPUS DIGITAL USED 62mm .... £69 82mm£134
A workhorse full frame
Angle viewfinder E...........£129 150-500 F5/6.3 HSM ..........£499 Ext tube 2.................................... £49 18-35 F3.5/4.5 AFD .............£299 E10 MKII body ....................£349 £3699
Winder early .........................£79 150-600 F5/6.3 DG OS ........£999 MAMIYA RZ 6x7 USED 18-55 F3.5/5.6 AFS VR..........£99 E10 body..............................£279 UV
camera ideally suited Speed Grip E.........................£39 170-500 F5/6.3 APO DG.....£299 RZ ProII + 90 + WLF 18-70 F3.5/4.5 AFS ..............£119 12-60 F2.8/4 SWD .............£379 Dazzling levels of speed
to both amateur and Tripod adapter E .................£39 180 F3.5 EX DG HSM mac.£399 + 120 RFH ............................£499 18-105 F3.5/5.6 AFS VR .....£169 14-42 F3.5/5.6 ......................£49 and low light performance 37mm .... £30 62mm..£43
professional users Winder early .........................£49 1.4x or 2x EX DG conv ea ..£149 RZ Pro body ........................£149 18-200 F3.5/5.6 AFS VRI ....£249 14-45 F3.5/5.6 ......................£79 make this a great buy 40.5mm . £30 67mm..£50
Metz SCA 386 .......................£49 1.4x or 2x EX conv ea ............ £99 120 RFH Pro II.......................£99 20 F2.8 AF................................£279 14-50 F3.8/5.6 ....................£199
BRONICA SQ 6x6 USED Kenko Pro 300 1.4x conv..... £99 120 RFH Pro I ........................£49 24 F2.8 AFD ............................£299 14-54 F2.8/3.5 ....................£149 46mm .... £30 72mm..£52
Used Canon SQA + 80 + back + prism .£249 Kenko ext tubes....................... £79 Polaroid back .......................£79 24-70 F2.8 AFS box .............£849 35 F3.5 ....................................£99 Used Nikon 52mm .... £30 77mm..£55
EOS 1DX 40 F4 S ..................................£299 OTHER CAF USED FE701 prism ........................£299 24-85 F3.5/4.5 VR ..................£329 35-100 F2 M- box..............£999
50 F3.5 PS ............................£299 TAM 18-270 F3.5/6.3 VCII .£169 WLF.........£79 Winder II ......£69 24-120 f4 AFS VR ...................£699 40-150 F4/5.6 .......................£49 D4 55mm .... £35 82mm..£69
body 50 F3.5 S...............................£149 TAM 28-75 F2.8 XR Di ......£199 50 F4.5 W .............................£249 24-120 F3.5/5.6 AFD ............£199 50 F2 macro ........................£279 58mm .... £38
110 F4.5 PS macro ............£399 TAM 28-300 F3.5/6.3 PZD .£399 65 F4 box M- ......................£399 28 F1.8 AFS G ..........................£479 25mm ext tube....................£79 body
box Softener A
135 F4 PS M-.......................£229 TAM 70-300 F4/5.6 ............... £99 90 F3.5 W M- box ..............£299 28-100 F3.5/5.6 AF G ............. £69 FL-36 Flash ..........................£119 box
150 F3.5 S ..............................£79 TAM 90 F2.8 ...........................£249 180 F4.5 W...........................£199 28-105 F3.5/4.5 AFD ............£149 OLYMPUS PEN USED 52mm .... £20 67mm..£39
150 F4 PS ................... £149/199 TAM 150-600 F5/6.3 USD £649 Pro shade...............................£49 35 F1.8 DX.................................£139 OMD-EM1 body M- box .£499
£2999 180 F4.5 PS..........................£399 TAM 200-500 F5/6.3...........£449 MINOLTA/SONY DIGITAL USED 35 F2 AFD .................................£199 OMD E-M5 MKII b/o box £599 £2499 55mm .... £20 72mm..£39
200 F4.5 PS M- box ..........£199 CANON FLASH USED Sony RX10 MKII box.............£949 35-70 F3.3/4.5 AF .................... £59 OMD E-M5 body box.......£299 58mm .... £39 77mm..£49
2x PS converter M- ...........£179 ST-E3 transmitter box .....£199 Sony A7RII body box......£2399 50 F1.4 AFD.........................£199 OMD-EM10 MKII body ....£369
Used Canon 135N back ...........................£119 ST-E2 transmitter ................£79 Sony A6300 body .............. £799 50 F1.8 AFD...........................£99 OMD-EM10 body ..............£299 Used Nikon 62mm .... £39 82mm..£49
SQA Polaroid back..............£59 MR-14EX ringflash ............£349 Sony A77 body ................... £399 50 F1.8 AF ..............................£79 12-50 F3.5/6.3 ....................£149
EOS 5D SQAi 120 RFH .......................£79 MT-24EX ringflash ............£549 Sony A200 body................. £129 55-200 F4/5.6 AFS VR ........£99 14-150 F4/5.6 .....................£399 Star 4
D3X
MKIV SQA 120 RFH ........................£49 380EX ......................................£69 Sony VGB30AM .....................£79 55-200 F4/5.6 AFS ..............£79 45 F1.8 box .........................£199 52mm .... £29 67mm..£39
SQAi prism late ..................£299 430EXII..................................£169 Sony VG-C70AM................. £139 60 F2.8 AFS .........................£349 40-150 F2.8 Pro .................£949 body
body 45° Prism box .....................£129 550EX ....................................£149 Sony HV56AM ..................... £169 60 F2.8 AFD.........................£249 60 F2.8 ..................................£299 55mm .... £29 72mm..£39
box Plain Prism S Boxed ...........£69 580EX box ...........................£179 SONY NEX USED 60 F2.8 AF ............................£199 75-300 F4.8/6.7 MKII........£299 box 58mm .... £39 77mm..£49
AE Prism Early ......................£79 600EX RT box .....................£279 A6000 body .............................£329 70-200 F2.8 AFS VRI .........£899 1.4x converter ....................£249
62mm .... £39
£2999 ME Prism Finder ..................£69
Metz SCA 386 .......................£49
CONTAX 645 AF USED
45 F2.8 ..................................£499
NEX 5 body ..............................£129
FE 16-35 F4 ZA OSS E..........£999
70-300 F4/5.6 VR ...............£369
70-300 F4/5.6 AFD ...........£129
FL600R flash box...............£199
HLD-8 grip...........................£149
£1999
Protector
Pro shade S ...........................£59 CONTAX 35mm AF USED FE 16-50 F3.5/5.6 EZ ............£149 70-300 F4 G...........................£79 HLD-7 grip box ..................£109
Used Canon Lens Hood 65-80.................£20 90 F2.8 ..................................£299 FE 55-200 F4.5/6.3 ................£149 80-200 F2.8 AFD................£349 HLD-6 grip...........................£119 Used Nikon 55mm .... £20 67mm..£30
SQAi Motorwinder ...........£149 CONTAX MF USED FE 90 F2.8 macro ...................£799 85 F1.4 AFD.........................£499 VF-2 viewfinder .................£179 58mm .... £20 72mm..£35
1D MKIV Speed grip S .........................£69 28-70 F3.5/4.5 MM ...........£169 Samyang 100 F2.8 macro .£229 85 F1.4 AFS .........................£329 OLYMPUS OM USED D3s
body CANON DIGITAL AF USED FUJI DIGITAL USED MINOLTA/SONY AF USED 85 F1.8 AFD.........................£249 OM-4T body .......................£249 62mm .... £30 77mm..£49
1DX MKII body ................£4599 X-Pro2 body box ............£1099 Dynax 9 body box ............£299 85 F3.5 DX M- box ............£269 OM-1n body chr................£169 body Twin packs: UV + Circ Pol
box 1DX body box .................£2999 X-T1 body graphite box .£599 800Si body ............................£69 105 F2 AFD..........................£649 OM-2SP body .....................£149
1D MKIV body ..... £1299/1499 X-T1 body black....... £499/599 7xi body .................................£49 105 F2.8 AFS VR.................£579 OM-2n body blk or chr ...£149 box 40.5mm . £49 62mm..£69
1Ds MKII body....................£699 X-T10 body box .................£379 7000i body ............................£39 105 F2.8 AFD ......................£399 OM-1n body .......................£149
49mm .... £49 67mm..£79
£1299/1499
1D MKIII body ....................£699
7D body ...............................£499
X-E2s body silver...............£369
X-M1 body blk box...........£149
300Si body ............................£19
20 F2.8 ..................................£199
180 F2.8 AFD M- box .......£449
200 F4 AF .............................£999
28 F3.5 ....................................£49
35-70 F3.5/4.5 ......................£79 £1499/1799 52mm .... £55 72mm..£89
5D MKIV body box ........£2999 16-55 F2.8 box ...................£699 20-35 F3.5/4.5 M- box .....£249 200-400 F4 AFS VRII ......£3799 35-105 F3.5/4.5....................£79
55mm .... £59 77mm..£99
Used Canon 5D MKIII b/o box £1599/1799
5D MKII body ..............£599/799
18-55 F2.8/4 XF .................£399
27 F2.8 XF box ...................£199
24 F2.8 AF ............................£199
24-50 F4 .................................£99
300 F2.8 AFS VRII M- .....£3199
300 F2.8 AFS VRI ............£2699
50 F3.5 macro ......................£79
200 F4 .....................................£79
Used Nikon 58mm .... £65
5D MKII body 5D MKI body box ................£499 35 F1.4 R box ......................£399 24-85 F3.5/4.5 ....................£149 300 F4 AFS M- box ...........£699 14 or 25 auto ext tube ea £29
60D body ................................£399 50-230 F4.5/6.7 XC box ..£169 28 F2.....£299 28 F2.8 ........£99 300 F4 AFS box..................£599 PANASONIC DIGITAL USED D3 HOYA
50D body ................................£299 56 F1.2 R ..............................£599 28-80 F4/5.6..........................£39 400 F2.8 AFS VR serviced £5899 FZ200 Bridge camera ......£199 body Close up +2, 3 or 4 (each)
30D body ................................£129 60 F2.4 macro box............£429 28-85 F3.5/4.5 ......................£99 400 F2.8 AFS non VR.....£3999 G6 body black....................£299
500D body .............................£199 1.4x converter ....................£269 35-70 F4 .................................£39 600 F4 AFS VR serviced ....£5999 G3 body box .......................£129 box 52mm .... £18 67mm..£25
450D body .............................£149 X-T1 vertical grip...............£129 35-70 F3.5/4.5 ........................... £25 600 F4 AFS II non VR GX7 body.............................£399 55mm .... £18 72mm..£27
HASSELBLAD XPAN USED
£599/899
BG-E2...........£39 BG-E2N .....£49
BG-E4 box..£69 BG-E5 ........£49 Centre filter 49mm.................£129
35-80 f4/5.6 ................................ £25
35-105 F3.5/4.5 ........................ £99
grey serviced ...................£3499
TC14EII. .................................£299
GX1 body box ....................£149
GF7 body silver box .........£199 £1199 58mm .... £20 77mm..£27
BG-E6...........£89 BG-E7 ........£89 HASSELBLAD 6x6 USED 50 F1.4 AF .................................£169 TC20EIII M- box .................£249 GF3 body black ...................£99 62mm .... £20
Used Canon BG-E8. .........................................£69
BG-E9 box .................................£79
500C body chrome ..........£199
WLF late ...............................£110
50 F1.7 AF ................................... £89
50 F2.8 macro .........................£149
TC20EII....£199 TC20E.......£149
SIGMA NAF USED
GF1 body ................................. £79
12-35 F2.8 ............................£549
Used Nikon Softener A, Diffuser (each)
BG-E11.....£199 BG-E13 ....£139 WLF chrome late.................£99 75-300 F4.5/5.6 ........................ £99 10-20 F4/5.6 EX DC ..............£239 14 F2.5 ..................................£199
16-35 f2.8 BG-E16 box ............................£149 WLF early ...............................£49 85 F1.4 ........................................£549 15 F2.8 EX DG .........................£399 14-42 F3.5/5.6 ......................£79 D800 49mm .... £15 62mm..£29
CANON AF USED Sports viewfinder ...............£69 100-300 F4.5/5.6 APO .........£149 18-50 F2.8 EX DC Mac.........£149 14-45 F3.5/5.6 ....................£149 body 52mm .... £20 67mm..£29
USM EOS 1V body M- box .......£699 Chimney.................................£89 VC700 grip.................................. £39 18-200 F3.5/6.3 DC OS ......£199 20 F1.7 ..................................£199
EOS 3 body M- box ..........£299 A12 chrome latest ............£299 RC1000S/L cord ....................... £15 18-250 F3.5/6.3 DC OS ......£149 35-100 F4/5.6 .....................£199 55mm .... £25 72mm..£29
LII
EOS 1n body.......................£149 A12 late blk/chr .................£129 AW90............................................. £49 24-70 F2.8 EX DG .................£249 100-300 F4/5.6...................£349 58mm .... £29 77mm..£29
EOS 30/5 body each ..........£69 Polaroid back tatty .............£79 MD90 + BP90-M ...................... £79 28-300 F3.5/6.3 early..........£129 LVF2 box ..............................£149
£899 EOS 650 body ......................£39 50 F4 CF FLE .......................£849 Angle finder VN........................ £79 30 F1.4 EX DC ........................£199 BG-GH3 grip .........................£99 £1299 Infra Red
EOS 600 body ......................£39 80 F2.8 CF ............................£479 SONY LENSES USED 35 F1.4 Art...............................£499 PENTAX DIGITAL USED 62mm .... £59 67mm..£59
Used Canon EOS 50E/300V body each £29
EOS 500N/1000 b/o each £29
140-280 F5.6 CF.................£799
150 F4 chrome...................£199
16-80 F3.5/4.5 ZA DT...........£499
18-55 F3.5/5.6 SAM ................ £59
50 F1.4 Art M- box...............£499
50-500 F4/6.3 DG.... £399/499
K3 body ................................£499
Km body ..............................£149
Used Nikon 77mm .... £69
70-200mm f2.8 LI 10-18 F4.5/5.6 IS STM......£159 250 F5.6 CF .........................£399 18-200 F3.5/6.3 DT ...............£199 70-200 F2.8 OS DG ...........£599 PENTAX 35mm AF USED 14-24mm f2.8 AFS Variable Neutral Density
IS USM 10-22 F3.5/4.5 U ................£279 Ext tube 21, 55 each ..........£39 55-200 F4/5.6 DT SSM .......... £69 70-300 F4/5.6 APO DG......£99 MZ5N body ...........................£69 M- box
16-35 F2.8 USM LII............£899 Vivitar 2x conv .....................£49 75-300 F4/5.6 ..........................£129 80-400 F4.5/5.6 DG OS ...£399 10-17 F3.5/4.5 ED .............£239 67mm ..£119 72mm£129
16-35 F2.8 USM LI.............£749 Pro shade 6093....................£99 SIGMA MIN/SONY AF USED 105 F2.8 EX DG OS ...........£269 16-45 F4 ...............................£199 77mm ..£129
17-40 F4 L ............................£449 Lens hoods various ..... £20/50 10-20 F4/5.6 EX DC ........... £229 105 F2.8 EX .........................£199 17-70 F4 SDM M- box .....£299
17-55 F2.8 EFS IS USM ....£449 LEICA SLR USED 18-35 F1.8 Art...................... £449 120-300 F2.8 DG OS .....£1199 18-55 F3.5/5.6 ......................£29 Centre Spot
17-85 F4/5.6........................£199 R7 body black ....................£299 28-135 F3.8/5.6 ......................£79 120-400 F4/5.6 DG ...........£399 28-80 F3.5/5.6 ......................£49
£1099 40.5mm . N/A 58mm..£17
£899 24 F3.5 TSE MKI box.............£749 R5 body black ....................£179 28-300 F3.5/6.3 macro..... £149 150-500 F5/6.3 DG OS ........£499 50-135 F2.8 SDM...............£379
24-70 F2.8 L USM box .........£799 LEICA OPTICS USED 50 F1.4 .................................... £149 1.4x or 2x EX DG conv ea ..£149 55-300 F4/5.8 HD DA 46mm .... N/A 62mm..£17
Used Canon
24-85 F3.5/4.5 USM..............£149
24-105 F4 L...............................£599
Televid APO 77 + eyepiece£799
Televid 77 + 20x60 ...........£649
50 F2.8 EX DG macro ....... £149
55-200 F4/5.6 .........................£69
1.4x or 2x EX conv each ....... £99
TAMRON NAF USED
ED WR ...................................£249
55-300 F4/5.8 ED box......£229 Used Nikon 49mm .... £15 67mm..£17
28 F1.8 USM box ...............£259 Trinovid 10x42 ...................£699 70-300 F4/5.6 DG OS ...... £169 10-24 F3.5/4.5 DiII .................£239 70 F2.8 Limited ..................£349 200-400mm f4 AFS VRII 52mm .... £15 72mm..£20
100-400mm f4.5/5.6 L 28 F2.8 ..................................£129 Ultravid 8x32 HD ..............£899 70-300 F4/5.6 APO DG ...... £99 11-18 F4.5/5.6 .........................£219 70-300 F4/5.6 .......................£79
IS USM 28-90 F3.5/5.6 ......................£79 LIGHTMETERS USED 150-500 F5./6.3 DG ..........£499 18-250 F3.5/6.3 ......................£149 100-300 F4.5/5.6 .................£89 55mm .... £15
28-135 F3.5/5.6 IS USM ..£199 Minolta Flashmeter V ......£199 170-500 F5/6.3...................£299 19-35 F3.5/4.5 ........................... £99 SIGMA PKAF USED Star 6, Star 8 (each)
50 F1.2 L USM box............£999 Polaris .....................................£99 500 F4.5 APO ......................£799 24-70 F2.8 USD.......................£599 10-20 F4/5.6........................£229
50 F1.4 USM........................£239 Sekonic L308 ........................£99 1.4x EX conv .........................£99 70-300 F4/5.6 ............................ £79 18-250 F3.5/6.3..................£199 52mm .... £20 67mm..£29
50 F2.5 macro ....................£149 Sekonic L478DR ................£279 TAM 10-24 F3.5/4.5 DiII ..£239 OTHER NAF USED TAM 70-300 F4.5/5.6 Di ....£79 55mm .... £20 72mm..£29
£899 60 F2.8 USM EFS mac ......£279 MAMIYA 645 MF USED TAM 18-200 F3.5/6.3..........£99 TOK 10-17 F3.5/4.5 ATX ..£249 PENTAX 645AF USED £3799
70-200 F2.8 IS USM LI......£899 645 Prol TL + 80 + prism TAM 70-300 F4.5/5.6 TOK 11-18 F2.8 ATX Pro..£329 645N body ..........................£399 58mm .... £29 77mm..£39
70-200 F2.8 USM L ...........£799 + winder box ......................£399 Di box......................................£79 TOK 12-28 F4 ATX DX ......£399 AF500FTZ flash ....................£79 62mm .... £29
Used Canon 70-200 F4 U L .....................£399 Plain prism (645 Super) ....£39 TAM 90 F2.8 .............. £179/249 TOK 80-200 F2.8 ATX Pro £299 PENTAX 645MF USED Used Nikon
300mm f2.8 LI IS USM 70-300 F4/5.6 L IS U£699/849 Polariod Back HP401 .........£29 Teleplus 1.4x conv ..............£69 FLASH / ACCESSORIES USED 645 + 75 F2.8 ......................£249 300mm f2.8 AFS VRI SIGMA
70-300 F4/5.6 DO IS U.....£399 Polaroid back .......................£29 Teleplus 2x conv .................£79 SB-24.........£49 SB-25..............£49 645 body + insert .............£199
70-300 F4.5/5.6 IS USM ..£299 120 Insert...............................£20 Kenko 1.4x Pro 300DG ....£149 SB-28 ............................................. £69 55 F2.8 ..................................£249 UV WR
75-300 F4/5.6 MKII .............£99 HA401 120 RFH Box...........£49 Min 5200i...............................£29 SB-80DX....................................... £79 150 F3.5 EX++ ....................£149
85 F1.8 M-............................£219 120 Back.................................£39 Min 5400HS ..........................£39 SB-500 box ...............................£149 200 F4 ...................................£149 86mm .............................£99
100 F2.8 USM box.............£319 Winder ....................................£79 Min 5600HSD M-.................£99 SB-600.........................................£169 300 F4 ...................................£249 95mm .......................... £119
100-400 F4.5/5.6 L IS U... £899 45 F2.8 N ..............................£199 NIKON DIGITAL AF USED SB-800.........................................£149 1.4x converter ....................£199
105mm ........................ £149
£2999 135 F2 L M- box.................£549
180 F3.5 L mac .................... £899
55-110 F4.5 box.................£299
120 F4 macro .....................£269
D4s body box ..................£3699
D4 body box....................£2499
SB-R1C1 kit...............................£499
SD-8 batt pack.......................... £49
120 Insert M- box................£49
PENTAX 67 USED
£2699
Circular Polariser WR
300 F2.8 LI IS U..................£2999 150 F2.8 A............................£199 D3X body box .................£1999 SU-800 commander box...£199 67 II + AE prism box .........£999
Used Canon 300 F4 L IS USM box ......... £849 150 F3.5 N .............................£79 D3s body box ...... £1499/1799 DR-3 angle finder.................... £59 45 F4 latest ..........................£399 Used Nikon 86mm .......................... £129
300mm f4 L IS USM
400 F4 DO ISII L U ............£5799 150 F3.8 NL leaf.................£299 D3 body box....................£1199 MB-10 (fits F90) ........................ £29 105 F2.4 latest ....................£449 400mm f2.8 AFS VR 95mm .......................... £159
400 F5.6 L box ..................... £799 210 F4 N M- ..........................£79 D2xs body ...........................£399 MB-23 (fits F4)........................... £69 135 F4 macro late .............£249 serviced
box 500 F4 LI IS USM...............£4499 Ext Tube 1, 2, 3S each .......£29 D2x body .............................£349 MC-36 remote .......................... £79 165 F2.8 latest ....................£399 105mm ........................ £199
600 F4 IS LII ........................£7499
Lifesize converter..................£99
Teleplus 2x converter ........£49
Vivitar 2x converter............£39
D800 body .......................£1299
D700 body box..................£699
MC-30 remote .......................... £39
MF-23 (date back F4) ............ £79
200 F4 latest .......................£169
200 F4 early .............................£99
COKIN
12mm ext tube II box .........£59 MAMIYA TLR 6x6 USED D600 body box..................£799 NIKON MF USED 300 F4 early scruffy ............. £99 P Series Nuance Kits
25mm ext tube II box .........£99 C330 F Body + WLF ..........£149 D300 body box..................£299 F3 body ................................£199 Pentax rear conv 1.4x ........ £249
ND1024 10 f stops ...£69.99
£849
2x extender MKII ................ £219
2x extender MKIII..............£299
55 F4.5 ..................................£199
65 F3.5 box late .................£199
D200 body box..................£149
D7000 body .............. £299/349
FM2n body box .................£349
FM2n body chr ..................£249
2x rear converter...............£179
Auto ext tubes .....................£49
£5899 ND256 8 f stops ........£69.99
2x extender MKI ................£169 65 F3.5 serviced.................£149 D5500 body box ...............£479 F301 body .............................£99 Vivitar 2x conv .....................£49
Used Canon Teleplus 2x DG conv ..........£89
Kenko ext tube set DG ......... £89
80 F2.8 late serviced ........£139
180 F4.5 ................................£149
D5000 body ........................£169
D90 body .............................£199
20 F3.5 AI .............................£199
24 F2.8 AI .............................£199
TAMRON ADII USED
90 F2.5 SP ............................£149
Used Nikon ND32 5 f stops ..........£69.99
600mm f4 AFS VR P Series Grad ND Kit
500mm f4 LI IS USM PB-E2 drive M- box...........£199 250 f4.5 late serviced.......£249 D50 body ...............................£79 28 F2.8 AIS...........................£199 VANGUARD SCOPES USED
PB-E2 drive fits EOS1/3 ...£149 250 f4.5 early serviced .£179 MBD-15 grip .......................£169 28 F3.5 AIS.............................£99 Endeavour HD65A............£269 serviced H270A .........................£54.99
SIGMA CAF USED Paramender ..........................£49 MBD-14 grip .......................£179 28 F2.8 E box ........................£69 Endeavour HD82A............£339 Z Series Grad ND Kit
10-20 F4/5.6 HSM box .£219 Porrofinder ............................£59 MBD-12 grip .......................£229 28-85 F3.5/4.5 AIS.............£199 VOIGTLANDER USED
12-24 F4.5/5.6 EX DG ..........£399 MAMIYA 7 RF 6x7 USED MBD-10 grip M- box ........£149 35-70 F3.3/4.5 AIS.............£129 15 F4.5 + VF M- box .........£269 U960................................£99
17-70 F2.8/4 DC .....................£129 50 F4.5 L + VF .....................£699 MBD-10 grip .........................£89 35-70 F3.5 AIS ......................£99 ZEISS USED For full list of filters see
£4499 18-50 F2.8/4.5 DC OS .......... £99
18-125 F3.8/5.6 OS DC .....£149
80 F4.5 L M- box................£699
150 F4.5 M- .........................£399
MBD-100 ................................£39
Coolpix P900 compact ...£399
35-105 F3.5/4.5 AIS ............£79
50 F1.4 AI .............................£199
Victory Diascope 85 T* FL
+ 20x60 box .....................£1499 £5999 WWW.MIFSUDS.COM
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BRAND
NEW
SERIES!
STUDENT SHOWCASE
Fading
traditions
Alice Gough captures one
of the last cattle markets
in the UK, documenting
the end of an era.
l every saturday i visit the local cattle market, which
is usually only frequented by the farming community. Cattle
are bought and sold, either for slaughter or breeding, and the
farmers make or lose money depending on the fluctuating
prices of the market. With livestock markets all over the
country closing, Thrapston, in Northamptonshire, is drawing
farmers from far and wide. While this initially seems like
a good thing, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the market
will get relocated to larger, more modern premises outside
the town. This means the end of an environment where
generations of farmers have met to talk and do business.
There are carefully orchestrated activities designed to
unload the animals and get them into the sale ring as
efficiently as possible. The whole market is a rich texture of
activity that reveals amazing insights into human character
and animal behaviour, which I feel really represent a unique
community and demonstrate the interdependence between
farmers and their livestock. When I wandered around the
market I noticed that the scenery and the people all had a very
used and tired look, which fascinated me and ended up
becoming the central theme of my work. I contrasted this
worn feeling with the liveliness of the scene. There were
bright-eyed and fresh-nosed livestock, farmers with brows
furrowed in concentration and the general hustle and bustle
that gave a particular energy to the day’s proceedings.
Being a regular visitor really helped me to get my shots.
Because I was always there, the people began to take less
notice of me and I just blended into the crowd. This also
meant that I started to be able to predict what was going to
occur and pre-empt the best photos before they even
happened. The people I photographed often asked me to
show them what I’d taken. I would watch the expressions on
their faces as they came to terms with the textured images on
my camera screen. They looked at the shots intently, but they
all recognised that I was serious about my subject matter.
They would smile knowingly, and often say ‘that’s a good
animal’. When they said that I knew, on some level, I had
captured something important to them.