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irst, thanks to editor-in-chief Chris George for helming Digital Camera these past few months. What a time for him to hand over to me – with the two major players in the industry unveiling full-frame mirrorless camera systems in the past weeks, a slew of exciting announcements at Photokina surely meant there couldn’t be a better time to take up the reins. It’s hard to convey the sense of excitement in the press conferences as Leica, Sigma, Panasonic and Fujifilm revealed new cameras and lenses or, in the case of the first three, joined forces to create a new lens mount standard (see pp112-116). Put these and other developments together, and it’s little wonder there’s such a buzz about photography right now. Having been an enthusiast photographer for 20 years, this is my dream job – so I’ll be helping Digital Camera to continue to bring you the very best of our pastime every month. Enjoy the issue.
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Contents
94
Shootout _ Digital Camera readers visit Dartmouth for a misty afternoon stroll along the coast path
Photo skills
8
One to One
Janek Sedlar shoots sunrise woodlands
14 P hoto Active
60
Win £30,000 in prizes!
hoot in raw! 40 SUnderstand digital negatives and shoot
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Hotshots
Light painting, seascapes and more
raw for ultimate image quality control
he Art of Seeing 50 TBen Brain satisfies a penchant for stone collecting with multiple exposures
52 C amera College: Metering
Take control of camera exposure
69 59
Shot of the Month
Cristina Mittermeier’s quirky book cover
Practical Photoshop From basic edits to fun effects, head to the digital darkroom with our pro team
148 Interview
Shawn Heinrichs’ ocean scenes
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Regulars offer 38 SSaveubscription oodles of cash this Christmas
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Photographer of the Year is back
Our gallery of the best reader pictures
94 Shootout
Two readers’ creative coastal captures
hoto Answers 102 PResident know-it-all Andrew James tackles your kit and technique queries
106 Rate my Photo
Rocky roads and rainy days
erimeter 111 PQuintin talks shortcuts and Scots
112 In Focus
A roundup of releases from Photokina
hat the f/stop! 162 W
NOVEMBER 2018
How well will you do in our new quiz?
Issue 209 NOVEMBER 2018
On the disc 36 triptych templates
69
Practical Photoshop _ Our new-look guide to the digital darkroom
134
Group Test: Carbon-fibre tripods _ Eight options for keeping shots sharp
Gear & tests anon EOS R 120 CCanon’s full-frame mirrorless camera is finally here and ready to fire...
ead to head 126 HThe Olympus OM-D E-M1 II goes up against the Panasonic Lumix G9
anon EF 70-200mm 133 Cf/2.8L IS III USM How does this zoom lens fare against its predecessor on build, quality and value?
tripods 134 CEightarbon-fibre advanced tripods that make light work of camera stabilisation
aptops 142 LWhen it comes to image editing, only the top processing power and screen will do
uxury bags 144 LA right posh selection of camera carriers elp Me Buy a… 146 HMacro lens How to choose a close-up companion www.digitalcameraworld.com
Contents
Free camera bag when you subscribe Page 38
This month’s contributors Shawn Heinrichs Underwater photographer This award-winning diver, cinematographer and marine campaigner immerses us in his deep-sea world on page 148. Prepare to be amazed.
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Benedict Brain
Interview _ Shawn Heinrichs dives deep and talks about his most memorable underwater encounters
Creative photographer After a recent spell of globetrotting, this issue Ben returns to his ‘studio’ (box room) for a meditative stone shoot. Turn to page 50 to see the final result.
Janek Sedlar Nature photographer Janek is a lover of his local forests, and hikes for days to capture amazing woodland scenes. We join him in the Czech Republic for a special sunrise shoot on page 8.
Dave Smith
138 40
Outdoor photographer
Steve McCurry interview_ The king of composition talks about his_life and his newon online training Shoot in raw! The lowdown shooting andcourse editing
Dave’s desires for exploring nature have inspired him to travel worldwide in pursuit of the next awe-inspiring scene. See his adventurer’s kit bag on page 28.
raw files that’ll take your photography to new heights
Andrew James Our man with all the answers Andrew’s photography career sees him take on all sorts of challenges, and his in-depth knowledge means he can solve your queries. See page 102.
Quintin Lake Roving photographer
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Quintin has set himself the task of walking all 6,000 miles of the UK coastline. In his series, he shares his stories and offers advice for location shots. See page 111.
Photo Active _ The latest round of practical projects to get you in, out and shaking it all about with your camera
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Free gifts
Every issue we bring you more than any other photo magazine
Plan your photo year with our 2019 Calendar Do you ever struggle to try new photo genres? Need somewhere to record all the important shooting dates for next year? Our bright and bold calendar contains stunning images and shooting tips to keep you inspired every season. Look for your 2019 Digital Camera Calendar after the magazine.
9 all-new tips cards
START COLLECTING THE NEW SETS!
Our collectable tips cards have recently had a makeover, and this month there are three separate themes. If portraits are your thing (or if they aren’t your thing and you’d like to improve), use the posing guides to help you get more from models – whether it’s a full body pose or just the hands and face. Look for your Digital Camera cards after the magazine.
Camera Shopper ebook
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Looking to buy a camera or a lens? There are plenty of reviews of new gear in this issue, but this 164-page PDF guide will give you reviews of 120 more SLRs, CSCs and lenses. Find this in the Gifts folder on the disc.
Triptychs are a great way to present a trio of related photos. Look in the Gifts folder on the disc for 36 templates to help you get started, then turn to page 70 for Jon Adams’ tutorial on how to use them.
triptych templates
70 minutes of video Once you’ve read our Practical Photoshop section, explore our expert techniques in more detail with over an hour of Photoshop and Lightroom video training on the disc.
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one to one
Master woodlands
Every month we join a top pro for a one-day masterclass. This issue, Lauren Scott travels to the Czech Republic with nature pro Janek Sedlar to capture the beauty of forests
Master forests with Janek Sedlar Janek is able to shoot the woods close to his home in all seasons
Your pro tutor Janek Sedlar
Janek was born in the Czech Republic; he spends hours getting lost in the White Carpathian mountains, exploring and capturing his favourite woods throughout the year. Walking is an important part of his process, and his inspiration is nature in all its untamed moods. Check out his work at www.janeksedlar.com
ll landscape photographers know that the best time to shoot is early morning, when the light is golden, soft and low in the sky. But that doesn’t make the rise out of bed any less painful. The sun is nowhere near peeking its head out as I climb into Janek’s car at 4am. He reassures me that this will be the best time for shooting – once we’ve driven several hours to reach our destination for sunrise, that is... Our shoot is going to take place in the White Carpathians, a mountain range on the border of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is an area that Janek has explored since he was a child, so he knows it incredibly well. He’s been photographing the region seriously for at least the last five years; his images prove how useful it can be, as a nature or landscape photographer, to get to know what’s on your own doorstep. It’s still dark when we park up, and we hike to our shooting spot
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on the top of a ridge with head torches on. As we walk, Janek tells me about his relationship with photography: “It was at a difficult part of my life that I started using my camera when out in nature. Image-making enabled me to be more present, to connect with what was around me, and also to escape. I often find that my clients turn to photography as a way of dealing with something big in their lives.” Janek captures the forests largely for his own pleasure, but as a trained psychotherapist, he’s started using photography to help his clients, too. “We head out for long hikes in nature and talk,” he says. “When they have a problem with something, they can use the Fujifilm Instax I take along – it’s easy to use – and look for elements in nature that help them to work things out.” As we continue to walk, sunlight starts to peek through the trees (and my sleepy eyes), and I start to believe Janek’s promise that the early rise will be rewarded with a good display of warm light...
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one to one
The Carpathian Mountains look stunning at sunrise.
6.20am
Using a drone Janek’s images are taken in remote spots, and he often uses his drone to scout out locations before hiking there with kit… Considerate flying ”When you’re flying, safety must always be your top priority. It’s your responsibility to find out about the local laws surrounding drone flight,” says Janek, who was able to fly in this unpopulated mountainous region with ease. If you’re scouting out an area that’s closer to settlements, be sure to check out the regulations. In the UK, for example, hobby fliers have to obey certain safety restrictions, and can’t go above 400ft or within 1km of an airport. If you’re planning on using your drone commercially, you’ll need a drone licence (called a PfCO) from a CAA-approved provider. Taking off The best place to launch your drone is in wide, open spaces away from people, buildings and official no-fly zones.
Searching for the best areas to shoot is an important step. However, make sure you have permission to fly a drone from the landowner
Although our shoot was planned, Janek will usually check the weather and conditions in the days leading up to a shoot. We were very fortunate that the golden sun was set to appear, but he explains to me that mist and fog is equally atmospheric in woodlands, as it breaks down the clutter of a busy scene. “You need something for the eye to focus on. Mist simplifies a scene, reduces colour and contrast, and emphasises shapes.” We reach the top of the ridge by 6.30am, and the sun has just started to peek over the horizon. Janek says it’s still slightly too early to head into the forest, so he takes the chance to launch his drone into the air and capture some wide landscape shots of the area. He is scanning the video screen as he does so, looking for new shoot locations. The DJI drone that Janek uses has a 20MP camera that’s able to shoot 4K 60fps video and 14 still images per second. Although it’s not necessarily the same quality as a specialist camera, Janek says that it’s very useful for scouting locations. “Flying is very intuitive. I carry plenty of spare blades, in case I lose any while flying.” Our conversation falls naturally to the photographer’s favourite common subject:
gear, kit and accessories. Janek brought his Olympus E-M1 Mark II on the shoot, which he only switched to a few months ago. He was previously using Nikon DSLRs, but Olympus offered him the chance to try out a new system, and he did. “I’m really surprised and impressed by the quality, but the smaller size and weight is also significant for me”. Although he doesn’t have long-term experience with the new gear, he’s already found the sweet spot of the lenses he’s using, thanks to practice and some sound YouTube advice. The 7-14mm lens was his first choice for shooting a wide-angle image of the forest paths. “The optimum aperture for this lens is around f/8, which makes sure the scene is nice and sharp anyway.”
Taking photos in nature is a great way to escape, but also to be fully present in the moment www.digitalcameraworld.com
Master forests with Janek Sedlar
7.20am
Name
Morning at Forgotten Path
Lens
Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8
Exposure
3.2 sec at f/10, ISO 64
Alternate editing styles 1
ENHANCING THE ORIGINAL
Using Lightroom and Photoshop, Janek shows three different ways to transform his original image...
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Enhancing the original
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Creating an autumnal feel
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Creating an atmospheric B&W
“The first touches were done in Lightroom: decreasing highlights, increasing the exposure and adding some warmth. Next, I jumped into Photoshop, creating a new layer with the Detail Extractor filter from Color Efex Pro. I made a Luminosity Mask selection and painted with a soft radial brush on the trees, with Opacity set at around 70%. I added an Orton Lights filter for a softer look, and did some final dodging and burning on new layers. This was mainly done to a small section at the bottom of the image.”
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CREATING AN AUTUMNAL FEEL
“The colours in this image were completely changed. I started by creating a new layer with the Selective Color tool and got to work on the green hues. I copied this process again with the yellows. In the next step, I created an adjustment layer for Hue and Saturation, making changes to the reds (adding more saturation but darkening this area). On another layer, I tweaked the curves for more contrast. Lastly, a layer was applied with a filter from Color Efex Pro called Indian Summer; I decreased its opacity slightly.”
“I started by making two virtual copies in Lightroom, and applied a different filter to each one in Silver Efex Pro: these were called Full Dynamic Harsh and Full Dynamic Smooth. I opened these two images as layers in Photoshop, then merged them together with a masking process, in a similar way as I did with dodging and burning. Lastly, I added in a brightness and contrast layer and darkened the whole scene overall.”
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CREATING AN ATMOSPHERIC B&W
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Inside a pro’s gadget bag The pick of the kit that enables Janek to shoot spectacular natural scenes 12‑100mm f/4, the 40-150mm and the 40-150mm f/2.8. For this shoot, he mainly relied on the super‑wide‑angle 7-14mm f/2.8.
4 Lee
filters
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DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ drone
With a five-hour battery and range of 7km, this quadcopter gives Janek the option to view potential locations before he heads there with his camera.
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Olympus E-M1 Mark II
Janek used to shoot with a Nikon D90 and a Nikon D600, but he’s recently swapped both DSLRs for the lighter, more compact Olympus mirrorless system.
Olympus M.Zuiko Pro lenses 3
Janek uses the Lee Big Stopper to extend exposure times when the natural light is too bright, and graduated neutral-density filters to balance high-contrast scenes.
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Gitzo TGT2531 tripod
This Mountaineer Series support is made from carbon-fibre and weighs just 1.37 kg, which makes it ideal for Janek to carry on long, strenuous shoots. (This product has been upgraded to the GT2532, pictured). Carbon-fibre tripods on test: see page 134
Janek has an array of Olympus Pro lenses, including the
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Janek moves his camera around without the tripod first, composing to get sunspots peeking through the trees. Once he’s found a good angle and height, he mounts the camera back onto the sturdy tripod he’s been carrying with him all morning. “I know a lot of wildlife photographers from the Czech Republic who are now using Olympus because they have developed such great lenses,” Janek says. “They’re realising that they no longer need the biggest gear.” Janek is still getting to grips with the distinctive features of the camera, one being the High-Res shot mode. “You take eight shots, and inside the camera it combines them together to yield a 40-megapixel JPEG image. Of course, you must have the tripod in place and the camera mustn’t be moved.” There isn’t any sensor stabilisation when shooting in Hi-Res mode, and you can only raise the ISO to 1,600. Janek used his shutter release cable to take the frames, to completely avoid jolting the camera body while pressing down the shutter. “If there are any leaves blowing in the wind, these can also appear blurry,” he adds. But the E-M1 Mark II can counteract this too, by capturing a ‘regular’ 20MP shot first then patching up the areas of the high-res version that have artefacts from the original. By the time it reaches 8.30am, the light is very high-contrast, and we walk to another part of the forest in search of inspiration. Janek explores low-angle compositions, bracketed exposures and setting tweaks; unencumbered by his camera bag, he darts about the woodland with ease. It’s clear that the connection with his surroundings – rather than his camera gear – is what makes his imagery so enchanting...
How Janek uses the LCD monitor We all know that a camera’s LCD screen does much more than display the image you’ve just taken. Janek uses the Olympus’ vari-angle monitor to its full potential, composing scenes using Live View mode, as this gives him a greater idea of how the final shot will look. “I zoom right in on the area I want to be in sharp focus; as the LCD is touchscreen, I can tap where I want that focal point to be.” He also reviews images by zooming in and checking that the desired area is sharp. Exposure can also be checked while shooting: Janek turns on the histogram feature so that it can be viewed on the screen as he tweaks settings. “I want to avoid blowing out the highlights of the sun shining brightly through the trees. I’ll expose to the left, then lighten the shadowed areas when editing.”
After