Amateur Photographer-18th June-2024

Update of Tamron’s fast, compact, all-purpose zoom lens for Nikon Z and Sony E mount

How to see YOUR photos in the next Charlie Waite and Light & Land exhibition

Wheel time

Jeff Carter shares his tips for shooting motorsports

John Bolloten

On documenting people on the margins of society

Plus The Stereo Realist: Why this 1950s classic is one of the great 3D cameras

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It’s difficult to be original these days, so I always find it refreshing to meet photographers making images unlike anything I’ve seen before. John Bolloten’s latest work blew me away when I saw it at Photo North. Getting up close and personal with often violent people on the margins of society has enabled him to show us a world completely alien to our own, which I find fascinating. By contrast, the world of fine art landscapes is a lot less dangerous and Charlie Waite is giving readers an amazing opportunity to see your finest work in an exhibition a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. With Jeff Carter’s guide to motorsport photography, a look at a classic stereo camera and a review of a fine Tamron lens, there’s something for everyone this week. Nigel Atherton, Editor

Video-focused Lumix

GH7 arrives

PANASONIC has launched a new video-focused Micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix GH7. Designed for content creators and small video production teams, the new model looks almost identical to its predecessor, the GH6. However it gains a whole slew of video-related updates, to the extent that Panasonic describes the GH7 as its first true ‘cinema camera’.

Key features include internal Apple ProRes RAW recording in 5.7K resolution at 30fps (or 4K/60fps), and 32-bit float audio recording via the optional DMX-XLR2 microphone adapter announced alongside.

The camera is also capable of 5.8K/30fps ‘open gate’ recording using the full 4:3 aspect ratio output of the sensor, enabling post-capture cropping to various aspect ratios. A built-in fan promises practically unrestricted recording times. Like Panasonic’s other recent cameras, the GH7 also benefits from the addition of on-sensor phase detection for autofocus, which makes an appearance on a GH-series model for the first time.

Expanded subject detection is available, which can recognise humans, animals, and vehicles. But now it aims to identify and focus on the most important element, such as the cockpit of a plane or the rider on a motorcycle.

For stills photography, the camera offers 25.2MP resolution, with a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-25,600. It can

shoot at up to 75 frames per second with focus fixed, or 60fps with continuous AF, with a buffer depth of 165 frames when shooting JPEG+raw

In-body image stabilisation promises 7.5 stops of shake reduction when shooting stills and supports Dual IS 2 for use with optically stabilised lenses. The GH7 incorporates a 3.68m-dot electronic viewfinder that offers 0.8x magnification, plus a 3in, 1.84m-dot touchscreen on the back which combines both up/down tilting and side-hinged fully-articulating mechanisms. This allows the screen to be positioned at practically any angle for maximum flexibility, and pulled clear of the various connector ports.

The Panasonic Lumix GH7 is due towards the end of July at £1,999.99 body-only.

Get the Leica look on iPhones

LEICA has released a new ‘professional camera app’ for iPhones, called Leica LUX. It’s designed to simulate the look of using various classic Leica M rangefinder lenses, such as the Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH and the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/1.2 ASPH, including their characteristic bokeh effects. It also offers ‘Leica Looks’, which provide the same colour profiles as the firm’s latest cameras, such as the Leica Q3 and Leica SL3.

According to Leica, the ‘Standard’ look renders colours and contrast more naturally than the native iPhone camera app. Other Leica Looks available include Classic, Contemporary and Eternal colour modes, plus various toned Black & White options (Blue, Selenium and Sepia). The initial set of lens emulations is rounded off by the Apo-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 and the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH.

The Leica LUX app will be available as a basic free version, with a single lens (the

Summilux-M 28 mm f/1.4 ASPH) and five Leica Looks. However, to unlock the full feature set, users will need to subscribe to the Pro version, which will cost from £6.99 per month. This also brings additional manual control over various camera settings such as exposure compensation.

The new Leica LUX app is available to download now from the Apple App Store.

RIP ‘Earthrise’ photographer

FORMER astronaut Bill Anders, 90, who took the iconic ‘Earthrise’ image, has died when a plane he was flying crashed into the sea off Washington State on 7 June. His ‘Ear thrise’ image came about on Christmas Eve in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission. The Apollo 8 crew had consisted of mission Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. Partway through their NASA mission to document the surface of the moon, Anders looked out of window five and caught sight of the Earth rising over the moon’s western horizon. Regarded as one of the most iconic images of the century, his image inspired the then-fledgling environmental movement and led to the creation of Earth Day.

Tamron 50-300mm for Sony E-mount users

INDEPENDENT lens maker Tamron has announced a new 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD lens, for Sony E-mount fullframe mirrorless cameras. It will be available from 2 June, for £819.99. This optically stabilised, 6x telephoto zoom lens starts at 50mm on the wide end for ‘added versatility,’ said the firm, and includes 19 lens elements in 14 groups.

‘Earthrise’, by Bill Anders, is one of the most inspirational images of Earth from space

Tamron’s

The Leica LUX app is available for iPhones

The GH7 includes internal 5.7K ProRes RAW recording and phase detect autofocus

Gone to the dogs

This charming image of Hector trying vainly to get through a cat flap has won Sarah Haskell the title of Comedy Pet Photographer of the Year. The popular awards were created by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam to highlight the positive and vital role that pets have in our lives and to encourage engagement around animal welfare. Sarah gets a £500 cash prize plus other goodies, and we trust Hector will get a bowl of treats too. See www.comedypetphoto.com for the full winners’ gallery.

The Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM prime lens will be available in July

New Canon RF lens…

IN MORE lens news, Canon has announced the RF 35mm F1.4L VCM, a general-purpose large-aperture prime for its full-frame EOS R mirrorless cameras.

It’s designed to be a hybrid lens for stills and video, with a built-in aperture ring that provides smooth adjustments during video recording. This ring controls an 11-blade diaphragm that stops down to f/16, and includes a lock switch for its Auto position.

The lens employs a 14 element/11 group formula, including 2 ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass elements and 2 with aspheric surfaces. The UD elements are designed to minimise chromatic aberration, while the aspheric ones aim to achieve high image quality across the entire image frame. Canon’s Air Sphere Coating (ASC) and Super Spectra coating are

employed to minimise flare and ghosting.

Two optical groups are used for focusing, with the smaller one driven by a nano-type ultrasonic motor (USM), and the larger by a voice coil motor (VCM) – with the latter giving rise to the lens’s name. Canon says the lens has been designed to minimise focus breathing. The closest focus distance is 28cm, which equates to a maximum magnification of 0.18x. The lens doesn’t include optical stabilisation, but when used in a camera with in-body image stabilisation, Canon is promising 7 stops of correction. While the lens is fractionally smaller than its DSLR predecessor, the Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II USM, it is a lot lighter at 555g.

The Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM is set to go on sale next month for £1,819.

…Plus VR lens and flashgun

CANON has also revealed a new APS-C format dual fisheye lens for creating virtual reality content. The RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye is designed to be a cheaper alternative to the existing Canon RF 5.2mm F2.8L Dual Fisheye lens for full-frame cameras. Initially, the new RF-S optic will only be compatible with the EOS R7. As with its full-frame sibling, viewing the output will require a VR headset. Optically the lenses are made up of 11 elements in 8 groups, including 2 UD elements to minimise chromatic aberration. Canon’s Air Sphere Coating is employed to combat flare and ghosting. It will go on sale in July for £1,349. Last but not least, Canon has unveiled the Speedlite EL-10 on-camera flash, a mid-range strobe unit with a multi-function foot for use on EOS R-system cameras (so it won’t work on EOS DSLRs). Key features include a zoom

head covering a 24-105mm equivalent view, plus a 14mm wideangle diffuser panel. The head can bounce up 90°, left 150°, and right 180°, for softer, more flattering lighting. It provides a maximum guide number of 40m at ISO 100. Available in July, it will cost £329.99.

Pentax toughens up for summer

RICOH has announced two rugged, waterproof compacts under the Pentax brand, the WG-8 and the WG-1000.

The Pentax WG-8 features a 20MP sensor, along with a 5x optical zoom lens (equivalent to approximately 28mm to 140mm) and a six LED ring light for close ups, plus waterproofing to just over 65ft. The WG-1000, meanwhile, includes a 16MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor, 4x optical zoom lens with F3.0-6.6 aperture range and waterproofing to just over 49ft. Both available now, the WG-8 costs £479, while the WG-1000 goes for £249.

Dwarfing its rivals?

THE NEW Dwarf 3 smart telescope, designed to be a relatively cheap and painless introduction to astrophotography, is here. Key features include an apochromatic telephoto lens with an expanded 35mm aperture, a Sony IMX 678 Starvis 2 sensor, AI-powered noise reduction and more filters for day and night shooting than its predecessor. It also gets a larger 10,000 mAh battery and IP54 resistance to dust, moisture and dew, and is available for £384 via an early bird offer ending 1 July. See www.dwarflab.com

The RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens

The new Pentax WG-8 has a 20MP sensor

There’s an early bird discount on the Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope

Siân Davey: The Garden

£50, Trolley Books, 112 pages, hardback, ISBN: 9781907112713

A book to coincide with the large-scale outdoor exhibition at The Photographer’s Gallery is a joy, says Amy Davies

When Siân Davey’s son Luke suggested, ‘Why don’t we fill our back garden with wildflowers and bees, and the people we meet over the garden wall – we’ll invite them in to be photographed by you’, a wonderful idea was born.

At the time (2020), the garden in question had been abandoned for at least ten years. The family cleared the neglected garden and set about filling it with native flowers, encouraging biodiversity, using organic local seeds and made sure to sow them under the moon cycles.

Over time, Siân says, the garden began to feel like an intimate, confessional space. She also says that the space became a metaphor for the human hear t – with a place for everyone who enters it.

Indeed, she is the garden.

In the beautiful portraits we see in this book, we find that it truly is an open space. Mothers and daughters, the lonely, the marginalised, the traumatised and the heartbroken are all sensitively and wonderfully captured.

Siân worked as a psychotherapist for 15

years before she turned her hand to photography – and it is perhaps not surprising that she makes good use of this experience in her ar t practice. As well as drawing on her experience of motherhood, the results are a delicate blend of reality and metaphor, showing off not only superb technical skill, but also a spirit of kindness, humility and compassion.

If you’ve been in the vicinity of The Photographer’s Gallery in London recently, you may have already seen the large-scale outdoor exhibition of The Garden, which hangs proudly in the streets surrounding the site which comprise the Soho Photography Quarter. That exhibition will be on display until November of this year.

But the arresting portraits are all worth repeated viewing, which the book version allows you to do whenever you like – and we highly recommend you do.

Books & exhibitions

The latest and best books and exhibitions from the world of photography

Silverlink by Simon Wheatley

Leica Gallery London, Until 21 July, Free. See leica-camera.com for opening times

Between 1998 and 2010, Simon Wheatley photographed the overland train service known as The North London Line, which went on to become Silverlink after privatisation. Having spent many years travelling the world, he satisfied his curiosity for wandering by spending time in a part of London he didn’t know hugely well, exploring London’s northern inner-suburbs. Described as a love letter to London – and its people – the project shows off how people find themselves in dramatically different situations despite physical closeness.

Shot exclusively using the Leica M system, the 21 images in the exhibition have been printed for the first time. He used Kodachrome for the series, stopping it when the film itself was discontinued in 2010. All the works are for sale at the gallery, as well as signed copies of the book of the series.

La Table by Celine – Exquisite Food Art that Brings Nature to the Plate by Celine Rousseau

£24.99, Prestel, 224 pages, hardback, ISBN: 9783791389677

If you’re keen to up your food photography game, then this is a book you might turn to for some serious inspiration. It’s no longer enough to simply snap your dinner, you need to have something worthy of those all-important ‘likes’ in front of your lens.

Celine Rousseau created a name for herself on Instagram with whimsically styled food delights, and fans can now get a glimpse into how she impresses her nearly 250,000 followers. You’ll learn how to make your own edible art, using some of her most popular posts, as well as some brand new ideas.

Sixty recipes – both sweet and savoury – are included, each one as aesthetically pleasing as the last. Everyday favourites such as pizza, sandwiches and cookies are transformed into playful dishes that are sure to make all of your followers drool.

Custom House 1999

Siân Davey: The Garden (2020-2023) @ Siân Davey

Siân Davey: The Garden (2020-2023) @ Siân Davey

Going

underground

Peter Dench talks to John Bolloten about photographing groups on the margins of society, including brutal far-right football hooligan ‘ultras’

On Thursday 11 April 2024, documentary photographer John Bolloten drove the short distance from his home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds, to install his

exhibition at Photo North Festival 5. He found his allocated space, unpacked 18 large black & white prints and with swift precision, white-tacked them to the wall. The work was shocking and violent. John was respectful and calm.

For the duration of the three-day festival, John held vigil beside his exhibition, talking to visitors, explaining his method. When he delivered a presentation to around 60 people, some visibly winced and tightened their posture, others sat

wide-eyed. ‘I do recognise that most of my work is on the margins of society and I’m also a figure on the margins,’ he said.

‘I’m seen as possibly a divisive figure, or some people see me as that. I don’t, obviously. I’ve always felt like an outsider my whole life, maybe that’s why I’m attracted to stuff that’s on the outside. I know that I make work that’s outside of the mainstream and many things are easily misunderstood in society.’

The exhibition and book, Tbilisi

Left: Billy Braud v Tony Meehan in an illegal bareknuckle pit fight, Manchester, 2020

Above: Huddersfield, 2021. From the book Margins 2

Below left: A member of Elita inside an abandoned building, Tbilisi, Georgia 2023. From the book Tbilisi Raw

Raw, goes deep into the underground of the Georgian capital with a rare and intimate insight into the world of football ultras and right-wing skinheads. Elita, formed in 2018, became the main ultras group following Dinamo Tbilisi after the demise of previous gangs and has advanced in reputation from clashes with rival local and international hooligans from Dutch giants Feyenoord, NK Maribor from Slovenia and Israeli fans from Beitar Jerusalem.

Working on society’s margins

Tbilisi Raw is John’s 15th publication and most of them have been self-funded. It’s not bad for a photographer who first picked up a DSLR with intent in 2008 aged 43. He has produced his work while employed full-time – currently as a specialist harm-reduction worker in a needle-exchange service.

His work includes Blood Brothers, a long-term documentary project on bare-knuckle pit fighting, while North Guerillas documents one year at an outdoor cannabis farm at a secret location in Yorkshire.

Generation Grime is a social documentary project around grime music in northern England; and Gladiators provides an intimate look inside the sabong (cockfighting) scene in Manila, Philippines.

For his reportage titled Nothing To See Here, John photographed homelessness, destitution, drug and alcohol misuse in Bradford.

Love Story, shot over a period of eight months in 2018, was an important and unflinching reportage of the often volatile and druginfused relationship between Gary and Maree. At times bleak and brutal, there are tender moments of a couple living and loving on the edge of madness. John’s next book, This Is Not a Life, It’s Just an Existence, a high-quality 500-edition paperback including 18 life stories, is scheduled for publication this year with a boxed special edition of 60.

Born in Brighton, John moved to Scotland in 1974 before settling in Bradford at the age of 18 in 1983. He admits to having had a difficult upbringing and problems with drugs. Photography has provided an alternative, positive impact on his mental health and he tries to photograph daily. It’s these personal experiences and working in closed worlds that prepared him for his hooligan encounter.

Following up on his schoolboy interest in the Russian Revolution and the politics of the cold war, in 2022 John used his camera as an excuse to visually explore former eastern European Soviet bloc countries – Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Slovakia. After a week in the Armenian capital Yerevan, where he met some football ultras who followed the team Pyunik Yerevan,

he took the bus to Tbilisi, Georgia.

‘When I was in Tbilisi I saw that there was a football game on and that there was also an ultras “firm” there named Elita. I messaged them on Instagram, but never expected them to answer or even acknowledge it, but they did. They told me they had looked at all of my Instagram and they just had a

Above: A senior

From the book Tbilisi Raw

feeling about me. Obviously they could tell I wasn’t a cop and I was used to being in underground scenes, so they invited me to meet them. I was really shocked.’

Documenting ‘Elita’ John arrived at the Boris Paitchadze Dinamo Arena, home of Dinamo Tbilisi, to

Top: Elita ultras of Dinamo Tbilisi inside Sector 17 at Boris Paitchadze Dinamo Arena

member of Elita. Tbilisi, Georgia 2023.

FULTON COLLECTION

Whether you are enjoying the city or exploring the countryside, the Tenba Fulton is the ideal companion for you and your kit.

discover that the Elita faction controlled the gated Sector 17 and was invited inside. He remembers, ‘I got my camera out and all I’ve got on my camera is an 18mm lens – 27mm full-frame equivalent on the Fuji X-T1, as it’s a crop sensor.

‘Literally a minute after I got my camera out, before I took any pictures, three or four Elita were over the fence punching in a couple of Russian guys, which I didn’t photograph because I’ve a wideangle lens – it was 50, 60 metres away and I missed it. They came back smiling because they were happy they’d had this fight. The first thing they said was did you get any pictures of that? And I said, “No!”’

John stuck with his go-to lens and proceeded to photograph up close the ultras of Sector 17 for the remainder of the match. Witnessing how confidently he photographed, Elita members invited John to join them on an ambush of their rivals,

Torpedo Kutaisi, at a small stadium on the outskirts of Tbilisi.

‘I was in the first car with the leader of the group,’ John continues. ‘I didn’t know where we were going, they just said, “What are you doing now?” I said I didn’t have a plan and they said, “Do you want to come with us?” I agreed, because they hadn’t killed me or beaten me up, so I didn’t feel like I was in any danger.

‘There were about three or four skirmishes in which I only took three or four frames at most.

Everything was happening slowly in my mind but was actually very quickly in reality. The next thing, all the guys I was with, which was probably at that point 18 or 20, ran off. I was left there but got myself out alive and safely.’ Having proved himself and earned their respect, John received a message from a hooligan group of teenage neo-Nazi skinheads who invited him to hang out the following afternoon.

After that first brief encounter in

Above: Teenage members of Elita, Tbilisi, Georgia, 2022

Below: John Best v Andrew Shields, unlicensed bareknuckle pit fight, Oldham, 2021

October 2022, John returned to Bradford burning with desire to publish a book. ‘I was talking to the leader of Elita every day for at least an hour after I came back. After about a month of forming this relationship and getting to know him and the group and vice versa, I thought I’d ask him if I

could come back and make a book and he said “Sure, come.” John returned for ten days in March 2023. It was made clear no faces were to be visible, and John negotiated a solution: they would be censored with a black line.

The faces may be covered but the stark and often disturbing black & white photographs in the book documenting tattoos, clothes, banners, racist and xenophobic graffiti is revealing. Flares are held and middle fingers flicked out in front of a mural proclaiming FUCK RUSSIA. The ‘14/88’ combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols is permanently inked across torsos. A line of skinheads perform a Nazi salute. Heavy, laced-up boots scuffle in the dirt.

John often faced technical challenges while shooting these images, holding his mobile phone torch in one hand to illuminate black-hooded faces in dark corners, firing his camera set to a high ISO and a low f-stop in the other.

Making these images available on social media also presents challenges.

Bradford, 2018. From the book Love Story

Bradford, 2016. From the book Nothing To See Here

He says, ‘I can’t put any of those pictures of tattoos on social media because either Instagram will remove them immediately and then give me a shadow ban [when the platform’s algorithms restrict the visibility of your account] or people will complain.

‘However, you can put a picture up of someone with a line over their eyes. Social media often makes no sense. If you live in the USA, you can post loads of pictures of people with guns. In the UK it’s a different matter. I might post a picture of someone in Bradford with some kind of firearm and I will get a warning but in the States that’s kind of normal.’

Shooting with empathy

The pages in Tbilisi Raw rage with tension from the terraces to parks, subways and abandoned buildings. The ideology may be distasteful but the photographs are shot with a degree of empathy, portraying young men coming together in a safe place of unconditional love and shared identity. A tribe to swig beer with, have a smoke.

It would be easy to level an accusatory finger that the book is endorsing hooligans. The introduction to the book is an interview with Elita laying down in their own words their ideology –where they come from and the context of growing up in Georgia with the uncertainty and instability of the region since gaining independence in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent conflicts. South Ossetia seceded from Georgia in 1992 and proclaimed itself an independent republic. Abkhazia broke away from Georgian control declaring independence in 1999, though it remained unrecognised. The account reveals their hooligan mindset and allows room for the reader to form their own point of view.

‘When I’m doing talks about my work, it’s really to give people an insight into people’s lives and humanise those people, say a bit about where they come from and what their backgrounds are,’ John says. ‘I never want to say that I represent them, but in the book they represent themselves, and that’s

really important. I’m a firm believer that if I can do it, anybody can. You have to start from a place of self-belief and that your work has value. You have to be connected to your work and have an emotional response to it, otherwise how can you expect anybody else to?’

There are groups of ultras all over the world, some political, some not. Some are far-right wing, some left-wing. Like all of John’s work, it’s a chapter in his burgeoning archive documenting marginal groups and people.

‘I prefer working as a photographer with people different to me,’ he says.

‘My philosophy is talk less, listen more. Try to understand where people are coming from. If you have the opportunity to get inside a closed group of people it’s an enormous privilege to be there and have that space to make work. You have to try and make that work as honestly as possible and as intimate as possible.’

To find out more about John’s work, visit www.johnbolloten.co.uk or follow him on Instagram @johnbolloten

Corey Edgar after his illegal bareknuckle pit fight, Manchester, 2020

Amateur Photographer

Your chance to enter the UK’s most prestigious competition

Round four Action

Capturing a fast-moving subject in a fraction of a second is certainly a challenge, but when it comes off, you’re guaranteed a shot that will stand out. And there’s more to a successful image than setting the maximum frames-per-second on your camera and firing away. Anticipation and preparation play a huge part, so take time to work out where your subject is likely to appear and which direction it will take – whether you’re photographing a motorbike on a speedway track, a gymnast on a beam or a bird taking flight across a lake.

Your guest judge

Your guest judge for Round Four, Action, is Amy Shore, an automotive and lifestyle photographer from the UK, who has produced work for leading brands such as Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Lamborghini, McLaren and Mercedes. In 2017 she became the youngest ever Nikon UK ambassador; in 2021 she became a Nikon Europe ambassador. She is also an ambassador of Farer watches.See more of her work at amyshorephotography.com

Plan your APOY 2024 year

Below is a list of all this year’s rounds, including when they open, when they close and the dates the results will be announced in AP

Martin Goff came fifth in last year’s Action round with this creative approach to bird photography

ALL ABOUT APOY 2024

The camera club award

Do you belong to a camera club? You can accumulate points for your society when you enter APOY, and after all the ten rounds are complete, the club with the most points will win a superb ViewSonic X1-4K projector worth £1,500, with image quality powered by advanced 3rd generation LED technology that offers a 60,000-hour lifespan without lamp replacement. In addition, the member of the winning club who contributed the most points to their club’s overall tally will win a ViewSonic ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor worth £1,000.

Photographer of the Year

£17,500 worth of prizes

What you win APOY prizes

The winner of each round of APOY receives a voucher for £500 to spend at Camera Centre UK*. In addition to this, the winner of each round will also receive a one-year subscription to Adobe’s All Apps plan, worth £660. The runner-up of each round will receive a one-year subscription to Adobe’s Photography plan, worth £120.

The overall winner after ten rounds wins a £1,000 voucher to spend at Camera Centre UK.

Young APOY prizes

The Young APOY award

For the fourth time, we are running an APOY Young Photographer of the Year competition, to encourage our up-and-coming snappers. Entrants should be 21 or younger by the competition’s final closing date of 31 December 2024. All the categories are the same as for the main contest – simply select the Young APOY option on Photocrowd when you upload your images. Entry is free. Each category winner receives a one-year Adobe Photography Plan subscription, worth £120. The overall Young APOY winner receives a £500 voucher to spend at Camera Centre UK*.

The winner of each round of Young APOY receives a one-year subscription to Adobe’s Photography plan, worth £120. The overall winner of Young APOY will receive a £500 voucher to spend at Camera Centre UK*.

Camera club prizes

The camera club with the highest number of points after ten rounds will receive a 4K ViewSonic projector worth £1,500, while a ViewSonic monitor worth £1,000 will go to the club member who contributed the most points to the winning club’s final points tally.

Fit to burst Technique ADOBE LIGHTROOM

Do you ever come back from a sports or wildlife shoot with thousands of images to sort through? Rod Lawton shows how Lightroom Classic’s Stacking tools can make it simple

Today’s digital cameras are great at burst shooting. You can capture entire sequences of shots at 10, 20, 30 frames per second or more.

But while you can be pretty sure of never missing the key moment, for every one of these key frames you’ve got about a hundred others you have to sift through. And looking through a folder of a thousand or more images, many of which look just the same as the ones either side, is enough to put anyone off.

Frankly, shooting in bursts is the easy part. The hard part comes later when you have to sort all these images out. But Lightroom Classic has a secret weapon. It has a feature called ‘Stacks’ which can group related images together, and an ‘Auto-Stack by Capture Time’ feature which can automatically group photos taken in a burst into a single Stack.

Stacking is useful not just for burst sequences, but any time you want to group a set of images that belong together,

1 Stacking images manually

‘Stacking’ is a way of grouping images in folders or Collections. You can do it manually by selecting the images you want to ‘stack’, right-clicking and choosing the Stacking> Group into Stack command from the shortcut menu. Or, from the main menu,use the Photo>Stacking>Group into Stack command, where you will also see that you can do this with the command/ctrl-G shortcut.

whether it’s an HDR merge, a panoramic ‘stitcher’ or a timelapse sequence. But while stacking images manually is fine for a limited number of shots or sequences, it’s not going to help when you have a folder with thousands of images shot in burst mode. Can you imagine how long it would take to identify and stack each burst? That’s why the Auto-Stack by Capture Time tool is so useful for action photographers.

It works in a very clever way. Every image your camera captures has a timestamp which is accurate to within fractions of a second. What Lightroom Classic can do is use this capture time to work out which images come from the same burst sequence, and where one sequence ends, and another begins.

With this tool, a folder with thousands of thumbnails can be consolidated and simplified into a few dozen burst sequences, each in its own Stack. This alone makes it much easier to make sense of the day’s shooting and pick out the best sequences and individual images.

Image culling tips

Sooner or later you’ll need to go through all your images to find and delete the duds. This process is called ‘culling’. But how do you decide which shots to cull and which to keep? Try this ‘triple-D’ approach:

The Duds: These are images which are outright technical failures. With action sequences, this might be because they are out of focus, or the subject is chopped off at the edge of the frame.

The Duplicates: If you are shooting a relatively slowmoving subject at a high frame rate, you may have a multitude of images that look nearly the same. Do you really need all of them?

The Dull: Perhaps the composition is too static or you just stood in the wrong place. Pick the best ‘dull’ image just for the record, but you don’t need dozens of them.

2 Auto-Stack

Manual stacking is slow, which is why Lightroom Classic’s Auto-Stack by Capture Time feature is so useful. First, you need to select all the images you want to auto-stack with the ctrl/command-A shortcut. Now open the Photo menu and choose Stacking> Auto-Stack by Capture Time. This uses the precise capture time of any image in the Auto-Stack by Capture Time dialogue…

3 Pick a burst interval

Don’t try to match the slider to your camera’s continuous shooting speed. Instead, set it to the minimum time you think you leave between bursts. With action photography, if there’s a second or more between images, then it’s pretty obvious you’ve started a new burst sequence. So just move the ‘Time between stacks’ slider to the left until the time interval reads 00:00:01, or one second.

Wouldn’t you like to get from this (left) to this (below)? Lightroom’s Auto-Stack by Capture Time feature can instantly organise thousands of images into ‘Stacks’ of grouped burst sequences. This makes it easy to sort through a whole day’s shooting

4 Expanding/collapsing

Stacks are indicated by a number in the top left corner of an image thumbnail. This indicates the number of images in the Stack. If a Stack is collapsed then you only see the first image in the Stack. You can see the whole Stack, or ‘Expand’ it, by clicking this number. When Stacks are expanded, you see every image in the Stack but with a darker background to distinguish them from the rest.

5 Image culling

The fact your bursts are grouped like this is a huge advantage. Instead of trawling through a thousand images at a time, you can select individual bursts/stacks to see if the burst as a whole is worth keeping. After that, you can weed out the dud images individually, burst by burst. Lightroom’s Survey view can be especially useful for comparing multiple images at once.

6 Picking the best stack

There’s another thing you can do. By default, the stack will show the first image in the burst, and this may not be the best one. If you go through the Stack and find the best, then drag it to the start of the Stack, so that this is the image you will see when the Stack is collapsed. To be honest, this is not always ideal because it puts your images out of sequence, but it’s there if you want it.

FILM STARS

FILM STARS Testbench

The Stereo Realist f/3.5 model with its dedicated flashgun attached, metal slide mount masks and a Realist batteryoperated viewer with a stereo slide partially inserted

A Realist(ic) look at 3D

Popular in the past, still usable today, John Wade on one of the great 3D cameras

In the 1950s, the Stereo Realist was claimed to be America’s most popular and best-selling stereo camera, endorsed by film stars like Fred Astaire, Doris Day and John Wayne. Today, it holds the distinction of being an interesting yet affordable collector’s item which, for film fans, is still very usable.

What is stereo photography?

We see the world in three-dimensional depth because we have two eyes. Each eye sees the scene before us from a slightly different viewpoint, then the brain combines this information to give us one view and the illusion of depth. If we use a camera with two lenses, then view its resulting twin images so that the left eye sees only the view from the

left lens and the right eye sees only the view from the right lens, the brain works its magic and the image appears in three dimensions. Stereo, also referred to as 3D (for three dimensional), photography, was much loved by the Victorians, before dying away, coming back to life in the 1920s, fading away again, then returning strongly in the 1950s when the Realist was at the height of its popularity. There was another resurgence around 15 years ago, when blockbuster films were made for a while in 3D, a fad whose shelf life was even shorter than during previous rebirths. But just because stereo photography is currently going through one of its regular declines doesn’t mean it is any the less interesting to collectors or users. If you are either or both, look out for a Realist.

Realist history

The David White Company was an American manufacturer of precision surveying instruments when, in 1943, a young man named Seton Rochwite arrived for a job interview. He brought with him a prototype stereo camera he had built and some stereo slides, initially only to demonstrate his talents as an engineer. He got the job and soon began thinking about how he and his new employers could produce a commercially viable, compact-size 35mm stereo camera. After much deliberation, and despite a negative marketing survey, the company went ahead. The plan was to launch everything needed for stereo photography, including the camera, slide mounts, a slide mounting kit and viewer. A professional slide mounting service was also offered for those who didn’t want to undertake the job themselves.

The Stereo Realist was launched in 1947. Despite a relatively high cost of $160 for the camera and $20 for the viewer, it was a great success and remained so for many years.

The original cameras were made with a choice of 35mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 lenses. In 1960 the Stereo Realist Custom was produced with matched, colour-corrected f/2.8 rare earth lenses and a black, coursegrained kangaroo leather covering. In the 1970s a macro version was introduced with f/3.5 lenses for focus down to 10cm. These later two are now rare.

Using a Realist

Despite there being several different models, all Realists operate in a similar way.

Conventional stereo cameras have two

Film star Doris Day advertises the Stereo Realist

Testbench FILM STARS

lenses, but the Realist appears to have three in a row. The outer two shoot a stereo pair of pictures, while the central one reflects its image to the viewfinder. All are covered by a hinged plastic flap when not in use. The viewfinder is placed on the base of the camera which is used in a kind of upside-down way with the body pressed against the forehead. The shutter is tensioned by a lever beneath the lens and fired by a left-handed release, at which point a red dot appears in a top plate window to indicate an exposure has been made. It vanishes again when the film is wound. Pulling a small knob from the back facilitates multiple exposures.

A split-image rangefinder, viewed in its own window beside the viewfinder, is coupled to a focusing knob surrounded by a depth-of-field scale on one end of the body. Because stereo cameras are naturally wider than most, the rangefinder windows can be situated 12cm apart, which increases accuracy. As the focusing knob is turned, the lenses remain stationary while the film plane moves back and forth. Apertures down to f/22 are set on a ring around the left lens (as you look at the camera) and shutter speeds of 1-1/150sec by another ring around the viewfinder lens. The top speed is 1/200sec on the Custom model.

The Realist shoots two pictures at the same time, one from each lens, leaving a space the equivalent of two frames between the pair. When the film is wound, the next pair of pictures is exposed beside the first two, leaving a space of one more frame to be filled when the next pair is wound and shot. In this way matching pictures always appear three frames apart. Each image measures

Open and closed, the f/2.8 Custom version of the Realist

Inside the Realist, slightly confusing film loading instructions are written between the frames

The film identifier in place on the camera

Above: How the plastic cover flips down to protect the three lenses

Right: The focusing knob and depth of field scale on one end of the body

24x24mm. A tiny notch in the film plane exposes a tiny mark on the film to indicate right from left images to enable accurate mounting for viewing. The notch is at the bottom of the frame, but of course appears at the top of the exposed image because, like all cameras, images are recorded on film vertically reversed.

Film winding is achieved by pressing a small button on the back of the body to release a brake, then winding the knob until it click-stops into place for the next exposure.

Realist accessories

The Realist was sold with accessories galore. Here are some of the most popular.

l The Realist Photoflash connects to the camera via an early form of hot shoe, so there is no need for a connecting cable. It uses small bayonet-fit flashbulbs but an adapter allows the use of the more common push-in PF1 type. It runs on three 1.5-volt batteries and synchronises with the camera at 1/25sec.

l At least six slide viewers can be found, all very similar in style with different-coloured bodies and controls. They use torch bulbs and run on two C-cells.

l The Realist film identifier comprises a close-up lens fitted to a fold-up easel on which a piece of card is placed with written

details of the film, location of pictures or any other information. This is fitted to the right-hand lens, set to infinity to record details on an otherwise blank frame of film at the start of the roll.

l The now very rare Redufocus wideangle lens attachment with its own viewfinder turns the Realist standard lenses into 25mm focal lengths.

l A purpose-made film cutter guarantees all frame sizes are of uniform dimensions. It is used in conjunction with a sorting box to help arrange frames in the correct way for viewing

the

pairs as opposed to the sequence in which they appeared on film.

l The Realist mounting kit ensures perfect horizontal alignment of every frame, paramount in the preparation of stereo slides.

l Colour conversion, polarising and the usual photographic filters are available in pairs, often sold as sets in small leather cases.

l Other accessories include lens hoods, tripod, cable release, flash extender, flash diffuser, exposure meter and carrying case for slides. Watch out also for second-hand copies of the Stereo Realist Manual, first published in 1954 and full of information about the camera and stereo photography in general. Look inside the back cover to find a small stereo viewer slipped into a pouch.

Three ways to view

The first way to separate the twin images shot by the Stereo Realist so that only one eye sees each image is to shoot reversal film to produce slides or transparencies, then mount the pictures and view them in a stereo viewer. This can be by pointing a simple viewer at a bright light or, in the better dedicated Realist version, by use of an internal light source.

The second method is to shoot with negative film, scan the negatives, then size them and position them in Photoshop to make stereo pairs that can be viewed in a cheap stereo viewer easily found on eBay. Look especially for inexpensive

Negative and digitally reversed positive film strips from the Realist show how the twin images are spaced three frames apart

Stereo pair of images produced by a Stereo Realist, lens set at hyperfocal distance and exposure of 1/150sec at f/16 for deep depth of field

Filters for

Realist, sold in a small leather case

Realist stereo pairs mounted ready for viewing or projecting

Testbench FILM STARS

Vistascreen viewers. The third means is by projection, again using reversal film to make and mount slides in stereo pairs. Stereo projectors are furnished with two lenses, one for each image in the pair. The lenses are equipped with polarising filters, one set at 90° orientation to the other. When viewed with polarising spectacles whose lenses comprise similarly orientated polarising filters, each eye sees a different image, which coalesces into a single stereo picture that seems to recede behind the screen while simultaneously leaping out of it towards you. To get the maximum polarising effect you need a special silver screen, made up of powdered aluminium bonded onto a plastic backing. Beaded or lenticular screens can also be used, but are difficult to find.

Stereo by post

was sealed up, the recipient’s address written on the side and a 3-cent stamp stuck above it. On the other side of the package there was space for a message to be written, before dropping the whole thing in the post.

What to pay

Good working cameras: £70-100, but occasionally as low as £30-50 in poorer condition.

Custom or Macro versions: Approximately £300.

Battery-operated viewers: £40-100 depending on model.

Photoflash: £15-20

Stereo Realist Manual: £30-60, depending on condition and whether the viewer is included.

The Viewmailer, distributed by the Realist company, was a fold-away viewer designed for sending single stereo views to friends and relatives. It comprised a flat package with a slot at one end into which a mounted stereo pair of pictures was pushed. The package

Six stereoshooting tips

l To maximise the stereo effect, compose pictures with strong foreground subjects, plus interesting detail in the middle distance and an attractive background.

l Use small apertures to maintain depth of field so that the picture is sharp from foreground to background.

l Keep the camera perfectly straight when shooting by lining up horizontal and vertical lines in subjects accurately in the viewfinder.

l For convenience and speed of use, shoot at the hyperfocal distance. The easy method is to position the infinity mark on the focusing scale against the chosen aperture, then check the same aperture setting against the focusing distance at the other end of the scale. For example: using f/11 everything will be in focus from 6ft to infinity.

l For a ‘snapshot’ approach the manufacturers recommended setting the shutter speed to 1/50sec, the aperture at a mark indicated on the scale between f/8 and f/5.6 and focus at 18ft.

l When mounting for viewing ensure the left and right images are the correct way round.

When the package was received, it was carefully opened to reveal a flattened stereo viewer inside, made of cardboard with plastic lenses and pre-loaded with the sender’s stereo pair of pictures. Squeezing the viewer between fingers and thumbs of each hand caused it to spring open and focus depending on how much pressure was applied as it was pointed towards a bright light to view the stereo pair.

Stereo pair mounted in a cheap Vistascreen viewer

An old copy of the Stereo Realist Manual, its cover the worse for wear, but the contents intact and still with its stereo viewer

The rare Viewmailer viewer with its packaging for posting stereo images

In the 1950s, Leslie Thomson, a keen photographer, writer and hobby engineer who built and wrote about his home-made stereo cameras, particularly favoured the Stereo Realist for which he hand-built this projector

Power

of the

print

Charlie Waite talks about his passion for photographic printing and an upcoming exhibition encouraging us to free images from hard drives

Although there is lots to enjoy about photography today, for me, one of the sad things is that few people actually print their images. Yes, there is great interest in creating images and sharing them on social media, but they are rarely seen other than on a monitor or a phone. Most of them are sitting imprisoned on people’s hard drives and never see the light of day.

I think it is a great shame, because I’m passionate about seeing images as framed prints that are big enough for us to take in all the detail captured in a photograph. For me, the print is the photograph’s rightful inheritance.

There are several reasons why many people don’t print their images. One is that we are simply so used to seeing images on monitors and phones that it’s not considered necessary. Another is the cost of buying your own printer, inks and paper. I would say that for maximum control over your images it’s best to make your own prints, but alternatively they can be made at high quality and reasonable cost via printing specialists.

I think one of the reasons for not printing and framing images is the photographers’ lack of confidence in their work. One of my favourite phrases is, ‘Every creative endeavour is accompanied by a degree of insecurity’ and I think that is inevitable. None of us are marching around and saying how wonderful we are; when showing our work, we are much more likely to say, ‘Here

Windmill by Caroline Cartwright Panasonic GX8, 45-175mm, 1/200sec at f/9, ISO 200

The Snow Storm by Beata Moore Canon EOS RP, 24-105mm, 1/50sec at f/11, ISO 200

is what I have done, I hope you like it.’

However, I firmly believe it is vitally important to see one’s treasured photographs as tangible, beautiful objects you can hold in your hand. Printing gets the most out of your images, gives great personal satisfaction and improves one’s confidence as a photographer. To learn and experience what it’s like to make a print is, in my view, completely marvellous.

For that reason, photographic holiday company Light & Land and I are organising an exhibition of prints, to be held at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. It is being mounted in association with Europe’s largest photo printing company, CEWE. The show ties in with the 30th anniversary of Light & Land, but you don’t need to have been on a tour to take part.

There is space for around 50-60 photographers to have their work exhibited.

At the time of writing, most of the spaces have been reserved and examples of the prints being exhibited are shown on these pages. I am really excited that a group of people with different tastes and travel experiences are coming together to share the precious experiences they have had and are showing their images in the best form they can be offered. I hope they might also sell a few of those prints, but I don’t believe that should be the expectation.

The main thing is to elevate those photographers in terms of confidence, encourage them to bring their families and friends along to enjoy their work, and to wind back the clock to that wonderful moment of inspiration in which they were pressing the shutter.

Light and Land on the Mall will be on show from 3-7 September at The Mall Galleries, London SW1. Admission is free. For further details, and to book one of the remaining exhibition spaces, visit www.lightandland.co.uk/exhibition

Faroe View on Mullafossur and Gasadalur village, taken by Alex Harbige Canon EOS R5, 15-35mm, 6sec at f/11, ISO 100

The Wanaka Tree by Ian Miller Canon EOS 6D Mark II, 24-105mm, 51sec at f/16, ISO 100

A lens like this is ideal for when you don’t want to carry much Nikon Z 7II, 28mm, 1/400sec at f/8, ISO 100

LENS TEST Testbench

Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2

Is this standard zoom for Nikon Z and Sony E mounts a good-value alternative to the camera makers’ own optics? Amy Davies finds out

Making its way onto the market in April 2024, the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 lens is designed as a standard zoom for covering a range of different subjects, while also being relatively compact for everyday and travel use. Starting at a little narrower than a typical 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, it’s

well-suited to subjects including landscapes, portraits, and street.

As we’d expect from a thirdparty lens, one of the major benefits is the price. Costing £849, it’s much more affordable than the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, which will set you back £1,889. Nikon also has its own 28-75mm f/2.8 lens, which you can pick up for around £800. But

market for fast aperture zoom lenses for Nikon Z mount’. Promised improvements include an refreshed barrel design, faster autofocus, closer focusing and improved image quality.

it’s worth pointing out that the Nikon has near-identical specification to Tamron’s original 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD for Sony E-mount, which made its debut in 2018 and is the predecessor to this lens.

Tamron claims that the G2 version will have the ‘highest image quality, high-speed AF and high-cost performance in the

The lens is designed for Nikon’s full-frame models, such as the Z 7II, Z 8 or Z 6II. You could use it with APS-C cameras like the Z 50, but you’d end up with a less appealing 42-112mm equivalent range. As mentioned, there’s also a version for Sony E-mount cameras, most obviously full-frame models like the Alpha A7 IV.

Being able to focus quickly is useful for erratic subjects

Features

The lens’s optical construction consists of 17 elements in 15 groups, including 2 LD (Low Dispersion) and GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) elements which are designed to control optical aberrations. Additionally, there is a fluorine coating for the front element to repel dirt and water, while the barrel is sealed to make it splash-resistant.

Bokeh is created by the nine aperture blades. The constant f/2.8 maximum aperture allows for shallow depth-of-field effects to be created throughout the zoom range. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.18m at the wideangle end, or 0.38m at telephoto. The maximum magnification ratio is 1:2.7 (wideangle) or 1:4.1 (telephoto). This is an improvement over its

predecessor, which had a 0.19m closest focusing distance and 1:2.9 maximum magnification.

The VXD in the lens name refers to its Voice-coil eXtremetorque Drive focusing motor. This is designed to be fast and precise, but also quiet, which should come in handy for recording video.

No optical stabilisation is built into this lens. This isn’t particularly surprising at these

The f/2.8 aperture makes it a good choice for portraits

focal lengths, especially as all of Nikon and Sony’s current full-frame models include in-body stabilisation.

Build and handling

Generally speaking, when it comes to standard zooms, your choices are big and bulky with a wide aperture, or slim and compact with a narrower one. The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 is a favourite of mine for its versatility and compact size, but there are plenty of occasions when I wish I had that extra f-stop. Meanwhile, the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 is undoubtedly a fantastic lens, but its heft makes it difficult to justify carrying around just on the off-chance you’re going to use it. With the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, however, you get pretty much the best of both worlds. You get that lovely wide aperture, but you also get a lens which is pleasingly compact and relatively light. Of course, the compromise is that you have to start at 28mm, rather than 24mm, but you can’t have everything. Whether you’re willing to let go of the extra 4mm is a matter of personal preference. Overall, the lens balances well

Nikon Z 7II, 42mm, 1/60sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

Nikon Z 7II, 62mm, 1/640sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

LENS TEST Testbench Verdict

with models such as the Z7 II that I’ve used for testing. At 550g, it’s only marginally heavier than the 500g Nikon 24-70mm f/4. It might feel a little front-heavy on a smaller APS-C camera, but it’s not really aimed at that audience.

Design updates include a reworking of the internal parts of the zoom ring and focus ring to make it smoother to use. It’s also a little slimmer than the previous version, which allows for a contoured profile where the zoom and focus rings stick out slightly from the lens body. This makes it easier to grip naturally.

On top of that, abrasion resistance has been added to make it more difficult to scratch the lens barrel, as well as resisting fingerprints. I’m happy to report that so far this seems to be true, with neither appearing on the lens during my testing.

The outward design of the lens is relatively straightforward. At the front is a zoom ring which takes up about a third of the lens. It’s marked with 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm focal lengths and is stiff enough to make incremental changes accurately. Towards the back is a ring which can be used for manually focusing. Alternatively when using a Nikon camera, it can be set to control exposure compensation, aperture, or ISO.

A button in between the lens ring and the zoom ring can be set to control many different functions. With some, you’ll need to hold the button down, while with others it’ll be a tap on, tap off process. Just behind the focusing ring is a USB-C port. This allows you to hook the lens up to Tamron Lens Utility to customise certain functions, as well as update firmware.

Autofocus

Thanks to its VXD linear motor focus mechanism, this lens promises AF speed twice as fast as its predecessor. It certainly is speedy, going from close to distant subjects very quickly indeed, and without hesitation. It takes ever so slightly longer in darker conditions, but it’s a lens I’d be happy to use for situations such as events or weddings where speed is of the essence.

In terms of audio levels, you can just about hear the focusing mechanism if you sit in a silent room and place the lens next to your ear while it focuses. But it’s certainly not loud enough to bother the average subject or to appear on video recordings.

Image quality

At this price point, we wouldn’t necessarily expect ultimate sharpness. But impressively, the lens is very capable of producing

some excellent results. Images are sharp throughout the focal range, with no obvious drop-off in sharpness towards the edges of the frame.

It’s probably fair to say that there’s more sharpness on display here than the average person will make use of. I’ve been particularly impressed with how well close-up subjects come out, as well as the fine detail displayed with things like fur.

Having the maximum f/2.8 aperture available throughout the zoom range makes it great to use in lower light conditions, but also enables some very attractive shallow depth-of-field effects. Although the quality of bokeh is always somewhat subjective, here we see some beautifully smooth and rounded out-of-focus areas in the appropriate shooting scenarios.

Further good news is that even when shooting wide open, there’s no obvious vignetting. Distortion is well controlled, with the camera’s own correction doing an excellent job of keeping things looking accurate.

Chromatic aberrations don’t seem to be a problem, even when shooting in bright, high-contrast conditions either.

Overall, the image quality is excellent considering the versatility the lens offers, especially for the cost.

ALL-PURPOSE walkaround zoom lenses are something that pretty much every photographer should have in their kit bag. For many using the Z system, that will often be the Nikon 24-70mm f/4, which is an excellent, versatile and travel-friendly lens. But for those who crave having an f/2.8 alternative, this Tamron option poses an interesting proposition. It’s reasonably compact and lightweight, and won’t cost you a fortune, which sets it apart from Nikon’s Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens. There’s very little not to like here – notwithstanding that 28mm obviously isn’t quite as nice as 24mm for subjects such as landscapes and architecture. Naturally, it’s very similar to Nikon’s own 28-75mm f/2.8 lens, which appears to have been based on this lens’s predecessor. If you’re stuck between the two, I’d opt for the newer Tamron version, as it’s sharper and faster yet similarly priced. Don’t be fooled into thinking that something proprietary is better quality – in this instance, it really isn’t. For Sony users, it’s an excellent choice, too – however, there’s more competition available for the E mount.

Overall, the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is an excellent choice for an all-rounder lens that comes well recommended.

Data file

Price £849

Filter diameter

67mm

Lens elements 17

Groups 15

Diaphragm blades 9

Aperture f/2.8-f/22

Minimum focus 0.18m-0.38m

Length 117.6mm

Diameter 78.8mm

Weight 550g (Nikon mount), 540g (Sony E mount)

Lens mounts

Nikon Z, Sony E

Included accessories Caps, hood

Recommended

Out-of-focus areas are rendered beautifully Nikon Z 7II, 75mm, 1/160sec at f/2.8, ISO 100

Testbench ACCESSORIES

3 Legged Thing Punks Patti 2.0 tripod

3 Legged Thing’s Punks line represents the entry point to its range. The firm’s most affordable tripod kit of all is the Patti 2.0: a no-frills offering that provides all the essentials that photographers need, with no additional fripperies. With 4-section magnesium-alloy legs, it provides a well-judged compromise between the key specifications of height, weight, load capacity, and folded length.

Uniquely within the 3 Legged Thing family, Patti 2.0 uses flip-locks for its leg sections, rather than the usual twist-type locks. The large levers are easy to use, allowing quick set-up. Each of the legs can be locked independently at three different angles, and they reverse fold around the centre column for a reasonably compact folded length. None of the legs has a foam or rubber grip, though, so in cold weather you’ll be handling cold metal.

One of the legs can be unscrewed and attached to the centre column to produce a monopod. The centre column also can be reversed for low-angle shooting, although using a camera upside-down is awkward. However, by removing the centre column and its twist lock, it’s possible to fit the head platform onto the legs for really low-level work.

You get a basic but solid ball head, with a single locking knob that controls both the main ball and the panning base. Undoing this fractionally gives a degree of friction control, which is helpful for positioning your camera accurately. There’s an Arca-Swiss type clamp on top, with a built-in spirit level to help keep your horizons straight.

In typical 3 Legged Thing fashion, Patti 2.0 is nicely made and works reliably. I tested it using the Sony Alpha A7R V and Sigma 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN telezoom, and found it had no trouble at all supporting the load. It doesn’t suppress vibrations as effectively as a carbon-fibre tripod would, though, so it’s important to use a remote release and ideally keep the centre column as low as possible.

Verdict

It may not be the best-featured tripod kit around, but the Patti 2.0 does what you really need while representing very decent value for money. Both the tripod and monopod are plenty tall enough to get a camera up to eye level for me as a near six-foot photographer. It’s a great choice for those who want a robust support without breaking the bank.

Accessory

A standard 1/4in socket on the ‘spider’ allows the attachment of accessories such as lights.

Feet

The supplied rubber feet can be unscrewed and swapped for optional spikes.

1.7kg weight

10kg rated load ● Two colour schemes: blue or black

Toolz

The included carabiner-style multi-tool has a screwdriver and hex key for fitting the camera plate securely.

Case

You get an unpadded, lightweight nylon carry case with a rather short shoulder strap.

Stilettoz (right) are long spikes for mud or soft ground. They cost £40-50 per set. Alternatively, you can fit third-party spikes that have 1/4in screws.

WProfessor Newman on…

Northern Lights

Professor Newman explains the differences between human vision and camera vision

e recently were treated to a rare performance of the aurora borealis, which reached down as far as the southern counties of England. My son lives much further north, in Northern Ireland, and captured some nice images of the lights on his phone. He asked me why the colours that the phone captured looked so different from what he saw with his eyes. In the photos the colours were quite deep and saturated, whereas with the naked eye they were more of a hint than a substantive colour. It’s an interesting question, the answer to which I thought I’d share with AP readers.

The answer lies in the differences between human and camera vision. Within the retina of the eye are two different types of light-sensitive cells, commonly called ‘cones’ and ‘rods’, after their shape. Mostly our vision is dominated by the output from the cones. Amongst the abilities these offer is colour vision. They come in three varieties called ‘long’ (wavelength), ‘medium’ and ‘short’, which detect different parts of the visible spectrum. By processing the reflectivity in these three wavebands the visual cortex can associate objects with a property which we call ‘colour’. Its evolutionary advantage is that it allows very different objects, which might otherwise appear similar, to be distinguished. So, for instance, colour vision allows a delicious and nutritious berry to be distinguished from a tooth-breaking pebble.

In contrast, the rods come in one variety, and do not contribute

to colour vision. Their advantage is that they are more responsive to light than the cones, so they allow vision in much lower light.

These two visual modes are called photopic, for vision in well-lit conditions, and scotopic, which occurs in subdued light. Unless the light is very dim indeed, the cones are still contributing somewhat to the visual stimuli. But their influence wanes as the illumination falls, meaning that colour saturation decreases. It’s no accident that our language associates the word for light intensity, ‘bright’, with colours. We see the most saturated colours in bright light.

Another factor of importance is that the spectral response of scotopic vision is different from the combined response of the cones, which are responsible for photopic vision. Whilst the luminous efficiency graph for photopic vision peaks at 550 nanometres wavelength, that for scotopic vision reaches its summit at 490nm, meaning that scotopic vision is ‘bluer’ than photopic.

Cameras do not have scotopic vision. All the light receptors are like ‘cones’, differentiating the three different spectral bans, so a camera always sees colour. This characteristic can produce images that are subjectively unrealistic. If a photo depicts what would be expected to be a low-light scene its real-life appearance would have subdued

Bob Newman is currently Professor of Computer Science at the University

high-technology equipment for 35 years and two of his

colour – but using the default rendering they will have the same saturation as a bright-light scene.

In the case of the aurora borealis, we view this at nighttime, mainly using scotopic vision. The cones are just providing some colour, but it is subdued. The camera renders that aurora in full saturation.

To give a more realistic appearance for a low-light shot it’s necessary to change the processing to suit, desaturate the colours and change the colour temperature to give a colder rendering. In the days of film cinematography night scenes were often shot using a process called ‘day for night’. The night-time scene would be shot in daylight, allowing use of a slow film to reduce grain, but a blue filter placed over the lens. The blue filter achieved the shift in colour temperature, and also suppressed the red and some of the green sensitivity of the film. Providing subdued colour saturation.

The aurora looks more much colourful when captured on camera than seen by eye

© ARTIE NEWMAN

Life in the fast lane

Ae we launch APOY round 4, Action, top pro

Jeff Carter shares his tips for motorsport

Jeff Carter

With over 30 years of photographic experience, Jeff Carter has travelled the world in search of that perfect shot working for some of the biggest names in the business. He has worked for the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) on two World and two European championships. Since 2012, Jeff has been the Photo Delegate for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous motorsport event, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. He also works for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series, travelling all over Europe and Asia. See more at www.macleanphotographic.com and Instagram: @maclean_photo

Alot of photographers want to shoot sport to capture the excitement of an actionpacked event. Motorsport is usually high on any aspiring sports photographer’s list of genres to shoot, and spectacular action shots are achievable at venues of all sizes.

However, motorsport is far from the easiest sport to photograph, for a couple of reasons. The first being competitors are moving at incredible speeds, and you need to convey this in your images. Secondly, at the big venues the track is behind high fences and can be some distance away. So how do you take good pictures with these limitations?

The basics

There are two things that aspiring sports photographers should know, and this applies to any genre of photography. Know your gear and understand your subject. Sports photography is fast moving and if you are fiddling with the settings, you might miss something happening in front of you. Changing settings or having the right lens should be second nature so you can concentrate on getting the best action shot. If you know your subject, you can anticipate what is going to happen. Wildlife photographers study their subject to understand habits to increase their chances of getting the shot. Sports photography is the same. If you understand the sport, you can anticipate what happens next.

Choose your venue

The big venues like Silverstone can prove to be a challenge without a media pass, due to the high fences and the track being some distance away. However, there are some smaller UK venues that have low fences, like Snetterton in Norfolk.

Right: Use fast shutter speeds to freeze movement when photographing cars head on, like this Porsche leading at Le Mans Fujifilm X-H2S, 200mm + 1.4x, 1/1250sec at f/5.6, ISO 160

Below: Research venues for shooting spots Fujifilm X-H2, 50-140mm, 1/1600sec at f/2.8, ISO 200

KIT LIST

Two camera bodies, with battery grips

I use the Fujifilm X-H2S and Fujifilm XH-2. The APS-C X-Trans sensor increases the effective focal length of any lens by 1.5x. By having two camera bodies it allows me to switch easily between a long telephoto and a wider zoom without changing lenses. Battery grips allow me to keep shooting for longer and they also balance the weight of long lenses.

Long telephoto

I use the Fujinon 200mm f/2 with 1.4x converter. The standard lens for motorsport photography is 400mm f/2.8 or longer. An equivalent zoom lens can also be used but the maximum aperture is usually 1 to 2 stops slower.

Telephoto zoom

The Fujinon XF 50-140mm f/2.8 is a very useful lens for panning and for those driver and team portraits in the paddock and pitlane.

Standard zoom

The Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 is my go-to for the pitlane and trackside.

Wideangle zoom

The Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 is a very useful lens for providing a wider context. When working I always try to include images that show where we are racing in the world.

Useful accessories

Flashgun, CPL and ND filters, monopod.

Left: Ready to start the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. Wider, establishing shots like this are great for adding context to a scene Fujifilm X-H1, 50-140mm, 1/2000sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

Technique MOTORSPORT PHOTOGRAPHY

Big venues like Le Mans and Donington Park have high spectator banking, so you can shoot over the fences. Do your research, look at other photographers who shoot at the circuit and see where they are shooting from.

It’s not just about track action

Motorsport photography is not just about fast cars on a track – there are other aspects of events that are equally worthy of attention. Walk around the paddock, look at the cars, photograph the mechanics working; drivers will be relaxing or preparing for their race. This is where you can get up close to the competitors. Talk to the teams, ask them if you can take some images of the drivers or access the garage for some close-up shots of the cars. Some drivers and teams will be only too happy to help if they have the time.

Autograph sessions, pit walks, grid walks are also great places to get some different images of the event. You are not going to get this level of access at a Formula One event, but at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or a European Le Mans Series (ELMS) event, autograph sessions and pit walks are open to all. Spectators are even allowed onto the grid just before the start of the race at every ELMS event.

Freezing the action

Sports photography is usually about setting a high shutter speed to freeze the action but, while this is useful for motorsport, you have to be careful not to make a car travelling at over 150mph looking like it is parked on track because the fast shutter speed has frozen any movement in the wheels.

I usually reserve fast shutter speeds for cars travelling head on, with one or two cars behind battling for position. The advantage of a headon shot is you can’t see the wheels and with a

Use the panning technique to give a sense of movement and speed

Fujifilm X-H1, 16-55mm, 1/125sec at f/13, ISO 125

It’s not all about the track action. Capturing activity in the pitstops can also give you dramatic scenes

Fujifilm X-H2, 10-24mm, 1/10sec at f/7.1, ISO 80

Pit walks offer great photo opportunities

Fujifilm X-H1, 200mm + 2x, 1/1000sec at f/4, ISO 800

Panning also helps isolate the main focal point in a busy scene

Fujifilm X-T3, 200mm + 1.4x, 1/40sec at f/10, ISO 80

PANNING: HOW SLOW DO YOU GO?

Jeff Carter illustrates how much the shutter speed can impact the final result when using a technique called panning

Panning is a technique that sports photographers use to convey the sense of speed in an image. Race cars can travel at over 200mph, and fast shutter speeds can make the cars look like they are standing still. To give the viewer a sense of the speed these cars can travel at, the camera is moved across the frame with the subject, with a slow shutter speed to blur the background. The slower the shutter speed, the more dramatic the effect, but it also gets harder to nail the shot. Choose a corner or part of the track that is parallel to your position and focus on one part of the car, usually the number panel, and follow that through the corner. It’s like a golf swing, you follow through the shot pressing the shutter release just before the car reaches the part of the track where you want to take the shot.

1/250sec

1/250sec is a good starting point for panning with a race car moving at speed. This shutter speed will blur the tyres and give some movement in the background on a medium to slow corner.

1/60sec

For a little more drama, 1/60sec gives a great result and an acceptable hit rate of about 75-80%. The background is starting to blur even more at this speed, but the buildings are still identifiable.

1/15sec

I only use 1/15sec when I know I have the images I need using a faster shutter speed. The hit rate at 1/15sec is low, probably one in ten, so it takes practice to nail a shot at this shutter speed.

1/125sec

My go-to shutter speed for panning is 1/125sec. At this speed the car is sharp, the wheels are turning, and the background is blurred. At this shutter speed my hit rate is over 90%.

1/30sec

1/30sec is where things start to get tricky, but the effects are starting to look more dynamic. Parts of the car will start to blur but as long as the main body of the car is sharp then that is okay.

1/8sec

A shutter speed of 1/8sec is at the extreme end of the panning range. You can go lower but this takes plenty of practice. However, when you nail it, the results are very dramatic.

Technique MOTORSPORT

group of cars your attention is on the battle. If you shoot a side shot of the car, I prefer to use the panning technique to project a sense of speed.

Shooting at night and in the rain

One of the main attractions of shooting a 24-hour race like Le Mans is shooting at night, as this adds another dimension to the final images. Look for cars with glowing brakes and flaming exhausts for added interest. However, shooting at night does have many unique challenges.

If you are shooting head on to a car with bright lights the AF might lose the lock, so switch to manual focus and focus on the side of the track. Just before the car reaches your selected point, release the shutter and fire off two or three shots using your fastest drive setting.

You will also find that bright headlights will cause an auto exposure system to underexpose the image, so manual exposure is always the best option in situations like this.

Don’t be afraid to bump the ISO up to compensate for low light. The modern systems are excellent and it’s better to have a noisy image that you have a chance of correcting in post, than having a blurred image that isn’t salvageable.

Another detail to look out for is pools of light on the track from floodlights or from the spectator areas. These are great spots on the track to pre-focus on in order to capture a car moving through it. A group of cars also produce their own light from the

Rain is perfect for capturing more dramatic shots as water is sprayed from the wheels

Fujifilm X-H2S, 200mm, 1/800sec at f/2, ISO 1600

Above: The glowing lights at night-time add visual interest to an action shot

Fujifilm X-H1, 200mm, 1/125sec at f/2, ISO 1600

Left: Night-time provides the perfect opportunity for capturing some creative silhouette shots

Fujifilm X-T4, 200mm, 1/400sec at f/2, ISO 500

headlights, so the leading car is illuminated by the car following behind.

Shots in the rain always look more dramatic due to the water coming off the wheels and bodywork, especially at night. However, I recommend that you always cover your cameras and lenses, even if your camera manufacturer boasts that it is weather-sealed. I have seen professional cameras fail due to water ingress and nothing spoils your day more than a camera or lens failure when a plastic cover would have saved the day.

Motorsport is also about the people involved trackside. Don’t forget to document these details

Fujifilm X-H2, 50-140mm, 1/250sec at f/2.8, ISO 1000

Safety first

Motorsport is dangerous – it says so on the back of each and every ticket and pass. Part of my job is to provide a safety briefing for every single member of the media before they are allowed trackside at motorsports events. Even spectators must be aware of the dangers because it is not unknown for a car to end up in the viewing areas during a race, especially if you are at a rally. If a car looks or sounds wrong, you need to be prepared to move quickly.

Why it works

This is one of my favourite shots from the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans because it just shows the emotion at the end of an epic race. The race was the 100th anniversary of the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923. This was the first overall win for Ferrari for 58 years and the joy on the drivers’ faces says it all. The champagne spraying across the frame and the giant winner’s trophy, specially commissioned for this race, all adds to the atmosphere of the image.

The picture was taken on a Fujifilm X-H2S with an XF200mm f/2 lens. The exposure settings were 1/1600sec at f/2, ISO200. The AF custom function was set to ‘Ignore Obstacles’ so the focus would stay on the driver and not focus on the champagne spray.

Photo Insight

Moonrise Sprites over Storr by Liam Man

Jessica Miller finds out more about the Sony World Photography Awards Open category winner

Chosen from the ten Open category winners, Liam Man, UK, won the Open Photographer of the Year category at the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards with his photograph ‘Moonrise Sprites over Storr’.

The image, taken on Liam’s Sony A7R V, depicts the well-known 55m-high rock formation, Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, with the rising orange

moon in the background.

Visiting the well-known formation had been on his bucket list for a while and Liam visited Old Man of Storr twice in the attempt to take this photo but was unsuccessful on each time. During the third visit in March 2023, he got caught in a heavy blizzard. ‘I managed to catch the very last snowfall of the season before the big melt. It’s usually about a one to two-

hour hike from the base to this location… on this occasion it took me almost double, like four hours, because the conditions were so bad. Cold, wet and aching all over, I thought about turning back so many times. But I knew it was the last chance I’d get for a year so just kept on climbing.’

Not only had it been a difficult climb, but there were other complications that night. In the first 30 minutes of reaching his location, there was still zero visibility. He

Liam Man, Open Photographer of the Year 2024

then also dropped his camera, ‘which rolled 50m down the side of the mountain 20 minutes before I took this photo.’

Miraculously, a short break in the weather meant Liam was able to pull off an incredible feat.

‘By the time I had set up my gear, I was blessed with the most amazing crystal-clear starlit sky. Just a brief gap in the weather allowed me to capture this. So thankful to my younger self for putting me in the right

place at the right time to grab the opportunity.’

High-powered LED lights were attached to Liam’s drone. He performed four separate light passes and light painted around each part of the rock to highlight the landscape. The photos have been stacked together in post-production to create the final image.

Liam said: ‘Every year, I admire the winning photographs and envision my

work being displayed amongst them. Being selected as Open Photographer of the Year in the Sony World Photography Awards is a dream turned reality, and leaves me feeling deeply grateful, overjoyed and absolutely speechless!’

Sony World Photography Awards 2025 is now open for entries, and submissions close January 2025. Visit www.worldphoto.org/ sony-world-photography-awards

Liam Man, United Kingdom, Open Photographer of the Year, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2024

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Inbox

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Stunning Ensign

About 25 years ago I bought an Ensign Selfix 16-20 120 film camera on eBay for £50. I used one roll of colour film and was pleased with the results. Digital then took over my photographic life, leading to my latest purchase of a Nikon Z5; my film cameras retired. However, a couple of weeks ago I decided to buy a roll of Ilford FP4 for the Ensign to see if the camera still worked and if it leaked light, being a folding bellows-type camera. I sent the exposed roll to Analogue Wonderland to be developed and scanned using their standard offering, but professionally edited by them. I was stunned by how good this

camera is and what Analogue Wonderland has achieved.

I have since bought another couple of rolls of film, this time Ilford Delta 100, and can’t wait to use them on my summer holiday. I will of course be taking my Nikon too, but the joy in seeing my scans from the Ensign has re-ignited my love of film.

John Broadway

In praise of digital

During lockdown I set myself a project to run through all my old negatives and scan the best ones for posterity. Two things became apparent; I’ve become a much better photographer since changing to digital, and all of my negs older than 30 years have faded beyond use. If only I had used more Kodachrome or Ilford FP4. Whilst using film does force you to take more care and give more thought to the image, I

love the immediacy of digital and the ability to experiment without running up huge film and development costs. There’s been a bit of a renaissance for film cameras in recent years, but ultimately what is important is the final output – so I think I’ll leave film for the hipsters.

John Keogh

Video on cameras

With the latest top-end cameras, why not ditch video functionality and

I’m afraid it’s the latter, Mike. The cost saving from removing the video functionality would be minimal, but it would make the cameras effectively unsellable to pretty much anyone for whom social media is the end destination for their output, and for whom the video features are at least as important as the stills. Which these days is the majority of buyers.

Fujifilm vs Fujifilm video

I enjoyed your YouTube video comparing the Fujifilm X-T50 with the X100VI. I owned the original Fujifilm X100 and X100S. I had the X100S for 11 years until the shutter button eventually broke. Fuji couldn’t fix it. I loved the X100S. My only gripe is that I found myself shooting more product photography and portraits than I thought I would and the 23mm lens was vexing.

lower the body price significantly but offer video as a pay-extra firmware update. I’d suggest that many users would not bother with video and firms would sell more cameras, or am I just not keeping up with the times? Mike Morley

The X-T50 would’ve solved this issue and if I were buying a Fuji today, I too would choose the X-T50. However, I chose instead to switch systems and bought a Sony A7 IV for the better low-light performance, the interchangeable lenses, and compatibility with Profoto off-camera lighting. Cameras are expensive, so I thought I might as well go full frame. David Hunter

Thanks, David. If any readers haven’t yet subscribed to our YouTube channel, you can find it by going to youtube.com/ AmateurPhotographerTV

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Chesil Rectory, Winchester, taken with the Ensign

Our favourite photos posted by readers on our social media channels this week

AP picture of the week

Vulcan (No.6 in the Vulcan Series) by Linda Wride

Nikon Z 7II, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 S, 1/320sec at f/10, ISO 2500, Aperture priority, Spot metering

‘This natural abstract with its diagonal composition of fracture lines, fine grain textures, contrasting shades of grey, and focal point of a small, egg-shaped pebble tucked into a recess, is one of my favourites from the Vulcan series of images, inspired by the volcanic rocks of Hálsanefshellir Cave, Iceland.’

1X Fine Art portfolio: 1x.com/lindaw Shot by Women portfolio: www.shotbywomen.com/ contributor/201/linda-wride Instagram, Vero and Threads: @lindawride

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A Buttermere

Morning

by Jonny Gios

Sony A7 IV, 16-35mm G, 1/13sec at f/22, ISO 50

‘For the first part of this year we’ve had really poor weather so I’ve been trying to catch up with my list of locations for this year that I wanted to get back to. After getting to Derwentwater for sunrise and doing a shoot there, I knew I had some time to get to Buttermere as the sun takes some time for the light to hit the Buttermere pines. After waiting for the water to calm after the wind settled, conditions were perfect for a great reflection. However, I wanted to add interest and focal point to my composition. I loved how the clouds were seeming to point to Haystacks so looked for some variety and knew these branches were out in full and composed it for them to point towards Haystacks as well.’

Website: jgios.com

X: @supergios

Instagram: @Jonny.Gios

Facebook: Jonny Gios Photos

Home Is Where The Heart Is

by Ceri Belshaw

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, 1/800sec, f/6.3, ISO 160

‘Llyn Padarn, a lake which holds a special place in my heart. I have spent countless hours here with my camera and a hot coffee in tow, taking in the view, which is always different. More often than not the skies are dramatic and atmospheric, but on occasion, we are treated to beautifully still and calm mornings, just like this one.’ Instagram: @c.e.r.i.a.n.w.e.n

We also liked...

Pullman Coach in

Sunlight by Stuart Neville

Fujifilm X-T3, 18-135mm, 1/550sec at f/4.5, ISO 400

‘I had been to Edinburgh for a day out, a place full of picture possibilities. I was heading home when I saw the train pulling in with a rake of chocolate and cream coaches. These look good at the best of times but positively glow with the sunlight from the station roof shining through. The train was just about to leave, and I only managed a few frames of which this is my favourite.’ Instagram: @Glasgowpixman

Want to see your pictures here? Simply share them with our Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook communities using the hashtag #appicoftheweek. Alternatively you can email your best shot to us at ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk. See page 3 for how to find us.

Reader Portfolio

Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them

Alex Rutherford, Surrey

About Alex Alex lives in Surrey but often visits Pembrokeshire and the north-west coast of England. See her work at Instagram @alex.rutherford

Favourite subjects

Textures and colours. Subjects can be a display of coloured glass in a shop front or car light reflections in a puddle. How did you get into photography?

I did a foundation art course where I used photography to record details and ideas. Everything was developed in the darkroom, but it gave me a great understanding of the process. I moved away from taking photos for a while; then digital lit a creative spark again.

What do you love about photography?

Once I pick up my camera, I lose all sense of time. I love breaking the rules to get an unexpected image by using multiple exposure, ICM or blend modes. It’s fun experimenting!

Favourite photographers

Sebastiaan Knot, Jo Stephen, Paul Gravett, Brigitte Aeberhard, Linda Bembridge, Bill Ward, Molly Holden… I could go on!

Favourite photo books

Wild by Jo Stephen; Extraction/

Abstraction by Edward Burtynsky; Creative Flower and Plant Photography by Molly Holden.

First camera

The ones borrowed from college on my foundation course. All Pentax K1000s.

Current kit

Nikon D5100, D5200 and Z 6II.

Favourite lens

Nikkor 40mm, 18-105mm.

Favourite accessory

Monopod KF-MP 2624.

Dream purchase

Lensbaby lenses.

What software do you use?

Adobe Lightroom.

Favourite tips

Enjoy the process, take your time and experiment.

Where do you find inspiration?

Galleries and exhibitions; photographic press; everyday items; Instagram; the SheClicks community and podcasts; Tracy Calder’s Letter to Creatives.

Tell us about your pictures

These are ICM, slow shutter and multiple-exposure images taken in different UK locations. I use a range of camera techniques to create an abstract/painterly effect, similar to an abstract painting, to draw the viewer into the image.

Charcoal Markings

1 An ICM/slow shutter image of surfboards on a rack in a boatyard in Cwm-yr-Eglwys, Pembrokeshire. I wanted to just capture the vibrant colours without the distraction of the logos on the boards.

Nikon D5200, 40mm, 0.4sec at f/22, ISO 100

Submit your images

See page 3 for details of how to submit. You could see your photos here in a future issue! Please note: the prize is subject to change.

Window in Abstract

2 A multiple-exposure blend-mode image of a shop window taken in London, edited in Lightroom.

Nikon Z 6, 40mm, ½sec at f/22, ISO 320

Blended Secondary Colours

3 An alternative image from the same sequence of surfboards on a rack in a boatyard.

Nikon D5200, 40mm, 0.4sec at f/22, ISO 100

Enjoy the Party

4 A multipleexposure, blend-mode image of a shop window display taken in London. Basic editing in Lightroom.

Nikon Z 6, 40mm, ½sec at f/25, ISO 250

Indigo River

5 A multipleexposure ICM image taken of a shop window display in London, with basic editing in Lightroom.

Nikon Z 6, 40mm, ½sec at f/22, ISO 320

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Buying Guide

Cameras

Cameras come in three types: DSLRs with optical viewfinders, mirrorless models with electronic viewing, and compact cameras with non-interchangeable lenses

Controls

Entry-level cameras tend to have simple, easy-to-understand controls, while more expensive models add lots of buttons and dials to give quick access to settings.

Viewfinder

The biggest difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that the latter use electronic, rather than optical viewfinders. Some advanced compact cameras also have built-in electronic viewfinders to complement their rear LCD screens.

Compact cameras

These range from small, pocketable models to large bridge-type cameras with long zoom lenses and SLR-style designs. In this guide, we’re only including those with relatively large sensors for high image quality, raw format recording and manual controls.

Handgrip

Lens mount

DSLRs traditionally have relatively large handgrips, while many mirrorless models have much smaller grips to keep the size down. However, some can accept accessory grips to improve handling with larger lenses.

manufacturers offer a range of options, from simple, relatively inexpensive beginner-friendly designs, to sophisticated professional models. In the middle of the range you’ll find enthusiast cameras with more-advanced control layouts. Meanwhile the term ‘compact’ refers to cameras with built-in lenses, regardless of their size. Many offer excellent image quality and full manual control. Our comprehensive listing of key camera specifications

Each camera brand uses its own lens mount, and mirrorless cameras use different lenses to DSLRs even from the same brand. However, mirrorless models can often use DSLR lenses via a mount adapter.

ALMOST all serious photographers prefer to use cameras with interchangeable lenses, as this gives the greatest degree of creative flexibility. At one time, this meant digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) cameras, but these have now been joined by mirrorless cameras that use electronic viewfinders. The latest models are true alternatives to DSLRs, offering the same image quality and creative options. Camera

Mirrorless cameras

Mirrorless cameras

DSLR cameras

We’ve tried our hardest to ensure that the information in this guide is as complete and accurate as possible. However, some errors will inevitably have crept in along the way: if you spot one, please let us know by emailing ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk. Unfortunately we don’t have space to list every single product on the market, so we don’t include the most expensive speciality items. Before making a purchase we advise you to check prices, along with any crucial specifications or requirements, with either a reputable retailer or the manufacturer’s website.

Compact cameras

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WFinal Analysis

Paul Hill considers…

This Must Be The Place, Ilkeston 2023, by Tony Fisher

hen Maria Falconer and I set up the Approaching Photography Facebook group a few years ago, one of the first contributors was Tony Fisher, who uses our group page to post one or two images nearly every day.

His images are always personal – sometimes gloriously multicoloured and sometimes dark and foreboding, sometimes documentary and sometimes very abstract. Eclectic doesn’t touch it! But they are almost always memorable.

This diversity may be explained by Tony’s statement on his website: ‘I consider myself neurodivergent and celebrate this.’

He also goes on to say that this condition was only diagnosed when he was well into adulthood. As a result, he works a great deal with mental health arts charities. It is an arrangement that obviously helps both. He is currently being featured in Everyday Extraordinary, a year-long exhibition inspired by the philosophy of seeking gratitude in everyday life, organised by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (visit www.uhdb.nhs.uk/air-arts/).

Tony’s own mental health had deteriorated following the long illness and death of his young wife in 1996. He recalled: ‘I found it difficult to cope, had a breakdown and was ill for quite a few years. All that was left, apart from my two kids, was my photography.’

Burgeoning career

Before these awful events, Tony had a burgeoning career as a photographer and filmmaker in the East Midlands after graduating from the Creative Photography course at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham and Derby College of Higher Education in the 1970s. During that time, he made a documentary for Channel 4 of the industrial changes in his Derbyshire hometown. But his love of the visual arts had started before that in 1973 at school when he discovered Surrealism.

‘Nowadays I live alone. But I need to get out. I don’t have any particular photographic agenda – I just intuitively react to things that could make an interesting photograph. I look for the magic.’

He does concede that his photography is therapeutic. ‘It gives me a purpose every day – and you meet people who often have great stories to tell. These social encounters help me a lot.’

Although Tony is a pensioner and on disability benefits, it has not stopped him from making

work on a daily basis, but the occasional art commissions have helped. The most successful was Only the Lonely? (2022) from Arts Council England. It was a three-year portrait and documentary project in Derbyshire of people who were lonely or living in solitude, especially during Covid.

In this particular picture that was made last year, Tony reacted to the neon sign reflected in the window of a gallery cafe entrance, but then noticed

the ‘ghostly’ figure on the pavement. ‘It’s all in-camera – not Photoshopped! All my work is done in-camera and I only use post-production software to tweak the colour.’

So, the effect of that schoolboy introduction to Surrealism that started his artistic journey in 1973 is still very much there…

Everyday Extraordinary is on until May 2025. You can see Tony’s work at tony-fisher-photography.com

Among many achievements, Paul Hill has written two books on photography, was director of the Creative Photography course at Trent Polytechnic and has been exhibited numerous times. He was the first photographer to receive an MBE for services to photography and the first professor of photographic practice in a British university. hillonphotography.co.uk

Mark II

The OM-5 is not here to be flashy, steal the show, be in the way of your experience or even try to be the sole reason for your adventure. It is rather like your favourite pair of boots that lead you onto trails unknown; that bag that always has what you need, or that friend that helps you see the world in a beautifully different way.