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Issue 245

Pro tips and techniques to improve your astrophotography and capture the galaxy

PENTAXHAS RETURNED Should you buy the K-3 Mark III DSLR?

NEW SKILLS

Fall for your best AUTUMN SHOTS Use composition and colour

SHOOT & EDIT

Mirror image STILL-LIFES Capture adelicious

for stunning seasonal images

foodie spread

COMMERCIAL PORTRAITS How to shoot corporate headshots with personality

SONY ZV-E10 RUN A SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION KEEP YOUR IMAGES SAFE ONLINE

INSPIRATION

WORLD’S BEST BIRD PHOTOS High-flying photography

WELCOME

ecallaW nylA ©

With great fascination also comes a few technical challenges to your camerasettings Few subjects are as fascinating to photograph as the night sky, but with great fascination also comes a few technical challenges to your camera settings. To capture sharp and stunning astrophotographs you need specialist gear and know-how, and this month, we’re preparing you for out-of-this-world imagery with pro Alyn Wallace. Alyn is our expert guide to photographing the Milky Way on p22, and his essential advice covers packing your kitbag, planning for success and ensuring pin-sharp images.

If astro shooting has you lit up, then turn to our group test on p96, where we put four of the best wide-angle prime lenses – perfect for capturing the sky at night – through their paces.

You can read DP from all around the world, but

for many of our UK readers, autumn is almost here.

This colourful season always guarantees to provide spectacular photo opportunities, and our feature from p36 will help you to make the most of them.

The practical advice continues from p52, with a tasty creative project on outdoor food photography, a shooting tutorial on lighting small subjects (p58) plus two new Adobe editing tutorials (p60). Plus, there’s a free giveaway bundle for Skylum Luminar AI editing software worth £45/$58 (p64)!

We also meet two very different commercial pros in this issue. Sarah Deane gives advice for capturing corporate portraits with personality in her own studio (p14), while cinematic shooter Finn Beale is in the interview slot (p78) sharing his love of wild locations and how to work with big brands. Enjoy the issue.

Lauren Scott, Editor lauren.scott@futurenet.com

GET IN TOUCH Ask a question, share your thoughts or showcase your photos… @DPhotographer Tweet your opinions or images and see them printed

Instagram: www.facebook.com/ DigitalPhotographerUK @dphotographermag Share your thoughts and shots Follow and tag us

Email: Website: team@dphotographer.co.uk Get news, tips and reviews at Newsletter:http://bit.ly/DP-news www.digitalcameraworld.com 3

Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA

Editorial Editor Lauren Scott

lauren.scott@futurenet.com 0330 390 6246

Senior Designer Neo Phoenix Production Editor Jon Crampin Technique Editor Peter Fenech Senior Art Editor Warren Brown Content Director Chris George Product photography Bath Photo Studio

Contributors James Abbott, Claire Gillo, Angela Nicholson, Dafna Tal, Graeme Green, Matthew Richards, Alyn Wallace, Louise Carey

FENECH

In-house expert Peter shares more practical advice, starting with a seasonal treat.

Learn how to photograph autumn (or fall, if you’re one of our US readers) from p36.

You’ll also find his five expert tips for protecting your images online (p66) and reviews of the latest lenses from Nikon and Panasonic (p110).

Website:

www.digitalcameraworld.com

SARAH DEANE

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Our contributors PETER

LOUISE CAREY

Louise is an experienced journalist and photographer with a dreamy style. In her creative project on p52, Louise demonstrates the shooting and editing steps you need for a mirrored still-life scene in the garden. The techniques are simple, but will make your food photography come alive.

Website: www.digitalcameraworld.com

FINN BEALES

Finn is an incredibly So much more successful lifestyle goes into a and commercial corporate portrait photographer shoot than you living in Wales, might think, and UK. In our main for many clients it’s important to capture personality interview, find out how Finn works with some of the world’s biggest in the images. We visited the studio luxury brands, the importance of of pro Sarah Deane (p14) to find out her camera and lighting choices, and disconnecting from technology and how she works with subjects to create how he finds inspiration and solace in remote places (p78). successful commercial images.

Website: Website: www.sarahdeanephotography.co.uk www.madebyfinn.com 4

ALYN WALLACE

This month’s expert feature is written by Alyn, an pro at shooting nighttime landscapes.

He’s based in south Wales, UK, but travels around the world as an astrophotographer and YouTuber.

From p22, discover Alyn’s tips for capturing technically stunning shots of the Milky Way galaxy.

Website: www.alynwallacephotography.com

Main cover image © Daniel Viné Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com Advertising Manager Michael Pyatt michael.pyatt@futurenet.com +44 (0)1225 687538 Account Manager Matt Bailey matt.bailey@futurenet.com +44 (0)1225 687511 International Licensing Digital Photographer is available for licensing and syndication. To find out more, contact us at licensing@futurenet.com or view our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com Subscriptions New orders: www.magazinesdirect.com 0330 333 1113 Renewals: www.mymagazine.co.uk Customer service: 0330 333 4333 Email queries: help@mymagazine.co.uk Group Marketing Director Sharon Todd Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Clare Scott Senior Ad Production Manager Jo Crosby Ad Production Coordinator Chris Gozzett Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Manager Vivienne Calvert Management Brand Director Paul Newman Head of Art & Design Rodney Dive Managing Director Future Passions Andrea Davies Chief Content Officer Angie O’Farrell Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, WV13 3XB Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 Digital Photographer (ISSN 1477-6650) November, Issue 245, is published monthly with an extra issue in March by Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, UK The US annual subscription price is $175.37 Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150-15 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Brooklyn NY 11256.

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DANIEL CHEONG

So many elements go into making a successful photo.

Every month, we pick out a striking pro shot and break down the reasons why it works, analysing the composition, lighting, editing and more.

This time (p76), discover a Bladerunner inspired urban scene shot by Daniel Cheong, who tells us exactly how and why he created it in the way that he did.

Website: www.danielcheongphotography.com

Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford Chief financial officer Rachel Addison Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

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The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC and PEFC certification and accreditation.

Contents Regulars 10 News

Keep up to date with the latest industry announcements and exciting releases

12 Story behind the still

Kirsty Morrell shares the tips and techniques behind her stormy landscape scene in Australia

78 Interview

Commercial photographer Finn Beales on working with brands and escaping the city

86 The gallery

Explore the winning images from the 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year competition

92 Shot of the month

Get involved with our growing Instagram community and discover the latest top shot

Practical skills

All the gear, ideas and tutorials you need to photograph the galaxy in all its glory

36 Pro guide to autumn images Capture better images this autumn with detailed advice on lighting, colours, creative compositional tools and seasonal details

52 Creative project

Take your food photography to the next level with this dreamy scene of al fresco dining

58 Shooting tutorial

Editing skills

How to shoot the Milky Way galaxy

52

yeraC esiuoL ©

Learn how to use flash lighting effectively with small outdoor subjects in a macro setup

22

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22 How to shoot the Milky Way

Shoot and edit outdoor food photography

60 Photoshop tutorial

Learn how to use Smart Filters and edit your images non-destructively as much as you want

62 Lightroom tutorial

6

60

Photoshop tutorial

36

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64 Luminar AI editing tools

Get a free trial of Skylum editing software, plus a bonus Sky Packs and Templates bundle

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If you’re a Fujifilm shooter, here’s how to edit your RAW files for a retro film look

Expert guide to autumn

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! GET US DELIVERED AND SAVE UP TO 60%* TURN TO PAGE 50 TO FIND OUT HOW

Interview

Pro column

How to set up an exhibition

Group test: astro prime lenses

86 Gallery

Protecting your images online is important.

Discover five methods for keeping your intellectual property safe when you share

68 Career feature

Ready to set up an exhibition but not sure where to start? Whatever your scale and budget, read our tips for a successful show

74 Career advice

We answer more important business-related questions around diversifying your income

76 Pro analysis

Take a closer look at Daniel Cheong’s Hong Kong scene to find out why it works so well

114 Pro column

Dafna Tal shares a reflective view and the emotions involved in underwater photography

New kit & reviews

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Shoot like a pro

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14 96

66 Print & share

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68

Corporate headshots needn’t be impersonal.

Go behind the scenes with a portrait pro and discover how to get the best from your clients

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114

14 Shoot like a pro

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78

Pro advice

96 Group test: astro prime lenses

We test four primes for astrophotography to suit a wide range of full-frame cameras. Which lens offers the most stellar performance?

104 Pentax K-3 Mark III

The latest and best APS-C DSLR from Pentax has some new tech and features inside, but is it worth the formidable asking price?

108 Sony ZV-E10

It’s an affordable camera for vloggers and newer video shooters, but is there enough on offer to tempt pro stills photographers?

110 Lenses sitruC yllO yb egamI

Every month, we test two of the latest lenses.

This time, it’s the Nikon Nikkor Z 105mm f/2.8 Macro and Panasonic 50mm F1.8

112 Accessories

Discover more fun, functional or practically essential bits of gear to add to your arsenal 7

syawaevig & stfiG 8

Free software packs

Sky enhancing bundle with Luminar AI We’ve partnered with Skylum to offer Digital Photographer readers a bonus Sky Pack and Templates bundle for use with Luminar AI, the image editor that’s fully powered by artificial Intelligence. The Sky Pack (worth £30/$39) includes 25 high-quality skies in JPEG and TIFF format, while the Dynamic Skylines Templates (worth £15/$19) offer a selection of varied one-click styles and effects to help transform your landscape images.

Find out more on p64 or visit: http://skylum.com/future

Win! Astro editing presets

Enter to elevate your astro processing

This month our expert guide for shooting the Milky Way comes from professional astrophotographer Alyn Wallace (p22).

Alyn is also giving two readers the chance to win his entire astro preset pack. These are not your average one-click presets, but are based on Alyn’s structured workflow for editing astro images. They’ll give you the freedom to create and sculpt the final image using a selection of local adjustment tools.

For a chance to win, send your best astro shots to: team@dphotographer.co.uk The winners will be notified by email before 2 November.

Review test shots We think test shots are important when it comes to reviewing and comparing the latest camera kit, but we know it’s hard to tell the difference between test images when they’re printed as small versions in the magazine. You can open, view and compare test shots from our kit reviews anywhere you see the download icon (pictured on the right).

YOUR FREE ASSETS

are available to download on pages where you see this icon

DOWNLOAD THE TEST SHOTS https://bit.ly/DP-245

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IN FOCUS

FUJIFILM GFX50S II FUJIFILM X-SUMMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

A sleeker design, lower price and in-body stabilisation Fujifilm has launched the GFX50S II as the new base model in the Fujifilm medium format range, replacing the original GFX50S, which was discontinued in February. The company arguably pioneered the idea of affordable medium format cameras with the original GFX50S, which was a fraction of the price of regular medium format cameras at that time.

The GFX50S II takes this a step further, with a new, lower price point but improved features and technology too. With a price of

£3,499/$3,999 body only, and £3,899/$4,499 with its new GF35-70mm F4.5-5.6 kit lens, it costs no more than many high-end full-frame cameras, and less than a few of them too.

The GFX50S II has a 51.4MP CMOS sensor measuring 43.8x32.9mm that doesn’t just offer a bigger sensor area, but bigger photosites too. Fujifilm quotes a pixel pitch of 5.3 microns, compared to 4.39 microns for the Canon EOS R5 and 3.76 microns for the Sony A7R IV. Bigger photosites mean more light-gathering power, less noise and increased

The Fujifilm X Summit Prime event is where Fujifilm’s latest products are announced. The Summit was streamed live on 2 September, but is available to watch now on the FUJIFILM X Series YouTube channel.

dynamic range, and Fujifilm is pushing these advantages of its larger sensor format.

This sensor is teamed up with Fujifilm’s quad-core X-Processor 4 processor, and a new, updated Contrast Rapid AF system. Fujifilm has also incorporated the in-body stabilisation system first seen on the GFX100, claiming improved stabilisation of up to 6.5 stops compensation, depending on the lens used.

For more methodical photography, the Fujifilm GFX50S II looks to be a compelling option at its price point. It is on sale now.

Fujifilm announces newlenses and roadmap

Fujifilm updates its GF and X-mount lens roadmap with eight new optics

Fujifilm has announced a new roadmap for its X-mount lenses, which shows the full lineup of current lenses in the range and new lenses the company has in development. There are two prime lenses due to be launched this year, the Fujinon XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR and XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR, and two zoom lenses – an XF18-120mm and a XF150-600mm supertelephoto – slated for 2022. The roadmap shows that by the time the X-mount celebrates its 10th birthday next year, there will be 40 lenses in the system.

Fujifilm also announced four new lenses for its range of GFX medium format cameras at its annual X-Summit in September. The new roadmap shows plans for a tilt-shift lens in 2023, plus the new low-cost 35-70mm f/4-5-5.6, which is designed to be the kit lens for the just-announced Fujifilm GFX50S II, available this year. For 2022, Fujifilm is also promising a 55mm f/1.7 and a 20-35mm wide-angle zoom. This will extend the Fujifilm G-mount lineup to a total of 16 lenses (plus a 1.4x teleconverter).

10

Polaroid Now+ could be the best polaroid yet Extra tools with the Polaroid app

The Polaroid Now+ is the latest member of the Polaroid family, and promises the manufacturer’s best ever analogue performance combined with a few new creative tricks. Some of these revolve around new physical features, while others require the newly designed smartphone app.

The Now+ offers a two-lens autofocus system plus an improved flash for better exposures. On top of that, it also features the Bluetooth connectivity found in the Polaroid OneStep+. When used in tandem with the newly designed Polaroid app for your smartphone, this unlocks more creative tools, such as light painting, double exposures, self-timer, portrait mode and manual control.

For the first time on the Now product line, users will also be able to choose aperture priority mode and tripod mode.

In terms of build, the Now+ is slightly larger than the regular Now. Constructed from polycarbonate and ABS plastic, it’s also a little heavier at 457g versus 434g.

The refreshed Polaroid app features instinctive Apple-like controls and instructions available at the tap of an icon to explain how the different functions work. For more information: https://uk.polaroid.com/

New photo features available with iOS 15

Apple smartphone users will see updated Photos app

Apple has previewed its latest operating system, iOS 15, which brings new features to the Photos app, as well as introducing Portrait mode for FaceTime conversations. The latest update sees Apple adding frequently requested features along with unique additions to enable users to do more with their images once they have been taken. One new feature is the Shared With You section, which collates shared photos from a contact in one place.

These images can also become part of a user’s Memories and Featured Photos.

The Memories feature itself has been given a new look; users can play around with adaptive titles, animation and transition styles to add a cinematic feel.

With iOS15, the iPhone can now identify certain objects such as landmarks and even flowers, and then use Visual Lookup to work out what it might be by searching a web base of images. Plus, metadata is now available, allowing users to view the same amount of EXIF information that is available on the desktop Photos app.

The new software features will be available this autumn as a free software update for iPhone 6s and later. For more information, visit: www.apple.com/ios/ios-15-preview

In other news More snippets of photography news from around the world PHOTO LONDONRETURNS

Photo London returned to Somerset House inLondon’s West End between 9-12 September for the first timesince 2020’sphysical eventwas cancelled due to the pandemic. Photo London is an international fine artfair that features a roster of exhibitorsfrom 14 countries, including a Discoverysectionfor emerging galleries. This was itssixth edition. https://photolondon.org/

GET READY FOR BLACK FRIDAY

Black Friday 2021 officially takes place on 26 November, and camera deals in the UK are already beginning to appear. We can start to predict what kindof Black Friday camera deals we’ll see this year.

After all, BlackFriday is no longer just a single day of spectacular discounts – instead, you’ll see incredible savings on cameras, lenses, laptops, cameras phones and more for the majority of the fall andwinter season! To keepup with the latest deals,bookmark: https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/ uk/news/black-friday-uk-2021 11

YOUR IMAGES

STORY BEHIND THE STILL Photographer’s name: Kirsty Morrell Website: www.capturedbykirstylee.com Image location: Lake Bonney, Barmera, South Australia Type of commission: Personal Shot details: Canon EOS 70D, 10-22mm, 13sec, f/14, ISO 100

About the shot: Sometimes in photography, conditions don’t turn out as you'd expected. We can never fully predict the weather, so it is always good practice to be adaptable in your creative approach, as Kirsty Morrell demonstrated with the production of this image.

“I had gone down to capture the incoming lightning storm, but unfortunately the main body of the storm moved too far north to capture any lightning over the lake. But it still provided some great storm clouds!” explains Kirsty. “Lake Bonney has many of these types of trees around its shoreline and I love to capture the beauty of them. It is usually my go-to place when the conditions are looking promising. While setting up, I always consider the placement of every element in the composition. In this case, I used the rule of thirds to position the horizon on the bottom third and the tree to the left. I chose to set up my composition to highlight the eeriness of the afternoon, with the softness of the moving grass and the contrast of the dead tree providing a dramatic scene against the stormy background.”

Kirsty explains some of the challenges she encountered.

“There was some wind around, which can cause some tripod movement, which isn't great for long exposure images. To correct this, I hooked my camera bag under the tripod and used its extra weight for stability. One of the techniques I use is luminosity masking, which completely changed the way I edit. I also added some clarity and contrast edits and finished with a vignette.”

Right

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Ambient Kirsty used the luminosity masking technique in software, to subtly control the balance of tones in her image and capture a fuller range of detail

13

A PR E K I L T SHOO

Face of the Business .Peter Fenech joins Sarah Deane on two corporate portrait shoots to . learn about capturing personality and thinking on your feet.

14

FACEOF THE BUSINESS

Sarah Deane

With multiple decades in the industry under her belt Sarah is an expert in commercial, corporate and editorial portraiture. She has won multiple awards and her client portfolio includes Jack Daniels, NatWest, the NHS and the British Heart Foundation.

www.sarahdeanephotography.co.uk www.linkedin.com/in/sadeane

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men. Gang aft agley,” once mused Robert Burns. Roughly translated this means no matter how well one plans a project something will still go wrong. Little would Burns have known, when writing his famous poem ‘To a mouse’ in the mid 1780s, that he would be perfectly describing the life of a working photographer!

This fact comes sharply into focus when, on a train into Newcastle, I receive an apologetic phone call from Sarah Deane, who I’m on my way to meet. The plan for this morning is for me to shadow Sarah on a corporate portrait shoot, in her lovely city centre studio. In a valiant effort to ensure it looks its best for myself and today’s client, Sarah has refreshed the paintwork (well in advance I should add) and alas, not all has run smoothly.

“You’re not going to believe this!” she exclaims and goes on to detail how the new paint she has used – on advice from a professional – has failed to dry in the expected time. This leaves the floor of her studio space unusable this morning.

We’re determined to go ahead with our shoot however and decide that a little adaptability is going to have to come into play.

In many respects this is quite a constructive turn of events, as it will allow us to explore multiple facets of professional corporate and commercial photography – the dark side, if you will. I arrive at Sarah’s studio, a stone’s throw from Central Station and the

wonderful High-Level Bridge, and note how many times I’ve appreciated the attractive facade of this understated building, without ever knowing what was inside it.

Sarah greets me with a smile and we make light of our misfortune. She leads me into a meeting room, which is to be our replacement studio space, and comments on how she will have to compensate for the higher ceiling and lower ambient lighting with her strobe setup.

We have a short while until her client arrives so we use the time to discuss Sarah’s journey in photography and her approach to business portraiture. This will give me some things to look out for when the shoot begins.

“I studied at the London Institute of Arts in 1997 at Camberwell College and gained a degree specialising in photographic illustration for my finals in 2000.

I chose to focus on my local high street Peckham Rye and created a series of pictures that captured shop windows, brimming with African Caribbean culture and portraits of local people,” she explains. This ignited her passion for portraiture and Sarah soon began work at Venture Studios.

“Working for Venture was really high pressure. There was a lot of pressure to entertain families and encourage clients to spend. It’s not for everyone, but I learned so much! I loved the buzz. I gained several awards and was promoted to manage the studio team.”

Sarah then explains how business portraiture differs from 15

A PR E K I L T SHOO

f/16

ISO 200

1/125 sec

APPROACHABLE EXPRESSION x2 © Sarah Deane

Consider the destination

Sarah shoots her business portraits to align with the style and tone her subject’s clients might expect When shooting a corporate portrait not only do the image parameters have to fit web design requirements, they must also encourage interest in the business. Sarah gives an example of the importance of thinking about the clients. “Recently I shot a psychiatrist who was treating patients for paranoid psychosis and of course they would be viewing her portrait with that influence.

In that case I couldn’t have her joking around in the shot!” Try to imagine how you might view your images as a customer of the person you are photographing and let that direct your style.

enaeD haraS © 2x

16

Sarah explains how a client folding their arms can seem impersonal but with some people it can convey an air of authority within their expert field, while maintaining friendliness

editorial work and some of the key aspects to focus on.

“It’s about how someone looks and how someone feels – I’m all about making people relax. I really want clients to feel comfortable.

With editorial it’s telling much more of a story and you can be far more creative with lighting.

With business headshots it’s very important to get a relaxed, well-lit, flattering image.”

Sarah describes the importance of understanding the function of a business portrait. She tells me that this type of shot is not just about selling the person with their likeness, but that it also has to promote their business and what it stands for.

“It’s critical to give a lot of thought to what people are wearing – it needs to look good on them but also, specifically to this, it needs to represent their business. They need to look like they would going in to meet a client.”

On that note I get a little more involved in Sarah’s creative process than I had originally planned – she asks me if I can be her lighting model. The light balance isn’t quite right, due to

the unfamiliar surroundings, so Sarah has to think on her feet and quickly adjust the settings on her two strobes, as well as on the camera. I’ve gone for a classic tired journalist look this morning, complete with deep shadows under my eyes, so I’m not hugely enthusiastic. Surprisingly though I can see she has made me look human, so I know our sitter today will be in good hands.

Before long Sarah’s friendly receptionist informs us that our subject for today’s shoot – a fertility doctor named Matt – has arrived. From the beginning I can see Sarah putting her interpersonal skills to work. She immediately engages with Dr Prior and conveys the tone of the shoot, using her approachable nature. The conversation quickly moves to Matt’s specialisms, where the images will be going and what function they will serve.

Armed with this brief Sarah gets to work directing her client and explaining what the process of the next hour will be like.

Once the shoot begins things move very briskly. Sarah takes many images to capture as many facial expressions as possible

FACEOF THE BUSINESS RELAXED BUT PROFESSIONAL f/16

ISO 200

1/125 sec

17

A PR E K I L T SHOO 2

1 4 3

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The shooting gear that Sarah uses

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Nikon D810 Although she admits it is a few years old now and she might soon upgrade, Sarah’s full-frame Nikon D810 still serves her well. Its 36MP sensor offers more than enough resolution for most business portraiture online.

Nikon D600 Although it has an APS-C sized sensor this is Sarah’s backup camera body which she often carries with her on location shoots. She will have a second lens mounted too, for rapid recomposition

Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f4 VR lens Covering the key portrait focal lengths, this zoom lets Sarah reframe quickly while compressing perspective to control backgrounds.

18

AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens Using a tried and tested optical design this simple lens has a wide aperture for softening backgrounds, especially useful when shooting on-location. It’s also small and portable.

SB-800 Speedlight Although she uses radiotriggered strobes in the studio this flashgun is a favourite with pro Nikon shooters and offers powerful small flash versatility when working in-the-field or for a little extra fill light.

Holdfast harness Sarah jokes that this is her favourite piece of kit. “It’s just so handy and it helps with my bad back!” It allows quick access to her camera while ensuring comfort.

“You really need to enjoy it. I love people and this I feel is why my portraiture is so successful”

and notably offers continuous feedback to Matt. I notice there is very rarely a prolonged silence – the type during which a sitter can become uncomfortable.

Sarah is constantly talking to Matt, whether it is directly about the shoot or even just about his job and the sort of patients he regularly works with. This isn’t idle chit chat – yes it fills awkward silences, steering the conversation to keep her subject relaxed, but I can tell it is also informing Sarah’s photographic approach.

“I think photographers new to this would find taking control of another person quite difficult,” she tells me. “You’ve got to guide them through it. People get very selfconscious and they won’t have any idea what to expect. You need them to feel looked after.”

Mid-way through the shoot Matt has a change of outfit so the images can cover a range of formality levels. As a fertility doctor, Matt helps patients with very personal and life-changing issues, so his image needs to reflect professionalism, but also heart. Sarah moves the lights slightly, playing with a little more shadow on one side of the face – something she informs me doesn’t always work for business headshots, but which is creating some nice depth in this case. I also realise how much

she is getting Matt involved in the process – he isn’t simply stood still, in front of the camera. Sarah asks him to sit for several shots, turning both ways, then has him walk across the frame, to capture various poses.

After another outfit change, to remove the feeling that all photos were shot at the same time, the shoot is wrapped up.

Before leaving, Matt comments that he enjoyed himself, which is a great indicator that, despite the unexpected change of venue, and with Sarah being out of her usual workspace, the shoot has been a success.

“Some people turn up and they go, ‘I don’t know what I want,’ and it’s somewhat of a blank canvas.

I go for relaxed and professional as a default, for every profession,” she remarks.

It seems a shame not to see Sarah working in familiar surroundings, so we agree I should return the following week. Once again I am greeted with a big smile and we venture down into the basement. There is a slight smell of paint still in the air, but I notice Sarah has been hard at work filtering the images from our shoot with Matt, which is open on her iMac screen. Excitingly we have another shoot today, which will have a different look. The studio is beautifully arranged and on

FACEOF THE BUSINESS

f/14

ISO 200

1/125 sec

MULTIPLE POSES © Sarah Deane

Sarah’s top tips Keep it simple Sarah explains how aiming for complicated setups can distract you from shooting a clean image.

Even flash lighting Sarah advocates soft, even lighting with minimal shadows on the subject’s face.

Practise with family “Photograph people you know who will be patient.

That’s how I started.”

Composition Consider how your images will be cropped when live on a website. Shoot multiple orientations to cover your bases.

Pose them comfortably “Get them to position their hands for a neater composition. No dangling by their sides – that looks just terrible!”

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A PR E K I L T SHOO

f/14

ISO 200

1/125 sec

SOFT AND EVEN LIGHTING

© Sarah Deane

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FACEOF THE BUSINESS it, for different light distribution. seeing the lower, white-washed ceiling, I immediately understand Once again I can see Lauren is comfortable and relaxed before why working in the dark the camera, thanks to Sarah’s conference suite upstairs would encouragement. have required a departure from “The biggest challenge really is Sarah’s usual settings. if someone hates it,” she laughs.

We’ll be using a black “Importantly, you really need to background today, which is a enjoy it and to help the client better match for the website the images are destined for. Our enjoy it too. I love people and this subject Lauren works for a cyber I feel is a key element of why my portraiture is so successful. If you security recruitment firm, who’s were shy or lacking confidence website has a darker design. around folk, it would make the “I use two to three main client very uncomfortable.” backdrops. My aim is always Business portraiture can seem to achieve lots of variety so the quite simplistic to the uninformed client can look though and has observer, but as my time with many options in terms of crops Sarah has demonstrated it’s a and colours. It’s the same thing multi-faceted genre with a very when on-location.” tight function. You have to be Once again Sarah directs her able to think quickly and remain client, encouraging involvement professional, to capture images while strictly controlling the which sell a human’s personality. Involve the subject look and style of the poses. She tells Lauren to move away from “I never find it boring” says Sarah. Sarah offers continuous feedback to her subjects, encouraging their involvement “Every face is different.” the background, then closer to and helping to keep them relaxed and comfortable

Sarah’s key steps to well-lit, characterful business portraits

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Arrange light position Before the client arrives set up your lights according to a pre-calculated formula, so you can be ready when they walk through the door. Sarah used a large octobox in this case.

Overpower ambient light Take control of the light and colour of the setting, be it studio or location, and cut the ambient light with flash. Here Sarah used her strobe as the main light for the shot.

Select background colour Choose a background which will both set the appropriate tone for the client’s business but which will also fit the destination where it will displayed, such as their website.

Vary subject/background distance Move the subject varying distances from the background to control how much light spills onto it. In some cases this can be attractive but in others it’s better to remove this look.

Check camera settings Ensure you haven’t accidentally changed any settings. Opt for a mid-range aperture (f/11-16) for a seamless background shot to cover the face and set your camera to Manual mode.

Shoot multiple angles Move around the subject, having them look in various directions, as well as into the lens, and also change your elevation to vary the facial proportions of the subject. This captures different levels of intensity.

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TECHNIQUES

Pictured With the early nights upon us, there’s no better time to learn how to capture the wonders of the night sky

Cassiopeia, Tenerife

© Alyn Wallace

How to shoot the

Milky Way Discover expert tips for capturing the glory of the night sky, with astrophotographer Alyn Wallace

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MILKY WAY SHOTS

Alyn Wallace

Alyn Wallace is a landscape astrophotographer and YouTuber from south Wales, UK. His work has been featured by the likes of NASA, National Geographic and BBC Earth, and he recently won the Landscapes at Night category in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020.

He has designed and released the Starglow filter with Kase, the Z and V Star Tracker platforms with Move Shoot Move and his book Photographing The Night Sky will be published by fotoVUE this year.

To see more of Andy’s work, visit: @alynwallace www.youtube.com/c/AlynWallace www.alynwallacephotography.com

H

ow many of us have ever looked up at the night sky and wondered at its vastness? Most of us, right? But we bet fewer will have tried to capture the stunning light show in all its glory.

Astrophotography becomes complex when you start trying to capture deep space images, so in this feature, we’re going to focus on capturing the Milky Way, a galaxy consisting of countless stars. In fact, astronomers estimate that there are around 100 to 300 billion stars twinkling in the glowing band in the sky.

Most photographers want their Milky Way to inspire the viewer. But from a technical perspective, these images would ideally be sharp, bold and colourful too.

Low-light capabilities and high ISO handling on DSLR and mirrorless cameras have improved enormously over the past decade, opening up astrophotography to the masses, but the genre is still challenging, whatever your gear.

Planning ahead is vital for a Milky Way shoot, as there’s no point heading out if the sky is full of dense, impenetrable clouds. Over the next few pages, you’ll discover advice for finding the best locations, apps to help with planning and some expert gear suggestions.

Pro astrophotographer Alyn Wallace shares his tips for shooting epic panoramas, using star trackers and specialist filters, and advice on editing Milky Way images.

“As The Milky Way core season comes to an end in September, many landscape photographers will forget about astrophotography. But with the long, crisp winter nights you’d be silly not to consider it,” says Alyn.

“Especially as the winter night sky is full of some of the brightest stars and best constellations.”

So read on for all the best expert tips, techniques and tutorials, and get ready to venture into the night to shoot your most jaw-dropping astro images yet.

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TECHNIQUES

Locationsand planning Make sure you know where and when to shoot for the best results The spring, summer and autumn months are renowned for shooting the Milky Way, but winter is actually the best season for clarity, as haze and mist are not as prevalent as they are on warmer days and cold nights. In winter, the night also falls earlier and it remains darker for longer, which presents greater shooting opportunities.

The most prominent part of The Milky Way, the galactic core (the part we see when looking toward the centre of our spiral galaxy), 24

is only visible at certain times of the year – and certain times of the night. In the northern hemisphere, the centre of the Milky Way rises to the south-east in early spring, due south by summer, and to the south-west by autumn.

Early spring is a favourable time of year for shooting, as the arc of the Milky Way sweeps low across the horizon making for easier panoramas (see page 30) – it also makes for a sleek diagonal across a single-frame 3:2-ratio landscape image.

It’s important to understand lunation – the different phases of the moon and its position in the sky – because the light of the moon will easily overpower that of the stars. The times of the new moon, and the moon rising and setting, have to be cross-referenced with the twilight times to indicate prime dates and hours of visibility for the clearest views of the Milky Way. Use one of our suggested apps to help you calculate and predict the stage of the moon on the day that you intend to shoot on.

MILKY WAY SHOTS

PRO TIP: FOCUSING

There are two methods for focusing at night. Some people prefer to use hyperfocal focusing, but I prefer to focus to infinity. To do this, go into Live View mode and digitally zoom to 10x on a bright star or a streetlight at least 50m away. Then manually focus until the light source is pin-sharp.

Left Using a camera with a tilting screen can help with composition, as well as checking the sharpness and focal point of images

Check your screen

Above Steady as a rock A sturdy tripod is a must. Stars are pinpoint sources of light and any small camera shake will be magnified over long exposures

Dark sky hunting Find locations without light pollution

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Light pollution is a major obstacle to astrophotography and a sky without light pollution is the most important prerequisite for observing and impressively capturing the Milky Way. It is obviously best practice to escape the bright lights of a city, but to determine the pollution in your area, try using Light Pollution Map (www.lightpollutionmap.info), a rudimentary but free-to-use website that provides a picture of the Bortle scale – the extent of light pollution. Knowing what phase the moon is in is also an important factor for strong Milky Way photography, as when the moon is full, it can scatter ‘extraneous light’ and significantly reduce visibility.

Topsmartphoneapps to use

Use these handy bits of software to orient yourself in the night sky and plan your Milky Way shoots PHOTOPILLS APP

This popular app has a wide range of features that allow you to capture anylocation on Earth at a specific date in the future and get all the important information – including the times of, for example,sunset andsunrise, moon phases, and the blue and golden hour.

Importantly, you can check the visibility of the galactic nucleus of the Milky Way and where it will be located in the sky.

PLANIT PRO

It’s worth paying for the pro version of this Android app. Features include the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonsettime and direction, twilight time, plus major stars,constellations, nebulae azimuth and elevation angle, star trail planning and Milky Way searching.

LIGHT POLLUTION MAP

This app enables you to locate dark sites where the sky will be less affected by light pollution.

You’ll find a Light Pollution Map, integrated cloud cover map and temperature indicator, moon position tool and many different astronomy related calculators.

STELLARIUM

Stellarium is a sky map that shows exactly what can be seen when you look up at the night sky. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (like theISS), and other deep-sky objects in real time in just a few seconds by pointing your phone at the sky. There are also desktop and web versions that you can use when planning your astrophotographyshoots at home.

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TECHNIQUES

Getting the right gear Astrophotography is a specialist genre that requires some specialist tools

apertures, allowing you to capture precious light in a shorter time.

Lens anomalies really do show up in night photography – stars can take on unusual shapes in lower-quality optics, so a top-quality, fast, wide-angle lens, such as a 14-24mm f/2.8 optic is desirable. A full-frame camera’s sensor has larger individual photosites than that of a crop-sensor model, capturing more light and therefore having better low light performance, and less image noise at high-ISO settings.

One of the main challenges when capturing the Milky Way – apart from the lack of light – is that the position of stars constantly moves in the frame, or appears to, as the Earth rotates. If you want to shoot the night sky with long shutter speeds over 30 seconds, it’s also worth investing in a rotating star tracker (see next page).

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When it comes to shooting the Milky Way, the most important item in your kitbag will be a sensitive DSLR or mirrorless camera that enables you to open the shutter for at least 30 seconds. Long exposures of two minutes or more are necessary to capture sufficient light, colour, and detail to properly reveal the Milky Way, as well as faint celestial sights such as star fields, galaxies, nebulae, and even gas clouds.

Another essential item is a good quality tripod to keep the camera steady, while a programmable cable release is also handy, should you want to set exposure durations ahead of time. Milky Way photography is one area where good glass greatly improves results, and a super-wide-angle lens will enable you to capture a greater slice of the night sky, while fast lenses enable you to shoot at very wide

Essential kit Six core components you’ll need to shoot stunning Milky Way images

HIGH ISO CAMERA

Most advanced modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras have strong noise performance handling for high ISOs. The Sony a7S range is designed for exceptional lowlight performance (‘S’ stands for sensitivity), with models boasting max ISOs of 409,600.

STABLE TRIPOD

You’ll need a sturdy tripod that can stand securely even in windy conditions and with exposure times of 30 seconds or more.

Look for a tripod that's portable, but still stable, as you could be carrying it some distance to your final shooting destination.

Lightweight carbon fibre models from the likes of Benro and Manfrotto are a good investment.

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ULTRAWIDEANGLELENS

To capture the largest possible area of the sky on the image sensor, use a wide-angle zoom or prime in a focal range of around 14-20mm (in 35mm equivalent terms). A fast lens such as the Sony FE 16-35mm f2.8 G Master will allow longer exposures.

CABLE SHUTTER RELEASE

Pressing the shutter button onthe camera will induce shake and turn the stars in your image into confetti. Best practice is to use a cable shutter release and step away from the camera. If you don’t have one, activate a delay on the shutter from your cameramenu instead. A two second delay is ideal.

HEAD TORCH

A head torch keeps your hands free to operate the camera, and comes in handy if you need to light-paint the foreground. Using one with a red light will also help maintain your own night vision, allowing you to see better detail in fainter objects such as the Milky Way.

OUTDOOR CLOTHING

You’ll typically be heading out on nights with no clouds, so temperatures can drop veryquickly.

Being warm gives you the patience to wait for the perfect shot and focuses more of your attention on being creative. Merino wool base layers and a good down jacket will go a long way. Also, take gloves to keep your fingers warm.

MILKY WAY SHOTS

PRO TIP: LENSES

Brighten constellations with a Starglow Filter Alyn Wallace uses the Kase Starglow Filter to make the stars pop in images

The wider the aperture, the more light is able to strike your camera sensor. If you’re using a prime lens that opens as wide as f/1.4, you may find it beneficial to step down to f/2.8 for the extra depth of field, and to reduce coma (a type of lens aberration) in frame corners.

When I started out in landscape astrophotography, it frustrated me how constellations that were so bright and obvious to the naked eye just didn’t stand out in photographs. They become lost in the chaos of all the small faint stars picked up by your camera and as all the stars, regardless of brightness, are never bigger than a few pixels, they don’t vary much in size in your images.

I set out to create the Starglow filter with Kase, which helps bright stars to glow and bloat and also accentuates their natural star colour. It’s currently only available as a 100x100mm filter, but it can be used in a number of ways. You can use the filter handheld, and although this may sound a bit daunting at first, it’s the method I use most of the time, holding the filter over the sky portion of the image. If I only want a subtle starglow effect I will only hold the filter over the lens for half the exposure.

With this filter, areas of the night sky that are otherwise bland become interesting, allowing you to find compositions in all different directions.

For example, the Milky Way core arches across the southern horizon for us in the northern hemisphere, but with this filter you can photograph Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, in the north, or the famous hunter Orion, which rises in the east, crosses the south and sets in the west.

Below At 2mm thick, the Kase Starglow filter is compatible with most 100mm filter holders on the market, but is a match for the Kase K9 Slim 100mm holder kit

Getting a holder

WITH FILTER

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WITHOUT FILTER

TECHNIQUES

Capture sharp images Overcome the Earth’s rotation during long exposures with a star tracker Although it appears that the stars are moving gently across the sky, it’s not the motion of the stars themselves but Earth’s rotation that causes them to move. In order to take longer exposures of the night sky and still maintain pinpoint stars, you need to use a star tracker.

A star tracker, or more scientifically, an equatorial mount, allows us to counteract Earth’s rotation by rotating your camera in the opposite direction and at the same speed. That way we can ‘track’ the stars and

capture exposures of multiple minutes without any star trailing. This unveils fainter details in objects such as the Milky Way and also produces images with less visible noise. The caveat is that your foreground will be blurred, so you have to capture a separate exposure for the foreground and blend the two together.

In order for the star tracker to counteract Earth’s rotation, the rotational axis of the star tracker must be made parallel with the rotational axis of Earth. The process of setting

up a star tracker is known as polar alignment, as you are aligning the axis of rotation of the star tracker with the celestial poles, the points in the night sky directly above the North and South Poles.

Luckily in the northern hemisphere, we have Polaris, the North Star, which is almost perfectly located on the North Celestial Pole.

This is why it’s the only star that doesn’t appear to move – all the other stars rotate in counterclockwise circles around it.

How to use a star tracker How to set up and use a tracker for sharper results

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Set your latitude Start with a sturdy tripod that is levelled. Star trackers often come with a base known as an equatorial wedge or a geared head is also a good option.

Set the angle of elevation of your device to your current latitude. The angle between Polaris and the horizon will always equal your latitude. For me in the Brecon Beacons, that’s about 52°.

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Use a polar scope If you want to use longer focal length lenses like 50-135mm then you need to do a more accurate polar alignment. Most star trackers come with a polar scope that has a reticle inside that looks like a dial. Use an app like Polaris Finder to find out the position Polaris needs to be for accurate polar alignment and adjust your star tracker until Polaris is in position.

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Align tracker Find Polaris, the North Star, by drawing an imaginary line from the stars Merak and Dubhe in the asterism known as the Big Dipper, which is actually part of the constellation Ursa Major. It’s a common misconception that Polaris is the brightest star in the night sky but it’s not even close, it’s actually around the 50th brightest.

Capture the stars Now it’s time to photograph the stars. I’d usually start around f/2.8, 2-3 minutes and ISO 800. If the image is too bright then you can lower your ISO. If the stars are trailing, then you may want to lower your shutter speed, or try polar aligning again if problems persist. Once you are polar aligned, you can aim your camera in any direction.

Rotate to take aim Now that you’ve found Polaris, point the rotational axis of your star tracker towards it by rotating your device. You’ve now done a rough polar alignment and if you are shooting with wide-angle lenses, this will be enough to achieve exposure times of two or three minutes on the stars.

Capture the foreground As the star tracker rotates your camera the foreground will become blurred. Turn off the tracker and capture another exposure for the foreground. I would stick to the same settings as the sky exposures as you will then have two images with the same exposure value and the same amount of noise, making them much easier to blend together in Photoshop.

MILKY WAY SHOTS

PRO TIP: THE 500 RULE

If your shutter speed is too long, stars begin to trail due to the rotation of the Earth. To calculate a good starting point for shutter speed, divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. If your camera has a crop sensor, use 300 instead.

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TECHNIQUES

Create a panorama Learn to shoot several images and then stitch

them together for an expansive night sky view

Because the Milky Way galaxy spans across such a large portion of the sky, it’s necessary to stitch together multiple images if you want to capture it all in one final photograph. It is both a technical and creative accomplishment to shoot a panorama (180° or more) that shows the full arch of the Milky Way; your tripod needs to be perfectly level from the off, and you need to ensure each frame you shoot overlaps the previous by 40-50% to avoid any distortion.

Like all astrophotography, planning is key. In order to capture a Milky Way panorama, it needs to be arching low over the horizon. If the Milky Way band is passing through the zenith, the point of sky directly above you, then there will be extreme distortion in the panorama which doesn’t look good.

The best time of year to shoot the Milky Way is between March and June facing east or between November and February facing west. Sensitivity settings are important, too.

Step bystep

My biggest faux pas when I started out was underexposing my shots. Trying to rescue shots by boosting the shadows and increasing the exposure in post-production will result in an overly noisy image. While it may sound counter-intuitive, increasing the ISO can produce a less noisy image if it means a better overall exposure. To be 100 per cent sure your shadow areas are not clipping, check the histogram after your shot.

Right Panoramas are best shot with your camera in portrait orientation, with a 40-50% overlap between each image. This will ensure a smooth stitch when processing

Awesome overlap

Opposite below Mirador de Los Andenes lf the Milky Way is arching high into the sky you may need to shoot and stitch two, or even three, rows of images together

How to shoot and edit a panoramic view of the Milky Way galaxy

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Wait for the season Some part of the Milky Way is visible all year round, but ‘Milky Way season’, when the galactic core is visible, spans from April to September. This is the brightest and most interesting part to photograph and, in the UK, is found on the southern horizon.

40-50% overlap I check the image I just took, and find something on the edge of the frame to aim my camera towards, resulting in a 50% overlap. Another method is to use a rotating base with degree markings, allowing you to rotate by a set number of degrees each time.

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Level your tripod If the horizon in your panorama isn’t straight it can be a chore to fix this in post-processing. To make the stitching process easier, keep your tripod base level or use a nodal rail, which allows you to rotate your camera about the no parallax point.

Stitch the panorama Lightroom has improved its panorama stitching in recent years, but for complex panoramas that are difficult to stitch, I recommend using the software PTGui. If it fails to stitch the panorama, you can help it by creating control points between overlapping images.

Kit and settings I shoot almost all my Milky Way panoramas at 24mm. Ultra wide-angle lenses like 14mm have a lot of distortion and this can confuse the stitching software when it is trying to find overlap between each image. My go-to settings would be f/2, 15 seconds and ISO 3,200.

Edit to your taste Now that you have your stitched panorama, it’s time to edit to your taste. Using gradient filters will allow you to edit the sky and foreground separately, lifting detail from the shadows in the foreground and adding contrast to the Milky Way in the sky.

MILKY WAY SHOTS

While it may sound counter-intuitive, increasing the ISO can produce a less noisy image if it means a better overall exposure

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TECHNIQUES

Processing the images Edit shots in Lightroom to enhance detail while keeping things natural Most Milky Way photos don’t look great ‘out of the box’ so you need to edit them carefully.

Adobe Lightroom Classic is one of the best tools out there for the job. As with shooting, everyone has their own unique approach to editing. However, most of the time, the best

process is to start with Lightroom’s global adjustments that affect everything in the photo, followed by local adjustments such as gradient and brush tools. That’s the process I follow during this walkthrough, where I edit one of my own Milky Way photos from start to

finish. I’m using the newest 2021 edition of the software, which includes interesting features like Color Grading that you may not have seen before (step 6).

You can save your favourite steps as presets to save time when processing in the future.

Alyn Wallace’s editing steps

Alyn Wallace uses a specialist filter from Kase to make the stars pop

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Apply lens correction and set white balance Apply lens correction to fix distortion and vignetting and then set a custom white balance. To do this I increase Saturation and Vibrance to +100, allowing me to clearly see the colours in the image, and then I adjust the sliders until I have a good balance of blue-yellow and green-magenta.

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Add a vignette I like to add a vignette to frame my image and help darken it further to give that night-time feel. I use the radiant tool and a custom shape that complements the flow of the image.

Darkening everything around the Milky Way helps it to stand out.

Balance the exposure I increase Shadows to lift detail and decrease Highlights to darken the sky and match the exposure with the foreground. If your image is still too dark, increase Exposure. I increase the Whites to add a pop; blacks can be adjusted per taste. Zoom to 100% and apply noise reduction between 15-20.

Brush the Milky Way I use the brush tool with a low flow setting to paint over the Milky Way. I increase whites and add a little contrast and clarity. Be subtle here as things can begin to look horrible quite easily. I have created a ‘Milky Way Pop’ brush preset that refines this further.

Darken the sky I use a graduated tool to darken the sky but instead of decreasing exposure, which would darken the whole sky, I increase the contrast as this darkens dark areas and brightens bright areas. That way, you don’t lose the Milky Way. The ‘Darken Sky’ preset in my Astro Workflow Presets fine-tunes this.

Finishing touches At this point I go back to the Basic tab and make refined adjustments to Whites, Highlights, Shadows etc. I also use Lightroom’s Color Grading tab to saturate different colours individually and create harmony between the colours in the image.

MILKY WAY SHOTS WIN ALYN’S PRESETS

Alyn has developed his own pack of Lightroom presets, which he uses to edit astro images. We've got two sets of presets to giveaway – send your best nighttime shot to team@ dphotographer.co.uk for a chance to win!

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TECHNIQUES

Alyn Wallace’s top 10 tips for Milky Way photography

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Quickfire methods from a professional to ensure that you always get the sharpest and most stunning results

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Use a full-frame camera Fullframe cameras have an advantage in low-light performance over crop sensor and micro four-third cameras. The bigger sensors allow for bigger pixels which are more efficient at gathering light and producing cleaner images.

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Get away from light pollution The Milky Way is the collective, diffuse glow of stars so distant they cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. Get as far away from light pollution as possible. Use a website such as www.lightpollutionmap.info and consider the light pollution in the direction you'll be facing.

Fast wide-angle lens I recommend a Useful apps There are so many useful lens that opens up to at least f/2.8 to apps to help you plan your Milky Way gather enough light and detail in the Milky photos. My favourite is PhotoPills, which Way. The best option is a fast prime lens allows you to get meticulous in your planning. that opens up to f/1.4 or f/1.8. The wider Planit Pro is another awesome option. Having aperture allows more light to pass through, a good night sky emulator such as Stellarium resulting in a brighter, cleaner image. will help you identify stars and constellations.

MILKY WAY SHOTS

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Photograph the core The galactic core of the Milky Way is the brightest and most colourful part. It can be shot between March and September and for us in the northern hemisphere, it rises in the south-east, arches across the southern horizon and sets in the south-west.

Stack for noise reduction Capture 8-16 images using the same settings and composition then stack them to create an average that has reduced noise.

Sequator is the best app for Windows computers and Starry Landscape Stacker is the best option for Mac users.

Photograph other regions The core is not the only region of the Milky Way. Other parts can be photographed all year round. Some of my favourite regions include the Cygnus region, the Great Rift and the Cassiopeia region. I have a video on my YouTube explaining all the regions.

Use a tracker Using a star tracker is the best way to unveil the faint details in the Milky Way. Star trackers allow you to expose for longer than the star trailing limit, which means you are able to capture brighter images with less visible noise.

Try a panorama Panoramas increase the resolution and detail of your images and reduce noise as it becomes smaller relative to the size of your image. It doesn’t have to be a panorama sweeping along the horizon either, a lot of my portrait orientated images are actually vertical panoramas.

Try different focal lengths Most people starting out will capture the Milky Way with a wide-angle lens. However, it can also be good to capture at a range of focal lengths. Panoramas with a 50mm result in highly detailed images, or you could try a 135mm on a star tracker.

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TECHNIQUES

AUTUMN Pro guide for stunning

Capturethe essenceof autumn byshooting colour and detail like a professional

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STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

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utumn (or Fall to our friends across the Atlantic) has to be the favourite season for many photographers. The combination of stunning colour and detail and indeed the sheer extent of the transformation of the landscape inspires wonder like no other time of year. Sure, snowcovered hills are truly beautiful to behold and summer light can give unique shadows, but autumn is the season where we get to explore familiar locations in a whole new way.

Although the radical colour changes are the aspect which most of us anticipate from

Pictured Flooded with colour Autumn is a deceptively difficult season to shoot,due to the need for strict colour control and a creative approach to framing © Peter Fenech

September onwards, there is of course far more to the autumn season. The weather is starting to turn in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere and is becoming decidedly more unsettled. This might not be particularly attractive to Fell walkers and cyclists, but to a photographer, the dramatic storms and raking light observed as the weather changes state are reason enough to pick up your camera and head out. There is the matter of the shorter days too – it’s always a relief to be able to shoot a sunrise without getting out of bed at 4:30am.

With all of this photographic potential at our fingertips, it is easy to get carried away and head out with the assumption that the physical changes to the environment will be enough to deliver stunning images. It is critical to understand the psychological reasons why autumnal images resonate with viewers, however, and how best to use colour, light and detail to tell a story of the season and capture the atmosphere. It’s not as straightforward as it looks! Here we explore the pro secrets to truly magnetic autumn scenics.

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TECHNIQUES FLATTER PROFILE

Without care, images lit from behind the camera can seem flat and dull, especially in shots taken at a longer focal length.

EASIER EXPOSURE

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Depending on the scene, it can be easier to maintain a full tonal range.Look for darker skies in the background for greatercontrast.

FOREGROUND PRESENCE

Front light

Where youhave engaging foreground interest, front lighting can work to lead the viewer’sattention back here for a fullimage exploration.

Use light characteristics Make the most of low, directional

lighting to compose images that glow

It’s often said that the first signs of summer transitioning into autumn are in the quality of the light. As the daylight starts to draw in, you notice both a change in the air temperature and also the intensity of the reds and yellows in late afternoon sunlight. Some of this will be an illusion, caused by the sun reaching a lower position in the sky earlier, but there is an effect of temperature and air density.

There is also the colour of the surfaces that light is reflecting from in the environment to consider. The greens of spring have almost all faded throughout the hot summer months, and browns, reds and yellows start to appear.

This changes the tint of reflected sunlight and contributes to that illusive glow.

Understanding this gives photographers a head start when planning the timing and locations of our shoots. By checking up on expected sunrise/sunset times and the exact position of the sun at a given time, we can choose to use light to optimally enhance the 38

impact of a location. Selecting a spot where the setting sun will fall behind a canopy of leaves, for example, provides a lovely rimlight, appearing to make the trees emit light from within. Without correct planning, however, you may end up at a location where the sun won’t directly touch the landscape after around 3pm, creating a dull foreground and the impression that all of the action is happening in the next valley. This is why it is important to choose your locations well in advance. That way, once you arrive, you can focus on capturing the broadest range of lighting conditions possible, for varying looks between frames.

You should consider the weather too – when you are at a particular location, imagine what it might look like in misty conditions or in the rain and keep an eye on the forecast, then pounce on your opportunity if these conditions align. The key is to find and immortalise the characteristics which make autumn lighting unique.

Shot timeline

Capture images through the day for a variety of lighting structures PREDAWN

Before the sun rises over the horizon there are some wonderfully muted,yet attractive colours to be found, proving intensity and saturation are not the only options. Look for misty forest paths, receding into the distance, quiet glades and still reflections, with an overall warm tone.

SUNRISE/SUNSET

Capture the sun glinting through a canopy of colourful leaves or burning through a fog bank.

Use this time to capture long shadows, but watch out for micro-highlights– hotspots of blown detail on small branches or in puddles, which can be distracting.

NOON

It’s not many photographers’ favourite time to shoot, but midday can offer some great contrast during autumn. Shoot golden leaves against a blue skyfor a stark, graphic composition, which also reveals the veins and texture of the leaves themselves.Avoidcapturing the sun in-frame.

DUSK

Autumn is as much about the weather as it is bold colour. Drizzly, cold evenings can be atmospheric, so look at capturing flat, hazy scenes with a dominance of high Kelvin colours (blues and cyans). Use low light to capture long exposures of woodland streams.

STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

MINDFUL EXPOSURE

Increase exposure if the camera attempts to underexpose the scene, due to the direct light of the sun.

ATTRACTIVE GLOWS

Backlighting makes colourful leaves seem to be illuminated from within, highlighting internal structures,for addeddetail.

RIM LIGHTING

Excluding the light source from the frame still introduces contrasty and eye-catching edge glows, creating subject separation.

USE FLASH

Backlight

Try this: add a little flash to make foreground detail pop in backlit shots, by filling in some shadows. Remember to use a CTO gel to prevent ‘cold’ light from ruining the warm autumnal feel.

Sidelight

ADDED DEPTH

Varying light and shadow helps convey thedistance between scene elements, creating a 3D perception.

BLOWN HIGHLIGHTS

Watch out for small areas of burned highlightdetail, which can occur on one side of a tree or leaves higher up a branch.

SHAPE AND FORM

Glancing beams bring out the texture in tree trunks and rock faces adding to the ‘feel’ of a shot. hceneF reteP © 2x

39

TECHNIQUES

Rethink composition Evaluate your framing choices to emphasise the impact of colour on the landscape With experience, it becomes clear that colour in an autumn scene affects the location at multiple levels. As you walk up to a shot you are immediately struck by the breadth of the colour range and the scope of the change that has taken place, in a relatively short time.

Even if you have never visited that spot before, you can see from the trees present how the seasonal change will have metamorphosed the environment. Then, once you look more closely, you can see how on a small scale colour can be seen to interact at a local level.

Even an array of fallen leaves on a path, all of different shades of red, yellow and orange, can create a beautiful vignette of the greater scene. From this realisation it is possible to understand how scale is the hidden aspect which ultimately controls the impact of colour on the audience of a photograph.

The colours of autumn are stunning and care needs to be taken to correctly render them in our images, however it is the impact of these hues on the surrounding landscape

segami ytteG aiv stnemoM / ggErotcoD ©

segami ytteG aiv stnemoM / nospmohT ippaC ©

Farright Using autumnal colour as a composition device isan effective way to give it a function. Using eyecatching trees to frame another subject binds the scene together and provides extra interest Right Use reflections Mirrored scenes can be spectacular during autumn, due to the repetition of vibrant hues. Shoot in low wind for an undisturbed reflection

Create frames

which inspires the imagination. The viewer of an image needs to identify with the scene and imagine how it looked before and after the transformation. By incorporating elements into our shots which demonstrate how the scene appears when standing within it, we can provide greater context.

In these cases, the widest possible view is not necessarily the only choice. While it helps convey the breadth of a scene, the colour can sometimes be lost within the frame. Using a longer focal length is one way to compress all the elements and make the colourful foliage feel like part of a bigger narrative.

That might sound overly conceptual, but what it means is that if other things are happening in the scene, the colour becomes less of the reason for the image being taken and more of a dramatic scene setting element, tying it all together. This is why it can be a creative idea to merely suggest autumnal colour in a shot, rather than making it a central subject.

Make the colourful foliage feel like part of a bigger narrative

Great lens choices

70-200MM

A telephoto zoom is an ideal tool for compressing scenes without extensive changes to perspective.

Between 70 and 120mm is optimal for many woodland scenes, while 200mm is ideal for details.

40

14-24MM

Although we have explored the downsides to using ultrawide settings, a 14mm or 16mm optic is perfect for shooting a canopy of colourful leaves or stretching perspective for objects on a woodland floor.

100MM MACRO

Great for closeup shots of leaf structures and fallen seeds, these lenses often come with an f/2.8 maximum aperture, which is useful for reducing depth of field in scenes too.

STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

Control context withaperture

1

Find composition Look for framing perspectives with strong depth, such as foreground details with complementary colours in the background. Use depth of field to suggest a seasonal environment, while limiting attention to close-up details.

2

Start wide open To create the strongest effect shoot at your lens’ maximum aperture. With any wider frame it is important that the focus fall-off appears intentional otherwise it might be misinterpreted as an improper selection of f/stop.

3

Adjust distance and f/stop If you need more depth to cover middleground detail for example, stop down a little, and ensure the shallow DOF is still clearly a central effect. Altering focus distance will also adjust focus and perspective.

41

TECHNIQUES

that have natural yet impactful intensity For beginners, autumn is the season where it becomes truly apparent that accuracy is not always best. When starting out in photography, it can be confusing and at times frustrating when applying the correct white balance produces scenes that lack drama and depth. After all, the whole point of digital colour control is the speed and ease with which strong colour biases can be removed, to produce a naturalistic image, so why do autumn scenes appear drab and uninspiring?

With experience, we learn that neutralising colour casts is an important aspect of white

42

hceneF reteP © 2x

Work with colour Accurately capture rich seasonal hues

Above Polariser perfection A circular polarising filter is an essential kitbag item for shooting in autumn.

Here one was applied to remove the sheen from the wet rocks and the surface of the leaves

balance control but it can also remove the shifts in colour we set out to capture in the first place. Auto WB systems rarely do a great job of capturing fiery leaf colour or blazing sunsets, because they are tuned to centre colour, based on a predetermined standard.

The camera doesn’t know you are shooting an autumn scene, it merely sees a strong dominance of low Kelvin colours, which would otherwise not be present, and attempts to correct the imbalance.

This presents us with a conundrum. How do we ensure we capture dramatic colour without

Above right Colour range Despite the dominance of strong low Kelvin colours, such as reds and oranges, don’t forget to preserve some blues, greens and cyans, either in vegetationor theshadows, for pleasing colour contrast

overdoing it and producing an unnatural palette? The trick is to use a combination of preset and bespoke white balance settings, to judge how dominant we want reds and yellows to be in a particular scene. While Auto WB won’t give you a finished image, it can be used to assess how much the autumn colours outbalance the others in the frame. A ‘standard’ is a good place to start. Once you have the neutral image in your mind, it’s less likely you will choose to oversaturate the stronger colours. Using this as a reference you can find the ideal mix of cooler and warmer colours.

STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

Customise WB in-camera Find the ideal balance of warm andcool colours in autumnal scenes

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Shoot test shots Start by shooting in auto white balance (AWB) to take a neutral reference image from which to build up an optimal colour palette. This will probably seem lacking in strong colour and will be quite flat. You can delete this later.

Adjust balance It is often possible to further customise the balance of the selected WB mode. Click Adjust and use the camera controls to add more green or magenta, for example, allowing you to perfectly render the tones in the scene.

Select preset Choose a WB preset which will boost the autumnal hues above the cooler colours. Start with Cloudy and then try Shade, using the reference image from step 1 to ensure you aren’t completely removing cooler shadows, for example.

Bracket WB Many cameras allow you to bracket the WB setting. Then you can shoot a sequence of frames, each with a WB either side of the selected parameters. You can also adjust the green/ magenta and blue/amber shift amount.

Switch to Kelvin Choose Kelvin control mode from the camera’s white balance menu. This will allow you to directly select the colour temperature. Scroll until you have selected a temperature similar to the above preset.

Reshoot Using your series of images, compared to your original reference image, select the WB which renders the dramatic autumn colours while not creating a false look. Always shoot RAW so you can make further adjustments in processing.

43

TECHNIQUES

Capture the seasonal details Build a greater picture of the autumn

season by focusing on the smaller aspects

With something as dramatic as autumn, this may not seem as necessary, but there is a deceptively significant problem to overcome.

Everyone knows what autumn is and will have seen thousands of images taken at this time of year. For people who live in temperate climes, the natural transformation is experienced first hand, every year. Even viewers who live in a part of the world where the colour changes are not as pronounced have likely seen exhaustive content, depicting the process. This makes it challenging to suggest an autumn scene is worth more than a passing glance.

Approaching the shooting period with a show-don’t-tell philosophy can go a long way to making your images stand out. Details don’t have to be exclusively of the type photographed through a macro lens – they can include wide scenes too, just with a clear focus on the visceral components, rather than the literal. Always consider how a scene makes you feel, and why you want to shoot it, as this will help identify how powerful it will be for holding the viewer’s attention.

Autumnal stream

Right

Abstract magic

Blend tight framing with creative exposures to produce blurs of colour and light.

This goes beyond the obvious for an impressionistic study of autumn

Seasonal still life

Set up on a tripod and capture a colourful woodland shot, enhanced by a moving stream. Use a longer exposure to draw tracks on the surface with moving leaves. Shutter speeds of over ten seconds should enhance autumn reflections meanwhile, as these produce glassy water textures.

Use a lens of 50mm or longer to capture a close-up of leaf litter on a forest floor or a footpath in a colourful park.

While candid scenes are pleasing, don’t rule out arranging leaves on a park bench or adding multiple coloured specimens, to mix up the palette.

hceneF reteP ©

egami ytteG aiV xp005 / revarT nnelG ©

44

Woodland scenes often require camera support due to the lower ambient light. Choose a model with a removable or reversible centre column, allowing the camera to be placed low to the ground, for classic autumn detail shots.

hceneF reteP ©

You only have to glance at a stock photography website to see that broad vistas of autumnal forests are not the only popular views of the season. In fact, while roads winding their way into a patchwork of colour is a go-to option for many stock shooters, arguably a greater proportion of work concentrates on images which suggest autumn via studies of smaller scenes. Leaves in a stream or on a footpath, fallen horse chestnuts and arrangements of acorns and emerging winter berries all find their way into the top results of even the broadest of searches. This is because the conceptual aspect more effectively captures the feeling of being out on an autumn walk, or preparing for a harvest festival etc. In short, it appeals to more of the viewer’s senses, not just their vision.

This is an extremely powerful strategy for encouraging viewer engagement with your images. If you can transport them into the scene, by stimulating the imagination, you rely less on the absolute drama of the scene contents and are supported by the audience’s willingness to explore the frame.

CHOOSE A TRIPOD

STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

Mist

Backlit cobwebs

Very little captures the feel of the season like a misty woodland scene. Look to capture detail fading into the background, for depth. Use a longer focal length to compress scene elements and exaggerate the disappointing sharpness. Remember to use positive exposure compensation to prevent underexposure.

The saturated atmosphere produces noticeable dew deposition on spiders’ webs and leaves. Get up early and capture beads of water on the silk strands, which appear like diamond necklaces.

The backlighting, with low sunlight, will enhance this style. Vary focusing distance for environmental and frame filling studies.

releztuJ ennasuS ©

segami ytteG aiv stenmoM / naH uynauX ©

45

TECHNIQUES

Post-processing workshop

Essential tools CURVES

Offering the ability to control both tone and colour simultaneously any Curves control is a powerful tool for adding or removing biases at any point through the tonal range.

In pro digital photography, fine colour management doesn’t end behind the camera

While it is often possible to capture a near print-ready image in-camera, with any digital image, it is advisable to make fine adjustments in software to obtain the best results. This has never been more relevant than when discussing autumnal photography.

The spectrum of bold colours can rarely be captured in full, in a single image, without some degree of post-processing. This need not be extreme – it may simply be a case of adjusting the white balance or hue of a specific colour, to render it more like it could be observed in the real world. In other cases, precise tone mapping or manual extension of the dynamic range, through shadow and

HSL

An easy to use, slider-based tool that is criticalfor targeting specific colour ranges andmodifying their relative dominance in a complex colour palette.

highlight adjustment or exposure blending, can increase the impact of landscape scenes.

As already discussed, cameras don’t do a great job of correctly capturing naturally strong colour so it is always possible to look at your images after a shoot and feel underwhelmed by the results. Having the ability to dive into your image at the computer and selectively tailor the colour balance offers huge scope for controlling impact. These basic operations allow the grandeur of the image content to take centre stage, free from distracting blown highlights or insipid colours.

Here we outline some quick, but essential, steps using common software packages.

LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS

Adjustment brushes and radial filters enable the user to add lighting effects, tone downsmall distracting highlights and apply general dodging and burning.

VIBRANCE

This provides the invaluable option to boost only the least saturated colours in an image, allowing dramatic images without an over-processed look.

Create natural colours

Control the intensity and hue of autumn colours for subtle results

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Set Black and White Points First set the global contrast for the scene. Ensure a good range of tones by moving the Blacks and Whites sliders until just before clipping occurs at the extremes of the tonal range.

Colour Curves Use the Curves Panel to adjust contrast of luminosity, but also of colour. Here we added Yellow, Magenta and Red to the lower midtones, whilst preserving the Blues, Greens and Cyans in the highlights.

HSL Use the Hue, Saturation, Luminance Colour Grading This tool can control panel to selectively tweak the main colour colour contrasts further. We applied groups. The aim is to preserve the natural further warming to the Shadows, Midtones green of the leaves which have yet to turn, so and Highlights, which created a global effect, these were adjusted independently. but with added versatility to target balance.

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5

Refined colour adjustment In the HSL panel, we selected the Color tab and removed some yellowing of the green leaves, which had lost a freshness, through the global adjustments.

STUNNING AUTUMN IMAGES

hceneF reteP © segami llA

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Dodge and Burn The overcast sky Darken distractions Woodland scenes helps with colour saturation, but has can suffer from background details. We produced a deficit of shape and form. Use the used the Radial Filter in Lightroom to darken Adjustment Brush or Radial Filter to brighten the edges of the frame. Adjust the feather to highlights and deepen shadows. prevent sudden changes on tree trunks.

8

Refine lighting Use the Brush Tab’s Eraser to remove the darkening effect in select areas. This introduces a naturalistic dappled light effect. We brightened areas closer to the camera for a sense of depth.

47

TECHNIQUES

Topten tips for autumn

The essential dos and don’ts for this photography season

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Take a polariser While useful for most types of photography, no photographer should be without one in autumn.

Avoid Auto WB ‘Correct’ colour is rarely the most dramatic. Use a preset or custom white balance instead.

Look beyond the colour While it is a critical component, don’t make autumn colour the only subject of your images.

Shoot through the season Capture the entire colour transformation to find the ideal balance of hues at any particular location.

Don’t forget your telephoto Bring a telephoto lens to compress perspective and bring different colours together in the frame.

Tell a story Find a narrative in your images, such as the gradual colour changes or the sensation on a cold autumn walk.

Capture movement Experiment with varying shutter speeds to capture the motion of falling leaves or branches in the wind.

Explore every angle Move around your chosen location to capture different lighting styles on the scene elements.

Colour contrast Don’t forget to capture cooler hues too, which will produce colour depth and greater impact.

Show scale Lend added drama to your shots by incorporating a marker for scale, such as a person.

Pictured Include people or animals in the frame to offer a reference point for the scope of a colourful location. This is especially effective in woodland scenes

Show scale © Peter Fenech

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51

SHOOTING SKILLS

A feast for the eyes

Take your still life photography to the next level with a dreamy take on al fresco dining Difficulty level: Beginner Time taken: 2 hours

Who could possibly resist the sweet siren call of a gorgeous picnic spread – especially when you can combine it with a fun shooting opportunity? Still life photography can often bring to mind stuffy, overly formal images with little room for mess or error. However, why not have a little fun with your still life instead? Simply combine some good food, a tripod and your camera (along with a few quirky visual titbits) to have a spectacular afternoon of merriment in your back garden.

Composition and good props are key for this technique, as you won’t be able to get away with some old grapes from the back of the fridge and the dregs of last week’s bread for your charcuterie board. Take a stroll down the deli aisle of your local supermarket and splurge on some visual treats. Look for contrasting textures and colours that will work well together, such as reds and greens.

If you want to take your al fresco still life to the next level, why not incorporate a mirror, as we have here? Not only can this work as a wonderful focal point, but it also introduces some of the outside world into your composition. Make sure to position the mirror correctly for the right angle, avoiding catching an unattractive view, such as the camera or a nearby fence.

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What you’ll need

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yeraC esiuoL © segami llA

Interchangeable lens camera Standard zoom lens Tripod Photoshop

SHOOTING SKILLS

Shooting steps

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Prepare your props Use an attractive array of subjects, from fresh fruit to rustic cheeses.

Compositional techniques remain the same for both photos and food styling – use leading lines, the rule of odds and clear focal points to build an interesting charcuterie board.

2

Chase the light For a natural lighting look, we would recommend shooting your still life project outside on a sunny day. Try to avoid direct sunlight, as this will create harsh shadows. Instead, set up your composition in the shade for even, flattering lighting.

3

Set up your tripod Incorporating a human element can often elevate a still life, but there’s no need to hunt around for a model! Place your camera on a tripod and perfect your composition before you begin shooting so that you can add your own hands into the frame.

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Choose your settings As we used a mirror, we set a narrow aperture to get the reflected scene in focus as well. However, if you’re not using a mirror, then you can simply use a mid-aperture of around f/8. We also used a shutter speed of 1/160sec to ensure that any errant hand movements would be sharp.

5

Set your focus As the majority of the composition will be fairly flat and you’ll be using a mid to narrow aperture, all of your photo should be in focus, no matter where your focus is set. However, for the best results, set your camera to Single Point AF and place your focus point on the most important aspect of your composition.

6

Use the interval timer The majority of cameras will have an interval timer option in the shooting menu. You should be able to control how many photos in a row the camera will take and how many seconds will lapse between each shot. We recommend shooting 50 photos at a time with a gap of two seconds for the best results.

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A MIRRORED PICNIC CAMERA

Sensor size and megapixels aren’t everything – especially when it comes to still life projects such as this. We used a Fujifilm X-T200, which features a 24MP APS-C sensor – which is more than enough for this still life photo project.

ZOOM LENS

Creating a masterful still life composition without being able to physically move thecamera yourself will require flexibility from your lens. Plus, without the need for a wide maximum aperture, most standard zoom lenses will work perfectly for this technique.

BALL HEAD TRIPOD MOUNT

Using a ball head tripod mount will ensure that you can point your camera downwards, giving you plenty of flexibility over your composition.

The setup

Keep a close eye on your composition Use a vari-angle screen to see how your composition looks in real time

Creating a compelling composition when you’re in front of the camera, rather than behind it, can be a little tricky. However, if your camera has a vari-angle screen, then you’ll quickly see how useful it can be for shooting situations such as this. Flip the screen around so that you can keep an eye on the composition as you’re shooting. This will ensure that you’ll be able to see where your hands are placed within the photo. If you’re shooting on a sunny day, you may want to increase the screen brightness on your display. You can also use handy overlays, such as the rule-of-thirds grid, to help guide your composition.

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SHOOTING SKILLS

Edit the shot

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Use Camera Raw Open your RAW file in Adobe Photoshop CC to bring up Camera Raw. This will enable you to make some powerful initial edits to your photo, adjusting the exposure, colour temperature and more.

2

Brighten your photo Go to the Layers panel and click ‘Create new fill or adjustment layer’ and make a Curves layer. Plot a point in the middle of the graph and then drag it up slightly to create a brighter exposure.

3

Boost the colours Create a Hue/ Saturation adjustment layer in the Layers panel. Drag the Saturation slider to the right to boost the colours in your image. For a more subtle approach, you can use a Vibrance layer instead.

4

Make localised adjustments To adjust a specific aspect of your image, go to the toolbar on the left of your screen and select the Lasso tool. Draw around the subject to make a selection and then create an adjustment layer in the Layers panel.

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Enhance the shadows Adding a hint of colour to your shadows can really elevate an image. To do this, go to the layers panel and create a Selective Color layer. Then, navigate to the Blacks channel and adjust the sliders until you’re happy with the effect. If it’s too powerful for your liking, simply reduce the layer opacity.

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Paint in an adjustment layer Create a Levels layer and boost the brightness by moving the midtones slider to the left. Then, go to the layer mask and click the Invert button. Select the Brush tool and paint over the areas you want to brighten with a white brush.

Right above Having been shot in the shade, the original photo was dull and dark, leaving thecolours less vibrantthan they could be. The image needed a serious boost of saturation and brightness to look its best

Before

Right below By fully utilising the power of the Layers panel, we were able to enhance this still life image. Adjusting a photo’s exposure and colours might seem simple, but it can have a big impact

After

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A MIRRORED PICNIC BEFORE

AFTER

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SHOOTING SKILLS

AFTER

Light small subjects Control how artificial lighting interacts with very small objects in macro images

Lighting has to be one of the trickiest aspects of macro photography to master. Mixing flash and natural light is a challenge in any genre, but when working on images of very small subject matter it can seem impossible to capture a balance of softness and shape. This is because the light source (even small flash, such as a speedlight) is large, relative to the subject, meaning the light spreads across the frame. If you try to limit the spread, by removing a diffuser, you create hotspots. Meanwhile if you add a diffuser the light seems to lose all sense of direction and structure. It’s the equivalent to lighting a person with a 3x3m scrim and attempting to introduce a spotlight effect – not an easy feat!

The aim with macro lighting is to prevent unwanted spillage onto surrounding areas and background details, while managing the inevitable micro contrast on the subject itself, caused by reducing diffusion.

Here we look at several quick and easy steps to creating a balanced lighting setup when shooting a small flower, outside – a common situation. We will use a blend of natural and artificial light to produce a tight beam of light, with a good balance of environmental details and local exposure.

Subject with space Find a specimen which has a good amount of clearance around it. Where there are lots of densely packed flowers or a nearby wall, for example, it can be difficult to control apparent spillage of light.

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The light from an off-camera flash has spread across the whole frame, lighting it equally. This has resulted in distracting background brightness, creating a flat look Right

Cleaner structure

By lowering the camera, adjusting the flash zoom and exposure it was possible to reduce light spill and produce a spotlight effect on the subject

BEFORE

hceneF reteP © segami llA

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Inset

Unwanted evenness

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Lower camera height (not light ground) For these low-level flowers I got the camera as close to parallel with them as possible. This minimised how much ground was visible in the frame, which would be almost impossible not to light with flash.

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Attach a lens hood Since we will be using flash at a low angle to the lens a hood will help reduce the chances of lens flare.

If the flash is just out of frame this should be enough to prevent ghosting and other reflective effects.

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Create a tight beam Set your wireless Diffuse if required Diffusion may still speedlight to its maximum zoom. This be necessary to reduce blown highlights will produce a tighter light beam and help (hotspots) on the subject. Move the diffuser further reduce unwanted spreading of the as close to the subject as possible to minimise light. If you have a flashgun snoot this will also light spread onto the background, bending it to come in handy. shape the light.

6

Control ambient light Use aperture, or shutter speed to control background brightness. Here an f/stop of f/14 reduced the presence of the ambient light, making the flash beam more dominant. Aperture was used to keep Tv within flash sync.

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EDITING SKILLS: PHOTOSHOP

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL

Apply filters the smart way Use Photoshop’s Smart Filters for infinitely editable adjustments

Meet the editing pro

James Abbott is a professional photographer and photography journalist specialising in shooting and editing techniques. His first book was recently released and covers professional image editing skills in both Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo. @jamesaphoto www.jamesaphoto.co.uk

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Photoshop’s filters may not be the most obvious tools for photographers, but they can be incredibly useful in a multitude of ways. The Camera Raw Filter is one example, where you can apply all adjustments available in Adobe Camera Raw to JPEGs or Tiffs, for instance. But as a filter, this means that once the adjustments are applied, they’re fixed right? This used to be the case, but with Smart Filters you can reopen filter settings and make further adjustments non-destructively. Here’s how it’s done…

BEFORE

What you’ll be using

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Convert for Smart Filters With the Apply a filter With the Layer converted for Background Layer active, press Ctrl+J to Smart Filters active, select a filter to apply. make a copy and convert the copied Layer for For this image, the Camera Raw filter was Smart Filters, go to Filter>Convert for Smart used to reduce the Saturation of Greens to Filters. At this stage, nothing will happen apart -15, reduce overall Saturation to -10, Increase from an icon appearing in the right-hand Clarity to 25 and apply a large vignette using corner of the Layer thumbnail. the Radial Filter for ultimate control.

Create Smart Filters Control Smart Filters Camera Raw Filter

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Apply more filters With a Layer converted for Smart Filters you can apply multiple filters to it that can be turned on or off, as well as reopened later. For this image, the Tilt-Shift Filter was used to blur the foreground and background of the shot to focus attention on the waterfall in the centre.

KEY TIP SAVE AS A TIFF ttobbA semaJ © segami llA

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Smart Filter control Once filters have been applied to the Layer that’s converted for Smart Filters, clicking on the eye for the Smart Filters mask turns visibility off for all effects, while the eye next to each filter name affects that filter. Double-clicking on the filter name reopens the filter dialogue for editing.

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Adjust a filter For this image the Tilt-Shift effect was too strong so by double-clicking on the filter name on the Layer stack, which in this case was Blur Gallery, it was possible to reduce the strength of the effect. Without Smart Filters, this wouldn’t be possible and you’d have to start again.

Tilt-Shift Filter Basic filter functions

When working with Smart Filters you’ll have multiple Layers in use, which means you can’t save your working image as a flattened JPEG. Instead, save a copy as a TIFF if the image isn’t already saved in this file format. This will save the Layer that’s been converted for Smart Filters, as well as any filter effects that have been applied to it.

Top

Needs work

This image works well as it is but there are several adjustments in the CameraRaw Filter and the TiltShift Filter that will improve it

Right

Maximum versatility

Using Smart Filters providedthe ability to go back and make changes to specific filters once a couple had been applied

AFTER

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EDITING SKILLS: LIGHTROOM

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL

Fujifilm Film Simulation Modes Give your Fujifilm RAW files retro film looks within Lightroom

One of the most popular aspects of Fujifilm cameras is that you can apply Film Simulation Modes to your JPEGs as you shoot. These mimic popular Fujifilm emulsions to give an analogue look and feel

Inset

Unprocessed RAW

The unprocessed RAW file is dull as expected and needs work to make it look its best, but it’s a great starting point for processing

Main

to digital images. When applying these Film Simulation Modes in-camera the process is simple, and you’ll be glad to hear it’s just as easy, if not much better, to apply them to your Fujifilm RAW files in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

The finished article

Using the Classic Chrome V2 Film SimulationMode alongside basic processing has produced a much better result than a mode applied to a JPEG in-camera

KEY TIP HOVER FOR AN INSTANT VIEW

When you hover your mouse pointer over the Film Simulation Mode list or thumbnails depending on the view selected, the main image in the image window will display the result of the modes so you can see their effect on your image.

What you’ll be using Film Simulation Modes White balance Tone Processing

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3

Curves preset Lens Corrections

Basic adjustments Once the Film Simulation Mode has been applied you can now begin manual processing. For this shot there’s a slight magenta cast so Tint was reduced from 25 to 21 to eliminate it. Contrast was then increased using the Medium Contrast preset on the Tone Curve.

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Lens Corrections First things first, Lens Corrections were applied to remove vignetting and to be able to start with the corrected image so that Exposure adjustments potentially wouldn’t need to be made if these were applied later in the editing process.

Alternatively, this can be left off if you prefer.

Detail recovery There’s a small amount of detail loss in the shadows and highlights so Highlights were set to -35 and Shadows to +20. To combat a loss of midtone contrast and to make the image much more ‘punchy’, Whites were set to +40 and Blacks to -11 while holding down the Alt key to show clipping.

Apply a profile At the top of the Basic panel, click on the Profile dropdown menu that’s set to Adobe Color by default and select Browse. This will open the Color Matching profiles which are the Fujifilm Film Simulation Modes where you can select the desired option. Classic Chrome V2 was used here.

A touch of Clarity This was a particularly simple image to process with the Film Simulation mode controlling the colour in the shot. To finish off, Clarity was set to +15 to apply a small amount of midtone contrast which will accentuate detail and can make the image look slightly sharper as a result.

AFTER

BEFORE 63

SKYLUM BUNDLE BEFORE

How to get a copy of Skylum Luminar AI You can download a trial for

AFTER

Discover your £W45O/R$T5H8 bonus Sky Pack &Use itTemplates bundle with Luminar AI to see how creative FOR PC & MAC

you can get with skies – there are no limits!

I

magine the scene… you’ve meticulously planned an outdoor shoot at a favourite location but when you’re in position on the day, one vital element doesn’t turn up – the weather. Flat, dull light means that you’re just not getting the best out of that pleasing perspective and careful composition, so it’s looking like you’ll have to come back on another day and try shooting it all over again.

But it doesn’t have to be this way – not when adding a different and better sky to a photograph is easier than it has ever been.

Skylum Luminar AI software features pioneering sky replacement technology that makes the process so simple it can

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take a matter of minutes, instead of much longer. Together with the other powerful features of the software, you can look forward to cutting down the time you used to spend on editing – and free yourself up to take more photos.

We’ve partnered with Skylum to offer Digital Photographer readers a bonus Sky Pack and Templates bundle for use with Luminar AI: • Sky Pack: 25 high-quality skies in JPEG and TIFF format adorned with perfectly fluffy clouds. Worth £30/$39.

• Dynamic Skylines Templates: A selection of varied one-click styles and effects to help transform landscape images. Worth £15/$19.

either Windows or macOS from www.skylum.com.

If you decide to purchase Luminar AI, use the exclusive discount code DCW21* to save £10/$10/€10 on the price of the software, which is available with single or dual computer licences. *Valid until 31 December 2021.

This discount code cannot be used in conjunction with other sale offers.

3 STEPS TO SUPER SKIES How to get your bundle

Download available until 31 December 2021

1

To use this bonus content, you need a copy of Skylum Luminar AI. For a 7-day trial of the software, see the box above.

2

Once installed, enter http://skylum.com/ future into the Location or Address field of your web browser (not into the Search area of Google or another search website).

3

Follow the on-screen instructions to download your Sky and Template packs.

How to install your packs

SKY PACK

25 high-quality skies in JPEG and TIFF format adorned with fluffy clouds

DYNAMIC SKYLINES TEMPLATES One-click Templates to easily create amazing landscape images

BEFORE

How to install your Sky Pack

Download the pack and unzip it. (On Windows, right-click the .zip file to select Extract All, and then follow the instructions. On macOS, simply double-click the zipped file.)

To upload custom skies: • Load a picture with the sky that you want to replace in Luminar.

• In the top-bar menu, select the Edit tab.

• In the right Tools panel, scroll down to the Creative section. Choose Sky AI > Sky Selection.

• In the window that opens select the upper menu with skies > find Custom in the dropdown list.

• In the Custom section, click the + button.

• A dialog window will open, where you’ll need to navigate to the folder with your skies, and choose the one you need.

• Confirm the selection and

enjoy using the tool!

• Sky AI will work with your own photos if they are in one of the following formats: JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. If you’d like to add these skies to the default dropdown menu, click Sky AI > Sky Selection > select upper menu with skies > Show Custom Skies > copy the skies to the folder that opens.

For better performance, don’t have more than 50 skies loaded at a time.

Find out more about browsing and organising skies in Sky AI in this video: www.bit.ly/ dc246browse

AFTER

How to install your Templates

Template Collections for Luminar AI have an .ltc extension. Download the Dynamic Skylines pack and follow these steps to add them to your Luminar AI asset collection.

For Windows: • Launch Luminar AI. • In the top bar menu, click Luminar AI > File > Add Luminar AI Template Collection.

• In the window that opens, navigate to the folder where the downloaded Template Collection file (.ltc) is located and select it.

• Done – the new templates will appear in the Templates tab > Purchased.

For macOS: • Launch Luminar AI. • In the top bar menu, click File > Add Luminar AI Template Collection.

• In the window that opens, navigate to the folder where the downloaded Template Collection file (.ltc) is located and select it.

• Done – the new templates will appear in the Templates tab > Purchased.

Discover how to use the full power of skies and templates by reading these guides: • Sky AI: www.bit.ly/ dc246skies • Templates: www.bit.ly/ dc246templates 65

GO PRO

SETTING UP AN EXHIBITION © Chalffy / E+ via Getty image

Ready to show your work but not sure where to start? Claire Gillo speaks to the pros in the trade about how to set up an exhibition on a range of budgets 68

W

hile there are many virtual and creative ways we can share and view images now, and of course we had no other choice during lockdown, there really is nothing better than being surrounded by like-minded people and sharing our work in the flesh.

Setting up your own exhibition can be done in a number of ways and on various budgets.

There are those who go all out and spare no cost, and there are those who do it all on a shoestring amount. Both can be done in a professional manner and money doesn’t necessarily mean a better exhibition – it just can make it logistically easier to organise on a quicker time scale.

So where should you start if you want to put on an exhibition?

Alexandra Prescott (MA. ARPS) is a semiprofessional pet, wildlife and conservation photographer. “Fail to plan, plan to fail,” she advises. “This is the very basic, whether your exhibition is large or small, your ‘Project Plan’ (regularly reviewed) will help to ensure you are on time and within budget,” she continues. “Add in wiggle room to your times and costs as well.” Alex suggests 10% to 15% is a good leeway and to make provisions for emergencies.

Alex has put on four exhibitions in her career; two shared, one solo and one solo installation. “The installation is where the art

Show time

Putting together an exhibition on whatever budget you have is a great way to share your work and get known in the industry

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© Oscar Wong / Moment via Getty image

challenges is that venues/organisers specify important when considering advertising or and the surroundings combine to present who you are planning to invite.” She continues, what fittings you need to have on the back. a total experience,” she informs us. “I have “Is the financial investment long-term or short- Sometimes I have had to add mirror plates, exhibited at several multi artist shows too.” sometimes D-rings and string, so being able Alex does her research before she begins any term? With group exhibitions this can be to do a bit of DIY is useful!” planning. “Go and see exhibitions, and make challenging; everyone has their own motive Alexandra has also used a variety of a note of the things you liked and didn’t like,” for being involved. Some are just doing it for media in the past to present her images from fun whereas others want to earn money.” she says. “I hate not having room to gaze, When it comes to exhibiting in a group you mounted and framed images to mounting labels that are too small, no one around to images onto foam board. “At one solo will have to make compromises. Rebecca’s answer questions and nowhere to sit with exhibition I also had a ‘Big Album’ on a table experience of group exhibiting found her any refreshments.” She continues, “Are you – this was a hit and acted as a discussion having little control over the final outcome planning to sell or just exhibit or both? This space for groups of people. In all my shows and supplying images to fit a group theme. will dictate investment and the breadth of measuring and pre-planning hanging plans “Subjects in the past have included Local your audience. Think about your subject, Landscape, Light & Life and A Sense of Place,’’ were vital. You have to have some common exhibition space and location. They should she says. Of course getting your exhibition to sense but without exact measurements the match or be neutral.” Alex then lists some examples, “Fashion would work in a shopping work with others can be frustrating but there vision and reality will not match.” Alexandra also likes to keep some more affordable arcade, pets and countryside or landscape in are also benefits. Rebecca enjoys the huge items on display. “Unless you are sure your variety Open Studios brings and has found a garden centre as some suggestions.” audience is wealthy, have some small pieces working alongside artists who practise a Rebecca Hedges (pictureseverywhere. different medium to be a fabulous inspiration. of work in the form of greetings cards. People com, or follow on Instagram at rebecca_ want a piece of your work (that’s why they Once you have planned and decided pictureseverywhere) is an amateur came) but can’t always justify the big print. A where your exhibition is going to be, with photographer who, like Alexandra also loves small expenditure is viable and will often lead who (if anyone or solo), and what your exhibiting her work and has experience in the subject. “I have mostly taken part in local budget restraints are you need to think about to a bigger expenditure at a later date.”

With any exhibition you’ll need to think logistical things like framing and hanging exhibitions as part of our local Open Studio about more than you realise, and there will systems. Rebecca has found it a challenge scheme,” she says. “Through this I have be multiple logistical aspects to get your to find good quality off-the-peg frames but shown my work as part of a group and as head around that can easily be missed in she knows she would not be able to charge an individual. I always try to display images that have been taken in the last 12 months to enough to cover the cost of custom framing the planning. Alexandra has found in the past that the setup always takes longer than at a professional framers. “I have also had keep it current.” expected so she adds in some wiggle time unframed images, wrapped in cello bags, Like Alexandra, Rebecca stresses the displayed in a browser stand,” she says. “I try (usually 10% to 15%) and she also has some importance of planning and understanding other tips. “Think about payment – are you the purpose of your exhibition. “Do you want to offer a variety of sizes and options.” She going to take cards and or cash (cash float)?” then turns her attention to the challenges to try to get your name known locally? Or She continues, “What about your system of hanging the works. “One of the many amongst art galleries? This aspect is really 70

SETTING UP AN EXHIBITION

Farleft

How to hang

Different venues will use alternative hanging systems so think about this aspect at the planning stages Left

Image details

Sharing information about your work can be done in a number of ways. Here Alexandra presents image titles and details on one sheet below Below

Smaller options

ttocserP ardnaxelA ©

Having more affordable items on display suchas cards and unframed prints is a great way to expand your work to a larger audience

segdeH accebeR ©

for collection or delivery for sold images on the day or prints ordered?” As for anything practical that could go wrong, Alexandra has a useful toolbox on standby that contains scissors, hammer, wire, gaffer tape, packing tape, assorted fixings, pens, paper, rubber, stapler, pliers, industrial Velcro, rechargeable drill and extension lead with several sockets, and finally several pairs of white gloves.

“Check out power points for audio visual,” she continues, “and for lighting view it in advance to see how it’s going to affect your work so you can work with it rather than against it.”

Rebecca also offers some sound advice: “Reliable suppliers and time are the biggest hurdles,” she says. “Sometimes no matter how far in advance you start planning, there always seems to be a hiccup which throws out the timing. In the past I have received damaged frames, prints with the wrong colour mounts and greetings cards which were printed wrong. The only way to avoid too much stress with these things is to allow lots of spare time.” She continues, “Lighting has also been a huge challenge at times.

Many of the venues I have exhibited in are not dedicated display spaces, they have often been village halls and sometimes other people’s houses. Getting enough light to allow for a good view of the work without lots of reflections in a space not designed for displaying pictures can be very difficult and the light can vary significantly throughout the day. What works in daylight might be terrible in the evening when you have your special VIP guests for a private view.”

And finally when organising an exhibition think about whether you are going to have an opening night and what that might entail.

Alexandra tells us that on one event she budgeted too high for the catering. “The bill was less than the budget. People wanted coffee and tea rather than alcohol,” she says. “It wasn’t an issue except I could have used the budget on other things.” As for advice, Alexandra suggests bringing in additional help in the running of things. “You need to circulate at the opening event so have someone in the background to manage the logistics such as the refreshments, and putting out the catalogues.”

Rebecca also shares her experiences of organising an opening event. “The main thing is working out numbers to invite, how exclusive to make the invite list, who to invite (ie, friends, clients, press), and from that, what to offer in the way of refreshment. With a group exhibition this can be difficult as one person’s idea of reasonable cost for spending on refreshments can be wildly different to another. There is a danger that invitees come just for the social and refreshments with no intention of buying anything which is fine if you are just in it for fun, however think about your intentions and make sure you plan well.”

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GO PRO

Pro advice

Jennifer Berry, founder of Photo Swindon shares her exhibition experiences

finish, with a very bright white base making the images really pop and appear crystal clear, and allows for deep saturated colour and monochrome tones which really suits the images for this exhibition. An absolute bonus is that it is a tough and relatively scratchresistant media and 100% instant dry, resin coated base and finished with a UV protective, microporous supercoat, guaranteeing a high degree of water and fade resistance, which are all key factors to consider in paper selection when exhibiting outdoors and using prints in this way.

The frames were custom-built frames made from 100% sustainable oak which will naturally weather in time. There are many challenges associated with printing on photo paper for these types of frames, outdoors, and much to consider moving forwards as we refine our methods.

12 frames were used and placed strategically to suit the environment of each of the three parks, as well as allowing for a perfect visual experience for visitors to the exhibition. Social distancing was a key component, so the frames were spaced out well enough for people to safely view the images, as well as not losing pace and interest while traveling along the photo story.

Finding appropriate and like-minded partners with shared values who would complement the Photo Swindon effort.

Scoping out and trawling the country to find a craftsman who could build outdoor exhibition frames to suit the park environment and meet mine and the Parish council’s requirements. This was an extremely challenging design, and not the standard for an outdoor and all-weather photography exhibition.

Tell us about Photo Swindon...

The exhibition ran for three months, included three photographers, and toured three parks in Swindon, UK. I imagined the exhibition to be something which would have an impact in Are you hoping to do another exhibition in open spaces so the images had to be big. the near or distant future?

The first exhibition which ran from 1-31 July Absolutely, yes! I aim to make Photo Swindon was by photojournalist and humanitarian an annual event, sponsorship and funding photographer Jason Florio (www.floriophoto. dependent of course. I’ve already begun com). I selected 12 images from his collection, working on a new budget, and I feel very “The River Gambia – Source to Sea”. confident that this exhibition will attract more Following on from his British documentary, sponsors for 2022. It is unique in Swindon photographer Martin Parr’s (www.martinparr. in that it is a touring outdoor photography com) exhibition ran from 31 July-30 August. festival featuring some of the world’s best I didn’t want to exhibit a complete body award-winning documentary photographers. of work from Martin, as I wanted to do It is very attractive for sponsors to join us, something different, so I chose images from with excellent brand placement over a three various bodies of work that I felt represented month period. Working together with our the overall theme of the exhibition, and it’s sponsors and partners generates more reach, called “In Sync with Parr – Quirky World”. and it’s important to work equally together And finally, Sanne De Wilde (www. with all of our sponsors and partners for the sannedewilde.com) with her images selected survival and growth of Photo Swindon. from her fascinating body of work “Island of What were the main logistical hurdles to Colourblind” ran for the last month.

Find out more about Jennifer at www. get around to put this exhibition on?

How did you present/frame the images? Raising sponsorship within a very short time jennifermjberry.com and about Photo Swindon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram frame to cover the costs of facilitating a I wanted this exhibition to be impactful so I @PhotoSwindon photo exhibition of this scale. went for large format printing to A0 (841 x 1189mm). The photo paper was sponsored by Below Below right top Below right bottom Permajet who are a leading UK manufacturer Gold Miners Rafters Rice Harvest and distributor in the photographic imaging Gold mining along the River Gambia A team punt a raft carrying a Ladies from the Santa Yalla kaffo industry. We printed using PermaJet Photo in Southern Senegal drawseconomic water pump that will be used – a collective that harvests rice for to irrigatebanana plantations a landowner near River Gambia at Lustre, a heavy base weight of 310gms paper. migrants from all over West Africa.

The sand is filtered, then mixed with that flank the riverbanks Kaur. They earn 30 dalasis a day – It has a beautiful lustre surface texture and mercury to draw the gold out

in Senegal

80 US cents

oirolF nosaJ x3 ©

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Next issue

The latest kit reviews, tutorials and projects to hone your photo skills

Issue 246 is on sale

2 November 2021

With eBook guide

FREE

Plus, these essential features: • How to shoot winter landscapes • Street lenses rated and reviewed • What you need to know about copyright

ACTION CAMERAS 5 WAYS TO USE

Available at www.magazinesdirect.com

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segami ytteG aiv muimerP mEeyE / meeyE / rebeaW kinnaY ©

Action cameras are now genuine alternatives to carrying a DSLR all day – learn to capture pro shots with them

GO PRO

Career advice

This issue, Claire Gillo answers more of your burning questions and shares her top tips for working on multiple revenue streams

Multiple avenues

I’m starting up as a photographer and pondering whether to offer just one style or genre of photography, or multiple services? I enjoy shooting a range of different subjects so I would like to try to branch out. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this when I ask, so I am unsure what to do.

Anonymous For some photographers, specialising in one genre will be more beneficial to their practice and ensure they find exactly the right clients. However, for many out there spreading their business across multiple genres and subjects can help bring in more work and expand their horizons.

For example, there are many wedding photographers who specialise in portraiture and lifestyle to make extra money over the winter months when the wedding season dies down. Or you might get a food photographer who also shoots interiors and branding images for their clients’ restaurants. As the competition out there is fierce, it can be good to offer more than one service to ensure you secure the job.

At the same time, remember you don’t want to be a Jack of all trades – master of none. If you are compromising too much then it can be tricky for your client to see exactly what you do. You can get around this with how you advertise your services. We suggest if your businesses vary greatly (for example pet photography and architecture) it will be worth having separate websites to advertise each service differently under separate branding and name to avoid confusion.

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You don’t have to stick to just one area of photography. You can expand your client base by specialising in different genres

Freetransfer

I’ve been sharing images with my clients via WeTransfer, however, I feel reluctant to upgrade to the pro paid option as I can’t really justify the cost for the amount I do.

Are there any free image sharing platforms out there where you can share more than 2GB at a time?

Trevor Goddard

The good news is yes, there are many. To save you scrolling through the different options here’s a round-up of our favourites. The first to look into is Pass Plus (www.passgallery.com).

On this platform you can create a gallery and share your images with your client. From this gallery (which we advise you to make private in the settings) your client can download images in both a high or low-resolution format.

If you opt for the free Pass Plus service there is a limitation to how many images you can store (up to 20GB). There is also a set option that you cannot remove to buy products (such as prints and wedding photo albums) from the company. It’s worth mentioning to your client you have no affiliation with the products.

Companies such as Pass Plus enable you to create an image gallery, which you can then share with your client to allow them to download the images

If Pass Plus doesn’t sound right for you, then every Google account starts with 15GB of free storage space. This space covers your email account as well as a Google Drive where you can upload images and share. Once your clients have gone ahead and downloaded the images you can remove them to free up the space. iCloud also comes with 5GB of free storage and works in the same way.

Bags to save your back I’ve been lugging around too much kit and getting a bad back. Do you have any recommendations when it comes to backpacks?

Linda McDonald

Firstly Linda, do you need to take so much kit around with you? Many photographers are guilty of over-packing rather than thinking about what they actually need on a shoot. If you are having back problems, we suggest as a first course of action to cut the load and pack smart.

There are many backpacks out there and brands that we would recommend from Manfrotto, Lowepro, Think Tank, Gitzo, Vanguard, right through to Thule.

If you want something big with supportive straps, it’s worth looking at a model like the Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 550 AW II or the Gitzo Adventury 30L camera backpack for DSLR. Both of these have a large waistband that will help distribute the weight.

Have you considered wheels rather than carrying?

Obviously, if you are a landscape photographer this won’t work, but if you think wheels could be viable look at the Manfrotto Manhattan Runner-50 camera roller bag for DSLR/CSC or a similar model as a good starting point.

Good luck in your search and we hope your back pain gets better soon.

If you are tired of lugging around your kit, consider wheeling itaround instead. TheManfrottoManhattan Runner-50 camera roller bag is a great option

Branch out!

CAREER ADVICE

Amy Louise Kolsteren from Mooie Fee Photography shares tips on running a successful photographybusiness and branching out

Where did your journey as a photographer begin?

I found my love for photography at a young age, and began taking photos of friends and family on a daily basis. I brought my compact digital camera with me everywhere, as it was before phone cameras were as good as they are now. That love grew into what it is today, and I’ve now been a professional photographer for eight years, full-time for three years.

What is your main source of income for your photography business?

My primary income is through business and branding photography. I’ve always had an interest in digital marketing so just naturally followed that path when I quit my final job as an employee. My favourite thing about taking photos is how it can make someone feel. I really enjoy drawing out their joy and passion, encouraging people to see the beauty in themselves and of course showing off their businesses to the best of my ability.

Above Side projects Amy will branch out from her usual business to photograph weddings if she has a relationship established with her client Left Building brands Her main source of income is through her business and branding photography Below Happy clients Amy enjoyscapturing people’s joy and passion in their business

What other photo shoots do you do?

As my business has grown, I’ve placed more focus on business and branding photography, but I want to be there for all parts of my clients’ journey. If they ask me to do family portraits or wedding photography, I’m always happy to say yes. We’ve already built up a rapport so if I can support them on such an important day, I feel it’s an honour to be asked.

neretsloK esiuoL ymA © 3x

How do you brand yourself?

Instagram has played such an important role in the growth of my business. I use stories to be unapologetically myself and always encourage my clients to do the same. I’ve carried this across throughout my branding on my website and advertising streams and so far people really love the open and honest approach. It helps create a bond with clients even before meeting in person.

Find out more about Amy at www.mooiefeephotography.co.uk Follow at @mooie_fee or LinkedIn (Amy Louise Kolsteren) 75

PRO ANALYSIS

WHY SHOTS WORK

NAME:

Bladerunner Hong Kong

DATE:

March 2013 (Helipad), July 2012 (City)

KIT:

The Pro: Daniel Cheong

Born in Mauritius, originally of Chinese descent, and a French national, Daniel is an award-winning photographer and expert in digital blending techniques. His job in telecoms requires him to travel extensively and allows him to explore many cities. He runs regular photo workshops, online and overseas.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 (Helipad) Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII (City) Tripod

WEBSITE: danielcheongphotography.com HELIPAD: f/8

ISO 1250

1/10

ISO 100

1/20

sec

CITY: f/8

sec

“In my opinion, Hong Kong is closest in looks to the Los Angeles depicted in Bladerunner, but I felt it needed an interesting foreground”

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gnoehC leinaD ©

MATCHING PERSPECTIVE

With any composite image, it is critical to ensure that all of the component features share the same perspective.

While it is easier to shoot all images at the same focal length, this may not always be possible if collecting separately shot assets, so use scaling to size each object accordingly. “The most tedious task was to cut out the helipad in the original shot, particularly on the edge of the helipad where youhave all the openings,” says Daniel Cheong.

COLOUR GRADING

“Being a big fan of the Cyberpunk movie genre, especially the Bladerunner movie (1984), I wanted to create a tribute image,” says Daniel. “I like the sci-fi mood of this image, but I needed togive it a cyberpunk colour grading.”With many nighttime cityscapes, especially cinematic images for movie posters and advertising, a warm cast to the highlights and cool blues in the shadows is a common choice. First, set the style of the base image, then adapt all elements to this, for continuity.

WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE

Shooting nightcityscapes isa challenge for auto-exposure systems, due to the extremecontrast between bright artificial light and the deepshadows and dark sky.Bracketing and blending exposures is an essential techniquefor this kind of image. “In general, for my cityscapes, I always shoot multiple exposures at different shutter speeds, which I combine in Photoshop usingDigital Blending.

This allows me to create an image with a high dynamic range,” Daniel says.Work on each element individually,then apply a global processon the final composite.

CONTRASTING TEXTURE (MOVEMENT)

With any stationary subjects,a citybeing the embodiment of permanence, adding in a sense of movement creates a pleasing contrast. Here, the moving clouds add to the cinematic narrative Daniel was creating. He added a blur to the skyto simulatea long exposure and introduced a fog effect to increase the dramatic, science-fiction effect, also a contrast of hard and soft textures.

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INTERVIEW

Magical woodland

The ghostly forms of Sessile oak trees, the unofficial emblem of Wales All images © Finn Beales

TRAVELLING REMOTELY

Finn Beales’landscape and lifestyle photography has seen him travel to remote locations around the world, working with global brands along the way 78

FINN BEALES

Finn Beales

Finn is an awardwinning travel, lifestyle and commercial photographer based in Wales, where he lives with his wife and two children. Attracted by his cinematic style and the narrative he weaves throughout his work, Finn shoots for the likes of Apple, Land Rover, Omega, Cartier and a variety of other global brands. An early adopter of Instagram, he is well known on the platform, where he has over half a million followers. He often works with brands, using his social network to extend the reach and amplify messaging.

To see more of Finn’s work, visit: @finn www.madebyfinn.com

F

or anyone who likes getting on a plane and exploring far-flung places around the world, the ongoing pandemic era has not been a good time. Restrictions are constantly changing, borders are opening and closing, and many countries are off-limits. The only way most people can travel is through documentaries, video and photography.

It’s a good time, then, for Let’s Get Lost to arrive, a book that allows viewers to travel remotely to some of the most beautiful and remote corners of the world, including Rwanda, Russia, Greenland, Indonesia and Chile. The book’s curated by photographer and director Finn Beales, whose work appears with 20 other outdoor photographers, including Chris Burkard, Alex Strohl, Hannes Becker and Emilie Ristevski.

Born in Hay-on-Wye, close to the Brecon Beacons in Wales (where he still lives today with his wife and children), Beales is known for his cinematic style and visual storytelling, which has helped him pick up around 600,000 Instagram followers and led to him working with global lifestyle brands including Apple, Cartier, Land Rover and Omega, as well as tourist boards.

The upside of Covid-19’s travel restrictions, suggests Beales, is people across the UK discovering or rediscovering the wild, beautiful and remote nature and landscapes on our doorsteps, though the impact of that, as we’ve seen, can be both positive and negative.

Here, he talks to Graeme Green about lighting, Instagram, growing up in Wales and working with commercial partners…

79

INTERVIEW What’s the most remote place you’ve ever been to?

In Rwanda, I hiked up the mountains to see the gorillas. It was in Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga Massif, which straddles the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. It’s a national park but it’s no walk in any old park. It takes a lot of physical exertion.

Places like Iceland feel really remote too. It’s the closest you can get to the moon without building a rocket. It’s an incredibly young landscape, still being born every second as the volcanoes form land. Photographically, Iceland’s a fantastic place. It’s like being on another planet.

Where did your love of nature and remote places come from?

It stems from growing up and living here in Hay-on-Wye and the remoteness of the Brecon Beacons, on the England-Wales border.

As a kid, I’d ride on horses in the mountains.

We’d hike, go fishing and go canoeing in and around Brecon Beacons National Park. It’s a giant playground that me and my mates kicked around in as kids and teenagers. Our parents let us go off for weekends. We’d take a tent and camp, and enjoy ourselves and enjoy the natural world. Those formative years influenced my approach to adult life, seeking out other world destinations.

What do remote places do for you?

I relax. I love cities. I love New York, LA and London, but I’ve tried living in cities and I’m just not a city person. I love everything they offer but I find it difficult to turn off. I feel more at peace with myself in these wild places.

Do you think it’s becoming more important for people to get away from Wi-Fi, emails, technology and work?

Yes. It’s a disconnection from the bombardment. Advertising rules our world these days. You can’t walk down the street without a billboard screaming at you: “Buy this. Buy that.” Nowadays, it’s on your phone.

Instagram started off as a nice photo-sharing app and now it’s littered with sponsored posts. People talk a lot about living in the moment, but being in these remote places, it’s difficult not to be connected with the present moment. There’s nothing else influencing you or distracting you. That’s a lovely feeling.

Has it become harder to find really remote places now that so much of the world is accessible?

It is hard. Some places are suffering as a result.

The Isle of Skye is a good example. I travelled there years ago with a group of friends to shoot up there, and it was wild and there were very few people around. But in the last few years, they had to put Portaloos there to deal with the number of people visiting. That’s 80

I watch a lot of movies. Using light appropriately gives that feeling of cinema

FINN BEALES

Above left

Finn’s sidekick

Finn’s trusty companion Otto in St Mary’sVale, Wales Above

Fair Isle ferns

Immature brackenlines the cliff tops of Fair Isle, Scotland Farleft

Patrolling puffins

Puffins, the Fair Isle sentinels, are always keeping watch Left

Sugar Loaf sunset

Sunset as seen from The Sugar Loaf, Wales

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INTERVIEW

Finn Beales’number one favourite remote location I’m fascinated by volcanoes. Nothing makes me feel as small and vulnerable, and that’s a strange sensation in this world, where we dominate the planet. There’s a volcano off the coast of Sicily, called Stromboli, which erupts every 20 minutes. The Romans called it the ‘lighthouse of the Mediterranean’. It’s a perfect conical volcano shape. You can see the eruptions happening at night. I wanted to photograph it up-close and personal. I was staying on the next island of Salina with my family and I found a mad Italian who agreed to take me across. We bounced across the ocean in a rubber dinghy. I had no backpack, so I hiked up the side of this volcano with my gear in a plastic bag and bottles of water. We set off in the searing midday sun, sweating profusely, and summitted as the sun set. It was probably the hardest fought photograph I’ve ever made.

It’s one of my favourites, because it’s the eruption of Stromboli over the backdrop of milky blue Mediterranean. We watched the eruptions over the course of the evening. My family were on the other island, in the bar of the hotel, watching the eruptions, and my wife said to the kids: “Your daddy’s on the top of that volcano”.

particularly significant this year with Covid and domestic tourism. The Brecon Beacons is absolutely heaving. The volume of people exploring in this country is extraordinary when they’re not flying off elsewhere. These remote places are not set up to deal with that number of people.

Right top Looking alongterraced valleys from the road towards Volcanoes National Park,Rwanda

Across the valleys

Far right top The dominant male Silverback, Agaysha, holdsFinn’s gaze as he takes his portrait in Volcanoes National Park,Rwanda

Agaysha

You work with a lot of big brands.

How did you get started?

Is it still possible to find remote I started shooting personal work involving locations across the UK? projects, and putting them out on Instagram Yes. That’s been the slight boon of Covid, and other platforms. For example, I’d maybe discovering what’s on our own doorstep. I’m bought a new pair of hiking boots, and I’d always blown away when I go to Scotland. go out with a friend and shoot a story in the I travel across to Canada to see epic mountains, tipping the focus of the story mountains, but Scotland’s landscapes are just into that hiking boot, with the idea that if you phenomenal. They’re not normal. You travel up buy this pair of hiking boots, you can access into the Highlands and it’s spectacular. One of this lifestyle, and that’s often what lifestyle the chapters in the book is by Richard Gaston, photography is. hiking the Cape Wrath trail in Scotland, which is one of the world’s longest and most remote So, you deliberately set out to create public footpaths. Some of the pictures are a portfolio to bring in brands? spectacular, and that’s open to us all.

Yes. Landing any photo job relies on a strong portfolio. If a client can see images in your Instagram (or Instagrammers) means portfolio and they could see their products some locations across the UK are getting in that, as long as you’re a nice person when overloaded with people. Do you feel a you get the creative call and they like you, tension between wanting to share photos you more often than not get the job. You’re against not wanting to spoil a location a proven concept. Words can only go so far. by telling people about it?

This is a visual game. If you can illustrate that Yes, I do. My problem is that people see you’ve done it and can do it and you’re cool to something online or on Instagram, and they work with (because some of those shoots are want to replicate that picture. I find that high pressure), then it’s a winner. puzzling. There are places in Norway, that isolated figure sitting on the outcrop above How important is it to know the ord, and you pan the camera right and and understand locations? there’s a queue down the mountain.

Growing up around here and knowing the I shoot stuff but I wouldn’t necessarily share locations I have on tap, I view them now as the exact location. If I shoot in Wales, I tend to giant photo sets. Especially with car brands geotag and reference Wales, rather than the like Land Rover or Audi, if a brief comes in, I specific location. Half the fun is to discover know where I can drop a car and make a really places for yourself and find your own places, good shoot. Half of a commercial job is prenot to replicate images. production and all that legwork you do before 82

Right bottom A mother and baby enjoy some quiet time in a clearing in the bamboo

Mum’s the word

Far right bottom Island in Rwanda A sparsely inhabited island sits in a huge freshwater lake within Volcanoes National Park,Rwanda

the actual shoot. If you put the time into pre-production and storyboard it right and recce locations, then the actual shoot itself comes together relatively easily.

How did your ‘cinematic’ style develop?

I watch a lot of movies. Using light appropriately can give that feeling of cinema.

There’s a lot of lighting assistance in a scene in cinema. But you can do that in the landscape in the wild by choosing your timings right.

People who’ve lived here their whole life have seen some of the pictures I shoot and they say: “I never knew that mountain looked like that”. And I say: “You’re not climbing it at four o’clock in the morning to shoot it as the sun peeks over the top and lights up a lake below”.

You have to work at cinematic pictures.

I just came from directing a TV commercial, and a huge part of the process is preproduction, visiting locations, using suntracking apps, working out when the sun will come over the horizon and what time we put our actors or cars in place to capture that.

Is developing your own style important to get noticed?

A friend of mine is an editor with Saatchi and he told me my pictures often crop up in creative treatments they’re putting around, and they talk about my colour, the way I colour images. That probably is where my style comes from, the grading I put across images in post. That’s informed by my background – I started life as a graphic designer, working a lot with colour and colour

FINN BEALES

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INTERVIEW

piece of themselves to a series of images. For me, it’s about not telling too much. I don’t like revealing too much for people. I shoot scenes from a variety of angles, using different focal Do you see post-production as a key lengths, including little details that might part of a photographer’s identity?

I do. In the film days, you’d shoot a scene with seem irrelevant on their own, like a photo of a roll of Kodak Ultra 400, or change that to Fuji pebbles on a beach, but when you pair them with a surfer walking down a beach, it’s those and there’d be completely different colours. visceral details that, if you were standing there Post-production is your flexibility, with a lot more room to mess up a shot, but essentially on the beach, you’d feel those pebbles on your feet. You can relay those feelings when you you’re making the colour adjustments after you take the picture, whereas with film you’re pair up images, when you bring everything making those creative colour decisions before together. The details make the whole.

Then you can get more involved and think you take the shot. I think a problem with about characters, locations and events .When today’s world is one-cut Instagram filters all these three things collide, that’s when the and so many presets you can buy. It’s good magic happens. That goes into the recce of to have an understanding of colour so you locations, finding an appropriate character can develop your own style. Understanding colour means the effect that different colours that is believable. A wedding photographer has all that already when they land: their have on people on a psychological level. Red characters, locations and the event. But when generates a very different feeling than blue. you work in lifestyle or brand photography, What’s the key to photographic storytelling? you have to put all those components into the You’ve got to think that everyone is bringing a mix and make it feel believable. theory. You can develop palettes and integrate them into your photography.

Let’sGet Lost

Let’s Get Lost: The World’s Most Stunning Remote Locations curated by Finn Beales is out now, published by White Lion Publishing (£25). His previous book The Photography Storytelling Workshop is also available. See www.madebyfinn.com/ and follow him on Instagram @finn 84

Above Stokksnes The Stokksnes peninsula in south eastern Iceland

Inset right Dan Rubin photographsicebergs on a black sand beach near the Jökulsárlón lagoon, Iceland

Jökulsárlón lagoon

Bottom right Detail shot on film with Finn’s Hasselblad 500c/m in Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Getting in close

FINN BEALES

Working with brands First, create a strong portfolio

1

PROVE YOUR WORTH

Landing client work is much easier if you have photos in your portfolio that align with your favourite brands’ creative. Shoot personal work with such brands in mind.

Build out your portfolio according to the type of work you want to make. Your pictures will carry you further than your words.

2

MAKING MEMORIES

3

POSE QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER

4

THINK ABOUT EMOTION

5

QUALITYOVER QUANTITY

6

REACH OUT

When you take a photograph, you’re essentially preserving a memory. Use your own memories as a trigger to press the shutter. Think about your own childhood: fun times, sad times, exciting times…

There’s a pleasure in not knowing.

It activates the mind. Frame your images in a way that poses a question to your audience and engages them in your work.

Try composing shots so that your subjects are looking at something outside of the frame to add intrigue to the image.

Emotion doesn’t just mean laughing or crying. It is an instinctive feeling related to the human condition. Think about this as much as the environment you are working in. Motivate your subjects to do something that your audience can relate to.

Be ruthless with your edit. A website showcasing 20 killer pictures in a consistent and coherent style will always win more work than a wide-ranging jumbled body of work.

Once you have a decent portfolio, reach out to the brands you want to work with via platforms like Instagram. Brands and agencies are always looking for new talent, and a simple DM introducing yourself and your work can often lead to surprising conversations.

7

VALUE TEAMWORK

Listen, delegate, be a kind and friendly person to work with. Your character on a set is key to setting the tone for a shoot. Good vibes will filter across the rest of the crew, and the experience for everyone involved will be a memorable one.

8 9

PREPARE FULLY

Prepare for success with mood boards, location scouting and call sheets.

EDIT YOUROWN WAY

Edit with originality and understand colour adjustments and theory. In postproduction, it’s better to be different and use your own plot devices and key techniques.

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THE GALLERY

Winning images from bird photo contest revealed

Photographers from around the world entered and invites photographers of all experience more than 22,000 images into the latest levels. Register your interest now at www.birdpoty.com BPOTY competition, each with their eyes on a £5,000 prize. They competed amongst 8 different categories in the adult competition.

All awarded images are now published by Harper Collins in a stunning book. The 2022 competition opens on the 30 September 2021,

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The Gallery Winners of the international Bird Photographer of the Year 2021

Pictured Overall winner The 3,000km-long US–Mexico border traverses some of the continent’s most biologically diverse regions. Numerous species will be affected if the US government decides to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Here a Greater Roadrunner approaches the border wall at Naco, Arizona, with what almost looks like a sense of bewilderment © Alejandro Prieto

87

yadillaH eiluJ ©

nossalC sanoJ ©

Above left

Night hunter Category: Best Portrait

Poised for attack, this Great Grey Owl has fixed its gaze on a vole in a Swedish forest Above right

Entangled Category: Bird Behaviour This pair of Imperial Shags went through a ritual courtship greeting

Right

Underwater Portrait Category: Best Portrait

This image of a Brown Pelican was taken off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica Far right top

Lockdown Category:Urban Birds

During lockdown in South Africa every day a Karoo Prinia searched for insects at my gate

This shot of Feral Pigeons is part of a larger project on animals that live in our cities 88

aveucnoF epileF ©

Far right bottom

The Guardians Category:Urban Birds

© William Steel

attecorC oloaP ©

89

THE GALLERY

sedohR alraC 3x ©

zenÍtraM leinaD ©

ikcilaG auhsoJ ©

snagroM niveK ©

90

© Nathalie Chanteau

Far left top

3x Left

Above

I combined the photo of the European Nightjar at ground level with the lights of my town in the background

With their natural habitat destroyed, Greater Adjutants scavenge at the garbage dump near Deepor Beel

I boat to rocky outcrops around the Brittany coast where there are many birds, such as this European Shag

The Nightjar Category: 14–17 years

Garbage On An Industrial Scale Category: Conservation Award

Sur Les Roches Bretonnes Category: Black and White

Far left bottom

Wing Stretch Category: Portfolio Award

Combining back-lighting with the beautiful golden hues of sunset can transform an image, and birds look fantastic

Below left

Claiming The ForestFloor Category: Birds in the Environment

This was shot with a nonintrusive remote setup to capture the expanse of the Ovenbird’s environment

Below right

Feather Light Category: Black and White

Backlit by the rising sun, this preening Northern Gannet paused momentarily, removing a displaced feather

nosregoR semaJ ©

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YOUR IMAGES

SHOT OF THE MONTH Photographer: Dennis Polkläser Location: Fagradalsall volcano, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland @dennispolklaeserphotography About the shot: “My intention with this picture was to capture the creative power of nature in a photo and to document how new land is created by volcanic eruptions. Considering the shooting conditions (weather, thermals over the eruption site), I am happy with the composition and especially with the gloomy atmosphere.”

Tag us @ dphotographermag for a chance to feature here Every issue we’ll be sharing the best

images from our Instagram community.

Tag us on @dphotographermag for a chance to appear as our Shot of the Month.

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RUNNER-UP Photographer:

Chelaka Dasun Ranaweera Location: Bedigama south, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

About the shot: “I captured this view when I was walking with my buddy through a paddy field in my village. Here you can see the natural beauty of rural southern Sri Lanka, featuring the native Black plum tree (Syzygium cumini).”

WIN! SAMSUNG 128GB EVO PLUS MICRO SDXC WITH SD ADAPTOR

Every issue one DP reader wins a Samsung 128GB EVO Plus memory card with SD adaptor, boasting 100MB/s & 90MB/s read/write speeds – perfect for UHD video. Plus our runner-up wins a Samsung EVO Plus 32GB card with SD adaptor – ideal for high res photography storage.

Find out more at www.samsung. com/uk/memory-cards 93

96 Lenses for astrophotography

KIT INTRO

We’ve rounded up four of the best prime lenses for astrophotography, to suit a wide range of full-frame cameras.

Find out which offer the most stellar performance.

Kit

The expert and independent reviews of gear we’ve bagged this issue 104 Pentax K-3 Mark III

110 Lenses

108 Sony ZV-E10

112 Accessories

This is the latest and best APS-C DSLR from Pentax, but what new tech and features will you find inside? We get hands on and ask, is it worth the formidable asking price?

It’s an affordable camera for vloggers and newer video shooters, but is there enough on offer to tempt pro stills photographers?

Our ratings

Our team of trusted and expert reviewers score gear thoroughly to help you make better buying choices.

Don’t go there Could be better Solid performer Excellent bit of kit Best on the market

Product awards

Digital Photographer’s awards are given out when a product really catches our attention!

Here are our three most used accolades.

Every month, we test two of the latest lenses to hit the market. This month, it’s the Nikon Nikkor Z 105mm f/2.8 Macro and Panasonic 50mm F1.8 – both very capable optics Looking for a new gadget, tripod or storage system? From bags to binoculars, you’ll find a selection of fun and functional items to try

Lab testing

Some of our product reviews also have in-depth lab data, graphs and scores. This means that the kit has been subjected to more rigorous testing. Lens tests are carried out using Imatest, and cameras are tested in our laboratory using DxO Analyzer hardware and software to check the image noise and dynamic range.

95

REVIEWS

Turn your gaze heavenwards with these wide-angle primes, ideal for capturing the night sky 96

GROUP TEST

Ultra-wide-angle prime lenses are enormously versatile. They’re great for everything from shoehorning architectural interiors into the frame when your back’s up against the wall, to shooting cityscapes and sweeping landscape vistas.

But venture out on a star-studded night and you can take in the majestic panoply of the heavens above. With a full-frame camera, a focal length of around 14-20mm is ideal.

You’ll need a lens with real pulling power when it comes sucking in light, so it pays to go for a fast aperture of around f/1.8 to f/2. This avoids sending your camera’s ISO

setting into the stratosphere, as you keep exposures short enough to stop stars and other celestial bodies in their tracks, so they don’t appear to be trailing across the sky.

It’s not just the speed of the lens that’s important. For effective astrophotography, you’ll want good sharpness across the whole image frame. Unwanted aberrations that occur when using a fast lens at its widest aperture can be a spoiler. These include vignetting, ‘coma’, which gives pinpoints of light a comet-like tail, and ‘astigmatism’, which creates lines from dots of light. Some lenses are prone to a combination of coma

and astigmatism, often referred to as ‘batwing coma’. Another potential problem is spherical aberration, giving points of light a halo effect.

All of these can be reduced by narrowing the aperture by an f/stop from its widest setting, but then you’re not taking advantage of the lens’s speed. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up four of the best prime lenses for astrophotography, to suit a wide range of fullframe cameras. Mount options include Canon EF, Canon RF, Leica L (used by the latest Panasonic and Sigma mirrorless cameras), Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sigma SA and Sony FE. Let’s see which offers the most stellar performance.

97

REVIEWS PRICE: £899/$849 DOF MARKERS

Although it’s not a particular benefit for astrophotography, there are depth-offield markers for apertures of f/5.6, f/11 and f/22, which is good for zone focusing.

Wide and fast, the diminutive Laowa delivers a generous viewing angle for stargazing with ‘zero-distortion’credentials Compact and lightweight for an ultra-wideangle lens, the little Laowa is nevertheless sturdily built and matches the others on test in being full-frame compatible. It’s available in a wide range of mirrorless mount options including Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon Z and Sony FE. The variety in production is made easier by the Laowa being a fully manual lens with no electronics.

As with any fully manual lens (fixed aperture lenses aside), you need to adjust the aperture via an onboard control ring instead of from the camera, as well as focusing manually, and no lens-related EXIF data is stored in image files. Handson adjustments are no particular problem for astrophotography, where you’ll typically shoot wide-open and focus manually anyway. Focusing is made easy by the smoothly operating control ring, which comes complete with a distance scale and depth of field marking. A plus point for video capture is that the lens features a ‘declick’ switch for stepless aperture control.

The viewing angle of 110 degrees is second only to the Sigma lens in this group.

And despite its short focal length, the Laowa features a bayonet-fit, petal-shaped lens hood that enables the inclusion of a modestly sized 72mm filter attachment thread. By contrast, the Sigma 14mm has a fixed, integral hood and therefore no filter thread. The optical path is based on 12 elements, which include two aspherical elements and three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements.

Vignetting isn’t overly severe when shooting wide-open at f/2, but batwing coma towards the corners of the image frame is more pronounced than with any of the other lenses on test. As usual, the irregular shape given to pinpricks of light in this region is greatly reduced when stopping down a little. However, with only five diaphragm blades, the aperture isn’t particularly well-rounded when stopping down. Sharpness away from the centre of the frame also leaves a little to be desired, throughout the aperture range.

98

FOCUS RING

The tactile, mechanically coupled focus ring has a smooth and fluid feel, enabling high-precision adjustments.

APERTURE RING

The aperture ring has click steps for full f/stops, rather than the more usual third or half stops, but a declick switch is also featured, which is useful for shooting video.

Switch to manual

As a manual lens, the Laowa has the usual trappings that work in your favour when taking ashot in the dark.

Sharpness 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 f/1.8

f/2 Centre

f/2.8 Middle

f/4

f/5.6 Edge

f/8

f/11

f/16

GROUP TEST PRICE: £999/$1,047

WEATHER SEALS

The construction includesextensive weather-sealing measures, both on the metal mounting plate and around all the joints in the barrel.

The most wide-angle of Nikon’s current Z-series primes,the 20mm retains the f/1.8 aperture rating featured by most of its siblings With a focal length of 20mm, the Nikon doesn’t have such an extravagant viewing angle as the Laowa and Sigma lenses on test but, at 94 degrees on a full-frame body, it can still cover a vast portion of the night sky. Add in the fast f/1.8 aperture rating, and the lens has excellent astrophotography credentials. On a ‘DX’ (APS-C) format mirrorless body, such as the Nikon Z 50 or Z fc, the effective viewing angle is naturally more restrictive, equating to 70 degrees.

We’ve been universally impressed by the quality and performance of Nikon’s S-line, Z-mount lenses and the 20mm not only follows suit but also comes up trumps. Typical of the breed, it has a tough yet lightweight build that features a comprehensive set of weather seals.

The design looks pretty basic with a single control ring and auto/manual focus switch, but looks can be deceiving.

The electronically coupled focus ring allows for exquisitely fine and precise adjustments, and can also be assigned to other functions when the lens is in autofocus mode, like control over ISO, stepless aperture adjustment and exposure compensation. Back in autofocus mode, focusing is speedy, unerringly accurate and virtually silent, driven by a stepping motor of the high-performance lead-screw variety.

The minimum focus distance is impressively short, at 20cm from the focal plane, the Nikon only being beaten in this respect by the Laowa lens on test, which focuses down to just 15cm. This enables extreme close-up shooting, giving you the freedom to get creative with exaggerated perspective effects. It’s not particularly useful for astrophotography, but nevertheless, it’s nice to have.

Optical finery includes three aspherical elements and three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements. For outright image quality, the Nikon eclipses all of the other lenses on test. It’s like a surgical scalpel in terms of sharpness, resolving the tiniest levels of detail across the entire image frame, right into the extreme corners. Coma and astigmatism are virtually non-existent, even when shooting wide-open, and barrel distortion is even more negligible than in the ‘zero distortion’ Laowa. It’s simply a spectacular lens for astrophotography.

FOCUS RING

The focus ring allows high-precision manual focus adjustments, and hands-on control of many functions.

SWITCHGEAR

Apart fromthe multifunction focus ring, the only other onboard control is a switch for auto/manual focusing.

Lightweight but robust

Although larger than the Laowa and Tokina lenses, the Nikon has a similarly lightweight build but is robust and weather-sealed.

Sharpness 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 f/1.8

f/2 Centre

f/2.8 Middle

f/4

f/5.6 Edge

f/8

f/11

f/16

99

REVIEWS INTEGRAL HOOD

Unlike the other lenses on test, the Sigma has a fixed, integral hood that gives physical protection to the bulbous front element.

HIGH PRECISION

PRICE: £1,399/$1,599

At the front of the optical path is a particularly large precision-moulded aspherical element, with a diameter of 80mm.

The outright ‘widest’ in the group with a fast f/1.8 aperture rating, this Sigma is a prime candidate for shooting the stars Combining a 14mm focal length that delivers a 114-degree viewing angle with a fast f/1.8 aperture is no mean feat. Sigma reaches for the stars with this lens that, while also being eminently useful for architectural interiors and sweeping landscapes, has ‘astrophotography’ written all over it.

From Sigma’s ‘DG’ line-up, the lens was primarily designed for DSLRs and is available in Canon EF and Nikon F mount options, as well as Sigma’s own SA mount. More recently, it’s been repurposed for mirrorless cameras, with Sony FE and Leica L versions coming on stream. As usual, the L-mount edition is also compatible with Panasonic S-series and Sigma fp cameras.

But you can’t squeeze a quart into a pint pot, as amply demonstrated by this lens. The wide viewing angle and fast aperture demand hefty, large-diameter elements towards the front of the optical path. Indeed, the front element has a large 80mm diameter. No simple piece of glass, it’s the embodiment of a highly demanding manufacturing challenge, in the shape of a precision-moulded aspherical glass element, which is bulbous and extends beyond the front of the lens barrel. A knock-on effect (or perhaps the opposite) is that the Sigma is the only lens on test to feature an integral lens hood that gives essential physical protection to the front element.

That means there’s no filter attachment thread.

Other optical highlights include four aspherical elements in total, four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements and three top-performance FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements.

Autofocus is driven by a Sigma ring-type HyperSonic Motor system, which is more usually known as ‘ultrasonic’. It’s typically quick and whisper-quiet and comes with the usual fulltime manual override facility, as well as a focus distance scale beneath a viewing window.

When shooting wide-open, batwing coma towards the corners of the frame is more noticeable than with the Nikon and Tokina lenses, but less pronounced than with the Laowa. Sharpness is impressive across the whole image frame, but the Sigma is still no match for the Nikon. Colour fringing is minimal, but distortion is more perceptible than with any of the other lenses in this group.

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FOCUS SCALE

The ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system comes complete with a focus distance scale and depth-offield markers.

A heavyweight contender

Typical of Sigma’s acclaimed ‘Art’ lenses, there’s nocompromise in terms of impacting image equality at the expense of cutting the size or weight.

It’s twice as heavy as other lenses on test.

Sharpness 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 f/1.8

f/2 Centre

f/2.8 Middle

f/4

f/5.6 Edge

f/8

f/11

f/16

GROUP TEST PRICE: £599/$649 FOCUS RING

Instead of Tokina’s usual ‘onetouch clutch’ focus ring with a push-pull action for auto/ manual focusing, full-time manual override is available in the ‘DMF’ focusing option of Sony cameras.

From Tokina’s ‘Firin’ line-up, this is one of three lenses designed exclusively for Sony mirrorless cameras, and the joint widest There’s currently a trio of Firin lenses in Tokina’s glass arsenal – the name harks back to a Gaelic word for ‘truth’. There’s a 100mm macro optic boasting full 1:1 magnification and a dynamic duo of ultra-wide 20mm lenses. We’ve gone for the autofocus model, the other being a manualfocus lens. Whereas the latter is fitted with an aperture control ring, focus distance scale and depth of field markers, the autofocus edition has a relatively spartan look and feel. Indeed, there’s no focus distance scale and the only external moving part is the focus ring.

Switching between auto and manual focusing relies on the use of in-camera menu rummaging, but the lens is compatible with Sony’s DMF (Direct Manual Focus) mode, which enables manual override during autofocus. Autofocus itself is driven by a ring-type ultrasonic actuator but, compared to that of the Sigma lens, it’s relatively pedestrian and more clearly audible.

Making the most of its narrower viewing angle than the 14mm and 15mm lenses on test, along with a modest f/2 aperture rating, the Tokina is the most compact and lightweight lens in the group. It tips the scales at just 464g and has a relatively small 62mm filter thread, being supplied complete with a bayonet-fit, petal-shaped hood. The build quality doesn’t feel as rock-solid as in some of Tokina’s more conventional lenses, designed with DSLRs in mind, but there’s a high-precision feel to the handling. As with the Laowa lens, the Tokina lacks any weather seals.

High-tech optical components include two glass moulded aspherical elements and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, the latter aiming to reduce chromatic aberrations and enhance clarity. Sharpness itself is at its peak when shooting wide-open, at least at the centre of the frame, which really hits the spot for astrophotography. In the area between the centre and the edges, the Tokina beats the Sigma lens for sharpness at a directly competing aperture of f/2, but the Tokina’s wide-aperture sharpness drops off more than in any other lens on test towards the edges and corners. But, on the plus side, coma and astigmatism towards the corners of the frame are almost as negligible as in the Nikon lens.

STRAIGHTFORWARD LAYOUT

Unlike itsmanual-focus Firin 20mm counterpart, the autofocus edition has no aperture control ring, nor a focus distance scale.

AUTOFOCUS MOTOR

Despite having a ring-type ultrasonic motor, autofocus isn’t particularly fast and is clearly audible.

Simple by design

With a minimalist design, the Tokina has noexternal moving parts apart from its focus ring, deferring auto/manual focus selection to in-camera menus.

Sharpness 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 f/1.8

f/2 Centre

f/2.8 Middle

f/4

f/5.6 Edge

f/8

f/11

f/16

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REVIEWS

www.tokinalens.com

Tokina Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF

Manufacturer Tokina Name Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF Price £599/$649 Mount options S-FE Elements/ Groups 13/11 Max magnification factor 0.1x Min focus distance 0.28m Narrowest aperture f/22 Diaphragm 9 blades Autofocus Ultrasonic (ring type) Hood Bayonet fit (supplied) Filter size 62mm Dimensions 73x82mm Weight 464g

FEATURES

A highly self-contained lens, the beauty lies in the optical prowess rather than in its fancy external features.

BUILD QUALITY

It feels a little insubstantial for a Tokina lens, but the lightweight build suits mirrorless cameras.

HANDLING

Handling is basic with no frills, but the focus ring operates with smooth precision.

PERFORMANCE

Centre-sharpnessand control over coma and astigmatism are great, but cornersharpness is lacking.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The leastexpensive lens in the group by some margin.The image quality makes it a bargain.

Overall The viewingangle and aperture are modest, but theTokina delivers for astrophotography.

102

www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art

Manufacturer Sigma Name 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Price £1,399/$1,599 Mount options C-EF,L-L, N-F, Sig-SA,S-FE Elements/ Groups 16/11 Max magnification factor 0.1x Min focus distance 0.27m Narrowest aperture f/16 Diaphragm 9 blades Autofocus Ultrasonic (ring type) Hood Integral Filter size N/A (integral hood) Dimensions 95x126mm Weight 1,170g

FEATURES

The ultra-wide viewing angle and fast f/1.8 aperture are at the core of its astro-friendly features.

BUILD QUALITY

The build quality is exemplary, from the internals to the sturdy,weathersealed casing.

HANDLING

Handling is excellent in every respect, although this hefty lens is comparatively bulky and heavy.

PERFORMANCE

There’s some batwing coma whenshooting wide-open, but it’s less pronounced than in the Laowa.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Sigma is a lot more expensive than the other lenses, but still well worth the money.

Overall It losesout to theNikonlens for astro image quality, but offers a truly extreme viewing angle.

www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S

Manufacturer Nikon Name Z 20mm f/1.8 S Price £999/$1,047 Mount options N-Z Elements/ Groups 14/11 Max magnification factor 0.19x Min focus distance 0.2m Narrowest aperture f/16 Diaphragm 9 blades Autofocus Stepping motor Hood Bayonet fit (supplied) Filter size 77mm Dimensions 85x109mm Weight 505g

FEATURES

There’s not muchto see from the outside, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

BUILD QUALITY

Lightweight, yet sturdy, the lens has a strong, weather-sealed construction.

HANDLING

Simple buteffective, its handling is excellent and the customisablecontrol ring is a useful bonus.

PERFORMANCE

The Nikon stands head andshoulders above every other lens on test for outright image quality.

VALUE FOR MONEY

It’scertainly not cheap, but the image quality and all-round performance make it greatvalue.

Overall Not forthe first time, a lens from Nikon’s Z-mount S-line stable is a standout winner in the group.

www.venuslens.net

Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D

Manufacturer Laowa Name 15mm f/2 Zero-D Price £899/$849 Mount options C-RF,L-L, N-Z, S-FE Elements/ Groups 12/9 Max magnification factor 0.25x Min focus distance 0.15m Narrowest aperture f/22 Diaphragm 5 blades Autofocus Manual focus only Hood Bayonet fit (supplied) Filter size 72mm Dimensions 77x82mm Weight 500g

Overall

FEATURES

It’snot afeature-rich lens, entirely lacking in electronics, but the manual elements work well.

BUILD QUALITY

There’s a solid feel to the construction of this lens, even though it lacks any weather seals.

HANDLING

The focus and aperturecontrol rings work intuitively, the latter boasting a declick switch.

PERFORMANCE

Astro image quality is good rather than great, impaired by noticeable batwing coma at f/2.

VALUE FOR MONEY

It’s pricier than the electronics-laden Tokina, but is still pretty good value for a 15mm prime.

A compact and lightweight lens for a variety of mirrorless cameras, it’sa smart buy.

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REVIEWS

Pentax K-3 Mark III Price: £1,900/$2,000

This is Pentax’s latest and best APS-C DSLR, but is it worth the formidable asking price?

For a long time now, Pentax has stuck with a 24-megapixel sensor across its APS-C camera range, but the Pentax K-3 Mark III has a new 25.7-megapixel backilluminated CMOS sensor, matched up with a PRIME V processing engine with ‘secondgeneration’ accelerator unit.

The Pentax K-3 Mark III also has a new 101-point SAFOX 13 AF system with 25 cross-type points in the centre. As usual with DSLRs, the full focus area does not extend right across the whole width and height of the frame, so despite the large number of AF points, they only cover a part of the scene.

If you switch to live view, the K-3 Mark III then swaps to sensor-based contrast AF. The use of contrast AF here is both a surprise and a disappointment. On-sensor phase detect AF is now a widely used mainstream technology, and without it, the K-3 III’s live view mode loses a lot of its appeal.

It’s not helped by the use of a fixed rear screen that doesn’t even have a tilting mechanism. The K-3 III can shoot 4K video at up to 30p, but it’s as if this has been added as a courtesy rather than a serious proposition.

The K-3 III does have an impressive 12fps continuous shooting mode, helped by a redesigned, lighter shutter and mirror mechanism. Pentax says the shutter has a life of 300,000 cycles. There are, however, some restrictions. The 12 frames per second is achieved only in AF-S mode, and with continuous AF it drops to a maximum of 11fps.

Worse still, the buffer capacity at this speed is

just 37 JPEGs or 32 RAW files. If you think the price of the K-3 III is justified by its shooting speed, bear in mind it can’t sustain it for more than three seconds.

However, there are some clever features, including digital filters, in-camera HDR, multiple exposure, interval shooting and interval composite modes. The K-3 III may look dated in its physical features, but there’s still a lot to experiment with. Pentax says the grip and controls have been optimised for different hand sizes, and while the body is compact it does offer a decent grip. There’s an optional D-GB8 Battery Grip for extended use and vertical shooting.

A ‘new-generation’ Hyper Operation system integrates Pentax’s TAv mode alongside the Tv, Av and P modes for quick shutter speed and aperture changes in P mode – rather like being able to control shutter speed and aperture directly without having to change modes – and a green button resets the camera to default P (program) settings.

It’s a clever system, but not so very different to using program shift mode on other cameras. TAv mode lets you set both shutter speed and aperture and adjusts the ISO automatically, but that sounds a lot like using auto ISO in manual mode on other cameras.

There is a focus mode button on the front, which works in conjunction with the front and rear dials, though it would have been nice to have more prominent external controls for this and the drive mode setting on a camera that’s clearly designed for high-speed shooting.

The resolution is everything you would expect from a 26-megapixel sensor, and the dynamic range is especially impressive 104

It’s a shame that you don’t get two UHS-II card slots at this price, though given the K-3 III’s limited appeal for video, it hardly needs a UHS-II slot at all.

In terms of its physical performance, the Pentax K-3 Mark III performs adequately rather than brilliantly. Its SAFOX 13 AF system seems to keep up with moving subjects pretty well, but because it’s only the sensor that’s stabilised and not the viewfinder image, it’s not as easy to keep fast-moving subjects centred on the AF points – this is where mirrorless cameras with IBIS or even stabilised DSLR lenses have an advantage. Worse, the K-3 III’s buffer depth is so shallow, even for JPEGs, that its focus tracking is somewhat academic.

For still images, the autofocus is very good.

We noticed a slight ‘lag’ in our tests, but

FEATURES VIEWFINDER

The viewfinder isclearand bright with good magnification (Pentaxclaims 10 percent better pentaprism reflectance than before).It alsohas an eye sensor that switches off the rear LCD when you putthe camera to your eye.

CUSTOMISABLE BUTTONS

With no fewer than 10 customisable buttons, customisable frontand rear dials and extended SFn (special function) controlwith the topdial, there are plenty of opportunities toset this camera up justhow youwant it.

THREE-TIER MENU

A new three-tier menu design makes navigation fairly straightforward, though you’ll still need to learn where to find the settings you need, andthe 800-shotbatterylife is adequate for a DSLR, though not thebest. The PentaxK-3 Mark III is compatible withUSB charging, though.

LEAD SHUTTER ACTION

The PENTAX K-3 Mark III featuresa leaf switch, a mechanism previouslyused in the PENTAX 645Z and PENTAX K-1. Pentax says thisprovides a “lighter, smoother shutter action and minimises the camera shake caused by the shutter-release action”.

100% COVERAGE VIEWFINDER

Farleft

No tilt allowed

The Pentax K-3 Mark III does have a live view mode, but witha fixedscreen(not even a tilt mechanism) and contrast AFonly Left

Storage options

There are two SD memory card slots, one of which is UHS-II compatible. This isn’t a problem given the lack of 4K video shooting Above

Flagship flavour

The K-3 III may look dated in its physical features, but there’s still a lot to experiment with here 105

REVIEWS

Opposite

Rich colour rendition

Whatever we think of the camera’s dated design, its JPEGs are really rather good Above

The right tone

JPEGs have a typical ‘Pentax’ look, withdense colours and a good tonal range Left

Dynamic range

The in-cameraHDR mode is effective if you like that classic HDR enhanced detail look in your images

we weren’t using one of Pentax’s front-line lenses. Although there is an AF-C option in video mode, it remained greyed out whatever settings we tried. You might simply have to keep touching the screen to refocus as you film. Even worse, at 4K resolution, there’s a significant crop factor.

The still image quality, at least, is superb.

The resolution is everything you would expect from a 26-megapixel sensor, and the dynamic range is especially impressive. Even JPEGs downloaded straight from the camera have a decent tonal range and the dense, satisfying colour rendition that we’re used to seeing from Pentax DSLRs. Usually, we don’t like to focus too much on the price in camera reviews, at least as far as final ratings are concerned. However, in this case, it is necessary, as the K-3 Mark III costs more than the full-frame Pentax K-1 II, for example, and way more than any of its APS-C rivals. The design seems perversely rooted in the past, as if Pentax is deliberately targeting DSLR fans who want on principle to reject everything that mirrorless cameras have brought. The fixed rear screen and the lack of on-sensor phase detect AF are major limitations, and the shallow buffer depth detracts from the K-3 Mark III’s high speed burst shooting – one of its remaining strong points, you would have hoped.

If you love the Pentax brand and the DSLR design, you could probably forgive the K-3 Mark III for all of those faults, but it’s hard to see how this camera could attract anyone from outside that rather narrow fold.

TALKING POINT…

Sensor and new accelerator unit

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xatneP ©

This sensor has no anti-aliasing filter, but the K-3 III does use its in-body sensor shift system to offer ‘AA simulation’, should you need it.

This sensor shift system does a lot of other jobs. It also powers Pentax’s ASTROTRACER system with an optional O-GPS1 GPS Unit mounted, the antialiasing filter simulation, automatic horizon straightening if the camera is not quite level, and a Pixel Shift High Resolution mode which uses tiny 1-pixel sensor shifts to gather full RGB colour data for each photosite – though you will need a tripod for this.

This is all based around a new SRII five-axis system offering up to 5.5 stops of shake compensation, with a panning mode for moving subjects.

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PENTAX K3 MARK III

100%

Pentax K-3 Mark III

Megapixels(effective) 25.7MP Max resolution 6,192 x 4,128px Sensor information APS-C CMOS Lens data KAF, KA mount lens AF system TTL: Phase-matching autofocus Shutter speed 1/8000 to 30 sec ISO sensitivity 100-1,600,000 Exposure modes Scene Analyze Auto, Program,Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Shutter & AperturePriority, Manual, Bulb, Flash X-sync Speed, USER Metering options Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot and Highlight-weighted Connectivity Bluetooth, WPA2 Wireless LAN Weight 820g Batteries 4K UHD up to 30p, FHD up to 60p Storage 2x SD/SDHC/SDXC, 1x UHS-I, 1x UHS-I LCD Fixed 3.2-inch touchscreen, 1,620 dots Viewfinder Optical pentaprism, 100% coverage, 1.05x magnification Weight 735g (body only)

FEATURES

It has digital filters, in-camera HDR, multiple exposure, interval shooting and interval composite modes

EvenJPEGs straight from the camera have good tonal range and dense colour 1

2

3

4

BUILD QUALITY

It certainly feels rugged, with an ‘all surface’magnesium alloy body that’s also dustproof and weatherproof

HANDLING

The fixed rear screen feels like a stubborn anachronism, but the controls are easily customised

QUALITYOF RESULTS

Its metering system and dynamic range hold on to highlight and shadow detail in JPEGs better than most rivals

VALUE FOR MONEY

The launch price for the Pentax K-3 Mark III of £1,900/$2,000 seems plain silly

Overall The K-3 Mark III is tough,

fast, powerful andpacked with clever features. It’salso oddly dated, as if Pentax has deliberatelystepped back from modern innovations.

SOLID CHASSIS 1 This is a rugged, metal-bodied DSLR

MODE DIAL 2 The mode dial has some advanced exposure

STORAGEOPTIONS 3 The K-3 III hastwin SD memory card

SIDE GRIP 4 The grip is secure, and there is also

with a magnesium alloy body.

slots, one of which is UHS-II compatible.

modes, but nodrivemodedial or focus lever.

an optional D-GB8 Battery Grip.

107

REVIEWS

Sony ZV-E10 Price: £680/$698

Above left

Control access

Above

Small but secure

Without an electronic viewfinder The ZV-E10 feels especially compact. or a mode dial, it’s a less appealing Even so, the good-sized grip on the front layout for stills photographers makes it feel pretty secure in your hand

Rod Lawton tests out Sony’s best and cheapest APS-C camera so far for newbie vloggers

FEATURES

PRODUCT SHOWCASE SETTING

When shooting product-review videos with this setting activated, thecamera canautomatically shift focus from the face to a product held in front of the camera.

NATURAL SKIN TONES

The ZV-E10 has a Soft Skin Effect to smooth skin’s appearance. It canbe adjusted to OFF/ Low/ Mid/ High5.

BOKEH SWITCH

A single button can be used toturn background blurring on andoff. “Defocus”enables a blurred backgroundto draw attention to a subject.

SLOW AND QUICK MOTION

With the Still/Movie/S&Q button, footage can be recordedat 4x slower than real time or 60x faster.

SIDE-OPENING LCD 108

We’ve (almost) lost count of all the Sony A6000-series cameras launched, each somewhat more expensive than the last and culminating in the $1,400 Sony A6600. This new model is cheaper than all of them, even the entry-level Sony A6100, and yet does everything a vlogger could ask for – which is a market Sony has been targeting all along.

This camera is a few millimetres smaller in width than the existing models, though about the same in weight. As an E-mount camera, it takes both Sony APS-C E-mount lenses and fullframe Sony FE lenses too. There are important differences, though. One is that the ZV-E10 has a fully-adjustable vari-angle screen for the first time on a Sony APS-C mirrorless camera – so far, all the rest have had tilting screens only.

Another difference is the inclusion of a 3-capsule directional mic in the top of the camera, which accepts a clip-on wind-muffler included with the camera. It also has a regular mic socket and the accessory shoe works as a digital audio interface. The third difference might be less welcome – there’s no viewfinder. Vloggers and videographers probably wouldn’t use one, but for stills photographers and pros used to shooting with a viewfinder, this will be a drawback.

There’s no mode dial on this camera – you have to change modes using the menus – which is another negative point for stills photography

– and while the button on the top for toggling between Stills, Video and Slow/Quick mode is straightforward enough, it would have been much better to have a physical lever so that you can see at a glance which mode you’re in.

Sony’s rear screens have always been on the small side, and this one seems no better. It’s not very bright, either, so if you intend to use this camera outdoors, you’ll probably want to enable the ‘Sunny’ display mode – and leave it there.

Otherwise, this little camera handles just fine. Sony’s autofocus system is the best there is amongst APS-C mirrorless cameras. It’s fast and positive for stills photography, but excels in video mode. The Face/Eye detect AF is very fast and tracks even rapid movements. The Presentation Mode is equally impressive, rapidly refocusing on objects you hold up in front of the camera – though you can’t have Face/Eye AF and Presentation Mode at the same time. Finally, the Tracking mode is activated by tapping your subject on the screen – it ‘sticks’ to them really well, only losing contact if they are momentarily obscured or leave and re-enter the frame.

This still image quality looks very much as we’d expect from Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras. It’s probably best not to expect too much from the Sony 16-50mm lens, though.

Video is a bit of a mixed bag. The 4K quality is very good, and we’ve already mentioned

TechFEATURES specs

Rival cameras

Canon EOS M50 Mark II Fujifilm X-S10 Nikon Z 50 £589/$599 £949/$999 £829/$859 The M50 II’s 4K mode The X-S10 offers image The Z 50 is brilliant but lacks features an ungodly crop and stabilisation plus an articulating stabilisation. There aren’t loses phase-detect AF – so touchscreen, though its AF isn’t many APS-C Z-mount lenses it’s only really good for 1080p. as effective as the ZV-E10’s. for it yet, either.

Reviewed: issue 239 Reviewed: issue 235 Reviewed: issue 220

Dynamic range (EV)

14 12

50

10

40

8

30

6

20

4

10

2 0 100

60

Signal to noise ratio (decibels)

200

400 800 1600 3200 6400 12800 25600 Sony ZV-E10 Canon M50 Mk II Fujifilm X-S10 Nikon Z 50

0 100

200

400 800 1600 3200 6400 12800 25600 Sony ZV-E10 Canon M50 Mk II Fujifilm X-S10 Nikon Z 50

Megapixels(effective) 24.2MP Max resolution 6,000x 4,000 Sensor information Exmor CMOS sensor Lens data APS-C E-mount ISO sensitivity ISO 100-32,000 Exposure modes AUTO, Programmed AE, Aperture priority, Shutter-speed priority, Manual, Movie, Slow & Quick Motion, Sweep Panorama, Scene Selection Metering options Multi-segment, Centreweighted, Spot, Entire Screen Avg, Highlight Flash modes Off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Wirelesscontrol3, Hi-speed sync3 Connectivity Bluetooth Weight 343 g Batteries 440 shots, 125 minutes Storage Memory Stick Duo / SD LCD 7.5 cm (3.0-type) type TFT Viewfinder None

Sony has thought about its audience, with Eye AF, focus transitions and blur control

BUILD QUALITY

The existing A6xxx cameras are pretty small already, so the ZV-E10 feels especially compact

HANDLING

The ZV-E10 features a zoom lever – perfect for the Sony 16-50mm power zoom kit lens

QUALITYOF RESULTS

The zoom lever works well, but mode dials would be welcome for stills shooting

VALUE FOR MONEY

Against a backdrop of steadily climbing prices, it’s rather good value

Overall It doesn’tbreak any new

ground technically,and even ditches a few features that stills photographers would like to have, but for novice vloggers it’sa goodchoice.

the stellar AF system, but this is a camera that doesn’t like sudden movements. It has no in-body stabilisation, so it relies on lens stabilisation or in-camera digital stabilisation, neither of which seems as effective. There is an ‘active’ stabilisation mode for run and gun style video (we presume) but it just adds a heavy crop without appearing to help much.

The Sony ZV-E10 is unadventurous in many respects, even a little limited. Sony doesn’t seem to have moved on its APS-C 4K video tech First left Challenging conditions very far at all in the past couple of years, and There’s a good amount of play its 4K 30p capture is now the norm. There’s no in the dynamic range, enabling viewfinder, and the controls are less well suited you to work with deep shadows to stills photography than other Sony APS-C and brilliant highlights mirrorless cameras.

Left But the vari-angle screen, the in-built mic Packing a punch The ZV-E10 delivers bright, and muffler and Sony’s class-leading video AF punchy colours as long as you make this camera perfect for new vloggers, or keep an eye on the exposure smartphone shooters who want to up their game. Best of all, Sony has chosen a realistic price point that makes this camera accessible to novice vloggers yet still gives them everything they need. It’s just a pity that handheld video footage isn’t more stable, and this might be an unpleasant surprise for vloggers trying their first mirrorless camera.

The ZV-E10 doesn’t break new ground technically, but as a product designed to suit a specific audience, it hits the nail on the head.

109

REVIEWS DOWNLOAD TEST SHOTS

https://bit.ly/DP-245

PRICE: £999/$997 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.29m WEIGHT: 630g

Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S This macro powerhouse offers features and image quality in equal measure Build and handling

The Nikkor Z lens range is growing rapidly and we’re starting to see more specialised models. As you might expect from a £1,000 optic the build quality is designed to withstand the rigours of professional use, and it feels every bit the high-end product. As with other Z-mount lenses in its class however, it is surprisingly lightweight regardless and we’d happily pack it on a ‘just in case’ basis, without fear of a back injury. The controls are easy to use and the textured rings are comfortable to operate. Once again with a Z range lens we’re uncertain if the OLED screen is just adding unnecessary size to the barrel, but some photographers will appreciate it.

Performance

We can’t fault the image quality here – it’s simply stellar. Details are bitingly crisp, which really benefits textured macro subjects and makes the most of the high-res sensors of the Z camera line-up. This sharpness extends to the very edges of the frame, at all aperture settings. Distortion and chromatic aberration are negligible while ghosting and flare is beautifully controlled – the ARNEO and Nano Crystal Coatings successfully work their magic.

AF is also quick, silent and smooth, making it ideally suited to insect photography.

Left

Rapid autofocus

The AF system copes well with fast moving subjects, such as this bee. The motor demonstrates near silent operation too, so discreet shooting is possible Below left

Natural colours

The Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S creates images with impactful but natural colour rendition, making it ideal for flower photography and portraiture

Technical specs Manufacturer Model Web Elements/construction Angle of view Max aperture Min aperture Min focus distance Mount Filter size Length Diameter Weight

BUILD QUALITY IMAGE QUALITY VALUE FOR MONEY FEATURES

Overall

Verdict

110

hceneF reteP yb segamI

Overall this is a superb lens. It costs a lot more than the Z MC 50mm lens but we feel it still offers great value. Build and handling make it a joy to use and image quality is a testament to Z-Series engineering. One of the best macro lenses currently on the market.

Nikon MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S www.nikon.co.uk 16 elements in 11 groups 23° f/2.8 f/32-51 0.29m Nikon Z 62mm 140mm 85mm 630g

Sharpness Build quality Weight Features Expensive for beginners

LENSES

PRICE: £429/$448 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.45m WEIGHT: 300g

Panasonic Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 It’s cheaper than its f/1.4 sibling but is this nifty fifty up to pro standards?

Build and handling

Often, thanks in no small way to the term nifty fifty, which we didn’t miss the opportunity to use above, 50mm f/1.8 lenses tend to be viewed as cheap and cheerful entry-level optics. This lens from Panasonic’s S line feels a lot more substantial however, offering a pro-grade handling experience. The metal lens mount and solid barrel construction set it apart from similar lenses. The full-time manual focus ring is also a giveaway that Panasonic intends for the product to be used by working professionals. It’s smooth to operate, with a nice resistance to it. The build incorporates dust, moisture and freeze resistance, meaning we felt at home using it in the rain.

Performance

As you’d expect from a 50mm prime, sharpness is above average and zooming in on captured images reveals a tonne of fine detail.

Edge performance is also pretty good wide open. Aberrations such as fringing is kept to a minimum, as is distortion. Colour rendition is accurate and levels of contrast are attractively high. AF is pretty quick and silent when racking focus too.

Verdict

It is possible to shoot with the lens wide open at f/1.8, allowing handheld shooting in darker environments, while still resolving good detail at the frame corner.

Below left

Bokeh shape

While still attractive overall, there is some cats eye distortion of defocused highlights, which can be distracting where these are highlighly visible

Technical specs Manufacturer Model Web Elements/construction Angle of view Max aperture Min aperture Min focus distance Mount Filter size Length Diameter Weight

Panasonic Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 www.panasonic.com 9 elements in 8 groups 47° f/1.8 f/22 0.45cm L-Mount 67mm 82mm 73.6mm 300g

BUILD QUALITY IMAGE QUALITY VALUE FOR MONEY FEATURES

Overall

hceneF reteP yb segamI

The Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 is definitely a good lens. It offers impressive image quality – enough to keep the most discerning pros happy – and has an excellent build. If you can do without the latter however it does start to look a little expensive, since other 50mm f/1.8 lenses can be found for less than £200. If you do buy one though, we’re sure you’ll be happy with it.

Left

Low light performer

Image sharpness Low chromatic aberration Filter compatibility Weather sealing Price 111

REVIEWS

ACCESS RIES

A collection of fun-yet-functional products for pro photographers

Right

VIVO X60 PRO Website:www.vivo.com

Left

GEARING TRIPOD KIT Website:www.gearingco.com

Price:£748/$634

Price:£1,350/$1,850 (approx)

The triple camera on this 5G-enabled smartphone was developed in partnership with Zeiss and comprises a 48MP f/1.5 26mm (equivalent) wide camera, a 13MP f/2.5 50mm (equivalent) standard camera and 13MP f/2.2 16mm (equivalent) ultra-wide unit with the standard and wide cameras featuring phase detection autofocusing. All three deliver good-quality images with plenty of impact.

This highly adaptive tripod has Leica Store UK approval and comes in a smart box with all the components arranged for you to assemble in the configuration you require. It can form a full-size tripod, a mini tripod, a monopod or trekking poles with a couple of feet options. The legs are made from carbon fibre and the camera mounts on the ball head via an unusual clamp with a magnet.

Above

Above

LENSBABY OBSCURA 16 Website:lensbaby.com Price:£229/$250

This standalone 16mm ‘lens’ covers a full-frame sensor and is available in Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and L mounts. It rotates to select one of three ‘optics’, an f/22 zone plate, f/45 pinhole sieve and an f/90 pinhole.

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PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY TOTEPACK Website:www.peakdesign.com Price:£133/$180

As you might guess, this bag combines the clean looks and grab handles of a tote bag with the (hideaway) shoulder straps of a backpack. It can hold a mirrorless camera and four or five lenses which may be accessed via the top or from either side. Each opening closes with a sturdy zip with the side zips having anti-theft loops. There’s also a padded 15-inch laptop sleeve and a tablet sleeve.

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PEAK DESIGN LEASH Website:www.

peakdesign.com Price:£30/$40 Peak Design’s slimmest strap has been refreshed for 2021 and launched in Sage (green) and Midnight (blue) as well as the existing Ash (grey) and Black. It’s adjustable between 83-145cm and is ideal for smaller cameras like the Nikon Z fc reviewed in our last issue.

Peak Design supplies the Leash with four anchor loops for quick attachment plus an Anchor Mount in case you want to attach the strap to the bottom of the camera via the tripod bush.

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WD ELEMENTS SE SSD Website:www.westerndigital.com

Price:£75/$103(approx) for 480GB

While this compact (64.51 x 64.51 x 8.63mm) Solid State Storage Drive (SSD) is aimed at consumers rather than professionals, it has read speeds of up to 400MB/s and it takes less than 20 seconds for 3.5GB of images from the 45MP Nikon Z7 II to transfer to it. The images also render quickly in Adobe Camera Raw and you can edit them without lag.

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SANDISK EXTREME PRO SDXC UHS-I Website:www.westerndigital.com

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Price: £24/$19 for 64GB

SYNCO G1 A2 Website:www.syncoaudio.com

With transfer speeds of up to 170M/s, this UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) UHS-I card enables 4K video recording and fast continuous shooting rates without the expense of a UHS-II card. It’s available in capacities from 64GB to 1TB but at £55/$61 for a 256GB card, that’s what we’d go for.

Synco supplies this wireless microphone kit in a smart semi-rigid case and includes two transmitters with built-in mics as well as two lavalier mics that can be connected to them if you need a more discreet arrangement. The receiver and transmitters have clips so they can be attached to clothes and their built-in battery life is rated as eight hours.

Price:£137/$149

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PRO COLUMN

AN OCEAN OF FEELINGS Dafna Tal explores the realm of emotions through underwater photography

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or as long as I can remember, I have been curious about the non-physical dimensions of our world: the hidden world of our feelings, thoughts and perceptions. I wanted to know what motivates us, and what makes us take certain decisions that direct our lives in one way or another.

I explore human perceptions, behaviours and beliefs by working with different and unique communities. I conducted an interreligious experiment in Jerusalem, worked with a community of monks and nuns in the Holy Land, and created a project with an international community of dancers who spoke honestly about their true self-image.

Each project has its own challenges, and each is a journey of inner and outer discovery.

Lately, I have found a new interest in engaging in the world of feelings and emotions, which led me to the depths of the sea. Like the world of emotion, the sea is an unpredictable world of power and life. It, too, can thrive or be harmed.

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All images © Dafna Tal

unable to see or even control Why engage in emotions at their body movements. I am all? Some of the most important also working on a series of goals we set for ourselves underwater portraits where I aim relate to the emotional world, to capture moments of fragility. because everyone wants to be It’s impossible to speak about happy and joyful. At the same underwater photography without time, little attention is given to mentioning the technical aspect. understanding and experiencing My photo gear includes a Canon feelings. There’s a lack of PRO BIO EOS-R5 camera, a Canon RF awareness of the tremendous Dafna is a visual artist, 24-70mm f2.8 lens, a Nauticam benefit of experiencing the Canon ambassadorand commercial photographer. underwater housing and a pair full range of emotions, both She creates with of Inon strobes to help me deal “pleasant” and “unpleasant”, and photography,video and an understanding that addressing sound, exploring theinner with the underwater challenges and constantly changing factors. them is a vital process that leads thoughts and feelings of various communities.

Good diving ability is also to emotional maturity. @dafna_tal_studio essential, and scuba diving is a Underwater photography allows me to express emotional experiences. sport I have been involved in for years. But what is important is that every technical One of my projects includes a series of matter is solvable. Eventually, it becomes people I captured as they crash into the intuitive and allows the photographer to water. Their sudden entry into the rigid go beyond the technique, and focus on the surface is manifested as a state of shock, when one is wrapped by a cloud of confusion, creative expression.