amateurphotographer18042020 by leshabarad

Saturday 18 April 2020

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r e d n u n w o d Z 50 mirrorless a wizard

£2.99 FIELD TEST

FILM SPECIAL

Is Nikon’s latest ? x a m li -c ti n a n a e d o p ti n A r of Oz o

Passionate about photography since 1884

How to archive and share your analogue back catalogue

Tamron exclusive

The indy lens maker talks about its latest products and plans

Pinhole: the scenic route

Using this lo-ﬁ technique for stunning pictures

Beaton: the early years The quirky portrait legend’s record of the pre-war decades

Happy accident how water damage revitalised Gideon Mendel’s ﬁlm shots

You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy iconic new. A true icon earns its status. A powerhouse when launched, the M9 was the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest, fullframe digital system camera - proving that small can truly pack a big punch. See our current stock of this Icon at www.mpb.com

Buy. Sell. Trade. Change gear.

7days

A week in photography COVER PICTURES © PAUL SANDERS / © MARTIN HENSON

According to our recent survey 21% of our readers still shoot film. But over 80% of you used to. If you’re like me you probably have ring binders full of negatives and slides stored away somewhere, and ‘one day’ you plan to go through them and digitise the best ones so that you can share them online. Well, today may be that day. What better time to embark

on such a worthy endeavour? This week we present a guide to the various methods of turning your analogue photos into pixels, and test a couple of accessories designed for the purpose. We also look back at the early work of one of Britain’s most celebrated photographers and, with World Pinhole Day coming up on 26 April, we present some great pinhole photography to inspire you. Nigel Atherton, Editor

Contribute to Amateur Photographer If you’d like to see your words or pictures published in Amateur Photographer, here’s how:

This week’s cover image

Something to say? Write to us at ap@ti-media.com with your letters, opinion columns (max 500 words) or article suggestions. Pictures Send us a link to your website or gallery, or attach a set of low-res sample images (up to a total of 5MB) to appicturedesk@ti-media.com. Join our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram communities or the gallery on our website.

This coastal image was taken at Uig Sands on Harris, Outer Hebrides, by landscape photographer Paul Sanders

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This week in 1917

In this issue

TREASURES FROM THE HULTON ARCHIVE

3 7 days 8 AP meets Tamron 12 It’s good to share 14 From analogue mono to digital magic 21 Inbox 24 Beaton’s Bright Young Things 32 Pinhole: Going the scenic route 36 Photo stories 38 Reader Portfolio 40 Join the club

49 Kaiser FilmCopy Vario Kit 52 Accessories 55 Tech talk 66 Final Analysis

42 Travelling light: Nikon Z 50 field test

Land Girls by Topical Press Agency This picture shows female war workers at Cross Farm, Shackleton, Surrey. We often think of Land Girls as being particularly associated with World War Two, but The Women’s Land Army (WLA) was originally set up in 1917 before being disbanded at the end of the First World War. It reformed in June 1939 and made a significant contribution to domestic war efforts. With the necessity to grow more food at home, rather than rely

on foreign imports, but with many male agricultural workers joining the armed forces, it was women who were needed for the new rural workforce. At first the WLA was staffed by volunteers, but conscription started in December 1941. At its peak in 1944, more than 80,000 women were working as Land Girls, who did a variety of jobs in all weathers and conditions, and could be directed to work anywhere in the country.

The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of the London Stereoscopic Company in 1854, today it houses over 80 million images spanning the birth of photography to the digital age. Explore it at www.gettyimages.com.

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BIG

picture Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 named AN IMAGE taken by French photographer Greg Lecoeur has seen him win the title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020. Beating off competition from more than 550 entries from 70 countries around the world, the image depicts Antarctic crabeater seals. To capture the shot, Lecoeur travelled to Antarctica on a small yacht, which enabled him to document wildlife on drifting icebergs – he called the image ‘Frozen Mobile Home’. The competition also named several other winners, including British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020, which went to Nicholas More from Devon for his shot of rabbit fish. For more details, and to see all of the winning images, visit underwaterphotographer oftheyear.com.

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Zeiss Photography Award winners named

Words & numbers

They are at the tough end of things, the people in my photographs. It’s about the struggle for work, being out of work, ﬁghting for work

SOUTH Korean photographer KyeongJun Yang has won the Zeiss Photography Award 2020. The theme this year was Seeing Beyond – Discoveries, and Yang focused on the experiences of immigrants in the US for his project, called Metamorphosis. His main subject was Julie Chen, who moved from China to the United States after her parents separated when she was 12, and has lived there ever since. Each photo in the series is paired with a quote or passage from Julie Chen describing her experiences as an immigrant, her sense of loneliness and divided identity. ‘Winning this award still feels like a dream,’ said Yang. ‘I am glad not only because I’ve

Chris Killip

Documentary photographer

An image from KyeongJun Yang’s winning series Metamorphosis

SOURCE: NIKON

$250

won, but also because now I know I’m not the only person who likes my images. I’m happy my photographs have been enjoyed by others, somehow they don’t seem as lonely any more.’ He will receive t12,000 worth of Zeiss lenses as well as t3,000 to cover the cost of his next photography project. Nine other photographers were shortlisted for the Zeiss Photography Award this year, including two from the Russian Federation. Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the award ceremony –which is part of the Sony World Photography Awards – has been postponed until further notice, along with the exhibition that had been scheduled to open in London in April.

Total value of Nikon School tutorials being offered for free in April See www.nikonevents.com/us/live/ nikon-school-online

Vanguard helps beat lockdown boredom

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ACCESSORY maker Vanguard has set up a weekly photo competition called #BeatTheBoredom, designed to help photographers to keep busy during the coronavirus lockdown. Anyone can enter and share a photo that they’ve taken during the lockdown, or taken before the restrictions were enforced, along with a few words about the photo/project. Entries are submitted through Vanguard’s social media channels at VanguardPhotoUK and VanguardNature. ‘Clearly, any entry must not break the rules the

government has introduced, but otherwise there are few restrictions,’ a Vanguard spokesperson said. Every Friday the company will publish a shortlist on the VanguardPhotoUK Facebook page for people to vote on over the weekend. Vanguard will then choose a winner and two runners-up from the top ﬁve photos, and the winners will be announced on the Monday. The week’s winner will receive a £100 gift voucher; the runners-up each win £25 vouchers, to spend on anything on www. vanguardworld.co.uk.

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Geoff with Tamron’s Minoru Ando (left) and Kenji Nakagawa (right)

AP meets Tamron

For the final report from his recent trip to Japan following the CP+ show cancellation, Geoff Harris sits down with some top people from Tamron WITH an aggressive marketing strategy, a commitment to high-quality yet affordable lenses and savvy targeting of Sony users, Tamron is a company punching above its weight. Tamron’s R&D and manufacturing budgets maybe be dwarfed by the likes of the big camera makers, but that doesn’t stop it hard charging for market share, despite stiff 8

competition. There’s a lot of interest in its latest lens, the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD for Sony E-mount, with the VXD standing for Voice-coil eXtremetorque Drive – this technology enables quieter, quicker AF drives and is a big breakthrough, according to the company. To find out more about this lens and Tamron’s future plans, I went

to the firm’s HQ in Saitama, north west of Tokyo, to meet Kenji Nagakawa, Product Manager of Product Planning Dept, Imaging Products Business Unit, along with Minoru Ando, General Manager of the Optical Design and Engineering Research and Development Unit, and Kumiko Saito, Manager of the Marketing Planning Dept, Imaging Products

Business Unit. The welcome was as warm as ever.

AP Had Tamron been planning to announce any new lenses at CP+? KN Not for the moment. We were supposed to show the 70180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD, which is already announced, and were looking forward to consumers getting to grips with it – but that is no longer possible, obviously. AP What are the particular strong points of this new lens? KN It’s a full-frame mirrorless lens

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The new 70-180mm, which Geoff is holding, joins the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD and the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD

AF switch on the body either. With the IS systems in camera bodies now being so good, we can avoid having to also include it in the lens. If we had gone for 200mm, however, we would have needed to use IS inside. So to conﬁrm, in order to keep the ﬁlter size at 67mm, we needed to keep the focal length at 180mm. Also, the AF speed is super-fast and accurate, it’s really amazing!

and only for Sony E mount. It’s also compact, which is important to us. Although 70-180mm f/2.8 seems a strange focal length, as other makers have 70-200mm f/2.8, this means the lens can be smaller, shorter and weigh less.

AP Any plans to develop lenses for the Nikon Z and Canon RF? KN and MA Hmm, an interesting question (laughter). Of course we are seeing customer demands for lenses for these mounts, so we are now analysing the technology. We are trying to make this happen, but we have only so much R&D resource, and we’d have to start from scratch with the Nikon Z and Canon RF. With Sony, all the specifications are already there. It’s the same situation with Fujifilm X-mount. We are certainly interested in developing lenses with Fujifilm, but currently we just don’t have the option.

AP How do you feel about the continuing fall in DSLR market share, when it comes to AP That is good to hear… some interchangeable-lens cameras? higher-end full-frame mirrorless KN We don’t think the market for DSLRs will disappear as a lot of cameras are the same size and photographers already own these weight as DSLRs... cameras and have invested a lot of KN Yes. Everyone requires highmoney in building up their systems quality images, but we are always – these are already expensive trying to think about how we can items. According to forecasts from reduce the size, and this is a real the CIPA trade body, while challenge. Because this lens’s telephoto range is 180mm, rather demand for DSLR lenses will than 200mm, we can avoid having continue to shrink, it certainly won’t disappear for a while. For an IS unit inside and also go for a the moment, mirrorless is the big smaller ﬁlter size, in this case 67mm. It’s a trade-off. There is no market trend. subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020

AP How has your business been affected by coronavirus? KN and KS We have factories in China, Vietnam and northern Japan, so yes it has caused us problems. Sales in China decreased and our factory also closed, but it is restarting again now. Then there is the problem of getting hold of components from

all of our suppliers. A Tamron lens uses 120 to 160 parts, and the majority of them are made in China. The latest announcement from Tamron and how we are responding is at bit.ly/tamroncv. We have something very attractive in the pipeline which we look forward to telling you about soon.

VXD and more Find out more about the stand-out features of this well-specced zoom for Sony full-frame ● The Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD for full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras features a compact and lightweight design, weighing 815g and coming in at 149mm in length. ● The lens uses the same 67mm ﬁlter diameter as other Tamron lenses in this series, namely the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD and the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD. ● The optical design includes several specialised glass elements that contribute to the lens’s imaging performance, and its short 33.5in MOD (Minimum Object Distance) expands overall versatility. ● The lens adopts Tamron’s newly developed VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism, to produce a quiet, quick autofocus drive. ● Other features include a Moisture-Resistant Construction helpful for outdoor shooting and Fluorine Coating for easy maintenance. ● Launch date spring 2020 (to be conﬁrmed, along with pricing).

The new lens features a quick autofocus drive and compact design

In next week’s issue

Viewpoint

On sale Tuesday 21 April © HENRIK SPRANZ (SPRANZ.ORG)

Terence Foster If money were no object, what would you buy as a photographic treat and how would you make your choice?

acts can sometimes shock more than fiction. Someone I’ve known closely for decades suddenly enjoyed an unexpected and massive financial windfall. After moving house and buying new cars for the family his attention turned to buying a great new camera. And that was the brain teaser. An open budget with no real upper limit is not an opportunity many of us will face, but what a prospect! His photography profile is modest in terms of previous buys. He went from a quality compact to an SLR in film days and then seemed to falter with the advent Is a three-lens smartphone enough to satisfy of the digital era. More recently he has a deep-pocketed camera customer? relied on a smartphone, citing simplicity and portability as key merits. Flattered though I was to be asked for ‘A luxury four-day my opinion on his next camera choice, there was a sudden wake-up about where London break gave him to start. Should he go for the latest in two days of dedicated mirrorless or stick to something that was top dealer visits’ more akin to his past?

Garden

safari

and telephoto lens would enter into Several quizzing sessions, over some the reckoning. quality red wine as a bonus, covered a lot A luxury four-day London break gave of ground. What did he want, and more him two days of dedicated top dealer importantly what did he not want? visits. Much as these face-to-face Gradually a likely path forward emerged; encounters clarified things, some clouded gone were thoughts of an elaborate DSLR the issue with attempts of upscaling to outfit; gone too was anything in the big unwanted specifications. Demonstrations and bulky category. There were no brand on the whole were good, and even brief favourites, neither were there any handling times shaped his thinking specific must-haves in technical terms. towards a final pick. While it was not exactly a clean-sheet-ofShortly after these eye-opening paper start there were enough clues encounters his expected phone call was emerging to help shape his thinking. How no surprise, though his decision was. Yes, important were basic things like ease of he liked what his checked selections could operating, the simplicity of settings and do, but no, he had not found anything everyday comfort in the hand? Would he satisfying enough to make him spend. The also want to print his own pictures unlike upshot was quite simple. He had opted for before, and at what size, with a printer a three-lens smartphone, and is very added to his kit? pleased with it. A thinning process resulted in a It seems that having the money is a prospective target of a top-notch huge plus but not finding what you want compact camera emerging as favourite, can be the big minus. probably with interchangeable lenses, to T John Foster has been a dedicated AP reader since 1957. satisfy his own declarations of interest. His interests cover travel, event and street photography. Besides a standard zoom, a wideangle

Do you have something you’d like to get off your chest? Send us your thoughts in around 500 words to the address on page 21 and win a year’s digital subscription to AP, worth £79.99 10

Nature on your doorstep – experts’ tips for taking great images in the back garden

Fujifilm X100V CONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK S SSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE OR TI MEDIA LIMITED

A path forward

Michael Topham tests the latest version of this classic advanced compact

On the record Gered Mankowitz and other luminaries talk about shooting iconic album covers

Shared goals Peter Dench on the positive impact of football at grassroots level in 20 countries

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Create your art with cutting-edge science. ZEISS Batis Lenses

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ZEISS engineering for Sony E-Mount1 cameras. Photography is the art of capturing time and space – the creation of breathtaking pictures, with the perfect look. With ZEISS Batis Lenses, everything comes together: Vivid colours, sharpness down to the last detail and state-ofthe-art optical design that ensures an outstanding bokeh. Art and science in unison – that´s what we call the ZEISS Look. www.zeiss.com/batis | www.zeiss.com/photo/dealer 1

Sony and E-Mount are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.

The best pictures on social media this week

#appicoftheweek Untitled by Bryn Webley

Canon 6D, 33mm, 10sec at f/11, ISO 100

*PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 28 DAYS FOR DELIVERY

Thirty-year-old Bryn is from Bristol and took this image in the city. As he explains, ‘This art installation was in Millennium Square as part of Bristol Light Festival. Like flies, so many of us were drawn to this attractive piece so I had to wait until 11pm for it to be less busy. I shot this as a long exposure as the lights were set on sequences and I wanted them all lit up together. The installation is called “Frame Perspective” and was created by Olivier Ratsi’. See more of Bryn’s work on Instagram @brynwebley. Chosen by Nigel Atherton, Editor as our #appicoftheweek.

Each week we choose our favourite picture on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Win! Twitter or the reader gallery using #appicoftheweek. PermaJet proudly supports the online picture of the week winner, who will receive a top-quality print of their image on the finest PermaJet paper*. It is important to bring images to life outside the digital sphere, so we encourage everyone to get printing today! Visit www.permajet.com to learn more.

We also likedÉ Penshaw, Sunday By Graeme Pegman Fujifilm X-T3, 10-24mm, 15sec at f/4.5, ISO 250, tripod

‘Coming home from a trip to the Lakes one weekend, when the moon rose – we thought we’d climb Penshaw Hill to get a shot of the moon over Sunderland. However, the weather didn’t play its part, and the clouds came in. So this is a shot in the other direction. Penshaw Monument is usually lit, but in this instance it was lit in green to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the National Trust.’ Chosen by Andy Westlake, Technical Editor

Milford Sound By Miles and Tilly

Sony NEX-5N, 27mm, 1/320sec at f/8, ISO 100 Miles and Tilly describe themselves as ‘two clueless backpackers’. They are a couple from the UK who are travelling the globe. As they say, ‘Typically, it rains up to 200 days a year in Milford Sound [on New Zealand’s South Island] but when we were there, there was hardly a cloud in sight! We could see the sun setting down the fjord, creating this scene of the light bleeding through the silhouette of the surrounding sounds.’ Chosen by Amy Davies, Features Editor

The Cottage of Glencoe By Simon North

Nikon D3200, 14mm 1/18sec at f/.32, ISO 200 ‘I’m a passionate landscape photographer who loves trying to capture the emotions that being out in the great outdoors can give. This was taken in Glencoe and shows the beautiful cottage just below the amazing Buachaille Etive Mòr. By getting close to the cottage I felt that this would draw emphasis towards its beauty.’ Chosen by Michael Topham, Reviews Editor

Want to see your pictures here? Post them into our Instagram, Twitter, Flickr or Facebook communities or the gallery on our website. See page 3. subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020

Technique

This scanned image was shot on Ilford XP2 Super, using an Olympus XA3 film camera

KIT LIST ▲

Light source

A light source is required to illuminate the negatives. This should be evenly lit, diffused and bright enough not to slow shutter speed. It could be as simple as an iPad / tablet that is set to a white screen, an LED panel light or even a standard light box. Or you may have some other kind of lighting in your kit collection.

▲

Digital camera

Most modern digital cameras with interchangeable lenses will do a great job. If you don’t own one and will only use it for scanning, look for a cheap second-hand Canon model like the 550D as it has native macro lenses and tethering capabilities.

▲

Macro lens

A macro lens that can achieve 1:1 magnification ratio is essential for optimal scanning results as focus needs to be close enough for the negative to fill the entire frame without cropping in post-production. Don’t try to get away with a cheap zoom lens.

Copy stand The camera needs to be kept fixed and stable. It is possible to use a tripod but a dedicated copy stand is a much better option. Negative Supply’s ‘Pro Riser’ is an excellent choice. If you already own an enlarger you could also adapt this.

▲

Software

To convert your scanned negative into a positive, there are numerous options available. A great option for Lightroom users is Negative Lab Pro, a plug-in for inverting and editing scanned negs. You can get a free trial of 12 scans to see if it is right for you.

ALL PICTURES © MATT PARRY

From analog

to digital

Matt Parry

Matt Parry is an award-winning travel photographer and regular contributor to magazines and blogs. He is also the marketing manager for Ilford Photo, a role that reignited his love for film photography. His images can be seen at mattparryphoto.com or on Instagram @mattparryphotofilm.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to digitise your film archive, Matt Parry has lots of jargon-free insights and advice to make it a stress-free job

here are plenty of compelling reasons to use film. But with most images now shared or consumed online, many analogue photographers are also looking for the best ways to digitise their negatives. The principle of digitising negatives is nothing new but there are new tools to add to the tried and tested methods. Lab scans offer convenience, particularly if you are outsourcing the processing at the same time. However, what if you process your own film or want a greater degree of control over the output? Maybe you have an archive of negatives you want to digitise, making lab costs prohibitive. If so, then home scanning could be the perfect solution to what you are looking for.

Film Scanners There is a lot of choice when it comes to dedicated film scanning hardware but not all the options are good. The unfortunate reality is you get what you pay for so striking a balance between value, affordability and quality is key. Basic models may, at best, provide low-res scans from strips of 35mm negatives so if you are serious about digitising your negatives, or shoot multiple formats, it is advisable to stretch for a medium to higher-end flatbed scanner such as one of the Epson Perfection V series. While not always fast, high-end flatbeds will offer superior resolution, higher Dmax (image density/greater shadow detail) and better sharpness versus their

ue mono

magic

Negative Supply Film Carrier, Pro Riser, Canon 550D, 90mm macro lens 15

Keeping your negatives flat Flatbed scanners come with holders for most ﬁlm formats but keeping your negatives ﬂat when scanning with a digital camera is a challenge. Thankfully, there are a couple of innovative solutions around which smashed their Kickstarter targets.

Pixl-latr

● pixl-latr.com Surprisingly simple yet understatedly clever in its concept, Pixl-latr holds the negative ﬂat using a series of gates which are adjusted to the type of negative (135, 120 up to 4x5in). It all rests on a translucent base plate which diffuses the light. Add in the fact it is very affordable and this becomes a great entry-level option for scanning with a digital camera.

Negative Supply

● www.negative.supply Not cheap, but the 135 and 120 film carriers do an excellent job of holding the film flat while ensuring the film travels smoothly and in alignment. This can make the scanning process very quick with an un-cut 36-exposure 35mm film taking less than 5 minutes. Their Pro Mount adds levelling feet, raises the holder above the light source for better dispersion and adds the clever touch of an anti-static brush for removing dust particles. Accessories include their Pro Riser copy stand, slide film and 4x5in holder accessories. A Negative Supply 35mm film carrier along with anti static brush

cheaper counterparts. This will ultimately give you better-quality files with more scope for editing. Additionally, they will typically come packaged with software and a variety of holders for different formats of negatives. When buying or using any scanner it is worth bearing in mind that there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to scan resolution so don’t be misled by the numbers. The sweet spot for resolution is rarely the maximum the scanner will offer and going above this may only generate marginal gains or even deteriorate the quality of the scan. The scanner manufacturers will typically quote an optical resolution and an interpolated resolution, with the former being the key number to pay attention to. The manufacturer may also recommend an optimum resolution (dpi) setting and while this can be a good starting point, always run your own tests. When setting dpi remember: the higher it is, the longer the scan will take and the larger the final file size – sometimes without a comparable jump in image quality.

Which digital camera? As the technology in film scanners has stagnated, the technology and sensors in digital cameras have gone from strength to strength. It should therefore come as no surprise that using a DSLR or mirrorless camera for film scanning is now an increasingly popular and practical option, aided by the fact that many film photographers already own a digital camera.

Above left: Zoom-in on scan using Canon 550D and Tamron 90mm lens using Negative Supply Film Carrier and Negative Lab Pro. Above right: Zoom of scan with Fujifilm Frontier. No edits on either Main image: Ilford XP2 Super film from an Olympus XA3 camera, scanned with Canon EOS 550D DSLR and Tamron 90mm lens, converted with Negative Lab Pro (the unedited zoom-in comparison above is based on this image)

DIGITISING BLACK & WHITE FILM

Technique

Beach huts shot using Ilford XP2 Super film inside an Olympus XA3

The principle of how they scan is essentially the same. The negative is illuminated from below with a light source while captured from above by a digital imaging sensor. The key difference is that the process of capturing it with a camera can be significantly quicker than most dedicated scanners and creates comparable, if not superior, files. While you may need some additional items for this process (see Kit List), it is important to realise that you don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest camera to scan negatives. In fact, any DSLR or mirrorless camera, whether crop sensor or full frame, released in the past decade should be capable of doing the job well. The latest full-frame cameras will of course provide you with a raw file containing better resolution, more data and detail or even provide the option to utilise Pixel Shift type technology to combine multiple images of the same negative. Despite this, the lens choice is more important and best results will be achieved from using a macro lens or

macro extension tubes offering 1:1 image magniﬁcation.

Which software? The software you use for scanning plays the vital role of inverting the negative and creating the base image to edit. Before you start scanning in earnest, it is advisable to take some time to test different combinations of software and scan parameters to achieve a level of output you are happy with. The software and drivers that come with ﬁlm scanners can be limited and are often not updated in line with computer operating systems. Thankfully, there are many third-party options with broader scanner compatibility. SilverFast and VueScan are well established and reasonably well-regarded while newcomers include Lightroom plug-in Negative Lab Pro. Also keep an eye out for Develop & Fix which has just launched a desktop version of its mobile scanning app.

Workflow wisdom Before you start any type of home processing it is worth establishing a

‘There are many third-party driver options with broader scanner compatibility’

Digital ICE and black & white scans

WHY DO your black & white scans show more blemishes than your colour ones? There are a couple of very good reasons for this. The first is because common marks such as dust and scratches will typically be more obvious appearing as very small areas of white contrasting against the grey background on an inverted black & white scan. The second reason is due to Digital ICE technology (Infrared cleaning). Mini-lab and flatbed scanners often include the option to apply Digital ICE (Image Correction & Enhancement) technology which automatically finds and removes dust and scratches. While this works well on colour film, it unfortunately doesn’t work on conventional black & white films because the silver halide grains in a black & white negative confuse the infrared light scan that detects surface defects such as dust and scratches. The exception to this rule is Ilford XP2 Super. This is a chromogenic black & white film meaning it can use C-41 processing and scans like a colour film thanks to its use of dyes rather than silver. 17

Technique

DIGITISING BLACK & WHITE FILM

workflow that makes the process as quick and efficient as possible. Begin by using an air blower to remove the dust from your negatives before mounting into a holder. If using a flatbed, check the glass is also clean from smears and dust. Dust and marks can often be cloned out in the edit but clean negatives could save you considerable effort. If using a camera, tweak your aperture and shutter speed to match your setup. A good starting point is the camera’s lowest base ISO and shoot in aperture or manual mode and either auto or manual focus. Focus peaking in mirrorless cameras is a great help when using manual mode. Try a starting aperture somewhere around f/5.6 to give an optimum balance of depth of field and brightness while

Ilford Delta100, Olympus XA3, scanned with Canon 550D, Tamron 90mm prior to white balance adjustment

Ilford Delta100, Olympus XA3, scanned with Canon 550D, Tamron 90mm after white balance adjustment

A long exposure pre-sunrise shot. Ilford HP5 Plus, Rolleiflex f/2.8 F

aiming for a fast shutter speed to avoid any camera shake. The ability to tether the camera and capture direct to your computer will also help your workflow and if shooting large format consider taking multiple images across the negative and use stitching software to piece it together for maximum resolution. Finally, don’t forget to include storage and naming conventions for your newly scanned files. If your images end up in Lightroom it is also worth spending some time to add keywords such as film stock, camera used, location, dates and even push/pull and development information.

Editing your black & white scans

Ilford Delta100, Olympus XA3, scanned with Canon 550D, Tamron 90mm converted with Negative Lab Pro 18

The digitisation of any negative will alter its look and is determined by the hardware, software or both. This may be more prevalent in colour ﬁlm but it still impacts black & white negatives, particularly

contrast, sharpness and tone. Editing your scans simply ensures you are determining the final look, not the scanner. Despite this an ongoing debate rages over editing film and the degree with which it is acceptable. Personally, I like to remain as faithful as possible to the characteristics of the film stock so keep editing to a minimum. The benefit of this is a relatively quick and simple workflow. I limit edits to spot removing dust and scratches, straightening / cropping as well as tweaking exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows. I might add a light touch of clarity / dehaze if needed but I avoid sharpening and noise reduction tools as I find these tend to impact the grain more than the structure of the image, particularly in 35mm scans where grain is already more pronounced. After all, even digitised, I still prefer my grain to look like grain, not pixels.

Why not just shoot digital?

If the end-goal of shooting film is only to scan and share online then why not just shoot digital in the first place? This is a good question that many ask. Even without darkroom printing, the process of shooting film is still a different experience to digital. The limitations of frames, the aesthetics, the choice of formats, the opportunity to process film, the tangible output of a negative, the delay and anticipation of seeing your images, the necessity to think in black & white or the particular colour palette of your chosen film stock, the need to understand the latitude of that film, the way it slows you down and can make you more considered in your choice of shots and so on... All are compelling reasons to work with film which is why so many of us still choose to shoot it. Film is still hugely rewarding.

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I see there have been a number of articles written about mental health, recently so I just wanted to share my experiences. In January 1999 I suffered a nervous breakdown and spent three-and-a-half months in a mental institution. This was very terrifying initially, but you soon ﬁt in with the rest of the patients. When I came home, I literally sat and looked at four walls. I didn’t switch the TV on, I just sat. My kids came up with the idea of buying a camera, which I did. Then they suggested setting up an Instagram account – which I did, with their help. I now regularly post on Instagram, and in the short period of time that I have been doing it I’m now at 380 followers. Not bad for a 54-year-old bloke. I travel around using my disabled bus pass, and even go down to London. If it wasn’t for photography, I would still be staring at four walls, or worse. Recently I purchased my second Canon camera, which is much better than my 4000D. But I intend to use them both so I don’t have to keep

Win!

swapping lenses. I spend a lot of time on Instagram and Photoshop. I’ve completed online diplomas for smartphone photography and Lightroom, and I’m currently doing further diplomas on photography and Photoshop. So through gritted teeth, initially, I have truly got the photography bug. There is a message behind my story. That men, especially, shouldn’t suffer in silence. I did, and I was like a ticking time bomb. Eventually the bomb went off and I totally destroyed the family dynamic. So I urge anyone who is feeling low, to seek help as soon as possible. My wife left me, due to my depression, which was a blow, especially as I also have cancer, and I am in fact writing this from a hospital bed, having got my ﬁfth dose of pneumonia. But at the moment, all I’m thinking is when I get out, I can put my smart new camera through its paces. So I wanted to pass on the message that photography has changed my life. It has given me a purpose, and I’ve made a lot of online friends. Dave Varley

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It’s a Werra

Michael Kay is indeed correct when he identiﬁes the mystery camera on your 1965 Christmas cover as a Zeiss Werra (Inbox 14 March). It was one of my ﬁrst cameras and I loved it so much that a few years ago I sought out a second-hand model. It was exactly as I remembered, made by the Zeiss Jena factory in East Germany

Times have changed

I am a new subscriber to the magazine, having returned to photography after a long absence. I will give you an idea of how long if I tell you that my camera back then was a Zenit-B. I read all of the magazines for a few months before deciding I liked the style and content of AP the best. How things have changed while I have been away – digital SLRs, mirrorless, TTL, Nikon’s creative lighting system (CLS), and just about everything else in amateur photography. My Zenit did not even need a battery! I particularly like being able to look at the view through the lens on my tablet and to focus and ﬁre the camera alongside the myriad control functions that tethering allows me access to. Thank goodness for AP and good friends to guide me. One of the major differences today is the ability to keep shooting until you get the photograph you have in mind. Back then it was simply not affordable, and every shot that went wrong was another hit in the pocket. Of course, you wouldn’t know until you developed the ﬁlm or went to collect your prints, and by then it was often too late to take another shot. What I should like to suggest is a series of masterclasses for all us newbies and those trying to keep up with the ever-changing world of photography. The subjects

(DDR). It has a circular ring around the lens for advancing the ﬁlm and a rather neat incorporated lens hood that doubles as a lens cap when inverted. The lens is a 50mm Tessa with excellent optics. Needless to say it was eventually supplanted by a Zenit-E SLR, but it gave me excellent service for several years. Ian Macilwain A Zeiss Werra – named after a German river

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YOUR LETTERS

Alastair Purcell uses a Canon MG7750 printer

could include looking after your glass – after all these days many of us will have more investment in lenses and ﬁlters than in the camera body itself; choosing and using tethering programs and Wi-Fi adapters; and which software to buy (comparing the facilities they offer). The list is endless. It would not need to be every week, and it would be a great addition to the magazine. Perhaps before too long, I might be able to offer to write one of the articles myself. Thank you AP for a great read, I look forward to next week’s copy dropping through my letterbox. Jeff Dixon

In the pink

I was interested in Matthew Richards’ article about printing (Make your prints charming 25 January). He says that the printing colour space should be the same as the working colour space. Until now I have only selected one colour space in ‘Preferences’ in Lightroom rather than two. This is normally set to ProPhoto RGB colour space. I use a Canon MG7750 six-colour printer with an Apple iMac and a SpyderX colour calibration system. I have a colour proﬁle based on this printer and Canon lustre paper and have detected a pinkish colour cast on my printed photos. I have also changed the colour space in We cover all of these topics on a regular basis, ‘Preferences’ to Adobe RGB and to sRGB, but it doesn’t Jeff. Right now we are working our way through make any difference. If anyone is able to advise me guides to all of the main Wi-Fi apps, for example. I would be most grateful. Alastair Purcell

Film is fun

As a born-again photographer, I felt I had to reply to George Aldridge’s letter in this week’s AP (Inbox 7 March). I shoot ﬁlm because it’s fun. I shoot digital because it’s fun too. Film is more of a challenge than digital but more rewarding when it works. Film cameras are, on the whole, more beautiful and using them is a great way to start a chat with complete strangers. Who needs a dog? Digital is great because you can see what you’ve done but can be disheartening because you see how far you’ve yet to go. Simon Irwin

Color/Intensity section, select Manual and click the Set button. Finally, choose Standard as the sample type, rather than Portrait, Landscape and so on. You can also make any adjustments to the cyan, magenta and yellow sliders, if necessary – Matthew Richards, AP contributor

Back in the day A wander through the AP archive. This week we pay a visit to April 1983

1983

Escaping history

Regarding your Final Analysis (7 March) ‘Little Rock, Arkansas’, 2016. Place names leap off the page (Aberfan, Dunblane) and colour our view of it. The photographer seems to be saying ‘look at this average, nondescript, generally uneventful afternoon’. Let’s hope that it’s typical of the city today. What can you tell from a single picture? Less than from a 1,000-word essay on life in Little Rock now, but enough to suggest an absence of race riots like those in 1957, when nine black children tried to enrol in a bastion of white education, Little Rock Central High School. The neighbourhood looks quiet, reasonably prosperous, and the people of different ethnicities seem to be getting along adequately. That’s progress. Martin Shepherd

I’ve often found that Canon printers give a slightly warm or pinkish tinge to colour rendition, especially when using the Auto Color/Intensity option. Printing from Lightroom, I’d select the Managed by Printer option for colour management. Next, click on the Printer button to open the print properties/preferences dialog box. Under the Final Analysis 7 March 2020 Main tab, go to the

YOU CAN feel the positive vibes coming from this April, 1983 issue – as in positive transparency ﬁlm. Firstly the regular Feedback feature was designed with the images set in slide mounts. The cover may say ‘Why pictures are rejected’ but in truth it was just those of poor Gordon Brake, whose pictures were trashed by AP’s resident critic. The big feature was AP’s test of the new, improved Cibachrome-A II process. Cibachrome-A had been all the rage as a positive to positive printing process for transparencies, aimed at home darkroom users, because it produced very sharp, saturated prints on the glossiest, shiniest paper it is possible to imagine. But it was extremely temperamental, which made it hard to get consistent results. Cibachrome-A II was much better, found AP’s John Wilmott. ‘The new stuff is marvellous,’ he enthused. ‘Much more mellow and pleasant than its predecessor.’ Little mention was made of Cibachrome’s highly noxious, sulphurous chemistry which not only burned through your drainpipes but your lungs too, if handled incorrectly.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Makeyourtravel shotssingwith

Skylum Luminar Top Dutch photographer, Max Rive, shows how to use Skylum Luminar to make his travel shots look even more spectacular

ith a lot of photographers unable to get out much at the moment, it’s a perfect time to work on your photoediting skills. If you haven’t tried it before, Skylum Luminar is a powerful editing application and a great alternative to Lightroom and Photoshop. Here are some editing tips from Max Rive, an adventurer from the Netherlands who is lucky enough to able able to capture some of the most picturesque places on our planet. His career in landscape photography began in 2008 with his first trip to the Swiss Alps. In this tutorial, Max shares some of his favourite editing techniques in Skylum Luminar 4. It is based on a handheld shot he took in Argentinian Patagonia on an autumn morning with the Nikon D800 and Nikon 14-24mm lens, but can be applied to any image.

1. Start in the Essentials tab After installing the software, the Essentials tab is the place to locate your image and start the key edits involved in making your travel images look as good possible. around 16.7 million display colours, EIZO ColorEdge monitors cover 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space* supporting 30bit colour, and can extend the colour gamut into over 1 billion colours.

As Max’s final shot reveals, this is a great program for perfecting your travel shots

darker and lighter parts of the image. Here, Max decreased the highlights by 100 and increased the shadows by 42 It’s best to adjust the contrast at the end because further edits will affect it.

3. Using the AI Enhance menu Next, Max uses the AI Sky Enhancer tool to darken the sky and add contrast – really useful on a lot of travel images. In this case, he set AI Sky Enhancer to 100. Note that the blues are now oversaturated, but this can be fixed later.

4. Saturation and brightness In the Advanced menu, we can increase the saturation and brightness to enhance the autumnal foliage. Let’s darken and decrease the saturation of the blues to make them more natural and provide separation from the bright mountain, using Edits (Hue/Saturation/Luminance). The settings are: red (0/+61/+63); Orange (-9/+31/+46); Yellow (-40/+8/+30); Green (0/0+79); Aqua (0/-40/+66); Blue (0/-26/33).

Step 7

8. Dodge and burn This done, use the dodge and burn tool on the river at various sizes and with 50% strength. Brightening the river separates it from the surrounding forest and makes it a leading line.

9. Split toning Finally, go to the Split Toning menu to boost the warmth. The easiest way to pick a tone is to increase the saturation by a lot, see if you like the colour, then slide it back to something like 31. For the shadows, Max uses the same technique but for bluish tones, he sets the Saturation to 13.

5. Using the Details Enhancer

10. Fine-tune the saturation

Adjusting small details with the Details Enhancer sharpens the image without changing the overall contrast. In this case, Max sets Small Details to 17.

Now that the adjustments are finished, let’s return to step 4 to fine-tune the colour saturation. Max sets the orange at 24 and blue at -42. A a final step, export the image as a JPEG with the sRGB colour profile.

2. Get exposure spot on

6. Get mystical

We’ll begin with the exposure, making sure we have plenty of details in both the

Now we’ll go to the Creative tab and adjust the Mystical amount, leaving the shadows alone so the image looks dreamy. In this case, Max set the Mystical level to 30

Max Rive: travel photographer

7. Using the Professional lab

Step 2

Now, continue in the Professional tab with an Adjustable gradient to decrease the saturation of the blues and darken the sky. Go to Set orientation, move the gradient to the top, resize the gradient so the middle is around the top of the mountain. Then Decrease the Highlights by 22 and the Vibrance by 44.

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n Visit www.skylum.com to download a 14-day trial of Luminar 4 and start editing immediately. If you like the results, use the exclusive discount code AP to save £10 on the full purchase price 23

Beaton’s

ALL IMAGES © CECIL BEATON STUDIO ARCHIVE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

CECIL BEATON

Bright B Young Things The early photographic work of the legendary Cecil Beaton features in an exhibition planned for the National Portrait Gallery. Steve Fairclough discovers more 24

ack in the 1920s ‘Bright Young Things’ was a nickname given by the tabloid press of the time to a select band of bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in London. Amongst their number was an aspiring, self-taught, photographer called Cecil Beaton, who was mixing with the likes of actress Tallulah Bankhead, artist Rex Whistler, poet Edith Sitwell, composer William Walton and many others. Beaton was training his lens on many of them, which resulted in a series of portraits from the golden period between the two World Wars. Almost a century after his first photograph was published in Vogue, in 1924, over 130 of Beaton’s images from this glamorous and stylish era feature in a new exhibition – Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things – planned at the

Above: The Bright Young Things at Wilsford, 1927 Above left: Cecil Beaton by Paul Tanqueray, 1937. National Portrait Gallery, London

National Portrait Gallery, London. The exhibition also features paintings by Beaton’s friends from that period and other ephemera, such as Beaton’s first ever camera, his magazines, scrapbooks, book jackets and letters. To discover more about the exhibition AP spoke to its curator, Robin Muir, who has spent several years tracking down rarely seen Beaton photographs to include within the show. We also spoke to three major British photographers – John Swannell, Rankin and Jason Bell – to get an insight into the influence of Beaton, which endures 40 years after his death.

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ROBIN MUIR, VOGUE ARCHIVIST & EXHIBITION CURATOR

Robin Muir is the archivist at Vogue magazine and is a contributing editor to the world-famous fashion magazine. He was previously photo editor of British Vogue. He curated the major 2016 exhibition Vogue 100: A Century of Style for the National Portrait Gallery in London and wrote its accompanying book

What’s the timeline for this Cecil Beaton exhibition? ‘This exhibition starts in 1924. I chose 1924 because it was the very first time that Beaton had a photograph published in Vogue. He was 20 years old and it was a portrait of a fellow student at Cambridge University, playing the Duchess of Malfi. Vogue becomes his great patron all the way through his life. The very last [Beaton] pictures were still done for Vogue. In 1979 his last great fashion sitting was for Paris Vogue – he did the collections for them at the age of 75, so he had a very long association with the magazine. ‘I finish the exhibition in 1937 when he has this extraordinary outside party at Ashcombe House, his Wiltshire country home. It was one of the great parties of the

century and it’s when the storm clouds are beginning to collect around middle Europe; it’s not looking great and this party in Beaton’s home brings down the curtain on an era. So, it’s 1924 to 1937, when he is working out that he can become a photographer and what can photography do for him? Can it advance him? It’s about him starting out, how he reacts to photography, how it reacts to him and where it’s going to take him next. It’s a very exciting and inventive time for him.’ How long did it take to develop this exhibition? ‘The exhibition is basically going right back to the original vintage prints that Beaton made, so it’s either the ones he kept for himself or the one he gave to his sitter. It

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took about four years to track down these extraordinary pictures. It’s very much what we might term “analogue”. It’s all black & white and it’s all prints that were made from 10x8in negatives or 5x4in negatives. It’s very old school in that sense. ‘The way the exhibition came about was very odd. I started my own Instagram feed. I’m sort of the Vogue historian, so I put on lots of interesting Vogue pictures from the past that people might not have known. Then I started doing it with the Cecil Beaton holding at the National Portrait Gallery, partly doing these “Bright Young Things” feeds. ‘The deputy director of the National Portrait Gallery was following me on Instagram and she said, “I’ve been looking 25

CECIL BEATON

at what you’re doing and I love it. Do you feel we can turn this Bright Young Things into an exhibition?” There’s a sort of hilariousness about the fact that it was a digital intervention that made this exhibition come to life. I didn’t need to do a proposal – the National Portrait Gallery just saw what I was doing and we turned it into the show.’ Was choosing the exhibition’s images a long process? ‘It was. I kind of knew exactly the people I wanted to focus on, which was this “Bright Young Things” movement. I knew who the key players were… Stephen Tennant, Daphne du Maurier, Rex Whistler, William Walton, the Sitwells, the Jungman sisters. Once I’d got my list of names, I had to see whether Beaton had actually photographed them, because nobody gets into the show unless Beaton had some sort of relationship with them. ‘You spend an awful lot of time talking to people, looking on the internet, going to all kinds of out-ofthe-way archives just in case there’s something there. I’ve got a lot of photographs from an awful lot of lenders to this show. A lot of them are from private collections and a lot are from institutions like the Met in New York and the Museum of the City of New York – most museums have some sort of holding of Beaton’s work. Trying to narrow it down to this sort of specific group of people was time

consuming and fantastic. It’s great that these treasures have unearthed themselves. ‘I scour auction house records to see what Cecil Beaton pictures have done and then, once you’ve found the picture that, say, sold at Sotheby’s in 1992, you play this sort of very strange dance where Sotheby’s acts as a “dead letter drop”. So, I write a note to this anonymous buyer of Cecil Beaton’s photographs; Sotheby’s passes it on and I hope that at the other end that the guy or the girl will tell the person that’s bought it still has it and will agree to lend it. There are all these kind of strange patterns, paths and mazes that you go through to try and locate the pictures you want. This is why exhibitions such as this take quite a lot of time to do.’ So what exactly is in the exhibition? ‘You’ll be confronted by about 140 images. I always think that you’ve got to leave people wanting more. The images all look very beautiful as we’ve got some lovely antique frames. It’ll be very much a Beatonesque installation and we’ll go quite over-the-top with the sort of Beatonesque design – pillars, verre eglomisé, mirrors, silver and so on. ‘This is all about surface sheen and how beautiful he can make his sitters look… how they never dreamed they could be as beautiful as Beaton has made them. It’s a sort of complete celebration of the

Right: Nancy and Baba Beaton by Cecil Beaton, 1926

Below left: Maxine Freeman-Thomas dressed for Ascot in the year 2000 for the Dream of Fair Women Ball by Cecil Beaton, 1928 Below: Edith Sitwell at Sussex Gardens by Cecil Beaton, 1926

superficial in early 20th century photography. I don’t think it’s any the worse for that – you’ve got very beautiful objects as well. It’s split into various sections. There’s a little section to begin with on Beaton as a child, a boy growing up. We’re also showing his very first camera, which we’ve borrowed from the Fox Talbot Museum.’ Where do you put Cecil Beaton in the pantheon of great photographers? ‘With regards to being a photographer I don’t think there is anyone, in the context of Vogue and fashion and portrait photography of a certain kind, that really has the range in the 20th century that Beaton had. He was very lucky to be starting out in the ’20s, which was a very fertile time, and he was lucky 26

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CECIL BEATON

JOHN SWANNELL John Swannell is a leading fashion, beauty and portrait photographer. He started his career, aged 16, in the Vogue Studios before assisting David Bailey and then setting up his own studio. He has worked for magazines such as Vogue, Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Times and Tatler and is also well known for his portraits of the Royal Family. He has also shot famous film stars, musicians and politicians. He has had 13 books of his work published so far. To see more of his work go to www.johnswannell.com Was Cecil Beaton an inspiration for your photography? ‘He was. If you think of all of the photographers in the 20th century, there’s Bill Brandt, David Bailey and Cecil Beaton. I think those three are probably – I always think of them as the three Bs; Beaton, Bailey and Brandt – the best photographers and they’re completely different. Bailey changed fashion in the ’60s completely and basically took over from Cecil Beaton. ‘Cecil Beaton was very into fashion right up to the end of the ’60s, mainly because of My Fair Lady, which he won an [Academy] award for, but he did a lot of pictures during the war. He was a strange photographer because he was almost like an amateur photographer, which is a funny thing to say, but his pictures were sort of on the verge of being amateur, but there was something about his pictures that nobody else had. ‘I spoke to the Queen Mother about him [Beaton] when I photographed her 100th birthday and brought him up; she adored him and she said he was one of her favourite photographers. But, he was lucky because when photographing the Royal Family in those days they wore beautiful long dresses, tiaras, jewellery and stuff and today, when I photograph The Queen, it’s twinset and pearls. It’s not quite the same [level of] romance whereas Beaton had it all in front of him to do, so he was very lucky in that way, and that’s why his pictures look so romantic.’ What was your experience of meeting and working with Beaton? ‘I was one of six assistants at Vogue Studios years ago, when I was about 19, and I got assigned to work with him. It was one of his last jobs actually; he’d kind of lost it by this time and wasn’t sure about looking through cameras any more even. But it was enjoyable; he still had a good eye. When I met him, because I was on the list to work with him that day, I was in the loo having a pee and he came in and started having a pee next to me. I said, “Mr. Beaton, I’m working with you today”, and he said, “Well, it’s not the kind of place for an introduction is it, my boy?” I said, “No, you’re right,” and then he laughed out loud – it was quite funny. So that was my introduction to Cecil Beaton. I literally only worked with him that once.’

to get picked up in the ’60s by the whole [Mick] Jagger, [Keith] Richards, Andy Warhol crowd. He was great friends with David Hockney and he was always looking for something new in the arts and responding to it. His sort of photographic index is a roll call of the 20th century. There’s so few people that escaped his lens, so he was a very, very important figure.’ What reaction do you hope the exhibition gets? ‘I’m very keen that it’s an exhibition that’s really a joy for people to come and see. I don’t want them to think awfully hard. I think that exhibitions that really make people have to work very, very hard to understand them… there is a place for them, but you can’t do that with Beaton – he’s too much fun.’

What do you think Cecil Beaton’s legacy is? ‘He was just one of the greatest, most distinguished and most stylish English photographers that has come out of Great Britain. He’s up there with the best of them. He was always so stylish. He dressed immaculately and was a bit of a dandy really.’

Beaton at Sandwich, in the early 1920s

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‘I got assigned to work with him on one of his last jobs. It was enjoyable, he still had a good eye’ 27

CECIL BEATON

RANKIN Rankin is a famous British portrait and fashion photographer and film director. He co-founded Dazed and Confused magazine and produces the biannual lifestyle magazine Hunger. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The Royal Photographic Society in 2002. He has had over 40 books of his work published, including the small-format version of #NSFW in 2019. To find out more go to www.rankin.co.uk Was Cecil Beaton an inspiration on your photography? ‘It’s such an honour to be asked to talk about Cecil Beaton. He is such a genius and inspiration. You can’t be in fashion or photography and not be influenced by his work. He was groundbreaking and, although stylistically I’m nothing like him, I absolutely love ideas and his work is full of those.’ What is your opinion on Beaton’s overall influence on fashion photography as an art form? ‘In some ways he’s one of the first conceptual photographers. His ideas were as important as the clothes or the sitter. His imagination is inspiring. Seeing beauty in everything and elegance in every image he created.’ Do you have any favourite work of Beaton’s? ‘He was such a prolific photographer, so it’s very hard to choose. For example, his war photographs are exceptional and very different from any other war photographers. I love Angela du Maurier under a Victorian glass dome. It’s definitely one of my favourites. The idea of capturing a person’s head in the same way you’d capture a bird or a plant is just so simple but extraordinary. Oh and the Gary Cooper silhouette, the Marilyn Monroe flower smoking shot or any of the ‘Bright Young Things’ images, which are all just so beautiful and elegant. The thing about Beaton and all great photographers is that his work, although very much of its time in the sense of costume, styling etc, it is also very modern in its essence. It makes his work timeless.’

Above: The Silver Soap Suds (left to right: Baba Beaton, the Hon Mrs Charles Baillie-Hamilton and Lady Bridget Poulett) by Cecil Beaton, 1930

In line with UK government guidance, the National Portrait Gallery, London, is temporarily What do you think Beaton’s legacy is? closed until further ‘Cecil Beaton is undoubtedly one of the most important photographers of all time. notice in order to help contain the spread of For me his legacy is the freedom to be the COVID-19 virus, and experimental. To push the limits, never ensure the safety and be constrained by anything other than wellbeing of its visitors your imagination and to keep creating. However compulsive it is, keep capturing and staff. For updates go to www.npg.org.uk and creating the world as you see it.’ 28

Left: Oliver Messel in his costume for Paris in Helen! By Cecil Beaton, 1932

Right: Anna May Wong by Cecil Beaton, 1929 Far right: Cecil Beaton and Stephen Tennant by Maurice Beck and Helen Macgregor, 1927. National Portrait Gallery, London 18 April 2020 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

CECIL BEATON

JASON BELL

Jason Bell is a British portrait and fashion photographer who has worked for the likes of Vanity Fair, British and American Vogue, GQ, Interview and Harper’s Bazaar magazines. He has photographed celebrities from the worlds of sports, film and music, as well as shooting stills for many posters for films and TV series. In 2013 he shot the christening photographs of Prince George and in 2015 he became the first-ever British photographer to shoot the entire Vanity Fair Hollywood Portfolio. You can see his work at www.jasonbell photo.com

Left: Edward Le Bas as Mrs Vulpy in The Watched Pot by Cecil Beaton, 1924

Was Cecil Beaton an influence for your photography? ‘Not specifically, although I realised later that he had been. As I was starting out I was very conscious of the work of Angus McBean and David Bailey and he was definitely an influence on them so, in a roundabout way, I was more aware of his work than I knew. And very early on I entered a Vogue Talent Contest and one of his pictures was an inspiration for a self-portrait I had to do for that competition. I was a finalist in the competition and ended up working for Vogue, all of which makes me smile now, just at how connected things are.’ What is your opinion on Beaton’s overall influence on fashion photography as an art form? ‘He definitely elevated it and I think his interest in other art forms, notably ballet, opera and theatre, informed his work greatly. The fact that he designed sets and costumes rounded out his portrait work, for sure. He twice won the Oscar for costume design (for Gigi and My Fair Lady) and that clearly brought an extra something to his fashion work. But he was an incredibly rounded photographer, a quality I always admire in great photographers’ work. When he was fired by American Vogue just before World War II, over an anti-Semitic scandal, he returned to the UK and became a leading war photographer, which is not only an extraordinary leap for a portrait and fashion photographer, but was the rehabilitation of his career.’ What is your opinion of Beaton’s work for Vogue and did it influence your approach to shooting for Vogue in any way? ‘I wouldn’t say it influenced me as I try very hard to do my own thing and not copy others but, of course, one is always aware of a canon of work behind you. In a funny way I would say that the influence there is not to do it, by which I mean to consciously avoid repeating what has gone before. But, I think the inclusion of other elements such as propping, set design and costume was a very Beatonesque thing, and that, to me, is his legacy.’ Where does Beaton rank in the great names of photography? ‘I often say is that ranking photographers is a bad idea as it isn’t a competition. The “business” encourages a kind of competition between photographers, which is unhealthy, but Beaton’s contribution was significant as an artist who brought much to his photographs.’

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WORLD PINHOLE DAY

Pinhole Going the scenic route

Martin is a proud Yorkshireman who started photography when he was 12. He has won numerous competitions over the years, and had pictures published in nearly every landscape and fine art photographer popular photo magazine who’s become a leading exponent of on the market. ‘I was using pinhole techniques to capture always drawn back to stunning scenics. And he also monochrome as the shoots film. preferred medium: ‘I started in pinhole photography for me it’s simple but around seven years ago, as I was effective, dramatic not interested in creating work that was garish, and for landscape different to my previous style, using can’t be beaten.’ Most conventional methods of capture using both film and digital cameras,’ of his images are taken with 25 miles of his Martin explains. ‘Pinhole images home. See his site at offer an alternative look and feel that has a timeless ethereal quality. www.martinhenson They aren’t sharp or as well defined photography.co.uk

To mark World Pinhole Day, landscape expert Martin Henson tells Geoff Harris how he uses this technique with film

I ALL PICTURES © MARTIN HENSON

t’s World Pinhole Day on 26 April, so to celebrate this, we thought we’d speak to somebody who is using this intriguing and quirky technique for landscape – traditionally a genre where high-quality lenses, bodies and tripods tend to be the order of the day. After all, some pinhole photography can seem a bit… dare we say self-indulgent, showing off the photographer’s skill with the technique but little more? With this in mind, we contacted Martin Henson, a Yorkshire-based

WORLD PINHOLE DAY

Martin’s gear and processing technique

Above: Open Invitation, St Mary’s Church, Stainburn, North Yorkshire

but over the years I have learned that absolute perfection is not always required to produce quality and that there is beauty in imperfection. I think in Japan it’s called wabi sabi… it’s the picture that counts, not the camera used.’

Meter made While this kind of lo-fi approach may appeal to many readers weary of our modern obsession with sometimes artificially sharp and ‘perfect’ landscapes, Martin Far left: Rivets counsels that pinhole is not for the underneath the Iron faint-hearted. ‘If you have never Bridge in Ilkley, used film, the main challenge is West Yorkshire moving from digital capture, with no instant preview, no exposure Left: Stepping meter. Yes you can use digital Stones over the pinhole, however in my experience River Wharfe in film’s greater latitude to Yorkshire

underexposure and especially overexposure works perfectly with the pinhole’s long exposures. Another area that might seem daunting is composing without a viewfinder, figuring how to meter the scene and dealing with film’s reciprocity failure.’ Martin has little time for purists who say that pinhole photography and fine-art landscape photography don’t go together. ‘I see no reason why this is the case. Pinhole needs a certain type of light to work well and I often go back to the same scene time and again and get a different look and feel each time. Also landscapes create a cohesive type of work that fits well together, rather than random subjects.’ So what does Martin think

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‘I HAVE two pinhole cameras, both made by Zero Image which specialises in making them. One is a Zero 2000 that shoots 6x6cm 120 roll film, the other is a Zero 45 Large format that takes 4x5 sheet film. By removing or adding panels with this camera it gives different focal lengths and pinhole sizes. I have three panels that give me 75mm, 50mm and 25mm – these are classified as wide to super wide angle. I use the 120 roll film camera for travel and the 4x5 camera for most landscapes; the advantage with the 4x5 camera is that I can develop one sheet at a time to suit the dynamic range of the scene and also carry different film stock in the film holders. A tripod is essential and also a handheld light meter to take either incident or spot readings. The main films I use are Fuji Acros II, Ilford FP4, and Kodak Tri-X. I develop all my negatives at home using different types of developer that I think will suit the dynamic range. I also carry orange, yellow and red filters.’ After the negatives are developed and dried Martin scans the 4x5 sheets in an Epson V800 flatbed scanner, and for the medium format roll film he uses a Nikon 9000 ED scanner. ‘I use VueScan as the scanning software, and the files are then edited in Photoshop using only selective contrast control which I call Contrast Grading.’ You can buy tutorials in this technique from his website.

‘Landscapes create a coherent body of work that fits well together, rather than random subjects’ 33

WORLD PINHOLE DAY

are the main benefits of using pinhole techniques and gear for landscape photography? ‘Apart from the unique look, it is the care and thought you have to put into composition and exposure. Photography becomes a more involved way of working, with all settings and decisions made by you, rather than there being intervention from electronics. So picture-making becomes more rewarding and although it’s a challenge, it does become second nature with practice.’

Setting sun, Jersey, Channel Islands

Common pitfalls According the Martin, the biggest mistakes pinhole beginners make are to do with our old friends, exposure and composition. ‘Because pinhole cameras have such small apertures and handheld meters rarely meter past f/128, you should always meter at f/22 then extrapolate that meter reading to the pinhole f-stop of your camera. This is quite hard to do when you’re out in a landscape with so many things to remember, so my first tip is: make a chart with the corrected times for your pinhole aperture size printed on. Then it’s easy, take a light reading and look at that time on the chart. Another good tip is to

‘Don’t be too apprehensive with exposure times – always give more time than you think is needed, as it’s better to overexpose than underexpose’

Sunrise, Almscliffe Crag, North Yorkshire

Cobbled path, White Wells, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Martin’s favourite pinhole images, and why? ‘The images I like best are always the ones where I step out of my comfort zone, such as shooting into the light source, getting really close or low down, with the camera exaggerating foreground size and composition. Be daring and you will always get pictures that are different from the norm.’ Martin doesn’t have any exhibitions running at the moment, primarily because of the setting up Workshop opportunities costs involved. ‘However I am Even though pinhole photography is planning one for next year that runs a nice market, it’s good to hear that with the Ilkley Arts festival, so Martin has sold quite a few images watch this space. I also do pinhole over the years. ‘I sell many images workshops from my home studio; through different outlets worldwide details and bookings can be made through a licensing company and by following the link on my website also through my own site. I often at martinimages.photium.com. I sell pinhole images in threes, so also have a dedicated black & white they complement each other. For learning forum, and all are welcome me, though, the satisfaction doesn’t with any interest in monochrome come from getting sales but from work – both film and digital: www. going out and completing projects.’ digitalmonochromeforum. So if push comes to shove, which are co.uk.’ use a phone app, such as Reciprocity Timer. This will calculate the exposure times that’s needed to correct for film’s reciprocity failure. Also don’t be too apprehensive with exposure times. Always give more time than you think is needed, as it’s better to overexpose than underexpose. Finally get close to your subject – many pinhole shots are spoilt compositionally by too much boring foreground.’

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Photo Stories

Changes of state

ÔW

hen I left South Africa for London in 1990, I was pretty burnt out. People didn’t talk about posttraumatic stress then. I had been through six pretty intense years shooting in South Africa seeing a lot of pretty distressing stuff. People being killed, frightening and tough situations. When I left, I took a load of files which I thought were my most important. As a photographer you have all kinds of shit lying around. When you shoot transparencies, you clip out your best pictures but what about the rest?’ What photographer and artist Gideon Mendel did with the rest, along with some colour negatives, was store them in a friend’s garage in Johannesburg, the city where he was born in 1959. At some point during the last 30 years, the top layers were damaged by rain. When Gideon saw them, he wasn’t distraught. Since 2007, while shooting his phenomenal Drowning World reportage, an intimate exploration of flood victims around the globe, Gideon has collected an archive of flooddamaged photos found in the street or floating in water. ‘I was already very connected to the impact water makes on photographic emulsions, so the moment I saw the damaged box, I thought this could be very interesting.’

Damage The images provide the first of three sections, ‘Damage’, in his book, Freedom or Death. The title is lifted from a protest banner in a photograph by Gideon of the uncle of Wellington Miles praying at a commemoration meeting held on the day his nephew, an ANC guerrilla, was hanged in July 1987. The images from ‘Damage’ are from Gideon’s documentation of the final years of apartheid. Scenes from this radioactive chapter of history swirl among the mould and moisture on the emulsion: black mourners stand graveside with their fists raised, students demonstrate and protest, a shack burns ferociously and riot police dismantle a burning barricade. In contrast, there are white students celebrating at university, cheerleaders wielding pom poms and a raucous crowd at a rugby cup match. They provide a crucial record of how deeply segregated the country was along racial lines. The second section in the book, ‘The Stone, the Gun and the Plate,’ is a collaboration with 36

Marcelo Brodsky, an Argentinian artist known for his human rights activism. Gideon met him at a group show and a collaboration ensued. He handed Marcelo some of his best-known images along with the background information and power to do as he wished. Four triptychs were conceived that acknowledge an object prevalent in Gideon’s photographs from the 1980s – the stone, tear gas, the wooden gun and the sjambok (a menacing rubber whip). The reworking of the images with text, bold colours and often comic book style, intensiﬁes the historical narrative of the subject matter.

ALL IMAGES © GIDEON MENDEL

Discovering a box of damaged negatives led to Gideon Mendel revisiting and re-engaging with his archives. He tells Peter Dench all about it

Merged The third section of the book is ‘Merged.’ In 2019, while Gideon was incapacitated with sciatica, he spent time trying to sort through his archive and prints. ‘I’ve got a lot of old press prints from the 1980s and ’90s. I found myself increasingly fascinated by the backs – the captions, the marks, the barcodes, each one has its own history. I had this idea of bringing the backs into the images and merging them.’ He scanned both sides in Photoshop, making sure it was precise, resisting the urge to move things around. They provide an insight into the functionality of the prints and his time working with photo agencies AFP, Magnum and Network. Is it difficult for Gideon to look back at the images? ‘I had a lot of traumatic experiences which I didn’t properly process. To some extent it’s metaphorical – I’d probably packed them away in boxes along with the images. Now, I realise how what we do does affect us – in some ways the experience of working through that time very much marked me as a person and a photographer. It’s an amazing experience coming back to it, making this book as a way of dealing with everything.’ Gideon is back on his feet, feeling energised and ready to continue making important new work. He’s recently returned from documenting the aftermath of the bushfires in Australia. ‘I’ve just turned 60, and probably have another ten good years of shooting left. I’m starting to think of dedicating the rest of my shooting career to working on climate change, working my way through the elements – earth, water, air and fire – if any travel is possible, who knows what will be happening in the coming months or year.’ 18 April 2020 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

Left: ‘Damage’ – a rally welcoming the SWAPO Party of Namibia’s leader Sam Nujoma on his return to Namibia after 30 years in exile. Windhoek, September 1989

Gideon Mendel

Left: ‘Merged’ – a militant youth in the uniform of the ANC youth league Below left: ‘Merged’ – a poor white woman begs with her family on the main street of Durban

Below: ‘The Stone, the Gun and the Plate’ (with Marcelo Brodsky)

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‘I was already very connected to the impact water makes on photographic emulsions, so when I saw damage, I thought this could be very interesting’

Gideon Mendel was born in Johannesburg and first started photographing in the 1980s, during the final years of apartheid. He moved to the UK in the early ’90s and had been published in numerous illustrious publications including National Geographic, The Sunday Times and Aperture Magazine. He has also won many awards, authored several books and been widely exhibited. See gideonmendel.com for more information.

Reader Portfolio Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them 1

Tony Cook, Herefordshire

Since a friend at university showed him black & white processing in a darkroom, Tony has been hooked on photography. He bought an SLR when his ﬁrst child was born, and started ‘snapping away’. He later turned his lens to other subjects, as you can see here. He is a member of Newent and District Camera Club in Gloucestershire and loves street photography for its unpredictable nature and the constant surprises it brings. Among his heroes are Joel Meyerowitz, Ernst Haas, Martin Parr and ex-AP Editor Damien Demolder.

December Light Power 1 Tony took the time to plan this picture knowing that this narrow street in Hereford gets direct sunlight for an hour or so in December Fujifilm X100F, 23mm, 1/640sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

2 ‘This was only my second ever night shoot. I had a new lens and wanted to get right into the action to show the power and speed’ Fujifilm X-T2, 14mm, 1/50sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250

Red All Over

4 ‘I really wanted to emphasise this subject’s posture, so I used a wideangle setting, crouched down low and framed her tightly’ Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5, 14mm, 1/640sec at f/7.1, ISO 160

Impromptu Boogie

5 This instinctive shot was grabbed as a young woman started to dance at the Ledbury Carnival Fujifilm X100, 23mm, 1/125sec at f/4, ISO 1000

NOTE: PR ZE APPL ES TO UK AND EU RES DENTS ONLY

YOUR PICTURES IN PRINT

The Reader Portfolio winner chosen every week will receive a copy of Skylum Luminar 4, worth £81. See www.skylum.com

Submit your images Please see the ‘Send us your pictures’ section on page 3 for details or visit www.amateurphotographer. co.uk/portfolio

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Bus Station Dudes Scream 3 Tony took this in Gran Canaria and says, ‘I wanted to capture the feeling of sun and warmth as well as the couple’s proud presence. I loved the colours in the stainless-steel back of the bench. Controlling the highlights was a challenge’ Fujifilm X100T, 23mm, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 400 6

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6 This was taken at Banksy’s Dismaland. Tony spotted this character creeping up on unsuspecting visitors and giving them a fright. It was a busy scene so he framed the shot to show people looking inwards to contain the viewer’s focus Fujifilm X100, 23mm, 1/1250sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Working Lunch

7 ‘I was in Cardiff, down one of the beautiful arcades. I saw this woman working with such intensity and it appealed to me. I love the many reflections and colours too. It was quite dark but the settings I chose seemed to work’ Fujifilm X100T, 23mm, 1/100sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

YOUR PICTURES IN PRINT

Join

Club the

This thriving club in the North West showcases its members’ talent

When was the club founded? Our club was founded in 1963 and it is one of the largest photographic clubs on the Wirral. What does your club offer to new members? We are a friendly club with a wide skill mix from macro to astro photography. We feel we have something to offer any new member. We support less experienced photographers with guidance and mentorship if required, those with more advanced knowledge are encouraged to develop and enhance their skills. In addition to our Friday evening club nights we have a popular Monday morning drop in session where members meet for coffee and often bring their kit for hands-on advice. 40

Describe a typical meeting We meet in a large, comfortable, modern hall with full disabled access and facilities. Doors open at 7.45pm for 8pm start, we have a coffee/tea break partway through and finish the meeting around 10pm. We have a varied syllabus with guest speakers, presentations by club members and print, digital and audiovisual competition evenings. Do you invite guest speakers? Yes, we regularly welcome guest speakers, and our Wirral location means we are within easy reach for speakers from the North West, North Wales and Derbyshire. Some of our more recent speakers have included Derek Forss, Margaret Salisbury, Tesni Ward and Terry Donnelly. Do members compete in regional or national competitions? Yes, we receive and circulate invitations from national salons and encourage members to participate. Individual members compete at local, national and international competitions in print, digital and audio-visual images. A number of our members have attained ARPS and PAGB awards. Our club is affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain through the Lancs & Cheshire Photographic Union. How many members do you have? We currently have around 55 members. Are there any residential trips or outings planned? Yes, we have several annual day trips. Regular locations include Blists Hill, Shropshire, The

1 Foggy Roodee Sunrise by Michael Van Gordon Chester Racecourse (aka the Roodee) looks magnificent in this early-morning shot

2 Milk Droplets by Martin Eves The natural patterns of the droplets and the milk’s colour have contributed to an excellent abstract work

3 Sunset at Meols by David Newby A great shot – the horizontal symmetry, golden light and use of rule of thirds all contribute to its success

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, Chinese New Year, Liverpool and international sporting events. We have further locations planned for this coming year. Do you have any funny stories about the club? Two recent events spring to mind. A member was so ‘in the zone’ photographing a local event last year that he actually managed to halt a major parade through Liverpool to nail the perfect shot! Also during one of our competitions, a judge commented on a mono print that the image had obviously been taken by a raw novice, much to the consternation of its author – a senior ARPS accredited mono worker. The judge has yet to be asked back. What are the club’s goals for the future? To progress the photographic abilities of all of its members in a fun and friendly way. To encourage new members to join us regardless of experience or kit used.

Want to see your club featured on these pages? Drop us a line for more information at ap@ti-media.com

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YOUR PICTURES IN PRINT

4 Autumn by Barbara Roberts A really well thought out and well executed shot. A shampoo ad in the making!

7 Valencia Art Building by Arthur Bower The juxaposition of angles forming part of this intriguing building works fantastically well in monochrome

5 Abi by Dave Ford Well crafted lighting lends this image a timeless quality. Portrait photography can be challenging and Dave has certainly produced a successful result

6 Puffin with Catch by Barry Quatermass It’s not hard to see why the puffin is such a great subject. The colours and details are well rendered

Club essentials

Heswall Photographic Society

8 Talacre Lighthouse by Mike Pill The shape of the foreground rocks almost act like an arrow to draw your eye to the distant lighthouse

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St Peters Centre, Village Road, Lower Heswall, CH60 0DZ Meets Friday evenings from September until the end of April. (In these uncertain times the club has now closed and hopes to reopen in September. See its website for details) Membership £48 a year plus £2 per meeting attended Contact via our website or Facebook page, or just come along to a meeting Website heswallphotosoc.co.uk 41

Testbench

IN THE FIELD

At a glance

£1,199 twin lens kit ● 20.9MP APS-C CMOS sensor ● ISO 100-51,200 (expandable to 204,800) ● 11fps burst shooting ● 3.2in 1,040k-dot tilting touch-sensitive LCD ● 2.36-million-dot OLED EVF ● 4K video at 30p ● 320-shot battery life

Travelling

light

ravel photography throws up a perennial balancing act for photographers. Sure, you want a camera with impressive features that will result in high-quality imagery and open up creative options, all while keeping the weight inside your cabin luggage low enough to avoid any excess baggage charges. Given this conundrum, it’s little wonder that crop sensor mirrorless cameras often ﬁnd favour with photographers heading off on a long-haul adventure. As a result, the current range of choice is staggering. From Sony’s A6100 and more advanced A6400, to 42

Canon’s impressive 32.5MP EOS M6 Mark II right through to Fujifilm’s charismatic retroinspired offerings like the ever-popular X-T30. Enter the Z 50 – Nikon’s first ever APS-C sensor mirrorless camera – to crash the party. While Sony has been beavering away at this sector of the market for years now, the Z 50 is a first-generation camera that was launched in October last year, so already the odds are stacked against it. A second jab comes in the form of lens selection; at the time of testing there are just two dedicated DX Z-mount lenses available, the 16-50mm and 50250mm that make up the Z 50 twin lens kit

ALL P CTURES © MATTY GRAHAM

Although it’s fighting for space in a competitive market, Matty Graham discovers Nikon’s Z 50 punches well above its diminutive weight during a photography travel trip to Western Australia

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With no cars on Rottnest Island, the lightweight dimensions of the Nikon Z 50 were very much appreciated Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/1000sec at f/6.3, ISO 160

A shot captured at the wide end of the 16-50mm kit zoom of Kings Park War Memorial in Perth Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/1000sec at f/6.3, ISO 160

The Z 50 can take advantage of Nikonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full-frame optics, such as the 50mm f/1.8 S as used here to capture these â&#x20AC;&#x2122;roos in John Forrest National Park Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, 1/640sec at f/2.5, ISO 100 subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020

Testbench

IN THE FIELD

that I packed into my bag. But users also have the option of using the FX Z-mount glass used by Nikon’s full-frame Z 6 and Z 7 cameras or opting for the FTZ adapter and using F-mount glass instead. So, the Z 50 could well be considered an underdog, that is until you get your hands on one, which is exactly what I did when I headed off on a photography adventure to Western Australia – a trip that would guarantee great opportunities but placed restrictions on how much kit I could squeeze into my bag.

Impressive form factor One of the common complaints about smaller travel-friendly cameras is the uncomfortable form factor and lack of (or bad layout) of buttons and dials. Nikon’s R&D people deserve a huge pat on the back as the Z 50 is one of the most ergonomic cameras on the market. Essentially, it feels like a shrunken-down Z 7, yet the grip feels as comfortable as a DSLR alternative. Although it won’t slip effortlessly into your jeans pocket like the tiny Ricoh GR III, the Z 50 is pretty compact – measuring 126x93x60mm and tipping the scales at 450g (body only). It’s larger and heavier than both the Fujifilm X-T30 and Sony A6400, but not by much. Nikon supplies the Z 50 with a standard-style neck strap, but this proves a little impractical due to the small size of Z 50’s body. Instead, I preferred to pair it with a loop-style wrist strap instead, which meant I could set the focal length and shoot one-handed, speeding up the way I work out in the field. Obviously, this is a camera that won’t weigh you down and that’s important when it comes to travel photography, especially when you’re shooting in hot climates that can sap energy. Despite the small size, the Z 50 is well catered for with buttons and dials, meaning you can access important features and, should you wish to, customise your preferred style of working. Front and back control dials are complemented by a d-pad and four extra buttons on the rear of the body. On the top plate the mode dial is accompanied by an

Magic movies

The versatile 50-250mm kit lens is perfect for long focal length travel images Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR, 1/4000sec at f/5.3, ISO 100

AS ALREADY mentioned, the Z 50 isn’t just great for stills as the tiny Nikon also provides creatives with the ability to produce impressive video content. Unlike some other cameras in this sector of the market, the Z 50 has no crop, even when filming movies in 4K resolution. This means that you won’t need ultra-wide optics to capture wide scenes. For special footage, the Z 50 offers a 4K timelapse mode, which enables users to capture long periods of time in a more creative fashion. Interestingly, Nikon has dedicated features about the Z 50’s features and functions on its YouTube channel, including an inspirational movie filmed using the Z 50 to show what it’s capable of. What’s more, to help stabilise footage, the Z 50 employs electronic vibration reduction technology, though you’ll find yourself turning this off if you are shooting fixed to a tripod or using a mechanical gimbal rig or other form of stabilised device. 18 April 2020 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

Colour rendition and image quality from the Z 50’s raw files are very impressive, as this shot of Crawley Bay’s boathouse illustrates Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/500sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

easy-to-reach flick lever to switch between stills and video and three more buttons south of the shutter button. But here’s where the Z 50 gets really clever; because to save space, two more function buttons are placed around the lens housing so you can operate them while holding the camera to your eye. Finally, Nikon went even further and integrated three buttons (Magnify In/Out and Display) within the large 3.2-inch LCD, which offers touchsensitivity, 100% frame coverage and a resolution of 1,040k-dot. The LCD isn’t vari-angle, which I would have preferred, but it does flip down for vlogging and selfies, and the brightness performed very well in the glare of the Australian sunshine. Having cut my teeth using DSLRs, I still like to compose using the viewfinder and the Z 50’s 2,360k-dot (XGA) OLED EVF performs well and offers seven levels of brightness, but there is also a button to select between the EVF/LCD if you prefer to use one or the other. In short, there’s nothing missing on the Z 50 that you’d find on a DSLR of equivalent value, but the gains from the small design are perfect for travel photography. You don’t look like an invasive professional, shooting stock that will make you money, you look more like a tourist and I prefer this as it means I’m less likely to be stopped or bothered when shooting. This style of shooting is further complemented by the super compact 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 kit lens that features an incredibly slim profile. Even the 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 lens is light enough not to make the camera feel too front-heavy or unbalanced. The 75-375mm equivalent focal length of the telezoom is especially versatile and I was able to capture imagery of wild kangaroos and parrots from afar without disturbing the subjects. Granted, my adventure was blessed with high levels of light, which meant the maximum f/6.3 aperture didn’t cause shutter speeds to drop down to levels that would introduce camera shake – this may of course be different in environments where it’s not as bright or sunny. What did surprise me was the level of pleasing

The tiny Z 50 is weather-sealed, so you won’t have to worry about spray from the ocean Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR, 1/1600sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

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Testbench

IN THE FIELD

bokeh produced by the Nikkor 50250mm f/4.5-6.3 lens, which again punches well above its featherlike weight and relatively low £379 price-tag.

Camera compromises Of course, no set-up is without its niggles and there are a few areas for Nikon to work on before it releases a Mark II version of this camera. The filter thread difference between the two kit lenses is vast (46mm and 62mm) meaning that you’ll have to buy two polariser/ UV filters. The ‘extending barrel’ action of the 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 lens made this optic especially vulnerable to sand particles, which many travel photographers are likely to encounter. On the body itself, the battery compartment mechanism (which also holds the single SD card) is a little too plasticky for my liking but overall, the Z 50’s build quality is hard to find fault with. Many may fear that the battery (with an average CIPA rating of 320)

may be on the short side for travel photography, but in reality, when you shoot a few frames, move around and shoot a few more, the battery should be enough to last stills shooters a full day. Shooting video, or using the Z 50’s Wi-Fi connectivity drains power faster, so I used my power bank at times to charge up the Z 50 on the move. This works fine, but I wish Nikon would drop the Micro USB connection in favour of a more modern USB-C connection.

The Z 50 can be charged on the go, which is perfect when out for the day, but it doesn’t feature the more universal USB-C connection Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/640sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

Pleasing performance The Z 50 is built around a 20.9-megapixel APS-C (DX) sensor, and shoots 12 or 14-bit raw files, producing a max image file size of 5568x3712 pixels. This means you can easily make prints up to A3 in size and I have to say that Nikon is on to a winner with this sensor. The image quality, even when used with either of the kit lenses that are mid-weight optics featuring fairly slow maximum apertures is

While not a megapixel monster, the 20.9MP resolution still produces prints of a decent size Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/1000sec at f/5, ISO 100

impressive and punches well above its weight as to how you’d expect a camera in this sector to perform. The dynamic range from the raw files is good, affording the photographer – who may not always get the exposure bang on in rushed conditions – the ability to reveal shadows and rescue highlights to a high tolerance without compromising the overall quality of the image. Nikon’s colour science is well established and widely admired so there’s no surprises there and the native ISO range of ISO 100 to 51,200 will certainly enable photographers to shoot in low-light conditions. If you prefer to get creative in-camera, there’s plenty of ‘Effect’ modes to select from – just turn the mode dial to EFCT and use the command wheel to cycle through the options, which include Toy Camera, Pop, Photo Illustration, Miniature Effect, High/Low Key and Selective Colour. Should you want to share imagery when out and about with the camera, the Z 50 includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is compatible with Nikon’s Snapbridge app, which can be downloaded for free to iOS and Android devices, enabling users to not only transfer images (including raw files), but also to control the camera remotely from their The small body allows you to be discreet in cities Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, 1/200sec at f/6.3, ISO 100 mobile devices. 46

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‘Nikon has hit a real sweet spot with the Z 50 and has made a great-value camera that performs exceptionally well’ When it comes to autofocus, the Z 50 performs well and offers 209 AF phase detection points that cover 90% of the frame. As my travel photography is generally with static subjects, I prefer to use the Single Point AF-S focus mode with the central focus point selected. In these conditions, the Z 50 locks on quickly and reliably and the tiny Nikon also includes the brand’s Intelligent Eye AF focus technology, which is obviously useful should you want to switch up your travel photography to include some portraiture and people in the scenery. What’s more, although the bright light of Australia didn’t give me the opportunity to put it to the test, the Z 50 can focus down to -4EV, so locking onto a subject in low light shouldn’t be a problem.

Substance over speed The Z 50 is not a sports shooter and can’t be compared to a speed king like the Fujifilm X-T30, but even so a max burst mode of 11fps should be sufficient for any travel photography adventure. If your photography drifts into the

beautifully. If you can work around the lack of headphone jack, this is a very capable camera for creating movies as well as stills. When you weigh up all of the features and area of more urban-based street shooting, it’s the ergonomics of the Z 50, the appeal is well worth exploiting the Z 50’s silent shooting further enhanced by its pricetag. The twin lens mode so you don’t attract attention to yourself kit carries a street price of £1,130, with the – not that the small body is likely to ring optics covering a zoom range equivalent to alarm bells. 24-375mm when you factor in the 1.5x crop. Those wishing to capture video while on their That’s a pretty decent range for travel photo journeys are well catered for. The Z 50 adventures, enabling you to shoot landscapes, can shoot 4K UHD footage up to 30p, but portraits, architecture and wildlife or in my vloggers using this lightweight camera to case, beaches and kangaroos. This is broadly document their adventures are arguably more similar to the Fujifilm X-T30 with 15-45mm likely to plump for the smaller file size Full HD and 50-230mm lenses, or Sony A6400 with setting, which can be recorded at 60p or even 16-50mm and 55-210mm zooms. Sure, at 120p if you would like to create slow motion price isn’t everything, but Nikon has hit a real sequences. Movie files can be saved in the sweet spot with the Z 50 and has made a great.mov or .MP4 formats and the Z 50 offers the value camera that performs exceptionally well. option to plug in an external microphone. What The lack of native DX lenses may steer some is missing though is a headphone jack, so if you photographers to more-established rivals, but wish to monitor sound, you’ll have to pick a mic if you want an impressive and lightweight set-up that offers an additional external camera that will capture memories of your headphone slot. Although I didn’t end up next photo trip away, the Z 50 really does nail taking my DJI Ronin SC gimbal to Australia due the job. Throughout my trip, I found the Z 50 to baggage restrictions, I tested this twin lens kit easy to carry, enjoyable to use and combination when I got home and the light a fantastic combination with which to payload of the Nikon meant that the rig worked capture memorable images.

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THE EISA PHOTOGRAPHY MAESTRO CONTEST 2020 1ST PRIZE

This Year’s Theme:

e1500 & EISA Maestro Trophy

Movement

2ND PRIZE

e1000 & EISA Maestro Trophy

3RD PRIZE

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/TOM EVERSLEY

e750 & EISA Maestro Trophy

HOW TO ENTER Provide 5-8 photographs on the theme of ‘Movement’. All entries must be in digital format (camera or scanned ﬁlm originals) and must be taken by you for the purposes of this competition. Existing portfolios are excluded. inners will also All National Maestro w ok in June for be published on Facebo mpetition. co the EISA Public’s Choice is h1,000 r The prize for the winne

UK DEADLINE: 1 MAY 2020 AP has teamed up with Photocrowd to host the contest. To enter, go to: www.photocrowd.com/maestrouk The top three will be chosen by the AP team and published in a July issue of AP. The winner will receive a one-year subscription to AP and go forward to the international round of the contest.

INTERNATIONAL JUDGING: JUNE 2020 The winning entries from each of the 16 participating countries will be judged at EISA’s AGM in June. The overall International Maestro Contest results will be revealed at the EISA Awards Gala in Berlin on 4 September 2020, attended by the top three winners, and published in a September issue of AP.

Results will be published in the September or October issues of all 16 EISA photo magazines/websites. All three winners will be invited to Berlin for the ofﬁcial EISA Awards ceremony on 4 September 2020

For further details, and terms and conditions visit www.eisa.eu/maestro

FILM COPIER TEST

Testbench

The FilmCopy Vario in use, with a slide in the 6x7cm mask

Kaiser FilmCopy Vario Kit Andy Westlake tries out a high-quality film holder for digitising your archive

f, like me, you shot extensively on film before digital cameras ever appeared, then you’ll have a collection of valued slides and negatives that you’d like to be able to archive in digital form. With dedicated film scanners becoming increasingly difficult to find, particularly those that can handle medium-format film, it’s tempting to look for alternative ways of doing this. One relatively low-tech option is simply to photograph your slides and negatives on a lightbox using a macro lens. This approach turns out to have some real advantages. For example, scanners can struggle with reproducing shadow detail from slide films that have very deep blacks, perhaps most notoriously Fujichrome Velvia, which was long a firm favourite of serious landscape photographers. Any reasonably modern DSLR or mirrorless camera will likely produce more natural results. You can also deal better with film’s tendency to curve, by using a small aperture to extend depth of field. I’ve been using this method for one-off ‘scanning’ for a while, placing the film in carrier

At a glance

£280 ● Holder and lightbox kit for copying film ● Works with formats up to 6x9cm ● Inserts included for 35mm film ● Medium-format masks available separately ● www.fotospeed.com

masks from a long-obsolete flatbed scanner, and then photographing it on a film-era lightbox. This somewhat ad-hoc approach works fine for reproducing a couple of frames from a roll of film, but it’s not great for copying a batch of images. So when Kaiser released its purpose-designed FilmCopy Vario, I was immediately intrigued.

What is it? As its name suggests, the FilmCopy Vario is a device that’s designed to hold film of various formats for copying using a camera. It’s based on the film carriers used by Kaiser’s System-V enlargers, and sits on top of a lightbox, accepting holders for 35mm and 120 films. A hinged lid holds the film firmly in place, while four sliding masks in the base section can be used for cropping. Position a camera above it using a tripod or copy stand, and you’re good to go.

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The basic kit with the 35mm slide holder installed, and negative masks 49

Testbench

FILM COPIER TEST

A 6x6cm format black & white negative shot on a Holga 120N, inverted and toned in Photoshop

The device can be bought in two different forms. The Kaiser K2457 FilmCopy Vario (£200) contains the film holder unit along with masks to take 35mm negatives and mounted slides, and an overlay mat to block stray light from those areas of your lightbox not covered by the holder. Meanwhile the £280 K2458 FilmCopy Vario Kit under review here adds in Kaiser’s slimlite plano LED light box, which has an illuminated area of 22x16cm, a colour temperature of 5000K, a colour rendition index (CRI) of 95, and a built-in rechargeable battery. It’s an excellent device that delivers impressively even illumination across the entire film area, along with high colour accuracy. If you want to copy medium-format film, masks are available separately for 6x4.5cm, 6x6cm and 6x7cm formats, with prices ranging from £19 to £26. For copying 6x9cm frames a mask is unnecessary; instead Kaiser recommends using optical glass inserts to hold the film flat, which will set you back £60. It’s also possible to get a mask for the 24x66mm panoramic format, as used by the Hasselblad XPan rangefinder.

copy multiple images without having to realign the camera each time. A pair of sliding guide pins helps ensure the film is correctly placed, with click-stopped positions for 35mm, 120 and 127 (4x4cm) formats. The film masks are made from thick black plastic, so they don’t feel at all flimsy. They come in pairs, one part for the base, and the other for the hinged lid. Once you get the hang of how they work, they clip easily in and out of the holder, while being held firmly once in place. Crucially, they also grip the filmstrip tightly in position once the lid is closed. The kit comes with comprehensive instructions that illustrate clearly how everything fits together and works. But when it comes to For copying film actually copying film, and you’ll need a macro processing negative lens, tripod, and images to positives, remote release you’re rather left on your own. You’ll need to be prepared to spend Build and design a bit of time Take the FilmCopy Vario out of its box, and you’ll painstakingly immediately appreciate that it’s a high-quality setting up and piece of kit. The main unit is a reassuringly aligning the weighty metal construction, with non-slip rubber camera, but once feet that mean it’ll stay put on the surface of the that’s done, photographing lightbox. This is important, because it lets you the film is relatively simple. 50

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Copied from a 35mm negative, with the image inverted and colour-corrected using Photoshop

Masks are available for 6x4.5cm, 6x6cm and 6x7cm formats

How to copy film No means of holding a camera is supplied in the kit, so you’ll need a tripod with an invertible centre column that allows you to point the camera directly downwards unhindered (if you own a copy stand, so much the better). You’ll also need a proper macro lens that’s designed for close-up shooting. The key point is to ensure that the lightbox is placed on a flat, horizontal surface and the lens is pointing perfectly downwards towards it; this is best achieved using a hotshoe spirit level. Naturally, it pays to employ good technique. Set the lens to manual focus, and engage magnified live view to get the sharpest possible results. Work in manual exposure mode, with your camera’s base ISO and an aperture that will give sharp results across the frame (experiment with this first if you’re not sure). Set the lightbox to its maximum brightness, and use a shutter speed that’s as long as possible without clipping any highlights. When it comes to taking the shot, use your camera’s self-timer or a remote release. As always when working with film, it’s important to keep everything scrupulously clean and free of dust – the lightbox, film, and your camera’s sensor – to minimise the retouching required. You’ll get best results working in a darkened room, to avoid stray light reflecting off the top surface of the film. This is particularly crucial when trying to capture the full tonal range of slides. You don’t get any imaging software with the kit, so you’ll need to employ your usual editor to process the files. Naturally it’s best to work with raw files, using a neutral colour profile to faithfully reproduce the original colours. Minimal further effort should be required with slides – just cropping and brightness adjustments, and spotting out of dust and blemishes. Likewise working with black & white film is relatively straightforward, initially requiring little more than inversion from the negative subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurph

image to a positive, then levels adjustments to compensate for the film’s base density. Colour negatives are much more tricky, due to the coloured base that varies from film to film. You’ll need to make a 16-bit raw conversion, with the black-point slider set to avoid clipping any data. Invert the image, then experiment with levels and curves adjustments to get the colours looking right (use adjustment layers if your software supports them). This can be a time-consuming process, but thankfully once you’ve worked it all out, you can apply the same adjustments to other frames taken with the same type of film. However good film scanners have a clear advantage here, as they come with software that compensates for the film base automatically.

Our verdict I TESTED the Kaiser FilmCopy Vario using both 35mm and medium-format, and working with slide, colour negative and black & white film. It works really well, and makes light work of shooting a batch of negatives or slides. Indeed the most time-consuming aspects lie with setting up and aligning the camera, then processing the image files after shooting. Probably the biggest drawback is the price, which feels high for a device that is, ultimately, a film holder, if an extremely good one. Buy the lightbox kit with a couple of medium-format masks, and you’re looking at spending £325 or more (assuming you already have all the other kit required). In comparison, the Epson Perfection V600 flatbed scanner offers 6400dpi scanning, medium-format compatibility and digital ICE automated dust removal for £250. Alternatively if you only need to handle 35mm, then Plustek’s OpticFilm 8200i SE desktop film scanner provides 7200dpi resolution for £300. However, the FilmCopy Vario has a couple of key strengths. First, it produces better results from medium-format film than I’ve managed to get from flatbed scanners in the past. Secondly, it’s very much quicker to digitise multiple images than any film scanner. So if you have boxes full of slides to copy, it might just be the perfect answer.

One of the four sliding masks is visible below the 35mm neg holder

Recommended

Testbench

ACCESSORIES

Nikon ES-2 Film Digitising Kit Michael Topham tests a kit designed to convert images shot on film into digital files ● £149 ● www.nikon.co.uk IN AN issue of AP that’s dedicated to all things film-related, it seems fitting to feature a film-based accessory in our Testbench pages. As its name suggests, Nikon’s ES-2 film digitising kit is designed to convert images shot on 35mm film into high-quality digital files and is an intriguing alternative to using a more conventional film scanner. Launched at the same time as the Nikon D850 in 2017, it is also compatible with the newly released Nikon D780, which like the D850, features a film digitising function that automatically reverses the colour of negative film and allows users to record a high-resolution JPEG image. The other stipulation is that it’s attached to a true 1:1 macro lens. Nikon recommends the ES-2 be used with the Nikkor AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G Micro, Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8D Micro or Nikkor AF-S 60mm f/2.8G ED.

User manual

The ES-2 comes with a helpful user manual with illustrations and tips on how to set up and use the adapter with macro lenses.

Diffuser screen

This diffuses the light source (preferably a light box or high-CRI fluorescent lamp) to ensure the film is evenly lit.

ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE STREET PRICES

Getting set up Fitting the ES-2 adapter to the Nikkor AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G Micro couldn’t be easier – it simply screws directly onto the front of the lens via the filter thread. With Nikon’s 60mm macro lenses you need to use one of the 62mm adapters that are supplied in the box. For testing, I coupled the Nikkor AF-S 60mm f/2.8G ED to the D780 before attaching the ES-2 adapter, which only took a few seconds. With the kit you get an FH-4 film holder that holds a strip of six negatives or transparencies as well as an FH-5 slide mount holder that lets you slot in two slides. The film holder does a great job of keeping 35mm film flat and both the film and slide holders notch into position at each window, helping to ensure each slide, negative or transparency is framed centrally. Thanks to the ES-2’s diffuser screen, good results can be obtained shooting towards natural light, however it’s recommended that a constant light source with a high colour rendering index, such as a lightbox or high-CRI fluorescent lamp, is used to backlight the film. I bought a USB-powered LED light box from Amazon for £18, which was ideal for the job.

Photographing negatives To access the Negative digitiser mode on the D850 and D780 you need to enter Live View mode and hit the ‘i’ menu button. From here you’re given the choice of photographing monochrome or colour negatives. If the 52

Locking screw

Loosen the ES-2’s locking screw and the adapter can be rotated or pushed in and out to adjust the angle of view.

exposure appears too light or too dark (we recommend shooting in aperture priority mode with an aperture of f/8 and ISO 100), there’s the option to adjust the brightness by up to five steps from the OK button. To achieve the sharpest results possible, I also locked the camera off on a tripod. Helpfully, the Negative digitiser mode automatically engages the camera’s electronic front-curtain shutter to prevent shutter shock causing any issues. Whether you focus manually or rely on the camera’s autofocus is up to you, however it’s worth inspecting focus at a high magnification in Live View using the zoom buttons before firing the shutter. It’s also worth noting that all photographs taken using Negative digitiser mode are saved in the JPEG format, even if the image quality happens to be previously set to raw. For the very best results users will want to double-check Fine JPEG is selected.

Verdict Whereas many film scanners le multitude of different formats o files, the ES-2 film adapter is m that it only lets you digitise 35m there’s the matter of requiring camera as well as a compatible you happen to own the correct like the sound of creating highfiles of your prized 35mm neg , it’s a good buy for the price. Those who do consider it will want to bear in mind that it’s not the fastest means of digitising film though and you will be required to make basic adjustments on your computer, such as cropping the image, before you have your final result. In summary then, the ES-2 film digitising kit does what it sets out to do well. It’s a handy way to create high-quality digital files for printing and sharing, however it’s only useful for some Nikon users.

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A 3966x2643pixel image of an image originally taken on Ilford PAN 100 film and photographed using the Nikon ES-2 adapter

Slide holder

The slide mount holder (FH-5) accepts two slides. Spare slide mount holders cost £25 and a spare negative holder costs £35.

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At a glance ● Converts 35mm film to

digital files ● Compatible with Nikon D850 and D780 ● Includes negative and slide holders ● Simple and straightforward to use

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PRECAUTIONS FOR USE There are a few things to be aware of when using the ES-2. First, you must never pick up or hold the lens or camera via the ES-2 adapter. Secondly, when using an incandescent light source, it’s highly recommended to keep the diffuser screen at least 30cm from the bulb as any heat could damage the film or deform the holder. If the negative, transparency or slide is extremely dark or lacking in contrast you may also find the camera is unable to focus using autofocus. In this instance it’s best to revert to using manual focus instead. subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020

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SPECIAL PROMOTION

AFTER

These before and after images from Japan, taken by Alik Griffin, reveal the transformative power of Aurora HDR 2018

BEFORE ©ALIK GRIFFIN

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Aurora HDR software Now here’s an offer you don’t get every day: download award-winning HDR software from Skylum IN PARTNERSHIP with leading software developer Skylum, we are delighted to offer AP readers the chance to get their hands on the award-winning Aurora HDR 2018 software for free. All you need to do is to enter your email address. Aurora HDR 2018 is available for both Mac and Windows and features a new interface, speed improvements and a range of useful tools. One of the most impressive features is a powerful algorithm for tone mapping single or multiple exposures that results in a very realistic starting image. When merging brackets, the algorithm analyses each image separately, automatically detecting dark and light zones and adjusting the level

of detail which will produce a natural-looking HDR image. With single image processing, the tone mapping algorithm brings out colours and enhances dark and light zones.

Tons of tools Another major improvement is the HDR Enhance Filter. A single slider adds details and clarity to an image, adjusting colours, details and contrast without creating artificial halos or other artefacts. Then there is the Lens Correction Tool, a Dodge and Burn filter to selectively lighten or darken specific areas of an image, an HDR Enhance Filter for adding details and adjust colours and contrast and much more. See aurorahdr.com/2018.

The ability to edit Layers and Masking can generate impressive results

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Tech Talk

ofessor Newman on…

Proprioception Photographers of moving subjects need to pay great attention to the body’s ‘sixth sense’

odern photography seems to be dominated by obscure jargon, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce a bit more. The subject of this article is ‘proprioception’, a medical term for the ability to sense the position of the body and its parts in relation to the immediate environment. Proprioception is sometimes referred to as ‘the sixth sense’ and is of great importance to photographers of moving subjects, such as sports and birds in ﬂight. To track the action a photographer needs to be able to sense hand position and the effect that it will have on the camera’s ﬁeld of view, all the time updating that position in response to other senses, including the eyes, and proprioception itself, the position of the head and body and the information that gives on the relative orientation of the camera. I did a little research at physio-pedia.com, a website for the physiotherapy profession. It says that ‘proprioception is

basically a continuous loop of feedforward and feedback inputs between sensory receptors throughout your body and your nervous system.’

Feedback systems To an engineer, the identiﬁcation of something as ‘feedback’ triggers concerns about system stability. Feedback is a very powerful technique used in every branch of electronic engineering. Negative feedback can be used to make powerful control signals precisely follow a small signal’s instructions, hence it is used extensively in power ampliﬁers, robotics and indeed any application in which power needs to be applied precisely. Where negative feedback has the effect of decreasing errors in application of force, positive feedback has the effect of increasing them, causing instability. For this reason, positive feedback is used only when controlled instability is actually wanted, such as oscillators, which are used to create a continuously varying signal. © BOB NEWMAN

The movement here is irregular, and there is little time for acquisition of the subject as it appears at the side of the frame. Sudden corrections from the photographer could cause instability using a viewfinder system that incurs delay

Feedback systems need to be carefully designed (or evolved). In particular any delay in the feedback loop can transform a stable negative feedback system into an unstable positive feedback. The problem appears if there is some periodic motion or resonance in the system. In a resonant system, the effect of a change depends on its placement within the cycle of the system. Imagine pushing a child on a swing; to keep the swing going the pushes have to be timed in phase with the swing’s motion. If you push as the swing is returning from its maximum then you will increase the amount of swing. If you push just before, you will decrease it. A delay in your push can change it from one that damps down the swing to one which increases it. Now, to return to the photographer. Holding a camera with a lens in her hands, she is constantly applying an active stabilisation to what is a resonant system – the moment of the lens along with the flexibility of the hands provides a natural frequency of movement. The feedback loop is fed by information both from the eye and from proprioception, and generally the brain will perform what is called a ‘data fusion’ operation on them to identify and correct for any delay in the visual information, which is why electronic viewfinders, which must inevitably incur some delay, are still quite usable for this task. However, if we add into this the use of the visual information to track an erratically moving subject, it is possible for the impulse provided to tip the control system into instability. I speculate that some people are less susceptible than others, and that the brain can adapt with enough training, but it remains a reason why, at present, optical viewfinders are preferred for action photography.

Bob Newman is currently Professor of Computer Science at the University of Wolverhampton. He has been working with the design and development of high-technology equipment for 35 years and two of his products have won innovation awards. Bob is also a camera nut and a keen amateur photographer subscribe 0330 333 1113 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020

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Olympus Manual OLYMPUS OM4 BLACK BODY��EXC++ £225�00 OLYMPUS OM2 SP��EXC++ £129�00 OLYMPUS 38mm f2�8 ZUIKO MACRO LENS�� MINT-CASED £299�00 OLYMPUS 50mm f1�8 ZUIKO LENS �� MINT- £30�00 OLYMPUS 50mm f1�8 ZUIKO LENS ��MINT BOXED £49�00 OLYMPUS 80mm f4 ZUIKO MACRO LENS�� MINT-CASED £175�00 OLYMPUS 135mm f3�5 ZUIKO LENS �� MINT-CASED £69�00 OLYMPUS 2x TELECONVERTER�� MINT-CASED £35�00 OLYMPUS 65 - 116 TELESCOPIC AUTO TUBE��MINT £95�00 OLYMPUS VARI-MAGNIFINDER��MINT CASED £49�00 OLYMPUS T32 FLASH UNIT��MINT CASED £35�00 LOTS OF OLYMPUS ACCESSORIES TOO MANY TO LIST FOR MACRO, FLASH �� PHONE PLEASE RING FOR DETAILS AND PRICES ALL IN MINT OR CLOSE CONDITION �� PHONE

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Photo Critique

Final Analysis Zelda Cheatle considers… ‘Mississippi grassroots

community organiser’, 1968, by Doris A Derby people were so brave to do that, to ﬁght for the right to vote for all of us as black people, then the least I could do would be to go to Mississippi to work,’ she said.

Human side

Having used a Box Brownie as a child, when Derby was given a camera in 1966 by Southern Media to document the civil rights movement she had conﬁdence in her picturemaking. The people she worked with were her subject matter – the students in the mathematics and literacy classes, and the sewing initiatives. By doing so she humanised the civil rights movement. Derby had been working with women and children, she witnessed how daily life was experienced in the South. Her photographs were not to headline or be seen on the front pages of newspapers, but used on pamphlets and posters and in booklets that went directly to the black families and local groups, showing the possibilities and initiatives available. Her pictures are not confrontational violent pictures, but show a gentle Famous speech side, of working together, the In 1963 Derby, having power of education and graduated from Hunter College, emancipation through responded to the terrible events learning and knowledge. of Birmingham, Alabama. She ‘My focus was to document witnessed the motivating and black people who were engaged moving speech during the in the struggle for equality and March on Washington in 1963. justice for all. To depict the Martin Luther King spoke to life-giving force of the black the assembled crowds with the community keeping on. Even famous words, ‘I have a dream’. though they face poverty and Although she had prevaricated injustice, they’re surviving.’ on going to Mississippi, she This picture, of a grassroots decided forthwith to go, and community organiser, sums up joined the SNCC. ‘If these for me what Doris Derby

oris A Derby was born in the Bronx in 1939 and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an activist known for her involvement with the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, but her skills include being an adult literacy teacher, photographer, painter, academic and a professor of anthropology. She worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the civil rights movement, and has had a longlasting inﬂuence on educating and awareness of race and African American identity. Derby’s grandmother was an early activist in the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP); her father was a skilled civil engineer often refused work despite his qualiﬁcations. At school she became aware that the history and literature did not address people of colour, nor did the movies. ‘Why aren’t black people being represented in these books? And stories, movies. We weren’t in them. But we were here,’ she is quoted as saying.

accomplished in her photography. There is power, there is focus, there is intention. The American ﬂag hangs in the background – these women are Americans.

The ability to record a quiet history as it unfolded is inherent in Derby; she and her family appreciated and have nurtured how art and activism are to be valued.

Photographs by Doris A Derby were featured in the exhibition We Will Walk – Art and Resistance in the American South at Turner Contemporary. At this time check turnercontemporary.org for more information about the re-opening of the gallery.

Zelda Cheatle is a well-known curator and editor of photography. After some years taking photographs, she began a gallery career at The Photographers’ Gallery in London before setting up and running her own eponymous photography gallery from 1989 to 2005. For more information, visit her website zeldacheatle.com. 66

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