The Photo Magazine by Martynas Lapas

CONTENT 5

15 Review World press photography awards 2013

B&W photography tips for begginers

Editors

v i e w

his is the magazine you need to have in your bookshelf if you want to be a good photographer and to know a lot of news from photography world. This magazine is for people who have a camera and takes photos. Nomather how good you are, you become better after you read our magazine. Thath is because we writte about the best photos and photographers. we give you some tips about each photography branch (from black and white to street photography or commertial photography and etc.). We try to speak and take interview with the best and well known photographers from all over the world. They share their experience and give some tips how to become a big photographer. In this number you will find a rewiev from one of the biggest photography events of the yrar - World press photography awards 2013. You will have an op-

portunity to know about the history of the contest and see the winners of this year competition. What is more, we offer to read even two articles for photography begginers about black and whitte photography and stars and night photography. You will know what equipment and what else do you need to become a better B&W or night photographer. Also, we present an interview with one of the greatest and w`ell known Lithuanain photographer - Algimantas AleksandraviÄ?ius. You can read about his career, winnings and exibitions. Of course you will se some photos of this great photographer. And there are manny more interesting things about photography waiting for you in this magazine. I wish you enjoy it. www.thephotomagazine.com

29 Interview Algimantas Aleksandravicius Best Lithuanian photographer

Star light, Star bright... photo tehniques

CONTENT

NEWS about photo tehnique

Interview with designer and amateur photographer Martynas Lapas

Sport photography

Photographer JR

The winners of the 56th World Press Photo Contest were announced on 15 February. The international jury selected a picture by Paul Hansen from Sweden as the World Press Photo of the Year 2012. In this section, we offer an overview of everything related to the 2013 World Press Photo Contest. Browse the gallery to view all the winning photographs, hear the jury’s perpective on the contest and its winners, check out the cities in the exhibition tour, and much more.

or over 55 years the World Press Photo contest has encouraged the highest standards in photojournalism. The contest creates a bridge linking the professionals with the general public. As the announcement of the winners makes headlines around the world, so the inspirational role of photojournalism is highlighted to an audience of hundreds of millions. All the prize-winning photographs are assembled into an exhibition that travels to 45 countries over the course of a year, and published in our yearbook. Over two million people go to a hundred different venues to see the images, and our yearbook is published in seven languages and distributed worldwide. The contest is judged by leading experts in visual journalism who represent various aspects of the profession. The composition of the jury is changed from year to year, they operate independently, and a secretary who has no vote safeguards our fair and balanced judging procedure. Our archive of winning images is not only a record of more than half a century of human history, but a showcase of successive styles in photojournalism.

ABOUT THE CONTEST

World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest. The awards ceremony is held in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. After the contest, the prizewinning photographs are assembled into a traveling exhibition that is visited by over a million people in 40 countries. A yearbook presenting all prizewinning entries is published annually in six languages. In addition to selecting the World Press Photo of the Year, the contest determines winners in the following categories: Spot News, General News, People in the News, Sports Action, Sports Features, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Portraits, Arts and Entertainment, Nature. Another primary objective of the organization is to support professional press photography on a wide international scale, to stimulate developments in photojournalism, encourage the transfer of knowledge, help develop high professional standards in photojournalism and promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information.

It organizes a number of educational projects throughout the world: seminars, workshops and the annual Joop Swart Masterclass. In 2008, Anthony Suau, of USA, won the World Press Photo of the Year for the second time (the first was in 1987). In 2007, a total of 4,460 professional photographers from 124 countries entered 78,083 images in the competition. The winner was the British photographer Tim Hetherington. New York based photographer Spencer Platt of Getty Images won in 2006. His picture showed a group of young Lebanese driving through a South Beirut neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombings. The picture was taken on 15 August 2006, the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah when thousands of Lebanese started returning to their homes. Amit Sha’al of Israel won third prize in 2011 in the category of Arts and Entertainment: Stories. During an exhibit in Lebanon that year, World Press Photo was asked to remove Sha’al’s photos because, according to the General Security Directorate, Lebanon and Israel were “in a state of war.” WPP refused to censor the Israeli artist and shut down the exhibit ten days ahead of schedule.

Photo by Stefen Chow Malaysia 2013, staged portraits, 2nd prize singles Ai Weiwei 06 February 2012 Beijing, China

Photo by Paul Hansen Sweden 2013, world press photo 1st prize. Gaza Burial 20 November 2012 Gaza City, Palestinian Territories The bodies of two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and his elder brother Muhammad, almost four, are carried by their uncles to a mosque for their funeral, in Gaza City.

Photo by Paul Nicklen Canada 2013, Nature, 1st prize Emperor Penguins 19 November 2011 Ross Sea, Antarctica An emperor penguin shoots toward the surface, in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Photo by Wei Seng Chen Malaysia 2013, Sports action, 1st prize singles. Joy at the end of the run 12 February 2012 West Sumatra, Indonesia A competitor and his charges reach the finish of a bull race, in Batu Sangkar, West Sumatra.

B&W photography tips

for begginers

Starting digital B&W. It is aimed at showing some of the basic principles involved in digital black and white photography. How to ‘do’ digital B&W... Learn to see the world in shades of grey and discover the art of black and white photography. Here are 10 excellent black and white photography tips. Without the extra dimension (or confusion!) of colour, you can more easily explore the shapes, lighting and textures of an image in a new way. These quick photography tips show you how.

Think in mono It’s all very well using Photoshop to do a mono conversion of a colour shot and hoping that it looks good, but the greatest black-and-white images by all the best photographers have been pre-visualised that way. Even if you’re capturing your original images in colour, try to think of and look for subjects with mono shots in mind and you’ll start producing better results. Filter effects Traditional film photographers used coloured filters to control the type of mono images they produced – a red filter would generally increase the contrast, for example. You can put a filter on your digital camera and achieve similar results, although your original file will be tinted with the colour before you convert to black and white. If you’d like the best of both worlds, shoot without a filter but replicate the effect in post-processing. Most image-editing packages offer a menu of filter presets. Duotone A duotone effect can be used to enhance your mono images. The effect can be replicated using software such as Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements in a number of ways, and it’s a relatively easy technique to learn. But it’s important to think about how a coloured tint will affect the overall mood of your picture. A blue tint evokes a sense of coolness that might not be appropriate for some subjects but perfect for others. A yellow or brownish tint, such as sepia, might allude to something old and historical. Black & white portraits

Portraiture can be greatly enhanced with a competent mono conversion. Where clothing and hair colours can clash and distract from your subject’s face, a black and white conversion can draw the eyes to their facial features instead. It’s also a good way to smooth out facial skin tones. Just don’t expect to get a great image if you simply desaturate the picture. You’ll end up with a flat grey photo. Instead, follow this guide to quality black and white conversion and use dodge and burn techniques to boost contrast in specific areas.Texture, form & shape Without colour a black-and-white image is reliant on texture, form and shape. As you go about your photographic business, train your brain and eye to disregard the colour information and instead concentrate on the shapes and light within the frame.

17 6 Shoot RAW Shoot in RAW and use the power of processing software such as Adobe Camera Raw to convert your images non-destructively to black and white. You can also change the tones and contrast and even add a coloured tint. It’s also possible to replicate the effect of a split-tone image and add a vignette effect for an extra creative. Split-toning This wonderful technique was popular with traditional black-and-white photographers who, using a concoction of chemicals, would literally split the tones in their prints. The end result would show a subtle shift to one tint in the highlights and lighter tones while another tint would colour the dark tones. The results could be spectacular. Like many old darkroom techniques you can easily recreate a split-tone effect in Photo. High key/low key Through a combination of lighting and digital darkroom techniques you can create mono images that are either very light or dark in their tonal quality. Images produced in this way can be beautiful and emotive, but it’s not simply a case of over- or under-exposing your shots or pushing Photoshop’s Levels sliders to the extremes. Use lighting and exposure to create images that still have detail in the highlights or shadows. Your camera’s histogram and highlight clipping alerts will come in very handy for this technique.

Mono HDR Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was a master mono photographer who developed the zone system so that he could get details in both the highlight and shadows of his splendid scenes. Today you can cheat a little. By taking several images of a scene at different exposures you can combine them using HDR (High Dynamic Range) software, such as Photomatix. This is a great way to get an image with a full tonal range, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go over the top! Practice! The more you train your eye to see in black and white the better your images will be. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no substitute for hard graft and, as with most crafts, practice makes perfect. So get out there, keep your mono eyes open and shoot like crazy!

Interwiev Best Lithuanian

portrait photographer “Lithuanian photographers are well known in Eastern Europe. In the West we are going slowly.”

What is actually similar to the human image in photography? Today people distrust between photography and reality analogy. This distrust becomes main thing when we are talking about the photography of portrait. One of the best portrait photographer in Lithuania Algimantas Aleksandravičius is using this distrust as his working tool. He tries to provide some depth and meaning to his photographs.

lgimantas Aleksandravičius is famous because his photos and the way he is making them. He and his model tries to direct a certain pose and mimic. Anyway, all the photos of artists, writers, musicians, theatre people and others are very mesmerizing. When you are looking to those pictures it is easy to beleave that during the photo

session the real modes feeling was shot. Algimantas Aleksandravičius (born in 1960) is the member of Lithuanian phoartists union, winner of Lithuanian culture and art prize, member andphotographer of international federation of artistic Photography. He held more than 80 personal exibitions in Lithuania and abroad.

In the year of 2003

Algimantas Aleksandavičius was recognized as the

best portrait photographer in

Europe

A. Aleksandravičius also is the complier of photoalbums and exibitions. He made 14 personal photoalbums by himself. In 2002 he got the prize from ministry of culture in Lithuania for the most significant and striking journalistic works on cultural topics. In 2006 he won the prestigious award in the contest Lithuanian press photography - the golden photo. Next year he was nominated with medal for merits for Lithuania and got the medal from the president of Lithuania republic Valdas Adamkus. In 2008 he got the Knights order of Netherlands and in 2009 he was awarded with golden medal from Lithuanian photoartists Union. In 2010 Algimantas Aleksandravicius was awaeded with the golden star from Lithuanian Copyright Protection Agency. In 2011 He was nominated as the best portrait photographer among Baltic countries (Baltic Photo Contest 2011). In the same year he managed to win prestigious Lithuanian press photography award - golden photo as the best portrait, sport and reportage photographer. In 2012 he got the medal from the parlament of Lithuanias Respublic for making Lithuania famous. In the same year Algimanatas Aleksandavicius was named as Honorary Member in the Lithianian photoartists union. In 2013 Algimantas Aleksandravičius have already won some prestigious contests in Lithuania and Europe. He was awarded with first place in Baltic Photo Contest 2013 for the best photo in the category “Children portrait“. He also won first prize in the contest called “Horse in photography” 2013.Algimantas Aleksandravicius made more than 100 personal exibitions since 1993. He also made some group exibitions (about 20). This is just a small part of this great photographers biography. He did a huge job to Lithuanias and all Europe photography and picked Lithuania up among other countries in photography. Lithuania up among other countries in photography.

Left bottom corner is most famous lithuanian basketball player in countries history Arvydas Sabonis On right- well known ballet violin - Nerijus Juška

Who in their youth didn’t look skyward at night and say, “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight?” We probably knew little about the star at which we were looking or even the names of most of the constellations overhead, but the thing we knew

was that it was fun to look at the sky and that the stars seemed to go on forever. And probably the last thing on our minds was the thought of making incredible photos of those stars. After all, we had to wish for our wish tonight!

STAR LIGHT

STAR BRIGHT

PHOTO TECHNIQUES

ven today, we may find ourselves repeating the poem and still not know much about the details of the starry sky, but when we get far enough from city lights we can be amazed at its vastness, just as we were in our youth. But now, we can do more than just lie there and look in awe. With the latest digital cameras we can lay back and stare up into space with the shutter opening and closing as it takes a series of images of the endless sky. With cameras now being able to handle high ISO settings and control noise, making photographs of the night sky has become a popular subject. As with most techniques, there’s a bit of playing around with settings to get it just right, but there are starting points for getting nice star shots.

NEEDED EQUIPMENT: Digital SLR Tripod Locking cable release (if wanting to do a stacked star trail) Fast wide-angle lens (at least f/2.8) Flashlight for seeing and painting with light

CAMERA SETTINGS Basic Settings: Using Manual Mode, set the f/stop to wide open (f/2.8, f/1.4) and the shutter speed at 30 seconds. If you want to have your stars appear smaller in size and crisper, a shutter speed of 15 or 20 seconds works (Image below / right), as there’ll be less movement in the stars over a shorter length of time. Noise Reduction: Turn High ISO Noise Reduction on if your camera has this and Long Exposure Noise Reduction off as this causes the “write” time to memory cards to take as much time as the exposure. Note: When taking continuous photos. Stars, Milky Way and Star Stacking Techniques Head out of town - the further from the city

lights, the more stars you’ll see. Get your camera set up and aim for the stars. A nice foreground subject will make for wonderful silhouettes and can add interest. Go for individual photos or let the camera do its thing for as long as you want and then go home to create an interesting star trails image on the computer. Pre-focusing: Put the lens on during the day, with the camera set on auto focus, focus on something at infinity and then switch the lens to manual focus. Note where the infinity symbol lines up with the focus line, as it’s not always where you think it will be. Put a small piece of tape on the lens so you don’t chance changing your focus position - you don’t want to risk losing a night of photography because everything is out of focus.

White Balance: Just like other types of photography, different photographers have their own preferences for different occasions. White Balance for star photography is no different. Some claim using Auto White Balance and adjusting later is best, while others say to set it on Daylight. Both will need postprocessing in Camera Raw (ACR) or Lightroom (LR). With experimenting in the field and in post-production, I’ve found setting Kelvin to 4000 to be my choice. This allows for a cooler and darker sky than the other settings. Daylight on most cameras is around 5500 degrees Kelvin, which is a bit warmer than needed and may give off a golden cast if photographing towards city light pollution. You’ll find you might need to do some adjusting in ACR/

LR at 4000K, but it’s a good starting point, and you may find that no further adjustments will need to be made. ISO: Several years ago it was unthinkable of to set the ISO higher than 1600 and even that produced a good bit of noise. Now, pushing ISO to 12800 is not unheard of. There will be noise at that level but it’s easily eliminated with the Luminosity slider in ACR/LR. For photographing stars and the Milky Way, an ISO of between 4000 and 6400 is preferred. 5000 is a good choice for the latest cameras and 3200 if the body is a couple of years old. Using too high of an ISO (i.e. 6400 and higher) will lighten the sky up quite a bit. If you want a bright Milky Way you can do this, but realize the sky will also be lighter.

33 TECHNIQUES Light Painting: To put a little light on a foreground subject, it will depend on the proximity and size of the object included. If the object is near to you, use the flash of your camera with a flash compensation of between -1 and -3. If the object is large and further away, a large million candle-watt flashlight will be needed. Paint the objects with the light of the flashlight, just as if you were painting with a brush. For object in the far distance, paint for 15 to 20 seconds total with just several seconds evenly on each part. For closer subjects only a swipe over the object is needed or the object will get “blown out”. It’s best to photograph in RAW so more data is retained (be sure to save your photos for individual image processing as well). Since this program only works with jpeg files, you’ll need to convert your series of photos before processing. This is a very simple program to use, as it’s primarily drag and drop your images and click Start. It has several blending modes, but the best to use is Gap Filling where it allows for any filling of spaces within the trail. The online tutorial and Help in the program step you through the use of the program. The best thing about the program is that you see the trails grow with each processed image. So grab your equipment, head out where you can see the stars, make a wish and produce some star, Milky Way and Star Trail photos of your own.

Nikon to resume D-SLR production at alternative Thai facilities

ikon Corp. plans to start production of DSLR cameras in Thailand nearly one month ahead of the previous schedule. Final assembling is being moved to partner Factories in Thailand. The company will focus on mass-market models in the initial stage. Prior to the flooding, more than 90 percent of Nikon’s D-SLR cameras were made at Nikon (Thailand), the company’s base for production of massmarket models. Japan still manufactures high-end cameras. Nikon has downgraded its fiscal 2011 unit sales forecast for S-SLR cameras to 4.7 million units from 5.4 million. The company says production at Nikon (Thailand) will be partially in January, and is expected to normal by the end of March.

Fujifilm debuts premium long zoom camera

ujifilm announced a premium long zoom compact camera - the FUJIFILM X-S1. The X-S1 is the third installment in the X series, and will practically fulfill the need of most beginners with its fixed lens. It mounts a 2/3-inch 12 MP EXR CMOS image sensor and a Fujinon

Leica Camera AG’s first half sees increase in sales.

eica Camera AG, following the record results in fiscal year 2010/2011, has shown a 27.9 percent increase in the current fiscal year with the sales of cameras, lenses and accesories. At 33.1 million Euro, the Group’s operating result is 19.2 million Euro higher than in the corresponding prior year period (13.9 million Euro). Each product group accounts for approximately 5 percent of the

24-624 mm lens equivalent f/2.8-5.6 24X zoom lens along with 1.4 MP EVF and 3.0 - inch 450Kdot colour LCD screen. The super zoom lens manually zooms and is supported by a lens-shift image stabilization system. The EXR CMOS sensor offers a highest speed of ISO 3200.

sales growth, with the photo product group reporting a sales increase from 87.7 million Euro in the first half of the fiscal year 2010/2011 ti 115.6 million Euro, corresponding to a 31.8 percent rise. The Board now expects sales in the current fiscal year to increase by at least 10 percent on the prior of the fiscal year (248.8 million Euro).

A26 MB built-in memory or a removable SD/ SDHC/SDXC memory card records the captured images. A dedicated Li-ion battery pack (NP-95) powers the camera. The camera measures 135 x 107 x 149 mm and weights about 945 g. with battery and card.

Olympus files earning reports.

lympus Corp. submitted the corrected earnings reports for the past five fiscal years through March 2011, as well as the quarterly reports up to September of this fiscal year, in an attempt to keep its shares listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. According the report for the results of April to September period, the company booked a net loss of 32.33 billion yen (US$ 404.1 M) against a year earlier profit of 3.81 billion yen due mainly to one-time-losses caused by market deterioration. Thai floods and a decline in the book value of its business assets. The Imaging business division’s sales rose 4.3 percent to 71.099 billion yen (US$888.7M) with operational profit loss of 245 million yen (US$3.06M). The company sold approximately 4.2 million digital cameras, out of which the changeable lens models negative factors were mostly derived from the Thai flood rather than the management scandal.

An iPhone Case That Sharpens Your Photography Skills

echnology companies are rapidly improving camera functions and apps for smartphones, but one is focusing instead on how a smartphone case can improve photos. The company, iZZi Gadgets, recently introduced the Orbit case, which it says will turn an iPhone into a professional-grade device for digital photographers. The Orbit, designed for the iPhone 4 and 5, includes four optical lenses — fish-eye, macro, telephoto and wide-angle — on a rotating spindle attached to the case. Made of durable aluminum, the case has a grip that helps to steady your hand while taking a photo. For more stabilization, the case also has three 20-millimeter slots for tripod mounts. There were no instructions included in the review sample that was sent to me, but the setup was pretty simple. I placed my iPhone in the Orbit’s inner silicone case, then secured that in the outer metal case, making sure to align the phone’s camera with the case’s viewfinder. The spindle turned smoothly until one of three lenses clicked into place; the fourth, the macro lens, was accessible by removing the wide-angle lens. The fish-eye lens offered a 180-degree view and the telephoto lens doubled the zoom, but the wide-angle is a mere 0.67 times

wider. The macro lens, my favorite, captured detailed close-ups. Unfortunately, the spindle is not removable, so the iPhone’s camera cannot be used in its normal setting. It would be nice if the case came with an editing app, if for no other reason than to remove the shadow of the lens that appeared in the photo corners. The phone’s other functions were still easy to use, but the bulky case was not built to slide easily into a pocket. In fact, the case could use its own case for travel. Fortunately, the case has a convenient thumb hole, making it easy to pop the phone out. The Orbit case comes in black, blue, purple, red and silver, and costs $230 for the iPhone 4 version or $240 for the iPhone 5. That’s expensive, but still cheaper than a new camera with four lenses.

Sony US launch new magazine with Bonnier

hotoenthusiats of all levels will now have unprecedented access to information on state-ofthe-art imaging prodcts and advanced technologies thanks to a new magazine called Imaging Edge. Launched in partnership between the photography titles of the American publisher Bonnier, and sponsored by Sony US, this new magazine and its website will showcase stunning examples of still photos taken by innovative photographers and videographers using a variety of compact cameras, DSLRs, camcorders, and imaging accessories.

Furthermore, Imaging Edge will include interviews and advice from cutting-edge photographers and videographers, while the web portal and downloadable digital issues will also provide exciting video segments to help demonstrate shooting and editing techniques, camera controls and features, and the advantages of motion capture. The launch edition includes an insight into the Sony World Photography Awards, the article can be read here and features each of Sony’s Artisans of Imagery.

Sony launches Tablet S & P in India

ony has forayed into Android tablet category in India with the launch of Sony Tablet S&P. These tablets promise to deliver the perfect combination of hardware , content and networks with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Priced at Rs. 33,990 and 36,990 for the 3G + Wi-fi version, Sony Tablet S & Tablet P will be available across 500 stores in India from January 2012

Apple of your eye? Apple’s iPad was launched just months ago, but it has already been heralded as a game-changer, redefining the boundaries of mobile technology - resolving a 30-year battle between productivity and entertainment - and proclaimed the saviour of the publishing industry, delivering the sophistication of print directly to your screen.

nd beyond the hyperbole, the sales figures suggest Apple has, once again, broken new ground with another must-have product you never knew you wanted. In 1984, Apple won a new generation of users with the Macintosh, a product that quietly changed computing. Without that high-profile, style-driven computer, which introduced the graphical user interface, Windows might never have progressed beyond sitting on top of another operating system as a shell. In fact, it’s not even Apple’s first attempt at the tablet computer. John Sculley, notorious for ousting Steve Jobs as Apple’s leader in the mid-1980s, once championed a concept called “Knowledge Navigator”. The core of this was a user-friendly personal assistant, and if his visionary short films are to be believed, we’re still a long way from the technology he wanted to see. Newton, the first product of this concept, was launched on an unsuspecting world in 1993 and promptly flopped commercially. It was killed off in 1998 when Jobs returned to the helm. Popular opinion held that Jobs’ “Not Invented Here” attitude would ensure that no Apple PDA or tablet would surface for many years, yet the iOS

family of devices lends some credence to Jobs’ assertion that the technology and the market simply weren’t mature enough. By the turn of the 21st century, PDA and mobile phone technologies were converging, and by 2005 it seemed consumers understood and were ready for the smartphone. The iPhone proved it, changing the market overnight and popularising the tablet device through the back door - the iPod Touch is one of the best PDA devices ever made, it’s just not marketed as such. You could be forgiven for thinking the iPad story should stop there - it’s bulky and netbooks have tried, and largely failed, to ignite the market for portable computing. Netbook manufacturers tried to make them more attractive by adding more and more features; all that did was push up the price and make them painfully slow to operate. Successful tablet computers have traditionally been rugged systems designed for professionals in the field - weatherproofed and made for use with gloves - while laptops have served the needs of most other users. But the iPad takes a different approach. It’s not powerful; it offers fast access to the information most users want by using an efficient oper-

ating system and applications developed purely for the target device. With more than four million units sold at the time of writing, Apple can safely be said to have “nailed it” - it has launched the first product of its kind that has captured the public mindset. Familiarity with smartphones ensured that consumers no longer worry about where the files are and whether they can multitask. They’ve accepted they don’t need to know what the appliance is doing, as long as it does it. Design-literate types can enjoy the tactile solidity of the metal and glass construction and the lush, wide-viewing angle IPS LCD display, and Apple’s responsive orientation sensor allows the device to be passed and rotated without ever putting a barrier in the way of simply tapping it to use it. Boldly going... The iPad is first and foremost a computer with a Unix-derived OS and a decent software development kit. Apple got the ball rolling by making the iOS apps on the iPad truly large-screen friendly before piling on momentum with the Pages, Numbers and Keynote trio. Now developers such as Omni Group and Filemaker are bringing desktop applications to the

iPad, offering conceptualisation and database systems of enterprise quality while adopting the intuitive nature of the platform. It offers a cheap and accessible platform, undercutting bespoke PC/Windows CE systems by at least half their cost, and is proving popular with an ever-expanding developer community. In an Otterbox case, it’s as strong as any ruggedised PC, without the compromises that have to be made to interact with a desktop OS by finger. This functionality points to a new future for iOS and the iPad itself. Professional applications need professional computers, yet most basic tasks are being accomplished on powerful, workstationclass hardware; the energy-efficient iPad is the fastest word processor I’ve used in years and one of the best browsers. It’s a better netbook than any netbook has managed to be. With the keyboard dock, it also shows potential for a new class of efficient desktop computer. The iOS is intuitive, fast and simple. Nearly all the tasks you do on your desktop can now be accomplished with the iPad and a keyboard; there’s a lot to be said for this stripped-down computing experience. The only fly in the ointment is the lack of support for Adobe’s web standard, Flash - something that affects existing content more than it does new. The strict standards of Apple’s App and web support promote efficient use of resources, which are vital as we move to more mobile consumption of data. For users who demand this support, other devices exist such as the Joo Joo. It beautifully demonstrates the inefficiency of the technology by being incapable of matching the iPad’s runtime. But ultimately, Apple’s iPad matches all the hype, and none of it. It’s not the only tablet on the market, it’s not the only usable one, and it’s not the most powerful. But it is a refreshingly simple computer that offers opportunities and possibilities other systems don’t. Developers have discovered a bubble waiting to be filled with ideas; a publishing boom is happening as we speak. But at the same time, the iPad offers a chance to simplify your life by being as unobtrusive as a mobile phone. In five years’ time, we’ll be comparing notes and specifications, seeing which of the alternative platforms is the best and which hardware is the fastest. However, until then, for most people, iPad is the only real choice.

Olympus discloses SH - 21

lympus introduced a new high-end compact available from mid-November this year. The SH-21 incorporates a Touch Live guide, already in use in Olympus mirror-less interchangeable lens system cameras, helps you intuitively control vividness, colors and brightness of the subject scene on the screen using the touch-screen monitor. The camera adopts the HDR backlight adjustment program that composes burst-shot images into a well-processed one. The SH21 features 1/2.3-inch 16 MP CMOS image sensor, 24-300 mm equivalent f/3.0-5.9 zoom lens with sensor-shift image stabilization system. A built-in flash memory of 59 MB or a removable SD/SDHC/SDXC or Eye-Fi memory card can be used to store the images in JPEG and movie in MPEG-4 AVC/H264 formats. A dedicated Li-ion battery pack (Ll-50B) powers the camera. The camera measures (WHD) 105.4 x 59.4 x 30.6 mm and weights about 184 g. with the battery and card.

Tamron introduces high power super zoom lens for Sony NEX cameras.

amron announced its first lens for SONY NEX mirror-less cameras. The Tamron 18-200 mm F3.5-6.3 Di lll VC made under the license agreement with Sony, meets E-mount specs. As the NEX cameras use APS-C sized sensors, the 18-200mm zoom lens

becomes equivalent to 27-300mm in 35 format. The 17-in 13 zoom lens focuses down to a minimum distance of a 0.5m to give a 1:3.7 magnification at the telephoto end. The barrel diameter is 68mm; and length 96.7 mm.

Flickr rolls out big changes Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, and web services suite that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo in 2005

ahoo has announced a new brand experience for its photography website, Flickr. Desktop and Android users can now enjoy Flickr in its revitalised state - now with the added bonus of 1TB of storage free to all users. “Flickr was once awesome, and it languished... now we want it to be awesome again,” said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer at a press event in New York City.

The photography website, which withered after Yahoo’s acquisition, now aims to put its users photography front and centre. Following the display of social networks like Instagram and Facebook, Flickr now grants users a cover photo and increased social dynamic, which allows users to view and engage with their friends’ albums in their new Activity Feed.

The new design’s prime feature is the space the platform allows photographers. Unlike its biggest photo sharing rivals, Flickr encourages its users to upload images in their highest resolution without cropping. “You can take all the pictures ever taken and upload them to Flickr... and there would [still be room],” Mayer said.

Photo Life launches new blog series The World Photography Organisation loves to keep you to date with all the latest photography news from around the world. To help us do this, we have partnered with leading Canadian photography magazine Photo Life. Photo Life - Canada’s guide to everything photo - is the leading source for photography. Established in 1976, this bi-monthly publication includes technical knowledge and tips, industry news and events, international travel photography and documentaries, as well as innovative approaches, techniques and secrets of the trade.

Its website - www.photolife.com - keeps its readers abreast of the daily news between publications. To make sure WPO readers know what is happening photo-wise in Canada, Photo Life will write a regular blog for our website and will include all the latest photographers, exhibitions and news. Check out the first blog which reviews Robert Burley’s “The Disappearance of Darkness” which is currently showing at the National Gallery of Ottawa and runs until 5 January 2014.

2014 Sony World Photography Awards Open for Entries

he 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, organised by the World Photography Organisation, opens for entries today. Professional, amateur, youth and student photographers from across the world can enter their best work for free. Photographers will compete for a range of cash prizes and the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. Overall winners will be announced in London on 30 April 2014. Since its launch in 2007, over 555,000 images from 230 countries have been submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards. Seeking the very best in international contemporary photography, the awards have established themselves as one of the world’s leading photography competitions. The most recent winner of the L’Iris d’Or/ Photographer of the Year title is Norwegian photographer Andrea Gjestvang for a powerful series of portraits of children and youths who survived the July 2011 massacre on the island of Utøya, outside Oslo. The winner of the 2014 L’Iris d’Or/Photographer of the Year title will be presented with $25,000 (USD) and the Open Photographer of the Year will receive $5,000 (USD). All category winners will receive the latest digital im-

aging equipment from Sony and the Student Focus winner will receive a range of new, cutting edge Sony equipment for their university. Winning and shortlisted photographs will also be published in the 2014 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book and exhibited at Somerset House, London. The 2014 Sony World Photography Awards include the following competitions: Professional – 15 categories judged on a series of work; Open – 10 categories judged on a single image; Youth – three categories for photographers under 20; Student Focus – for higher education photography students aged 18-30 The Open and Youth competition will close for entries at 23.59 GMT on Monday 6 January 2014 with the exception of the Professional competition which will close at 23.59 GMT on Thursday 9 January 2014. A list of categories can be found in the notes to editors. The brief for the Student Focus competition is to shoot a single image for the front page of a newspaper. The image can be sensationalist or low-key but it must make the viewer want to learn more and draw attention to an issue that has meaning for the photographer. Entries to the Student Focus competition close on 6 December 2013.

First Diy analogue camera Don’t want to buy a camera? Now, you can build one. Lomography today announced the world’s first 35mm Do-It-Yourself SLR camera: The Konstruktor. Built with a host of analogue features such as a top-down viewfinder, an easy multiple exposure function, a ‘Bulb’ setting and detachable 50mm f/10 lens, the product takes 1-2 two hours to construct. Priced at £29, the camera is the newest addition to the Lomographic Society International, a global organisation dedicated to experimental and creative snapshot photography.

Mobile photography became more accessible Adding to the list of new changes in mobile photography, Instagram this week released a new feature - newsfeeds brought to your desktop. Now, users who log on to Instagram.com can see their friends’ photos on their computers in the replication of the mobile app’s main feed. You can now browse, like and comment on images, just as you would on your mobile device. Follow or unfollow friends and interact with the programme just as you would on the go. The only thing missing? Photo uploads. As Instagram’s entire platform has been designed in the mobile sphere, it holds firm to its core mission. In a blog post, co-

founder Kevin Systrom said, “We do not offer the ability to upload from the web as Instagram is about producing photos on the go, in the real world, in realtime.” However, he expressed his pleasure in extending access to the programme through a variety of platforms to access images posted at any time. Following Facebook’s purchase of Instagram several months ago, the platform has undergone major changes, including the expansion into desktop accessibility and the controversial changes to its terms of service. What do you think will be the next step in mobile photography?

INTERVIEW with designer and amateur photographer

Martynas Lapas Just imagine the picture made not by a professional photographer, but by designer. This kind of person sees the world completely different than the photographer. That is why it is so interesting to see the photos which are made by amateur photographer designer. One of this kind of people is Martynas Lapas. Student designer whose hobby is photography. What kind of photography do you like the most? I love all kinds of photography. I like watching the photos and be involved in the scenes in photography. Anyway, mostly I prefer street photography, black and white photography and of course nature photography. It’s just because I live in a small city called Palanga, which is situated on the bank of the Baltic sea. There is amazingly beautiful nature. Black and white photography looked interesting in some way, because photo looks very differently when you convert it from colorful to B&W. Street photography is part of our life. And I want to take some photos of our lifetime. I think after some time all photos become valuable. What is your favorite photographer? In general? JR, Ansel Adams, John Shaw. From Lithuanian it would be Algimantas Aleksandravičius of course, Paulina Mongirdaitė, Gytis Skudžinskas and many more. But these people were the first I thought about now. When did you started to take photos? I started to take photos almost 4 years ago. When I graduated from my high school my parents gave me a present. A new camera. What camera you are using now? Maybe you have your favorite brand? Now I am using my old Pentax K-x photo camera. The same I got as a present from my parents. Actually I don’t pay a lot of attention in brands. The main thing is quality and price. My goal always is to buy the cheapest object, but it should be with the best parameters and quality. So I beleave there is no need to select some kind of brand. Of course there a lot of people nowadays using Cannon, but Pentax always was less

known. Maybe that is the reason they make better quality cameras and lenses.. But it’s just my opinion.

tographer Maybe his life goal is to take a portrait of the Queen of England, or Pope. I still don’t have my vision of my dream shot.

Have you already made some exhibitions? Yes. I have already made 3 personal exhibitions and attended in several group exhibitions with a photographers club of Palanga. First one was form series about clouds called “Clouds of the seaside”. Second and third ne was about graphics and photography. I presented collection called “Sand graphics”. But this is not the end. I guess. (laughing). I have some plans to make some more exhibitions. What they will be about I still don’t know... Tell more about that photography club. This is amateurs club in Palanga. We take pic-

What photos do you prefer to take, colorful or black and white? Well it depends on the mood. Sometimes I want to go to take just black and white. On the other hand if I have some kind of concept in my mind I am taking pictures leading it. Of course there is a basics of photography to take your shots always in color and later to make it in Black and White. Because you can’t convert colorful image to B&W. Unless you are using RAW.

“Mostly ideas born when I am doing something else, not taking pictures.” tures together, speak about photography, share our knowledge about photographers, photography and so on. We are making exhibitions as well. What is the hardest thing of to take photo? I don’t think that there is hard to take photo at all. In my opinion photographer needs to see a lot when he is going to take photos. I am talking about street photography, nature, not staged photography. I personally just go and when I see a good view, point I just take the picture. Another thing is with staged photography. This is the place you need to have a lot of knowledge, because you need to set up the lightning to stand you model in the way you like. But you can learn it. The main thing is to have a photographers eye and to know what photos to select. Do you have your dream shot? That’s a very good question. I don’t know actually. I am still learning, just because I am trying to take pictures from different parts of photography. I beleave if there is, let’s say, portrait pho-

In what way the concept or ideas what picture to take appears to you? Mostly ideas born when I am doing something else, not taking pictures. I don’t know why, it just happens. You can read a book, see something on a TV or internet and you start to think about it and that is the way how concept appears. For example the idea for my first exhibition “Clouds of the seaside” born when I read on the internet that it is almost impossible to take a good quality photo of the cloud and that taking pictures of sunsets is boring and banal. So I decided to try. And I think it went quite well. There is a lot of people nowadays who buys a camera and already calls themselves photographers. What do you think about that? Well I am some part of this kind of photographers. The only difference is that I am not a 100% self-thought photographer. I learned a lot of things, basic things in university. On the other hand, I think there must be a difference between photographer whose job is photography and who earn his money from that and person like me, who only have his camera, knows theoretical parts how to take a good shot and making exhibitions just for himself. What do you want to say for the readers? Don’t be afraid to experiment with your point of view. Try different things. There is a lot of eautiful things around you. You just need to know how to look at them. I would like to wish them luck when taking photos!

Photos from the third exibitioin in KlaipÄ&#x2014;da, Lithuania

Photo from incoming exibition called “The Broken Pier”

Sport photography Whether you’re a sports fan or not, it’s hard to deny the huge popularity of sports in modern culture. In today’s tutorial, instead of giving you tips about directly shooting sports, we’re focusing on giving you tips on learning how to shoot it. We hope you enjoy this new approach.

port has a significant influence on thousands of lives, from professional athletes at the heart of the action to the fans who dedicate their lives to following their favorite teams. Those fans will argue that the entertainment value and drama rival any Hollywood blockbuster, which is why the media strives to cover every second of action on and off the field of play, with websites, newspapers and magazines requiring up-to-the-minute photo coverage of the latest action. Through each of these steps, I’ll aim to give you some insight, resources or a synopsis of what you’re likely to find in the world of sports photography. This should enable you to start learning those valuable skills and begin building your way to capturing some breathtaking sporting moments.

Step 1 – Study Great Sports Photography

If you have an interest in sports photography, I’ll assume that you enjoy watching with sports and therefore may well be already engaging with sports coverage in the media. If you want to start producing your own coverage, you’ll need to study the images in a different way. Try and get hold of a book of great sports photography, such as the Reuters network “Sports in the 21st Century.” Think about what information you can gather from each shot, who’s involved, where is the event being held and what was the outcome?

Most importantly, try to visualize how each shot was made. Can you guess what lens was used? Can you guess if the photographer was sitting or standing. A great sports shot should capture the story of the whole event in one frame, it will be able to tell you all you need to know about what happened and who made it happen. It is also made up of parts, lens, angle, shutter speed, ect… I’d also encourage you to visit mainstream media sites that have sports coverage. That could be ESPN or an official site such as NFL.com or the NY Times for up to date shots, and again, really take time to study the shots used.

Step 2 – Research Telephoto Lenses

If you want to capture the best of the action, you’ll most often need to get up close. The two best ways to ensure that are by finding yourself a good vantage point that is close to the action and equipping yourself with the right equipment. A long telephoto lens in the range of 200mm to 400mm will be an invaluable tool to give you the best chance to capturing great sports shots. Unfortunately there are dozens of lenses that fall in this category. If you’re passion is a daytime sport f/stop won’t be the most important thing. A f/5.6 zoom lens might work fine. If you’re a big high school football fan, then light is the biggest challenge. You’ll want to aim for f/stop. If you like baseball, you might be able to get away with

using a manual focus lens allowing you to extend your focal length for the same cost. You just need to select sertain sport you want to take pictures of. Remember that lenses will outlast your camera. Many people will buy one set of lenses and use them for decade. By reading a lot of online reviews and browsing a wide selection of brand name and thirdparty lenses, you’ll find the right fit for you and your preferred sport. Step 3 – Learn to cope with shutter lag Unfortunately, for cameras at the low to middle end of the scale, we’re not quite at a point where a camera’s shutter will open instantly when the shutter button is pressed. This is known as shutter lag and if you want to take great sports shots, you’ll need to learn how to deal with it. Shutter lag isn’t an issue if you are shooting still life or landscapes, but as soon as you attempt to shoot any movement or action, you are going to find yourself struggling to capture the moments that you are watching through the viewfinder. Sports is all about timing. None more so than tennis. If you go to a tennis match and try to capture the moment the ball is hitting the racquet. The rhythm and sounds associated with tennis will really help you get to know your camera. Being able to look at your camera’s screen will tell you if you’re pressing early or late. Once you start nailing shots, you’ll timing will be set for other sports as well. Try and you will succseed. Good luck!

Step 4 – Understand your equipment

In the world of sports photography, you won’t have time to be fiddling with settings and buttons. If you’re looking at your camera, you’re not watching the action! This means you need to comprehensively understand your camera and lens set before you even think about heading to the nearest sports field. Work with your camera so that you get to a point where you can change exposure settings with out a second thought and without looking at your fingers. Similarly, being able to switch autofocus points in a split second will be invaluable, so ensure you understand the variation between the autofocus nodes so that when you need to utilize them, you’ll be able to without any fiddling! Try practicing in darkroom or while watching TV. Start on once setting, then set a goal to change the exposure and focus point a couple units. Do it without looking at the camera, then check to see if you got it right.

Step 5 – Learn to control motion blur

Within most sports, the action is fast and furious, which makes life difficult for us photographers, as there’s not much we can do with a blurry photo. It’s up to us to be prepared to freeze the action at whatever speed it occurs. There are two main ways to do this. First, you can make sure you shutter speed is fast enough by keeping your other settings adjusted appropriately.

Secondly, you can embrace the blur and keep you subject sharp by panning. Motorsport is a great place to practice this. It’s repetitive and very fast. Panning involves the photographer holding the camera ready to shoot and moving in tandem with the object, and depressing the shutter button during the fluid movement of tracking the object. Simply head to a local race track or even just walk out to a busy street. Find a good vantage point and try following the cars movement as you shoot.

Step 6 – Know the rules of the game

When you begin shooting, you’ll give yourself a significantly better chance of success if you are working with a sport that you know and understand. Appreciating the basic rules, tactics, movements and workings of a sport will allow you to predict where the action will happen. You’ll be far more equipped to anticipate the action and pre-empt the flow of each play. As you grow comfortable shooting a sport that you know, try moving on to a sport that you are less acquainted with, ensuring that you take time to learn all the rules before you head out. If you are at college or professional game, talk to the other photographers to see what they think is going to happen.

Step 7 – Find and practice with your “burst” or “continuous” shooting mode

I’ve mentioned previously the speed at which you’ll need to work in order to capture the action. Burst mode is our little secret cheat mode which will help us capture the action as it unfolds. Find out how to set burst mode on your camera and practice using it on moving objects. Pets and kids are ideal subject matter. Remember though, that you’ll need to a very large memory card to accommodate the vast amount of shots that you’ll be taking using burst mode through a whole game.

Step 8 – Scout for good locations and angles

As you follow the game, you’ll find yourself drawn to particular players or points of action, but it is essential that you don’t fall into the rut of only focusing on certain aspects of the game. As you know, games can be won or lost in pivotal split second moments and it’s up to you to aware and ready to capture it. It’s also easy to begin capturing moments in the same way over and over and get sucked into watching the game as a spectator. Try studying photographic composition with sports photography in mind to help you approach subjects with a fresh compositional perspective. Consider the rule of thirds, using negative space, shooting at ground level and using the depth and layers on offer. Head over to POYI (Pictures of the Year International), a global photography contest. Look at the winners of their sports categories to get inspiration for your approach to the game.

Step 9 – Learn autofocus modes and techniques

You camera probably has a variety of autofocus modes. The two main ones are usually labeled “Single Servo” and “Continuous Servo.” Single servo focuses and then locks. It often prevents you from shooting when things are out of focus. Continuous servo allows the camera to track and change focus. This is much more advantageous for sports. Canon, Nikon and many other camera manufacturers and created even more sophisticated focusing modes. So be sure to read your manual and learn about what your camera can do. Many sports photographers also designate a button on the back of their camera as the autofocus button and turn the half-depress shutter button function off. This is also an option you can explore. Search “rear button focus” on Google to find more information.

Step 10 – Start small

So now it’s time to head out and give it a try for yourself. Maybe find a college or high school game (bearing in mind that you may have to ask permission) to cover. These venues offer a place where you can get close to the action without getting in anyone’s way and practice the basics without too much pressure. Pick a sport that’s accessible, something you understand and have an interest in to help you get to grips with the speed that you’ll have to work at. Remember to put the whole event in context, as with any photo assignment, you need a variety of shots, some to establish the scene and put everything in context, detail shots, shots of the main game players and the shots of the action itself. Once you’ve edited your images down. Get in contact with other photographers, either at a local paper or even on web sites like Flickr or Sportshooter. Once you get some feedback, you’ll be able to start improving. Once you feel you’re good enough, contact blogs, fan sites and even the universities or high schools to see if they might be interested in have you shoot for them. You may not get paid right away, but you can credentials for bigger and bigger sporting events.

Conclusion

Developing quick camera skills and even faster reaction times is important in sports photography, but in all forms of photography, creative vision is the most essential element. Once you get the manipulations down, you can begin to look at your images from a different angle. This creative vision is what sets average sport photographers apart from the legendary ones. All it takes is practice.

photographer

(born 22 February 1983) is the name of a French photographer and artist whose identity is unconfirmed. He has described himself as a “photograffeur”, he fly posts large black-and-white photographic images in public locations in a manner which is similar to the appropriation of the built environment by the graffiti artist. He states that the street is “the largest art gallery in the world.” He started out on the streets of Paris. JR’s work “often challenges widely held preconceptions and the reduc-

tive images propagated by advertising and the media.” JR’s work combines art and action and deals with commitment, freedom, identity and limits. He has been introduced by Fabrice Bousteau as: “the one we already call the Cartier-Bresson of the 21st century”. On 20 October 2010, JR won the TED Prize for 2011. “The TED Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, ‘One Wish to Change the World.’ Designed to leverage the

TED community’s exceptional array of talent and resources, the Prize leads to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.” Nowadays JR is a photographer who gets one of the biggest salaries in the world. JR began his career as a teenage graffiti artist who was by his own admission not interested in changing the world, but in making his mark on public space and society. His graffiti often targeted precarious places like rooftops and subway trains, and he enjoyed the ad-

venture of going to and painting in these spaces. After finding a camera in the Paris Metro, JR and his friends began to document the act of his graffiti painting. At 17, he began applying photocopies of these photographs to outdoor walls. JR later travelled throughout Europe to meet the people whose mode of artistic expression involved the use of outdoor walls. Then, he began wondering about the vertical limits, the walls and the façades that structure cities. After observing the people he met and listening to their message, JR pasted their portraits up in the streets and basements and on the roof tops of Paris. Between 2004 and 2006, JR created Portraits of a Generation, portraits of young people from the housing projects around Paris that he exhibited in huge format. This illegal project became official when the City of Paris put JR’s photos up on buildings. At the beginning of his projects, JR wanted to bring art into the street: “In the street, we reach people who never go to museums.” In 2007, with Marco, JR put up enormous photos of Israelis and Palestinians face to face in eight Palestinian and Israeli cities on either side of the Separation Barrier. Upon his return to Paris, he pasted these portraits up in the capital. For the artist, this artistic act is first and foremost a human project: “The heroes of the project are all those who, on both sides of the wall, allowed me to paste the portraits on their houses.” In 2008, JR undertook an international tour for Women Are Heroes, a project in which he highlights the dignity of women who are often targets during conflicts. JR calls himself an “urban artivist”, he creates pervasive art that he puts up on the buildings in the Paris area projects, on the walls of the Middle East, on the broken bridges of Africa or in the favelas of Brazil. During the pasting phase, community members take part in the artistic process. In Brazil, for example, children became artists for a week. In these artistic acts, no scene separates the actors from the spectators. After having exhibited in the cities from which JR’s subjects came, the photos traveled from New York to Berlin, Amsterdam to Paris. As JR remains anonymous and does not frame his huge portraits, he leaves a space for an encounter between a subject/protagonist and a passerby/ interpreter, and this is the essence of his work.