Ebook edition • See page 4 for details
100% UNOFFICIAL
Issue 125 • July 2021 www.digitalcameraworld.com
THE NIKON MAG EXPERT ADVICE!
NXLearnSTUDIO how to use your FREE Nikon software! p86
Learn how to take stunning shots of urban scenes, from your hometown to the world’s great metropolises
BIG TEST!
Streets ahead! Perfect primes & zooms
FREE VIDEOS 7 PHOTO PROJECTS TO TRY AT HOME TODAY!
for street photography
Magical mountains! PRO TIPS!
Join our Apprentice on a dusk till dawn landscape shoot in the Brecon Beacons
Exposed!
Master exposure in Nikon Academy p82
Adam Oswell
“You’ve got to know your rights” p64
Food for thought
Scrumptious Nikon images from FPOTY p16
FROM THE EDITOR
This issue’s special contributors… Edyta Rice PAGE 6
Early bird Edyta is up before the lark (and in bed after the owl) to school our Apprentice in mountainous landscapes.
Jordan Banks Reigning National Geographic Traveller City Photographer of the Year Jordan teaches how to photographall things urban.
Adam Oswell PAGE 64
Australian-born, Thailandresident wildlife photographer Adam shares his shots and story in the N-Photo interview.
Amy Jones PAGE 72
Animal rights activist and documentary photographer Amy tells how photography can bring conservation issuesto the fore.
Neil Freeman PAGE 82
Top tutor Neil explains all you need to know to get perfect and creative exposures in this instalment of Nikon Academy.
Matthew Richards PAGE 104
Matthew puts a selection of eight prime and zoom lenses through their paces that are streets ahead forstreet photography.
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yelhsA naI © :egamI
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Welcome to issue 125
Whether pounding the pavements of your hometown or seeing the sights of the world’s great metropolises, there’s so much to capture in the urban conurbations most of us call home. Awardwinning photographer Jordan Banks shares his top tips for shooting cities in this issue’s lead feature. Heading out into the countryside, our Apprentice heads for the hills of the bucolic Brecon Beacons for a dawn-and-dusk shoot under the expert guidance of landscape pro Edyta Rice. Back in the city, we try lenses that are ideal for street photography; but while ‘street’ used to equate to 35mm primes, times have changed and we’re including widish zooms, too. We also share our pick of photo paper for perfect prints and test the Laowa15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift – a wide-angle ‘shift’ lens for a lot less than Nikon’s PC-E optics. In Nikopedia, we explain the science behind exposure, and how manipulating your Nikon’s key controls of aperture, shutter speed and ISO is key for creating appealing images. Plus, we explore Curves and Levels in Nikon’s free NX Studio, while our Skills section is packed with a plethora of projects to try your hand at. Enjoy the issue! Adam Waring, Editor adam.waring@futurenet.com
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Contents
WIN! A NIKON Z6 SEE PAGEI9I2
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How to shoot cities
Uncover award-winning pro photographer Jordan Banks’ tips and tricks for shooting spell-binding urban imagery
06 Apprentice 16 Lightbox 26 Shoot Cities 38 Go Pro 43 Nikon Skills
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The dangerous world of covering the illegal wildlife trade
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the tides when shooting seascapes…
62 On Location 81 Next Issue 64 Interview 82 Nikopedia 72 On Assignment 90 Wild Life 74 Letters 92 N-Photo POTY 76 Your Stories 114 Parting Shot Free ebook! Photography SUBSCRIBE! Tips, Tricks & Fixes Massive subscription savings! Head to Brecon Beacons to shoot dawn and dusk with Edyta Rice
Tom Mackie races against the tide in this thrilling tale
Tasty shots from the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year
Wildlife photographer Adam Oswell shares his stories
Master exposure and get to grips with Curves in NX Studio
Discover how to get the best shots of magnificent metropolises
Amy Jones shoots our relationship with captive animals
Why you need to step out of your comfort zone for the best shots
Knowing what images to get rid of is as essential as the shots you keep
Share your thoughts and opinions with the N-Photo community
Take a closer look at our majestic macro photo competition
Keep yourself busy for another month with our projects!
We check out floral abstracts and luscious landscapes
Planning, planning, planning, oh and more planning!
In this bookazine we’ll teach you essential techniques to enliven your landscapes, enhance your portraits, sharpen your macro shots and more. Every step of the process is covered – prep, post and shooting. Download your free copy from: www.bit.ly/tricksfixes
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Plus get a free Lowepro Tahoe 150 backpack!
SEE PAGE
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Take a sneak peek under the bonnet of what we have next month
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You can see every detail of these macro photo competition winners
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BEFORE
Lovely landscapes inspired by paintings
Gear Zone 98 New Gear 100 Photo paper 102 Laowa 15mm f/4.5 104 Street glass
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
Next-level Nikon-compatible kit that you can soon get your hands on Give your images the premium paper they deserve
Our verdict on the world’s widest full-frame shift lens Take to the streets with eight top prime and zoom lenses
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VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE www.bit.ly/NPhoto125 5
APPRENTICE
THE PRO
NAME: Edyta Rice CAMERA: Nikon Z 6 Newport-based Edyta has worked as a portrait and wedding photographer, but found landscapes to be her true calling. She moved from her native Poland to study in Wales over 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working as an HR business partner she spends as much time as possible travelling to stunning landscapes in her campervan or leading workshops. Edyta is an ambassador for NiSi and FOTOPRO. See her work at: www.bit.ly/3vFKgW5
THE APPRENTICE NAME: Dave Harford CAMERA: Nikon D7200
Dave lives in Worcester where he works as a traffic officer and volunteers as a community first responder for the West Midlands Ambulance Service. He started his photography journey with a compact camera, but what started as a hobby has morphed into a serious passion. Dave enjoys a variety of genres, but always comes back to landscapes. He’s hoping Edyta’s tuition can help refine his process and push his work to the next level. See Dave’s work at: www.bit.ly/33dKhnZ
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Light the Beacons 7
APPRENTICE
TECHNIQUE ASSESSMENT
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LIVE VIEW
Edyta says… If I’m searching for a good composition I’ll look through the viewfinder, but once the camera’s on the tripod I’ll refine my framing in Live View. The Grid and Virtual Horizon overlays are particularly useful when using the rule of thirds and ensuring your frame is perfectly level.
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WHITE BALANCE
Edyta says… I always shoot Raw to retain as much detail as possible. This also means I can easily alter an image’s colour temperature in post. Despite this, I tend to use a white balance preset so I can better visualize what the final image will look like in-camera. My go-to preset is Cloudy.
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PRO KIT AWESOME APPS
Edyta says… I spend a lot of time planning shoots, and apps make the process a lot easier. I use browser and smartphone apps, but the beauty of the latter is that you can easily access them when out in the field. My favourite app is AccuWeather (pictured), which allows you to check the weather at specific times and locations using a variety of detailed map overlays, charts and interfaces. I cross-reference this information with other weather apps, such as Met Office Weather Forecast and Clear Outside. Other useful apps include Sun Position, which maps the position of the sun and details when it rises and sets, and PhotoPills, which is an extremely detailed program. I use it for astrophotography, but it can do much more if you’re willing to delve deeper.
clouds and towering mountains – everybit a scene straight fromArthurian legend. “We’ve got a couple of hoursbefore sunset,” said Edyta, “soI think we havejust enough time to capturea few imagesof the Welsh Crannog Centre.”The pair walked to the lake’s shore and picked their way along a wooden jetty that was adjacent to the photogenic structure.
CAPTURE THE CRANNOG BRACKETING
Edyta says… The dynamic range of Nikon’s latest cameras is amazing, but there are still high-contrast situations where it’s difficult not to clip the shadows or highlights. My solution is to capture a bracket of three varying exposures, which are then blended in Adobe CC to create a natural HDR.
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As Dave set up his tripodEdyta reminded him to extend thethickest legs first for as much stability as possible, but beforehe secured his camera shetold him to handhold the device and look through the viewfinder: “This gives youthe freedom to find your composition without having to constantly readjust the tripod.” Dave only required a few compositional pointers, and Edyta was pleasedto find he was already set up to shoot Raw andwas using Matrix Metering. Healso refinedhis
frame instinctively using Live View. “What’sthe red overlay for then?” he asked pointing tothe rear LCD on Edyta’sZ 6. “It’sa function called FocusPeaking,” replied thepro. “The red indicates areas that are in focus and itmoves in real time as I turn the focus ring.” She explained she prefers tofocus manually,but sinceDave was used toAF and didn’t have Focus Peaking on his D7200, there was no reason
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SUPER SHOT #1 Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO100
to change tack. “I’d still recommend zooming into Live View tomake sureyour focus is pin-sharp,”said Edyta as she pressed the Playback zoom in button. Dave captured some SuperShot-worthy images of the crannog, but before they headed off Edyta had one more angle in mind: “If thecentre is open, we can set up on the walkway and shoot directly towards it.”Sadly the seven-foot gateat the beginning of the walkway was shut, but Edyta wasn’t ready togive up. “Not every landscape has to be taken on a tripod.See what you cancapture by reaching over the fence.”Dave held the camera high above his head and looked up at his Nikon’s rear LCD. Edyta suggested he use the grid overlay to ensure the image was perfectly symmetrical. “I wish I had an articulated screen like your Z 6,” laughed Dave as he adjusted his shutter speed to mitigate camera shake. As the pair of www.digitalcameraworld.com
EXPERT INSIGHT LEADING LINES
Edyta says… Dave naturally looks for leading lines, which is a great way to create a compelling composition. Objects that carve a path through a scene – such as roads, ridges, walls, rows of flowers and tree lines – can be used to guide your viewer’s eye towards the focal point of the image. The jetty next to the Welsh Crannog Centre is a perfect example of a leading line. Dave lined up his frame so the jetty would zigzag from the left-hand corner of the frame, guiding the viewer towards the hut.
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APPRENTICE
SUPER SHOT #2 Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 3x bracket, f/8, ISO100
PRO KIT STURDY TRIPOD
Edyta says… Dave uses a travel tripod, which is ideal if you want something small and light to take on holiday. But if Edyta recommends investing in a sturdy tripod if you’re serious you regularly brave the hills and mountains. about landscapes – especially in the windswept hills and mountains – I’d recommend a sturdier tripod. I use the FOTOPRO T-74C II carbon fibre tripod and LG-7R head. It can handle a payload of 25kg, but weighs less than 2kg and has weathered storms on the Welsh coast and various peaks.
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photographersreviewed theimages Edyta pointed at the Playback screen: “That’s definitely Super Shot #1.”
BURNING SKIES & THIGHS...
The pro glanced at her watch: “Sunset’sat 20:30, which gives us just over an hour to reach our vantage point,”she said. “Thankfully there’s parking at thefoot of Cockit Hill, which is onlya 10-minute drive. Fromthere it’sa shortbut steep walk tothe trig point atop MynyddLlangorse.” When the photographersreached their cars theyspent a few minuteschanging into walking boots. “Wow!” exclaimed Dave, “Youscared the daylights out ofme,” he said breathing heavily.Edyta laughed as a wild Welsh pony pulled its snout from the boot of the car: “He’s either a Nikon fan or he’ssearching for food,” she chuckled. By the time they reached the lay-by, gorgeous lighting was signalling thestart www.digitalcameraworld.com
SUNRISE & SUNSET
HOW TO:
BLEND AN IMAGE
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of golden hour. They stopped a few paces from the cars tomarvel at the view of Llangorse Lake far below and the imposing Pen y Fan (the national park’s tallest peak) in the distance. “Feel free to start shooting,” said Edyta. “This is why I arrive at a location well before sunset.” The high contrast meant that even with a graduated neutral densityfilter Dave was having difficultybalancing his exposure. “Let’strya bracket,”said Edyta. “The pro had briefly touched upon bracketing at the Crannog Centre and this was Dave’s first chance totryit out forhimself.He set up a three-shot bracketso he could expose for the shadows, midtones andhighlights. “I’ve got totell you,that’scompletely changed theway I takephotos,” he said. “Forso long I’ve struggled in high-contrast situations. It’s agame-changer.” The pair stopped intermittently as they climbed – sometimes tocapture images and sometimes to capture a breather. Edyta demonstratedhow to use ridge lines, rocky outcrops and even sheep as foregroundinterest. When they finally reached thetrig point the groundevened out, and the walk to the vantagepoint
EXPERT INSIGHT FIGURE INA LANDSCAPE
Edyta says… A figure in a landscape adds a sense of scale and a clear subject, useful when there isn’t one. N-Photo editor Adam was an ideal sitter since his bright yellow jacket popped against the background. Dave used the rule of thirds to position him on an intersection point and the perspective made it look like the subject was standing next to a sheer drop (even though he was quite safe). The hiking poles conveyed a serious hiker. This kind of lifestyle image is very popular with editorial clients, so it’s always worth adding a few to your portfolio.
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FIND YOUR BRACKET
Edyta says… Open Adobe Lightroom and select File>Import Photos and Video in the top toolbar. Select the three (or more) exposures you want to merge and hit Import. Each image’s composition must be identical, but you don’t necessarily have to select photographs from the same bracket.
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SET UP YOUR HDR
Edyta says… Go to the Develop Module. Click the first image in your bracket and hold Shift as you click the last to select the whole sequence. Right-click the selection and choose Photo Merge>HDR to bring up the HDR Merge Preview window. Lightroom will now build a preview of your HDR image.
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MERGE AND EDIT
Edyta says… Leave Auto Align and Auto Settings ticked and choose your desired Deghost Amount to mitigate movement, such as rippling water – use trial and error to find the best setting for your image. Click Merge and continue to edit your new HDR image.
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APPRENTICE EXPERT INSIGHT OUTSTAY YOUR WELCOME
Edyta says… Light is the most important element of a landscape photo. I move with the light and follow it as it illuminates different parts of the scene. Sometimes the light is right for only a few moments and when you think it’s gone for good it will suddenly surprise you. That’s why I always recommend arriving an hour before sunrise and staying an hour after sunset. This will also allow you to shoot the blue hour, which some photographers rule out by turning up late or leaving early. I’ll often stay in my campervan overnight to ensure I’m there for the full duration.
was much easier. “We’ve got alot of thick cloud cover so it’snot quite as spectacular as I’d hoped,” said Edyta. “But that’swhy landscape photographersreturn to locations time and again.”
OUT LATE, UP EARLY
The pro encouraged her Apprentice to use his camera’s histogram to check the highlights and shadows weren’t clipping: “If the graph touches the left side the shadows areclipped,and if it touches the right sidethe highlights are clipped.”
PRO KIT FILTERS
Edyta says… Polarizers and ND filters allow you to cut reflections and shoot super-long exposures respectively – effects you can’t replicate in post. ND grads help balance high-contrast scenes in-camera. I use high-quality NiSi filters, alongside the NiSi Filters ND Exposure Calculator app, which helps you input the correct exposure settings.
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They settled on an apertureof f/8 to help preventdiffraction, while still capturing a suitably large depth of field. Once again Dave used anND grad and a three-shot bracket to help mitigate thehigh contrast. As the sun began todip below the mountains, Super Shot #2 wasin the bag. The nextchallenge was to descend the uneven terrain in the dark...Thankfully, the outdoorsy duo were well prepared and equipped witha head torch and flashlight. Back at the cars Edyta consulteda weather app: “Sunrise is at 05:50. I’drecommend arriving at the location for 05:15 – we’d best get some sleep.” They met the following morning in a car park just south of Llangattock village. It was a shortuphill walk to their destination, Llangattock Escarpment.As theyperched their tripods atop asheer limestonecliff, they looked down upon a series of undulating hills (relics of a long-abandoned quarry)and sprawling views ofthe national park beyond. Research revealed the sun would rise directly behind the mounds below,and Edyta was hoping shadows would dance across therolling terrain. Dave reached for a filter, but Edyta encouraged him to leaveit. “The sun hasn’t appeared yet, so there isn’t much contrast. I’dhold off.” A subtle pink hue illuminated the clouds, but the awe-inspiring sunrise the pair had hoped for didn’t materialize. Dave turnedhis attention to a lone tree behind their shootingposition. “The light’s looking quitenice overthere,” he said. Edyta agreed andthey made their way further along the ridge. Although sunrise had ended, the morning was far from over. A break in the
clouds sent rays of golden light directly towards the photographers who were standing infront of another lonetree. “That’sthe shot,” said Edyta as Dave hurriedly set up his tripodand attached a three-stop ND grad to his 18-105mm. “We need to findsomething tolead the viewer towards the sun,” she explained. “The ridge and the tree?” said Dave as he adjusted the tripod’s positioning. The pro
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SUPER SHOT #3 Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 3x bracket, f/16, ISO100
nodded with a smile: “Since we’re facing directly towards the sun you could go with an aperture of f/16 to create a sunburst.” The Apprentice set his camera toshoot a bracket once again,but the direct sunlight was causing flare. “Youcan’t use a lens hood with afilter,” sighed Dave. “Just use your hand to shield thecamera,” replied Edyta. It did the trick and the nextfew exposures were flare-free. While sunrise was a bit of a disappointment, golden hour had gifted the pair Super Shot #3.
FIGURE IT OUT
“Now we’ve got the light, let’shead back to the quarry,” said Edyta. What hadlooked uninspiring in flat lighting hadsince come alive. Golden rays kissed the ground and cast dark shadows acrossthe mounds. The sun’s position meantthe pair were forced toshoot at a 90-degree angle to the leftof their original vantagepoint, www.digitalcameraworld.com
Edyta traces the sun’s trajectory as it rises over theBrecon Beacons.
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APPRENTICE
SUPER SHOT #4 Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Exposure: 1/15 sec, f/16, ISO100
PRO KIT HIKING GEAR Edyta says… Weather conditions can change very quickly when you’re operating in the hills or mountains. Make sure you pack enough layers to withstand all weather conditions and wear a comfortable pair of hiking boots that provide adequate support when walking on uneven terrain. I recommend using a pair of poles too. They make ascending and descending much easier, especially if you’re carrying a heavy camera bag that can offset your balance. If you’re shooting at sunrise or sunset, you’ll be walking to or from the location in the dark. A head torch is therefore a necessity since you’ll be walking on uneven ground and potentially near hazardous drops.
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and this made it difficult to identify a discernible subject. “Let’strya telephoto focal length,”said the pro. Daveswitched to his 55-300mm and admitted that he’d never thought of using longerfocal lengths for landscapes. “Sometimes you needto get closer to identifya subject,” said Edyta. “Try that hill,”she said pointing at the tallest mound. “It needs something else...” N-Photo editor Adam was enlisted to pose as a hiker,his vibrant jacket helping him pop against the background. Super Shot #4 was the easiest image to capture of the day. Dave simply focusedon the figure and, without bracketing or a filter,capturedhis hiking subject in front of patchwork fields. The pair drove back to the nearby Dragon Inn at Crickhowell to enjoya well-deserved breakfast inthe pub garden and reviewthe shots. Edyta had just finished backing up Dave’s SDcard when www.digitalcameraworld.com
SUNRISE & SUNSET
PRO PORTFOLIO EDYTA RICE
BURNHAM-ON-SEA Edyta attaches an ND grad to help balancethe bright skyand the dark foreground.
BE OUR NEXT APPRENTICE!
We’re looking for future Apprentices! So if you would like to appear on these pages and get top one-to-one professional tuition into the bargain, send an email headed ‘Apprentice’ to mail@nphotomag.com and make sure that you include the following information: your name, address, a contact phone number, the camera and kit you use, and the subject that you’re interested in shooting. the heavens opened. “No trip to Wales is complete without it,” he chuckled as they dashed back totheir cars.
This classic minimalistimage of Burnhamon-Sea’s Low Lighthouse was taken at sunset. Still conditions, beautiful reflections and the gradual transition of colour make it look rather surreal. I shot it from a low angle to emphasize the scale and used a wide-angle lens to framethe plethora of vibrant colours above the horizon line.
DUTCH COUNTRYSIDE
The Dutch countryside is one of my favourite places to visit for floral landscape photography.I usually head tothe townof Lisse at the endof April, when the tulip fields areat their verybest. This shot was taken at sunriseand I was really lucky with the weather.I dreamed of capturing bright pink tulips below anamazing sky – and that’sexactly what I got.
DAVE’S COMMENT
EDYTA’S VERDICT
Dave is so enthusiastic and committed – I couldn’t have asked for a better Apprentice. He has a good eye and instinctively uses techniques like leading lines. Bracketing has helped him combat high-contrast scenes and encouraged him to expand his editing skills too. www.digitalcameraworld.com
nosaM werdnA© :egamI
Edyta’s support was incredible. When I asked technical questions sheansweredthem in a way I could understand. She taught me so muchin such a short amount of time, and bracketing was a revelationthat will change the way I shoot!
Next issue our Apprentice joins wildlife pro Andrew Mason and a flock of seabirds at Bempton Cliffs.
PROVENCE
The lavender fields of Provence, France, are my secondgo-to location in the summer. I plannedthis ‘selfie’the day before and got up at 4am to capture thebestlight. I wanted to capture perfect symmetryand slightly raised terrain. A 20-second timer allowed me to get inposition and gaze towards the rising sun before the shutterfired.
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LIGHTBOX
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PINK LADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
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LIGHTBOX
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PINK LADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
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LIGHTBOX
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How to shoot cities Award-winning travel photographer Jordan Banks shares his tried-and-tested tips and tricks for shooting stunning shots of towns and cities
C
ities are energetic, vibrant and ever-changing places that can provide photographers with a seemingly endless list of photo opportunities. From amazing skylines and unique architecture to the hustle and bustle of the streets, most cities provide enough opportunity to inspire any willing photographer. While I love working in the wild, the majority of my assignments are actually undertaken in the fascinating concrete jungles that so many of us now call home. I have learnt to love the energy of a city and I believe that some of my strongest images have been taken in urban areas.
At first, cities can be a little intimidating and tough to shoot for even the most experienced photographers. Being thrown in to a congested city, full of life with distractions at every corner, can be overwhelming and it’s oen hard to know where to start. Through my many years spent shooting cities across the globe; I have found that, when I approach my shots with a clear strategy, I am then better prepared to take full advantage of the countless photo opportunities that present themselves. This allows me to capture the true essence of any location that I happen to find myself in. In this article, I will take you through some triedand-tested methods to guarantee that you get the most of your time on location and help you produce a
How sht… CITIES
landscape and travel photographer who produces images for a wide variety of commercial and editorial clients, as well as running travel workshops worldwide. For more information: www.jordanbanksphoto.com
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sknaB nadroJ © :segami llA
Jordan Banks Jordan Banks is a pro
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Right: Entrance tothe Guggenheim museum in NYC. Shot ona tripod to allow for the slow shutter speed.
portfolio of photographs that, I hope, you will be proud to show off to anyone.
GET INTO GEAR
The gear you choose is vital to the outcome of your shoot but sacrifices will oen need to be made as it isn’t always feasible to carry everything. Let’s take a look at some essential items that will allow you to shoot great images all day long.
The marvel of mirrorless
The introduction of Nikon’s mirrorless cameras has made photographing cities easier and enables you to produce a high standard of images quickly when compared with a DSLR. But the main reasons for this aren’t what you might think… While the weight of camera bodies has decreased in mirrorless cameras, this doesn’t actually make a
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big difference to the overall weight I have to carry on a shoot. This is because the S-line of lenses are roughly the same size and weight as their F-mount equivalents. The smaller nature of the Z cameras does, however, make them more subtle, and when combined with the silent shutter option allows you to be less conspicuous. More importantly, the introduction of an electronic viewfinder has made shooting decisive moments more efficient. Street scenes can have awkward lighting conditions that produce very high contrast, so being able to judge the correct exposure quickly via the viewfinder means more evenly exposed images every time. This doesn’t mean that DSLRs are any less capable of capturing incredible photographs of cities though, aer all, I managed pretty well with them for years! www.digitalcameraworld.com
GET INTO GEAR The gear you choose is vital to the outcome of your shoot but sacrifices will often need to be made
The ‘holy trinity’ of zoom lenses is idealfor city photography. In these shots of Seattle: the citycentre (above) was shot with a 16-35mm f/4 wide-anglezoom at 16mm; Pike Place Market (left)with a 24-70mm f/2.8 standard zoom at 38mm; and the Space Needle (farleft) with a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom at 200mm.
Luggable lenses
There is quite literally a place in the kit bag for any number of lenses, but who wants to be lugging around heavy glassware all day if you don’t need it? In general, I pack my 14-30mm f/4, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 70-200mm f/2,8, otherwise known as the holy trinity of lenses. Not only are the optics fantastic in all these lenses, but they also have me covered for my most frequently used focal lengths in just three lenses, which I know I can easily carry around all day. On occasions when I may need that extra bit of reach I’ll take a longer lens, www.digitalcameraworld.com
or if I want to keep my kit bag particularly light I’ll pack my 35mm and 85mm lenses. It’s really a matter of weighing up what you will be shooting on the day and only carrying what’s necessary, so that you won’t be restricted by the weight or size of your kit. Bags of choice A comfortable bag is essential for keeping you mobile. There are loads of good brands out there, so have a good look around to find the one that’s right for you. I really like the F-Stop gear bags for their high-quality construction
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How sht… CITIES
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www.digitalcameraworld.com
PLANNING YOUR SHOOT and comfort. I also like the fact that they don’t look like your typical camera bag, which is useful when you want to avoid any unwanted attention!
Travel tripod
This is going to polarize opinion, but I feel a tripod is as essential to shooting in cities as it is for landscapes. Yes, it’s more weight and yes, you may not use your tripod for every shot, but it can really make the difference to those shots where you require a slower shutter speed or wish to add some motion to your imagery. There are plenty of carbon fibre travel options available that offer lightweight yet sturdy support.
PLANNING YOUR SHOOT
In order to really get the most out of your time photographing in a city, it is imperative that you have a good plan in place for your shoot. I will oen start researching a city months before I am due to arrive, meaning that my research will have actually started before I even book anything. Before anything else, I will be looking at the best time of year to visit. I could settle on a time based on many factors, such as weather, festivals or crowds. For example, I may choose to visit New York in the autumn to capture the fall colours, or Tokyo during the annual Cherry Blossom festival.
Topleft: View ofSeattle from Kerry Park. Jordan used Google Earth to confirm location for his shoot. Below left: This image depicts the teamLab Borderless exhibition in Tokyo and wasshot on a very wet day. Right: Jordan’s National Geographic Traveller award-winning image just goes to show that a little bit of research can go a very long way.
Unique views
I spend a lot of time looking for unique ways to shoot a city, so that I avoid having a load of cliché images that have been seen a thousand times over. This may include looking for new rooop bars or viewing platforms, art installations, buildings or museums that will allow me to a get a fresh and current take on my location. Cities are constantly changing environments, so there is always going to be something fresh to shoot and it pays to take the time to find out what’s new.
Route planning
Cities are big places and it can take longer than you think to get around, so I usually put a shoot plan together for each day I am in the city. This means that I waste as little time as possible travelling from one side of the city to the other. I will have my predetermined sunrise and sunset locations and, once I have these, I will look to group other sites close by that can make the most of the so morning light or the late-aernoon sun. When planning your route be realistic. Don’t cram in so many locations into one period that you only have a few minutes to shoot; it’s better to shoot
It’s better to shoot one place really well than lots of places averagely, so give yourself enough time to explore the light, angles and compositions www.digitalcameraworld.com
one place really well than lots of places averagely, so give yourself enough time to explore the light, angles and compositions at your chosen locations. Rainy day plan It’s not oen in the photography world that you will hear the words ‘rain’ and ‘good’ in the same sentence. With cities, however, there are still plenty of good shooting locations for those rainy days, such as markets, local attractions and museums. If you are prepared to get a little wet then you can make some really powerful images when it’s raining, especially at night with the city lights reflecting in the rainwater. This can make for striking shots with a dreamy, mysterious feel.
Useful tools
I will use a range of outlets to research and
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How sht… CITIES
plan my shoot. In recent years, Google Earth has been my greatest tool in planning any city trip. You can ‘virtually’ fly around the city looking for rooop views or even eye up the hotel or Airbnb with the best views. The great thing about Google Earth is that you can, to some degree, compose your shot before you even arrive on location!
TELL A STORY
A photo essay, or photo story, is common practice in travel photography and you will no doubt have seen some great features in glossy magazines (as well as N-Photo, of course) where the images of a location can really get under your skin. The aim of the photographer is to produce a single or set of images that connects the viewer to a certain place in time. Setting yourself the goal of shooting a photo essay is great practice for achieving a set of strong, well-thought-out and cohesive pictures.
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Above: View of Manhattan from New Jersey. Jordan explains that he included the lady on her phone to give someperspective to the image.
Be original
When planning your photo story try to be as original as possible. The aim is to produce fresh content that attracts and will engage viewers. This is easier said than done, but that’s the challenge; to create something unique that stands alone from the millions of other photos of the location that can be seen anywhere at any time.
Have a narrative
Stories need to have a clearly defined beginning, middle and end, and this is true for photo essays. If your aim is to produce a chronological series of images, it is much easier to define these junctures. If you want to tell a more personal or compact story, you have some wiggle room to experiment with, but it is still good practice to have a narrative structure to lead your viewers in and out of the story. Whichever option you choose, a clear and www.digitalcameraworld.com
TELL A STORY
Be ever-ready
Always have your camera to hand; you never know when something is going to happen, so I always like to have mine close-by and ready to shoot. This is especially true when you are shooting a story, as it is often
decisive conclusion is important to the impact the story has. Nobody likes to be le hanging…
Variety is the spice
You don’t want people to get bored, so you need to try and include a variety of different subjects to keep viewers’ imagination going. A set of very similar images won’t achieve this. You need to pay attention to the details that will provide not just the variety,
The goal of shooting a photo essay is great practice for achieving a set of strong, well-thought-out and cohesive pictures www.digitalcameraworld.com
Top: Boys playing in Panama City. Keeping your camera to handat all timeson a shoot can help you capture unique fleeting moments like this. Above: A woman walks through the Empty Skies Memorial inNew Jersey. Jordan usesthe negative space here to tell a storybut still leave room for the viewer to fill in theblanks.
those fleeting moments that will complete your photo essay in a well-rounded fashion. The last thing you want is to see a great image that you could have captured. Adjust your camera to your ‘go to’ settings when you arrive at a new location and keep the lens cap off as you walk around!
but the emotion in your images as well. Be sure to experiment with shooting landscapes, portraits, action, detail and even abstract images to avoid the danger of repetition.
Layout
The layout of the images that make up your story is an important factor in good photo storytelling. When you are shooting, try and think where a certain image might fit in the context of the story and what might be missing from other areas that you will need to concentrate on. Planning a final layout is oen one of the most difficult factors of a good photo essay, as its means you can’t just take nice, pretty pictures. Instead, they will need some context to your overall story. A good layout allows the viewer to process each image on its independent merits then connect them into a clear and precise storyline. The first and last images
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How sht… CITIES
Above: Manhattan Bridge mirrored in a window.Playing with reflections can help add more to your frame.
in any series are the most important as they have to be strong enough to attract the viewer and leave them with a clear memory of your photo essay.
Brooklyn Bridge, so adding a fresh take to these – and other landmarks – will draw people’s interest.
Add emotion
Make sure that you try to experiment with angles. This could mean getting down on the ground or jumping on a bench or small wall to get a slightly different perspective. It could be looking up at those skyscrapers or tilting your camera to add another dynamic to your photograph. Have a play around and you might be surprised at what you can achieve once you break the mould of shooting just around eye level.
All great stories contain a sense of emotion and your photo essay is no different. No matter how technically strong each image is this isn’t always enough, as they must also have a clear direction. Another good tip for adding emotion and flow to your story is colour management. When editing your images try to keep the same tones, saturation and general edit throughout. If you can incorporate similar tones when shooting even better, but this just isn’t always possible.
GET CREATIVE
Cities offer a multitude of ways a photographer can be creative, so don’t be afraid to experiment to find what works; it’s not as though you can’t just delete anything that really didn’t pay off… Adding that spark of creativity to your work is a great way to make your images stand out. We have all seen the classic view of the Eiffel Tower or
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Play with angles
Scenes can be overlooked and you may even have walked past them. Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for the unexpected www.digitalcameraworld.com
GET CREATIVE
Find the fun
Cities are full of quirky elements from performance art to murals. We all like a laugh, so try to include funny interactions in your images. This could be a crowd reaction to an event or the clever placement of features that capture unexpected results. These scenes can be easily overlooked and you may even have walked past them many times before. Make sure you don’t miss these by always looking around – be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for the unexpected.
Negative space
Playing with negative space when shooting in cities can inject a really effective and creative angle into your images and is easily achieved. Think of your main subject as positive space, while negative space www.digitalcameraworld.com
Top: Manhattan skyline reflecting in a window with a carousel. Not being tied to conventionswill help you create imagery that can’t befound anywhere else. Above left: Jordan spotted this unusual entrance to a shopping mall in Tokyo and just had to photograph it. It’snot hard to see why, with the fun reflections and angles bouncing around playfully.
is the area around your subject. The negative space should generally add context to the subject without detracting attention from it. Too busy a negative area and the image loses its impact, with too many areas of the frame competing for the viewers’ attention. Having a generous area of negative space can add mystique and allows the viewer to make up the story.
Shoot at night
Don’t make the mistake of calling it a day aer sunset, as this can be when the cities truly erupt with life and vibrance. Lights come on and people are on the street, making it a great time to shoot. You can easily visit the same street in the day and night and find a completely different scene. Tokyo is a good example of this. In the daytime the
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busy and fairly monotone streets come alive with colour aer dark, when the thousands of neon lights come out to play.
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Any photographic trip to a city is almost certainly going to contain some elements of street photography. It is a common misconception that street photography is easy and it’s enough to simply capture a few fleeting street life images to have it classed as street photography. I’m here to tell you that this just isn’t true! Good street photography is oen incredibly well thought out and perfectly executed by the photographer who approaches the scene in a very unique manner. You need to be present, obviously, but at the same time you need to be invisible to not interfere with the scene in any way. On top of this, photographers must learn to use their surroundings to shoot everyday activities in a profound way. Both of these factors coming together is hard enough before you even consider all the unknown factors that could come in to play.
The first time you stick a camera in a stranger’s face can be more than a little unnerving. There is a perceived risk of people being angry… 36
Above left: Ayounglady on a BMXtakes in the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn. Above: Confidence is key in street photography. Jordan came across this smartly dressed gent and asked if he could take afew portraits. Above right: An off-the-cuff moment in Valparaíso, Chile. Timing was crucial, and Jordan wasin the right place atthe right time. Far right: In order to create a compelling photograph, Jordan waited patiently for the right subjectto pass beneath the mural.
Time it right
No one can predict the future but it’s helpful to at least try, especially when it comes to street photography… This is where timing comes in to play. I can oen find a really fantastic backdrop, but all the elements required to make a nice image a great image just haven’t arrived on the scene. I may spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour – possibly more – at a spot waiting and trying to tie in all the elements I require for exactly the right areas of the frame. Sometimes this can be just one person or action, but at other times it may be a combination of two or more factors, making the timing of my shot even more crucial. Oen this doesn’t pay off for me, but if I can I may return a second – or third – time to try again. However, even then there are no guarantees; that’s just the nature of photography and it’s especially the nature of street photography. What matters is that you try and that you’re patient.
Get closer
There is a tendency, when you start shooting street photography, to stand back and zoom in, but this technique very seldom works as there is usually a clear separation between the viewer and the action, which can detach the viewer from the scene. It’s important to get close and bring the action to the forefront of your image. Some of the best street photographs ever taken were only a matter of feet from the action or subject. The aim of good street photography is to have the viewer transported into the frame with the feeling of being www.digitalcameraworld.com
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
surrounded by the scene, and this is only really achieved by getting in close and getting the shot.
Don’t be shy!
Street photography requires a certain level of confidence… The first time you stick a camera in a stranger’s face can be more than a little unnerving. There is a perceived risk of people being angry or even aggressive towards you – despite this very rarely being the case. But there are a couple of techniques that can ease you into things. The first is to ‘shoot from the hip’, and the flip-up screens that the many Nikon cameras have makes shooting from the hip a lot easier than in the past. However it’s still not the ideal method, as it’s hard to compose and focus. Providing you feel comfortable, you should always raise the camera to your eye. The second method is to simply travel light. The reason so many street photographers prefer to use more compact gear – such as a 35mm lens – is the lack of attention they attract, which allows them to be less conspicuous and appear less threatening.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
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Paul Wilkinson Go Pro
Paul Wilkinson FMPA FBIPP FSWPP is a multiaward-winning international photographer and co-author of the best-selling book Mastering Portrait Photography, and shares his skills through the free companion site MasteringPortraitPhotography.com. In this monthly series he shares his experiences and stories as he talks about the trials and tribulations of becoming a pro photographer.
The trick to effective culling
There’s more to picking pictures to present than you might think… Here are some tips to help you pull the diamonds from the rough
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lmost every article or tutorial you see in the photography world focuses on creating photographs, from the use of light, the composition, the equipment you use, or the post-production magic that you’re going to apply. But it is the photography that you select and show to the world that, ultimately, defines you. The image cull is as crucial as the creation – and it’s never easy! Here are a few things to consider when choosing your images.
Know your brand
You must have a clear idea of the brand you wish to portray, whatever that may be. Stick to it. If you need to, print out your brand guidelines, so you have them close to hand. Try and be consistent in what you show so that your style becomes recognizable to anyone.
Be worthy of a pro
Every photograph you show to a client or include in your portfolio must be worthy of you as a professional photographer. There must be something about each picture that sets it above those a parent or a friend could have simply taken on their camera phone. Each image must also be technically sound – usually meaning they’re pin-sharp and exposed well (though this is a creative decision!)
Be objective
In an ideal world, weeks or months
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would pass before having to make your selection, as any recent memory of a shoot will colour your evaluation of the product. Remembering a recent session laughing with a lovely client will seduce you into loving the images more than you originally might! However, when you make a living from photography, allowing a month’s pause is a luxury you can ill-afford: you can’t generate revenue until you sell your images, so delaying isn’t an option. Try to see each image without reliving the moment – or get someone else to help you make the selection!
Be harsh, show fewer images
It’s easy to believe that showing lots of images to your clients will drive up your sales. The psychology of, ‘how could they say no to such a beautiful set of images?’ is a common misconception, but there is a wealth of research into this, and it all points to the same thing: more choice equates to lower sales.
Clients and photographers have different tastes
It is a constant source of curiosity that
There is a wealth of research into this, and it all points to the same thing: more choice equates to lower sales
the dark, moody, intense, arty, gritty, dramatic photos that might win a prize in a print competition do not sell as easily as images of, let’s say, two children laughing. To our clients, joy and emotion are more critical than avantgarde – keep those moody images for your qualifications and competitions!
Repetition is wasted space
Perhaps, the most challenging thing of all is when your 10 favourite images in a set are all, essentially, variations of the same photograph, you have to remember this: at best, your client is only going to choose one or two. It may be worth giving a couple of options from each scene from which they can select, but try your best to give them no more than that.
Let the heroes be heroes
A designer once told me something that has stayed with me: not every picture you include should be a ‘hero’ picture. Why? Well, once you’ve seen half a dozen ‘hero’ images, they become the norm – they become average, and the viewer loses a sense of how striking they are. You need a variety so that the ‘hero’ images stand out. However, that still doesn’t mean you can include sub-standard pictures in your portfolio, of course!
Do not procrastinate
Every minute you spend trying to decide what you’re going to include is a cost to you and your business, though it is easy to forget that. Don’t get bogged down – just make a decision!
Revisit old folders
Notice I haven’t used the word ‘delete’ anywhere in this article. Digital storage is not a massive expense these days, so there is no reason to delete your photographs, move them into different subfolders instead. Your tastes and your experience change considerably over time. When you have a moment in the future, revisit some of those selections, maybe for your website or portfolio. You’ll be surprised just how much the passing of time will change how you see your work and which images you would select if you did it again today! www.digitalcameraworld.com
GO PRO – PAUL WILKINSON
www.digitalcameraworld.com
nosnikliW luaP © :yhpargotohP
Getting a good variety in the selection and having consistency in your brand is crucial for great sales!
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GuruShots
Top Photographer: Ilan HornIsrael
We joined up with online photo game GuruShots to print the winning images from the ‘Water Scenes’ challenge, and here are the winners! GuruShots is billed as the world’s leading photo game. It’s an online platform conceived to give global exposure to people who lovetaking photographs.GuruShots members start out as newbies and compete with other photographers to win challenges, increase their ranking on the site and eventually
Maria Fremming Denmark
Darryl Addison Canada 40
progress to coveted ‘Guru’ status. Challenges are voted on by Gurus and the wider GuruShots community, and there’s a fresh challenge – like ‘Water Scenes’ – every day. Winners receive prizes from GuruShots’ sponsors, including Lowepro, Blackrapid and Lensbaby. Check out www.gurushots.com to find out more.
Ramon Sanchez United states
Ruben Kajomovitz Israel
kuriene Netherlands www.digitalcameraworld.com
ADVERTORIAL
Top Photo: Avo photography Canada
missthefishboost United Kingdom
Xavier Jouve France
Guru’s Top Pick: David Rojas Spain
Jon Ryan United States
Jesper Frost ThomsenDenmark
Fabiano Santos United States
Jeno Kiss Germany
Matt Nixon United States
Tiago Schön Rabbit Brazil Peter Merz Canada
Luke Albright United States
Michael Kerouac United States
Péter Lehóczky Hungary
www.digitalcameraworld.com
Sarah Catron United States
ndpiscoi UnitedKingdom
Si RobothamUnited Kingdom 41
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VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE www.bit.ly/NPhoto125 Whenever you see this logo, it means there’s a video to accompany the tutorial, taking youthrough things step-by-step. You can watch all of our photography tutorial videos online – just go to www.bit.ly/NPhoto125
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CORE SKILLS
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
The Mission
– Set up your Nikon to capture a floral double exposure in-camera
Time
– 20 minutes
Skill level – Beginner
Kit needed
– Nikon camera with
multiple exposure mode
– Close-focusing lens – Tripod
VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE www.bit.ly/NPhoto125 44
Proct o: re skls
Seeing double
Mike Harris shows you how to capture an ethereal double exposure of a beautiful blossom in-camera A multiple exposure is two or more photos overlaid on top of one another to form a single image. This technique dates back to the Victorian period and could be achieved easily using a film camera by repeatedly exposing the same piece of film (leading to plenty of accidental multiple exposures if you forgot to wind the film on…). Today you can make a multiple exposure in post-production, but many digital Nikons still allow you to replicate this age-old form of image manipulation in-camera
with dedicated multiple exposure modes. Part of the charm of working this way is that you never quite know what you’re going to get until the camera processes the final image. From moving the camera in tiny increments to spinning it around the same focal point, there’s a huge number of techniques to capture creative multiple exposures and experimentation is key. In this tutorial we’ve settled on a simple double exposure to get you started by merging together an image of a sharp subject with
out-of-focus blur. The resulting image has an ethereal quality that complements the soft hues and delicate nature of the floral subject. It’s worth noting that the number of exposures that can be performed differs between Nikon cameras, and some don’t feature a dedicated multiple exposure mode at all. But if yours doesn’t have this function you can still create multiple exposures by overlaying images on top of one another in Adobe Photoshop using various opacities and blending modes. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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MULTIPLE EXPOSURES
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Softly-softly
Soft lighting complements the delicate nature of blossoms, so we’d recommend shooting early in the morning, late in the evening, or on an overcast day to avoid harsh shadows. If you have no choice but to photograph your subject on a bright, sunny day, consider softening the harsh rays using a dedicated diffuser.
Gain an advantage
‘Number of shots’ allows you to set how many exposures are taken before the camera processes the final image. We selected two shots for our double exposure. If ‘Auto gain’ is turned on the camera will automatically set the exposure of each image – depending on the number of shots – to balance the final exposure.
Try a tripod
If your multiple exposure needs you to keep repositioning your frame you can shoot handheld. Our double exposure required little to no movement, so a tripod was handy as it enabled us to shoot at slower shutter speeds. Tripods and image stabilization don’t mix, so turn VR off.
Multiple modes
Enabling multiple exposure modes can differ from camera to camera. We entered the Shooting Menu and selected ‘Multiple Exposure’. This allowed for two modes: ‘On (series)’ and ‘On (single photo)’. The former keeps Multiple Exposure mode active until manually turned off, while the latter only works for a single multiple exposure.
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Quick Tip
Take a test
Frame your image and use either AF or MF to focus on your subject. If you’re using AF, switch to MF once you’ve locked focus to prevent hunting. Whether you’re using Aperture Priority or Manual mode, it’s worth capturing a test shot to ensure you’re set up correctly. Then enable Multiple Exposure mode and shoot your subject. www.digitalcameraworld.com
For the second exposure, manually turn your lens’s focus ring until the entire image is completely out of focus and capture your second shot. Wait a few seconds for your camera to process the image and check the results on the Playback screen. Now you’ve captured your first in-camera multiple exposure, have fun experimenting!
Nikon Z-series users can take advantage of the mirrorless format’s clever Overlay mode. This lets you preview the next exposure in your sequence as it would appear overlaid onto the previous exposure(s) via the rear LCD or EVF. This happens in real time as you move the frame, giving you much more precision.
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CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
The Mission
– Shoot abstract images with a macro lens
Time
– Intermediate
Skill level – One hour
Kit needed
– Macro lens – Tripod – Studio table (or
sheet of cardboard)
– LED panel (optional)
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Fork handles
What on earth is that? Adam Waring shows you how to shoot super-close, super-shallow depth of field abstract images of everyday objects Macro lenses are famed for being able to capture dazzling detail in close-up images, seemingly magnifying insects to the size of elephants or showing the intricate beauty of flowers at incredible magnification, and are usually used at narrow apertures to maximize the notoriously slim depth of field you get when shooting so close. Indeed, tricks like focus stacking are often used to extend the area of focus to make your subjects recognizable.
In this project, however, we’re going to do the opposite, and shoot an everyday object up close and with a deliberately shallow depth of field for an abstract image that leaves the viewer wondering exactly what it is they’re looking at. We’re using a regular fork as our subject – by shooting down its entire length at a wide aperture we can make the tips of its prongs super sharp while the far handle is blown out of all recognition into an
indistinguishable blur. Of course, many other household items can be photographed in this way, but the longer the item the more pronounced the effect will be. A tripod is essential not only to counter camera shake, but will prevent the teeniest movement from throwing your image out of focus. It also frees up your hands to nudge your subject into position and to experiment with adding an additional light source or reflector to fill in shadows. www.digitalcameraworld.com
EVERYDAY ABSTRACTS
To infinity…
A plain, uncluttered background is best. We used a studio table, but a sheet of card will work just as well. Create a gentle curve shape to form a cornerless transition from the background to the surface that your subject rests on (an infinity curve). We used a blob of putty to elevate the fork handle so we were shooting down its entire length.
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Engage manual focus
Pop your camera on a tripod and set manual focus mode with the switch on the lens barrel. It’s best to switch Vibration Reduction off too. Move your camera as close to the subject as possible, while still enabling the lens to achieve focus to minimize your DoF, and press the Lv button to shoot in Live View.
Camera settings
We shot in Aperture Priority, setting our camera’s base ISO64 for optimum image quality, and opened up our aperture as wide as it would go to accentuate the shallow depth of field – but our f/2.8 macro lens had stopped down to f/4.8 wide open – see Quick Tip for why this happens!
Shed some light
As we were shooting using natural window light, the underside of our subject was rather dark, so we used an LED panel to throw some additional light on our subject. Alternatively, you could use a reflector to fill in these shadows – a piece of white card will do it. Moving the light panel (or reflector) just a fraction can have a dramatic effect on how your subject is lit.
No jogging
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When shooting at slow shutter speeds and at close distances where your depth of field is a fraction of a millimetre, it’s imperative that you don’t jog the camera when firing the shutter. Use a remote shutter release or, alternatively, set the 2-sec self-timer delay to enable the camera to settle before the shutter is fired. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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Time to focus
Twist the focus ring until the very front of the subject springs into sharp focus, then press the + magnifier to zoom into a 10x view to fine-tune the focus. In the case of our fork, we gently nudged its position so that all four prongs were flat-on to the camera to ensure all were pin-sharp.
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ESSENTIAL GEAR SKILLS
The Mission
– Shoot a scene using a variety of filters to enhance your landscape images
Time
– Two hours
Skill level
– Intermediate
Kit needed
– Square filter kit – Tripod – Remote release
VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE www.bit.ly/NPhoto125 48
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It’s hip to be square
Adam Waring shows how a set of square slot-in filters can transform your scenic shots… If you’re serious about landscape photography then a set of filters should be at the very top of your shopping list. These sheets of glass (or resin) sit in front of your lens, manipulating the light that strikes the sensor for creative effect. While there are all manner of trick filters, the main ones to consider are a polarizer, neutral density filter and graduated neutral density filter – or better still, a kit that contains the lot. Filters come in two main types: ‘circular’ filters that screw into the front of your lens, or the ‘square’
variety that need a filter holder and are the most versatile, as you’re not restricted by the size of your lenses’ filter threads – you use the correct-sized ‘adaptor ring’ to attach the holder to the lens. Square filters are also less susceptible to vignetting, as they are typically much wider than your lenses, can be ‘stacked’ together in the holder’s slots, and can be slid up and down within the holder for precise positioning. Anything that goes in front of the lens will have an effect on the light that passes through it, and
so it’s crucial that you invest in a quality system. Most square filter systems are available in a kit form that includes the holder, a variety of attachment rings, as well as a selection of filters. We’re using the NiSi V6 Starter Kit Plus, which also has two strengths of ND filter, a 3-stop ND grad, a 3-stop ‘reverse’ ND grad and a polarizer, along with some nice extras such as a storage pouch, filter cleaners and an oversized lens cap. We headed to Burnhamon-Sea on the Somerset coast to put our filter kit through its paces. www.digitalcameraworld.com
SQUARE FILTER SYSTEMS
Filter fun times
IMPROVING YOUR LANDSCAPE IMAGES IS EASY WITH THESE SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR FILTER KIT
holder 1 Filter The filter holder is attached to the
it off 2 Cap With the filter holder adaptor
camera via an adaptor. Ours screws into lenses with an 82mm thread, but is supplied with extra rings to fit 67mm, 72mm and 77mm lenses – which will cover most high-quality lens filter thread sizes typically used for landscape photography.
screwed into the front of your lens, your lens cap can no longer be clipped on. Unscrewing the adaptor every time you want to pop your camera into your bag is a pain, so kits that come with an oversized cap that fits over the attachment are handy.
bag 3 Filter Filters are delicate and tossing them
into your bag can scratch them, which will show in your shots – or worse, crack them. A filter case is, therefore, essential. The ability to attach it to your tripod legs means that all your filters are accessible – and you no longer need a third hand to swap them!
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it clean 4 Keep It’s vital that your filters are clean
and free from dust or water spots, as these will show up in shots. Inspect your filters before you pop them into your filter holder, and use a blower or lint-free cloth to remove debris. If shooting near water, regularly check the frontmost filter for signs of spray. www.digitalcameraworld.com
5 Tripod When using filters, you’ll probably
need to use a tripod too, as shutter speeds are likely to be too slow to shoot handheld. Even a circular polarizer cuts down light by up to two stops, and the whole point of ND filters is to slow your exposure time to several seconds – or even minutes – long.
release 6 Remote When shooting long exposures,
pressing the shutter button could ‘jog’ the camera, causing image softness. While you can use the 2-sec self-timer delay to allow it to settle, if timing is crucial – such as when shooting waves – a remote release will allow you to fire at precisely the right moment.
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ESSENTIAL GEAR SKILLS
ND filters Take it slow
An ND filter is essentially a dark sheet of glass that cuts down light transmission, lengthening the exposure time and rendering moving elements in your scene into a blur. It’s perfect for giving lapping waves, raging rivers or thundering waterfalls a wonderful misty quality, or turning fluffy clouds into exaggerated streaks on a windy day. Our kit came with six-stop and 10-stop varieties, which would turn a 1/30 sec exposure into 2 secs and 30 secs respectively. Though you can use tables to work out exposure times, NiSi produces a handy companion app to calculate the exposures for you.
ND grads Fade to grey
AFTER
A graduated ND filter is dark at the top graduating to clear at the bottom. They’re used to ‘balance’ scenes that have a dark foreground and bright sky. They come in ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ types, referring to the severity of the transition between clear and dark. Hard grads are great for level horizons, but soft grads are usually the better option as they’re more forgiving in undulating landscapes. To calculate the filter strength you need, expose for the foreground in Manual mode, then take a reading of the sky towards the top of the frame; if it’s showing three stops overexposed then you’ll need a three-stop filter. BEFORE
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Reverse ND grads Look directly into the sun A specialist form of ND grad, a ‘reverse’ ND is clear at the bottom but darkest in the central portion, with the filter fading once again towards the top. It’s designed for shooting directly into the sun when it’s close to the horizon at dawn or dusk, where this is by far the brightest area of the image. And like a regular ND grad, these filters are actually
rectangular in shape rather than square. This is so they can slide up and down within the filter holder for precise positioning of the dark portion of the filter so that it sits directly over the horizon line, where the scene is at its brightest, giving a great deal of leeway for where it sits within the holder and offering plenty of flexibility in your composition.
BEFORE
Polarizers Get punchy This circular filter fits into the square system and is so shaped because it needs to rotate, as it’s designed to block polarized light. This removes glare from shiny surfaces, and can ‘cut through’ reflections on a river to show the riverbed below, or give wet foliage a brilliant vibrancy. It can also add definition to wispy clouds, giving them punch while darkening the sky to a brilliant blue. Ours fits into a recess at the back of the holder, and a clever system of gear wheels rotates the filter. Polarizers are at their strongest at 90º to the sun; make an ‘L’ shape with your thumb and forefinger and point the thumb at the sun; your finger then indicates the optimal shooting direction. www.digitalcameraworld.com
AFTER
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AFFINITY PHOTO
BEFORE
AFTER
The Mission
– Use blur filters to add motion effects to a car in Affinity Photo
Time
– 20 minutes
Skill level
– Intermediate
Kit needed – Affinity Photo
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Put the moves on
James Paterson demonstrates how to add panning blur effects to moving subjects and get to grips with live filters in Affinity Photo A touch of motion blur can create a sense of action with vehicles and other moving objects in your photos. Shooting for panning blur involves using a fairly slow shutter speed (usually around 1/100 to 1/20 sec, depending on the speed of the subject), then panning the camera in sync with the object. If the timing and panning is right, the object will come out sharp and the background will be blurred by the movement of the camera.
However, it can be tricky to get it perfect in-camera. So if you want to add the motion blur effect to images afterwards, Affinity Photo offers a host of useful tools. In this project we’ll show you how it’s done. For a realistic panning blur effect we need our car to be sharp and everything else blurred, so we begin by cutting out the car with precise selection tools. We can start our selection with the fantastic Selection Brush, then perfect
it with the Refine command. Once done, we can blur everything behind the car. The Motion Blur live filter is ideal, as it lets us blur along a linear angle. We can then use another live filter – the Radial Blur filter – to make the wheels appear to spin. Along the way we’ll encounter many key editing tools, useful whether you want to add a panning blur to a car or simply get to grips with live filters and selections in Affinity Photo. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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Select the car
Grab the Selection Brush tool and make sure ‘Snap to Edges’ is checked in the tool options at the top. Paint over the car to select it. Use the ] and [ keys to resize the brush tip as you paint and hold Alt to subtract areas if the tool includes unwanted details. Continue until the car is selected.
Create panning blur
Go to Layer>New Live Filter Layer>Blur> Motion Blur. Increase the Radius and use the Rotation setting to control the direction and strength of the blur. After blurring, there may be details around the car that stick out – if so highlight the top layer, add a layer mask then paint black to hide parts of the car layer.
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Improve the selection
Click the Refine button at the top. Increase the Border Width to expand the area of refinement along the selection edge, and use the Matt brush to tidy any messy areas. Use the Foreground and Background brushes to signify different areas. Set the Output to ‘New Layer’ and hit Apply.
MOTION BLUR
Fill behind the car
Highlight the ‘Background’ layer and duplicate with Cmd/Ctrl+J, then hold Cmd/Ctrl and click the thumbnail of the cutout car layer to load a selection. Go to Select>Grow/Shrink and expand the selection edge by a few pixels. Next, go to Edit>Fill. Check ‘Inpainting’ and hit Apply.
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Go for a spin
Highlight the cutout car layer, then grab the Elliptical Selection tool and drag a circle over one of the wheels. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the area to a new layer, then go to Layer> New Live Filter Layer>Blur>Radial Blur. Increase the Radius to 9, then drag to align the centre of the radial blur with the wheel. www.digitalcameraworld.com
Finishing touches
Repeat the blur over the other wheels. If you need to hide parts of the blur, highlight the live filter effect layer and paint with black to hide it. Add motion blur to other areas that may need it, such as the reflections in the paintwork.
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ADOBE CC
BEFORE
AFTER
The Mission
– Blend a portrait with a selection of images using layer skills in Photoshop
Time
– 20 minutes
Skill level
– Intermediate
Kit needed
– Photoshop CC
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Proct five: Ade C
Turn the kids into superheroes
James Paterson shows you how to add special effects to your portraits and master Photoshop blending skills Why not give the kids a superhero makeover? By utilizing the power of layer blend modes and a range of free images, it’s easier than it might look to create a shot that could pass for a movie poster. The key skill here is in mastering layer blend modes. These let us combine our portrait with our set of other images. The most useful blend mode for this is Screen, which adds together
the brighter parts from each image, cancelling out black areas. It means we can start with a black background then build up our layers on top of one another. By using Screen we can blend images of fireworks, flames and stars to build up our special effect with ease. We downloaded our shots from www.pixabay.com – search for 2585843, 3860177, 5456206, 1285364 and 3129573.
We’ll also make use of the Select Subject command, which lets us cut out our subject. We’ve provided a portrait for you to practise with, but you can shoot your own. All you need to do is capture a person in a heroic pose; place them against a plain backdrop so they’re easier to cut out. You could even take it a step further by adding a title or other graphic elements to the scene. www.digitalcameraworld.com
SUPERHERO SHOTS 1
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Cut out the subject
Open the portrait, go to Select>Subject. Once selected, click the Add Mask icon in the Layers panel. Next, click the Create Adjustment Layer icon. Choose Color Lookup. Click the square ‘clip to layer’ icon and choose the ‘Edgy Amber’ LUT. Lower the layer opacity slightly.
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Add more images
Download image art-3860177. Drag-and-drop it into the portrait image and resize, then go to the Layers panel and change the blend mode to Screen. Position the layer below the cut-out portrait in the layer stack. Repeat for the image universe-5456206.
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Boost the tones
Add a layer mask and paint black to hide any unwanted parts of the wing-shape layer, then duplicate the layer (Cmd/Ctrl+J) and repeat for the other side. Next, drag in the image meteor-3129573 and set it to the Screen blend mode. Drag to the top of the layer stack and position it over the figure. www.digitalcameraworld.com
Blend fireworks
Make a new layer, drag to the bottom of the stack and fill with black. Open the fireworks image (search 2585843 on www.pixabay.com). Dragand-drop it into your image, then drag it just above the black layer at the bottom. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+T if you need to resize the layer to fit.
Liquify the layer
Drop in explosion-1285364 and again set it to Screen blend mode so that the darker areas get cancelled out. Position it to one side of the figure, then go to Filter>Liquify. Use the Forward Warp tool to stretch out the lines to create a wing-like shape on one half of the figure.
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Choose a profile
A tonal change at the end of the project will help all the elements come together. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge a new layer. Go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter. Choose a profile to alter the colours. We’ve used Artistic02 here, and added a vignette to lighten the corners.
Expert Tip
The key blend mode here is Screen, but there are other equally useful layer blend modes for effects similar to this. One of our favourites is Overlay, which is fantastic for combining textures with your photos. Soft Light works similarly to Overlay, but is more subtle. The Lighten and Darken blend modes are hugely useful too as they only allow pixels to show through that are either lighter or darker than those already present. Multiply is also very helpful – it’s the opposite to Screen, so works best when adding darker elements to a white backdrop.
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THE BIG PROJECT
BEFORE
AFTER
The Mission
– Light-paint a flower with a UV torch for glowing plant photos
Time
– One hour
Skill level – Advanced
Kit needed
– Tripod – UV torch – ZWB2 filter for torch – Safety glasses
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Proct Six: e bg proct
Glow-in-the-dark flowers
James Paterson crafts psychedelic images of fluorescent flowers and plants using ultraviolet light Ultraviolet light can have a dramatic effect on flowers by revealing glowing colours and details unseen by the naked eye. Outside the visible spectrum of light, UV causes phosphors in certain substances and surfaces to store up energy, which is then released as light. A phosphor is something that emits visible light when activated by UV radiation – like your white T-shirt and teeth under UV ‘blacklights’ at a disco. However, those sort of disco lights won’t cut it here. The problem is they produce a lot
of visible light (this is the blueypurple light you often see). They work great on things like T-shirts and glowing makeup because these surfaces have strong UV reflectance. But with flowers, the UV reflectance is weaker. Instead, we need a more concentrated UV beam in the form of a UV torch. Thankfully, these won’t break the bank. We used a Convoy S2+ UV LED flashlight and ZWB2 filter (ordered for about £25/$32 on www.aliexpress.com). This produces strong fluorescence in flowers. It still gives off some
visible light, but it’s fine for our purposes. The ZWB2 filter fits to the front to cut out more of the visible light for a purer UV beam. When we shine the UV torch onto flowers and leaves, the beam may reveal lovely displays of glowing colours that transform the look of plants. Some flowers and leaves shimmer with glowing dust-like displays, while others will reveal unexpected changes in light and detail. To capture this, we can set our camera up for a long exposure, as if we were painting with light... www.digitalcameraworld.com
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CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
The setup
FIND A DARK ROOM AND A FEW FLOWERS, THEN TURN ON YOUR UV TORCH FOR STUNNING DISPLAYS OF COLOUR AND LIGHT
glasses 1 Safety Exposure to UV light can be damaging
to the eyes, so before we get into the technique, we need some eye protection. Safety glasses are usually made of polycarbonate, which blocks ultraviolet light. Failing that you could use a pair of decent sunglasses or spectacles that have UV protection.
and leaves 2 Flowers Different plants will fluoresce in
different ways, and you may find some don’t work at all, while others will give you a magnificent show. You might see specks of light or dusty glowing patterns. Experiment with a variety of plants and flowers and see what results you can achieve.
backdrop 3 Plain A dark plain backdrop will contrast
with the glowing colours. We used the black side of a 5-in-1 pop-up reflector here. You could try different colours and surfaces for your backdrop if you like, as they may react to the UV light in unexpectedly delightful ways. There’s never any harm in experimenting.
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and self-timer 4 Tripod We need to paint our flowers with the
UV light over a few seconds to build up the detail and quality of the plants’ patterns. This means using a tripod to keep the camera still and the composition the same. It’s a good idea to set a 2-sec self-timer delay to prevent camera shake when firing the shutter.
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light 5 UV Ultraviolet light is just outside the
range of visible light that goes from red at one end through orange, yellow, green, blue and violet; UV is just beyond violet. While we can’t see it, we can see how it excites certain surfaces and substances to make them glow in all manner of interesting ways.
room 6 Dark We need to shoot in a darkened room
so that the only light that’s recorded is from our UV torch. Of course, you could also shoot outdoors at night – in fact, you can experiment by shining the UV torch on all kinds of outdoor surfaces, plants and even insects for all kinds of eye-catching UV reflectance. www.digitalcameraworld.com
Top tips: Capture fluorescing flowers Get a UV flashlight
The Convoy S2+ UV LED flashlight used here has a concentrated UV beam, so keep it away from eyes, even with your safety glasses on. This 365nm torch is mostly used by mineral-lovers seeking out rocks and gems or testing minerals at shows. But it’s also ideal for capturing fluorescence in flower photography.
2 Attach a ZWB2 filter
This little circle of glass behaves as a longwave bandpass filter, cutting out some of the light spectrum outside the UV range. By doing so we prevent visible light from overpowering the weak UV reflectance in flowers. You can tape it to the front of the torch or unscrew the head and fit it inside.
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Start light painting
After starting your long exposure, shine the torch over the flowers. We can concentrate the beam in different areas of the composition to build up the lighting on both the subject and surrounding plants. Take note of which areas fluoresce the strongest and arrange the flowers to include these parts in the frame. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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3 Set an exposure
The correct exposure will depend on the strength of the torch and the amount of UV reflectance, so it may take some tweaking to get right. As a starting point, set the camera to Manual mode with a shutter speed of 15 secs, aperture f/8 and ISO100 (or some variation of this, like f/11, 30 secs).
4 Focus then lock
When shooting in low light like this the camera’s autofocus has a tendency to hunt around for the point of focus, so it’s best to turn on a light (or if outside, shine a normal torch light on your subject), then pre-focus on the plant. Once locked on, switch to manual focus to keep it in place.
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Sculpt with the light
Experiment with the angles of the torch, as a side-on light will help to reveal the texture and detail in the flowers, while plunging other parts into shadow. By shining the light at the front, back and sides of the subject for varying lengths of time you can mimic a two-, three- or four-light setup.
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CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
Correct and enhance colours
white balance 1 Set Your flower photos are likely to have a
strong blue colour cast. It’s best to shoot in Raw for greater headroom when correcting colours. Grab the White Balance Eyedropper tool in the Camera Raw/Lightroom Basic panel and click on a point that should be neutral (like the black backdrop here) to correct colour casts.
USE TOOLS IN PHOTOSHOP OR LIGHTROOM TO CORRECT THE STRONG BLUE COLOUR CASTS
Color Mixer 2 Use Even after adjusting the white balance
your images may have a strong blue tint. You can tone this down with the Camera Raw/ Lightroom Color Mixer panel. Go to the Saturation tab then grab the Target tool. Click on the overly strong colours and drag left to reduce them, or drag right over weaker colours.
control 3 Exposure It’s tricky to get light painting perfect
in-camera, so you may find some parts of the frame have received too much light and others too little. Use the Adjustment Brush in Camera Raw/Lightroom to selectively paint in more or less exposure over areas that need it. Grab the brush, dial in exposure and start painting.
BEFORE
What is fluorescence? This type of photography can be referred to with the convoluted term ‘UV-induced visible fluorescence photography’ (UVIVF for short). As well as flowers, UV light can provoke wonderful shows in certain rocks, minerals, fungi and other organic substances that naturally fluoresce. The process of fluorescence occurs when a substance absorbs UV radiation – which is outside the visible range of light – and then emits some of the stored energy as visible light, causing the objects to glow. Fluorescence is utilized in many processes, such as fluorescent strip lighting. Inside these fluorescent light tubes is mercury vapour that, when ionized by electricity, emits UV radiation. The tubes have a phosphor coating that converts the UV into visible light. It’s designed to mimic warm tungsten light while being more energy-efficient.
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AFTER
Tom Mackie
On Location
Tom is an award-winning professional photographer, best known for his highquality landscape work for advertising, editorial and design clients. More info at: www.tommackie.com
A race against tide Some landscapes have a narrow window of time when conditions are perfect, doing your homework will help you get it just right
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s the last glow from the sun illuminated the horizon, the approaching tide was quickly sealing off my exit point next to the sheer cliffs. I’d come to photograph the dramatic sea stacks off Motukiekie Beach, a hidden gem of New Zealand’s South Island.
Well, it used to be, as the secret’s out. When I arrived, I counted a dozen other photographers scrambling over the rivulets of sculpted rocks looking for brilliant orange starfish to use as foreground. They don’t have to look hard as there are literally hundreds of them clinging to the rocks. Any serious landscape photographer will know sunset will coincide with low tide only twice a month, so research and
planning are vital. Low tide at sunset is just the start, as it’s also important to get the tide level just right, so the water adds a tonal contrast between the dark rocks. I found a section of rocks with no other photographers, so set up using the angle of rock as a leading line that pointed towards the sea stacks. When I work a scene, I find a primary
Any serious landscape photographer will know sunset will coincide with low tide only twice a month www.digitalcameraworld.com
ON LOCATION – TOM MACKIE
Tom didn’t have time to make a multiple image stitch pano, so he used the Nikon 14-24mm lens, exposing at 1/2 sec at f/8, then cropped it.
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The exposure range was great between the afterglow in the sky and the dark rocks in the foreground, so Tom created an HDR using two shots. He used a Nikon 14-24mm at 14mm.
I was so immersed in my shot that I didn’t realize that all of the other photographers started to leave in a mass exodus. They were starting the long walk down the beach making sure they got beyond the exit point where the water level gets seriously deep. The rocks around me were starting to get covered by waves so I swily jumped from the
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composition that I concentrate on first, then go to my secondary composition to get the most from a location. Spaces were limited, so I didn’t dare make a move and just waited until the so aerglow of light illuminated the horizon. I was using the Nikon 14-24mm lens without the benefit of an ND filter (I didn’t want to carry the additional adapter and extra-large filters), so I lowered the ISO to 64 to capture a longer exposure for the water and another exposure for the aerglow, combining these in Photoshop. Aer I completed this composition, I turned to set up on my secondary composition, but unfortunately there was another photographer there now, meaning I had to work the same location a bit longer.
rock ledge into the water and onto the beach. I looked back at the silhouetted sea stacks and couldn’t pass up capturing a panoramic with no one in sight. I knew the exit point would be far too deep to negotiate now, but I found another way in. Okay, it required a bit of climbing, using ropes and a rusty ladder, but it extended my experience of this beach.
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THE N-PHOTO INTERVIEW
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ADAM OSWELL
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I
THE N-PHOTO INTERVIEW
t’s a humid April afternoon in the hill country of northern Thailand, and Adam Oswell can’t wait for the monsoon rains to arrive and cleanse the air. The tall middle-aged Australian has made Thailand his home for the past 20 years and feels at ease in the tropical heat, especially when it’s ‘beer o’clock’, which I sense will commence when this interview terminates. “I like the whole year except these past couple of months when they burn everything so the air quality is really bad,” he explains. Normally, Adam and his wife escape to Australia, but of course COVID-19 travel restrictions this year meant that wasn’t possible, “so instead we went to the south of Thailand, which was good. There were no tourists, it was cheap, and easy to find somewhere to stay on the beach.” That sounds idyllic to me. “It was!” Adam responds. “I love Asia and I’ve pretty much been to every country in Asia and there’s nowhere that compares, that has the same quality of life as Thailand, especially the north. For one or two months of the
year, it’s not great, but it’s a great base, it’s got good people, the food, and there’s lots happening here for my work.” That work involves documenting the illegal wildlife trade and working with NGOs, conservation charities and other willing parties in the seemingly endless battle to bring the perpetrators to justice. It is sensitive and potentially dangerous work, but self-preservation, he says, remains the priority… How long have you been coming to Thailand for? I’ve been coming here off and on since I was 19 – first in the 1980s. I left for a while, went to Tokyo, and then went back to Australia, then came back here and spent about 10 years in Bangkok. I returned to Australia when my daughter was born to take her to school, then came back here around 2008.
Previous page: The collapse of Thailand’s tourist industry during the pandemic meant thousands of elephant owners had to find new ways to look after their animals with no income. Many have come to realize that the current business model for elephant tourism is unsustainable and highly exploitative. Below: Mongolia’s Altai mountains are a stronghold of the rarely seen snow leopard where Adam has been working alongside field biologists monitoring and collaring the elusive big cats.
I’ve always been interested in wildlife and nature. I had no interest in advertising or commercial photography
Was photography something you always wanted to do? I’ve always been into photography. I studied it at the Sydney School of Photography, which is part of the arts department at Sydney University. I did a few years there, finished, and then started travelling. The first 10 or 20 years I was making a living, travelling a lot and doing as much as I needed to just to get by, and I worked in Japan in those days when photojournalism was actually a career, a well-paying career anyway. And then it changed… Then, when I had a child, I had to knuckle down and I got more into the wildlife trade, consultancy work, monitoring for larger organizations.
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ADAM OSWELL
Growing up, did you have the same interest in the natural world as you did with photography? Yes. I’ve always been interested in wildlife and nature. I had no interest in advertising or commercial photography. All my photography has been based on communication for conservation work. Was there a major turning point that got you locked into the type of work that you’ve been doing for the past couple of decades? Yeah, there was. In the 1990s. I’d been doing a lot of travelling and seeing what Asia and most of this region was like, and then suddenly this massive development that kicked in with tourism and seeing www.digitalcameraworld.com
Above: Tourists watch and photograph an Asian elephant forced to swim underwater for performances at Khao Kiew Zoo, Thailand. Most are oblivious to the beatings the elephant would have endured while being trained to perform this unnatural behaviour.
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THE N-PHOTO INTERVIEW how everything drastically changed with all the wild areas. During my travelling, I was seeing the wildlife trade first-hand, the volumes and scale, and it wasn’t an issue in terms of governments, but I decided then and there that I would work on this. Was there anybody else covering the wildlife trade back then? At that time nobody was. You had the WWF, but the wildlife trade wasn’t an issue that people were focusing on as they are now, so I decided that I would start working on this, and it’s turned out well for me, because I’ve become a specialist and there’s not that many people who have that scope of experience and networks in place. Unfortunately, it’s a booming industry, I wish it wasn’t, but it is. Who do you mostly work for when covering these stories? I do a lot of work for different organizations. HSI (Humane Society International) are doing a big wildlife trade campaign now that I’m working on in Australia for the pet trade and wildlife trade in Asia. I’ve done a lot of comms work for WWF, especially on the tiger trade in 2010, when they had the Year of the Tiger. That was a big campaign because they had the global tiger summit in Russia. The main people I still work for are Traffic (the international wildlife trade monitoring network), but I’ve got my own organization now, and I use that as a legal structure to work through. Tell me more about that… I set it up about 2009, and it’s a foundation that allows me to work independently, to have funds and support that channel through our organization to work in the region here. It’s worked out well because the sensitivity around some of the stuff I’m doing in Burma (Myanmar) over the past 10 years has been so high that they don’t like to work with large organizations. They don’t want to have connections to the central government, and when you see what’s happening now (the military coup in Myanmar), it’s with good reason. They like to work with small discreet organizations, groups and individuals, and I just hire people as we need to on a project basis. What is the foundation called? It’s called Wildlife 1 Conservancy. The
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website gives a rundown of what we do, but there’s not too much stuff on there because the work that we do is sensitive. We’ve had the success we’ve had because we’re discreet. It is sensitive work, but it must be evident that you need to take photographs, so how do you overcome any obstacles? Everything is about building and cultivating relationships and working with the right people. That’s key, so if you go into those areas with the right people then you get the access that you need. It’s about experience as well, you learn when to push and when to pull back. I’m very good at assessing people now. With investigative work, it’s crucial you know the characters of people. Have you learnt some lessons the hard way? Well, I’m still here! I’ve learnt lessons, definitely. Self-preservation is always the priority (laughs). I’m no good to anyone dead. But yeah, you learn. You know when to push and pull back. I did some work with Traffic about 10 years ago, and we found a lot of tiger trade was operating through the Pakistani embassy in Bangkok and they were doing it through the Chatuchak markets, the weekend market in Bangkok. Diplomatic bags? Yeah. We set everything up for a bust to take these people down – I had meetings with the head of the police, and there was nobody else in the room, just me and him. Then a few hours later in the evening, when we were getting ready to go and bust these guys, I got a call from a friend of mine who was a journalist and he said, “Adam, are you coming along tonight to the bust?” And I said, “how did you know about that?!” No way! It doesn’t matter how discreet and how secretive you try to be, there’s
Unfortunately, the wildlife trade is a booming industry, I wish it wasn’t, but it is
Above: Customers inspect animal parts used in traditional medicine at a wildlife market on the MyanmarChina border. Above right: This endangered Asiatic lion was captured in India’s Gir Forest, the only place where they are still to be found in the wild. Transported to a wildlife market in Myanmar, it was later killed. Right: A wildlife trader displays the skins of Asian leopards, tigers and many other endangered species in the border town of Mong La, Myanmar. In recent decades, the border regions of northeastern Myanmar have emerged as the largest and most intractable hub of illegal wildlife trafficking in Asia.
a high-level of corruption. A lot of the people we were trying to bust were the same people that we were working with in the government! We didn’t achieve much, a lot of money was spent, a lot of time and effort, but you can’t achieve much in countries like this with big organizations, because if you push too hard and start taking people down you just get kicked out of the country or they close your office. When operating discreetly, when do you feel that you can bring the camera out? I shoot everything. From day one, you shoot as you go along, so I take the camera out for everything unless I’m told not to. My golden rule is, ‘always ask for forgiveness rather than permission,’ otherwise you get nowhere. But again, you have to know, some people don’t forgive! You have to read the situation. In a country like Australia, it’s easy. You push, people get pissed off. So what? Unless you’re breaking the law… It sounds like you might have a recent example to tell? When we were in Kangaroo Island (during the 2019-20 climate www.digitalcameraworld.com
ADAM OSWELL
fires), there was this big field hospital set up by the ADF (Australian Defence Force), and they were bringing in animals and euthanizing them. Most of the animals could have been saved and they were euthanizing hundreds. We saw this enormous pit at the back where they were throwing animals. I walked in and started shooting and they got annoyed, so I reminded them that, “I’m an Australian taxpayer and you’re a public servant and unless you want to call the police, I have every right to come and shoot here.” You’ve got to be forceful, and know your rights, know the law, otherwise you won’t get strong images. Did the euthanizing continue? It continued in that area, but one vet we visited, Howard Ralph, he wasn’t
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euthanizing animals. He was working for free and he told us that the government had no policy for supporting wildlife. He was working and funding this whole surgery in this amazing place he had in outback New South Wales (Southern Cross Wildlife Care), and he would treat every animal that came in. He told us that’s the policy in Australia, it’s just too expensive, it’s not a priority to
You’ve got to be forceful, and know your rights, know the law, otherwise you won’t get strong images
Above: A sedated wallaby, one of the few survivors of Australia’s climate fires of 2019-20, is treated at Southern Cross Wildlife Care, a voluntary-run veterinary hospital in New South Wales.
save wildlife, to put a huge amount of resources into saving wildlife. What was it like to operate in such extreme conditions? In Australia, bush fires are a way of life, but everybody agreed this was something different. When I got there they blocked access to the actual fire grounds, blocking highways, and you couldn’t get in. What gear do you use? Did you have to do anything differently? In terms of doing things differently, not really, but getting into the fire grounds, you had to be careful and wear protective clothing and masks. There was a lot of dust and toxic chemicals that were produced. I take a few cameras. I always take a Nikon D850. I use the D850 because it’s www.digitalcameraworld.com
ADAM OSWELL
capture and the use of wild elephants in the tourist industry. Elephants have always been a species that fascinate me. Living in Thailand and seeing the trade here – and the cruelty that’s associated with it and the ignorance and the indifference of people that patronize this industry – is really unacceptable for me. COVID means the tourist industry has collapsed and there are all these elephants here, thousands of elephants and their owners, so it’s an ongoing issue. What’s interesting is that a lot of the owners are starting to realize that the business model was unsustainable and exploitative, so they’re going their own way, and I’m focusing on the new projects that a lot of these guys have.
fast and has autofocus, and you have a great range of lenses. Which lenses? I use a range of zooms and a 300mm telephoto fixed lens, which I get most stuff with. Because it’s got such high resolution you can get what you need and crop in and it’s still usable.
camera and the D850 is perfect for me. I’m used to it and I like an optical viewfinder as well. Having said that, I’ll probably go with the new Z 9.
Do you always shoot Raw files? I always shoot things flat, in Raw, so I have a lot of latitude in post to do things with the image. But it depends on what’s happening, sometimes you’ve just got to be quick.
Yes, you’re not the only pro looking forward to the Z 9… What a great tool for shooting, but also for video as well. Video is such an essential element of shooting now. When you go to situations where you invest a lot of time and expense just getting there, getting access to the site, you’ve got to take advantage of that, so you’ve got to shoot video.
Have you tried any of the Z-series cameras yet? I borrowed one for a while, but because I’m a big guy they were just too small for my hands! I like a bigger
During this period of lockdowns, has there been a story that you’ve still been able to pursue? I’ve been working for nearly 10 years on this story about wild elephant
www.digitalcameraworld.com
Above: In the incinerated landscape, a koala lies dead, one of the three billion animals estimated to have been killed in the cataclysmic fires that devastated much of Australia’s forests in the summer of 2019-20.
Next Month Daisy Gilardini polar wildlife photographer
So this could be the one story that has a positive ending? It’s positive already. The owners are struggling because they don’t have an income but the elephants, in terms of their welfare, it’s better for them. They’ve taken them back up into the forest and they’re living in these community forests. What is the single best lesson that you would pass on to aspiring conservation photographers? Never take anything for granted. Has there been a situation where you took something for granted? Yes. I was photographing some sun bears in cages on a farm in Laos. I was so engrossed in photographing them that I got up close and felt this massive paw whisk past my face. Another couple of millimetres and it would have taken my face off! Don’t get engrossed in shots too much…
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ON ASSIGNMENT
Treated like animals
Animal photojournalist Amy Jonessharesher experience of documenting our relationship with captive creatures
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n 2018, my partner and I founded the photojournalism project Moving Animals (www.movinganimals.org). Since then, I have worked on the ground across seven different countries to shoot animal issues around the world to help draw attention to the creatures used for entertainment, food and fashion. Initially, my interest in photography stemmed from wildlife photography. I remember visiting a wildlife photography exhibition in London, marvelling at the camera’s ability to inspire the world to protect and appreciate nature. But the image that affected me the most was Broken Cats by photojournalist Britta Jaschinski. The image showed three big cats standing on their hind legs during a wildlife performance. It is a devastating shot, and to me it truly represents the cruelty we inflict on animals.
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Most of my work is shot on the go, so I try to keep my kit to a minimum. When I began the Moving Animals project, I started with just a Nikon D5600 – it was fairly light, durable and the image quality was great – but as I started to push my work further, I realized that I needed more from my kit and upgraded to the Nikon D810. I use the Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 and Nikon 50mm f/1.8. The 50mm lens has changed and shaped the way that I photograph and connect with subjects. When watching an animal being slaughtered or struggling against chains just a couple of feet away, it changes you, and I think that this is also reflected in my work.
Out of sight, out of mind
My work seeks to replace false narratives with images of what is really happening to animals behind closed doors, giving people a glimpse into the places that are kept hidden from us. For example, the animal agriculture industry advertises images of
happy animals in open fields when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Recently, as more photographers start to pick up their cameras to help tell animals’ stories, this kind of photography has taken form and structure through the classification of Animal Photojournalism (APJ). APJ is an exciting, emergent genre of photography, which seeks to document and expose the experiences of animals who live amongst us, but who we fail to see. The surge of support for APJ has also recently been elevated thanks to the new book HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene. Created by Jo-Anne McArthur and Keith Wilson, HIDDEN is an unflinching book of photography about our conflict with animals around the globe, as depicted through the lenses of 40 awardwinning photojournalists and with a foreword by Oscar-winning actor and animal rights advocate Joaquin Phoenix. Amy Jones is one of the 40 contributing photographers to HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene, a critically acclaimed book about the life and death of factoryfarmed animals. Published by We Animals Media, see www.weanimals.org/hidden
My work seeks to replace false narratives with images of what is really happening to animals behind closed doors www.digitalcameraworld.com
AMY JONES
Above: This monkey spends his days alone, locked in a small, empty cage. When tourists arrive, he is taken out to perform tricks. Top left: At a zoo in Thailand, this tiger is kept chained by the neck so that tourists can take photos with her. She spends her days pacing in small circles. Top right: An intensive egg farm where over 300,000 hens are housed. There are up to eight hens in a single cage, meaning there isn’t enough space for them to spread their wings. Far left: A pregnant cow is restrained by her neck at a dairy farm. Western corporations are pumping huge sums of money into expanding Sri Lanka’s industrial dairy sector. Left: This crocodile is performing in a pool of water as a crowd watches on at a wildlife tourism venue in Thailand. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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READERS’ LETTERS
T
Star Letter
Software does it
he letter from Ted Bracht in the April 2021 issue (N-Photo 122) about Capture One was timely to me and I thought you may be interested in my experience. I have used the lockdown period to review a number of alternatives to Lightroom. I got trial versions of Capture One, DxO Photolab 4 and ON1. They are all very different, each having strengths and weaknesses. In summary, however, my findings were that Capture One was the best all rounder, with very good Raw conversions. DxO produced by far the best detailed, clean, noiseless Raw conversions, but was lacking in other areas, such as asset management, searching and sorting. ON1 was affordable with a set of editing tools, although the Raw conversions needed extra work to get good results. For all three packages there is lots of
online help, such as articles and YouTube videos, both from the manufacturer and independent reviewers. Having just finished all of that, Nikon announced NX Studio! So I decided to look at that too. It seems to have some good features but there is zero support. The user manual just tells you how to operate each button, but no detailed information about the how and why you use it. There are no YouTube videos or other materials. Maybe this is something N-Photo could help with? Maybe a detailed review,
followed up with a quarterly article to answer the most common reader questions? Love the mag! It’s great to get detailed help and info specifically about Nikon. Peter Gilbert
Thanks for your overview, Peter! Downloading the trial versions of software is a great way to see whether it’s for you. We aim to continue our coverage of NX Studio, delving deeper into its features. See Nikon Software, page 86.
Mirrored opinion Camera manufacturers like Nikon spend time and money to make lovely small and light mirrorless bodies with a large mount; but these new mounts mean that all our older lenses do not fit without an adaptor. Added to that, they double their prices compared to DSLR bodies. Once they have made these wonderful lightweight compact bodies, they make new lenses to fit their small bodies. But are these lenses small and light? No! They are big and heavy, one-and-a-half times the weight of the DSLR equivalent, with a price tag two to three times the price. So you now have a system that weighs heavier than before and costs twice as much with bulkier lenses to carry around. I am not saying that there aren’t advantages to mirrorless cameras, and
WORTH
£49
*Winners will need to create an Affinity user account to download the app. The prizes are issued in accordance with the standard Affinity EULA and there’s no cash alternative.
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READERS’ LETTERS
Social Club
Your best photographs from our social media channels – be sure to get involved!
the quality of the pictures are better due to the up-to-date tech, but does it outweigh the cost and weight penalties? I think the manufacturers have missed the target by a mile. It might be okay for highly paid professionals, but for us normal beings it’s a pain to find the equipment that we have spent a long time building up is to be superseded, and possibly redundant. If the manufacturers decide not to support the old equipment, we’re out on a limb! Do they think so little of their clients that have supported their products for years? I would hope they have some sort of backup for their loyal supporters. It seems as if the manufacturers have put themselves on a course to price themselves out of the market, supplying heavier gear and missing the point of building a lighter camera.
the size of lenses is dictated by the laws of physics – a 70-200mm f/2.8 is always going to be a big beast! And we don’t feel Nikon is abandoning its existing DSLR users – in fact, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a new DSLR or two launched before the year’s out…
Highs and lows
I had a week off from work and got some serious quality time to sit down and read N-Photo, and I find it real therapy in this crazy world! Every month I read it cover to cover and it gets me motivated to get out there and take some photographs, providing me with some well-needed stress relief. Recently I was feeling a bit stressed with what is happening around me and I read Paul Wilkinson’s article in the April issue (N-Photo Andrew Poulter 122). He said ‘Don’t get bogged down in the highs (or Nikon’s first mirrorless lows) of your success, cameras (and lenses) were embrace and learn from aimed squarely at the top end both.’ After having a stressful of the market, and while few weeks in the ‘real world’ cheaper cameras have been I found this is to be really launched since – such as the sound advice and just what Z 50 – there’s no getting away I needed. I have to thank him from the fact that cuttingfor his insight and motivation; edge gear is, by its nature, it helps me through the day. more expensive than triedand-tested tech. But prices will tumble over time, and there are rumours aplenty about a new ‘entry-level’ Z-system camera. While removing the mirror assembly means lighter cameras can be created, www.digitalcameraworld.com
1. First Try
BONNIE POUTINE
This image was Bonnie’s first attempt at shooting the Milky Way and we think she’s done a great job, especially with the added human element.
2. Yosemite Valley CHRISTIAN SCHNELL
Christian says he can’t go to Yosemite and not shoot the absolutely stunning valleys, and with this image we can 100 per cent see why.
Gareth Stoddart
We appreciate your feedback, Gareth. Paul responds: Thank you! You have no idea how timely that was – it’s all well writing these things but I write them because I, too, have those lows!
3. Architecture
WISSEM NASRAOUI
Wissem decided he wanted to test out his new Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 on some architecture. He came away with a few nice shots, but this was our favourite.
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YOUR STORIES
Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: 90mm f/2.8 Exposure: 0.6 sec, f/11, ISO100
Room to bloom
[1] John’s utility room became a temporary studio when he photographed this chrysanthemum.
John Holmes made the most of lockdown restrictions by improving his editing skills and experimenting with a whole new genre
MISSION: Experiment and learn new techniques while confined to the house during lockdown PHOTOGRAPHER: John Holmes LOCATION: Limerick, Ireland KIT USED: Nikon D750 and Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD FACEBOOK: facebook.com/john.holmes.334491 WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/2PssaHQ
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rom my mid-teens onwards I always had a camera. I started off with an Instamatic, before moving on to a Nikon F-301 and then a Nikon D80. When I retired in 2010, I decided to focus on photography more and bought a Nikon D300S, a wide-angle lens and some ND filters. Thinking I had this
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photography thing sorted, I went to a coastal photography workshop and suddenly found out what I didn’t know and what I actually needed to know. Moving forward I learned what I could from books and YouTube, but ultimately gained more knowledge and experience while out shooting with other photographers, entering camera club competitions and attending workshops.
Experimental edits
During the boring days of lockdown (when the opportunity to travel for landscape photography was very restricted) I decided to focus on improving my software skills and invest time in Adobe CC, re-working old images and using some newly acquired techniques.
Fortunately, I come from an IT background and I get as much satisfaction processing an image as I do capturing an image. Not many people would enter a floral photo to a black-and-white competition, so I submitted the chrysanthemum [1] to be different. The simplicity of the original image with the black-and-white conversion provided the visual impact I wanted. It was taken in our utility room against a black background with very low light and was processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. Up next [2] is an abstract I reworked from a shot of three red peppers using a similar setup to the chrysanthemum image, but with two Manfrotto LED lights. While the original image was good, it was processed as an abstract using Photoshop and Lightroom, which I think turned out better than the original. The third abstract started off as a topdown image of a dandelion seed head and was taken outside in natural light [3]. Again, while the original image was okay it didn’t convey the visual impact I wanted. The two abstracts were created using standard Photoshop filters and techniques I learned on YouTube. A final edit was completed in Lightroom to adjust the shadows, exposure, clarity and texture to add extra punch. I tend to create abstracts from images with dark backgrounds and brightly coloured, isolated subjects – flora is particularly great for this. www.digitalcameraworld.com
FLORAL ABSTRACTS
Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: 90mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1 sec, f/8, ISO100
Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: 90mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/200 sec, f/19, ISO1600
[2] This image started as three red peppers before John used Adobe CC to turn it into an amazing abstract.
John’s Top Tips • Get to know your camera. Experiment with different settings and get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot! • Join a camera club, learn techniques from other photographers and challenge yourself by entering your images into competitions. • Don’t buy gear unless you really need it. But when you do, buy the best equipment you can afford. [3] John’s striking abstract images are created in Adobe Photoshop and refined in Lightroom.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
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YOUR STORIES
[1] This incredible sunrise wasn’t captured by accident – it was an entire year in the making...
Water wonderlands Phil Cooke meticulously plans his waterthemed landscape shoots in a bid to capture lighting conditions inspired by paintings
MISSION: Plan for the best light and use it to capture beautiful water-themed landscapes PHOTOGRAPHER: Phil Cooke LOCATION: Fife, Scotland KIT USED: Nikon D800, Nikon D300, Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, LEE Filters WEBSITE: www.philcookeimages.com INSTAGRAM: @phil_cooke_images
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took up photography by accident about 15 years ago. I was looking for a new hobby and a friend happened to invite me to
a local camera club and I absolutely loved it. I’ve tried various genres of photography, however my love of the great outdoors always brings me back to landscapes. I was part of the Scotland team that won the FIAP (Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique) World Cup at the 34th Monochrome Print Biennial in 2018 (our theme was trees in winter) and am honoured to be in the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain’s Hall of Fame. I’ve had my Nikon D800 and D300 for a few years now but have invested in new lenses rather than new camera bodies. I believe that the camera is only as good as the quality of lens it has on it – especially
Camera: Nikon D800 Lens: 16-35mmf/4 Exposure: 25 secs, f/11 , ISO100
when it comes to landscape photography. I also use neutral density (ND) and graduated ND filters in the field to achieve the exposures I require in-camera. Advance planning is key when it comes to photographing light on water. I planned the seascape image of St Monans sunrise a whole year in advance [1]. To create the sidelight, crucial to the depth and shadows of the composition, I needed the sun to rise from the southeast. In that particular location this only occurs in January and early February. I also needed a spring tide to coincide with the sunrise too. A spring tide is formed when the earth, sun and moon are all lined up in a row. It happens every two weeks, during a new moon or full moon and affects the tides on earth. I used a LEE Filters Little Stopper and a LEE 0.6 ND soft grad to achieve a shutter speed of 25 secs. While you do need a
The window of opportunity must have lasted for only 30 seconds – but the gamble had certainly paid off www.digitalcameraworld.com
WATER-THEMED LANDSCAPES
Camera: Nikon D300 Lens: 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 1/5 sec, f/22, ISO200
[2] Above: ‘Kenmore in the grip of winter’ won the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year’s Four Seasons Award – Winter.
[3] Below: Phil overexposed this beautifully snowy landscape to avoid capturing a dull, grey image.
Camera: Nikon D300 Lens: 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Exposure: 1/40 sec, f/16, ISO200
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YOUR STORIES
SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES!
To see your images here, send a small portfolio to mail@nphotomag.com with ‘Your Stories’ as the subject
Camera: Nikon D800 Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/4 sec, f/11 , ISO100
little bit of luck when it comes to the weather, planning gives you a much better chance of success. As they say, the more you work, the more luck you have. My images of Kenmore [2] and Loch Tay [3] in the grip of winter were taken on the same day. After heavy overnight snowfall I left my home at the early hour of 4am and travelled to Kenmore, Perthshire. The temperature was reading -15ºC as I followed a snow plough along the icy roads. Adorned in winter woollies and with spare camera batteries tucked into my thermals (since they’re less effective in cold weather), I headed out into the winter wonderland. A carpet of freezing fog and soft lighting covered the scene. I overexposed both images slightly, just so that I could get the snow looking pure white and not a dull grey.
[4] Phil braved gale-force conditions to capture this brooding image of the Aberdeenshire coast.
coming from the west. I walked to the edge of the loch and framed my composition. I could see it was getting brighter so I quickly attached a LEE polarizer and a LEE 0.6 ND soft grad for the sky. It was as though someone had flicked a switch as the scene suddenly lit up for me and the wind dropped [5]. I took a few photographs, but by the third shot the conditions had changed to wind and rain once more. The window of opportunity must have lasted for only 30 seconds – but the gamble had certainly paid off.
Phil’s Top Tips • Look at how landscape painters use light to inform composition. • Learn how to use your camera controls in the dark – especially if you regularly shoot at sunrise or sunset. • If a higher tide than normal is required then plan to photograph a spring tide.
Camera: Nikon D800 Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/4 sec, f/11 , ISO100
Life’s a beach
My image of St Fergus Beach was taken just north of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire [4]. I remember there were nasty gale-force winds that morning and I was on my knees with my tripod buried into the sand to stop it getting blown over. The clouds were racing across the sky, but I wanted to capture the water just how I like it. I managed to achieve a shutter speed of 1/4 sec by using a LEE 0.6 ND filter and a LEE 0.6 ND soft grad for the sky. In Glencoe, the conditions famously change by the minute. I stopped at Loch Achtriochtan and, although it was raining, I noticed a potential gap in the weather
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[5] A short break in otherwise adverse weather conditions is sometimes all that is needed to capture a stunning shot. www.digitalcameraworld.com
NEW NIKON SKILLS
ON SALE THURSDAY 1 JULY •Contents subject to change
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Neil Freeman
Nikon Expert
Neil is Training Manager at Nikon School, the official tutoring programme operated by Nikon UK, and runs a range of online and on-location courses to help you master your DSLR or mirrorless Nikon: https://nikonschool.co.uk
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Active D Lighting
[1] What it is: Active D Lighting stands for Active ‘Dynamic’ Lighting and is found in the Photo Shooting Menu. It’s used when you have a high-contrast scene and want the camera to try to balance the exposure between the shadows and highlights. [2] Options: You will either have an option for just ‘On’ or ‘Off’, or some cameras have a range of settings such as Auto, Low, Normal, High and Extra High. When activated, it tries to lift shadows and recover highlights in the exposure. [3] Variations: Using the High or Extra High settings will result in a much bigger exposure change to your image, as long as you are shooting a high-contrast scene. In some images this can almost have the effect of using a graduated ND filter to help retain highlights in the sky.
NIKON ACADEMY PART 4
Exposure exposed
Getting the correct exposure is key to a great image. Neil Freeman explains how to achieve perfect exposures – on both a technical and creative level To create a photographic image, we expose a light sensitive substrate to a controlled amount of illumination. This used to be film, now it’s the sensor of our DSLR or Z-series camera. A good exposure is about making sure a balanced amount of light reaches the sensor for each image. The challenge is that light levels vary – and can often change unpredictably – unless you are shooting in a controlled studio environment. You have three key controls on your camera to balance exposure, and it doesn’t matter if you have a D3500, Z 7II or D6.
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First of all, the exposure time, or shutter speed, determines the length of time light hits the sensor; the longer (or slower) your shutter speed the more light you let into the camera, the shorter (or faster) the shutter speed the less light hits the sensor. The aperture will also affect how much light reaches the sensor as well. Lower f-numbers, like f/1.8, let in a lot of light (a larger aperture) but result in a smaller depth of field. Higher numbers, such as f/11 (a smaller aperture), let in less light but give a bigger depth of field.
The final control to balance the light is ISO. When you change the ISO, you alter the amplification of the signal-to-noise ratio on the sensor, this means that you make the sensor more or less sensitive to light. Lower ISOs capture less light on the sensor, but usually produce the best quality, as this is often the ‘native’ ISO a camera has been designed to operate at, whereas higher ISOs have lower quality but allow the sensor to capture more light. Depending on the shooting mode you are using, your initial aim is to get the www.digitalcameraworld.com
NIKON ACADEMY
Exposure tips and tricks The need-to-know controls and settings for great exposures from your camera, whatever light you are working with SHUTTER SPEED The rearcommand dial on Nikon DSLRs and Z series cameras is usedto set the shutter speed. Depending on your camera you have a range from 1/8000 or 1/4000 sec to30 secs to control the exposure and motion in the image.
EXPOSURE LOCK If you want toframea subject outside the viewfinder focus area, hold theAuto Exposure Lock (AE-L/AF-L) button while half-pressing theshutter to lock in the exposurevalue. You cannow move your camera toreframethe composition.
APERTURE This is controlled by the front command dial. If you have a D3xxx or D5xxx series camera, you usethe rear command dial in Aperture Prioritymode, while in Manual mode you need tohold the Exposure Compensation button at the same time.
REAL-TIME HISTOGRAM With mostDSLRs, a real-time histogram can beshown be pressing the ‘i’ button when inLive View mode. On a Z-series Nikon, pressthe DISP button to move through the displays until youreach the histogram.
ISO This is set by holding the ISO buttonand rotating the rear command dial; rotating the front command dial is a shortcut to activate Auto ISO.Not all Nikons have an ISO button but you canalso set ISO using the PhotoShooting menu, or the ‘i’ menu.
IMAGE HISTOGRAM To display the histogram of images you’ve taken, go to the Playback menu, then ‘Playback Display Options’ andtick the ‘Overview’ box. When reviewing images, press the multi-selector up or downto see the Overview screen and the histogram.
CUSTOM SETTING ‘B’ MENU In the Metering/Exposure menu, ensure that ‘EVsteps forExposure Cntrl’ is set to 1/3. This selectsthe steps usedwhen making adjustments to shutter speed, apertureand bracketing at 0.3EVstop increments,offering you more accurate exposurecontrol.
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION Use this to fine-tuneyourexposure in Program, Apertureand ShutterPriority modes. In Manual mode, it only works if you have Auto ISOset to ‘On’. Hold down the Exposure Compensation button and rotate the rear command dial to alter the compensation applied to the image.
Expose to the right Capture the greatest amount of detail with the ETTR technique Sensor sensitivity Exposure settings To get the most technically Use the histogram in Live View correct exposure with the greatest amount of detail from the sensor, aim to ‘expose to the right’ (ETTR). This exploits the fact that camera sensors collect more information in the highlights of an image than they do in the shadows.
mode or via the monitor on a Z-series Nikon, as you are setting the exposure for your image to gauge how far you can push the histogram for a given scene. The ETTR method will not be appropriate for every photograph that you shoot.
Avoid clipping When shooting with ETTR, the
Pull back detail In post-processing you might
aim is to get your histogram about 60-80% biased towards the highlights but without clipping any of the detail in the highlights. You are looking to slightly overexpose the image by up to a +1EV, although this is subject dependent.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
need too ‘pull back’ the exposure to produce a less bright image. Using ETTR gives you more detail in the final image compared with an underexposed image that is lifted to the correct exposure, as this will introduce noise.
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NIKOPEDIA NIKON ACADEMY – CONTINUED exposure meter ‘into the middle’. If you are shooting in Program, Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, or have Auto ISO turned on, this should happen automatically – unless you are shooting extremes of light. In these situations, the exposure bar is not actually shown as everything is working as designed. If you’re using Manual mode, and setting the ISO manually, you will need to balance the creative choices of shutter speed, aperture and ISO with the need to balance the exposure meter. How you approach this depends on the subject you
are photographing. Auto ISO with Manual mode is also a good way of shooting. Once you have your shutter speed, aperture and ISO set, the camera’s metering system (more on that next issue) will now assess the light coming into the camera and help you achieve a balanced exposure in most situations. After taking a picture, review it on the LCD to see if you like the results. Optionally, you can use the histogram display to check the accuracy of your exposure, but remember this is a histogram of your JPEG
thumbnail on the screen, not the histogram of the Raw data (which has more dynamic range in it) that you will be editing with. One of the big benefits of mirrorless cameras is that you see the exposure in ‘real time’ through the viewfinder or on the rear screen before taking the shot. Once you have mastered balancing the exposure on every shot, it’s time to experiment with creativity and deliberately over- or underexpose your images with exposure compensation to develop your look as a photographer.
Bracket exposures to get the best shots Can’t expose the entire scene in a single shot? Use exposure bracketing for more dynamic range
Select number of shots and EV difference Hold theBKTbutton (if your Nikon has one, otherwise you’ll have to set exposure compensation manually between each shot), androtate the rear command dial to set thenumber of shots. While still holding BKT, use the front command dial toset theEV increment. On Z cameras, exposurebracketing is foundin the Photo Shooting menu under Auto Bracketing.
Check the sequence over Once you’ve taken your sequence of images, check the results to seethe difference between thebracketed exposures– you’ll be able tosee even more shadow and highlight detail whenchecked on acomputer. Ensure that youset bracketingback to ‘0F’ when you’re doneshooting, otherwise the camera will continue to exposure-bracket every shot you take.
Single-shot Raw bracketing Camera sensor technology has come a long way; on a D850 or Z 7II, the dynamic range you can achieve is around -5EV to + 3EV,so it is possible totakea single Raw image and create abracketed sequence from it in post. Another use forexposure bracketingis HDR (high dynamic range) photography or exposure blending multiple images in post processing.
Step by step How to set exposure compensation
Dial in exposure compensation to fine-tune exposures for darker or brighter scenes
1 Press the button The Exposure Compensation
‘+/-’ button is on the top panel. On some D3xxx and D5xxx cameras, you use the ‘i’ menu to set exposure compensation.
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2 Shooting modes Exposure compensation only
works in Program, Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority modes. In Manual, it will only work if you have Auto ISO on.
3 Display settings Rotate the rear command dial
while holding the exposure compensation button to see the amount of compensation on the top LCD display or rear monitor.
4 1/3-stop steps You can add compensation in
1/3EV stops. Most Nikons have a range from -5EV to +5EV, which will allow you to balance exposure in most situations. www.digitalcameraworld.com
NIKON ACADEMY
Technical or creative?
The exposure triangle The three main controls must be coordinated in order to
create a balanced exposure: shutter speed determines the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light, aperture is the size of the opening that the light passes through, while ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor to light. While the scales used for each is different – shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second, aperture in f-stops, while ISO is based on film sensitivity ratings – increasing or decreasing any of these settings to the next unit in its scale is achieved by doubling or halving its value, referred to as a ‘stop’. So a 1/250 sec shutter speed can be doubled to 1/125 sec or halved to 1/500 sec. An aperture of f/5.6 lets in twice as much light as f/8 and half as much as f/4. ISO400 is twice as sensitive as ISO200, or half as sensitive as ISO800. Increase any setting by a stop and you will need to decrease one of the other settings by a stop for the same exposure. But these settings also have an important creative effect over the look of the image. A fast shutter speed freezes movement while a slow shutter speed will record anything moving as a blur. A narrow aperture gives greater depth of field than a wide aperture, meaning more or less of the scene is in focus. And the greater the ISO the noisier the image will be.
5 6 Fine-tune the level When Reset to zero After setting the exposure you’ve finished shooting compensation level, take a shot and review it. Change the levels if you need to fine-tune the exposure to get the best result.
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a scene, remember to reset the exposure comp value back to 0, as otherwise it will be applied to every other image you shoot!
Don’t get caught up in technicalities Every time we shoot, we aim for technical correctness. But don’t forget that photography is creative and your personal style is also important, so sometimes not have having a ‘technically’ correct exposure and aiming for a ‘creative’ exposure is best if it gets you the image you want.
Different strokes You may prefer slightly more atmospheric images that have a ‘low-key’ look, which lend themselves to richer colours. This means that you would be technically underexposing your images, but it’s the correct ‘creative’ exposure. Conversely, if you like brighter ‘high-key’ images, you might be technically overexposing your images by maybe 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop to get the ‘creative’ look you want. In short, different approaches suit different subjects and shooting styles.
Utilize scene modes If you have a camera with scene modes, some of these are
designed to produce a low- or high-key look, without having to apply exposure compensation. For example, Beach/snow mode is designed to preserve the bright feel of a coastal or snow-covered environment. On the other hand, Sunset or Silhouette modes are aimed at producing intense colours.
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NIKOPEDIA
Nikon NX Stu do
Master Levels and Curves
Levels and Curves are great editing tools, Neil Freeman shows you how to use them to enhance your images
VIEW THE PROJECT VIDEOS ONLINE www.bit.ly/NPhoto125 86
The Levels & Curves Adjustments menu is hugely versatile and can be used to maximize dynamic range, create localized contrast adjustments, and lift shadows and recover highlights. Within the Levels & Curves Adjustments menu, you have several options. In the topmost ‘Settings Status’ dropdown: Original Value defaults the levels and curves back to the original image state; Record Adjustments allows you to save a preset of the current levels and curves settings to apply to other images; while Edit
Recorded Adjustments lets you alter the presets you’ve created. Below that, the ‘Channels’ dropdown shows a composite of the colour channels when set to RGB, or you can display and edit the image using the individual Red, Green or Blue channels. In the row of icons (from the left): Set Black Point selects an eyedropper for you to choose an area you know is black in the image; the Set Neutral Point eyedropper is for choosing an area of midtone grey; and the Set White Point eyedropper is to
select an area that is white; Add Anchor Point creates new anchor points on the curves line; Auto Contrast tries to calculate an appropriate contrast curve on your image; Reset Current Channel resets the currently selected channel; and Reset All Channels resets everything. Finally, you have the Gamma Correction slider. If the Gamma is incorrect, your image can look very dark or washed out. Using Levels and Curves should correct this, but Gamma allows you to further control the adjustments. www.digitalcameraworld.com
NIKON NX STUDIO
Use Curves for local contrast, lifting shadows and more... 1 Add contrast
In the Adjustment tab, select the Levels & Curves tool. Create a shallow ’S’ curve by clicking to add an anchor point on the upper third of the curve and dragging it slightly up. Now add another anchor point on the lower third and move that down. Your ’S’ curve has added localized contrast to the image.
3 Recover highlights
To recover highlight information in your image, create an anchor point on the upper part of the line. If you add the anchor point towards the top of the line, and drag the point down, you will start to recover detail in the highlights of your image. If adding contrast via Curves, add additional anchor points to recover highlights.
2 Lift shadows
Curves can be used to uncover shadow detail by creating anchor points on the lower part of the line. If you add the anchor close to the bottom, and drag the point upwards, you will maximize your chances to uncover detail in the shadows. If adding contrast via Curves, add an additional anchor point to lift the shadows.
4 Edit individual channels
By clicking the ‘Channels’ dropdown menu, you can select the individual Red, Green or Blue channels. You can now adjust each colour channel by adding anchor points as required. This is a great technique to gain control over your image as it gives you the ability to localize your edits to specific hues in the shot.
Levelling the tones
Levels shows you the range of tones on a scale from 0 (pure black) to 255 (bright white). The Levels adjustment is found directly underneath the Curves tool, and is represented as a horizontal bar numbered 0 on the left to 255 on the right. The aim, when working with the Levels tool, is to ensure your histogram extends from the deepest shadow area on the left of the scale to the brightest highlight on the right without clipping and losing image data. If you drag the slider in from the left you ‘re-map’ the darkest areas of your image. Pulling the slider in from the right re-maps the highlights. www.digitalcameraworld.com
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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Ask Matthew...
Our resident Nikon expert Matthew Richards answers your questions and solves your problems. If you have a Nikon-related question, email it to mail@nphotomag.com to upgrade my Q I12want year-old D3000
and its companion lenses to a newer camera with a variangle screen for shooting video, but on a tight budget. What would you suggest?
Elizabeth Kennedy
A
You’rebestoffupgradingtoa D5xxxseriesbody,allofwhich haveavari-anglescreenthat’s greatforshootingvideo,asyoucaneven viewthescreenwhenputtingyourselfin thepicture,standinginfrontofthecamera. I’davoidtheearliestD5000andD5100 models,asthey’renotcompatiblewith someofNikon’slaterlensesthatfeature theAF-P(Pulsesteppingmotor)autofocus system.VideoqualityfromtheD5000is All D5xxx cameras have a vari-angle screen and will be compatible with all your existing lenses from your D3000 kit.
alsorelativelypoor.TheD5200andD5300 arepartlycompatible,butyoucan’tenable ordisablethefocusringinAFmode, asthere’snocustomsettingforthis. TheD5200alsowon’tletyouswitchoff vibrationreductioninAF-Plensesthatlack aphysicalVRon/offswitch,andifthe standbytimeexpires,thefocuspositionwill changewhenthecamerarestarts.I’dgofor oneofthelatestD5500orD5600models.
in the market Q I’m for a new computer
monitor and am intrigued by the ones mentioned in the N-Photo 122 (April 2021) ‘help me buy’ article. Which would you choose? Brian Banks
The BenQ comes complete with a clip-on shading hood and useful hotkey puck.
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Personally,I’dgofortheBenQ SW271,whichIactuallygavethe ‘bestontest’awardtoinN-Photo 82’s(March2018)BigTestofUHD(Ultra HighDefinition)monitors.It’squitepricey at£949/$1099,butperformancefor photoandvideoeditingisoutstanding. It’sa27-inch4Kscreenthatcomeswith presetoptionsforsRGBandAdobeRGB modes,plusanHDRmode.Calibration softwareissuppliedwiththemonitor,to maintainoptimumcolouraccuracyover time,andthemonitorcomescomplete withahandyhotkeypuckforeasily switchingbetweensRGB,AdobeRGBand advancedblack-and-whitedisplaymodes. Inourlabtests,wefoundthatthe factorypresetswerehighlyaccurate. Colourrenditionprovedexcellent,with superbcoverageoftheextendedAdobe RGBgamutandoutstandinguniformity acrosstheentirescreen.
took your advice and Q Iupgraded from a D80
to a Z 50 kit. I’m really pleased and will sell my old lenses, but hope Nikon will 88
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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED previousD80kit,ratherthanselling themonanytimesoon.
need a macro Q Ilens for my Z 6
The Nikon FTZ Mount Adapter costs around £269/$250 and enables you to use DX and FX format F-mount lenses on any Z-series body.
and can’t wait any longer for the Nikon Z 105mm Micro. Are there any other native Z-mount macro lenses available right now?
Mike Manning
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AswithDXformatZ-mount lenses,thedeliveryofnewFX lensesforNikon’sZ-mount mirrorlesscamerashasbeenslower Krys Jasinski thanexpected,andthere’sstillno signofthe105mmMicro.TheSigma That’sgreattohearand 105mmf/2.8EXDGOSHSMMacro thanksverymuchforthe F-mountlens(£359/$569)workswell feedback.I’mreallyglad viaanFTZMountAdapter. you’rehappywiththeZ50,it’sagreat ForanativeZ-mountlens,I’dgofor camera.I’dalsoverymuchliketosee theLaowa100mmf/2.82xUltra NikonmakingsomemoreZ-mount MacroAPO.It’safullymanuallens DXformatlensessometimesoonbut withnointernalelectronics,soyou we’relivinginchallengingtimes,and havetosettheapertureviathelens’s itseemsthatdelaysareaffectingall controlring,andfocusingisapurely areasofdesignandmanufacturing manualaffair.However,manual focusingisoftenfavouredwhenit acrosstheworld. comestomacrophotography,and Inthemeantime,atleastFX thefocuspeakingoptionofNikon’s (full-frame)formatZ-mountlenses mirrorlesscamerashelpswith arefullycompatiblewiththeZ50 camera,aswellasF-mountDXandFX accuracy.Unlikemostmacrolenses, formatlensesviaNikon’sFTZMount theLaowahasa2xmaximum Adapter.Intheshortterm,itwould magnificationfactor,soitcan probablybeworthinvestinginthe reproduceobjectsattwicelifesize mountadapterandcontinuingto ontheimagesensor,revealing useyouroldlensesfromyour near-microscopiclevelsofdetail.
make more lenses for the Z 50 in the future.
Secondhand superstar after a high-end, Q I’m powerful, genuine Nikon
flashgun for minimum outlay. What’s a good used buy?
Steve Dawlish
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Matthew recommends… I’dgofortheSB-800,whichwasthe firstflashguntofeatureNikon’s‘Creative LightingSystem’.With‘intelligent’i-TTL,it’sable toworkoutflashexposuresettingsautomatically whenusedinmulti-flashgunsetups.
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The Venus Optics Laowa 100mm Z-mount macro lens costs £469/$449 and has a mighty 2x maximum magnification factor. www.digitalcameraworld.com
Nikon Speedlight SB-800
THE SB-800 WAS A BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCT ON LAUNCH, AND IS PARTICULARLY POWERFUL
RELEASED: 2003 PRICE NEW: £350/$420 SECONDHAND PRICE: ‘Excellent’ £80/$90 ‘Good’ £70/$80 The SB-800 has advanced features, including wireless commander and remote functions. It was the first Speedlight to include Nikon’s ‘flash colour info communication’ system, to improve colour accuracy with Auto WB, along with FV (Flash Value) lock for capturing and locking flash exposure settings. Refinements include a motorized zoom head with bounce and swivel, an LCD info display and on-board controls, plus an even greater max output power than Nikon’s subsequent flashguns. The SB-800 comes with colour filters, a diffusion dome, stand, carrying pouch and an extra AA battery holder.
Key points
1. Bounce, swivel, zoom There’s -7 to 90° of bounce, 180/90° of swivel (left/ right) and a 24-105mm zoom range (full-frame). 2. Gn Rating The Gn 56/184 (m/ft at ISO100) power rating at 105mm zoom exceeds that of Nikon’s SB-700, SB-900 and SB-910. 3. Wireless remote Wireless commander and remote functions are built in, for multi-flashgun setups. Guide number: (m/ft at ISO 100, 35mm zoom) Gn 38/125 Zoom range: 24-105mm Wide-angle adaptor: 14mm Bounce: -7 to 90° Swivel: 180° left, 90° right Batteries: 4 or 5 AA Dimensions: (WxHxD) 71x127x92mm Weight: (no batteries) 350g
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Tom Mason Wild Life
Pro wildlife photographer and Nikon Europe Ambassador Tom has worked around the globe on assignments to capture photographs of all creatures great and small, from the Falkland Islands to the Amazon Rainforest. www.tommasonphoto.com
Seek discomfort
If you want to push your imagery and get exciting new shots, you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things and get a little dirty…
P nosaM moT © :segami llA
eople keep staring at me. I’m walking back along the path at Titchwell, one of my favourite nature reserves. It’s about 11am and the sun is beaming. There’s still a chill in the air, but the warmth is nice on my skin. Passing by the hordes of birders who are out enjoying a glorious day, not one has let me pass without eyeing me up. Discomfort, a state of being, well, uncomfortable. If you want to be a wildlife photographer, you better get used to it. Actually, scrap that, you better learn to love it! I mean that. It’s not just about the obvious: the cold days, the rain, sitting on the floor for hours needing a wee. You need to love the discomfort, because in its presence is oen where the best images are found. One of my first images with any real merit that I look back on is a portrait of a partridge, made when I was about 14. The shot is quite simple, but it was the process that was key. Spotting the bird from my window, I noticed it was about midway into the field closest to home, a good hundred or so metres out. The freshly harvested fields were hard – rock hard – the stubble like a firm garden broom. It took me half an hour on my front to crawl out, scratching my body over the cut crops, mind focused on the shot. My chest and stomach red raw as I framed up, mentally blocking out the last half hour of self-inflicted torture; I pressed the shutter. My mum was rather horrified by the state of my return, but pain is only temporary, images last a lifetime.
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Forward to 14 years on and, well, that early discomfort seems trivial. I’m accustomed to daily scrapes and scratches, with an extensive tolerance for sitting in contorted positions for hours at a time if it’s the ‘right spot’ for the image. It’s a mental game, a lot of the time, waiting in discomfort. You know it’s only a matter of moving to aid your predicament, but in doing so you might spook a subject or miss the perfect shot, so you have to crush that niggle, and keep lying in those fresh stinging nettles.
Hurts so good
Aer a while you don’t only learn to deal with the discomfort, but actively pursue it for the shot. You know that, if you want something special, you’re going to have to go above and beyond, because those perfect images are rarely, if ever, made from standing height on the main path, are they? With time it becomes second nature to dive onto the ground and crawl through all manner of unknown dirt for that perfect angle. It becomes second nature to think it’s a good idea to step into a pair of waders in the middle of the winter and jump in a river in the centre of a town, only to have them fill with water aer five minutes, leaving you standing feeling rather hypothermic for the next five hours, because an otter may or may not show up. Luckily it did. In a weird way, I think that discomfort is an essential ingredient for a good image. It sharpens our awareness, hones our senses and, ultimately, adds a certain magic to the shots. Maybe it’s just me, but my best days in the field are those you can really feel when you get back to the car. Fatigue from an epic crawl, the stiffness from hours hunkered down, the
Getting down and dirty can be a right pain – literally – but can also be very rewarding.
fizz in your feet, or those days when you can barely open the door because your frozen fingers just won’t do what they are supposed to anymore. Back on the coast, I’m shivering now, the adrenaline of the morning shoot wearing off as I make my way back to the car, memory cards brimming with sanderling images. Aer three hours lying in the surf I’m soaked, head to toe, sand sticking to my entire body. The camera’s about the cleanest thing on me; no wonder I was drawing eyes! In an all-too-familiar fashion I’m stripping my sodden clothes off in the car park when an elderly couple approach, smiling broadly, “We can see you’ve put the effort in!” Seek discomfort and you’ll be rewarded. www.digitalcameraworld.com
After a while you don’t only learn to deal with the discomfort, but actively pursue it for the shot
Embrace the pain and you’ll find yourself in all sorts of different shooting scenarios and decidedly odd positions… www.digitalcameraworld.com
…but it pays off when you manage to capture a stunning series of photographs that you can be proud of once back home.
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MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY 2
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BY MUSTAFA ÖZTÜRK
1. Lady in Red
BY ABU ELIAS
2. Face of an Ant
BY MIKE TRAVERS
We were immediately drawn to the colour grading of this superb macro image. Notice how the turquoise background complements the deep red ladybird and how the soft lighting gently illuminates the insect’s glossy shell without causing any glare. The dandelion seed head is the perfect backdrop, adding depth as the seeds gradually blur into the background.
The insane level of detail in this photograph was captured via focus stacking. A whopping 70 images were blended together to create the final shot. The subject is a type of carpenter ant called Camponotus maculatus and was found in the Sultanate of Oman. We particularly like the brown gradient in the background, which complements the ant’s golden brown hues perfectly.
The water droplet provides this abstract image of a leaf with a clear focal point, and the photographer took care not to encroach on the reflection in the bead of liquid. Cropping into the leaf has created a fractal-like pattern, which appears to continue beyond the frame. Light also appears to be shining through the semi-transparent surface, producing plenty of contrast and amplifying the leaf’s texture.
Camera: Nikon D7100 Lens: 90mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/200 sec, f/10, ISO100
Camera: Nikon D5300 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/200 sec, f/4.5, ISO100
Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 90mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/60 sec, f/11, ISO1600
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3. Nature’s Jewel
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4. Chilling on a Tulip
BY IAN ASHLEY
This studio image of a tree frog sitting on a tulip is beautifully composed. The purple flower complements the frog’s green skin and its petals envelop the subject, creating a frame within a frame. The eye closest to the camera is crisply focused, and the lighting helps the photogenic amphibian pop against the background. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/160 sec, f/22, ISO64
5. The Fly
BY BIBHAS DEB
This incredible close-up of a fly was photographed in a garden in India’s Kalimpong district. The dreamy green and pink blurred background and razor-sharp eyes make this a magnificent macro, but what really elevates this image are the water droplets, captured just after rainfall. The droplets on the insect’s head are crisply captured and the droplets in the foreground add depth. Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/125 sec, f/18, ISO200
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MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
6. Splash in Lockdown
BY MUHAMMAD AL-QATAM
Water drop photography requires plenty of patience at the best of times, but capturing this perfectly symmetrical reflection takes this technical genre to a whole other level. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/18, ISO125
7. I’ll Rest Here
BY SALLY HOLMES
The common blue is a popular close-up subject, and the soft lighting and beautiful bokeh in this image puts it right up there with the best of them! Camera: Nikon Z 7 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/500 sec, f/3.5, ISO800
8. Flower Bee
BY ANDY NEAL
This stunning focus-stacked image of a green-eyed flower bee might look like a studio shot, but it was photographed snoozing in the garden.
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Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO100
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9. My Own Planet
BY GLYN WILLIAMS
Last issue we featured a tutorial on photographing soap-bubble planets and this is a superb example of this tricky close-up technique. A flashgun and a DIY diffuser were used to light the subject, and the moving surface of the bubble was captured just as it started to display this mesmerizing pattern. Camera: Nikon D810 Lens: 105mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/22, ISO100
10. Damselfly Portrait
BY STEVE JAMES
A focus rail was used to capture roughly 60 images of this damselfly, which were then stacked in post. The result is a super-detailed portrait that’s incredibly sharp. Focus stacking requires a perfectly still subject. This insect was found having been the unfortunate victim of a dog. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 25mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO100
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WORTH
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GearZone
New gear, buying advice and the world’s toughest tests Lab tests explained Sharpness
A chart with multiple sharp boundaries is photographed, the extent of blur at the centre, mid and edges showing how many line widths per picture height the lens can resolve. Simply put, the bigger the numbers the sharper the lens.
NEW GEAR
HELP ME BUY…
98 Fresh Nikon finds
We’ve assembled a collection of shiny new kit for your consideration
100 Photo paper
Get the best-looking shots by printing on these premium papers
Fringing
Chromatic aberration is visible as purple or green fringing around high-contrast boundaries, caused by different wavelengths being focused on different areas of the sensor. The larger the number, the worse the score.
Distortion
A lens that bulges towards the edges of the frame produces barrel distortion, shown as a negative score. Pincushion distortion produces a positive score. A score of zero indicates no distortion.
REVIEW
BIG TEST
Is the world’s widest full-frame shift lens worth the price of admission?
We test primes and zooms to see which you should take to the streets
102 Laowa 15mm f/4.5 104 Street glass
Our scoring system
Our awards in a nutshell
BEST ON TEST
The best performance, design and value
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GOLD AWARD
A product that gives you more for your money
GREAT VALUE
The very best kit that really sets the standard
1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
Forget about it! Below average Good for the money Excellent product Best-in-class
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GEAR ZONE
New gear
Here’s what caught our eye this month Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO
£499/$499 https://www.venuslens.net
he Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO is the first of four ultra-fast f/0.95 lenses from Laowa, the lens brand of Venus Optics. It’s for APS-C mirrorless cameras like the Nikon Z 50, where it offers an effective focal length of 50mm, but it can also be used on full frame Nikon Z-mount cameras in crop mode. This is not to be confused with another similar-sounding Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 full frame lens, which is still on the list of upcoming Argus lenses but yet to be released. Laowa already has a formidable reputation for affordable and often spectacular ultra-wide and macro lenses, and now it’s pushing the lens design envelope in a new direction, with these ultra-fast primes. Laowa says the Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO will be perfect for portraits, low light and everyday photography, and astrophotography too. It’s also been optimized for
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video, with internal focusing (handy for gimbal balancing and matte boxes, for example), low focus breathing, a long 300-degree focus throw and a stepless aperture ring. Laowa is very clear that this lens has been designed to be used wide open. Its APO (apochromatic) lens design uses one ED element, one aspherical element and three Ultra High Refraction Glass elements to suppress both lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberration (colour fringing and ‘bokeh fringing’). The company also claims this lens will offer “exceptional” sharpness across the frame and a nine-bladed circular aperture for “buttery smooth and exquisite bokeh rendering”. This is in addition to a short minimum focus distance of just 0.35m. Fast lenses are usually big, heavy and expensive, but the Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO looks relatively manageable, with a length of 83mm and a weight of 590g. It also uses
relatively common 62mm filters. We’ve already caught a glimpse of the Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 in use. It’s a manual focus lens, and does not appear to have the electronic camera communication of the Laowa 10mm f/2 Zero-D MFT lens, so you will have to activate the camera’s zoom feature manually to check for sharp focus. The price, however, is way below that of competing own-brand lenses of similar speed.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS Nikon’s own Z-series f/0.95 lens costs over eight grand and weighs in at 2kg, though that is a fullframe 58mm beast. But even so, the prospect of such a super-fast lens in a lightweight crop-sensor form is very intriguing indeed. However, it’s all very well creating a lens with such an incredibly wide aperture, the trick will be retaining image sharpness. We can’t wait to see whether it lives up to its claims.
diameter, weighs 336g (11.85oz) and has a front filter thread of 52mm. It would be asking too much of a sub-$100 prime lens to feature autofocus, but Z-series mirrorless cameras have the ability to use focus peaking, highlighting areas of the frame that are in focus and therefore making manual focusing much more intuitive. The TTartisan 50mm f/1.2 has a certain retro appeal and features a compact and portable design, giving Nikon Z camera owners an affordable option for an impressively fast f/1.2 prime lens.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS Nikon doesn’t make a 50mm f/1.2 lens but other manufacturers charge around £1500 (and often a
great deal more) for the privilege, so it will be very interested to see just how well this ultra-fast, bargain-basement optic performs.
TTartisan 50mm f/1.2
£70/$98 http://en.ttartisan.com
n f/1.2 lens for less than $100? You read that right – and now TTartisan has released a version of its fantastic-value manual TTartisan 50mm f/1.2 lens for Nikon Z mount cameras. Priced at just $98 (approximately £70) and currently only available direct from the maker, TTartisan’s 50mm f/1.2 lens is constructed of seven elements in five groups, uses a 10-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (20in). It measures 60mm (2.36in) long and 62mm (2.44in) in
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GEAR ZONE
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro
From £1100/$1000 https://www.samsung.com
amsung’s Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops are available in 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch screen sizes, but the Pro 360’s display can hinge right back and around to sit against the rear of the laptop to create a tablet-like device. Both run Windows 10 and feature 4G and 5G connectivity for mobile internet without the need to tether to your smartphone. Portability is key. The smaller Galaxy Book Pro 13-inch weighs only 870g and measures a mere 11.2mm. Despite this, Samsung is claiming military-grade durability, as each
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device is constructed from 6000series aircraft-grade aluminium. Viewing photos should be a real pleasure thanks to the devices sporting a Super AMOLED display. Another potentially invaluable feature for photographers is Samsung’s Intelligent Color Engine feature, which can automatically change the screen’s colour profile to suit the current open software.
Camskns camera skins
£TBA/$64 www.camskns.com
use, and there’s zero residue when removing the skin if you need to take it off later down the line. They take roughly 30 minutes or so to apply, depending on your dexterity. Though we’d wager that the skin application requires considerable patience and attention to detail, as each skin is comprised of multiple sections to ensure perfect coverage.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS These are the first Windows laptops to be equipped with AMOLED screen tech but the 1920x1080 resolution may feel a bit lacklustre.
dding some visual flair to your camera has traditionally meant sticking it in a brightly coloured, rubberized one-piece stretchy skin – not always the most elegant or unobtrusive solution. However, Camskns are precision-cut adhesive vinyl stickers that perfectly cover most Nikon cameras for a factory-fresh finish. There’s a good range of cool, colourful and just plain eye-catching skin colours and patterns available to ensure that you really stand out. Camskns uses 3M’s vinyl wraps to ensure protection against everyday
hillside. Cokin has, however, tested its new holder with ultra-wide lenses including the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4. The filter holder is made from aluminium and can mount a polarizing filter at the back, with a built-in adjustment wheel for precise positioning. Cokin says its polarizing filter is highly efficient, absorbing only one f-stop of light. At the front of the NX-SERIES holder are two slots for graduated filters or neutral density filters for long exposures. Interestingly, Cokin has opted for a filter frame system where filters are fitted into frames
before being inserted into the holder. Cokin says this allows for easier handling, even while wearing gloves. The frames are guided into their slots using ball bearings to allow smooth, precise adjustments. The frames come in three sizes: 100x100mm for square filters, 100x143.5mm for Cokin’s own NUANCES Extreme graduated filters and 100x150mm for grads from other makers.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS If there’s one thing landscape photographers love more than filters it’s wide-angle lenses, and Cokin has made great efforts to ensure they can use both with this innovative system.
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS Cameras traditionally come in any colour you like, as long as it’s black, so these colourful stickers offer a fun way to pimp up your Nikon.
Cokin NX-Series filters
£100/$TBA https://cokin.com/en
okin’s new NX-SERIES filter holder is an evolution of its Z-Pro and EVO systems. It’s been specially developed for use with wide-angle lenses without introducing vignetting. The usual problem is that the thickness of the filter holder and the filters means that you can start to see vignetting at very wide focal lengths, where they start to intrude into the corners of the frame. This is made worse if you rotate the filter holder to change the angle of a grad to match a sloping horizon or
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HELP ME BUY…
Help me buy… photo paper The best photo paper for bringing your shots into the real world
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any photographers feel that a digital image doesn’t become a real photograph until it’s been printed onto paper, and who are we to disagree? There’s also a lot to be said for creating your own prints with a high-quality photo printer instead of uploading your digital images to a lab. For one thing, you maintain control over the whole process and, with a little trial and error, you should be able to get fabulous results exactly as you want them.
Picture perfect
Photo papers fall into two main categories. The first includes glossy, semi-gloss and lustre papers, which have a protective, shiny top layer. These are most ideal for use with photo printers that use dye-based inks to generate photo output. The water-based ink is fully absorbed beneath the top layer, enabling excellent uniformity with an entirely smooth finish With matte photo papers, the ink is laid on the top-layer inkjet coating, rather than being absorbed beneath it, and its more ideal for printers that use pigmentbased inks. The larger molecules of the pigments are more robust and better suited to matte paper, but they’re also suitable for printing on glossy, semigloss and lustre photo papers. Because the results are pretty much guaranteed when using own-brand inks and papers, many photographers don’t venture any further. But that’s missing a trick. So-called ‘fine art’ media is available from printer manufacturers like Canon and Epson, but also from specialist paper makers like Canson and Hahnemühle, who take papermaking to a more elevated level. Whereas standard photo papers tend to have a plasticky feel and can be somewhat lacking in character, fine art papers are often based on cotton ‘rag’ and other premium fibres, and are created to the highest standards with specialist manufacturing processes. Let’s take a closer look…
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Pro Luster LU-101 Canon £16.50/$23.50 (20 sheets)
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Pro Premium Matte PM-101 Canon £13.50/$19.50 (20 sheets)
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he debate over whether glossy or lustre finish is best has been going on for a long time… Of course, lustre isn’t as full-on shiny as glossy paper but it has advantages in reducing glare from strong light sources bouncing off the surface, and is preferable for handling if you’re passing prints around, as it’s more resistant to fingerprints. Canon’s Photo Paper Pro Luster is an up-market paper with an attractive look and feel that delivers excellent results.
vailable in a wide range of sizes up to A2/17x22-inch, this is Canon’s best matte photo paper. Unlike glossy, semi-gloss and lustre, there’s no reflection from the surface. It works just fine with Canon’s dye-based printers up to and including the PIXMA PRO-200, and is better with pigmentbased printers like the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 and PRO-1000, which feature matte black inks. It’s also lighter in weight, making it easier to use for creative projects and making greetings cards.
PROS Reduces glare; resistant to fingerprints CONS Quite pricey; less vibrant than gloss paper
PROS Nonreflective surface; rich colours CONS Pricier than Canon’s standard matte paper
Premium Semi-Gloss Epson £15/$19 (20 sheets)
Archival Matte Paper Epson £15/$21 (20 sheets)
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ully glossy paper can hang awkwardly on the wall, diminishing the image if strong light sources are bouncing back off its surface. Lustre papers are often preferred, but not everyone likes a textured finish. This semi-gloss premium photo paper strikes a good balance with a glare-resistant but ‘cockle-free’ finish that makes it highly suitable for exhibition-grade printing. It enables excellent resolution for retention of ultra-fine detail, along with rich colour saturation and deep blacks.
pson makes two similar matte photo papers, sold as Archival Matte Paper in Europe and Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte in the USA. They both have an excellent matte finish that avoids distractions from bright lights bouncing off the surface of the paper. They also have good level of whiteness and are great for printing colour and black-and-white photo prints, thanks to their tonal range. One downside, however, is that it’s only available in a limited range of sizes.
PROS Top colour saturation and deep blacks CONS Less heavyweight than some papers
PROS Nonreflective matte finish; top whiteness CONS No paper roll options; limited size range www.digitalcameraworld.com
PHOTO PAPER
Five things to look out for
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Glossy, semi-gloss and lustre papers have a shiny top layer, while matte papers are nonreflective.
Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta £53 /$49 (25 sheets)
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Papers come in a bewildering array of pack sizes and are often discounted, so shop around.
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We’ve quoted for packs of A4-sized paper but they come in an array of sizes – and some are even available on rolls.
Hahnemühle German Etching £38/$40 (25 sheets)
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Fine art papers are often based on cotton ‘rag’ and other premium fibres, offering higher quality.
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Fine art media is usually heavier than mass-produced paper and comes in a huge range of textures.
Hahnemühle Bamboo £52/$42 (25 sheets)
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ahnemühle has a history of quality paper-making that goes back to 1584. Photo Rag Baryta is one of the company’s best-selling papers, from its Digital FineArt Glossy line-up. There’s a range of Hahnemühle FineArt media to choose from and the Glossy section itself is big, including metallic, pearl and satin. The Photo Rag Baryta is based on cotton fibres and has a lovely natural whiteness. The smooth, glossy inkjet coating enables vibrant colour rendition along with superb sharpness.
ahnemühle’s Digital FineArt media is split into various categories that include matte smooth, matte textured, glossy and canvas. German Etching is a great all-rounder from the matte textured range. It’s genuine mould-made paper, based on a traditional and now-rare process, giving it a tactile feel, along with a unique surface texture with a felt structure that generates a three-dimensional effect for prints. Its 310gsm density also gives it a top-quality look and feel.
ew to Hahnemühle’s Digital FineArt collection is the ‘Natural Line.’ The options so far consist of Bamboo, Hemp and Agave. Each of these papers is created from plant-based cellulose, chosen for being rapid-growing, requiring little water and no pesticides. The raw material grows naturally, as well as being highly sustainable and eco-friendly. It has a warm and natural white that works well for printing images with warm hues. It’s a matte paper with a subtle, felt-textured surface.
PROS Traditional look and feel; impeccable finish CONS Typically expensive for a fine art paper
PROS Premium weight with a beautiful texture CONS The finish is not ideal for fine detail
PROS Eco-friendly; pleasant warm white finish CONS Expensive compared with regular papers
Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 £21/$17 (10 sheets)
Canson Infinity Rag Photographique Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag £22/$13.50 (10 sheets) £15/$15 (10 sheets)
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anson has long been renowned as a maker of top-quality fine art papers. It’s recently gained added prestige with the acquisition of ARCHES, a master papermaker since 1492 and the only paper mill in France using a traditional cylinder mould process. Current choices in the Canson Infinity ARCHES line-up include 88, BFK Rives Pure White, BFK Rives White and Aquarelle Rag. The 88 is made from cotton fibres and has an ultra-smooth matte finish and is free of any optical brighteners.
any photographers favour matte paper for printing, and Rag Photographique from the Canson Infinity line-up is one of the best. It’s available in two different densities, in cut sheet and roll options, there’s also a double-sided ‘Duo’ version. It’s created from cotton fibres, but includes extra natural minerals to enable a smooth white tone. It’s also long-lasting, having been developed to satisfy museum requirements as well as catering to the digital fine art market.
he base material for this lustre paper is made from cotton fibres, but it also has a microporous top layer coating to give it a lustre finish. As such, it’s based on a paper that was a favourite for many years in the original Platinum/Platine traditional photographic market. The ‘digital darkroom’ Platine Fibre Rag has the same look and feel as its conventional forebear, the F-Type Baryta Fibre paper. Excellent for colour and black-and-white photo printing, it has a superb tonal range.
PROS Ultra-smooth matte finish CONS Pricier than a standard photo paper
PROS Available in 210gsm and 310gsm densities CONS More expensive than basic photo papers
PROS Great for colour and mono photo printing CONS No small sizes available
www.digitalcameraworld.com
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REVIEW
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Specifications
On paper the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift is a very interesting proposition, but does it work practically?
Mount: Nikon Z, Nikon F Full-frame: Yes Autofocus: No Image stabilization: No Lens construction: 17 elements in 11 groups Angle of view: 110° Diaphragm blades: 5 Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m Maximum magnification ratio: N/A Filter size: N/A Dimensions: 79x103mm Weight: 597g
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Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift £1249/$1199
The world’s widest full-frame shift lens, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift gives pricey tilt lenses a run for their money
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lready one of our favourite manufacturers when it comes to offbeat glass, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift only adds to Venus Optics’ standing as a producer of exotic, esoteric and excellent lenses. On paper, what the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers is quite extraordinary: it’s the world’s widest full-frame shift lens, offering ±11mm of shift. But while these properties make it an excellent option for genres like architecture and interiors, unlike the best tilt-shift lenses the Laowa 15mm only shifts – it isn’t able to tilt for selective focus, so no ‘toytown’ effects. It’s also a fully manual optic, with no electrical connections or EXIF data, and there’s no weather sealing – but then, it’s also around half the price of traditional
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tilt-shift lenses. So how does it fare, and do these limitations hamper its performance?
Key features
The Laowa 15mm Shift lens has a 110° angle of view, and produces an enormous image circle with a 65mm diameter, with the maximum possible vertical shift of ±11mm. As part of Laowa’s Zero-D (‘zero distortion’) line, optical distortion is incredibly well controlled – something that’s essential for this lens’s intended purpose. That’s made possible by a complex optical formula featuring 17 elements (two of which are aspherical) in 11 groups. With five aperture blades the lens can render beautiful 10-point sunstars for striking night cityscapes and even daylight work. It also boasts an impressive minimum close focusing distance of just 20cm, enabling you to push the limits of your creativity or the proximity of your subject.
Build and handling
This is a very sturdy and robustly built lens, featuring metal construction that will withstand various knocks and scrapes. However, you won’t want to chance many of those since the front lens element is a bulbous and protruding affair. With no lens hood and (as of yet) no filter solutions to offer any protection, you’ll want to take good care of the front glass – though, thankfully, a substantial metal lens cap is provided. The lack of hood means that the bulging lens is susceptible to raindrops, too. And being that it isn’t weather-sealed, you really don’t want to chance any moisture entering the lens – particularly with its shifting mechanism that offers more points for fluid to enter the lens. That all aside, this lens is a joy to handle and use. Its shift axis can be rotated by 15° intervals (meaning that you can achieve 45° diagonal shift) through a full 360°. The Laowa also features a long focus throw, which is especially useful when you’re trying to achieve focus on a DSLR The lens’s inbuilt ‘shift’ function is designed for straightening converging lines.
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www.digitalcameraworld.com
LAOWA 15MM F/4.5 ZERO-D SHIFT Sharpness
You can get some very pleasing distortions, thanks to the shift function.
Pleasant 10-point sunstars can be achieved when you stop down.
(obviously on a mirrorless Z-series body you have the benefit of focus peaking). We also like the shift mechanism featured here. While some lenses use small and fiddly dials to control shift, the Laowa has a third ring below the focus and aperture rings that offers more purchase and a greater degree of control. Once the desired amount of left/right/rise/fall shift has been achieved, a twisting pin locks it in place.
almost effortless to use for shooting those potentially troublesome buildings and interiors. Indeed, freed from the tripod it can even become a formidable street photography lens, adding an extra dimension to wide-angle documentary and reportage images. This lens can produce incredibly striking 10-point sunstars when you stop it down, adding dramatic points of interest to your shots. However, some people might find their size and spikiness a little too overbearing as they threaten to become the focal point of your images. Despite employing a special coating, the lens doesn’t always play well with direct light at those wider apertures, as flares and ghosting can streak across the frame. Flare is controlled much better as you stop the lens down, but this will also produce notably hexagonal bokeh and ghosting due to the five-bladed aperture.
Performance
The Laowa 15mm Shift is a joy to use, though it goes without saying that if you’re new to manual-focus lenses then you’re in for a steep learning curve – and if you’ve never used a shift lens before, you’ll need to spend some serious time learning how it affects your framing and composition. At the same time, if you’re experienced in using tilt-shift lenses then you will no doubt experience many moments where you reach for the nonexistent tilt control here to achieve perfect perspective. It’s by no means a deal-breaker, though it does require a little adjustment if you’ve got used to taking tilt for granted. The shift function does a fantastic job of correcting perspectives and vanishing points. If you’re using the lens for ‘true’ architectural work, to render accurate and undistorted images of buildings as they actually appear, you will enjoy the nearperfect lines you can achieve (nearly as much as you will hate the uneven roads and pavements that become apparent as you do so). And if you’re using it to render distorted perspectives, which exaggerate the shapes of angular structures, you will appreciate how the very feature designed to produce accurate images can also deliver the most creative ones. Armed with a tripod and a mirrorless camera, the Laowa 15mm Shift becomes www.digitalcameraworld.com
Features
1 The front element is bulbous, so there’s
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no protection and you can’t attach filters. The focus ring feels solid and well damped, enabling precision fine-focusing. A manual aperture ring enables you to close down between the marked stops. Depressing this tab enables you to rotate the shift axis by 15°, through 360°. The build quality is sturdy and substantial, though it lacks weather sealing. Turning the third dial shifts the lens – far better than fiddly knobs on other tilt-shifts!
Sharpness in the centre of frame is excellent, even wide open. But, sharpness drops off fast as you move away from the centre and becomes mediocre in the middle and corners. We’d expect any ultra-wide optic to perform relatively poorly for corner sharpness, due to how close we have to shoot our sharpness test chart. But the Laowa 15mm Shift lens’s off-centre sharpness drops off faster than most equivalently wide lenses.
Fringing
Usually a lens produces most fringing in the corners of frame, however the Laowa 15mm Shift generates more aberrations in the mid frame (the regions surrounding the centre). Here fringing is prominent enough to be noticeable in typical shooting, especially at larger apertures. At least centre and corner fringing is fairly well controlled.
Distortion -1.01
There’s minor barrel distortion, but the lens performs pretty much true to its ‘Zero-D’ (zero distortion) moniker – an impressive feat for such an ultra-wide optic.
N-Photo verdict
The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift offers comparable perspective correction and a superior wide-angle perspective to tilt lenses that cost nearly twice as much. Though it lacks weather sealing and electrical contacts, it handles superbly and offers a native option for NikonZ-series mirrorless shooters. Features Build & handling Performance Value
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BIG TEST
Street lenses
It’s time to get back out on the streets. Here are the best lenses for shooting life in motion
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any of us easing out of lockdown recently have rediscovered the simple joys of ambling around city streets and feasting on the sights and sounds of bustling life. As photographers, it’s only natural to want to capture this ‘new’ normality on camera. And if you’ve never been into street photography before, it’s a chance to try something new. But what exactly is street photography and how do you go about shooting it?
The contenders
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Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC AE Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S
£189/$247 £329/$297 £429/$499 £455/$527 £649/$599 £699/$799 £749/$847 £899/$997
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Classic street photography is all about reacting to your environment, anticipating events as they unfold and capturing definitive moments. More often than not, classic street images will include people set against urban backdrops, photographed candidly as they go about their lives. You’ll need a camera and lens combo that you can use discreetly, and that enables you to shoot with next to no setup time. As far as lenses go, there are plenty of primes and zooms to choose from. Let’s take a look…
N-Photo Nikon-fit lens buyers’ guide! http://bit.ly/npbuyers
BIG TEST
Street cleaner
Pick the lens that works best for your type of street photography
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raditionally, a 35mm manualfocus prime has been the go-to type of lens for street photography, at least when using a full-frame camera. It gives a wide viewing angle and a natural perspective, while avoiding the risk of missing the definitive moment due to fussing around. The idea is that you set the focus distance in advance, so you can shoot without any delays. So-called ‘zone focusing’ enables you to render the required zone of a scene sharply. It’s easiest to apply when using a traditional manual-focus lens that typically has a long rotational travel in its focus ring, along with a focus distance scale and multiple depth of field markers for different apertures. This enables you to turn the
focus ring until the short and long focus distances governing the preferred zone fall between the relevant depth of field markers. However, time moves on and it’s hard to stick with tradition when the majority of modern optics are AF lenses that make zone focusing difficult. There’s often less rotational travel in the focus ring, with a tightly packed focus distance scale and rudimentary depth of field markers. On the plus side, Nikon’s mirrorless (and some DSLR) cameras offer a ‘focus peaking’ option that makes manual focusing easy. In general, faster lenses with wider aperture ratings are preferred, as they enable a tighter depth of field when required, as well as faster shutter speeds under dull lighting. With street photography,
however, you’re likely to need narrower apertures, so that the depth of field is larger and focusing isn’t so critical. An advantage of lenses with a more modest aperture rating is that they tend to be physically smaller, lighter and more stealthy, so you’re less likely to draw attention to yourself. While manual focusing is a tried-andtrusted method, there’s a lot to be said for switching to AF, especially when using Nikon’s latest mirrorless cameras. The phase-detection AF systems built into the image sensor enable fast autofocusing anywhere in the frame, when composing shots on the rear screen. You can therefore shoot from the hip, so to speak, and be even more inconspicuous by not raising the camera to your eye.
What to look for… Get a lens with some street smarts IN THE HOOD A hoodcan improve image quality and gives protection to the lens’s front element. Withthe Nikon DX format zooms on test, you’ll needto buy this as an optional extra.
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PRIME OR ZOOM? The fixed focal length of a prime lens offersa conventional approach to street photography, but there’sno denying that a zoom lens adds versatility.
AUTOFOCUS Ring-type ultrasonic autofocus is quick and whisper-quiet, whereas the newer steppingmotor systems, featured in most Nikon lenses on test,are near silent.
IMAGE STABILIZATION The DXformat Nikon zooms and FX format Tamron prime feature optical stabilization, whereas full-frame Z-mount mirrorless cameras offer in-body stabilization whenusing any lens.
MANUAL FOCUS It’sa signof the times that onlythe Samyang lenses featured are manual-focus optics, with a focus distance scale accompaniedby depth of field markers for multiple apertures.
FOCAL LENGTH 35mm is the ideal focal length for street photography on full-frame cameras. A 24mm lenson a DX format body givesa similar viewingangle of about 63degrees.
At around £500/$500, the F-mount Samyang/ Rokinon 24mmis a manual-focus lenswith useful DoFmarkers for zone focusing.
A DX prime example
The Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS IF UMC is a good option for DX bodies For DX (APS-C format) SLRs, a 24mm lens gives the same effective viewing angle as a 35mm lens on a full-frame body, thanks to the 1.5x crop factor. There aren’t any 24mm prime lenses on the market that are designed specifically for DX format SLRs, but the manual-focus FX format Samyang fits the bill nicely. For handling and performance, it’s similar to the Samyang 35mm on test, with a long-travel focus ring that enables smooth and precise adjustments. It also features built-in electronics that enable full communication with the body, so you can effectively shoot in the full range of PASM shooting modes. It’s a great choice for traditional street photography with a DX format camera. www.digitalcameraworld.com
STREET LENSES
Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6G VR f/3.5-6.3 VR £189/$247
A small and discreet zoom for DSLRs
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his compact and lightweight zoom is designed for DX format DSLRs and is available with or without VR, the stabilized version being the definite favourite. Unlike previous AF-S editions, the AF-P models have a ‘Pulse’ (stepping motor) autofocus system, as featured in Z-mount lenses. Handling is enhanced because, unlike in the AF-S 18-55mm, the focus ring remains stationery during autofocusing. However, the focusing system is incompatible with some older DSLRs, including the D30003200, D5000-5100 and D7000. The retractable design enables a small carrying size of 65x63mm, although even that looks quite large compared with the new Z DX 16-50mm. There’s no VR on/off switch, so you’re reliant on an in-camera menu option to turn it off.
Performance
The baby of Nikon’s range of SLR zooms boasts fast AF speeds as well as 4-stop VR. Outright image quality is pleasing, although colour fringing and barrel distortion are quite severe at the short end of the zoom range.
N-Photo verdict Sold as a ‘kit’ zoom with some of Nikon’s lower-budget DSLRs, this is nevertheless a good lens.
Sharpness
There’s a relative lack of sharpness when shooting wide-open at 18mm but otherwise it’s very good.
Fringing
Colour fringing is only really apparent at the short end of the zoom range, but is usually corrected in-camera.
Distortion
There’s very little distortion at mid to long zoom settings, but some hefty barrel distortion at 18mm.
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It’s practically a pancake lens
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aunched as a kit lens for the DX format Z 50 mirrorless camera, this tiny zoom weighs in at just 135g and, when retracted for stowage, measures a mere 32mm. As such, it almost classifies as a pancake lens. Even when extended for use, the overall length is only 55-60mm, depending on zoom setting. The only real minus point is the f/6.3 aperture rating at long zoom settings. The design includes four aspherical elements and one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element. New-generation optical VR has 4.5-stop effectiveness, beating that of every other stabilized Nikon standard zoom lens. Build quality feels pretty good and, although the mounting plate is plastic (contributing to the lightweight construction), it is pretty durable.
Performance
Sharpness is excellent, even when shooting wide-open at the shortest zoom setting, beating the AF-P DX 18-55mm in this respect. However, both lenses deliver very similar levels of sharpness throughout the rest of the zoom and aperture ranges.
N-Photo verdict
Features Build & handling Performance Value
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£329/$297
Overall
A perfect match for the svelte Z 50 body, it’s great for street photography where discretion is the ideal.
Sharpness
Considering the generous wide-angle coverage, sharpness remains excellent at the shortest focal length.
Fringing
Automatic corrections in the Z 50 essentially eliminate the appearance of chromatic aberrations.
Distortion
Distortions are mostly eliminated by auto corrections, and there’s only a touch of barrel at 16mm.
Features Build & handling Performance Value
4.5
Overall
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BIG TEST
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC AE
Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED
Not entirely a manual affair
A small lens that’s a smart choice
£429/$499
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his manual-focus Samyang lens is available in a wide variety of mount options. Most have no built-in electronics, so you can’t control the aperture from the camera body. Instead, you need to use the lens’s own aperture ring, and the viewfinder image gets progressively darker with narrower aperture settings. However, the ‘AE’ version available in Nikon F-mount enables camera-driven aperture control, and thereby a full range of PASM shooting modes. Typical of manual-focus lenses, the focus ring has a long rotational travel and operates with smooth precision. Zone focusing is enabled by the focus distance scale and depth of field markers for apertures of f/2.8, f/5.6, f/11, f/16 and f/22. This is a real bonus for traditional street photography.
Performance
As an f/1.4 lens, the Samyang is comparatively big and heavy. Sharpness and contrast are disappointing at apertures wider than f/2, but if you stop down to f/2.8, image quality becomes excellent in all respects.
N-Photo verdict For traditionalists and street purists, this Samyang manual-focus prime enables a classic style of shooting.
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Sharpness
It’s lacklustre wide-open, however sharpness is excellent at apertures of f/2.8 through to f/16.
Fringing
There’s very little lateral fringing but spherical aberration can be noticeable at the widest aperture.
Distortion
Barrel distortion isn’t bad but, technically, it’s a little worse than from any other lens in the group.
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omething of a latter-day classic, this is a highly popular 35mm prime amongst Nikon’s DSLR fraternity. Compared with Nikon’s new Z series 35mm for mirrorless cameras, this F-mount lens is smaller, lighter and much less expensive at less than two-thirds the price. Both lenses have the same f/1.8 aperture rating. The ring-type ultrasonic system is typically quick and quiet, as well as enabling full-time manual override. There’s a focus distance scale but it’s of limited benefit for manual focusing, as there are no markings between 0.7m and infinity, and only rudimentary depth of field markers for f/16. Optical highlights include one aspherical element, one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element and Super Integrated Coating.
Performance
Bearing in mind that this lens is less than half the weight of the competing Sigma, it packs plenty of punch. Sharpness is mostly very good, contrast is excellent, even when shooting wide-open, and there’s good resistance to ghosting and flare.
N-Photo verdict
Features Build & handling Performance Value
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£455/$527
Overall
If smaller is better, this is a very appealing 35mm prime, but it’s not the best for build quality or image quality.
Sharpness
Sharpness is excellent at the centre of the frame but there’s a noticeable drop-off towards the corners.
Fringing
Lateral chromatic aberration is very negligible in this lens, even at the very corners of the frame.
Distortion
Control of barrel distortion is merely average, however, it’s uniform in shape and reasonably easy to correct.
Features Build & handling Performance Value
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Overall www.digitalcameraworld.com
STREET LENSES
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A
A stabilized prime for DSLRs
A relatively lightweight Sigma ‘artwork’
£649/$599
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his Tamron lags behind the Samyang and Sigma 35mm primes for speed, being two-thirds of an f-stop slower. As such it matches the two Nikon lenses with an f/1.8 aperture rating, which should prove easily sufficient for street photography. An upside is that it’s reasonably lightweight at 480g. The Tamron is the only prime lens in the group to feature optical stabilization, with an effectiveness equivalent to about three f-stops, which can be a bonus under dull lighting. Rain needn’t stop play either, as the lens has extensive weather-seals and a fluorine coating on its front element. It focuses closer than any other lens in the group as well, right down to 0.2m, where it delivers a generous 0.4x max magnification.
Performance
Autofocus and manual focus both work very well, although the focus distance scale lacks any depth of field markings, putting zone focusing off-limits. Image quality is very good overall but, for outright sharpness, the Tamron falls short of other lenses in the group.
N-Photo verdict The Tamron is a high-end 35mm prime for DSLRs, with the added bonus of optical stabilization.
Sharpness
It’s not massively sharp at the centre, however, it is nicely consistent across the entire frame.
Fringing
There’s only a little fringing but it’s a bit more noticeable than from most competing lenses on test.
Distortion
The Tamron nearly matches the impressive Sigma lenses here, with very minimal barrel distortion.
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maller and lighter than the competing Samyang f/1.4, this lens is relatively compact compared with most Sigma Art-series primes. Even so, it’s still about twice the weight of the slower-aperture Nikon lenses on test. Typical of Sigma’s Art primes, it features a fast and whisper-quiet ring-type ultrasonic AF system. For manual focusing, the generous rotational travel of the focus ring enables fine and precise adjustments, although depth of field markers are only available for f/16, which makes zone focusing impractical. The high-tech optical path includes two aspherical elements, one FLD (Fluorite-grade Low Dispersion) element, and four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements. Build quality is ace, but the lens isn’t weather-sealed.
Performance
Image quality is epic and the Sigma retains fabulous sharpness for an f/1.4 lens when shooting wide-open. As you’d expect, things get better when stopping down a bit, and the lens is a star performer in terms of minimizing colour fringing and barrel distortion.
N-Photo verdict
Features Build & handling Performance Value
4.5
£699/$799
Overall
This Sigma is our favourite wideaperture 35mm prime lens for DSLR cameras, with top performance.
Sharpness
It loses out slightly to the Nikon Z 35mm for centresharpness, but beats it in the corners.
Fringing
There’s marginal colour fringing wide-open but it all but disappears when you stop down a little.
Distortion
There’s less distortion than in any of the other F-mount lenses specifically designed for DSLRs on test.
Features Build & handling Performance Value
4.5
Overall
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BIG TEST
Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S
£749/$847
£899/$997
This lens makes the most of Z-mount design Compactness meets convenience in this lens
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he most expensive 35mm lens in the group, this one nevertheless has a modest f/1.8 aperture rating, shared by most other primes in Nikon’s Z-mount line-up. But it’s more hightech than Nikon’s F-mount 35mm lens, taking the count of aspherical elements from one to three and doubling up on ED elements. It features Super Integrated Coating and Nano Crystal Coat, for minimizing ghosting and flare. The stepping motor-based autofocus system is fast and virtually silent, while enabling smooth and precise manual focusing via its electronically coupled control ring. When in AF mode, you can customize the function of the control ring. Typical of most stepping motor lenses, there’s no focus distance scale.
Performance
Image quality is fabulous, with particularly stunning centre-sharpness. As with other Z-series lenses that we’ve tested, the relatively large-diameter mounting plate helps to enable superb image quality across the whole frame, while sharpness in handheld shooting is boosted by in-camera stabilization with FX mirrorless bodies.
N-Photo verdict Superb image quality, sturdy build quality and great handling and performance make this a real winner.
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Sharpness
It beats every other lens in the group for centre-sharpness, but is more average when it comes to the corners.
Fringing
Even in the extreme corners of the frame, lateral chromatic aberration is entirely negligible.
Distortion
It’s close to being a distortionfree lens, with just a touch of pincushion that’s very difficult to spot.
lthough it retains a retractable design, this full-frame Z-mount lens is much larger than the DX format Z 16-50mm. On an FX mirrorless body, it has a similar range of viewing angles but an f/4 aperture rating that remains constant throughout the zoom range. That makes it 2.33 f-stops slower than the Z 35mm f/1.8 prime but, what you lose in speed, you gain in zoom versatility. Optical finery includes one aspherical ED element, three further aspherical elements and one additional ED element. Nano Crystal Coat is employed, and there’s a fluorine coating on the front element to repel moisture and grease. The stepping motor AF system works with speedy precision in almost complete silence, and the customizable focus ring is a useful addition.
Performance
This is the first Z-mount lens that we ever tested and it impressed us. Despite a number of top-drawer Z lenses that have followed, image quality and performance continue to be spectacular for a kit zoom lens.
N-Photo verdict
Features Build & handling Performance Value
5
A
Overall
35mm primes are the tool of choice for street photography, but this zoom lens makes a viable alternative.
Sharpness
Centre-sharpness is scintillating across the entire zoom range, although it drops off a bit towards the corners.
Fringing
There’s essentially no colour fringing to be seen here, even in the extreme corners of the frame.
Distortion
As with colour fringing, there’s pretty much zero distortion to be seen at any zoom setting – a very impressive feat.
Features Build & handling Performance Value
4.5
Overall www.digitalcameraworld.com
STREET LENSES
The winner is… Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S Simple but highly effective, this is a perfect lens for modern-day street photography
A
s with other Nikon f/1.8 prime lenses in the Z-mount line-up, prices can look a bit steep compared with counterparts for DSLRs. But you get what you pay for with the Z 35mm f/1.8 S and more besides. It has high-end handling characteristics, superb build quality and delivers spectacular images even in the most demanding conditions. Naturally, it’s not as ‘fast’ as the f/1.4 lenses on test but the f/1.8 aperture rating is easily wide enough for street photography and the physical advantage is a relatively compact and lightweight build. It’s a superb lens that makes the most of what Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless bodies have to offer.
How the lenses compare Contact Street price Type Effective focal length (DX) Elements/groups Diaphragm blades Optical stabilizer Autofocus type Min focus distance Max magnification ratio DOF markings Filter thread Included accessories Dimensions (dia x length) Weight Features Build & handling Performance Value Overall
On a conventional full-frame DSLR, there’s no beating the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art for outright image quality, although the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is smaller, lighter and adds both weather-seals and optical stabilization. The Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED is even more compact but comparatively light on features. For manual-focus traditionalists, the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC AE will prove ideal. Nikon’s Z-mount lenses steal the lead when it comes to zooms as well as primes. The Z 24-70mm f/4 S is nicely compact and
Nikon Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6G VR f/3.5-6.3VR www.nikon.com £189/$247 F DX 27-82.5mm
£329/$297 Z DX 24-75mm
12/9 7 blades Yes Pulse (stepping motor) 0.25m 0.38x No
9/7 7 blades Yes Pulse (stepping motor) 0.25-0.3m 0.2x No
55mm None 65x63mm 205g
46mm None 70x32mm 135g
www.digitalcameraworld.com
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC AE www.samyang lensglobal.com £429/$499 F FX 52.5mm
Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED www.nikon.com
12/10 8 blades No None, manual only 0.3m Unspecified f/2.8, 5.6, 11, 16, 22 77mm Hood, pouch 83x110mm 700g
stealthy for a full-frame compatible standard zoom, while the Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR is very small and lightweight. They’re ideal for street photography with FX and DX format mirrorless cameras respectively. If you’re using a small DX format DSLR, look no further than the Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR.
Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
£455/$527 F FX 52.5mm
Tamron Sigma SP 35mm f/1.8 Di 35mm f/1.4 DG VC USD HSM | A www.tamron.com www.sigmaglobal.com £649/$599 £699/$799 F FX F FX 52.5mm 52.5mm
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S
£749/$847 Z FX 52.5mm
£899/$997 Z FX 36-105mm
11/8 7 blades No Ultrasonic (ring-type) 0.25m 0.24x f/16
10/9 9 blades Yes Ultrasonic (ring-type) 0.2m 0.4x None
13/11 9 blades No Ultrasonic (ring-type) 0.3m 0.19x f/16
11/9 9 blades No Stepping motor 0.25m 0.19x None
14/11 7 blades No Pulse (stepping motor) 0.3m 0.3x None
58mm Hood, pouch 72x72mm 305g
67mm Hood 80x81mm 480g
67mm Hood, soft case 77x94mm 665g
62mm Hood, pouch 73x86mm 370g
72mm Hood, pouch 78x89mm 500g
www.nikon.com
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PARTING SHOT
Mike Harris reckons planning is the key to consistently great photos and this month’s Apprentice shoot was a case in point
I
f you’ve read this month’s Apprentice (page 6) you’ll know it’s jam-packed with landscape tips and tricks. But condensing a two-day shoot into 10 pages is a challenging task, and plenty of information had to be left on the cuttingroom floor. While the article touched upon Edyta’s planning process, it didn’t quite hammer home just how rigorous it really is. And I think it’s something we can learn from.
Don’t just wing it
Just before the shoot Edyta sent us a sevenpage itinerary. This contained each location we were due to visit, the address of the nearest car park, the time of arrival and the time of sunrise/sunset. But she didn’t stop there. The document also contained each location’s latitude and longitude, the required OS map and grid reference, estimated weather conditions, example images, and a list of equipment. And she didn’t stop there, either! Detailed descriptions of each route and their level of difficulty were included too. Now that’s a lot of planning. But the proof was in the pudding, and we experienced one of the smoothest Apprentice shoots I’ve attended. The temptation is to spend all your time focusing on technique and
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acquiring the best gear. But it doesn’t matter if you’re packing a carbon fibre tripod, top-notch filters, the best glass, two D850s, and you end up with a focus-stacked HDR that’s processed in Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity. If the weather conditions don’t play ball the award-winner you’d hoped for is much more likely to turn out ho-hum. Good planning helps to reduce stress when you’re out in the field, because you’re less likely to find yourself rushing around or completely blindsided by the weather. This makes the whole process much more enjoyable, which increases the likelihood you’ll head out again in the near future. It’s obviously more important in some genres than others, but it’s certainly not limited to landscapes. Wildlife pro Tom Mason regularly details his extensive preparations in his Wild Life column and plenty of portrait photographers are known to sketch out ideas before immortalizing them in-camera. Good photographers are consistent. And if you’ve ever wondered how your favourites manage to capture stunning shot after stunning shot, I’d bet my camera a large part of their secret is good planning. You don’t have to spend hours formulating plans, but give it a try this month. It might just be the step up your photography needs.
ytteG :noitartsullI
The drawing board
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