Nature Photo Magazine 2013/4

WINTER / 2013/4.

nature photo magazine

®

ONLINE PHOTO MAGAZINE

TRAVEL | WILDLIFE | LANDSCAPE | PEOPLE-CULTURE | TEST

COSTA RICA | Photo adventure ISTVÁN KEREKES | Portfolio FIGURES, FORMS, FACES | Tips & tricks

AZ ÚJ OLYMPUS PEN

THE NEW OLYMPUS PEN PEN

Egy igazi stílusikon - prémium képminőséggel. Az új PEN E-P5 kifejezi az életstílusod, a beépített WiFi kapcsolat pedig segít abban, hogy a kreativitás iránti szenvedélyed másoknak is megmutasd. Minden szempontból lenyűgöző képminőséggel.

Az új PEN E-P5 kifejezi az minden megosztott képpel.

pcsolatKeresd pedigviszonteladóinknál segít abban, hogy kreativitás vagy itt:awww.olympus.hu/pen s megmutasd. Minden szempontból lenyűgöző itt: www.olympus.hu/pen

www.olympus.com/pen

WELCOME Dear Reader, Here we are with our 2013/4 winter issue. Christmas is coming and the New Year is about to begin. The members of our editorial team wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

A taster from the current issue: In the the Photo Adventure column I take you to one of the favourite photo scenes of Central America. You can have a insight into the amazing bird paradise of Costa Rica through the pictures of Anikó Imre and Tamás Imre.

In the Shopping Guide column we have a close look at the photo tripods. Carbon or aluminium? Tripod or monopod? - and we answer several other questions as well. It is a very good Christams present idea for any photographer who does not have a proper tripod yet.

In our Photo School column we show you the atmosphere and unforgettable magic of the cold and frosty winter landscapes through the pictures of Árpád Krivánszky and László Suhayda, spiced up with useful advices.

We could test on the field the Olympus PEN E-P5, an almost professional, mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. We took it for an adventurous tour and photographed landscapes, interior and night city sights for more than ten days, which was enough to write our opinion on the camera well-prepared.

The Portfolio column introduces István Kerekes EFIAP/platinum photo artist by an interview. We asked him how long he had been doing potography, what were his inspirations and how he prepared for a successful photo theme.

In our tips and tricks column János Szekeres gives advices on the phography of mammals and big games in winter, continuing the subject started in the previuos issue. János’s article is practical and informative.

Our People – Cultures - Cities series was spiced up with Pál Teravágimov’s Nepal adventures. Pál’s photo material and text show us the life and habits of teh local people and we can have an insight into the work of a press photographer too.

Publication of the results of photo competitions is an inevitable part of the end-of-the-year reports. We introduce you the award winner photographers. Congratulations to the winners!

In his series Forms, figures, faces Árpád Krivánszky shows us the winter ice and snow formations and gives suggestions where to find such figures.

In the Life Under Water column Dániel Selmeczi dive photographer analyses the current trend sin his article titled „Thoughts on the Hungarian dive photography”. His illustrations help us to understand what and how is worth photographing under the water.

Please receive our 18th issue with love – in IPAD, iPhone and ANDROID version as well!

Tamás Imre EFIAP Editor-in-chief Photo: © Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF80-200mm f/2.8L f/8 1/320sec ISO 400

Photo adventure - Costa Rica 6

POTFOLIO - ISTVĂ N KEREKES

48

Since my parents used to go hiking every weekend, they took me with them as a little child. Later on I walked the fields and forests with my childhood friends and became very interested in the wonderful world of nature. Most of my friends are ornitologists, biologists or environmental experts.

PHOTO SCHOOL - WINTER PHOTOGRAPHY 62

TEST - OLYMPUS PEN E-P5

In the eternal cycle of Nature winter represent the same piece of the year as other seasons. The conditions of photography cannot be called as ideal at this time, but the nature photographer, clothing appropriate to the season, can fill his or her memory cards with numerous exciting photo themes even in this harsh season.

The Olympus MILC camera which arrived to our editorial is a the newest model of the unique PEN design.

The inspiration for the new model goes back to 1963 as the retro look of the newly launched PEN E-P5 is strongly reminiscent of the PEN-F’s design. The producer is proud of this fact as their goal was to make a simple-use camera available for every mere mortals.

70

© Anikó Imre

PEOPLE-CULTURES-CITIES - NEPAL

82

TIPS & TRICKS - MAMMALS IN WINTER

122

TIPS & TRICKS

FIGURES, FORMS, FACES

26

SHOPPING GUIDE

PHOTO TRIPODS

40

THOUGHTS ON THE HUNGARIAN DIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

108

LIFE UNDERWATER

There are two things which always astonish me in Nepal: the endless beauty of nature and the depressing poverty of people. I could have time to get used to them as now when I am writing these words, it is the eighth time I am here. Of course, everything is the matter of comparison.

In the winter season there are lots of nice opportunities to photograph. Even simple landscapes become more beautiful and breathe a different, enchanting atmosphere as in a fairy-tale. It is really the time to grab your camera and off you go to nature! However, one or two safety rules must be kept to protect your equipment and yourself from the harm of winter.

PHOTO CONTEST

GDT EUROPEAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER

OF THE YEAR 2013

138

Photo adventure

COSTA RICA, CENTRAL-AMERICA Part One: Santa Rita In the following two parts I tell you our adventures experienced in Costa Rica. While reading, you can take part in mind the photography of the wildlife of real rainforests. Among others we captured birds, mammals and reptiles, and had a look at the forest of fog and even visited the smoking crater of a working volcano.

Canon EOS-1D X, EF200mm f/2L IS USM

f/3.5 1/1600 sec ISO 1600

Our first adventurous trip happened to be at New Year’s Eve. I was invited by Bence Máté and we set off overseas witha small Hungarian team. It was interesting beacuse we flew from Vienna, and at night we celebrated the New Year’s Eve but at 6 in the morning we had alredy checkedin and were waiting for the departure of our flight. The 29-hour flight was a big challenge, but we arrived at San José, the capital of Costa Rica even the same day, in the evening of 1 January, deadtired. After taking over our luggage I was looking around at the exit of the airport whether our booked driver was waiting for us. Luckily I spotted my name on a piece of paper, so my small group and I was taken to our simple but practical hotel.

The next morning, after a quick shower and some sleep, we headed to Aguas Zarcas in the spirit of adventure. The city is 250 km from the capital and – according to the local road conditions – we faced with a 6-hour journey. Arriving at the city it was striking that the railed windows and barbed wired fences were striking. The driver explained this is a poverty stricken country and this mechanical defence is to protect properties. It was hot and the air was very humid and the zigzagging road was running through coffee and aloe vera fields. We arrived at the small village of Santa Rita where from we had to take another 40 kilometres on a dust road. It took one and a half hour, so we arrived at Laguna del lagarto Lodge at 2 pm. Local people and the staff of the lodge welcomed us warmly and the scene was amazing, we really found ourselves in the wild rainforest. Stepping out of the house and after a few minutes walk we already forgot that we were actually a group of city people. But why did we get there? It is easy to answer: three men had a dream and established the stronghold of bird photography in this earthly paradise by two years of hard work.

Canon EOS 7D, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM

f/3.2 1/1000 sec ISO 1600

Canon EOS 7D, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM

f/3.5 1/800 sec ISO 1250

Canon EOS-1D X, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM f/2.8 1/1600 sec ISO 1600

Iceland panorama Canon EOS 7D, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM f/3.2 1/1250 sec ISO 1000

Canon EOS-1D X, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM f/10 1/250 sec ISO 640

Canon EOS 7D, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM + 1.4x f/4.5 1/640 sec ISO 640

Canon EOS 7D, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM f/5 1/80 sec ISO 1000

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM f/3.2 1/320 sec ISO 640

The photo hides are owned by Bence and are available for nature photographers with the help of a local guide, let’s call him simply Pelican. After the long journey we were very curious about the local photo opportunities. After visiting the hides and having the first chat I realised that I planned too little time for this scene.

I did not understand that a photographer collegue from Croatia how could spend only two days at this excellent place!

We stayed here for six days to photograph and it was just not enough. Since then I have already been here three times. What can we shoot here? It would be too long to list everything but I have to briefly summarize the most interesting ones. Two hides are available specially designed to photograph toucans and small parrots.

You can photograph small birds from there very close, even with the usage of flash technology devices. It is worth sitting in the hide designed for watching vultures, we can expect carrion-eating birds of prey there. And that’s not all. They have other hides specially designed for the photography of hummingbirds and bats as well. There is a big opportunity for macrolovers to photograph exciting reptile species which emerging from the depth of the rainforest in the neighbourhood of the lodge. The small coatis (Nausa narica) and were our daily guests, and once we had the chance to photograph howler monkeys too. In the lagoons we can see caimans and the wide-awake photographers can even capture the Jesus Lizard (Brown Basilisk).

It is such a huge amount of animal and macro theme that we could not sleep too much. We spent our days here as follows. At dawn we rushed to the selected hide to be there on time before the birds come. However, this Hungarian bird photographer habit was not really relevant as birds there are not afraid of the presence of man. Of course, to photograph them undisturbed, welldesigned photo hides are required.

Canon EOS 7D, EF200mm f/2L IS USM

f/2.8 1/2000 sec ISO 640

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

f/4 1/160 sec ISO 800

Canon EOS-1D Mark II N, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM

f/3.5 1/1250 sec ISO 800

Many people worry that birds do not move in the rainforest because of the daily rainfall. Here it is completely different what we accustomed back home. Birds are the most vivid when it rains. Of course, it is unpleasant due to the high humidity and our equipment has to be protected too, but it offers nice effect opportunities, combined with flash technology. Night shooting is one of the most exciting thing here, at that time we can photograph leafcutter ants and the famous red-eyed tree frog of Costa Rica (Agalychnis callidryas).

What an experience to go out and photograph with headlamps in pitch-darkness and looking for these tiny macro themes on the ground!

An interesting story: once during a night shot I even could not see the photographer standing next to me and we were shooting while hearing the horrorific screaming of the howler monkeys. Bence switched off his headlamps and his torch and walked away for about 20 meters.

It was shocking, the darkness was incredibly frightening. Luckily he came back laughing and we carried on with the macro photography.

Our time had gone quickly, full of unforgettable experiences, continuous shooting and image saving. Suddenly the lodge manager said to me: Thomas, have you booked the taxi to get to Monteverde? The week had gone unnoticed, but we got up at the last dawn too, and photographed our favourite parrots from a hide build on the breakfast terrace, then packing and off we go to Monteverde.

To be continued!

Text: Tamás Imre Images: Anikó Imre EFIAP and Tamás Imre EFIAP

Planning Destination: Central America, Costa Rica

two, i and b

Accessibility: from San José Airport.

Acco Santa

What to photograph: birds, mammals, reptiles.

Best from

What to take with us: first of all telephoto lens 300 mm with 1,4x and/or 2x teleconverter; macro lens 100 mm, flashes – at least

Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM

if possible -, tripod, release cord, memory cards batteries, as much as you can.

omodation: a Rita (Laguna del Lagarto Lodge). time to go: November to March.

f/20 1/250 sec ISO 200

Tips & tricks

FIGURES, FORMS, FACES

Canon EOS 5D Mark II. EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 f/8 1/250 s ISO 400

Forest in snowfall It’s more astounding than funny: sometimes real landscapes can be formed on the frozen surface of a puddle, like this section of a forest in snowfall.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II. EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 f/8 1/320 I promised in the 2013/2 summer issue that I would show pictures taken in the winter season with similar themes. In this season we can also discover faces, figures, forms created by the ice, or sometimes by the snow.

These figures usually get in front of the lucky photographer’s camera by chance, however, there are some methods to increase the chance of such encounters. One option is to comb through the flat ice formations of the silent section of stream banks or riversides (formations covered by the snow sometimes have to be revealed by a broom). Frozen puddles are even more promising: besides the air bubbles, the evaporation and the leaking of the under-ice water into the ground contribute to the creation of strange forms as well. Rime covering the ice surface enriches the formations as well at both sites.

We will need a tripod and macro lens or extension tubes because these formations are often tiny.

We also need to fit the focal plane to the ice surface. There is a risk at these photos too that the photographer has a „vision” of something in the formation with too vivid fantasy which cannot be seen by the viewer.

However, I hope that the artist hand of Nature creates clear figures too which make the dear viewer smile.

Do we need any better prize?

A

I’ve got the first letter of the alphabet! Looking for th

0 s ISO 400

he rest of them...

Canon EOS 30D EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5

f/16 0,3 s ISO 100

Indian head I have already contacted with some American ethnographers to help me to identify the tribe of this Indian warrior‌

Canon EOS 30D EF80-200mm f/2.8L

f/29 1/13 s ISO 100

Animal head The identification of the species is under process; we likely bumped into a peaceful herbivore.

Canon EOS 30D EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 f/5.6 1/50 s ISO 200

Canon EOS 30D EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5

Woman figure

Mask

We can find figures by the faster flowing sections of the streams too, however, these are not long-lasting due to the melting effect of the water. This woman figure can even be the spirit of the stream.

To capture the ripples of the water, using shorter shutter speed is the most advisable, but payattention to the focal plane even more carefully.

The ice of the river hides not only ni sometimes evokes the frightening fi

5 f/6,3 1/160 s ISO 250

ice and smiling forms, but it figures of sci-fis and thrillers.

Canon EOS 30D EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5 f/16 1/6 s ISO 100

Head in Picasso style The thin ice near the bank can contain hundreds of air bubbles and the clear water can show the stones of the riverbed too. Besides the curved lines, the cracks caused by the waves create straight lines and make the picture look like a modern piece of art.

Canon EOS 30D EF28-105mm f/3,5-4,5

f/5 1/30 s ISO 100

Watch out, danger of frost!

The snowstorm drew three exclamation marks around the patterns cut into the board fence.

Canon EOS 30D EF80-200mm f/2.8L

f/8 1/320 s ISO 100

Land with black crescent of moon I found this imaginary land on the surface of a frozen puddle, illuminated by a black crescent of moon to make it more interesting.

Canon EOS 30D EF80-200mm f/2.8L

f/20 2 s ISO 100

Moor Frog Some part of the thin ice at a slower flowing section of the stream show the figure of a moor frog. The similarity is increased by the reflecting sky which evokes the blue nuptial clothing of the male frogs. The long shutter speed eliminates the ripples of the water, driving the viewer’s attention to the main theme.

Text and images: Árpád Krivánszky

Shopping guide PHOTO TRIPODS Christmas is coming and photographers are excited about what gift Santa will bring. If your partner or one of your kids do photography and you don’t know yet what to buy for them, then I advise you to look around on the tripod market as a tripod can be a very useful present under the Christmas tree.

BUT WHY DO YOU NEED A TRIPOD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY? Tripods are one of the most important photo tools which help photographers to learn the proper exposure, and the secret of sharp pictures is hidden in them as well. Among others, a tripod is a must for nature photography as there are numerous photo themes, such as macro, mammals and bird photography and landscape photography which cannot be realised in good quality without a tripod. It might sound surprising but many people do landscape shots by a handheld camera and their pictures are not really sharp as it is not possible to expose really sharp pictures even with the proper depth-offield suggested by the literature, especially not in the nice dawn and evening lights.

HDR pictures are one of the big achievements of modern photography.

The usage of a tripod is inevitable for them, as these pictures have to be exposed in the same position and crop, as even a millimeter move can make these pictures blurred.

What kind of tripod should I choose?

According to the above facts, a tripod is essential for advanced level photographers. The selection is confusingly rich: from the price range of 40 EUR to 1000 EUR countless types are on the market. There are two main groups: tripods and monopods.

WHICH ONE SHALL I CHOOSE?

VS

ALUMINIUM

CARBON

N

Monopods are basically suitable for sports and press photographers, for us, nature photographers they are not really a good choice. Of course, I have a monopod too, but I also have a good tripod as well. If this is your first buy, go for a tripod first!

Now I want to help in the big chaos and give you some pieces of advice what to look for at the webshops. There are two or three data reagrding tripods which are important for us. The first one is the weight of the tripod, the second one is that how much load it can hold without any motion.

For example, a Benro A1580F aluminium tripod has four leg-sections, so its legs can be pulled out in four sections and it weighs 1.55 kg, and holds a load of 6 kg. These are the most important data, but there are other features too.

Some types of tripods can be laid down to the ground, and it is very useful at macro photography, just think of the short wild flowers in spring.

Some types of tripods have a horizontal center column feature, which allows the center column to flip quickly and easily from vertical to horizontal. By extending the column to its highest vertical position, it can be swung over to horizontal without removing the head or disassembling the column itself. You can do it with Manfrotto 055X PROB tripod. Another option is when the camera is upside down on the central column, but this is not really comfortable. Or you can order a shorter central column for the tripod by which the legs can be fully stretched.

ALUMINIUM OR CARBON? Another important question, should I buy aluminium or carbon tripod?

This is a matter of your budget. While aluminium tripods cost about 100150 EUR, the prices of the carbon ones range from 300 EUR to 1000 EUR.

Who needs a carbon tripod and for what? Those who fly a lot or whose themes (landscapes) can be accessed only by long walk or mountain climbing are advised to choose the lighter carbon tripod. Those who travel relatively short distances with their equipment, it is not worth investing in a carbon tripod as their light weight is their only benefit.

However, in the professional category it makes sense to buy a carbon tripod, since it does matter that an aluminum tripod weighs 6 kg and supports 15 kg, while a modern carbon tripod in the same category weighs only 2 kg and holds 25 to 30 kg load!

RECOMMENDATIONS The classical types like Manfrotto and Gitzo are the favourites of professional users. They have been on the market for a long time, although recently there were supply problems in Europe and their competitors took advantage on this gap and came in, and we have to admit that their tripods are as good as the above mentioned favourites. For instance, Benro, Velbon, Induro; each company produces top quality and more commercial models as well.

If they meet the above mentioned requirements, they must be OK. Benro and Velbon are more popular on the European market, but, thanks God, recently America’s favourite, the Induro tripod family is also available in Hungary as well.

For amateur photographers or lowbudget customers DÜrr and Hama tripods are recommended, although these are not for professionals but for tourists. Their quality and usefulness is in accordance with that, but don’t forget that every picture taken from a tripod is better, sharper and more conscious than a handhold one.

EXTRAS It is not easy to choose as there are many market players. I named a few, the most important brands. A free bag or toolset can help the decision, Benro and Induro are very competitive in this field.

A tripod kit can also be a good choice, especially for the uncertain ones.

The tripod itself is not sufficient, you also have to have a look at the tripod heads but this will be explained in the next issue.

Entrance level: Dรถrr, Hama Medium level: Velbon, Giotto, Benro Advanced level: Induro, Gitzo, Manfrotto It is important mention that tripods and tripod heads are not necessarily have to be made by the same producer. For example, I have an Induro tripod with a Benro head. But I also have a set in which a Gitzo tripod has a Manfrotto head. The most important brands are compatible with each other.

SUMMARY Every one can find the most suitable one. My photographer master always told me that only two types of tripod exists: one which is light and easy to carry but useless, and the other one which is useful but not easy to carry because it is heavy and stable but good for any photography work.

Have a nice browse!

Text: Tamรกs Imre EFIAP

ISTVĂ N KEREKES EFIAP/PLATINUM

What made you start doing photography?

Since my parents used to go hiking every weekend, they took me with them as a little child. Later on I walked the fields and forests with my childhood friends and became very interested in the wonderful world of nature. Most of my friends are ornitologists, biologists or environmental experts.

Therefore, hiking and the love of nature pervaded me in my childhood and adolescent years. I started photography to capture the weekend hikings and one or two interesting moments in nature along the way.

Portfolio

Flies

Yin-Y

Yang

Painting with Tufted ducks

When did you actually start photography?

I decided in 1997 that I should do photography more seriously as I wanted to show the wonders of the nature seen at my weekend hikings to the people around me. Until 2000 I actually did only nature photographs. But walking the nature at that time I realised that I came across many interesting and unique social photo themes which were worth shooting. So in the beginning of the 2000s I gradually started doing social and portrait photography as well and I became successful very soon both at national and international level. I fell in love with social and portrait photography so much that the balance is tilted now in favour of these fields.

Did you learn photography somewhere or you are just full of inspiration?

I have not learned photography, I have developed it in a self-taught way. The first inspirations for nature photography came from one of the columns titled „The Magic of the Moment” of the Hungarian „Természet Búvár” magazine. As for social and portrait photography, I barely studied them, I rather watched old photo magazines and the websites of one or two famous photographers on the Internet. It is important to mention that at the moment I do not have any book on photography at home and I never had one.

Do you have a hero whose works make an effect on you and inspire new ideas?

As for social and portrait photography my hero is the world famous Steve McCurry. As for nature photography, the one who inspired my passion for it and whose works made the most motivating effect on me was László Novák.

However, I am very determined from the beginning not to copy somebody by any of my works or not to make any similar or the same what others have already photographed. I try to develop a completely unique point of view and a world of images and thoughts and I form the final colour scale of the pictures unique too. I try to make something what nobody ever has done before.

Flamenco

Poirot

You have a varied portfolio. I can see that contests and competitions are very important for you. Why? As I mentioned above my list of interests within photography is portrait, social and nature photo. This question was answered by my childhood friend who know me very well and today he is a famous press photographer. „See István, as you did competitive sports from the age of 7 to the age of 22, for a short 15 years, and your aim was to try being the best in competitions, it runs in your blood for good. That’s why participation in contest and competitions so important for you.”

You are the first Hungarian photographer who gained the EFIAP Platinum award.

How long did it take to get there and what were the requirements?

Anyone who have ever participated at competitions hosted by FIAP – the International Federation of Art Photography – knows well the requirements photographers and their works have to meet. The basis for the different grades are the number of pictures qualified and the achieved awards. I gained the Excellent FIAP award in 2008. That was the time when I decided to work for the next grade. I was very surprised that I managed to achieve the requirements for the next grade in three or four months as I had thought that I needed for that several years. When I received the EFIAP Bronze award in 2009, I started to consider my situation more seriously.

And I set up a standard for myself.

Because I actually saw my situation realistically, namely that I could reach the next three stages very soon if „I pay attention well”. So I could make one step forward in each year. I received EFIAP Silver in 2010, EFIAP Gold in 2011 and the highest rank of FIAP, EFIAP Platinum in 2012.

I needed persistent and hard work and some obsession (perhaps the same what I needed for doing 15 years of competitive sports).

Migration

Pastel with Starlings

Best friends

Tearful eyes

Kasi

With grandpa

Friends

I have seen your successful pictures; good ideas and implementation adds a lot to your photos.

How long do you think before taking a picture?

My nature photos born spontaneously, I never think in advance, always the situation brings what I shoot. I often like to spend more time at a certain place and look for the connections in certain situations. I only think in advance on my Máramaros (Maramureș) portraits and social photos, but that’s all about when I should go and which place is worth visiting to discover unique faces.

What is your advice for those who start photography and competitions now, since you are one of the most successful Hungarian photographer and there is some experience behind your back?

First they should decide what their goal is in the field of photography and by participation in competitions. They should follow up the state of today’s photography, for example what the trends are at a December 2013 contest.

They should watch it carefully and think about it. But they never should follow it and copy or do the same. Trends are to inspire to think in their unique viewpoint and develop a unique world of images, so a few years later viewers would discover their hallmark in their work.

They should experiment a lot as the persistent work will bring its fruits sooner or later.

Where can we see your photos? Do you have a website where those who are interested can have a look at your pictures?

My pictures are available at my own website www.kerekesistvan.com. I do not have a Facebook site and I have never had one.

ร rpรกd Krivรกnszky Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 f/11 1/400 s ISO 400

Photo school

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY IN WINTER

In the eternal cycle of Nature winter represent the same piece of the year as other seasons. The conditions of photography cannot be called as ideal at this time, but the nature photographer, clothing appropriate to the season, can fill his or her memory cards with numerous exciting photo themes even in this harsh season.

Winter has many faces. Sometimes it shows its crystal clear, sparkling cold, freezing and sunny face and other times the cloudy, misty-foggy one, when the sky almost merge with the ground and only the colours of the close things live in their fullness, the farther themes lose in the grey.

Winter use to be blamed for the lack of colours. Resounding responses to that are the colourful sunrises, sunsets, the leaves which do not fall from certain tree species, the colourful leaves showing through the layer of ice. Trees with nice branch structure can be ideal photo themes, and when there are less colours, the different patterns created by the frost or wind can be highlighted as well.

Macro-lovers can be satisfied with the abundance of ice formations and hoar-frost patterns. The winter „clothing” of the animals and their different behaviour in the season of poor nourishment also provide nice tasks for nature photographers.

Take care of your photo equipment, if you go indoors to warm up, keep your camera in the bag to avoid condensation. Count with the fact that battery performance decreases in the cold, make sure you have extra batteries kept warm in the inside pocket of your coat.

We also have other useful advices related to the individual pictures.

article’s sponsor:

Árpád Krivánszky

SNOWSTORM FORMATIONS In winter the wind can form and develop the land with no obstacles in the forestless areas. It blows off the snow from some parts of the land, making these details naked and at other part forms whimsical formations from the big mass of snow.

The result is a strongly contrasted picture with black and white effect and hard, angular forms at some places, while soft ripples and a gentle transition of white on other parts. The land opens up even more if we climb up a hill.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 80-200mm f/2.8L f/13 1/400 s ISO 400 Árpád Krivánszky

WINTER LAND IN BLACK & WHITE Sometimes it is worth capturing winter lands in grey-scale photos or covert them into that during processing. A picture of good composition with some rework (red filter, contrast, highlights/shadows control) presents the photographer and the viewer with a silvery-white snow surface.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 f/11 1/400 s ISO 400 Árpád Krivánszky

REFLECTION The trees in the park surround the pond and reflect in the water in this picture taken in cloudy weather. If you turn the reflection upside down, then the trees which appear in modest, pastel colours, seem to grow from the white base. The water surface ripples a little in the soft wind which makes the reflection paintinglike.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 f/11 1/320 s ISO 400 László Suhayda

LEAF FROZEN INTO ICE In the same period it is worth visiting smaller waters on which thin ice layer forms and inetersting ice formations can be found: bubbles coming upwards, strange figures, crystals, frozen blades of grass, colourful leaves or maybe tiny insects can decorate our photo.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF180mm f/3,5L Macro USM f/10 0,4 s ISO 160

László Suhayda

GREY HERON Birdfeeders attract birds in this season and it creates good photo opportunities, be it a small songbird fed with seeds or a bird of prey fed with meat. We can capture different species from a hide, - some of them can be seen in Hungary only in winter – and their winter behaviour can differ from those of the other seasons.

Because their form groups, the chance to take a good photo increases, even a continuous shooting is possible, in different period of the day with varied light conditions. If we visit the place several times, the change in the snowcovered parts provides the opportunity to take pictures of different atmospheres.

PHOTOGRAPHY OF ICE SURFACES (PAIR OF PICTURES)

Canon EOS 7D EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x f/8 1/125 s ISO 800 László Suhayda

Picture in strong backlight are worth shooting early in the morning, at around sunrise or late afternoon at sunset, but even at these times you have to make sure that the lightest parts should not be overexposed (negative exposure correction might be needed).

The thin mist helps to equalize the light. In strong light the theme can present an unfavourable atmosphere and shooting can become impossible because the contrast is too high for the image sensor.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM f/11 1/1000 s ISO 800 László Suhayda

Before sunrise and after sunset, in cloudy weather or turning away from the direction of the Sun we can take pictures of the frozen, icy-snowy surfaces with less surface sparkling and with a completely different colour scale.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM f/8 1/2500 s ISO 800

THE THREE FACES OF WINTER In the following pictures even three faces of this season appears. This picture made in cold, clear weather has a direct, secretless experience for the photographer and the viewers: the frost dresses up the land in beautiful, lacy clothes and its tiny details, the sparkling of the white surfaces is magical.

László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM f/10 1/800 s ISO 400

The landscape photo taken in cloudy weatherand scattered light hides secrets, the sky and the earth almost merge, and while the close subjects keep their colour, the farther details lose in the mist and fog.

In the third picture the misty weather is combined with the nice colours of the sunset.

It is worth experimenting even in a weather which does not look suitable at first sight, even in snowfall because it can result in special effects. If you photograph snowy lands, take care of the exposure, usually positive exposure correction needed, but the extent of it mainly depends on the proportion of light and dark details of the picture.

László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM f/8 1/125 s ISO 800

Without correction, if the picture includes many light details it will result in an underexposed picture and the greyish snow does not reflect the atmosphere of the land covered in white. We can check out our image on the LCD screen, and using a histogram also helps to set the right exposure.

LONELY TREE IN SUNSET

László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM f/5,6 1/50 s ISO 800

Nature photographers come across with nicely structured trees relatively often, but much more rarely with one which situated in an undisturbed environment, like this old oak in the middle of a ploughland. It is worth walking around the tree to see from which side it is the most beautiful and its environment the stillest. The nice sunset and the tiny cloud on the left is just an addition to the picture which radiates the mightiness of the tree and the stillness of the snowy land.

Árpád Krivánszky

LATE AFTERNOON LIGHTS A road in a flood area grove usually is not an oustandingly beautiful sight, but in winter the late afternoon light gilds the land and the varied coloured and shaped clouds and the blue sky highlight the magic of the moment even more.

FROSTED SPIDERWEB spiderwebs of the last warmer days are still o and in still, windless but frosty weather the sight of frost covered spiderwebs are even nicer than of the dewy ones. Be quick as the frozen spiderweb becomes fragile and the first icy wind storm destroys it.

It looks better against dark background, but make sure that the background’ patterns does not disturbe the composition. There is a risk of overexposure too because of the strong contrast, and it is not worth shooting in too intense light either.

WINTER ACONITE

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 f/8 1/250 s ISO 200 László Suhayda

Canon EOS 5D Mark III EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM f/10 1/500 s ISO 1600 Árpád Krivánszky

The Winter Aconite, one of our earliest blooming wildflower often covered by snow temporarily. This flower wears a „cap” of melting snow and it looks like it was looking for something under the snow.

Canon EOS 30D EF 80-200mm f/2.8L f/6,3 1/50 s ISO 100

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 f/10 1/250 s ISO 200

CUTLEAF TEASEL Some of the dry fruits like of the teasel looks nicely when it covered with frost in the white, snowy land. The selection of a still background is a must, as we have to use a relatively narrow aperture due to the size of the subject. We have an easier job in lesss intense light due to the less tone difference between the fruit and the background.

Have nice lights and beautiful themes!

Text and images: László Suhayda, Árpád Krivánszky

Árpád Krivánszky

I AM THE NIKON Df. I am the fusion of Nikon’s iconic SLR design with the latest Pro technology. ISO extendable up to 204,800, 16.2 MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 3 processor. I am the best from the past and today in one body. europe-nikon.com

Tested in the field OLYMPUS PEN E-P5

The Olympus MILC camera which arrived to our editorial is a the newest model of the unique PEN design.

The inspiration for the new model goes back to 1963 as the retro look of the newly launched PEN E-P5 is strongly reminiscent of the PEN-F’s design. The producer is proud of this fact as their goal was to make a simpleuse camera available for every mere mortals.

Olympus PEN E-P5, OLYMPUS M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R

f/11 1/125 sec ISO 200

PRESS COVERAGE The world press and the test sites on the Internet agree that remarkable steps have been made forward on the market of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.

Olympus PEN E-P5 includes the knowledge of the OMD E-M5 camera for a lower price.

But this knowledge is enough to brings this camera to the big ones of the MILC category.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS The camera was provided by Olympus Hungary for our editorial team, but unfortunately it came only with a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42 mm f/3,5-5,6 basic lens.

The outlook of the camera did not change too much compared to its predecessors.

The biggest change is the location of the in-built Wi-Fi because it is hidden in the grip of the camera. Studying a bit more thoroughly the performance of the camera, I checked out the operation of the different shutter speeds during the use of the function wheel. It is a praise for the professional features of the camera that its mechanic shutter system is able to produce a speed of 1/8000 sec which is a remarkable performance by such a small camera; this is the same speed which is provided by professional DSLR cameras.

And it can perform this even at a speed of 9 image/sec which is sufficient even for the fastest moving subjects. Another good point is the long exposure time, we can set up even 60 sec which is long enough for night city photos or extreme situations.

The producer provides 30 minutes maximum for the Live Bulb mode which is exceeds the knowledge of the amateur cameras. Let me see what else is in the extras. Pinpoint AF function for ultra quick motions and an IS stabilizator which can manage 5-axis.

Olympus PEN E-P5, OLYMPUS M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R

f/11 8 sec ISO 400

Thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi we can establish a wireless connection and control through our smart phone and even can record GPS data with our camera, so we can record the exact place where we photographed.

I found the the tilting rear LCD a very good idea, it is very practical for photography of themes near the ground or to eliminate the disadvantage of strong sunshine. I always missed the real image viewfinder in MILC cameras, but there is a solution here the new, optional VF-4 electronic viewfinder which can be tilted as well. Its resolution is excellent, you can get 2.36-Megapixel pictures if you want to compose your pictures in this mode.

I really liked the quick touchscreen menu at the rear which makes the most important functions accessible in a moment. I liked this very much as I did not have to browse in unknown menus and submenus to find the AF, ISO or WB settings.

OUT IN THE FIELD If you know the OM-D Olympus camera, it is very easy to learn the operation of this camera, buti f you don’t know, then you probably need one or two days to study its main options. We took the camera for a smaller trip where we could photograph landscapes, building interiors and night city sights. We used the camera just like a tourist, pulling it out of our pocket.

Test fields are always a good opportunity to try out a camera as the circumstances are always unexpected and accidental. It is not the studio which show what for a camera is capable. Olympus E-P5 passed the test very well. I also took photos with my own DSLR camera during the trip. During landscape photography there were some situations when I could take similarly high dynamic range with the combined usage of a polar and ND filter, what was possible for the small PEN without the use of any screen.

Olympus PEN E-P5, OLYMPUS M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R

f/11 1/60 sec ISO 400

Olympus PEN E-P5, OLYMPUS M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R

f/5.6 1/15 sec ISO 400

I do not publish the pictures converted from RAW format but you can see the JPG files photographed besides the RAW formats. It is worth zooming up the pictures so you can see the pictures how rich in details and have a high range if dynamics. I was very surprised, the light sky shot with proper exposure has fine details even at the shaded parts and no noise at all. It is a praise for the camera’s image processing algorithm. This is what an amateur wants, here she can capture what is seen, then it can be uploaded for the social network sites immediately. The other surprise struck me at the photography of an interior of a building without tripod (as we should have asked for permission to use one), so I photographed at higher ISO sensitivity. The results were very good in that case as well, there was barely a difference in quality between ISO 100 and ISO 800, and even at ISO 1600 quite detailed photos were made. I did not have to go higher as I only had wide-angle lenses on me. The night city shot was a real challenge, this is the basic issue at every camera which is equipped with less than a full-frame sensor. What quality can a 1.9 sensor produce at long exposure?

Well, this was excellent too. I swear that if I just go for a family trip or holiday, it is absolutely unnecessary to take a DSLR camera if I have such a super little PEN machine. It is really a big deal, a few years ago it was unimaginable!

SUMMARY Olympus PEN-E-P5 is suitable for everything what the average photographer needs, and it can show something new even for professional users. Dear fellow professional DSLR users and advanced amateurs, trust me, this is not a marketing text but sheer fact. I do not foresee the future but some big change is about to happen in photography and one of its pioneers is Olympus. Those who don’t like to carry the heavy equipment for family trips and travel photography will be very happy with this camera.

The camera body was provided by Olympus Hungary.

Tester: Tamás Imre EFIAP

Kathmandu, Boudnath Stupa

People, Cultures, Cities

Nepal

There are two things which always astonish me in Nepal: the endless beauty of nature and the depressing poverty of people. I could have time to get used to them as now when I am writing these words, it is the eighth time I am here.

Of course, everything is the matter of comparison.

Since now we have come from the poorest region of India, Bihar state, the country does not seem that poor. Particularly because I spent most of my time in Bihar with movie making on lepers.

But this is another story, now let’s turn back to Nepal and two of my most memorable journeys I experienced here in the last twenty years.

REAL ADVENTURES Justice like my Indian and African stories shared in the previous issues of Nature Photo Magazine, this story started long time ago, exactly twenty years ago. At that time one of my best friend and I took a flight from Budapest to Moscow, then from Moscow to Delhi. Being in Delhi we were so shocked by the summer heat combined with the monsoon that after a few days we gave up our original plan and decided to spend a few days in Nepal which we thought to be cooler. It actually meant that we took a bus to Kathmandu. We were not aware of

the difficulties of the Indian and Nepalian transport, probably that’s why we made this huge mistake. The 24-hour journey (according to the bus company) eventually took more than two days. We spent that time without food or drink with some exaggeration, suffering from the heat, flies and the Indian pop music howling from the speakers during the day and from the cold rain running to our neck at night. However, we made friends with an English couple, Alison and Dean and an Italian teacher, Franco. We spent the next month with them. As a memory of our first joint adventure we just called ourselves the „Kathmandu Team”.

View from the summit of Imja Tse (6189 m)

When by the second night from departure we finally arrived to Kathmandu and got a hotel room quickly, we felt like in heaven. Nepal was love at first sight. The three cities of the Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan offered sight to see for many days.

the freezing cold water of the river sometimes splashed over our necks. After a few hours of rafting we got off the land and we did the rest of the trip to Pokhara by different vehicles, for example on the back of a buffalo truck. Luckily, without buffaloes...

When we felt ready for the next challenge, we left our large backpacks in the hotel’s baggage room and took some clothes enough for a few days, and headed to Pokhara, about 150 km far from Kathmandu to the west. We had a brilliant idea that we would take the first part of the journey by rafting on the Trishuli River.

It was quite pleasant in the boiling heat when

From Pokhara we set off to do our first hike in the Himalaya. We did the first few days of the classical Annapurna Circuit trekking, one day in blazing sunshine, other day in heavy rain. There was much room for improvemnet regarding our preparations, we did the Himalaya tour in Chinese textile sneakers and without any raincoat despite the monsoon.

Boy with the family’s cow

Stream in the Himalayas

Children in the Annapurna area

Nepalese woman hard at work

Brothers

Stars in

Having said that we mostly had a great time, and reached the top of the Poon Hill at 3200 m height where from – during a beatiful sunrise - we could admire the peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri above 8000 metres. However, the rain was falling almost continuously, so by the time we got back to Pokhara, road connection between Pokhara and Kathmandu did not exist as bridges and road had been destroyed by the flooding rivers.

We had been listening to the radio for a few days and waiting for the news whether we could get back to Kathmandu to pick our backpacks up but we had to realise it was not possible. Only one option left, leaving Nepal to the south and hope that after a few days we can return to Kathmandu from Varanasi, India, taking a huge detour.

Only our Italian friend, Franco chose a different solution as he could afford to fly back from Pokhara to Kathmandu, then from there to Varanasi where we should have met. So he said goodbye and we took a bus to Varanasi. If it was a pulp fiction now you would read that „at that time we did not know that we would never see him again”. But we really did not see him again.

What happened is that Franco arrived at Varanasi according to plan but he deceased in unknown circumstances before we could meet again… He was found dead in a hotel room, near our accommodation. Our English friend, Dean found it out by chance when looking for Franco in the nearby hotels.

This was the end of the short story of the „Kathmandi Team”. Before his death Franco did a favour and took the baggage of our English friends fro Kathmandu so they did not have to return to the city. Instead of that they had to enter a long debate with the Indian police for getting back their belongings.

We took a bus and headed back to Kathmandu, hoping that the situation got back to normal in the passed few days. Well, the trip happened to be quite adventurous, to say the least. Our progress was obstracted by broken bridges at three points.

their eyes

Our camp on the slope

The main square of Patan (Durbar Square)

Hindu ceremony in Patan

Kathmandu

Potters’ Square in Bhaktapur

Every time we had to get off the bus and get through the other side somehow (at one place over a temporary suspension bridge which was made of wire, at another place wading in the water, or climbing up a huge truck at the third one). Getting through the other side we continued our trip by another vehicle up to the next obstacle. We struggled on to Kathmandu, then after a few days we performed the same show (spiced up with running through a road section hit by landslide) when we left the country towards Darjeeling, India.

THE MAGIC OF MOUNTAINS My later Nepal trips were less adventurous but each of them is memorable for something. And basically each one was about the mountains.

Perhaps the most remarkable was my 2006 journey when I managed to climb up the 6189 m peak of Imja Tse. Of course, this is not a big challenge for a real alpinist, but I have never been one.

Thus probably it remains the highest point I have ever reached in my life.

Every trek in Nepal goes according to a special routine. We arrive to Kathmandu, then we fly as soon as possible to Lukla, the airport of the Everest region at 2200 m height. This is what happened on this tour as well. We started trekking from Lukla, then after two days we reached Namche Bazaar at 3200 metres height.

Acclimatization is very important during such tours, so our body could perform well at the heights as well.

The best method for acclimatization is to walk up relatively little, nice and comfortably (400 or 500 m a day the maximum). It is also important to have a day of rest now and then, which actually is not spent with resting but with a socalled acclimatization tour. That means that we climb up as high as we can or as possible, then return to the starting point for sleep.

Kalap vĂŠdelmĂŠben, Chucuito

Street mandala in Kirtipur

Homework

Morning lights

Buddhist prayer on the stones

Our yaks in the Imja Tse base camp

Na

Namche Bazaar

Namche Bazaar is an ideal place for that as it is only at 3200 m height and in the restday you can walk up to about 4000 m, then return to the base and have a rest.

The next station was Tengboche, then Dingboche followed at 4200 m height. When mention these village names, don’t think of villages of European style. As we get higher and higher villages become more and more simple, finally we can talk about only a few buildings. Having said that, lots of things have changed here in the passed ten years.

There are more and more places to stay and you can have a hot shower at more and more places (of course for extra charge).

Mobile phone services are more and more widely available, there is even Internet access in some villages. And of course, everthing is more and more expensive as we climb higher and higher. For example, a bottle of water is 30 rupees in Kathmandu, but it is 50 in Namche Bazaar and it can be even 200 rupees over 5000 meters. The daily walks at that height are not long, we take only 6 or 8 km a day, so we spend the afternoon at our next place with resting, playing cards or reading.

Over 5000 m thing become more difficult.

It is still important to keep the daily routine, setting off, walking, having a rest and drinking water a lot. The first part of the trek was only acclimatization. We spend the night at 5100 m height and from there we climbed up Kala Patthar at 5623 m. This peak is the first destination of the Everest trekkers as from here the Mount Everest is „only within walking distance”.

From here the „Old Man” (as we called the highest peak of the world) with the lower, but magical beauty of the Nuptse peak on its right is an unforgettable sight. We successfully completed the first part of our tour and we started sinking, so we could head higher after some rest.

View from our tent, from 5400 m

Tashing Ongma, a small village in the mountains

We descended back to Dingboche, at 4100 m. It is incredible that after spending a few days over 5000 metres how pleasant and oxygene rich you find the air at 4000 m. Every step which was so hard upwards now seems to be nive and easy.

We had a real day of rest in Dingboche, we did not do anything just sit in the sunshine and enjoy the warmth. We set off relaxed and acclimatized to our real destination, Imja Tse. After two days of trekking we spend the night in the base camp at 5100 m, then the next camp followed at 5400 m.

In the afternoon we enjoyed the sunshine admiring the amazing high peaks around us (it was 43 degree celsius in our tent!), then at 2 in the morning w eset off to take the most part towards the peak. At about 5800 m we had to put on the crampons and from that point I was tied together with my nice Nepalese friend Phurba who has reached the Mount Everest since then.

At about 6000 meter we had to climb a steep icy wall, then just a horizontal ridge and a final slope followed. We stood up the 6189 meter high peak with Phurba at 8.30 in the morning. Everywhere around us, as far as the eye can reach the endless forest of the peaks and above us the Lhotse Peak over 8000 m.

In the following year I tried to conquer even higher peaks without success, then I realised that for me there is no further way up. I do not want it and I do not miss these tours anymore. In 2008, flying back from Annapurna to Kathmandu, I was just watching the mountains and I said goodbye to them. I even did not return to Nepal in the passed five years. Now I only came because from here was the easiest to access our destination in India.

But I will never forget that the big journeys and adventures started for me here, in Nepal, twenty years ago.

Text and images: Pál Teravágimov Kézműves termék kínálat, Uros

Boudnath Stupa, Kathmandu

Buddhist prayer flags

Life underwater

Thoughts on the Hungarian Dive Photography I would like to share some thoughts on the trends of the Hungarian dive photography. Over the past years, thanks to the monthly competitions and the annual photography contests, many people have managed to learn the basic rules of underwater photography. This is quite obvious as numerous precisely exposed, well-structured pictures have been made, some of them deal with interesting themes.

This is a positive and valuable achievement by the enthusiastic participants.

I hear many times from divers that the light was not good enough or sufficient in the morning or at the sunset dives. In these cases there is a good oppurtinity to take blurred pictures, you do not even need a special theme. Find a central theme and set your flashes on the maximum, meter the external light, set shutter speed slower than 1/10 and reduce ISO sensitivity if necessary. At the moment of exposure turn the camera around, about 180 degrees. Check out the result, and change settings if needed and try again.

Subal case, Nikon D300, Tokina 10-17, 1/3 sec, f13 ISO 100, 2 x Ikelite DS161

Subal case, Nikon D300, Tokina 10-17, 1/250 sec, f14 ISO 200 , without flash

Try to present the usual themes which have been photographed many times in a new way.

One of the very simple method to do that is the silhouette. After you took some photos with flash, take such pictures consciously. If you have a DSLR camera, you can put switched off flash on the function button, so you can expose easily without it even in action.

However, these nice and colourful pictures sometimes do not show too much added value in the sense of art. In today’s world plenty of good pictures are taken by amateur photographers thanks to the spread of diving and underwater photography. Having said that, we should not forget one thing, photography is a process of creation in which our most important mean is our own phantasy and individual point of view. This is not a technical issue, but the result of our creativeness, and that is the very thing which makes the moment and the photo unique and unrepeatable. It is important to create something unique which is free of banalities. Let our phantasy soar and use light with confidence.

When the photographer is above the level at which basic problems can be solved, that is the time to think and create. He or she should not be afraid of discovering new things and make experiments, these things are easy to do in today’s digital world. The image should be born in your mind first, then you should try to reproduce it on the LCD, then process it on your computer as a last step.

It is not necessary to keep the flashes always on the camera, as you can take pictures with completely different effects by moving the light source. If you found a theme, try to capture it in different ways, experiment with different depth-in-fields, lightings, shutter speeds and perspectives. Try to photograph consciously, try to decide in advance what themes you are looking for and how you want to capture them and what pictures you want to take! Makes notes of your important ideas and try to stick to them during the diving tour.

Subal tok, Nikon D300, Nikkor 60mm, 1/250 sec, f18, ISO 200, 2 x Ikelite DS161

In this case our theme is given: octopus in a scallop shell. In the case of the lefthand side picture I shot the theme the usual way with two flashes with minimum correction. The result was middling.

Subal tok, Nikon D300, Nikkor 60mm, 1/250 sec, f25, ISO 200, 3 x Ikelite DS161, 1 controlled with sensor

However, by placing a sensor flash above the theme and by reducing the performance of the two flashes to the minimum, we have had a much more exciting picture.

I know that many of you think that this is not really possible in dive photography as we never know what to expect. But that’s not true! Let’s see an example!

Probably every participant has been in the Red Sea, so the scene is not new.

There are at least eight or ten themes with which you likely will encounter, therefore the planned photo can be taken in a week with about 90 percent probability. Look through your pictures taken in the recent years and try to imagine whether you could have done them better and more interestingly.

Study other photographers’ pictures taken at the same scene for some inspiration and try to think them further.

If you dive with other photographers, try to cooperate and help each other’s work, for example, be a model if necessary.

Processing is an important part of digital photography, you need to spend sufficient time and energy for that.

However, processing does not mean the manipulation of the pictures, e.g.

Replacing the fish or erasing them, but to blow-up the raw files made in the camera. White balance, contrast, a minimum cutting, sharpening, a few tiny things and our picture is done. The time needed for the process is rarely more than 5 or 8 minutes per picture, if not, then we do something which is not really connected to photography. Try to make the picture on the sensor of the camera, and „draw” what we see on the computer.

Discuss the pictures and the themes after diving, inspire each other and try to work like a team, as our goal is common: to pursue the most beatiful hobby of the world, capture the wonderful underwater world!

Subal case, Nikon D300, Tokina 35 mm, 1/250 sec, f18, ISO 400, 2 x Ikelite DS161

Black and white and monochrome photos – I like these kinds of underwater pictures. But use this technique only if it adds something special to the picture! Do not use it to hide possible mistakes and do not think that someone consider such a picture more artistic than it really is!

Subal case, Nikon D300, Nikkor 60 mm, 1/200 sec, f22, ISO 200, 2 x Ikelite DS161, 1 controlled with sensor

Try to leave behind the usual flash positions, avoid superficial things, the fully exposed pictures in every case. Use sensor flashes and look for themes which can be illuminated from the back. Set your flashes to manual mode as in this case the electronics would make different pictures. Ask for a helper who can hold the flash in position, for exapmle your photographer diver mate.

Subal case, Nikon D300, Nikkor 60 mm 1/200 sec, f22, ISO 200, 2 x Ikelite DS16

You carr flas

m, 161, 1 controlled with sensor

Subal case, Nikon D300, Tokina 10-17, 1/25 sec, f18, ISO 200, 2 x Ikelite DS161, 1 controlled with sensor

can spice up simple themes like soft corals, sea lilies by using the light sources which you ry with you during diving. In this case you do not even need a helper as you can place the sh on the reef, you don’t have to worry that your theme swim away, so you have enough time to make the desired picture.

In case of static themes or if you want the show the proportions, or if you think that something is missing from the picture, use a model. First „dress up� your model, tidy up his equipments, chaotic tubes etc. Communication between photographer and model is very important and it is easier to discuss on the surface what he should react to what sign. Discuss with him what you expect, in what position he should float and to what direction he should light. It is not favourable in many cases if disturbing bubbles distract the attention of the viewer from the theme.

Subal case, Nikon D300, Tokina 10-17, 1/25 sec, f8, ISO 100, 2 x Ikelite DS161

Text and images: Dรกniel Selmeczi

Tips & tricks

PHOTOGRAPHY OF MAMMALS IN WINTER In the winter season there are lots of nice opportunities to photograph.

Even simple landscapes become more beautiful and breathe a different, enchanting atmosphere as in a fairytale. It is really the time to grab your camera and off you go to nature!

However, one or two safety rules must be kept to protect your equipment and yourself from the harm of winter.

NIKON D3, 80-200 mm f/2.8

f/5 1/125 s ISO 1250

PRIMARY RULES - wear several layers of warm clothing, especially protect your hands and feet - always take something to drink as you lose more fluid in cold than usual - charge you batteries completely. Coldness primary affects batteries, they lose energy faster in cold weather. For this reason keep your camera near your body as long as you can. It is worth taking extra batteries with you and keep them in your pocket, so you could change batteries if necessary. You can also put heating elements into your bag.

Carry your equipment in a bag or backpack to protect it from moisture. Cameras are delicate electronical devices, it is advisable to keep some rules to protect them. In case of interchangeable lens cameras, the change should be done as quick as possible and in a protected place. Never do it in wind and during snowfall outdoors as humidity can get into the inner parts of the camera.

If you want to work with the taken pictures at home immediately, then take the card off the camera at the end of the shooting in the cold and put it in your pocket to warm it up. Before taking it out, leave your equipment at least for an hour in the bag, so it has time to warm up to room temperature. The worst enemy of cameras is moisture and condensation.

Cold air has low level of humidity, therefore the problem does not derive from going out of the warm room to the cold air or staying outdoor, but when we go back from the coldness to the warmth. In that case not just the glass of the lens gets misted up but mist can get into the internal parts of the camera easily. To avoid that we have to warm the camera up to room temperature gradually.

Never place it near to the radiator or any heating source, but put it in the colder part of the room. If you take these advices, you won’t have unpleasant surprises.

Bahama

NIKON D1X

NIKON D100, 18-270 mm f/3.5-6.3 f/11 1/125 s ISO 400

NIKON D2X, Nikkor 300 mm f/2.8 f/4.8 1/250 s ISO 400

NIKON D2Xs, 70-200 mm f/2.8

f/4.5 1/50 sec ISO 400

WHERE SHOULD WE SHOOT? WHAT SHOULD WE PHOTOGRAPH? You can find even more themes than in other seasons as even the simple, flat landscape get nicer and enchanting when the fresh snow covers and hides the disturbing elements.

If you want to capture animals in snowfall, then make sure to expose at least about 1/60 – 1/80 shutter speed. At this shutter speed snowflakes will be a bit blurred and look bigger and in motion. Snowflakes will look like white lines in the picture due to their movement during exposure time, and this reflects very well the real sight of a snowfall. Choose a dark background if possible, as it highlights the snowfall even more clearly. I like this season very much, animals are much calmer too, they do not hide too much but are on the move almost all day looking for their food.

But be careful and move cautiously as at this season they have less calorie than needed, so being disturbed may cost their lives. I recommend the usage of hide tents or other hides built on the ground in advance. A well-chosen hide and some feeding can result in successful photos.

Of course, the field has to be studied in advance and it is worth taking the professional advices and experiences of the hunters.

Study the field thoroughly, watch the light conditions, the features of the terrain and the wind conditions, and the background of the planned photo. Take care of the disturbing elements! Do not want to make world champion photos at any price as it can make us strained and impatient.

Impatience combined with the unpleasant coldness and the difficulties of winter photography can discourage us easily.

NIKON D2X, Nikkor 300.0 mm f/2.8 f/5 1/1000 s ISO 400

NIKON D2X, Nikkor 300.0 mm f/2.8 f/8 1/500 s ISO 400

As Zsigmond Széchenyi said: „hunting is chasing the game and forest murmurs, or rather forest murmurs.”

This can be said about photography too!

Study the behaviour of the animals, so you could show their individual characteristics in the pictures. Try to catch some of their typical gesture. If you managed to catch the magic of the moment, that will make your photo stand out of the crowd of middlings.

We can get many pieces of information from the books and experiences of our excellent hunter writers. They describe the behaviour of the animals very well in the different seasons, so we can get to know their winter behaviour too. Use strong light lenses, a stable tripod and take a small but comfortable chair to make the long waiting bearable. Make sure to have sufficient amount of calories, so you would not be cold. Take care of light metering as well, because the white snow can make fun of you. After the right exposure, the next challenge is to give back the real colour of the snow in the picture. Snow is not always white, it changes colour depending on the weather and the light conditions. It is blue shadow, grey under cloudy sky and golden yellow or red at sunset. Take test pictures on that part of the field where from you expect the animals and you won’t have unpleasant surprises. The automatics try to make as short exposures as possible. It is enough to modify the exposure correction by about half or one and a half light value to the plus (!) direction, depending the size of the white area in your picture. This way you can avoid that the animals on the snow field become too dark.

You can determine the right exposure by experiment too.

Avoid shooting directly to the Sun as it can damage the sensor chip of the camera. Just like the light meter, the auto white balance can be easily deceived by the snow covered field. To avoid this, shoot in RAW if possible, so you can deal with the setting of the white balance afterwards, during processing. If you can’t do that, then set the white balance manually. The daylight mode (Daylight-5200K) usually a good starting point but because the snow reflects the sky too – in a clear, sunny day it can go towards the blue, especially in shadow.

In this case you can give a little warmer tone to your picture by the Shade-7000K setting.

Have a nice shooting and beautiful lights!

Text and images: János Szekeres

Bahama

NIKON D2Xs, Sigma 500 mm f/4.5

f/5.6 1/500 ISO 400

OVERALL WINNER

Dr. Alexander Mustard - Great Britain Night moves

GDT EUROPEAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2013

The overall winner of the European wildlife photography competition of the Society of German Nature Photographers (GDT) is British photographer, author and marine biologist Dr. Alexander Mustard with his image „Night moves“.

His photograph shows the trails of bar jacks hunting at night over a coral reef. To successfully capture the fastpaced action of the hunt, Mustard had to do several dives at night. Mustard: „I struggled with the photographic realization. Ultimately, I decided to experiment with long exposure settings, using an underwater video light to illuminate the trails of the fish as they dived down to the reef to feed. The long swooping trails are dives to catch prey, the more sinuous trails are where the bar jack is swimming slower as it devours the meal. The smaller trails of their prey attempting to evade them are also clearly visible in the image.“ Dr. Alex Mustard (33) is an award-winning marine biologist and is considered one of the most innovative and creative underwater photographers throughout the world.

He has authored many specialist books that have also been translated into several European languages. Alex writes regularly for different international magazines about his special techniques of underwater photography – overall he has published more than 400 articles. His photographs are showcased in exhibitions around the world, and he presented his work personally to Queen Elizabeth II. The competition „GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year“ is run annually by the Society of German Nature Photographers (GDT). Photographs can be entered in eight different categories as well as for the „Fritz Pölking Prize“ and „Fritz Pölking Junior Prize“. It was difficult decision-making for the top-class jury consisting of Jasper Doest (NL), Sandra Bartocha (DE), Angel M. Fitor (ES), Jan-Peter Lahall (SE) and Jan van der Greef (NL). http://new.gdtfoto.de/en/

CATEGOR

WIN

Zoltรกn Gergely N Dawn at B

RY - BIRDS

NNER

Nagy - Romania Bass Rock

CATEGOR

HIGHLY CO

PÃ¥l Hermanse Atta

RY - BIRDS

OMMENDED

en – Norway ack

CATEGOR

HIGHLY CO

Stefan Christmann Group

RY - BIRDS

OMMENDED

n, GDT – Germany p hug

CATEGOR

HIGHLY CO

Christian Ziegler, GDT Gardener of t

RY - BIRDS

OMMENDED

T – Germany/Panama the rainforest

CATEGORY - MAMMALS HIGHLY COMMENDED

Erlend Haarberg – Norway Grimace

CATEGORY - PLA

HIGHLY CO

Dorottya Géc Old w

ANTS AND FUNGI

OMMENDED

czy – Hungary willow

CATEGORY - NATURE’S STUDIO HIGHLY COMMENDED

Daniel García Pelillo – Spain Blue tit and blackthorn

CATEGORY - NA

WIN

Lars Andreas Dy The D

ATURE’S STUDIO

NNER

ybvik – Norway Dance

CATEGORY - UNDERWATER WORLD HIGHLY COMMENDED

Franco Banfi – Switzerland Smile

CATEGORY - OTHER ANIMALS

CATEGORY - UNDE

HIGHLY CO

Matthew Dogget Eye to

CATEGORY - PLA

HIGHLY COMMENDED

HIGHLY CO

Marco Colombo – Italy Burning Leaf

Luciano Gaud Cotton field und

ERWATER WORLD

OMMENDED

tt – Great Britain o eye

ANTS AND FUNGI

OMMENDED

denzio – Italy der Icelandic sky

CATEGORY - UNDERWATER WORLD HIGHLY COMMENDED

Bence Máte – Hungary „Say Aaah!“

CATEGORY - PLANTS AND FUNGI RUNNER UP

Andrés Miguel Domínguez – Spain Defrosted

EDITORIAL Editor in Chief :

Tamás Imre Tamás Imre

Anikó Imre

János Szekeres

Pál Teravágimov

Árpád Krivánszky

László Suhayda

Adrien Imre

Iván Éder

tamas.imre@naturephotomagazine.com

Editors:

Anikó Imre

Árpád Krivánszky

János Szekeres

László Suhayda Associate Editors:

Adrien Imre

Ágnes Kiss

Bence Máté

Dániel Selmeczi

Iván Éder

Martin Perhiniak

Pál Teravágimov Copy Editor:

Árpád Krivánszky Art Director:

Anikó Imre Graphical Design:

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Yes I’m a Designer Web Product:

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Anikó Imre aniko.imre@naturephotomagazine.com

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