Digital Camera World March

Transcript

pa ge:// Contents ISSUE 161 / MARCH 2015 MORE CONTENTS 18 10 Things to Try… Ideas and events, including getting out at night to shoot ancient trees 62 Scott Kelby The photography guru joins the Digital Camera team 70 Photo Anatomy Ruth Asher reveals the techniques behind her cliff-edge shot 120 Image editors Discover the best software to help your photos look amazing  92 Martin Parr Meet Magnum’s renowned documentary photographer 󰀳󰀸 SPICE UP YOUR SHOTS Get inspired and creative all year with 52 brilliant ideas for photography projects ON THE COVER t EXPERT PHOTO ADVICE 55   Shoot!   Scott Kelby, focus-stacking, metering systems and more 72   The Photo Fixer   Claire Gillo helps a reader tackle the art of urban light trails 79  Photoshop School   Share your photos through Lightroom and raw-sharpening    86  Photo Advisor   Shooting snowfall, off-camera flash and correcting filter casts   146  Quizzical   Are you tough enough to take on the ultimate photography quiz? VIDEO CONTENTS ESSENTIALS 32   Postcards   Meet the photographer who became a ‘dark tourist’   36   ViewFinder   The next generation of photographers and more   52   Subscriptions   Choose between print and digital – or get both for one great price   99 US print subs   Get every issue delivered to your door, ahead of the newsstand 134 Back issues   Just click the Buy button to complete the gaps in your set Contents ISSUE 161 / MARCH 2015 CAMERAS AND GEAR 102   Angle of View   104   Pentax K-S1   SLR that lights up   110   Fujifilm X100T   Retro good looks and more 114   Leica D-Lux   A premium compact 116   GoPro Hero 4   Video camera for action-lovers 118   Flash triggers 133   Sling-style straps GIFT 4 MASTIN PRESETS The Portra Demo Pack lets you try these Mastin Labs presets GIFT 3 BUYER’S GUIDE   Camera Shopper 8  gives you 164 pages of expert reviews and  group tests in a handy PDF GIFT 2   TIPS CARDS   Get instant shooting advice with eight cards to print out, at the end of this magazine Download via bit.ly/ dcm-portra Use your PC or Mac Gear Hacks MAKE A DIY MACRO LENS See page 69 GIFT 1   YOU CAN MASTER RAW EBOOK Find out how to import and process raw-format images, at the end of this magazine Download via bit.ly/ shopper8 Use your PC or Mac MORE VIDEO CONTENTS What you’ll learn this month… Lightroom offers loads of ways for you to share your favourite photos with friends and family, from posting to social media to printing a high-quality book. Discover the tricks and techniques today! Watch this issue’s videos now via www.bit.ly/dc󰀱󰀶󰀱video Video Contents ISSUE 161 / MARCH 2015 3 Use Lightroom’s Print module to arrange three images into a banner Read the tutorial on page 82 2 Use Lightroom’s Slideshow module to create a presentation Read the tutorial on page 81 1 Turn a collection of images into a printed book Read the tutorial on page 80 5 Showcase your pictures in an interactive online gallery Read the tutorial on page 83 4 Export your images to social media sites like Revel and Facebook Video exclusive NEW! Part 10: Share you r photos Video Contents ISSUE 161 / MARCH 2015 HOTSHOTS Great additional content Make the most of your digital camera Learn the basics of Adobe Camera Raw 13 Enhance detail when you sharpen your shots Read the tutorial on page 84 10 Use panning to take impressionistic shots Video exclusive 6 Discover the essential tools in Adobe Camera Raw with our tour Ebook, page 6 7 Use the powerful Adjustment Brush to give portraits a pro makeover Ebook, page 12 8 Get to grips with image blending using one photo and Smart Objects Ebook, page 14 9 Add a variety of cool creative effects using Camera Raw Ebook, page 16 14 Hands-on with the Fujilfilm X100T Read the review on page 110 11 Use infrared shoots to make moody scenes Video exclusive 15 Hands-on with the Panasonic LX100 Video exclusive 12 Use light painting to control low-light scenes Video exclusive You Can Master Raw Creative SLR Skills www digit lc mer world com Hot SHOTS Get inspired by seven pages of the best reader photography from around the world Digital Camera   March 2015 10 www digitalcameraworld comMonth 2014 Digital amera 1 “The Palouse is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most photogenic locations. From Steptoe Butte it looks like a surreal wavy carpet, extending in all directions for miles. I had to act quickly after the sun set as the landscape immediately sank into a dark, hazy ocean of blue-green.” Nikon D90 with Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR lens; 1/8 sec at f/8, ISO 200 Twilight Palouse Gabriel Tompkins www.500px.com/gabrieltompkins United States March 2015 Digital Camera 11 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 2 Masked Tree Frog  2 “On a trip to Costa Rica, this frog was shot in shade trying to catch a nap. It’s less popular and colourful than the red-eyed tree frog, but has loads of character. I exposed for the rainforest background, then used fill-flash to highlight the detail.” Canon EOS 6D with 100-400mm lens; 1/500 sec at f5.6, ISO 250 River Pastels 3 “Shot in the Magaliesberg mountains, South Africa –famous for their dramatic quartzite cliffs and abundance of valleys, ravines, cliffs and waterfalls. One of these ravines presented an amazing kaleidoscope of colours beaming up from a pool in the river, captured late afternoon with a polariser.” Canon EOS 6D with 100mm macro lens; 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 640 Deborah Jordan www.flickr.com/ people/104399463@N07 South Africa 3 Month 2 14 Digital amera  3 March 2 15 Digital Camera Sunset Bokeh 4 “I isolated this one flower in  Johannesburg, with a macro lens at sunset to create the colour scheme of blue against orange and green. With the wide-open aperture, a gentle bokeh and an out-of-focus specular to the right of the flower was conceived.” Canon EOS 6D with 100mm macro lens; 1/1,250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800 4 www digit lc mer world com  4 Digital Camera   March 2 15   March 2015 Digital Camera Leaving the Nest 5 “In this picture from my series ‘Japonaiserie’, I used a well-known symbol of Japanese culture, the paper crane. The legend of the crane is beautiful and inspired me to create this photo.” Nikon D300 with 12–24mm lens; 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 In the Arms of Mother Nature 6 “Fairytales are not mere bedtime stories: they are a window on the culture and spiritual belief of a society. I used this inspiration to create a surreal and poetic series, ‘Japonaiserie’. I met the Japanese community in Brussels and have fallen in love with their culture.” Nikon D300 with 12–24mm lens; 1/60 sec at f/4, ISO 320 Amélie Berton www.amelieberton.com Belgium 5 6 Would you like to see your own photos published in Hotshots? We’re always looking for your best new photo. Just email the best shot you’ve taken recently to [email protected] . Please include a low-res attachment (10MB or less): if your photo is selected for publication, we’ll contact you to ask for a high-resolution, non- watermarked version. SEND US YOUR HOTSHOTS!  6 Digital Camera   March 2 15 www.digitalcameraworld.com North Berwick Tidal Pool 7 “I chose a very long exposure, and converted to black and white to emphasise the dynamic composition, and keep a simple image.” Nikon Df with 24–70mm lens at 44mm; 242 sec at f/22, ISO 50 Spurn Point 8 “I loved the patterns created by the shadows and reflections. I shot it as a long exposure, as I wanted the smooth water to contrast with the textures of the groyne.” Nikon Df with 16–35mm lens at 16mm; 36 sec at f/16, ISO 100 Dominic Byrne   www.dominicbyrne.com United Kingdom 7 8 …to try right now 󰀱󰀰 things Digital Camera   March 2015 18     B    e     t      h     M    o    o    n March 2015 Digital Camera 19 󰀱󰀰 things …to try right now Use high ISO sensitivities for stunning night shots  1   Become starstruck T his year, try to do more with your digital camera’s high ISO capabilities. Being able to change ISO (light sensitivity, or what used to be called film speed) is one of the biggest advantages of digital cameras, but it’s surprising how many photographers don’t like going beyond ISO 1,600. While noise is more of a risk at higher ISOs, modern cameras are much better at suppressing it, and Lightroom or Photoshop can make short work of removing it. Beth Moon has made some stunning nocturnal images of ancient trees in her ‘Diamond Nights’ series by really pushing ISO, also using flash where necessary. “I’ve always used film until this series, and it is only because of the digital advances of late that shots like this are now possible,” she explains. “Most photographs in ‘Diamond Nights’ were created during moonless nights, shot with a wide-angle lens and ISOs of 3,200 to 6,400. Exposures up to 30 seconds allowed enough light to enter the lens without noticeable star movement.” Beth says each location required a lot of experimentation and different lighting techniques “Sometimes a short burst of diffused light from a flashlight (shining through linen fabric) was sufficient. For wider landscape shots, bounced light from multiple flashlights was used for a softer, more natural glow.” www.bethmoon.com Get started today *    Light pollution can be a problem when you are trying to include bright constellations. Most of Beth’s remote locations for ‘Diamond Nights’ in the southern hemisphere of Africa, but Wales and Scotland offer ‘dark’ regions. *    A sturdy tripod and a cable release is essential for long exposures. The BeFree carbon-fibre travel tripod range from Manfrotto won’t max out your baggage allowance. NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY …to try right now 󰀱󰀰 things… www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 20 You can get some great shots of people at work, particularly in the manufacturing sector  2 Capture people at work Take portraits that tell a story about their subject Terry Livesey CREATIVE PORTRAITS S tuck for something to photograph? Look no further than local businesses. You can get some great shots of people at work, particularly in the manufacturing sector – an approach also followed by Martin Parr in his ‘Black Country Stories’ project. But you don’t need Martin’s status or level of access to get memorable, and sometimes profile-raising, shots. Terry Livesey took some images of people at work that got shortlisted in Make it Britain, a major competition organised by UK manufacturers’ association EEF. (Visit www. bit.ly/dc161make  for details.) “Manufacturing offers endless opportunities for creative, dramatic and eye-catching images, but the tricky part is really capturing its essence,” Terry explains. “I’ve never entered the EEF competition before, but felt I should take part, as I work quite a lot with British manufacturing companies. They have so much history, which is fantastic, as it gives you so much subject matter to choose from. I would recommend starting by looking at companies on your doorstep and keeping it local: they will be pleased to work with you and you will be supporting your local heritage.” www.terryliveseyphotography.co.uk Get started today *    There are many approaches to work portraits, but it’s important to capture a sense of context and place – so be sure to include tools and machinery. *    Try using a wide aperture and single AF point with portraits so you can keep the subject sharp and establish the context, without sharply focused elements in the background becoming a distraction. *    Try capturing the concentration of somebody working hard; full eye contact can also be powerful and atmospheric. *    Black-and-white conversion works well, as does subtly desaturating colours for an ‘industrial’ feel. Martin Parr interview and portfolio See page 92 Digital Camera   March 2015 22 󰀱󰀰 things… …to try right now www.digitalcameraworld.com You can do product shots with just your smartphone and a bit of ingenuity     T      i      l    o     G    o    c      k    e      l  4 Reach for the stars You don’t even need a massive telescope… D on’t miss the winning images from the 2014 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, on display at the Astronomy Centre, Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, until 22 February. (Visit www.bit.ly/dc161astro  for details.) There are lots of great images to inspire you to enter, including James Woodend’s winning shot of green aurora dancing across the Icelandic night sky. Other winning images on show include a view of the Earth taken from the edge of space with the help of a high altitude balloon, swirls of superheated gas on the sun’s surface, and a hybrid solar eclipse. Don’t assume you need expensive astro-photography gear to do well in the competition, however. The Northern Lights, for example, can be widely seen over Scandinavia. www.rmg.co.uk www.500px.com/ imagesinspiredbynature Get started today *    Getting to Iceland, where the Northern Lights look amazing, is not hard these days, but signing up for a photo trip is still a good idea. James took his winning image during Light and Land’s winter tour to Iceland with Antony Spencer and David Clapp ( www.lightandland.co.uk ). *    “Although this is not a strong aurora, they sometimes make the best reflection shots,” says James. *    James used an exposure of 10 seconds, which gives the water a glassy look, and a relatively high ISO of 1,000. James Woodend W hen you need to do some quick but effective product photography, you can do it with just your smartphone and a bit of ingenuity. Tilo Gockel proves this with his image of a knife, taken simply with an iPhone and some creative lighting. “First, put the phone on a tripod and use a cable release to ensure sharpness, or set the self timer,” Tilo explains. “For good depth-of- field, you can stack some shots with different focus. Here, I stacked two shots – one for the blade and one for the handle – and combined the two later in Photoshop. Then I used an app called 645 Pro Mk III (  jag.gr/645pro ) to tweak the white balance and ISO and shot the knife against a slate tile.” For the lighting, Tilo tested different angles and also used translum foil to get a nice gradation across the knife’s surfaces. “For the warm-cold contrast, I used a halogen light from the back and two cool white LED torchlights from the sides. The lamps and foil were fixed using clamps from the hardware store.” www.fotopraxis.net Get started today *    For a nicer perspective on the product, Tilo suggests shooting from a longer distance and cropping in. Alternatively, use an add-on telephoto lens for your smartphone. Check out lens options from Photojojo ( www.photojojo. com ) or Olloclip ( www.olloclip.com ). *    In Photoshop, Tilo combined his two shots then cleaned up the background. He also cloned out the metal support stand. Finally, merged the layers using masks. *    Don’t forget to make colour and contrast adjustments and do some sharpening to make the shot look its best.  3 Shoot products with a smartphone Who needs an SLR and an expensive, complex lighting system anyway? PRODUCT SHOTS ASTR0-PHOTOGRAPHY Learn how to focus-stack multiple shots See page 56 24 www.digitalcameraworld.com 󰀱 things… …to try right now  5 Beautiful buildings D on’t let the short, cold winter days get you down – as long as the light is good, you can still get great shots of historic buildings. This wonderful shot of the city walls surrounding Dubrovnik, Croatia, was taken at sunset by Jeff Friesen, and shows that composition and exposure is much more important than the time of year. “Walking around Dubrovnik provides endless photo opportunities, as both the city and the surrounding scenery are stunning,” notes Jeff. “I’m sure pictures similar to mine are taken all the time, but it’s the dramatic lighting that makes the difference. “I like the way the circular wall made a curving visual path to the circular sentry tower. It was a stormy day, but the sun came out and provided dramatic lighting on the clouds. I increased the sky contrast in Photoshop.” www.jeff-friesen.com Get started today *    Jeff used a tripod-mounted Canon EOS 5D Mark II (“now claimed by the sea”) with a 24–70mm f/2.8 lens. Jeff shot at f/22 for lots of depth of field, choosing a slow shutter speed of 1/4 second, and ISO 50 to minimise noise. *    The composition is wonderfully simple; people would only have got in the way of the clean lines, so bear this mind when you’re shooting architecture. Jeff Friesen     J    a    m    e    y     S     t      i      l      l      i    n     g    s Use long exposure and clean lines for maximum impact ARCHITECTURE INFRASTRUCTURE M ajor nearby building projects can yield some great shots, especially at night. A bridge being built at the Hoover Dam in Colorado fascinated Jamey Stillings, and he visited the site 16 times, documenting its construction. Jamey says his goal was “to acknowledge the collective talents and labours of those who built the bridge; to place the bridge within the historical and aesthetic context of Hoover Dam and the American West; and to initiate a dialogue that the imposition of infrastructure within a natural environment inevitably summons”. The image features in a new Thames and Hudson book, Landmark: The Fields of Landscape Photography. (Visit www.bit.ly/dc161landmark for details.) www.thamesandhudson.com www.jameystillings.com Get started today *    Be prepared to visit the site at all hours of day and night, to get the best shots in the best light. *    You’ll usually need to contact the builders for permission. Try offering some of your images to them for publicity purposes in return for access. *    Use narrow apertures to get attractive starburst effects on lights.   6 Construction time again Get inspiration from bridges and other projects 󰀱 things… …to try right now Digital Camera   March 2015   www.digitalcameraworld.com     P    e    n    e      l    o    p    e     U    m      b    r      i    c    o  8 Make your own Lightroom splash screen Customise the popular raw image editor U sing Lightroom 5? Did you know that it’s possible to change the splash screen that first appears when you open the program? That’s right: you can replace that roll call of Silicon Valley coding champions with something much more interesting, like a favourite photo or company branding. (Sorry, Emily Fu and Brian Kruse: we’re sure you actually are very interesting in real life.) Craig McCormick ( www. destructivepixels.com ) has posted an excellent video at www. bit.ly/dc161splash  that shows how to do it, but it’s actually quite a simple process… Get started today *    Select a new splash screen image (JPEG or PNG format, up to 900 x 600 pixels in size). *    Find your splash screen folder. It’s at Users/[user name]/Library/ Application Support/Adobe/ Lightroom/Splash Screen if you’re a Mac user, or Users/[user name]/ AppData/Roaming/Adobe/ Lightroom/Splash Screen if you’re using Windows. *    If there’s no Splash Screen folder at that location, you can simply create one. Now just add your chosen image to the Splash Screen folder, and you’re good to go. P enelope Umbrico is fascinated by the sun, and has come up with lots of creative and inspirational ways of shooting it. It’s not just about pretty pictures, though. She did a search for ‘sunsets’ on Flickr and got 541,795 results. “I cropped just the suns from these pictures and uploaded them, making 4x6-inch machine prints from them.” she explains. “In much of my work, I address how differently an image functions on the internet than in physical time/space, the shifts in meaning around the subject depicted in the image in both contexts, and what happens to the image’s perceived value when transcribed from web-based to print-based media.” Why not have a stab at shooting familiar objects in thought-provoking new ways, too? Penelope’s Sun/Screen exhibition is at the Photographers Gallery until 3rd February; www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk www.penelopeumbrico.net Get started today *    Penelope assembled her images from thousands of sunset photos shared on the web. The process of capturing images directly from the computer screen creates a moiré pattern, which she used for creative effect *    The sun is obviously very bright so avoid looking at it directly through your camera when you’re shooting. Direct sunlight can also damage your camera’s sensor, so be prepared to use a filter.  7 Show some solar flair The sun’s scarce this time of year, so make the most of it... CREATIVE SHOTS LIGHTROOM 52 ideas for more creative photography See page 38 www.digitalcameraworld.com …to try ri ht now March 2015 Digital Camera       D    a    v    e     K    a      i     P      i    p    e    r U nlike landscape photography, where you sometimes have to travel miles to get to a photogenic spot, interesting-looking people can usually be found easily. They make great subjects for portraits, with craggy, battered faces particularly suited to a moody black-and-white treatment. Fashion photographer Dave Kai Piper usually shoots beautiful people, but jumped at the chance to take some character shots of a fearsome- looking biker called Dink as part of a seminar for Cambrian Photography and Sigma. “When photographing anyone, from model to rock star to family to veteran biker, it is good to remember that being photographed is a pretty intense thing for many people,” says Dave. “Starting shoots in familiar surroundings is always a winner; starting with little or no lighting and building up is good too.” If somebody in your town looks as striking as Dink, why not offer to do some portraits with them? www.ideasandimages.co.uk Get started today *    Preparation is key. Dave had scouted the biker club-house location the day before, as he needed to do the shoot in 15 minutes. *    Dave used Lee Gradient ND filters to kill ambient light where he needed to create shadows, and a Westcott Ice Light to highlight walls and details in the background. *    Dave tested the exposure settings for the room the day before and simply dialled in the settings to his Nikon D800 while the assistant held the light directly in line with his and Dink’s head. “We used a smaller Profoto strip with grid and diffusion panels to help control the light,” Dave explains. *    For the final shot, Dave shot Dink with a 50mm prime lens, keeping the light low to give the scene a ‘pub’ look. 9 Take cool shots of the locals Gritty, craggy, scary: take your pick… Dave Kai Piper usually shoots beautiful people, but jumped at the chance to take shots of a fearsome-looking biker CHARACTER PORTRAITS Dave Kai Piper took these shots of Dink in just 15 minutes. Why not seek out interesting characters in your area? 28 󰀱󰀰 things… …to try right now www.digitalcameraworld.com 󰀱󰀰 things… Digital Camera   March 2015 Getty Images / Mark Webster Y our mission this month is to take images that capture the creative possibilities of the colour red. The beauty of shooting red is that it has so many connotations: earthiness, glamour, passion and, particularly in Asian culture and spirituality, luck. Across the Far East, red plays a role in happy occasions. In Vietnam, for example, wedding brides traditionally wear red rather than white. “The Chinese have more than 30 symbols for different kinds of red, and even more terms to describe shades of red, so it’s no surprise they consider red a revitalising colour,” says Victoria Alexander, author of Colour: A Journey  . “Italians also give bright red underwear to be worn for luck on New Year’s Eve.” As well as great opportunities for the travel and documentary photographer, a dash of red is a great way to lift a portrait, landscape or cityscape – a motion-blurred London bus for example. Strong reds also occur naturally in nature – think of red poppies, the red breast of a robin against the snow, or even the russet tones of a great sunset. Red has endless shades, tones and associations, so how you interpret this challenging brief is entirely up to you! Get started today *    The positioning of your light source is key to how red is perceived. While front lighting shows red accurately, for example, back lighting mutes it into pastel shades. *    There are obviously many shades and hues of red, so don’t feel you only have to use a bright and eye-catching crimson. Shoot the colour red to for the chance to win a new Lowepro rucksack worth 󰂣󰀹󰀸 10 Take our latest photo challenge Your Mission T o help you with this challenge, here are some creative ideas that reveal how red could be used in your own photos. To impress the judges, you will need to think beyond the very obvious, however. Also, refer to a colour wheel so you can see which colours match with red and which clash, for some interesting creative effects. One of the best colour wheel sites is Adobe Color at http://color.adobe.com How to make it a red-letter day How to enter   Visit the Open Contests page at www.photocrowd.com/a/ current  and look for the Digital Camera Red contest. (If you’re not already registered, it’s free to join.) Click Submit An Image to upload your entries. The closing date is 27th February. Winners will appear in issue 163 on 27th March.  Win a Lowepro Transit 350 AW Each month we’re giving away this excellent Lowepro camera backpack worth £98 to the lucky winner of our Your Mission photo challenge. For your chance to win one, upload your best ‘red’ image to Photocrowd at www.photocrowd.com/a/ current . (See below for full details.) For over 40 years Lowepro has been travelling the world on the shoulders of the best photographers. Learning and innovation are the key to its success. The Transit Backpack 350 AW offers protection from the elements for your gear, with a flexible layout and fast access. Its innovative UltraFlex™ fit system gives you multiple ways to organise your equipment. The Transit 350 AW also includes the patented All-Weather Cover™ and Hideaway Tripod Mount™ system. WWW.LOWEPRO.COM Four ways to make the most of red 󰀱 things …to try right now www.digitalcameraworld.com   March 2015 Digital Camera 1 Add a bright pop of red to an otherwise neutral composition. Here, the model’s lips and scarf stand out against her coat and the walls, drawing the eye towards her. 3 In this shot, the red stairs are set off by the cool green walls. Red and green are opposite hues on a colour wheel, which means they can clash in dynamic ways. 2 Red should attract a travel photographer like a red rag to a bull. If you see a person wearing red, see if you can take their picture, or look for red in an environment. 4   As red is such a bold colour, it’s a popular choice for selective colour editing. Preserve a splash of red and you can create a very striking effect, and it’s a very easy technique to try.     G    e     t     t    y      i    m    a     g    e    s     /     T      h    o    m    a    s     S    c      h    m      i      d     t     G    e     t     t    y      i    m    a     g    e    s     /     R    a      l    p      h     G    r    u    n    s    w    a      l      d     G    e     t     t    y      i    m    a     g    e    s     /     A    n      d    y     R    y    a    n Who won our last Mission?   Turn the page to find out… 30 Your Mission Night photography Digital Camera   March 2015 30 www.digitalcameraworld.com 3rd   Light Waltz BY KEVIN LAJOIE Nikon D5200 with 10–24mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at 14mm; 265 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100 2nd   Lone Tree, Milky Way and Shooting Stars BY PAUL APPLEBY Canon EOS 5D Mk II; 30 sec at ISO 3,2000 Claire says Paul has captured this magical night scene beautifully, and the calm and stillness of the setting is apparent in the final result. The portrait orientation of the composition works well and leads the eye in. The connection between the elements is aided by the lone tree leading your eye to the blanket of stars above. The final finish has also been carefully considered. A great image that has been conceived to work on many levels. 1st & Crowd Vote* Eaton Park Tree Line BY MATTHEW DARTFORD Nikon D7000 with 16 -85 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens at 25mm; 0.8 sec at f/16, ISO 100 Ben says Our atmospheric first-place entry is a worthy night-time winner. There are many technical aspects that make this this shot work, including the panoramic finish, the monochromatic cool tones, and the thick dense fog creating the perfect conditions. Matthew has done well to keep the trees silhouetted while exposing correctly for the light spilling out behind. This image has a cinematic quality: you feel the eerie scene could almost come to life. * Chosen by the community at Photocrowd Shona says Kevin’s night light trail image deserves a slot on our podium. The harshness and crisp streaks of the man-made light works well against the natural beauty of the outdoor setting. There’s lots of movement in this image. Not only do you have the sideways movement of the light dancing across the scene, you also have the forward and upward movement in the clouds and stars, which Kevin has left plenty of space to show. He’s also made excellent use of the reflection in the water to add another layer to the final result. Your Mission WINNERS Issue 󰀱󰀵󰀹’s theme was ‘Night photos’. Here are our top shots… 2 1 See all the entries at www.photocrowd.com/c/121-night-photography 3 Crowd Vote winner www.digitalcameraworld.com 32 Digital Camera   March 2015 …FROM THE EDGE POSTCARDS The amusement park in the ghost town of Pripyat, Chernobyl. All images: Ambroise Tézenas   www.digitalcameraworld.com March 2015 Digital Camera 33 …FROM THE EDGE POSTCARDS   Why did you decide to do a book about ’dark tourism’? I decided a few years ago to explore dark tourism [without worrying about whether it would become a book]. With a long-term project, it’s important to know where you need to start, not where you want to go. I got interested in the topic because I wondered why people liked to visit dark places. This is linked to an experience I had a few years back while witnessing the 󰀲󰀰󰀰󰀴 tsunami in Sri Lanka. I saw the drama unfolding, and read a few years later that visitors were coming to this same place to have their pictures taken. The motivations of these visitors puzzled me, and I started to read about it. How did you plan which places to visit? I always carefully research subjects because it’s really important to have the background knowledge. It’s OK not to have been to the actual places, but you do need to know their history. I discovered the work of Professor J John Lennon, who co-wrote a book called  Dark Tourism , and got in touch with him, then started to visit some dark places myself. Were the trips entirely self-funded, or did you get sponsorship or commissions? All self-funded. My life as a photographer is all about this balance between making a living with commissions and reinvesting in my own projects. Many of the images have people in. Did anybody ask you why you were photographing them, when it was presumably the buildings or other remains that everyone was interested in? With a large-format camera and a tripod, you don’t actually point at anyone. You are just part of the landscape, so people don’t really know when you shoot. It was important to me to include people in the landscape, standing beside what is left of the concentration camps, prisons and so on. You don’t include many details of what’s left of the horrors – piles of skulls or remaining execution equipment, for example. Is this because you wanted to focus more on the actual places, rather than the grisly details? I consider myself a landscape photographer, so the distance between me and the subject is very important to me – particularly as Holidays from hell Looking for a totally different take on travel photography? Ambroise Tézenas  visited a dozen major sites of ’dark tourism’ across the world MISSION FACTFILE Who: Ambroise Tézenas, a landscape and documentary photographer based in Paris. What: Ambroise mainly does editorial photography, primarily for New York-based magazines, and commercial assignments with his agent Talent&Partner. For his ’dark tourism’ project, I Was Here , Ambroise visited  global hotspots of death and destruction, including Auschwitz, the Kennedy assassination trail in Dallas, and Khmer Rouge prisons. Kit list: For I Was Here , Ambroise used a large-format Sinar and a Toyo 45, both of which he says are very easy to travel with. He just used a single lens, a 120mm. Ambroise uses a PhaseOne P45+ back for commercial assignments. More info: www.ambroisetezenas.com 1 www.digitalcameraworld.com   34 …FROM THE EDGE POSTCARDS Digital Camera   March 2015 If the sun was shining when I visited a torture centre, then so be it. Which place did you find the most disturbing, and why? Genocide sites are terribly disturbing. The Birkenau concentration camp has been left as it was so it won’t happen again – but it does happen again, and that’s very disturbing. I was struck by this hopeless history of humanity just repeating itself, without learning lessons from the past. What was it like to work at Chernobyl – were you worried about radiation? No, because I had read about the radiation beforehand, and I knew it was OK to take photographs there during a short stay. What are the biggest lessons you learned from doing I Was Here ? Humanity is depressing, and history repeats itself. This is no great discovery on my part, but the project did confirm it. When some of those places lose the memory of survivors to validate them, visitors will lose interest in going, but new sites will appear. Paradoxically, while people today deny the reality of their own death, they “I didn’t want to take pictures of places the typical visitor couldn’t see, and didn’t request special access” I chose to photograph places where terrible things happened. The question of where you stand is a big one. Making pictures of horrible details would have made no sense in this work. Why didn’t you shoot these images in more dramatic black and white, or avoid bright sunshine? That is the aesthetic choice a lot of photographers would have made… My aim was to document, so my approach needed to be very accurate. I had a strict protocol. For example, I visited places through a tour operator and paid the entry fees along with all the other tourists. I didn’t want to take pictures of places the typical visitor couldn’t see, and didn’t request special access. [The exception was] the site in South Lebanon. It took me two years to get approval. Furthermore, I spent no longer on site than the typical visitor, and even kept my captions simple and ‘real,’ with no rewriting. So this confrontation with reality had to be in colour, even if it was impossible to be totally objective. Making this work more dramatic than it actually was, by converting to black and white or darkening the sky, would have been dishonest and clumsy. 2 2   Remains of Xuankou middle school, Sichuan earthquake tour, China. 3   The remains of Xiaoyudong bridge, part of the Sichuan earthquake tour in China. www.digitalcameraworld.com 35 …FROM THE EDGE POSTCARDS March 2015 Digital Camera enjoy a virtual confrontation with death generally. Working on this project raised a lot of questions for me about our own responsibility. On a photographic level, it made me think more closely about the question of representation. In the process of creation, it is essential that the substance and the form come together. Which images are you most proud of in I Was Here ? I am proud to have done the project. If photography is a solitary path, getting to the end of a project with a book published is a relief. To me that’s the definitive way of showing your work. I Was Here  must be a hard act to follow... everything else must seem like bathos. I am not sure what my next project is yet. I am a slow photographer, and accept the slow process of things, the need for time, the need for maturity. Photography is a way for me to keep asking myself questions. 3 4 5 6 To see more of Ambroise’s work, visit www. ambroisetezenas.com . I Was Here  is published by Dewi Lewis Publishing www.dewilewispublishing.com 4   Gear left behind by the Israeli army, on display in the Tourist Landmark of the Resistance museum, Mleeta, Lebanon. 5   Clothes of the dead at the Ntarama Genocide Memorial, Rwanda. 6   Rows of skulls at the Bisesero Genocide Memorial, Rwanda .   Digital Camera   March 2015 FROM A YOUNGER READER… My name is Saffron, and photography is my whole life! I recently purchased  Digital Camera , and I am proud to say that I was pleased with the content. I was also pleased with the photography dictionary: it would be very helpful for now, and later on in life when I am doing my photography A-level. Are you a photographer? Do you know other famous photographers? It would make my day if you could take a look at some of my photography and maybe give some feedback. Saffron, 13, photographer We think you have excellent potential and would advise you to keep up the hard work. Being a photographer isn’t a straightforward career, but is well worth the journey. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep giving you a few pointers! View Finder STAR LETTER The place to air your views on the magazine and share your photographic experiences Get your views heard  We’d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine and all things photographic! So email us at [email protected] or visit us at www.facebook.com/digitalcameraworld Norman, you’re absolutely right. It is the photographer who makes the image, and you can still produce award- winning images with old kit. A TIP THAT SHOULD STICK This may be a useful tip for a photographer on a budget: Plasticine applied in the right places can really help to stabilise any unwanted movement in a budget tripod. It’s so useful it should be in every photographer’s kitbag. It even turned my shaky old Hama into a rock! Brendan Doherty Great tip, Brendan, and thanks for sharing it. It just goes to show you don’t need to pay a fortune to get professional results! DIFFERENCE OF OPINION  A couple more comments in response to our publication of behind-the- scenes photos of a Playboy shoot in Digital Camera  󰀱󰀵󰀶… I find it amusing that some of your readers are so offended at the presence of tasteful nude or semi- nude photographs in your magazine. Go to any art club in Britain and you will almost certainly find opportunities for ‘life painting’. It is rare to find an amateur art show without some paintings of nude men or women. I am sure that most artists feel that the ability to capture the human form and its varied skin tones with complex areas of light and shade is an essential skill. There is a huge difference between the artistic nude and pornography. The human body is one of the most significant forms for artwork, whether painted or photographic. If your magazine were to self-censor Above 13-year-old Saffron sent us a variety of her images to review from her portfolio . WIN AN ASPIRE PHOTO TRAINING VOUCHER Our star letter wins a £50 voucher off training courses at Aspire Photography Training (www.aspirephotographytraining.co.uk) Left Norman Lemon advises you to stick with your older gear rather than upgrading. STICK WITH IT I read David Brown’s comments about you pushing the latest equipment [ViewFinder,  Digital Camera  󰀱󰀵󰀹]. David, I am a pensioner like you. I am very fortunate to be able to afford this modern gear – but I would rather use the older gear like your D󰀲󰀰󰀰 and even older cameras, with great results in competitions. So stick with your D󰀲󰀰󰀰 and buy older lenses. It’s the person behind the camera who counts, not the  jewellery he wears around his neck. Norman Lemon www.facebook.com/Digitalcameraworld Join us on Twitterwww.twitter.com/DCamMag or Facebook 37 March 2015  Digital Camera View Finder all work of this nature, you would be missing out on helping your readers with a vital set of skills, which many of us would like to acquire or improve on. Tom Cunliffe May I offer a solution to this type of article. I have daughters, and I receive a magazine from a photography society as well as buying your excellent magazine. I always go through the magazines before my daughters look through them. Some of the articles in the society’s magazine are too racy, so it’s usually out of bounds to them. I looked through your magazine and WHAT WORKED FOR YOU...? R eading Digital Camera  159, I was interested to see the ‘Flowers in Ice’ project [part of our 10 Creative Home Projects feature]. With my first SLR purchased in 2013 (a Nikon D7000), I have been on a massive learning curve. I try to have a project on the go to give me skills to practise. Last year my wife gave me a Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens, and I thought I would try to freeze some sea shells in ice to get reflections in the sunshine. I had a few attempts experimenting with lighting and reflective surfaces. I never quite managed to get the image I had in my mind, but no doubt I will have another go in the next few months. Every time I take the camera out, I learn something new. Ben Rutlidge Persistence is key to becoming a great photographer, and it’s great to see you’re trying new things out. Keep it up. Above The debate continues as we have more divided opinion about how we should display this type of content. ended up sticking pages together so the content was not visible. May I ask in future that if you run this type of feature, you make it a separate pullout with a warning on the front, so anyone who has young photographers or may be offended can remove it, and put it in the bin. Simon Hepworth Thank you for all your feedback on this topic. It seems many of you are split with your opinions, but we have taken all of your points on board. NO MORE RESOLUTION I enjoy taking various types of photographs. I have a Fuji F󰀶󰀰󰀰EXR and an X󰀱󰀰󰀰. What I find frustrating is the occasional wrong colour reproduction. When paying 󰂣󰀲󰀶,󰀰󰀰󰀰 or more on medium-format cameras [Group Test,  Digital Camera  󰀱󰀵󰀹], the colours vary so much? I can understand it from a compact camera, but would expect perfection when paying so much. I usually print A󰀴 photos, so the extra resolution would be wasted on me! Gordon Degg  Thank you for your letter, Gordon. We do these group tests to make sure you’re getting the best of the best! Fresh from our   wall   Want to keep up with the latest Digital Camera news, views and gossip? Visit our Facebook page and tell us what you think about the magazine or anything photography- related. See www.facebook.com/ digitalcameraworld I’m doing a print publication this year. My first. Already three days into it. Davey D To paraphrase The Fast Show, this year I will mostly be using the letter P… I will be using other modes rather than playing safe using Auto. Andy Hackett I’m going to try to be braver at heading out on my own! I’m always so anxious in remote locations before sunrise! I need to man up. Sarah Brooks I want to shoot some sports photography for the first time. I already have two outings lined up for this week. Bob Dunn To get out there more and stop holding myself back. I want to try my hand at portrait photography, so that’s what I aim to do this year. No more hiding – time to get out there! Gemma Ironside Digital Camera  asked: “What are your photography resolutions for 2015? What new techniques are you hoping to try? Have you got any projects lined up?” Get involved:   www.facebook .com/digitalcameraworld www.digitalcameraworld.com www digit lc mer world com igital amera   November 2 14 󰀵󰀲 ways to SPICE UP YOUR SHOTS Inspirational ideas to make 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀵 your best year ever! 38 www digit lc mer world com 39     M    a      i    n      i    m    a     g    e    :     S    e    p    e      h    r     G      h    a    s    s    e    m      i     (    w    w    w  .    s    e    p    e      h    r     g      h    a    s    s    e    m      i  .    c    o    m       ) W hether you’re just starting out in photography or you’re an experienced shooter who’s hit a creative brick wall, you can take inspiration from this bumper collection of photography ideas. You’ll find some classic projects mixed with fresh challenges that will help you take your photography to the next level, from fun photo assignments you can polish off in a weekend to longer- term projects that could feed your photography for years to come. Try something new today – and don’t forget to share your results with us… March 2015 Digital Camera 40 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015  BE INSPIRED S tarting a self-portrait project – one that shows more artistry and originality than a set of social media selfies – can be richly rewarding. It also has no limitations: the subject is always available to have their picture taken, even if they might not always be up for it…  Creating a consistent theme for your self-portraits, whether it’s through a concept or a visual style, Never again will you be able to say that there’s nothing to shoot will help to give the project focus, and there are plenty of approaches you can take.  For instance, if you have to fit the photography around your day job, how about shooting the pictures at night? You could assume an alter-ego and make that your theme, as illustrated by Dominick Reed’s popular ‘Mr Flibble’ series ( www. idrinkleadpaint.com ). Alternatively, how about integrating yourself into a wider scene? This is an approach at which street photographer Vivian Maier ( www.vivianmaier.com ) was adept. On some occasions she even only included her shadow. You really don’t need much in the way of camera kit for this project – you can even do it on a smartphone. Coming up with a compelling theme is far more important. Above  Turning the camera around on yourself can appear a little daunting – but you don’t even need to show your face to capture a self-portrait! S e l f  - p o r t r a i t   p r o  j e c t 1       ©     G    e     t     t    y     /     J    u      l      i    a     D    a    v      i      l    a   -     L    a    m    p    e 41 March 2015 Digital Camera SPICE UP YOUR SHOTS A sk someone to write a list of 󰀲󰀰 things on a set of cards. It could be random, everyday stuff like ‘hands’, ‘trees’, ‘food’, but ideally it’ll be subjects you wouldn’t normally photograph. Meanwhile, write down a series of 󰀲󰀰 photographic treatments on another set – for example, ‘󰀵󰀰mm’, ‘black and white’, ‘long exposure’… Take your photography in an unexpected direction Above  This shot by Umbreem Hafeez shows how you can combine elements in the scene to get a noteworthy result. Go on a scavenger hunt 8   Shoot your own photo alphabet   Rather than just head out and photograph actual letters, find objects and shapes that resemble letters (the frame of a set of swings forming the letter ‘A’, the curve of a river representing ‘S’). Some photographers make a living out of doing this. 9   Make words your focus   The challenge here is not to fill the frame, but to cleverly incorporate words into your compositions. Look for juxtaposition – such as an advertising hoarding describing the ‘rich taste’ of a drink set in an area that’s clearly run down. 10   Paint with your camera You may be used to doing everything in your power to take a sharp photo, but it can be liberating to do the opposite and move the camera during a long exposure. Try working in Shutter Priority, dialling in a shutter speed of 󰀱/󰀱󰀵 sec or slower. Again, ideally it should be styles you wouldn’t typically use. Now all you have to do is randomly pick a card from each deck and then fulfil the brief in a day. It’s a great way to take yourself out of your comfort zone – and to add some focus to your photography if you’ve found yourself in a bit of a creative rut. 3 The 90-degree challenge Every time you stop to take a picture, you must then point the camera by 󰀹󰀰 degrees – to the left, right, up or down – and create a picture from what you see there. 5 Turn your digital into a film camera Simply tape up the screen… Obviously we’re not really   recommending that you gum up your camera with gaffer tape, but avoid reviewing shots for a day. 4 Use ‘a roll of film’ for a day To force yourself to consider every photo, slip a 󰀱MB memory card into your camera. Only around 󰀳󰀴 Canon 󰀵D Mk III raw files fit onto a card of this size. 6 Lose yourself in a new location Go for a walk with one lens, exploring a location on foot that you normally drive past. Set a timer to 󰀱󰀵 minutes – every time it goes off, take a photo. 2       ©     R    o      d      d    y     L      l    e    w    e      l      l    y    n 7 Choose a new aspect ratio If you usually shoot photos in a 󰀳:󰀲 format, try shooting in 󰀱:󰀱 or 󰀱󰀶:󰀹 or 󰀴:󰀳. Live View mode makes this easier, as you can activate an aspect ratio grid overlay.     ©     B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n     ©     B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n     U    m      b    r    e    e    n     H    a      f    e    e    z 42 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015  BE INSPIRED H ead out with the intention of making shadows and silhouettes the key compositional device in your pictures. As photographers, we’re often conditioned to use every trick in the book to open up the shadows, such as shooting when the light is softer at the start and end of the day, or using flash or a reflector to reveal details previously lost in the dark. But this project encourages you to use shadows to hide  details. Shooting in the middle of the day becomes a pleasure rather than a chore, although you can get great results with the low, raking light of a clear morning or evening, too. Finding a raised point of view can help you to extend the reach of these shadows through the frame, although if the sun is behind you, be conscious of whether or not you include your own shadow in the picture. For further inspiration, check out Magnum photographer Trent Parke’s portfolio of dense, shadowy images taken in the harsh glare of the Australian sun ( www. magnumphotos.com/trentparke ). I n a notebook, write a list of descriptive words about a subject, then photograph the subject with these words in mind. For instance, can you photograph snow in a way that makes the end result feel cold? How could you convey the scale of sound produced by an orchestra? The use of colour, tonality composition, focus, movement and more can all be used to evoke mood in images. In the picture on the right, the combination of blue hues, dark tones and camera movement help create emotion. How could you add a evocative twist to photographs of subjects that you like to shoot? Above  Break all the rules when it comes to exposure and emphasise those dark shadows in the image. Magnum photographer Trent Parke finishes his images with a high-contrast look. Right  It’s not just what you can see that’s important. What you don’t see also says something, so play around with this idea. 12   Master the art of abstract   This challenge has one simple rule: every time you use your camera, you have to shoot an additional abstract image before you put the camera away. Avoid ‘cheating’ by cropping an image in Photoshop – create it entirely in-camera. 13   Use a photo within a photo   Create a series of pictures where an additional picture, held in the frame, adds context to the original image. Instead of using a physical print, how about using an image displayed on a tablet or smartphone screen instead? 14   Defocus the camera lens Sharpness is overrated: embrace excessive blur instead. See the different effects you can get from focusing the lens both in front of and behind the subject. Notice how highlights and shadows interact within the frame. Make shadows the focus of your photos Go dark 11   Create emotion 15   Capture how a subject makes you feel rather than just how it looks     R    o      d      d    y     L      l    e    w    e      l      l    y    n     G    e     t     t    y     /     G    r    e     g    o    r     S    c      h    u    s     t    e    r     G    e     t     t    y 43 March 2015 Digital Camera SPI E U  P YOUR SHOTS 16 Take a creative cue from music Pick a favourite piece of music. Listen to it while you capture an image that conveys how it makes you feel, or illustrates the lyrics that resonate with you. 19   Collaborative portraits Ask someone to sit for a portrait, but let them dictate how they want to appear in the photo. See how close you come to making their vision a reality. 18   Create a photographic lie Make an image that contrasts with the underlying emotion of the scene or subject. For instance, can you make a happy event seem sad or vice versa? 20 Three-word challenge How do you avoid taking the same photos as everyone else? Try picking three words that describe your photographic style. Shoot images that illustrate each one. 17   Right time, ‘wrong’ lens Choose the opposite lens to the one you’d normally use to photograph a subject. Take a wide-angle lens to the zoo or only use a telephoto for landscapes.     B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n     M    a     g    n    u    m       /     T    r    e    n     t     P    a    r      k    e Get an abstract and emotional result in the natural environment. 44 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015  BE INSPIRED Y ou’ll have to dig deep for this project. The premise seems simple: take a sheet of paper and photograph it in 󰀱󰀰 different ways. You can’t cut it, but every other creative avenue is open to you. Each picture needs to have a fresh identity, whether that’s down to the Discover the photo opportunities in an ordinary subject Above  Turn the banal into the beautiful with some creative thinking and a bit of origami. Shoot a piece of paper 󰀱󰀰 ways choice of lighting, the composition or the situation you come up with. Take inspiration from Brendan Austin ( www.brendanaustin.com ), who created mini mountainscapes from crumpled sheets, or the beautiful paper abstracts of Sherif Mokbel ( www.behance.net/sherifmokbel ). 22   Focus on the small stuff  Attend an organised event and shoot candids, abstracts and small details that others miss – anything but the main event that everyone else is there to see. 23 Naked night photography Shoot outdoors at night without using flash, a long exposure or a tripod. You can only use available light, so increase the ISO. 24 Picture a metaphor Write down a list of metaphors that have some meaning for you, then produce a series of photographs that illustrate them in literal and non-literal ways. 25 Take a single image every day The ‘󰀳󰀶󰀵’ photo project is a classic. But if you don’t want the pressure of having to find a meaningful photo every day, make it a weekly endeavour instead. 26 Photograph one location Choose one spot that’s close to home and photograph it at different times of the day, month and year. Capture the seasonal variation and the changing light. 21     B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n     R    o      d      d    y     L      l    e    w    e      l      l    y    n     R    o      d      d    y     L      l    e    w    e      l      l    y    n 27   Commit to a month of mono Stop shooting in colour for a month. If you shoot in raw rather than  JPEG, you’ll still record the colour data for the image, but change the camera’s Picture Style to Monochrome to get a black-and-white preview on the camera’s rear screen. 28   Pick a colour, any colour   Your chosen colour needn’t fill the frame, but you need to compose shots to make it clear to viewers that this specific colour is what the picture is really about. One rule: you can’t selectively colour a black- and-white photo. 29   Shoot the uninspiring Write down a list of locations and items that you find intensely dull, depressing, ugly, boring or annoying. Now push yourself to make beautiful photos of these unphotogenic subjects. You may be suprised how much you like the pictures…      i     S     t    o    c      k     P      h    o     t    o     /     P    a     t     S    e    e 45 www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera SPICE UP YOUR SHOTS T his is a classic project with a concept that usually fills everyone with dread. It can be hard enough to approach a stranger in the street and ask directions, let alone ask them if they’d be willing to let you take their picture. Having to do it enough times so that you have 󰀵󰀰 portraits to show at the end of the project? The chances are you’re going to have to develop a thick skin. Many photographers who’ve done it will tell you that the hardest part of this project is starting it. But once you do, the pictures can flow pretty easily, and it becomes an addictive process. In fact, some photographes increase the pressure on themselves, making it a three-fold ‘󰀵󰀰’ challenge: 󰀵󰀰 strangers photographed with a 󰀵󰀰mm lens in 󰀵󰀰 days! This project doesn’t just have to be a race to collect strangers, though. It’s more important to pick the right subjects and spend time finding out a little about each person, so that your image captures their essence. Are you up for a real challenge? Take 50 portraits of people you’ve never met before Above   Digital Camera  editor Ben took these candid close-ups on the streets of Miami. Photograph strangers 30       B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n   www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 ESSENTI L GUIDE M any of us have been brought up on the idea of using fill-flash for outdoor portraits on sunny days, to reduce contrast and produce more flattering results. But why not try applying it where you typically wouldn’t, such when you’re shooting a landscape or while you’re indulging in a spot of street photography – a situation where you’d normally be trying to blend in, rather than draw attention to yourself? Above  Using a flashgun to backlight his subjects, Satoki Nagata managed to capture these beautiful fleeting moments in time. 32 Geocaching challenge Load a geocaching app onto your smartphone, then head out with a view to taking an artistic picture at every geocache location you end up in. 33 Faces in unusual places Train your eye to spot ‘faces’ unintentionally formed by everyday objects. Warning: this can be addictive! See www.flickr.com/groups/  facesinplaces  for ideas. 35 ‘f/16 and be there…’ Using Aperure Priority, set the aperture to f/󰀱󰀶 for a day. You’ll become more mindful of the relationship between details in the background and the foreground. 34   Creative size and scale For this project, you simply need to make big things look small and small things look big – but the challenge is doing both within the same frame. 36 Become a photojournalist Find a local news story and illustrate it with five pictures that will make others care about it. Approach a local newspaper to see if they’ll print the results. Use an off-camera flashgun in creative new ways Far-out flash 31   Satoki Nagata ( www.satoki.com ) did  just that for his ‘Streets’ project, setting a slow shutter speed and using an off-camera flash to backlight passers-by. The resulting images have a dramatic and abstract quality. To tackle a similar idea, you’ll need a way to get the flash off-camera. A remote flash trigger is essential for working in busy streets, although a remote cable will be fine for close-ups.     S    a     t    o      k      i     N    a     g    a     t    a 48 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015  BE INSPIRED 40 Make intentional mistakes Severely overexpose or underexpose pictures. Crop a subject awkwardly. Focus on the backdrop instead of the subject. Use these ‘errors’ to fuel new ideas. 38 …Now take a step back Compose shots where the subject is very small in the frame. How can you direct a viewer’s attention to it? How can you use negative space in a positive way? 39 Shoot without looking  In Shutter Priority, set a fast shutter speed to minimise camera shake, then shoot without using the viewfinder or Live View. Think of it as camera ‘sketching’. 37 Take a step forward… Set the focus on your lens to four feet and don’t move it – tape it down you have to. This will force you to move in closer in order to get your shots. T ake a portrait of someone, but do so without including the person’s face. How can you reveal aspects of their personality without the aid of eye contact and expression? For a start, you’ll need to consider the environment that the portrait is going to be shot in, as well as how you’ll crop the shot, whether you do the latter in-camera or later in software. The quality of the lighting and the choice of colours (or whether there’s any colour at all) become crucial for conveying a sense of mood, and you’ll have to rely on the other features of the portrait-sitter’s body to tell a story. Here we took the concept one stage further and combined three shots together in Photoshop to create a surreal faceless portrait. With a nod to the great surrealist painter Magritte, this image is loaded with mood and meaning that can say a lot about the subject. Can you reveal someone’s personality without revealing their face? Hiding your subject’s facial features enables you to focus on other aspects of the image, like the background detail. Faceless portraits 41       B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n 50 www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015  BE INSPIRED 46 Make moving pictures Bring your stills to life by learning how to make a cinemagraph in Photoshop, or try shooting a time-lapse that doesn’t feature a city or landscape at night… 44 Self-publish a photo book Link your pictures through a narrative, colour, juxtaposition or in more unexpected ways. 45 Record an image without a camera Use an all-in-one home printer to make a scanogram. Place objects on the scanner and use the limited available depth of field for surreal results. 43 Build a multi- panel panorama Rather than taking one sweeping view of a place, try building a story through a series of shots that can be presented together in a larger format. Right  Go one step further and use post-production techniques on your double exposure to create an abstract. Above  Blend two subjects together in camera for an arty finish. Think about how the colours and textures work together. C ompose two (or more) pictures in order to create a multiple exposure. Most SLRs have a multiple exposure function that’ll allow you to layer several exposures together. However, while it’s admirable and utterly satisfying to capture a winner in-camera, replicating the effect in the digital darkroom is quick, easy and non-destructive – and just as valid. Combine your images into one document and experiment with layers and blending modes. Dynamic double exposures 42   Splice two frames together to create a unique view BenBrain 51 www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera SPICE UP YOUR SHOTS L ook for ways in which you can construct your photos from lines and shapes, whether they’re explicit or implied. Don’t simply zoom in and pick out an abstract set of shapes, but try to find these elements within wider views and frame your photos accordingly. Explore a town or city, as the urban environment is packed with potential and including human figures as a counterpoint can be an effective technique. In this example from the streets of London the photographer has been playful with the use of negative space to create an unusal street scene. Spend a day training your lens on intriguing shapes and patterns Explore geometry 48   ove   SNet   voluptat di dolum   ipisci nitatem solor   ad modis aliatur   magnat. Laccabo restorem   rerum et ium hiliqui   consequam con   cullam sed ut es Left  Don’t shoot the same tourist snaps as everyone else. Instead, look around for quirky and original ways to record the details of your surroundings. Right  Often the most interesting view is the one you have to look up at! In an urban setting, keep your eyes open for shapes. 49 Take a photo prop on tour Choose a prop and create pictures of it in multiple locations. Make sure the item is pocket-friendly enough to take on your commute or on holiday. 50 Find a frame within a frame In this exercise, you have to compose a shot using a ‘found’ frame, such as Big Ben seen through a steamy tour bus window, or a portrait shot in a doorway. 52 Create a still-life with character Bring inanimate objects to life through construced still-life situations. For inspiration, see the work of Victoria Ivanova ( www.󰀵󰀰󰀰px.com/  victoria_ivanova ). 51 Rent an extreme lens for the day A new lens can give your photos a new lease of life, particularly if it offers a more extreme focal length or aperture than you’re used to. SUBSCRIBE AND GET 13 ISSUES PACKED WITH IDEAS AND INSPIRATION! Turn to page 󰀵󰀲 for more details     R    o      d      d    y     L      l    e    w    e      l      l    y    n     B    e    n     B    r    a      i    n V isit a location or tourist attraction that’s reached ‘postcard-perfect photo’ saturation point – somewhere like Bamburgh castle and beach, Buttermere or Bath’s Royal Crescent – and photograph the reality of what you find there. You could focus on traffic  jams or lines of tourists snapping the view with iPads at arms’ length. How about capturing the view as seen through the window of a café or car? In the example here (see left), we focused on the small plastic statues of Michelangelo’s David that adorn the tourist shops of Florence, Italy. It was an unusual and original way to explore the popular photo destination with a camera. Capture a real sense of place, warts and all A tourist guide with a twist 47   www.digitalcameraworld.com 52 You can now subscribe to Britain’s best-selling photography magazine in one discounted package... Visit www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/DCMSUBS Digital Camera   March 2015 UK SUBSCRIPTION OFFER SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL CAMERA TODAY Take out a digital subscription to Digital Camera to enjoy interactive content, video tuition, galleries and more. Enjoy each issue on your Apple device so you will never be without the latest issue. Reasons to subscribe   Interactive content including videos and galleries  Digital versions of all gifts included with the Print edition From £20.49 Your subscription will then continue at £20.49 every six months. Offer applies to iOS edition for Apple devices; for other devices, visit your platform storefront. Quote code DIGITAL15 Take out a bundle package to Digital Camera to enjoy the latest news, techniques and inspiration, both in print delivered to your door and a digital edition. Read your mag how you want, when you want.   Reasons to subscribe   Includes FREE Manfrotto bag! (new subscribers only)  Choose when and how to read your magazine From £28.49 Your subscription will then continue at £28.49 every six months, saving 28% on the shop price and giving you a 85% discount on a digital subscription. Quote code DCBUNDLE15 PrintDigital OFFER 1OFFER 2OFFER 3 Print & Digital Take out a print subscription to Digital Camera to receive the latest tips, techniques and inspiration. The Print edition comes with a video disc plus other great gifts like our popular tips cards. Reasons to subscribe   Includes FREE Manfrotto bag! (new subscribers only)  Free gifts in each issue, including your video disc From £23.49 Your subscription will then continue at £23.49 every six months, saving 28%. Save 35% if you take out a two-year subscription: see website for details. Quote code DCPRINT15 SAVE UP TO 45% Subscribe to SAVE 61%! SAVE UP TO 35% www.digitalcameraworld.com Gift worth   With our UK Print and   Bundle subscriptions; new   subscribers only £69 99   Prices and savings quoted are compared to buying full priced UK print and digital issues. You will receive 13 issues in a year. If you are dissatisfied in any way you can write to us or call us to cancel your subscription at any time and we will refund you for all unmailed issues. Prices correct at point of print and subject to change. Gift is subject to availability. Please allow up to 60 days for the delivery of your gift. For full terms and conditions please visit myfavm.ag/magterms. Offer ends 15th March 2015. How to claim your Manfrotto bag Visit  www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/DCMSUBS Or call  0844 848 2852 and quote DCPRINT15, DIGITAL15, DCBUNDLE15, or UPPBUNDLE NEW UK BUNDLE PACKAGE SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL CAMERA TODAY March 2015 Digital Camera Take out our Ultimate Photographer’s Pack offer and enjoy a Digital Camera subscription, plus more goodies worth a total of £307! The pack includes   A 1-year subscription to Digital Camera, in both print and digital  A 1-year subscription to Photography Week, the world’s best-selling digital photo magazine  Teach Yourself Photography DVD  A Complete Guide to Your Camera handbook  Manfrotto Agile I Sling bag worth £69.99 This offer is for new UK subscribers only. Based on a 1-year subscription, saving 38% on the shop price and giving you a 61% discount on a digital subscription. Prices and savings based on UK print and digital issues. Quote code UPPBUNDLE OFFER 4 Ultimate Photographer’s Pack 53 FREE gift worth *With our Print, Bundle and Ultimate packages; new UK subscribers only £69.99 * The Manfrotto Agile I Sling is available with Print, Bundle & Ultimate subscriptions to Digital Camera for new UK customers only. The Manfrotto Agile I Sling bag is perfect for on-the-go shooters. It’s designed to fit your SLR with up to 18-105mm lens attached, plus one or two lenses and accessories. There is even a compartment for your personal items (books, sunglasses, etc). The Agile I Sling provides straps on the front to secure your tripod, with a quick-draw flap for easy access to your SLR. Due to the demand for this offer, there may be a delay in delivering your bag. We’ll get it to you as soon as we can. This will not affect the rest of your subscription. ALL THIS FOR JUST £84.99 March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com 70  Photo Anatomy Pro photographer Ruth Asher talks us through her cliff-edge shot THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS 56  Core Skills Create a super-sharp macro shot from multiple images when you get to grips with focus-stacking 60  Creative Zone Using a tub of paint, a flashgun and a ceramic cooking dish, create an abstract work of art 62  Photo Recipes Scott Kelby reveals his top wedding shooting tips and tricks in his  Digital Camera  debut feature 66  Back to Basics Learn to expose shots more accurately as we tell you all you need to know about metering 69  Gear Hacks Make your own low-cost macro lens from a lens you already own and a DIY extension tube Your complete camera skills improvement plan O H SOT ! SLR CAMERA SKILLS 55 SLR CAMERA SKILLS www digit lc mer world com Digital Camera   March 2015 56 Claire Gillo  reveals how you can extend the depth of field on your favourite lens by shooting and blending multiple images  STACK FOR SHARPNESS CORE SKILLS Focus-stacking is a crafty photographic method that will help you extend depth of field in your close-ups. With macro photography, it’s difficult to create a deep depth of field. Even with small apertures such as f/16, you simply won’t be able to get an image fully sharp from front to back. The idea behind focus-stacking is to shoot a set of images (nine in this case) from exactly the same position, but with a different point of focus between each shot. You’ll end up with lots of shots but these can be combined in image-editing software to create one super-sharp macro shot. There’s a bunch of programs you can use to edit the final result, but for this project, we used Photoshop CC – if you want to go one step further, it’s worth downloading a free 30-day trial of the specialist tool Zerene Stacker ( www.zerenesystems.com ). To try out focus-stacking for yourself, you’ll need to get hold of a macro lens, a tripod and a subject to shoot. A tripod is vital, as you’ll need to align the final images at the image editing stage, so it’s crucial the composition doesn’t change between shots. If you’re serious about focus- stacking, you could use a focus rack to precisely alter the focus between shots, but if you’re just experimenting with the technique, gently turning the focus ring between shots will get perfectly good results. We shot a small toy car in natural light using a small reflector to bounce some light back into the shadows. Read on to find out how it’s done...     C      l    a      i    r    e     G      i      l      l    o PHOTO SCIENCE Why this shot works 1  The car has been shot at a slight angle and is pinpoint-sharp from front to back, revealing all the detail. 2 The dark slate base creates a pleasing platform for the car to sit on. Teamed with the blurred background, it helps isolate the car within the space. 3  The shot was taken using natural light and a reflector to bounce light back into the shadows. 1 2 3 March 2015 Digital amera ww digitalcameraworld com 57 SLR CAMERA SKILLS SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.com 58 Digital Camera   March 2015 HOW TO SET UP YOUR FOCUS STACK Getting a series of rock-solid shots is vital for focus-stacking 2   Manual control   It’s best to shoot in Manual mode, so you’re in complete control. When it comes to the editing stage later, you’ll want your images to match up exactly, so it’s best to keep the exposure settings the same throughout the shoot. Start by setting your aperture to f/8. At this setting, you shouldn’t encounter any diffraction issues. Next, set the ISO low – we had ours set to ISO 100 – then balance the shutter speed to the other two exposure settings. 1   Camera support   Start by mounting your camera on a tripod. It’s important you keep the camera in the same position throughout the sequence of shots, so you can easily edit them together. A tripod also enables you to shoot using a slow shutter speed, so you can keep your ISO setting low to eliminate noise. At this stage, you also need to be thinking about light and check for any distracting shadows. We popped in a reflector and wedged it in place to eliminate distractions. 59 SLR CAMERA SKILLS March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com EXPERT ADVICE Combine your images using Photoshop and Camera Raw Prepare the files Open the raw files into Camera Raw and batch- process your adjustments. Next, open all the files in Photoshop. Navigate to the first image and import the rest into this document. To do this, go to File > Script > Load Files Into Stack, then click Add Open Files in the resulting dialog box. The software might take some time doing this. Align the layers Once all the files are successfully imported, we need to align the layers together. To do this, highlight all the layers in the stack and go to Edit > Auto-Align Layers. Like the earlier stacking procedure, it will take a few moments to complete this job, so be patient. Blend the images To blend the layers and make your subject sharp from front to back, go to Edit > Auto-Blend Layers and select the Stack Images option. Photoshop will do all the hard work for you. It’s best to flatten the image afterwards. We added a retro look using Curves and Gradient Map adjustment layers. 3 Frame the shot Next switch on Live View and frame up your shot. You want to make sure the background has no distracting elements, and is far enough away to blur out and isolate your subject. It helps to use the rule of thirds to aid the composition and leave some foreground space. 4   Nudge and shoot   When your SLR’s shutter fires, it flips up the mirror to redirect the light entering the lens onto the sensor instead of the viewfinder (which is why the viewfinder goes dark during a long exposure). The movement of the mirror during this manoeuvre can cause vibrations that move the camera during the exposure, creating blur. To prevent this, set your camera to mirror lock-up mode. Pressing the shutter release can also cause minute camera movements, so attach a remote shutter release if you have one. If you don’t, use your camera’s self-timer. MANUAL FOCUSNUDGING FOCUS 60 SLR CAMERA SKILLS Digital Camera   March 2015 60 CREATIVE ZONE Claire Gillo shows how to use a tub of black paint to create an arty abstract masterpiece  Paint it black Abstract art and photography have a close relationship. Since cameras were invented, painters and photographers have combined both media to create stunning results. If you're not much of a painter, don’t worry: you don’t need any painting skills to try out this simple project, only a little creativity and imagination to get the ball rolling. You'll also need to get hold of a tub of black paint (we found ours in our local supermarket) and a white dish. Other essential items are a tripod, flashgun and a jug of water. If you fancy a more colourful result, don’t feel restricted to just black. Think of colours that mix well: for example, yellow and blue to make green, or yellow and red to make orange. For our final image, we assembled 16 shots in Photoshop to show the sequence of the changing of paint from start to finish. It helps to shoot a few extra shots so you have more to work with at the editing stage. It’s also worth shooting in raw so you can batch-convert your images to black and white in Camera Raw, and also make any final tweaks to exposure and contrast.   How to… Create a work of art at home Shoot a sequence and assemble it in Photoshop Camera and flash set-up Mount your camera onto a tripod and frame the dish from a bird’s-eye view. Place a flashgun next to the dish and angle the head up to bounce the light for an even distribution. Put your camera into its Manual shooting mode. Set the shutter to 1/250 sec and the ISO to 100, then balance the aperture setting with the flash intensity. 1 3 2 Combine the images Create a new document and use the Rectangle tool to create a 4x4 grid. One at a time, import each image then position its icon in the Layers panel so it’s above a rectangle. Right-click the image icon in the Layers panel and select Create Clipping Mask from the menu that appears. Press Ctrl/Cmd+T to make the image fit the space. Mix paint and water Take an image of the dish empty. Keep shooting as you add some drops of paint, and then a little water. Pour the water away and place the dish back, then use a pen to disturb the paint blobs, shooting all the while. When you’re done, open the shots in Camera Raw. Click Select All and then Convert to Grayscale. Open all your files in the main editor. Focus on the dish, then keep shooting as you swirl paint and water around.   SLR CAMERA   SKILLS March 2015 Digital amera ww digitalcameraworld com   Digital Camera   March 2015 PHOTO RECIPES Photo guru Scott Kelby  starts a new series in which he reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets of some his greatest shots   I’m so excited to launch this new column in Digital Camer  a – a magazine I’ve been a fan of for years. Photo Recipes is inspired by the most popular chapter in my series The Digital Photography Book , where I show a photo, then discuss how to take a similar shot. Here, though, I can share behind-the- scenes photos, even post-processing. To kick off, we’re going to do a simple one-light bridal portrait. Keeping it simple is ideal because it lowers your stress level – and the bride’s. By just using one light, you can focus on emotion and expression. This beautiful small church had a short hallway. The doors were a vivid red I thought would contrast beautifully with Here comes the bride www.digitalcameraworld.com 63 SLR CAMERA SKILLS our bride’s white dress and pinkish bouquet. Our lighting set-up is just one flash head running off a portable battery pack, but you could just as easily use a hotshoe flash. We used an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra kit, which consists of a light battery pack and a small flash head. This is one of my go-to rigs for location lighting: you get much brighter light than you would with a hotshoe flash, and its built-in wireless trigger lets me control the power of the strobe from my camera. Brad Moore assisted me on the shoot (and took all the behind-the-scenes shots), but we also hired a second assistant, Billy, who slung the battery pack over his shoulder and carry it for hours without it getting too heavy. It’s perfect for shoots like this. STEP BY STEP Shooting with a single light How Scott set up two distinctive shots with just one strobe 1   The hallway Here’s a view of the hallway with red doors I was talking about. It’s actually much darker in the church than Brad’s shots show – especially in the hallway, which was just lit with a few harsh overhead floods. I would vary my camera height, either sitting or standing between the pews, depending if I was zooming in tight, or going for a more full-length shot (where I would sit to get a lower perspective). I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens. I prefer to shoot at the long end of the lens (all the way to 200mm if I can) to get more pleasing lens compression. 2   Hiding the light Finding a place to hide the softbox was a challenge in this tight hallway. Billy tucked himself inside a closet doorway to keep the softbox from extending into the frame. If you look at this behind-the-scenes image, you can see me sitting in the pews, quite a-ways back from our bride — that way I could capture a full-length shot. For shoots like this, we normally use a monopod rather than a lightstand with legs – it’s easier to ‘run and gun’. Since we started our shoot with a lightstand, we just kind of picked it up and kept shooting. 3   Shot #1 The position of the light was pretty standard: we set it at around a 45° angle from the bride, took it up higher than her and aimed it down at her. What we spent most of our time doing was trying to keep the light from bouncing everywhere inside the small hallway. Depending on how we aimed the light, you would see a bright spot on the red door she’s leaning against, so we kept trying to rotate the softbox just an inch or so in either direction until we could minimise it. Yes, I probably could have easily done it in Photoshop, but I hate having to ‘fix’ something in Photoshop I should have gotten right in-camera. December 2014 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com 64 SLR CAMERA SKILLS Digital Camera   March 2015 Light picks up the colour of whatever it hits, so when white light hits a red door, it reflects red light. Once I saw the colour image of the bride backlit, it looked very red from the reflected light, so I knew right away that it was a candidate for being converted into a black-and- white image. This is a trick I learned from Brad Moore, who shoots a lot of concerts. When the lighting is bad, or the singer or guitar player is lit with an awful green light, he knows to make it a black-and-white shot, and then the colour problem goes away. Converting to black and white I used Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-in for Photoshop to convert the image to black and white. My three favourite presets of theirs are Full Spectrum, Fine Art Process and High Structure Smooth, so I usually wind up choosing one of these three. Adding the duotone look Once I converted the image to mono, I added a Duotone look in Lightroom using the Split Toning panel. I only moved the Shadow controls, putting Hue at 25 and Saturation at 21. Don’t touch Highlights or Balance. It works wonders (and prints beautifully). POST-PRODUCTION MONOTONE AND DUOTONE 4   Backlighting the bride Once I had the full-length shot, I wanted a backlit look. I left the bride in the same spot while Billy took the strobe and softbox to the other end of the hallway. Otherwise it was pretty much the same set-up — 45°-ish angle, up high aiming down. I cranked up the light power. I wanted not just to put a rim of light around her shoulders, but also to spill over. I asked the bride to turn her head and body toward the light. Had she been looking the other way, we wouldn’t have had enough light spilling onto her face. 5   Shot #2 The only thing I had to really do with settings was to try different shutter speeds until I found one that let some of the existing light in the hallway blend with the light from my flash. In this case, after trying everything from 1/200 sec to 1/30 sec, 1/80 sec seemed to do the trick. My ISO was set at 100 (the cleanest choice on my camera), and my aperture was f/5 so that I could have the background a little bit out of focus. Using such a wide-open aperture meant keeping the light at less than a quarter of its power most of the time. www.digitalcameraworld.com SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.com 65 March 2015 Digital Camera Avoid camera shake You must use a tripod or other solid support to ensure there is no camera movement during the exposure. Make sure the tripod won’t be subject to any vibrations from the wind. Turn off any anti-shake features on the lens and camera. Expose manually Bulb is a fully manual mode, so you need to determine the correct exposure. You can do this by trial and error and checking the histogram; alternatively, take a meter reading at maximum aperture and a high ISO, then work out the exposure time. Use a remote release A remote shutter release with a lock facility is the best way of keeping the shutter open. The exposure is ended by releasing the lock. Some remotes have an integrated timer that allows you to set the exposure duration, but you can use a watch. How to… USE BULB MODE TO MAKE LONG EXPOSURES Set up your camera so that it’s protected from vibration, then expose 2 1  3 Mark Hamblin  shows you how Bulb helps you take control of exposures A light bulb moment When you take a shot using one of your camera’s automatic metering modes such as Aperture Priority, the longest shutter speed setting available is 󰀳󰀰 seconds. For most lighting situations, this is more than enough to record an image – but there are times you’ll need to make much longer exposures. This is where the the Bulb exposure mode comes in. This setting allows you to manually hold the shutter open for as long as required, enabling exposures of several minutes or even hours to be made. Typical subjects that would require using Bulb mode include star trails, night scenes, vehicle light trails, firework displays and lightning. You may also want to use Bulb when using a strong neutral-density filter, to extend the exposure time in order to blur clouds or water. Bulb mode is accessed on most cameras either by a designated exposure mode setting, often displayed as ‘B’ on the shooting dial, or via the Manual exposure mode by scrolling one click below ‘󰀳󰀰 seconds’ to display ‘BULB’. In Bulb mode, the shutter remains open for as long as the shutter release button is depressed. You can do this using your finger, but it may cause camera shake. Use a remote shutter release instead. “Bulb allows you to manually hold the shutter open for as long as required, enabling exposures of several minutes” Mark Hamblin This is a 15-minute exposure taken in the light of a full moon – note the discrete star trails. SLR DISCOVERIES SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 66 BACK TO BASICS mid-tone range. For instance, a swan in a snowy field will reflect much more light, while a black cat in a coal cellar reflects much less. This is why photos of these subjects can look too dark or too bright: the metering system is trying to bring the overall exposure closer to mid-tone grey. The exposure for the swan will be decreased, so it comes out looking dull and grey, while the exposure for the black cat will be increased, so it comes out looking washed out and grey. There are a range of variables that have an effect on the exposure, including the metering mode being used. My camera has a number of metering modes – how do they differ?  Digital cameras typically have three metering modes. The default What the camera meter does  When it’s likely to  get things wrong  How you can correct the exposure WHAT YOU’LL LEARN THIS MONTH     M    a    r    c    u    s     H    a    w      k      i    n    s The first step to getting better exposures is to understand how your camera’s metering system interprets a scene. Marcus Hawkins  explains…  What the hell is... METERING? ‘pattern’ metering mode takes a range of readings across the entire picture, then calculates the optimum exposure according to the brightness of the scene or subject. Each camera manufacturer has its own take on this pattern metering mode – Canon calls it Evaluative, while Nikon plumps for Matrix – but they effectively do the same thing. The idea is that you shouldn’t have to tweak the exposure, as the camera has effectively applied its own exposure compensation. That white swan? It should come out closer to white when you use pattern metering. In reality, though, this metering mode isn’t a magic bullet: low light, excessively bright or dark subjects or ones that are very small in the frame can still throw the metering out, and you may need to apply some exposure correction to get the right result. Your camera also comes with a centre-weighted metering mode. As the name suggests, this meters the whole scene but gives priority to the centre of the frame. It’s a throwback to the days of film photography and doesn’t make any adjustment to the exposure itself. Finally, there’s spot-metering. This measures the brightness in a very small part of the frame. This is a great option when you want to lock the exposure on a small subject, or to take a number of readings from across a scene and then calculate the optimum exposure yourself. What does a camera meter actually do?  The meter measures a subject’s brightness so that the camera can determine how long the sensor needs to be exposed to record a picture. The problem is that the metering system doesn’t always work flawlessly, and you may end up with pictures that are either too dark or too bright. For more refined results, you can correct these errors using exposure compensation, or dial in the exposure settings – aperture, shutter speed and ISO – manually. Why does the meter get things wrong?  Camera meters are calibrated to what’s called ‘󰀱󰀸󰀥 grey’. The theory is that a mid-tone grey, halfway between black and white, reflects 󰀱󰀸󰀥 of the light falling on it. Point your camera at a grey card or a rough mid-tone equivalent, such as a field of grass or a pavement, and the camera will produce a well-exposed result. Obviously, not everything you photograph falls neatly into this “The metering system doesn’t always work flawlessly, and you may end up with pictures that are either too dark or too bright” ESSENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS   STEP BY STEP CORRECTLY METERED WRONGLY METERED 67 SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera   The meter in your camera is what’s known as a reflective light meter. Rather than measuring the lighting directly, it measures the light reflected by an area covered by the metering pattern. To activate the meter, tap the shutter release: when the camera’s set to one of its scene or semi-automatic shooting modes, the suggested exposure will appear at the bottom of the viewfinder. In Manual mode, you have to enter the exposure values yourself, but the exposure scale in the viewfinder indicates how much the subject being metered is being over- or underexposed. The tonality of the subject being metered makes a big difference to the exposure reading. The camera meter is calibrated to target 18% reflectance – roughly the amount of light reflected by a mid-tone subject – so anything that reflects significantly less or more light than this can cause problems. EXPLAINED   HOW THE CAMERA METER WORKS EXPLAINED   WHEN METERING GOES WRONG Lightly tap the shutter release to take a reading  Dark or light subjects can easily fox the system     L     I     G     H     T     S     U     B     J     E     C     T     M     I     D   -     T     O     N     E     S     D     A     R     K     S     U     B     J     E     C     T     I      l      l    u    s     t    r    a     t      i    o    n    s      b    y     A    n      d    y     M    c     L    a    u     g      h      l      i    n 1 Light source For the meter to work, there needs to be at least some incidental light. 2 Reflected light The camera measures how much light is being reflected into the lens. A dark subject in a dark scene reflects relatively little light. The camera sees a mid-tone subject receiving too little light. The camera incorrectly increases the exposure. The camera incorrectly reduces the exposure. As a result, the camera makes no adjustment to the exposure. The camera sees as a mid-tone subject receiving too much light. This matches what the camera meter is calibrated for. A light subject in a bright scene reflects much more light. A neutral grey subject reflects about 18% of the light. 3 Reflected light reading  The camera suggests an exposure based on the light reading and the ISO setting. 68 SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 What does ‘taking a reading’ mean?  This simply means pointing the lens at a scene or a detail within it, then lightly pressing the shutter release button to activate the camera’s metering system. The aperture and shutter speed will appear in the viewfinder to indicate the exposure, and you can either lock this in by pressing the exposure lock button on the back of the camera, or switch to Manual mode and dial in those settings. This leaves you free to change the composition of a scene after metering, while keeping the exposure consistent. Usually, taking a reading is done with the spot-meter, as this offers more precision, although you will need a good eye for judging tonal values to get the best results. If you take a reading from an area that’s brighter or darker than a mid-tone, you may need to apply exposure Centre-weighted metering  This mode meters the whole picture, but with a bias towards the centre of the image.   About 80% of the exposure is based on the middle of the frame.   The camera doesn’t take distance and focusing into account, so a greater degree of exposure compensation may be required. Pattern metering  Each manufacturer has their own branded pattern metering system, but they work in broadly the same way.   The scene is divided into a range of smaller zones, with the camera comparing the readings taken from each area.   The camera knows where the lens is being focused – and therefore where the main subject is likely to be – and adjusts the exposure accordingly. Spot-metering  Spot-metering enables precise readings, but needs to be correctly targeted.   Some cameras have the spot-meter linked to the active AF point, while others have it fixed permanently to the centre AF point.   Be careful where you point: if it’s not mid-tone, you may need tcompensation. Alternative metering  In addition to these universal metering modes, some cameras offer alternatives.   Canon SLRs include a partial metering mode, which acts like a larger spot-meter.   Some Nikons offer an average metering mode. This takes the entire frame into account without any bias towards the centre. The exposure reading you get depends on the metering mode you select. Some modes take the entire scene into account, while others only measure a tiny part of the bigger picture. EXPLAINED   METERING PATTERNS compensation to avoid underexposing or overexposing the picture. Where do I find the exposure compensation control?  You’ll find this in the camera’s shooting menu or on its control screen. The majority of models have an exposure compensation button, too: press the button marked ‘󰀫/-’ and turn the camera’s control dial left or right to make adjustments. Some cameras let you do this without having to press the button first. Look through the viewfinder or check the rear display as you make adjustments, and you’ll see an indicator move along the exposure scale. When it moves towards the ‘󰀫’ end, the area you’re metering will be made brighter; move it in the opposite direction to make the area darker. When it’s centred, the metered area will rendered as a mid-tone value. How metering modes measure light in different ways To see if the camera meter has interpreted the scene correctly, you need to check the histogram. You can do this when you review an image or if you’re shooting in Live View. The horizontal axis of the display indicates shadows on the left, bright areas on the right and mid-tones in the middle, while the shape and size of the histogram shows how the camera’s metering system has interpreted the scene. If you’re shooting a bright scene and the histogram isn’t towards the right (bright) side of the graph, dial in some positive exposure compensation and re-take the shot. The reverse is true for dark subjects. Avoid pushing the histogram off the edges. HOW TO CHECK THE BRIGHTNESS     M    a    r    c    u    s     H    a    w      k      i    n    s 69 SLR C M ERA SKILLS March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com GEAR HACKS 1 2 5 6 3 4 Let’s get closer Alastair Jennings  helps you bring out detail with an easy-to-make DIY macro lens If macro photography is your passion, spending a few hundred pounds on a decent macro lens is a must. Altertnatively, you could get an extension tube or a close-up filter to enlarge your subject. But what if you want to get really close to your subject without the expense, perhaps just to try macro out? It’s surprisingly easy to convert a standard lens into a macro, using nothing more than a cardboard tube, an old camera body cap and some tape…   Set the aperture On the back of the lens is a lever that camera uses to set the aperture. Position it so that the aperture is fully open and fix it with tape. Start shooting! In your camera’s menu, activate the setting that enables the camera to shoot without a lens. Fix the camera on a tripod, set to Manual and take a few test shots. Fit the lens Use insulation tape to stick the body cap inside the tube. With the front of the lens facing the tube, tape it in place so the end that usually fits onto the camera is exposed. Prepare the tube Cut the tube to about 15cm: this will vary depending on your lens you use, but it’s a good starting length. To stop light from bouncing around, stick black paper inside. Make a camera fitting  Start with a way to attach the lens to the camera. Find an old body cap. Drill a few holes on the inside, then use a small saw or a file to create an aperture in the middle. Find a tube We need distance between the sensor and lens to extend the focal length. Find a cardboard tube with roughly the same diameter as the body cap. ALI’S TOP TIP  When you shoot, you'll need to adjust the shutter speed to get the correct exposure. To focus, change the camera's distance from the subject. SLR CAMERA SKILLS www.digitalcameraworld.com 70 Digital Camera   March 2015     R    u     t      h     A    s      h    e    r PHOTO ANATOMY  A LIFE AT SEA “When recording long exposures like this, it’s always best to block the viewfinder to prevent stray light from spoiling the image. Try to do this even if you’re using Live View to frame and focus your images.” Ben Brain, editor EXPERT TIP Location Ruth took this shot of nesting gannets at Hermaness National Nature Reserve on Unst in Shetland, Scotland. The most northerly point of Britain offers one of the country’s best seabird spectacles, with 60% of the world’s gannet population (around 16,000 pairs) reportedly breeding here. Cool blue “The colour cast is partly due to the fact that this rock was in the shadow of surrounding rocks, and it was towards the end of the day. The sky was cloudy and there was no golden light, ” says Ruth. “But the main contributor to the colour was the Lee Big Stopper. This filter tends to cool down the image. I recorded the image in raw using a Daylight white balance. I was happy with the results, so I didn’t alter the colour temperature when I processed the shot.” Wildlife photographer Ruth Asher  reveals the story behind her spectacular cliff-edge shot 71 SLR CAMERA SKILLS March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com Shutter speed To exaggerate the motion of the crashing Atlantic waves below, Ruth used an exposure of 266.3 seconds at f/16, ISO 100. The slow shutter speed, achieved with the use of a Lee Big Stopper ND filter, provides a ice-smooth backdrop to the craggy cliffs and stacks. Challenge Ruth says the biggest challenge in making the picture was the use of an exceedingly long shutter speed while perched on top of a blustery cliff edge. “I had the tripod set very low and attached my camera bag to it to minimise camera shake,” she says. “My other concern was whether there would be too much movement with the birds, but this was taken at the end of the day when the gannets were roosting with their chicks, so it didn’t turn out to be much of an issue in the end.” Equipment Wildlife photography doesn’t always require expensive long lenses and the latest camera bodies. Here, Ruth used her Nikon D90 with a Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens at a focal length of 42mm. A Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 tripod fitted with a Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head and a Nikon MC-DC2 remote cord kept the camera steady. 72 The Photo Fixer Claire Gillo  helps reader Richard Norman capture brilliant light trails in the heart of the city “I’ve owned a Canon 600D for two years, along with 18–70mm zoom and 50mm prime lenses. I would welcome the opportunity to get some tips from a pro to help me progress. I love to shoot a variety of subject matter, from macro images to lowlight city scenes. Please can you help me out and give me some tips?” Richard Norman,  Bristol     L    o    c    a     t      i    o    n    s      h    o     t    s    :     J    a    m    e    s     P    a     t    e    r    s    o    n HELP ME TO CAPTURE BETTER LIGHT TRAILS Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WE ANSWER A READER SOS 73 The Photo Fixer A fter the sun has set, cities take on a different character, and are full of opportunities to capture creative photographs. Ordinary scenes of dull grey buildings and roads are transformed into magical spaces where lights whizz by. By simply slowing the shutter speed setting on your camera, you can capture traffic trails from cars and other vehicles. Richard was keen to perfect his light trail photography and also get some general tips to help him advance. Richard’s photographic knowledge has been self-taught over the past four years, so he was happy to break out of his comfort zone and get some hands-on advice. Richard came prepared for the shoot with his tripod and a remote shutter release… I met Richard after he finished work, on a chilly winter’s night in the centre of Bristol. Finding the right location for a shoot like this is key – but luckily, Richard and I are both local to the area, so we know where the photo hotspots are dotted around! I suggested that we start by photographing St Augustine’s Parade in the heart of the city. This popular location, next to Bristol’s Hippodrome theatre, has endless cars, bikes, people and buses passing by in the rush hour. The trick for shooting light trails is to have a steady flow of traffic – and people passing by can also add to the final result. You would usually aim to be on location for twilight when shooting light trails. This is the time after the sun has set but before the night sets in. You get a lovely blue tint to the sky that works well. Unfortunately, due to Richard’s work schedule, we arrived on location a little later than I would have hoped – but nevertheless we set off with plenty of enthusiasm. Slow down time Let there be light! Claire explains to Richard how to set up his camera and covers the basics of exposure settings. Richard has experimented with his photography, but needs to spend more time refining his skills and working up his compositions.  THE DIAGNOSIS March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com WE ANSWER A READER SOS 74 The Photo Fixer Essentials 3 Manual focusing and Live View To ensure you’re getting a sharp shot, engage Live View and use manual focus. (Autofocus would shift due to the moving traffic.) Zoom in on the back LCD screen to the 10x setting and navigate the screen over to the main focal point. Twist the focusing ring until the screen becomes sharp. 1 Keep it steady   A tripod is a must to keep your camera steady – but pressing the shutter button may well cause camera movement, so a remote shutter release is also a must. Finally, lock your camera’s mirror in the ‘up’ position to avoid unwanted vibration. If you’re using a CSC, or Live View on your SLR, this won't be an issue. 2 Slow shutter speed   To control the final outcome, put your camera into its Manual mode. Shooting moving lights can be tricky, so take a couple of test shots to get an idea of your exposure settings. Make sure the shutter speed is slow enough to capture the passing lights. Eight seconds is a good point to start from, then adjust it from there. When cars are still, the light trails effect won’t work. It can be effective to work up a composition from a central reservation.  PHOTO FIX #1 Get the timing right A t our first location, we mounted our cameras to our tripods and got ready to shoot. Although Richard already has a solid grasp of the basics of photography, we covered them again briefly, and also discussed the all-important shutter speed setting that was going to capture the moving lights. We started with an eight-second setting, then adjusted it accordingly depending on the result. Claire shows Richard how to set his camera up and expose the scene. SHOOTING ADVICE When you’re shooting moving traffic, it’s difficult to be able to calculate the correct exposure, so it’s important to review the histogram on your camera’s rear display after each shot. Richard wasn’t used to this feature on his camera but, as I explained to him, the problem with simply checking your shot on the LCD screen is that the image will look different when viewed under different light sources. Once we were happy that we had our exposure setting correct, we waited for some buses to pass by. Buses are particularly good for shooting light trails, as their high sides fill the frame. We had to time our shots and to make sure the traffic was continually flowing in each direction. After getting some decent results here, we decided to move on… Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WE ANSWER A READER SOS 75 The Photo Fixer For our final location, we headed down to the busy roads surrounding Cabot Circus. There were plenty of traffic lights, junctions and pedestrian crossings that could be used to our advantage. The traffic was starting to die down, so we needed to make the most of the end of rush hour to get a cracking shot. We managed to work up a couple of compositions from ground level – and at one point a police car drove past with its flashing lights that definitely added an extra cool touch. As we’d been working at ground level all evening, we thought it might be fun to finish with an aerial shot. We managed to find a location on top of a car park to get a bird’s-eye view of the scene below. We were limited in where we could compose the shot from, however, as the barriers surrounding the car park were high. We also had to wait a few moments to make sure the cars were moving in both directions to capture the red and white light trails. But the new perspective really helped the shots.   PHOTO FIX #2 Round the corner  PHOTO FIX # 3 A different angle O ur second location was Park Street, which has a long straight hill. Richard has tried to capture light trails here, but has struggled. It’s a difficult location because there are no corners! Bends in the road move the light trails through the frame, so you can get a more pleasing composition. Richard tends to come in too tight with his framing, but I explained that it’s important to leave negative space for the vehicles to drive into. After trying a few compositions, we weren’t happy with the results, so I suggested we try some zoom burst effects. Richard’s 󰀱󰀸–󰀷󰀰mm lens is perfect for this type of effect. To shoot a zoom burst, you need to use a much faster shutter speed, say 󰀱/󰀴 sec, and simply twist the lens as you take the shot. The straight road on Park Street wasn’t giving us much to play with, so we opted to move to another location with corners. Scenes from above offer great opportunity when it comes to shooting light trails. Make sure there is moving traffic in all directions to get the shot to work. Did we fix Richard’s pics?   Turn over to see the results... March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com WE ANSWER A READER SOS 76 The Photo Fixer This image shows how waiting for a bus makes all the difference! Richard has really nailed the timing of this shot and the colour streaks from the high bus fill the frame. The Photo Fixer Claire Gillo  says Richard clearly has a passion for photography, and he isn’t afraid to try out new ideas. When it comes to composing his night shots, he should spend time experimenting with different angles and approaches, remembering to leave negative space in the frame for the cars and buses to drive into. Richard should have more confidence in his technical ability, as he has a good understanding of the basics and just needs to put into practice what he knows. To Reader Richard Norman  says Previously I have always thought of ISO, shutter speed and aperture as individual settings. Claire really helped me bring the three together and understand how they all work in conjunction with each other. I never really paid too much attention to my histogram either, but by looking at it as we were shooting, I’ve managed to improve my shots in-camera rather than relying on fixing them in Photoshop. I tend to go out and shoot on my own, but had so much fun being on location with like-minded people. I will definitely look into joining a camera club. make progress, he needs to keep his camera in the Manual shooting mode so he’s always in complete control – and he needs to remember to keep checking his main focal point is sharp when using the manual focus setting. As we discussed on the night of the shoot, Richard would greatly benefit from  joining a camera club or hanging out with like- minded photographers so he can develop his work. Richard should be start to contextualise his images and may find it useful to work on a personal project to give his photography some direction. As time goes by... THE VERDICT Do you need help? How you can contact The Photo Fixer for assistance Could your photography get better with the help of an experienced expert? Is there an area of photography you’d like to know more about? If you think you could benefit from a day out with the Digital Camera  experts, send us an email at digitalcamera@ futurenet.com . Please put ’Photo Fixer’ in the subject line, and tell us about your favourite subjects, which area of your photography you’d like to improve and what camera kit you own. Please include  your address and a daytime  phone number.  P  H O  T O    F  I  X  E  D ! Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com Learn Photoshop now with our expert tutorials, free video lessons and inspirational galleries www.digitalcameraworld.com OUT NOW FOR YOUR DEVICE www.digitalcameraworld.com LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY! 7 things you didn’t know about  RAW   Issue 46 January 2015  Get a wider colour space, rich tones and instant effects with ACR’s hidden features FREE VIDEO TUTORIALS! INCLUDES www.digitalcameraworld.com LEARN PHOTOSHOP CC & LIGHTROOM THE EASY WAY! 7 things you didn’t know about  RAW   Issue46January2015  Get a wider colour space, rich tones and instant effects with ACR’s hidden features FREE VIDEO TUTORIALS! INCLUDES http://bit.ly/11TvTiR bit.ly/ppgoogleplay http://bit.ly/1vzx93I 79 March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com presents… Photoshop School 82 80 84 84 The Adobe ®  Photoshop ®  guide for photographers ® 80   Teach Yourself Lightroom: Share your photos 80 Create a photo book 81 Create a slide show 82 Make a triptych 83 Make an online portfolio 84   Photoshop Basics: Sharpen a raw file Using Photoshop Elements, learn how to sharpen a raw file to enhance detail and boost impact THIS MONTH… TEACH YOURSELF LIGHTROOM Photoshop School www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 80 Treasure your favourite images or make a fantastic gift when you turn a collection of images into a printed book with bespoke design Create a Collection 1 Before adding photos to a book it helps to gather them into a Collection. Go to the Collections panel in the Library module and press the + icon. Choose Create Collection. Give the Collection a label (such as ‘Landscape Book Collection’). Tick the Set as Target Collection box. Click Create. Populate the Collection 2 Click any thumbnails you want to add to the Collection and press B to add them to the Target Collection. Choose eight of your landscape-themed photos (or any theme of your choice) for your Collection. Click the label for the Collection you made earlier to see your collected images. Add the images to a book 3 Click the Book module icon. Lightroom will work out which images you want to add to the book and prepare a layout. Here, it’s used a Standard Landscape layout with each image resized to 10x8 inches. Go to View and click Show Info Overlay to hide the distracting label (or press I). Customise your book 4 You can change the default image size and other attributes by going to the Book Settings panel. You can also change the Size drop-down menu to Large Landscape to create a book with 13x11-inch images. Watch our accompanying video for more tips on customising your photo book. STEP BY STEP Create a photo book “You have a choice of ways to make your book once it’s finished. By default it will export to Blurb, a third-party company that will print the book for a fee and post it to you. You can change the Book drop-down menu to produce a PDF or JPEG of your layout if you want to print the book elsewhere.” George Cairns, technique writer EXPERT TIP WHAT YOU’LL NEED Lightroom 5 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Make and design a book of your own photos, which you can then  get printed using Blurb IT ONLY TAKES 10 minutes WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video  o toshop School March 2015 Digital Camera SHARE YOUR PHOTOS 81 Use the Slideshow module to present a series of your stills you can watch whenever you like, or share with friends and family as a video Create a Collection 1 Start by going to the Library module’s Collections panel and clicking the + icon. Create a Collection with a name of your choice. Tick the Set as Target Collection box and click OK. Click some of your own in the Grid view and press B to add each one to your new Collection. Re-order the photos 2 Click the Slideshow label in the Module picker. The Collection’s thumbnails will be taken into the Slideshow module. Open the Filmstrip at the bottom to see contents. Set the Use drop-down menu to All Filmstrip Photos. Drag the thumbnails in the Filmstrip to re-order their sequence in the slide show. Customise the layout 3 Each image appears on its own page. If you tick Zoom to Fill Frame in the options bar, each photo is enlarged to fill the page. If that spoils your images, leave it unticked. In the Layout panel, tick Show Guides. You can drag a white margin to enlarge or shrink all of the photos at once. Play it back 4 Use the Playback panel to change the duration of each photo and their transitions. For sharp cuts, drop Fade to 0. Click Preview to test it. Click Create Saved Slideshow to store it in the Library module’s Collections panel. You can edit it later. You can also export the slide show as a PDF or a video. WHAT YOU’LL NEED Lightroom 5 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN How to create and customise a slideshow of your favourite photos IT ONLY TAKES Five minutes STEP BY STEP Create a slide s   ow www.digitalcameraworld.com Adobe Revel in bonus video O ur bonus video this issue (watch via www. bit.ly/dc161video ) shows how you can share your photos on social media platforms such as Facebook and Flickr. It also shows how to upload photos to Adobe Revel using a plug-in not provided with Lightroom. Please note that Adobe no longer offers this plug-in for download, so this technique will not work unless you had previously downloaded the WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video TEACH YOURSELF LIGHTROOM Photoshop School 82 Digital Camera   March 2015 Populate the cells 2 In the Rulers, Grid & Guides panel, set Grid Snap to Grid. Drag the cells into equally spaced positions in the middle of the page. From the Filmstrip view, drag a square image into each cell. Turn off Show Guides for a cleaner workspace. Add a black background from the Page panel. Turn it into a banner 4   Click Print to File to save the triptych. In the Library module, click Import and browse to the saved image. Click Import. Take the photo into the Develop module. Grab the Crop Frame tool. Click the padlock icon. Crop the photo to remove the large canvas and create a banner-shaped file. Add a border 3 Go to the Image Settings panel. Click the Inner Stroke box. Click its colour swatch and choose white. Set the stroke’s Width slider to 2.0 to separate the three photos from the black background. In the Print Job panel, set the Print To dropdown menu to JPEG. Create square cells 1   In the Print module, choose a landscape page from the Page Setup option. In the Layout Style panel, tick Custom Package. In the Cells panel, click a button’s triangular icon. Choose Edit. To create a square cell, type 3.00 x 3.00 inches. Click Add. Click the new 3x3 button to add two more cells. WHAT YOU’LL NEED Lightroom 5 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Align three images in the Print module and make a triptych IT ONLY TAKES 10 minutes START IMAGE PROVIDED Three triptych_start images Discover an easy way to present your photos in an artistic way as you use the Print module to place three images on a single page STEP BY STEP Make a triptych WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video www.digitalcameraworld.com Get even more Lightroom advice! T hese tutorials are from our 50-part course, Teach Yourself Lightroom. We’re running the full series in Digital Camera , but you can get the full course now. You can buy the digital book edition for £6.99 via Apple Newsstand; or buy the 50-part video edition as a DVD or an iPad app. If you want to buy the DVD, get it for just £11.99 (RRP £19.99), with the code MFMDVD * via http://bit.ly/tylrdvd . The iPad edition is £11.99 / $16.99 via the Specials tab of the Digital Camera app. * Voucher code offer does not apply to the book or book+DVD bundle.   Photoshop School March 2015 Digital Camera SHARE YOUR PHOTOS 83 Create a Collection 1   As with creating books or slide shows, it helps to gather the contents of your web gallery in a Collection. This time we’ll use the Painter tool to do this. In the Library module, go to the Collections panel and click the + icon. Choose Create Collection. Label it, tick Set as Target Collection box, and click Create. Add to the Collection 2   Click the Painter tool icon. Set its drop-down menu to Target Collection. Click the photos you want in the Grid view to add it to your new Collection. You’ll see the number by the Collection’s label increase as you click. The Painter can be set to adjust a variety of attributes, such as adding a star rating. Save the gallery 3 When you click a thumbnail, it will fill the screen and display the camera settings as a caption. If you’re happy with your gallery’s layout and captions, click the Create Saved Web Gallery button. Label your gallery. Click Create. You can access your saved gallery in Collections if you want to edit it. Upload the gallery 4 To upload your gallery to a hosting site’s FTP server, go to the Upload Settings panel and set the FTP Server drop-down menu to Edit. Type your hosting site’s FTP details and enter your user name and password. Click OK. You can then use the Web module’s Upload button to get your gallery online. STEP BY STEP Showcase your pictures in an interactive gallery using the tools and templates in Lightroom’s Web module Create an online photo portfolio Once you’ve saved your gallery in the Collections panel, experiment with other template layouts. You can access your original gallery at any time. Go to Web > Create New Web Gallery. Label it. Open the Template browser to the left of the Web module. As you move over the templates, you’ll see a preview of the layouts. Click a layout (such as Clean) to see how your photos look.” George Cairns, technique writer EXPERT TIP WHAT YOU’LL NEED Lightroom 5 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN How to design and upload a gallery to a website. You’ll need to be using a web hosting service IT ONLY TAKES 10 minutes www.digitalcameraworld.com WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video TEACH YOURSELF PHOTOSHOP 84 Photoshop School Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com Y   ou can improve the look of a photo by correcting its colours and contrast, but sharpening it can also help a lot. But while colour and contrast are quite easy to address, it can be a challenge to get your raw shots looking sharp. Many digital cameras have a built-in filter that gently blurs the image to avoid producing moiré patterns in busy textures. This low-pass filter can also soften important details such as facial features and create a photo that lacks impact. If you shoot with a wide aperture such as f/󰀲.8, key details may blur due to the resulting shallow depth of field, especially if your subject is close-up. What looks nice and sharp on the camera’s small LCD screen may turn out to look disappointingly soft when looked at on your PC’s big screen, or in print. Fortunately, Photoshop Elements has a range of sharpening tools that are designed to tease out delicate details in a soft-looking shot. These sharpening techniques work by increasing the contrast around the edges of details in the image, which gives them more impact. However, when you sharpen an image using Photoshop Elements, you run the risk of introducing unwanted artefacts. Here, we’ll show how to sharpen a raw file while keeping all these flaws at bay… Enhance texture and detail by sharpening your raw files while keeping unwanted artefacts to a minimum WHAT YOU’LL NEED Photoshop Elements 12 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN How to make a photo look sharper, and how to assess the changes you make IT ONLY TAKES   10 minutes START IMAGE PROVIDED sharpen_start.dng Sharpen a raw file to boost detail STEP BY STEP Zoom in 1 Open our tutorial image sharpen_start.dng in Photoshop Elements. Grab the Zoom tool and right-click to open a pop-up menu, then select the100% option to see the image at its actual size. Hold down the space bar and drag the image to close in on the eyes. Zero the sliders 2 Viewing one of your photos at 100% lets you properly assess the changes you’ll be making. Click the Detail tab and drag the four Sharpening sliders over to the left so you can see how soft the photo really is. Now let’s see how these sliders work… Recognise artefacts 3 Set Amount to 150. This increases the contrast around edges and makes them stand out more. Set Radius to 3. This increases the spread of the contrast change around the edges. These extreme settings make her skin pores stand out. WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video B E F O R E 85 Photoshop School SHARPEN A RAW FILE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com AFTER Reveal key details 4 Reduce Amount to 41 and Radius to 1.8. Tick Preview to toggle between a sharpened and unsharpened version of the image. Hold down Alt as you drag the Detail slider. The greyscale preview shows you what’s being sharpened. A value of 17 works well here. Mask out smooth areas 5 The Masking slider helps you protect clear areas such as the skin from sharpening. Hold down Alt and drag the Masking slider to the right to see a monochrome preview. The white areas show you which details are being sharpened. Set the Masking slider to 75. Finish editing 6 Click Done and the changes that you’ve made will be automatically stored with the file. You can still open it later and fine-tune the settings. Sharpening can create noise, which is why there’s also a Noise Reduction section in the Detail tab. 86 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Photo Advisor www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 CAMERA SKILLS Got a question or conundrum? Our expert Andrew James  will have an answer CAMERA SKILLS   Andrew says  It’s not long since I was ankle-deep in snow, photographing the wildlife in the South Atlantic – so I’m quite up to speed on this topic! Shutter speed is your primary consideration when it comes to how the snow is rendered. If you want typical ‘speckled’ falling snow, then you can use a faster shutter speed such as 󰀱/󰀲󰀵󰀰 sec; but if you want the snow to show as streaks, you need to drop the shutter speed down to 󰀱/󰀲󰀰󰀰 sec and slower. Either option is perfectly valid, as you can see from my two example images of elephant seals; but to my eye, the slanting snow created by the slower shutter speed (in this case 󰀱/󰀱󰀲󰀵 sec) in the left-hand shot is more evocative of the conditions in which the photo was taken, so that’s the one I prefer. There are a couple of other things you should note when photographing in the snow, David. For starters, you need to make sure that the falling snow isn’t settling on your lens: use a lens hood and try to position yourself so you are not directly in the line of fire. If possible, you should look for a darker background behind your subject, so the falling snow stands out against it. In heavily falling snow, you will also find that your camera’s autofocus system struggles to cope while you are using a long lens. In extreme conditions, you may have to opt for focusing SNOWFALL SECRETS Q I’ve seen wildlife photographs that show falling snow for extra atmosphere and want to try something similar this winter. How can I make the snowfall more obvious? David Wright Two ways to capture snow. Here, a relatively slow shutter speed blurs the snow to emphasise the conditions in which the shot was taken – but mind the subject doesn’t blur. This shot was taken with a much faster shutter speed, which has the effect of freezing the motion of the snow. The trick here is to make sure the large flakes don’t obscure the eyes. manually. That’s exactly what I had to do for my slower shutter speed shot – and it wasn’t easy in the cold weather! It’s also important to note that with a slow shutter speed and a long lens, you risk camera movement or subject movement spoiling your shot. I rested my camera and lens on my camera bag for my shot and gently squeezed the trigger. Fortunately elephant seals are fairly static, so I got away with it. Finally, you’ll find that the falling snow has a tendency to obscure the subject’s eyes, which are crucial in creating a shot that the viewer connects with. So either shoot a lot, as I did, in the hope that some frames aren’t too badly affected, or prepare to get busy with the Clone tool in Photoshop, to remove the specks over the eyes by hand! Got a photographic problem?  Send the details to [email protected] and let us provide you with a solution Photo Advisor 87 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Photo Advisor March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com o A LAYMAN’S GUIDE TO… OFF-CAMERA FLASH What is off-camera flash? Off-camera flash – also referred to as strobism – is simply the ability to remove a flashgun from a fixed attachment on the camera body, and fire it from a position away from the camera. Why bother with it? By freeing the flashgun from the camera, you open up a lot of creative possibilities. To explain all of them would require a lot of pages in this issue – but in a nutshell, off- camera flash allows you to modify, through direction and distance, the way the light affects your subject. Using flash light to supplement or boost ambient light when you’re out on location can help you take more effective photos. It is particularly popular for portraiture, allowing you to direct light more effectively and creatively over the face, as well as capturing more detail within a scene. What do I need to be able to do it? To start in off-camera flash, you need a camera, a separate flashgun, and a way of triggering the flashgun remotely. Some cameras have built-in wireless capabilities – but in most cases, either a cable or, even better, a separate flash trigger and receiver are used to communicate with and fire your flash light. There are many different types of flash triggers available – from cheap and cheerful ones to more expensive and complex versions, which also offer greater control over one flashgun or a whole group of separate flashguns. What are the settings I need? The precise camera settings vary from situation to situation. The only real way to start to understand how it works is to experiment, and look at the difference as you adjust power settings, angle of flash and distance from your subject. You can start with simple still-life set-ups, before moving onto portraits and other more challenging subjects later. How do your two shots differ? I’ve just taken the two shots as a very basic example of what off-camera flash can do. The left-hand shot is a perfectly exposed image of the subject, but with the flash attached to the camera’s hotshoe. This means that the angle of light is head-on to the fossil. While the flash has illuminated the subject sufficiently, the result is a flat and boring photo. Simply by removing the flashgun from the camera, positioning it at an acute angle to the subject and firing it via a wireless trigger, the result is a much more pleasing shot. It emphasises the textures of the fossil and makes the form appear much more three-dimensional. Whether it’s wired or wireless, an off-camera flash unit is far more useful for achieving optimum lighting than a flash on your camera’s hotshoe. Andrew’s shot using a flash attached to the camera hotshoe exposes the fossil well, but the object looks flat and dull, with few interesting features. Simply by moving the flash off to the side of the camera, the shot becomes much more interesting, with a well-defined form and enticing details. DIRECT FLASHANGLED FLASH Wireless flash triggers tried and tested See page 118 88 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Photo Advisor www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 Q   I recently tried photographing at an indoor market. None of my images really worked, as I couldn’t get a fast enough shutter speed. What was I doing wrong?   Sonya Redding  Andrew says As soon as you shoot in a low-light situation, you are giving yourself some extra details to deal with. Indoor markets in particular can be tough: not only are you dealing with the lack of light but you often have mixed artificial lighting and cramped conditions too. I’m a bit of a veteran of snapping indoor markets. My approach is always consistent. I never take the option of introducing flash: it’s quite intrusive, and not really suitable when you’re taking candid images. It would be different if you were doing a set-up shot: you’d be able to use off-camera flash to creatively light your subject. Instead of taking a flash, I use one of my fastest lenses – usually a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens – and work with the camera in Aperture Priority. I set my aperture to f/2.8 or f/4, then look at the shutter speed the camera gives me. If I need a faster shutter speed, I push ISO up until I get an acceptable shutter speed. Simple! Shooting like this provides the flexibility to deal with low light. There are downsides, of course. Depth of field is limited at wide apertures and image noise can be a problem if you have to push beyond the acceptable capabilities of your camera. But this is better than blurred images caused by a shutter speed that’s too slow. NEED FOR SPEED CAMERA SKILLS GEARCRAFT Andrew James has combined photography with writing for over 25 years. He’s been editor- in-chief of the magazines Practical Photography and Digital Photo, but now runs a business providing writing, photography and consulting to clients. He is a partner in the FotoBuzz online community, and regularly teaches wildlife photography courses alongside Andy Rouse. ABOUT OUR NEW EXPERT Q My portable hard drive was damaged after a power surge. Now my computer won’t even recognise it when I plug it in. How can I retrieve the images from it? Toni Ball   Andrew says  This is one of those horrible events that make your heart sink. I’ve been in exactly the same situation as you, so I know how gutted you feel – especially if those images aren’t backed up! The good news is that in a lot of situations, even if the hard drive seems to have failed, your files may well be safely stored inside and just need to be ‘rescued’. If your computer recognises the hard drive when you plug it in, but the hard drive appears empty, recovery software could help you out; but because your incident sounds like a hardware failure, that option isn’t open to you. The most common hardware issue is a failed printed circuit board (PCB; also called a control board), so I am ARE THEY LOST FOREVER? Above If your hard disk seems to have failed, ask a technical expert if replacing the printed circuit board might help. guessing this is what is wrong with your hard drive. This means the only hope you have is replacing the PCB. It is possible to do this yourself but you need to replace the damaged board with an identical one. Being a technophobe, I’ve never done this myself! I’d opt for getting an expert in to lessen the risk. This is a more expensive option, obviously, but it depends on how much you value the images. When I had my LaCie portable hard drive totally fail after it was accidentally submerged in water, I used a company called Data Clinic (www. dataclinic.co.uk) to take the unit apart and assess the situation. They were able to get my rescued images back to me within two working days, so I could breathe a huge sigh of relief. 200MM, ISO1600, 1/250 SEC, F/2.8 89 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Photo Advisor March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com How to… CORRECT A COLOUR CAST Take your photo into Lightroom and remove the unwanted hues DIGITAL DARKROOM THINK PINK Q I got a set of ND filters. Some of my images show a distinct pinkish colour cast. How can I correct it? Christine Bennett   Andrew says  Some neutral-density filters are not truly neutral, so when you use them, they have a tendency to add a colour cast to your image. Typically this is the pink or magenta cast that you describe. If your filters do this, it’s relatively easy to open the images in your chosen editing software and correct it. However, I’d also suggest that if you are anticipating shooting a lot of landscapes using these ND filters, correcting every single photo will become a chore that’s best avoided. Colour casts are more prevalent with less expensive filters, so I’d suggest you start saving up to invest in a set from a company like Lee Filters. I use them, as do many professional landscape photographers I know. They are not cheap, and in such demand that there can be a waiting list for them at retailers, but their ND filters do not give any kind of colour cast. Looked after well, a set of Lee NDs should last you a long time, so I think it is money wisely invested. I’ve even been round the factory and watched them hand-making the filters, so I’ve seen first-hand the care they put into producing each one. Christine sent me one of her offending images. As you can see, she’s right about the pink cast. But we have to be careful in fixing the colour cast, because we also don’t want to ruin the warm light she’s captured in this image. Here’s how I tackled Christine’s problem photo using Lightroom… 1   Adjust the Tint slider Open the image and take the Tint slider towards  green to start reducing the magenta. It won’t get rid of it totally, but it will make a difference. For this shot, I settled for -51 on the Tint slider. 3   Correct the saturation If there is still some magenta visible, go to the HSL Panel and select Saturation. Take the Magenta slider to -100. I also reduced the Orange slider to -26 to further balance the image. 2   Adjust the Temperature slider Now tweak Temperature, moving it to the left. We need to be careful: if we lose the natural warmth in this image, we lose what this shot is about. A value of 4,105 seemed to give the best colour balance.     C      h    r      i    s     t      i    n    e     B    e    n    n    e     t     t Christine’s original shot has a distinct pink cast, although the feeling of warmth is nice. Andrew’s adjustments remove the magenta caused by the filter, while preserving some warmth. ORIGINAL COLOUR CASTCOLOUR CAST REMOVED 90 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Photo Advisor Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com   Andrew says When you photograph on bright sunny days, ugly and unwanted shadows frequently cause problems. At the time, you could avoid the issue by using a little flash, just to fill in the darker areas. If your camera has a built-in flash, then it’s perfect for this situation. Since you were sensible enough to shoot raw-format files, there is a really easy fix that we can do to bring out the detail in the shadow areas and balance that exposure more. I had a hunt through some holiday pictures to find something similar to holiday shots, so hopefully the shot above of the Chilean guard will prove suitable to show what you can do with your images. The key to sorting this out is only to affect the dark areas and not the light. A simple exposure tweak won’t do it, as that will brighten both the lighter and darker parts of your image, potentially causing the brightest areas to overexpose. Both Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom have a Shadows slider, which we can use to selectively bring out the details hidden in the shadows. Having tested the shadows slider in both Lightroom and ACR with the same images, I can confidently say there is little or no difference in terms of how they improve the image, so either software works equally well on this. Even at 󰀫󰀱󰀰󰀰 on the Shadows slider there is no detrimental effect on my raw image, although this amount of shadow lightening doesn’t necessarily look natural. For this shot, I would be inclined to leave Shadows at about 󰀫󰀵󰀰, where there is still a clear shadow from the soldier’s cap but it has been reduced enough to allow us to see the hidden eye detail. SHADOW MASTER DIGITAL DARKROOM Q I took some people photos while on holiday. There is a lot of shadow across the faces. Is there anything I can do to improve the shots? Dave Duggan   Rebecca says I took this photo shortly after one of the keepers at Marwell Zoo gave a talk about their meerkats. This little fella was on lookout while the other meerkats hunted for their food. I like the way he is looking out in every direction, keeping constant watch. I took some other images in colour, but I much prefer them in black and white. After some minor editing in Photoshop, I used the HDR Toning tool to enhance the detail of his fur. The most challenging part to wildlife photography is having patience. Meerkats move quickly, so I’m pleased I captured this moment.   Ben says The clean, blurred background frames the meerkat standing on guard nicely. You’ve applied just the right amount of HDR - enough to give it a boost without looking too processed, and the monochrome finish enhances its fur. The final result is a little dark, and could use a little lift to bring out the detail. Meerkats are very nippy, so you’ve done well to keep this one sharp. To help improve your shot, I’d suggest you crop into the log and create a tighter frame around the creature. Above Reader Rebecca Brown captured this cheeky chap at Marwell Zoo, Winchester. Some light HDR processing helps to bring out the textures.   The plain background  gives a clean finish. Nicely processed, if a little dark and heavy. The meerkat is crisp and sharp. The bottom of the log is distracting. RATE MY PHOTO This month’s photograph is from Rebecca Brown , who has only been using a digital SLR for a year Get critiqued! Email photos to digitalcamera@ futurenet.com with the subject ‘Rate My Photo’ VERDICT Above When bright sunlight causes deep shadows, a simple tweak with Lightroom’s Shadows slider can help. +50+100 O R  I G I N A L Get the book and DVD versions today from our secure online store: my favourite magazines.co.uk/photo Teach yourself Black & White Photography Master mono photography – from visualising the shot through to how to get the best results when editing Teach yourself  Photoshop Complete instructional course on mastering Adobe’s powerful Photoshop CC image editing program Teach yourself  Lightroom Get to grips with Adobe’s powerful Lightroom image editing program with our complete instructional course Teach yourself  Photoshop Elements 12 Elements is a more powerful editing program than its low price suggests. We help you unlock its full potential Teach yourself  Photography Beginner’s guide to understanding the key settings on your digital SLR so that you can take better shots Teach yourself  Raw in Photoshop Serious photographers shoot in Raw… We give a complete guide to unleashing the power of this professional file format A v a i l a  b l e   i n    b o o k ,   i n t e r a c t i v e   D  V D   a n d   a p p   v e r s i o n s !   Buy the eBooks and interactive video course via the free Photography Week app THE Digital Camera  INTERVIEW 92 As one of Britain’s most renowned photographers gets ready to appear at the Photography Show, he tells Geoff Harris  about his distinguished career   93 * Martin Parr is one of the UK’s best known social, documentary and fine-art photographers, and is the current president of Magnum Photos. * His numerous projects and books include The Last Resort (1986), Common Sense (1999), Think of England (2000) and Black Country Stories (2014). * Martin has exhibited globally, with ’Parrworld’ opening in Munich in 2008 before touring the world for two years. * Martin has joined the roster of must-see speakers at the Photography Show in Birmingham – see page 47 for details. Martin Parr   www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 Ascot, from Luxury, 󰀲󰀰󰀰󰀳 (Previous page) The deliberate ’mistake’, with the left-hand figure getting in the way, is a classic Parr flourish. New Brighton, from The Last Resort, 󰀱󰀹󰀸󰀳-󰀵 (Above) Martin’s masterly use of colour and light etches the protagonists out from the background. W hile there are many reasons to attend March’s Photography Show in Birmingham, the chance to hear Martin Parr speak is as good as any. He would bristle at the plaudit, but he is a living national treasure of British photography, celebrated for his acute social observation and mischievous wit. Martin is an eminent photography historian and collector, too, and has done much to raise the appreciation of the photo book. Now 󰀶󰀲, with a mighty international reputation and healthy income streams – he readily admits to being Magnum Photos’ top earner for several years – Martin could hardly be blamed for scaling back, but he maintains a demanding workload. In addition to being president of Magnum, he continues to take on commercial commissions and pursue his own projects. RHUBARB AND DOPE “I have more commissions than I can handle,” Martin explains during our interview at the modest Shoreditch flat he uses as a London base. “Yesterday I was working on a project for Oxford University Press; today I’ve been shooting a chocolate festival; next week I’m starting on a project on the ‘rhubarb triangle’ between Pontefract, Wakefield and Leeds.” This quirky schedule says a lot about Martin Parr. While he photographs the establishment (even chancellor George Osborne’s had the Parr treatment), his fascination with the oddball, quaint and eccentrically English remains. Despite looking and sounding like part-provincial accountant, part-Oxbridge 95 March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com “I don’t try to blend in by wearing boring clothes or deliberately using small cameras. I go as I am” Don, Martin has a streak of iconoclasm, and found plenty to rebel against while studying photography at Manchester Polytechnic in the early 󰀱󰀹󰀷󰀰s. “The course was run by ex-RAF photographers, who didn’t really understand much about the notion of creative photography,” he recalls. “There were some people there I identified with, but the overall mood was very commercial. An external assessor actually gave my final project quite a high mark, much against the better judgement of the staff.” Martin bonded with other iconoclasts studying there, including Brian Griffin (interviewed in issue 󰀱󰀵󰀹). “Brian and I would smoke dope and look at each other’s work.” NEW DIRECTIONS Martin also became fascinated by a new breed of photographers, who were concerned with capturing the ironies, contradictions and rapid social flux of post-war life and consumerism: names like Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, and of course, Tony Ray Jones. (Seeing the latter’s work was a real “moment of inspiration” for Martin.) A fascination with seaside postcards and the other paraphernalia of British working-class culture also developed during this period. While Brian Griffin moved to London after graduating, Martin stayed in the north. “I worked for a while in Manchester, and then moved to Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. Christ’s Hospital School, 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀰 (Left) Taken at an Alice in Wonderland- themed ball, hence the small cup. Benidorm, 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀷 (Below) A Parr classic from one of his best-known collections. IN THE BAG “I have been totally digital for the last eight years,” Martin says. “Digital cameras have  got a lot better in the last few years. The high ISO performance is a great advantage. I have bought the Canon 5D Mark I, II and III, and they keep  getting better. My main lenses are a macro lens, a 24–70mm and a 70–300mm (I don’t use this so much, but I enjoy it). Zooms are good for picking out details.” Martin Parr www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 96 THE Digital Camera  INTERVIEW I just fancied photographing that vicinity.” The early Yorkshire work started to make Martin’s name. Come 󰀱󰀹󰀸󰀲, he’d returned to the UK after relocating to Ireland, and started shooting in colour. “We began to see colour photography taken seriously in the UK, and William Egglestone’s work was making waves in the US. Egglestone was BEHIND THE IMAGE Background This image was taken in front of the tourist honey pot that is the Acropolis, Athens, and is part of the Small World collection from 1991. Equipment While Martin now shoots digitally, this image was taken with a medium- format Plaubel 6/7 and a 55mm prime lens – wide enough to capture the  juxtaposition of the groups, with the Acropolis in the background. Composition While the two groups of tourists are beautifully balanced, the slightly wonky horizon gives a snapshot feel. “I THOUGHT THEY WERE JAPANESE TOURISTS, UNTIL I WENT TO SEOUL AND THEY ALL SAID, ‘NO, THEY’RE KOREANS!’ ” able to photograph very ordinary subject matter and make it interesting.” ANNOYED IS GOOD There’s simply not the space here to list Martin’s numerous achievements, but one project in particular cemented his reputation. The Last Resort (󰀱󰀹󰀸󰀶) shows the fading resort of New Brighton, near Liverpool. His images of tatty beaches, sunburnt flesh and hyperactive kids helped coin the adjective ‘Parr-esque’. “The Last Resort was very good for me, and helped launch my career internationally,” says Martin. “There is still a steady demand for those pictures.” The Last Resort also attracted a little controversy, however, with Martin accused by some detractors of displaying snobbish disdain for his predominantly working-class subjects. It’s more accurate to describe the work as “affectionate and teasing”, in the words of Martin’s friend Grayson Perry, but Martin never seemed bothered by the furore. “I’m quite happy for people to say whatever they like – it’s water off a duck’s back now,” he shrugs. “I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing, and I realised pretty early on that being controversial didn’t do you any harm. “For me, the subjects I chose aren’t that controversial, but if people think they are, what can I do? I go along with it really, and turn it to my advantage. It’s better for people to be annoyed with you than to ignore you.” OBSESSION AND PERSISTENCE While Martin is not the kind of artist to give a blow-by-blow account of how he took a shot, chatting about his compositional approach is revealing. How, we wondered, did he get so many wonderfully candid images, particularly when his fondness for flash and 97 www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera ring flash must have made him painfully obvious to his subjects? “What you don’t see are all the pictures where people are looking at me. I take a lot of bad pictures, like anyone else does; in fact, I probably take more than most, because I take a lot of photographs. Most of the time when somebody looks at you, it ruins it – but just occasionally, it doesn’t. I use body language to my advantage as well, although I don’t try to blend in by wearing boring clothes or deliberately using small cameras. I go as I am, and I take the cameras I need.” So anyone hoping for Martin to reveal some kind of ‘special sauce’ for his “For me, the subjects I chose aren’t that controversial, but if people think they are, what can I do?” Florida, from Common Sense, 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀸 (Opposite) Several Parr motifs come together in this classic shot. Bristol, from Think of England, 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀵-󰀹󰀹 (Above) This bowls match in Martin’s adopted home town is given a gently teasing Parr twist. New Brighton, From The Last Resort, 󰀱󰀹󰀸󰀳-󰀵 (Right) Here Martin uses flash to separate out the subjects. Martin Parr   www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 was there, but the close-up camera gave me the opportunity to explore food as a social landscape, which I have persisted in since.” ALMOST FAMOUS Does Martin ever worry about being typecast by his fame? “People who commission me have a certain expectation, which I try to fulfil. But I’m not really famous. I go to the Black Country and nobody knows who I am. You’re just Martin the photographer, and I like that. That’s how it should be.” www.martinparr.com “You take the best picture you can... Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t” Chichen Itza, Mexico, 󰀲󰀰󰀰󰀲 (Top) Travel photographers might wait until the tourists left, but for Martin, they are the subject. Switzerland, from Small World, 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀰 (Top right) For these tourists, the tacky souvenirs are more interesting than the brooding, archetypally Romantic peaks. Kalkan, Turkey, from Small World, 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀴 (Above) Martin has written extensively about the ubiquity of photography, in tandem with the rise of post-war tourism and the advent of digital cameras. Read his photo essay on the subject via www.bit.ly/dc161blog  beautifully composed images will be disappointed. A big challenge in his kind of spontaneous photography is avoiding messy or distracting backgrounds, but again, he claims it comes down to hard work and luck. “You take the best picture you can in the situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t go around Photoshopping my backgrounds. I am very persistent, however. You have to be obsessive to be a photographer like me. There’s no choice.” Certain motifs run through Martin’s work: rapid social change, the resilience and idiosyncrasies of the British class system, the remorseless spread of tourism, the ubiquity of photography and, of course, food. It’s as strong a theme in Black Country Stories, published in 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀴, as it is in earlier work. “Food really took off when I got a close-up camera in 󰀱󰀹󰀹󰀵. Previous to that, it PRO INSIGHT 1 Get in closer “I see many shots that are simply taken too far away.” 2 Be bold and impertinent, and believe in yourself  “There are no shortcuts and photographing people is difficult, but that’s why it’s interesting.” 3 Don’t feel guilty “Photographing kids at the seaside is obviously problematic now, so you have to be careful. But photographing in public need only become an issue if you make it one. Just explain to people what are you doing, if necessary.” 4 Strive for originality “Think seriously about your subject matter and photographic clichés.” (For more on this, read Martin’s essay via www.bit.ly/dc161cliche .) Practical advice from a giant of British photogaphy SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD 99 EXCLUSIVE OFFER March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com Terms and conditions: *North American savings compared to buying 13 full-priced issues at $15 from the US newsstand. **Europe and ROW have no set newsstand price and therefore we cannot advertise the specific savings you will make. Europe and ROW customers will be charged in GBP. North American subscribers will pay in US$. This offer is for new print subscribers only. You will receive 13 issues in a year. Prices correct at point of print and subject to change. European and RoW subscribers: if you are dissatisfied in any way you can write to us or call us to cancel your subscription at any time and we will refund you for all unmailed issues. N. American subscribers: minimum subscription term is 12 months. If at any time during the first 60 days you are dissatisfied in any way, please notify us in writing and we will refund you all unmailed issues. Prices correct at point of print and subject to change. For full terms and conditions please visit: myfavm.ag/magterms . Offer ends 31st March 2015. The definitive guide to SLR photography Wherever you are in the world, take out a subscription to Digital Camera World and get delivery direct to your door Save up to 42% when you subscribe today Readers in the rest of the world **   can subscribe securely online at www.myfavourite magazines.co.uk/dcmp2w   Or call   +44 1604 251045   and quote code   DCMP2W In the US or Canada?   2-year subscription $224.99 (Save 42%) 1-year subscription $124.99 (Save 42%) 6-month subscription $62.49 (Save 35%) www.imsnews.com/dcm-a055   Or call TOLL-FREE on 1 800 428 3003   and quote code   A055   Four great reasons to subscribe to Digital Camera World   today 1   Save up to 42% off the newsstand price in your region 2   Get a FREE disc of video lessons plus a selection of other great gifts every issue   3   Get your copy before it hits the stores and delivered direct to your door 4   Discover essential techniques  and get photographic   inspiration  all year long!  Take full control of your Canon with our beginners’ course – now available as a bookazine, interactive DVD or as an iPad/iPhone app Get the book and DVD versions today from our secure online store my favourite magazines co uk photo Get the book and DVD versions today from our secure online store myfavouritemagazines co uk photo available as a bookazine interactive DVD or as an iPad/iPhone app Get the book and DVD versions today from our secure online store magazines co uk photo July 2014 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera  is brought to you by the UK’s most experienced team of photography  journalists, which means you can trust everything you read on our pages, and compare kit with confidence. We believe the best way to test a product is to use it as it was intended. Our real-world testing involves taking equipment on a proper shoot – whether outdoors or in the studio – and using it exactly as you would, to let you know whether it’s fit for purpose. Although scientific data won’t tell you everything about a product, it’s a great way to make comparisons and sense-check our real-world conclusions. We have a series of controlled tests for cameras and lenses that deliver objective benchmarks. Digital Camera  is 100% independent – and never swayed by the influence of PR firms or advertisers. The tests you read here are our genuine, unbiased opinions. Future Publishing, the company behind Digital Camera , has a strict code of conduct on testing – the most rigorous of any camera magazine. You can download the high-resolution test images and resolution charts we shoot from our TechRadar website ( www.techradar. com/cameras ). This means you can check the quality for yourself – and even run your own tests if you wish. 102  Angle of View The latest news and launches 104 Pentax K-S1 We test Pentax’s new SLR with a 󰀲󰀰.󰀴MP CMOS sensor 110 Fujifilm X100T Fujifilm’s retro-style X󰀱󰀰󰀰T is put through its paces 114 Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) Angela Nicholson finds out whether this premium compact is worth the investment 116  GoPro Hero 4 Ready, steady, GoPro! 118  Mini-Test: Wireless flash triggers Take charge of your flash set-up with these six options 120 Group Test: Image-editing software Find out the best tools for making your photos look amazing 133 Micro-Test: Straps Hold your camera in comfort 101 www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera  KIT ZONE New gear Expert tests Buying advice THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST TESTS! Given to the top product in a group test Given to products that offer superb value for money Given to products that receive five stars overall Given to products that are innovative or groundbreaking  Given to products that merit special attention How we test OUR FIVE AWARDS OUR   S ORES   ND   W RDS   EXPL INED Each of our tests scores out of five in one or more sub-categories; then we award an overall mark out of five. We take great pride in the rigorous nature of our testing process. Every product and service is tested in appropriate circumstances, and a combination of real-world and laboratory tests are performed to ensure that all products are credibly graded. SCORES EXPLAINED   Forget it   Below average   Good for the price   Very good all round   An exceptional, best-in-class product Angle of  View 102 T he SureColor SC-P600 replaces the Stylus Photo R3000 as Epson’s top-end A3+ photo printer. It uses the company’s new nine-colour UltraChrome HD inkset, which includes Vivid Light Magenta, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Cyan, Light Light Black, Light Black, Photo Black and Matte Black. Like the R3000, the P600 can hold all nine cartridges; unlike its predecessor, the P600 can swap automatically between Matte Black and Photo Black when you select the paper type. The maximum printing resolution (5,760 x 1,440dpi) and minimum droplet size (2pl) are the same as the as the R3000’s, and there are 180 nozzles on the printer head dedicated to printing each colour. Wi-Fi Direct wireless printing is possible from smartphones, tablets and computers, and Epson Connect and Google Cloud Print are supported. Our tests reveal that the P600 produces superb images, with A3 prints taking around 15 minutes at best quality. Tonal gradations are very smooth, and both detail and colour are reproduced very well. What I like: Top-notch print quality. What I don’t like: Despite the improvements, it’s about time there was a slicker solution for swapping between black inks. INKJET PRINTER  £570 / $799 >  www.epson.com Epson SureColor SC-P600 Angela Nicholson  test-drives an action camera, a softbox for your flash, and more Sony AZ1VR Action Cam Mini A compact action camera with Live View remote-control wristband T he AZ1VR is sold as a kit that includes a removable waterproof (to 5m) case, mounts and a Live View-enabled remote control on a wrist strap, so you only have to glance at your wrist to see you’re getting the footage you want. The AZ1VR is capable of capturing 1080p video at 60fps in XAVC S format, and recording MP4 format at 120fps enables 720p slow- motion playback. The footage is vibrant with decent definition, contrast and plenty of detail in the shadows and highlights. And while using SteadyShot image stabilisation cuts down the angle of view, it does an excellent job. What I like: Small size; Live View remote; SteadyShot image stabilisation. What I don’t like: Waterproof case only has a maximum dive depth of 5m. VIDEO CAMERA  £171 / $200 >  www.sony.com Below  Epson’s new P600 delivers top-  grade photo prints. Above  30% smaller than its predecessor, the AZ1VR can record full HD video, while a wristband accessory lets you check video at a glance. Epson’s flagship A󰀳+ photo printer gets a new inkset using a total of nine cartridges www.digitalcameraworld.com Digital Camera   March 2015 The hottest new gear to buy  igital   amera   July 2 14 OUR TESTS   EXPLAINED July 2 14 igital   amera KIT ZONE ANGLE OF VIEW 103 Right  If your camera lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, add a WeyeFeye S to bridge the gap between your camera and your tablet or phone. This compact tripod packs down to just 30cm and weighs less than a kilo, but can support a maximum load of 8kg, more than enough to take a Canon 5D MkIII with a 24–70mm f/2.8 lens. The downside is that it only reaches an extended height of 1m, although that is often enough. A detachable leg can be used as a monopod, so could be a good support to take on a day’s hike. What I like: Lightweight and very portable. What I don’t like: Only extends to 1m. TRIPOD  £199 / $314 >  www.redged.com It may be small, but this tripod can take the weight Hahnel Speedlite Softbox 60 Kit This 60x60cm softbox is designed to fit directly onto your flashgun when it’s used remotely from your camera. It softens the harsh light, creating more complimentary illumination. The softbox arrives in a neat fabric case. Once popped up and slotted together it can be quickly bolted onto any flashgun, ready to use. What I like: Small, light and easy to attach. What I don’t like: Like all diffusers, a little light power is lost. SOFTBOX  £49.99 / $80 >  hahnel.ie Soften flashgun illumination for more flattering results PortraitPro enables you to tone down skin imperfections with ease. Just load in your portrait and the Windows or Mac OS X software will do a quick analysis before you’re able to manually adjust to perfection. Although it’s possible to overdo the adjustments, there’s plenty of scope for subtlety. This should appeal to busy portrait and wedding photographers. What I like: Simple, quick enhancements. What I don’t like: Easy to go over the top. SOFTWARE  £135 / $150 Tone down imperfections and wrinkles with this program >  www.portraitprofessional.com Redged TSC 525K travel tripod PortraitPro 12 View images on an iPad connected via Wi- Fi T he Weye Feye S is the follow up to the Weye Feye, but unlike the original version that allows you to control the camera remotely on a mobile device such as an iPad, and adjust features like exposure and focus point, this model only allows you to view the images that you’ve taken on your camera on the mobile device’s screen. The S is simple to operate. You just connect it via a USB cable to your camera, then make a Wi -Fi connection between the Weye Feye and the iOS or Android device. A free-to-download app can then be used to view, download and share the images you’ve taken. What I like: Quick sharing of images taken on cameras that don’t have built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. What I don’t like: No control over the camera. WeyeFeye S WIRELESS BRIDGE £99 / $99 >  www.weyefeye.com www.digitalcameraworld.comMarch 2015 Digital Camera 104 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 SLR REVIEW www.digitalcameraworld.com D   espite the fact that Pentax does indeed make some very good digital SLRs, it generally always plays second fiddle to the big names of Canon and Nikon. It’s possibly for this reason that in recent years, the company has tended towards gimmicks to try and shift units. Take the K-S󰀱. It’s available in an array of bewildering colours, including a new Sweets collection. There’s also a panel of lights on the front of the camera, which are supposedly designed to guide operations. FEATURES Ignoring the aesthetics, at its heart, the K-S󰀱 actually has some very decent specifications and interesting technologies – especially for an amateur-level camera. At its heart is a 󰀲󰀰-million-pixel CMOS sensor with a sensor-based shake reduction system. In principle, this will provide an image-stabilising effect with any lens you choose to fit. This system is also used for the Pentax’s distinctive Anti-Alias Simulation modes. The sensor itself has no anti- aliasing filter, which means slightly sharper fine detail but the risk (rare in practice) of moiré or interference effects appearing in image areas with very fine patterns and textures. The K-S󰀱 can shoot continuously at 󰀵.󰀴 frames per second and it has a maximum shutter speed of 󰀱/󰀶,󰀰󰀰󰀰 second. It has a proper pentaprism viewfinder, with 󰀱󰀰󰀰󰀥 coverage. The camera also offers a selection of effects modes and a large array of digital filters; you can use these as you shoot, or apply them later. There are 󰀱󰀱 autofocus points, of which the nine in the centre are the more sensitive cross-type points. On the back of the camera is a 󰀳-inch TFT LCD monitor, with a 󰀹󰀲󰀱k-dot resolution. There’s no tilt mechanism for adjusting the screen angle. You can shoot in raw format. One particularly useful factor in Pentax cameras is that its raw format of choice is DNG, rather than a proprietary camera or manufacturer format. This means that your software, whether it’s Photoshop or an alternative, should already be able to read the files it outputs rather than having to wait for an upgrade. There’s no built-in Wi-Fi connectivity in the K-S󰀱, despite the feature becoming more and more common in other cameras. There’s  just one memory card slot, for SD/  SDHC/SDXC cards, and you’d need a second before a third-party Wi-Fi card became a realistic option. As Pentax has been making SLRs for quite some time, there’s a huge >  THE SPECS Different colours, flashing lights: are all the gimmicks of the Pentax K-S1 hiding a decent camera? Amy Davies  finds out Sensor  20.4 million pixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor (23.5 x 15.6mm) Focal length 1.5x conversion   Memory  SD/SDHC/SDXC Viewfinder  Pentaprism 100% viewfinder, 0.95x magnification Video Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) ISO range 100–51,200 Autofocus points  11 (9 cross-type focus points in the centre) Max Burst Rate  5.4fps Screen  3-inch, TFT colour LCD monitor Shutter speeds 1/6,000–30 sec Weight  558g (including battery and memory card) Dimensions  93 x 120 x 70mm Power supply  D-LI109 Li-ion battery Flashy number Above   The green button resets whatever function is being adjusted; if it’s ISO, it sets it to Auto. Stick or twist?   Upgrade advice If you’re looking for your first digital SLR, the K-S1 is a decent option if you’re keen to avoid the big names of Canon and Nikon for whatever reason. If you’ve already got some Pentax gear, perhaps from the film days, it should also be pretty appealing, especially as the kit lens really isn’t up to scratch. If you’re not already tied to a particular brand, though, you should take a look at the equivalent Canon and Nikon SLR models for a better overall shooting experience. SLR Pentax K-S1 >  With 18–55mm lens: £439 / $649 >  www.ricoh-imaging.com 1 5 K T ZON November 2014   Digital Camera NIKON 1 J4 1 5 www digitalcameraworld com  REAL-WORLD PERFORMANCE OUR BEST SHOT What we love about the K-S󰀱 Exposure control Sometimes you’ll need to dial in some exposure compensation to deal with underexposure in certain conditions. Good colours Colours directly from the camera are bright and punchy, while skin tones are recorded accurately. 106 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 SLR REVIEW www.digitalcameraworld.com range of lenses available, so those who had an old Pentax film camera and a collection of glass might be tempted by this digital model. BUILD AND HANDLING The K-S󰀱 has quite a boxy and utilitarian look to it, with squared off edges, compared with the rounder, softer edges you might find on a Canon or Nikon SLR. There’s a pretty hefty grip on the right-hand side of the camera, but our fingers didn’t sit all that comfortably on it. There’s also no recess where your forefinger might sit a bit more flush with the camera. In a design choice that is likely to divide opinion, there’s a strip of lights built into the grip of the camera, which illuminates when the camera is first switched on. If you’re using the self-timer mode, the strip will flash in different sections to indicate when the shutter is about to be released. A light also encircles the shutter release button and pulsates slowly when the camera is on but not currently being used, or is on constantly when the camera is active. If you switch to video record mode, the light will turn red. A fairly large dial on the top of the camera can be used to alter the aperture or shutter speed, depending on the shooting mode that you’re in. This dial is easily reached with your thumb and is stiff enough to not accidentally slip out of place while you’re shooting, but not too stiff to be difficult to turn. You also use this dial to adjust exposure compensation “In a design choice that is likely to divide opinion, there’s a strip of lights built into the grip” Nikon D3300 Price with 18–55mm lens: £400 / $499 An excellent choice as a first digital SLR: lots of detail, and quality images. Reviewed:  Issue 150 Meet the rivals… The cameras taking on the Pentax K-S1 Canon EOS 700D Price with 18–55mm lens: £539 A capable camera that produces quality images and affords lots of control. Reviewed:  Issue 140 Zooming in on the… Pentax K-S1 Some quirky design helps this camera stand out The colourful rear display makes it quick and easy to see which settings are selected. Activate Live View shooting by tapping this button, just next to the viewfinder. The shooting mode dial is on the back of the K-S1 – one of a few design choices that set it apart. Hold down the OK button to switch between using the directional keys for their dedicated function or for setting the AF point. FOR TEST IMAGES  AND RESOLUTION CHARTS , VISIT WWW.TECH RADAR.COM/ CAMERAS Panasonic G6 Price with 18–55mm lens: £399 A well-rounded CSC that features just about everything you’d want. Reviewed: Issue 142 Use the dial on top of the camera for altering shutter speed or aperture, depending on which shooting mode you’re in. The viewfinder offers 100% coverage of your scene, which is unusual for an entry-level camera. 107 KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera PENTAX K-S1 www.digitalcameraworld.com after you’ve pressed the exposure compensation button. Each of the directional keys also gives you access to a dedicated function, such as ISO (up) and white balance (down). In the middle of the navigational pad is a large OK button, which – you guessed it – lights up. Hold this down to switch between using the directional keys to set the autofocus point, and using the directional keys for their dedicated functions. This approach can make it a bit of a slow process when you want to quickly change a setting, but it’s something you soon get used to. As the four directional buttons and the OK button sit fairly flush to the camera, they’re not easy to navigate by touch alone, for example when you’re holding the camera up to your eye to shoot.  Just behind the lens mount is a switch for moving between manual focus and automatic focus. It’s a fairly loose dial, so it is reasonably easy to accidentally knock it out of place while the camera’s in a bag or something. This can leave you wondering why it’s not focusing. Sadly, the kit lens for the K-S󰀱, an 󰀱󰀸–󰀵󰀵mm f/󰀳.󰀵–󰀵.󰀶 zoom, is a real let-down. Both Canon and Nikon have super-smooth, near-silent AF motors built into their lenses, but this one is driven by a focusing screw in the lens mount. It’s quick enough, but it’s coarse and noisy, and will hunt and hesitate in some situations. PERFORMANCE Colours in JPEG images direct from the camera are bright and punchy, showing a nice level of saturation “The camera’s 󰀲󰀰-megapixel sensor is capable of resolving a good amount of fine detail” without being unrealistic. Comparing colours in the raw-format DNG files shows a more muted palette, which gives you good scope for working with the files to get exactly the look you need. Meanwhile, the camera’s 󰀲󰀰-megapixel sensor is capable of resolving a good amount of fine detail, probably a result of not having an anti-aliasing filter. Other Pentax cameras we have tested have suffered a little from Above Detail is well resolved by the camera’s sensor, which doesn’t feature an anti-aliasing filter. Nikon D3300 Pentax K-S1 Panasonic G6 Canon EOS 700D       K       E       Y RAW SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO*   Higher scores are better     S     I     G     N     A     L   -     T     O   -     N     O     I     S     E     R     A     T     I     O       (     D     B     ) 200 400 800 1,600 3,200 6,400 SENSITIVITY NOISE RESULT: Another impressive result here. This time the noise result matches closely with that of the Canon EOS 700D. 13 10 8 11 9 6 7 12 RAW DYNAMIC RANGE*   Higher scores are better       D     Y     N     A     M     I     C     R     A     N     G     E     (     E     V     ) SENSITIVITY DYNAMIC RESULT: The K-S1 has an impressive dynamic range, matching closely with the Panasonic G6. 200 400 800 1,600 3,200 6,400 OVERALL BENCHMARK RESULT When looking at JPEG images, the camera is slightly less impressive – which is a shame considering that most beginner users will work with these files rather than raw-format files. For dynamic range, the K-S1 sits somewhere in the middle of the group, while for noise reduction it fares a little better, coming second in the group after the Panasonic G6. * Raw results use images converted to TIFF CAMERA BENCHMARKS How does the K-S󰀱 fare against its rivals? Pentax K-S1 Nikon D3300 Canon EOS 700D Panasonic G6 COLOUR ERROR   Scores closer to zero are better -5 10 5 COLOUR ERROR RESULT: The K-S1 produces the least accurate colours in the lab, but real-world results are pleasant enough. 4.10 3.70 -5.94 -3.14 -10 0 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 108 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 SLR REVIEW WE SAY: The K-S1 is a decent choice for those looking for their first digital SLR, but it’s even more enticing if you already have some Pentax gear – especially a lens or two to replace the duff kit lens. Overall FEATURES IMAGE QUALITY BUILD QUALITY VALUE choices on offer here from Pentax, principally the liberal use of status lights, while others will welcome them. If you buy from a camera shop, you can handle the camera first to see what you think. Factor in some budget for replacing the kit lens and you’ll no doubt be pretty happy with the camera. But if your budget is inflexible, you’re probably better looking at the similarly priced alternatives from Canon or Nikon, which come with much better kit lenses. Above   There are plenty of lenses for the K-S1’s K mount; it’s a good idea to ditch the kit lens if you can. This was taken with an 18-135mm lens. Left   The K-S1 body has a rather angular shape that will have its lovers and detractors. underexposure in some conditions, but the K-S󰀱 performs a lot better in this area, providing well-exposed images in a variety of situations. If it’s a very high-contrast scene, however, you may still need to dial in some exposure compensation. The automatic white balance system does a pretty good job in most conditions, providing accurate colours directly from the camera. It errs ever so slightly towards yellow and orange tones under artificial lighting in our test images, but if you’re finding this to be a problem, you can simply switch to a more appropriate white balance preset. Images taken in low light at high sensitivity display a good level of noise control. Right up to around ISO 󰀳,󰀲󰀰󰀰, picture noise is barely visible at all, even you’re examining an image at 󰀱󰀰󰀰󰀥. Even at ISO 󰀶,󰀴󰀰󰀰, there’s barely any noise apparent, and at normal printing and web sizes (such as A󰀴 or below) the overall impression of detail is excellent. VERDICT Overall, this camera is a decent purchase for people who are looking for their first digital SLR. Some will undoubtedly be put off by the design 110 COMPACT CAMERA REVIEW KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 www.digitalcameraworld.com C ompact cameras with large sensors are very popular at the moment. Within this field, the X󰀱󰀰󰀰 series and its fixed-length lens has a smaller, more niche, audience, but is still admired. The latest incarnation in the series is the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T, which is very similar to the preceding X󰀱󰀰󰀰S. It has the same 󰀱󰀶 million pixel X-Trans CMOS II sensor and Fujinon 󰀲󰀳mm (󰀳󰀵mm equivalent) f/󰀲 lens, as well as the same EXR Processor II. FEATURES The X-Trans CMOS sensor features a unique design which uses a 󰀶x󰀶 RGGB filter array pattern, with an effectively random arrangement of colour filters within each block of 󰀳󰀶 photo receptors. Ultimately, this means that the sensor is less prone to rendering moiré patterning in areas of fine detail, and that’s why Fujifilm can get rid of the anti-aliasing filter for increased detail and sharpness. One of the X󰀱󰀰󰀰 series’ most distinctive features is its hybrid viewfinder, which can be switched between optical or electronic modes. The X󰀱󰀰󰀰T updates this with the ability to see an electronic display in one corner of the optical finder, to make manual focusing easier. There’s also now a 󰀳-inch 󰀱,󰀰󰀴󰀰k-dot viewfinder with a 󰀳:󰀲 ratio, compared with the 󰀲.󰀸 inch, 󰀴󰀶󰀰k-dot screen and a 󰀴:󰀳 ratio on the X󰀱󰀰󰀰S. A new Film Simulation, Classic Chrome, has also been introduced, and you can now set exposure compensation to 󰀫/- 󰀳EV. There’s also the ability to set a fastest shutter speed of 󰀱/󰀳󰀲,󰀰󰀰󰀰 second when you’re using the new electronic shutter. Other features include built-in Wi-Fi; full 󰀱󰀰󰀸󰀰p video recording; macro focusing as close as 󰀱󰀰cm; and Intelligent Hybrid AF, with a claimed focus time of just 󰀰.󰀰󰀸 seconds. BUILD AND HANDLING When it comes to the physical design and control layout, not a huge amount has changed from the X󰀱󰀰󰀰S to the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T, although there is now the ability to customise a good proportion of the buttons on the back to better suit your shooting style.   >  THE SPECS COMPACT  Fujifilm X100T >  £999 / $1,299 >  www.fujifilm.com The X100T marries style with the promise of superb image quality. Amy Davies  finds out if the latest model can deliver Sensor  16.3MP APS-C X Trans sensor (23.6 x 15.6mm) Focal length conversion  1.5x Memory  SSD/SDHC/SDXC Viewfinder  Hybrid viewfinder: optical viewfinder, 92% coverage, 0.5x magnification; electronic viewfinder, 100% coverage, 0.65x magnification Video  Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) ISO range 200–64,000; expandable to 100–51,200 Autofocus points  49 Max burst rate 6fps Screen  3 inch, 1040k-dot TFT colour LCD monitor Shutter speeds Mechanical shutter , 1/4,000–30 sec; electronic shutter, 1/32,000–1 sec Weight  440g (including battery and memory card) Dimensions  127 x 75 x 53mm Power supply  NP-95 rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Beauty and style Above   There’s an aperture ring around the lens. Fujifilm X100S £699 / $849 You can get the X100T’s predecessor more cheaply - a good shout if you won’t need the new features. Reviewed: issue 159 Meet the rivals… The cameras taking on the Fujifilm X100T Nikon Coolpix A £500 / $449 Despite minor gripes about write times and AF speed, the Coolpix A is enjoyable to use. Reviewed: issue 159 Ricoh GR £439 / $599 Ricoh has created a superb pocketable alternative to an SLR. It has all the control over exposure you need. Reviewed: issue 159 WATCH VIDEO www.bit.ly/ dc161video   FUJIFILM X100T KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera 111 www.digitalcameraworld.com Above   The Classic Film Simulation mode produces muted colours with an earthy note. There is no mode dial, and while there is no true fully automatic mode, a close approximation is reached by setting both the shutter speed dial and aperture ring to A for automatic. In order to switch between the electronic and optical viewfinder, there’s a small switch on the front of the camera, which is easily reached with your fore- or middle finger when holding the camera up to the eye. Probably the camera’s biggest changes have been made to the viewfinder. When the optical viewfinder is used and the camera is in manual focus mode, a rectangle appears in the bottom right of the screen, showing an enlarged view of the target area. When the focus assist option is set to Digital Split Image, this shows a twin view of the subject, which merges into one as the lens is correctly focused. An alternative option is to use the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T’s Focus Peaking system. You can set the display to show different colours of your choice, which indicate where the areas of highest contrast are. (These are usually the areas of best focus.) Another change to the optical viewfinder is that the bright lines that show the framing of the image in the optical viewfinder actually shift as the focus distance changes. This is to correct parallax error, and it’s especially useful for accurate composition with close subjects. The information in the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T’s viewfinder is also cleaner-looking than in the X󰀱󰀰󰀰S. In a nice touch, the display text rotates to be easier to read when the camera is turned to shoot in portrait mode. “Colours directly from the camera display the beautiful warmth that Fujifilm is known for” PERFORMANCE Because the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T keeps the same image sensor and processor as its predecessor, we had no doubts that the image quality would also be high. The biggest change here is the introduction of the electronic shutter to allow for super-fast shutter speeds when shooting in bright light. Colours directly from the camera display the beautiful warmth that Fujifilm has come to be known for, with its film simulation modes giving 50     S     I     G     N     A     L   -     T     O   -     N     O     I     S     E     R     A     T     I     O       (     D     B     ) OVERALL BENCHMARK RESULT Not surprisingly, in most of the tests, the X100T achieved very close scores to the X100S, and in terms of JPEG signal-to-noise ratio, both cameras outperform the Ricoh and the Nikon. For dynamic range, again, the X100T and the X100S are more or less identical, but both lag a little behind the GR and the Coolpix A. * Raw results use images converted to TIFF 14 5 RAW DYNAMIC RANGE*   Higher scores are better       D     Y     N     A     M     I     C     R     A     N     G     E     (     E     V     ) SENSITIVITY 8 7 6 12 13 10 9 11 DYNAMIC RESULT: The two Fujifilm cameras are evenly matched with the Nikon in the test, while the Ricoh GR comes out the worst. 200 400 800 1,600 6,400 3,200 30 40 10 20 SENSITIVITY Fujifilm X100S Fujifilm X100T Nikon Coolpix A Ricoh GR       K       E       Y CAMERA BENCHMARKS How does the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T measure up? Fujifilm X100T Fujifilm X100S Ricoh GR Nikon Coolpix A COLOUR ERROR  Scores closer to zero are better COLOUR ERROR RESULT: The X100T’s almost-perfect colour error result is a good reflection of its accurate colours. -4.5 -8 0 4 -4 8 18 12 22 200 400 800 1,600 6,400 3,200 4.3 0.1 20.6 NOISE RESULT: The X100T’s converted raw files are a little noisier than the X100S’s, but our test shots show they also have more detail. RAW SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO*   Higher scores are better 112 COMPACT CAMERA REVIEW KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 The function of this dial varies with the modes you select. Change the shutter speed when using the electronic shutter, for example. www.digitalcameraworld.com you lots of scope to shoot exactly how you want to. The new Classic Chrome film simulation mode is a good choice for a lot of different shooting scenarios. If you shoot in raw format, you can opt to revert back to a clean colour version of an image shot with any film simulation mode, should you need it. With no anti-aliasing filter, the X󰀱󰀰󰀰T is excellent at resolving detail and, in this regard, is certainly a match for SLRs equipped with an equivalent lens. The X󰀱󰀰󰀰T copes admirably when shooting in low light, high sensitivity situations. Noise is barely apparent in JPEGs up until around ISO 󰀳,󰀲󰀰󰀰, and even then only when looking at images at 󰀱󰀰󰀰󰀥 magnification. The overall impression of detail is fantastic right up to ISO 󰀱󰀲,󰀸󰀰󰀰 at small printing and web sizes. The absolute highest setting of 󰀵󰀱,󰀲󰀰󰀰 is probably best reserved for those times when you’re really desperate. Focusing speeds are pretty quick in good light, but there’s still a noticeable back-and-forwards hunt when trying to acquire focus – and that process is lengthened when shooting in low light. VERDICT The X󰀱󰀰󰀰T can’t be all things to all people, and there’s no getting away from the hefty price tag. If you want something which offers more flexibility, such as different focal lengths, this isn’t the camera for you – the Fujifilm X󰀳󰀰 might be a better choice. “The X󰀱󰀰󰀰T copes admirably when shooting in low-light, high-sensitivity situations” Zooming in on the… Fujifilm X100T A similar look to the X100S, but more customisable The dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation are easily reachable as you shoot. Press this button to access the quick menu, accessing your commonly used settings. You can chose to set a custom function to each one of the keys on the four-way navigational pad. This sensor switches the screen off and the viewfinder on when the camera is lifted to the eye. By default, this button gives you direct access to the Wi-Fi functionality of the camera. WE SAY: Fujifilm once again smashes the ball out of the park with the X100T. The beautiful, retro design is married with practical and customisable controls that make it great to use. Overall FEATURES IMAGE QUALITY BUILD QUALITY VALUE FOR TEST IMAGES  AND RESOLUTION CHARTS , VISIT WWW.TECH RADAR.COM/ CAMERAS Below   Shutter speed and exposure compensation can be adjusted quickly via top-plate dials. 114 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com T he Leica D-Lux (Typ 󰀱󰀰󰀹) is a rather unusual camera. Thanks to a working agreement between Leica and Panasonic, it’s almost identical to the Panasonic LX󰀱󰀰󰀰, one of our favourite cameras of 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀴. There is a price premium to pay for the Leica model, but this also brings a three-year warranty, and Lightroom 󰀵 is included on a disc in the product box. For those unfamiliar with the LX󰀱󰀰󰀰, the sensor is a Four Thirds- type; according to Panasonic, it’s the same 󰀱󰀶MP sensor used in the Panasonic GX󰀷, but it only uses a maximum of 󰀱󰀲.󰀵 million pixels (in 󰀴:󰀳 mode). As it’s a multi-aspect ratio sensor, 󰀳:󰀲 and 󰀱󰀶:󰀹 images use pixels that lie outside the area used by the camera in 󰀴:󰀳 mode. This sensor is coupled with a new Panasonic Venus engine, which enables a native sensitivity range of ISO 󰀲󰀰󰀰–󰀲󰀵,󰀰󰀰󰀰 (with expansion settings taking it to ISO 󰀱󰀰󰀰–󰀲󰀵,󰀰󰀰󰀰) and 󰀴K or Full-HD video recording. Like the LX󰀱󰀰󰀰, the D-Lux has a Leica DC Vario-Summilux 󰀲󰀴-󰀷󰀵mm (equivalent) f/󰀱.󰀷-󰀲.󰀸 lens. As with the rest of the camera, although this lens has Leica’s name on it, it is actually built by Panasonic. The company has invested a lot of effort to keep size down while ensuring it’s a high quality optic. BUILD AND HANDLING The D-Lux (Typ 󰀱󰀰󰀹) is aimed at experienced photographers who want a high-quality compact camera that affords plenty of control. It doesn’t disappoint: it has a high- quality feel, along with traditional controls (including a shutter speed dial, aperture ring and exposure compensation dial) to allow quick exposure adjustments. The aspect ratio can also be changed (between 󰀳:󰀲, 󰀱󰀶:󰀹, 󰀱:󰀱 and 󰀴:󰀳) using a sliding switch on the lens barrel, just next to the manual focusing/zoom ring, and there’s a switch on the lens to select focus mode. Further good news is that the 󰀲,󰀷󰀶󰀴k-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) is very good and provides a nice, clear view. It’s especially useful in bright conditions, where the 󰀳-inch 󰀹󰀲󰀱k-dot screen can suffer from reflections, as do most screens. However, the front grip that’s on the front of the LX󰀱󰀰󰀰 is completely missing from the D-Lux. This makes it feel rather insecure in your hand, especially in cold weather. There is an optional front grip available that attaches via the tripod bush, although >  THE SPECS The D-Lux (Typ 109) is Leica’s version of the Panasonic LX100. Angela Nicholson   investigates if it’s worth the extra money Sensor  Four Thirds type with 16.84 million pixels (12.8 million effective) Focal length N/A conversion   Memory  SD / SDXC / SDHC Viewfinder  0.38-inch electronic viewfinder with 2,764,000 dots Video  4K (3,840x2,160) ISO range 200–25,000; expandable to 100–25,000 Autofocus points  49 Max burst rate 40 frames per second with focus set at start; 6.5fps with continuous AF Screen  3-inch 921k-dot LCD Shutter speeds Mechanical shutter, 1,4000–60 sec; electronic shutter, 1/16,000–1 sec Weight  365g Dimensions  117 x 66 x 61mm Power supply  Rechargeable Li-ion battery Above   There’s no denying that the D-Lux is a fine- looking camera. Panasonic LX100 £699 / $899 The same spec as the D-Lux, with a shorter warranty. Its front grip is a plus over the D-Lux. Reviewed: issue 159 Meet the rivals… The cameras taking on the Leica D-Lux Fujifilm X100T £999 / $1,299 Its 16MP APS-C format sensor and Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens give this compact bags of appeal. Reviewed:  page 122 Fujifilm X30 £459 / $599 The same 12MP 2/3-inch X-Trans CMOS II sensor and 28–114mm f/2.-2.8 lens as the X20, in a larger body coupled with an EVF. Not reviewed COMPACT Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) >  £825 / $1,195 >  www.leica-camera.com Luxury goods COMPACT CAMERA REVIEW 115 KIT ZONE March 2015 Dig    tal Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com Above   The D-Lux’s images are vibrant and full of detail. Right   That’s an aperture ring towards the front of the lens. this arguably spoils the clean lines of the camera. PERFORMANCE Like the LX󰀱󰀰󰀰, the D-Lux (Typ 󰀱󰀰󰀹) produces impressive results. Images taken in daylight have lots of detail, natural colour and good tonal range, and distortion is controlled well. As usual, the highest-quality results are produced at the lower sensitivity settings, and the maximum setting (ISO 󰀲󰀵,󰀰󰀰󰀰) is best avoided. Dropping down to ISO 󰀶,󰀴󰀰󰀰 results in much better images and, although we’d still recommend shooting raw files, JPEGs are suitable for making A󰀳 prints. Ideally, it’s best to keep the sensitivity to ISO 󰀱,󰀶󰀰󰀰 or lower, where the image quality is very good, noise is controlled well and there’s plenty of detail. Even in fairly low light, the D-Lux’s autofocus system manages WE SAY: The D-Lux is a delight to use. It produces high quality images, but the Panasonic LX100, which has the same spec, feels safer in your hand, thanks to the front grip that’s missing from the Leica camera. Overall FEATURES IMAGE QUALITY BUILD QUALITY VALUE to get subjects sharp quickly; it only starts to struggle in dark conditions. The general-purpose metering system does a good job, but it sometimes produces quite bright images. It can be beneficial to reduce the exposure by 󰀱/󰀳 or 󰀲/󰀳EV to get more saturated colours or to protect the highlights. Panasonic LX100 Leica D-Lux 109 Fujifilm X30 Fujifilm X100T       K       E       Y RAW SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO*   Higher scores are better     S     I     G     N     A     L   -     T     O   -     N     O     I     S     E     R     A     T     I     O       (     D     B     ) 2004008001,6003,2006,400 SENSITIVITY NOISE RESULT: The LX100 and D-Lux stand up well to the competition from the X100T’s larger sensor. Noise is controlled well. 13 10 8 11 9 6 5 7 12 RAW DYNAMIC RANGE*   Higher scores are better       D     Y     N     A     M     I     C     R     A     N     G     E     (     E     V     ) SENSITIVITY DYNAMIC RESULT: This indicates that the D-Lux captures a wide range of tones at the lower sensitivity settings. 2004008001,6003,2006,400 OVERALL BENCHMARK RESULT These figures show the results when the raw files from the LX100 and D-Lux are processed using their own supplied software (Silkypix and Lightroom respectively). When they are both processed using Adobe Camera Raw, the results are a very close match. * Raw results use images converted to TIFF CAMERA BENCHMARKS How does the D-Lux fare against the rest? Leica D-Lux 109 Panasonic LX100 Fujifilm X100T Fujifilm X30 COLOUR ERROR   Scores closer to zero are better 5 -520 15 10 COLOUR ERROR RESULT: It lacks the accuracy of the Fuji X100T, but the D-Lux scores pretty well, producing vibrant images. 6.3 8.8 0.1 15.1 0 20 16 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 14 FOR TEST IMAGES  AND RESOLUTION CHARTS , VISIT WWW.TECH RADAR.COM/ CAMERAS LEICA D-LUX (TYP 109) 116 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com T he action camera market is expanding at speed. The best-known name in the sector right now is GoPro, with the latest top-end incarnation being the Hero 󰀴 Black, which replaces the Hero 󰀳󰀫 Black. Thanks to their small size and high-quality footage, GoPro cameras feature extensively at sports events, and they’re used by broadcasters like the BBC to capture spectacular wildlife footage. GoPro cameras offer a wide-angle view and are designed to be attached to something, rather than be handheld like conventional cameras. As such, there’s a vast range of mounts that enable the Hero 󰀴 to be fixed to everything from a surfboard to a dog. FEATURES We’ve tested the GoPro Hero 󰀴 Black, the top model. (There’s also the Hero Silver and the entry-level Hero.) It comes encased in a removable housing that’s waterproof to 󰀴󰀰m and provides shock and dust-proofing. Headline new features include 󰀴K video at 󰀳󰀰fps and 󰀱󰀰󰀸󰀰p at up to 󰀱󰀲󰀰fps (that means Full HD playback at quarter-speed slow motion); Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity; simultaneous 󰀱󰀲MP still and video recording; and the ability to tag your best footage as you shoot. Pro videographers will also appreciate the ProTune feature, which enables greater scope for grading in post- production, and USB and HDMI ports for external microphones and monitors. This is a crazy amount of power in a device that costs about the same as an entry-level SLR and is just larger than a matchbox. BUILD AND HANDLING The Hero 󰀴 features a few cosmetic changes over the Hero 󰀳󰀫, but operation still requires just three buttons. A button on top of the camera is used to start or stop recording. Recording and viewing can also be controlled using an app for iOS and Android devices; this is easy to set up and use. IMAGE QUALITY The 󰀴K footage at 󰀳󰀰fps shows a huge improvement over that produced >  THE SPECS Sensor  12MP Angle of view  170 degrees Memory  MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC Viewfinder  None (Optional LCD is available, or use Wi-Fi Live view on iOS or Android device) Max resolution  4K ISO range Video, 400–6,400; photo, 100–800 Max burst rate 6 frames per second Screen  None (Optional LCD is available, or use Wi-Fi Live view on iOS or Android device) Exposure control  Exposure compensation +/-2EV and sensitivity Video format  NTSC and Pal File format  H.264 MP4 Power supply  NP-FW50 W-series rechargeable battery Weight  88g (152g with housing) Dimensions  41 x 59 x 30mm Power supply  Lithium-ion 1,160mAH, 3.8V, 4.4Wh Above   The lens has a 170-degree angle of view. iON Air Pro 3 £279 / $349 Sleek, discreet and streamlined, this camera takes a simple approach to design and operation and captures 1080p footage. Not reviewed Meet the rivals… The models taking on the Hero 4 Black Sony AZ1VR/W £264 / $348 This ultra-small camera is simple to use and produces high-quality footage. See Angle of View, page 102. Not reviewed Toshiba Camileo X-Sports £179 / $297 It’s larger than the Hero 4, but has a screen. It also comes with a host of mounts in the box so you can get started instantly. Not reviewed Alastair Jennings road-tests the Hero 4, an action camera that shoots 4K video and has enabled some spectacular footage VIDEO CAMERA GoPro Hero 4 >  £369.99 / $499.99 >  www.gopro.com Tough guy VIDEO CAMERA 117 KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com ACCESSORIES Don’t leave the house without these add-ons by the Hero 󰀳󰀫 at 󰀱󰀵fps, with far smoother motion making the footage usable. Using 󰀱󰀰󰀸󰀰p at the new option of 󰀱󰀲󰀰fps produces exciting results. The footage looks smooth on-screen, but the real revelation comes when it’s slowed to quarter-speed, stretching out one second over four. Here, there’s plenty of detail, good colour and, most importantly, smooth motion. The Hero 󰀴’s small lens captures a 󰀱󰀷󰀰-degree field of view, yet distortion isn’t as pronounced as you might expect, although some chromatic aberration is apparent towards the edge of the frame in high-contrast situations. WE SAY: Designed for action to produce instantly recognisable wide-angled footage. If you like the style and understand the limits of the this type of camera, the GoPro Hero 4 Black really is the state of the art. Overall FEATURES IMAGE QUALITY BUILD QUALITY VALUE Exposure settles quickly as the camera moves from light to shade, with few burnouts or blackouts in the footage. In low light, however, visual noise appears, while colour saturation and tone drops, in contrast to the vibrant, well-defined footage from brighter conditions. VERDICT The Hero 󰀴 Black can be mounted to just about anything and is tough enough to go almost anywhere in order to capture broadcast-quality footage. The enhancements in 󰀴K capability and 󰀱󰀰󰀸󰀰p frame rates are the big news, but the changes to the settings navigation system make the camera easier than ever to use. There’s an increasing field of cameras to choose from, but the output options and huge array of mounts mean that, for at the moment at least, the Hero 󰀴 Black still has the edge over the rivals. K-Edge Go Big Pro Handlebar mount Price: £50 / $50   Web:   www.acecosportgroup.com Mountain and road bikes are one of the most popular options for mounting action cameras. K-Edge manufactures a series of machined aluminium action camera accessories, in a range of coloured finishes. The metal construction makes these mounts tough and creates a solid connection between camera and bike. Lee Bug Action Kit Price: £66 / $125   Web: www.leefilters.com Lee Filters brings high-quality filters to the action camera market with the Bug system. As with Lee’s still camera filter systems, the Bug clips onto the front of the waterproof housing and bolts on to ensure it stays in place. The Bug set includes a three-stop ND grad and a polariser. GoPro Fetch Dog harness Price: £60 / $60   Web: www.gopro.com Launched alongside the Hero 4, the Fetch enables you to directly mount a Hero on a dog. It comes with two mounting options, either on the chest or on the back for different point of views. The harness is only available in one size, but can be adjusted to fit the dog, from a small Cocker Spaniel to a Labrador. Left   Once locked shut, this housing is waterproof to 40m. Above   There’s a microSD card port underneath the side flap. FOR TEST IMAGES  AND RESOLUTION CHARTS , VISIT WWW.TECH RADAR.COM/ CAMERAS GOPRO HERO 4 118 WIRELESS FLASH TRIGGERS Digital Camera   March 2015 1 Cactus V6   Price:  £50 / $70 Web: www.cactus-image.com Controlling multiple flashguns from one receiver is great for creative lighting effects, but not everyone is lucky enough to own a selection of flashguns from the same brand. The clever thing about the Cactus is that it can simultaneously control a whole range of different flashguns, including Canon, Nikon, Nissin and Sigma models. You’ll need two V6s to get started, which makes the combined price slightly less appealing, but the system offers an excellent 100-metre range and the ability to manage four flash groups over 16 channels. There’s also a simple but speedy control system. VERDICT   What’s good: Cross-brand flashgun and camera compatibility. What’s bad:  Won’t wirelessly transmit TTL metering signals. We say: If you’ve got a mix of flashguns, this is the triggering system to buy. 2 Calumet Quad Plus   Price:  £75 Web:  www.calphoto.co.uk Unlike pricier triggering systems, the Quad Plus has to make do without a fancy LCD control panel, and it doesn’t have wireless TTL capabilities. Even so, build quality is good and there are metal hotshoe mounts, including one that enables TTL pass-through. The Quad Plus can control four groups of flashguns over four channels and, thanks to its radio frequency system, you can be up to 150m from your flashguns. Canon and Nikon versions are available. Both have a control system that’s effortlessly easy to use. The Quad Plus can also be used as a wired or wireless remote shutter release. 3 Hahnel Viper   Price:  £160/$250 Web: www.hahnel.ie The Viper will control up to three groups of flashguns via its impressive 2.4GHz radio frequency range. Unlike the other systems here, there’s no choice of channels, as Hahnel uses an automatic Digital Chanel Matching system to connect the transmitter to each receiver without interference. Operation is a cinch using the single control wheel and clear, backlit screen. There’s even a manual override option if you want to set a flashgun’s power independently of the Viper. Unfortunately, the Viper system is only compatible with Canon cameras, and it can’t wirelessly transmit TTL signals. VERDICT   VERDICT   What’s good: Extensive wireless range with control over multiple flashgun groups. What’s bad:  Lacks wireless TTL transmission; no remote power adjustment. We say:  A capable kit that nails the basics for a reasonable price. What’s good: Remote power adjustment and auto channel adjustment. What’s bad:  Canon-only; can’t send wireless TTL signals. We say:  A good mid-range option for Canon users. KIT ZONE Wireless flash triggers MINI-TEST KIT ZONE Get creative with your lighting! Free your flashgun with one of these remote triggering systems www.digitalcameraworld.com 2 3 1 119 WIRELESS FLASH TRIGGERS March 2015 Digital Camera 5 Phottix Odin TTL   Price:  £250 / $280 Web:  www.phottix.com This set-up is far from cheap, but you get bang for your buck. It immediately impresses with a large backlit LCD, similar to what you’d find on a high-end flashgun. This gives you control over three groups of flashguns in four frequency channels with A:B ratio adjustment, and allows you to remotely set their flash head zoom controls as well as power. Available in Canon, Nikon and Sony variants, the Odin will wirelessly transmit TTL signals, and it can be configured to control one flashgun group manually while another uses TTL. It’s also one of the few triggering systems to support high speed sync capabilities. 6 PocketWizard MiniTT1, FlexTT5 & AC3   Price:  £360 / $500 Web:  www www.pocketwizard.com PocketWizard is a name that carries plenty of kudos in this sector, and it’s easy to see why with this pro-level combo. The MiniTT1 will transmit Canon E-TTL or Nikon i-TTL metering signals to one or more FlexTT5 receivers over a 240-metre range – or up to 365 metres with basic triggering. There’s also full high-speed sync with compatible flashguns, allowing for super-fast shutter speeds up to 1/8,000 sec. The AC3 ZoneController lets you remotely control flashguns, but pushes the price to a level that’s hard to justify over the Phottix. VERDICT   VERDICT   What’s good: Feature-packed; well-built; easy to control. What’s bad:  Menus aren’t the fastest to navigate; no flashgun pass-through. We say:  A terrific triggering system that’s worth every penny. What’s good: Flawless performance and full compatibility with advanced features. What’s bad:  Cost; underwhelming build; plastic hotshoe mounts. We say:  A top-notch triggering system, but it’s starting to look overpriced. KIT ZONE 4 Interfit Strobies iSync 4 Trigger & Receiver   Price:  £46 / $60 Web:  www.interfitphotographic.com Pitting this simple little Strobies kit against some of the sexier set-ups here is almost cruel, but in fairness, the iSync 4 has a lot to offer. It’s the smallest and lightest pairing here. Although its 30-metre range trails the competition, it’s enough for most scenarios. There are four available channels to avoid interference, or the receiver can be triggered by flash burst. You can’t have it all for this kind of money, though: the iSync 4 will only manage a single zone of flashguns and there’s no remote power control or TTL functionality. The build quality isn’t inspiring, either. VERDICT   What’s good: Accessible price for the kit; extra receivers. What’s bad:  Only offers manual flash triggering over a short distance. We say:  It does the job, but the Calumet kit is a better budget buy. www.digitalcameraworld.com 4 5 6 KIT ZONE SOFTWARE GROUP TEST 120 Digital Camera   March 2015 Digital Camera   March 2015 Which is the best tool to help you make your photos fulfil their potential?  Rod Lawton  finds out if there’s life beyond Photoshop Image editors GROUP TEST KIT ZONE 1 2 3 1 Adobe Photoshop CC 2014   £8.78 / $9.99 per month* www.adobe.com   Most would contend that Photoshop is the best image editor bar none, but it’s now one of the best bargains too, thanks to its subscription plan. 2 Adobe Photoshop Elements 13   £81 / $100   www.adobe.com   Adobe’s amateur-orientated image editor has a few new effects and a redesigned interface, but does it do enough to stay ahead of the rest? 3 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5   £8.78 / $9.99 per month* or £103 / $149 for permanent licence www.adobe.com   With Apple’s Aperture on its way out, Lightroom is now the top pro image cataloging application, and Adobe’s subs offer makes it even more tempting. 4 Corel PaintShop Pro X7   £60 / $80   www.corel.com   PaintShop Pro is one of the imaging industry’s old-timers, so this latest version has some work to do to keep up with its rivals. 5 CyberLink PhotoDirector 6   £80 / $100   www.cyberlink.com   This amateur-orientated Lightroom challenger adds some interesting editing tools that its Adobe rival doesn’t have, although that may not be enough. 6 DxO OpticsPro 10   £119 / $199   www.dxo.com   DxO’s instant and automatic lens corrections can transform the results from your camera, and its raw conversions are among the best too. 7  Phase One Capture One Pro 8   £182 / $285   www.phaseoone.com   Phase One’s professional image-capture and raw conversion program is only half a step behind Lightroom, and produces beautiful results. 8 Serif PhotoPlus X7   £80 / $125   www.serif.com   PhotoPlus promises the power of Photoshop at a fraction of the price, but can it compete now that the real thing is so affordable? *via Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscription THE ENTRY LIST KIT ZONE IMAGE EDITORS 121 March 2015 Digital Camera March 2015 Digital Camera 4 5 6 7 6 122 KIT ZONE Digital Camera   March 2015 SOFTWARE GROUP TEST Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com want to find, use and share your photos in different ways, the more difficult it becomes to use folders alone. That’s why many photographers use Lightroom alongside Photoshop. Lightroom tackles the complex image management jobs that Photoshop is not designed for and makes light work of day-to-day enhancements and raw files, while Photoshop takes care of the advanced image-editing tasks that Lightroom can’t do. It’s no accident that Adobe is bundling both together in its current subscription-based Photography Plan. They complement each other perfectly and, in many ways, they belong together. Photoshop Elements is a more complete package, coming with its own Organizer app to look after your photo collection. But it is designed for casual snappers and enthusiasts in a way that’s very obvious, and sometimes a little irritating. It has limitations for more advanced work, and while once it cost a fraction of the price you paid for Photoshop, the gap is now effectively very narrow if you stay up to date with each release. LIGHTROOM RIVALS Lightroom does not have the image cataloguing and raw conversion Non-destructive editing  T raditional image-editing processes permanently modify the pixels in the image. Once you’ve made changes, there’s no way back. This means you need to save a new version of your photo so that the original is still available, and while programs like Photoshop offer some degree of undoing, even after the file has been saved, editing is usually an irreversible process. The increased use of raw files, however, poses a challenge to this convention, because they cannot be edited directly. The solution is to use non-destructive editing tools, which change the appearance of the raw file being edited but are only applied permanently when a new, processed JPEG or TIFF file is exported. The advantages of this approach are: • All adjustments can be reworked and wound back at any time – even years later. • The original file is unaltered – and this can apply to regular JPEGs, not just raw files. • It saves disk space because edited versions are ‘virtual’ until you export new files. How we test software P hotoshop has long been regarded as the yardstick for all other image editors – but the market has changed. Photographers don’t  just need image-manipulation tools: they also need programs that can organise, search through and share an ever-growing library of photos. And as more of us shoot raw-format files, the quality of the raw conversion process and the tools you can bring to bear on it become more important. So although Photoshop might still be the best image editor, an image editor in itself may no longer be enough for the things we want to do with our photos today. That’s why we’ve rounded up eight different image-editing tools to cover all these different jobs, from regular image editors to image-cataloguing specialists like Lightroom and all-out raw converters like DxO OpticsPro. TAG-TEAM EDITING What’s becoming increasingly obvious is that one program alone may not be enough. You may find you need to use two, or maybe even three, to get all the features you need. For example, Photoshop is brilliant at image-editing, but offers no tools at all for organising, searching and collating your photos. You can use its bundled companion program Adobe Bridge, but that’s really just a file browsing tool, and relies on you maintaining a rigid folder-based filing system. The larger your image collections become, and the more you market to itself. Cyberlink PhotoDirector 6 offers many of the same tools with a more amateur- orientated twist, while Capture One Pro 8 is bearing down on Lightroom from the professional end of the market, with its own cataloguing tools and a highly competitive set of raw image adjustments. It’s interesting to compare the results from these different raw conversion tools. Adobe Camera Raw, as used by Photoshop and Lightroom, is by far the best-known and most widely used raw converter, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best. DxO OpticsPro takes raw conversion quality to the extreme, using lab-developed camera and lens profiles and constantly developing technology to deliver results you may not have realised your camera is capable of. THE OLD VERSUS THE NEW Digital imaging is going through some exciting times. So where does this leave old favourites like Corel PaintShop Pro and Serif PhotoPlus? Both have proved popular with PC owners looking for lower-cost solutions, but times are changing. Which companies are ahead of the curve, and which are trading on past glories? And can any of them topple the mighty Adobe from its perch? S ix of these programs come in both Mac and Windows versions. These were tested on a dual- core Mac with 8GB RAM running OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Two, Corel PaintShop Pro X7 and Serif PagePlus X7, are Windows- only. These were tested on a dual-core PC with 4GB RAM running Windows 7. Given the performance difference between the two machines, allowances were made for operational speed. The eight applications were evaluated using a range of criteria:  The range of tools: not  just editing options, but image management.  Raw conversion quality – an increasingly important factor for today’s photographers.  Ease of use and interface design.  The range of effects, and the quality of results.  Suitability for users of different skill levels. The brief was principally to bring together all the leading commercial image-editing programs on the market to see how well they catered for the evolving needs of digital photographers. We use reviewers with long- standing software experience, both with the products being tested and their previous versions. “What’s becoming increasingly obvious is that one program alone may not be enough” Above   Software with non-destructive editing tools  give you the ultimate in photo processing flexibility. 123 KIT ZONE 123 March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com IMAGE EDITORS WINDOWS /  MAC  Is it worth paying for monthly? A dobe Photoshop CC 2014 £8.78 /  $9.99 per month* A dobe caused controversy when it swapped over to a subscription-only plan for Photoshop purchases, but Adobe has since cut the fee right down to under 󰂣󰀹 per month – and that includes a subscription to Lightroom 󰀵. This means you can get both programs for less than 󰂣󰀱󰀰󰀰 each year, with automatic updates. The most recent major update was in June 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀴, when Adobe replaced the original Photoshop CC with a new Photoshop CC 󰀲󰀰󰀱󰀴 version. The update has brought with it a performance boost, thanks to improvements to Adobe’s Mercury graphics engine, and intelligent upsampling for better results when enlarging images. The new version also has some advanced Spin and Path blur effects; a Focus Mask tool for isolating sharp areas of images; an advanced Perspective Warp tool that can straighten two sides of a building at once; and an improved version of the Content-Aware Fill tool, now with colour blending. The other key point about Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription is its community aspect. It also works alongside free Adobe iOS apps such as Photoshop Mix, for mobile image-editing, Photoshop Sketch, Adobe Color and Adobe Shape. PERFORMANCE There are simpler, cheaper alternatives to Photoshop CC, but no other program can match its depth, power and sophistication. Yet Adobe has managed to condense all this power into a clean, straightforward and efficient interface. Photoshop excels at effects, montages, layers and selections. Although it’s largely a traditional ‘destructive’ editor, it can do non-destructive editing too, thanks to Adobe Camera Raw, Adjustment Layers and Smart Objects, which let you rework plug-in filter settings. Photoshop doesn’t offer a whole lot of help to beginners – but by Adobe’s way of thinking, that’s what Photoshop Elements is for. Neither does Photoshop offer much by way of creative guidance. It’ll let you do practically anything you want – if you know what you want in the first place. * Photography Plan, with Lightroom Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 One of the best-known user interfaces in the world TOOLS PANEL Many of the tools have fly-out panels for choosing different tool variations. WORKSPACE The Photography workspace hides 3D, drawing and design tools you don’t need. PANELS The panels can pop open when you need them, then close again when you’re finished. “Photoshop will let you do practically anything you want – if you know what you want” Software spotlight Layers and masks Many image-editors offer layers, but Photoshop brings a special blend of power and simplicity, thanks to Smart Objects with undo-able filters, fast and effective masking tools and the integration of blend modes and adjustment layers. 124 KIT ZONE SOFTWARE GROUP TEST Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WINDOWS /  MAC  It’s Photoshop for editing novices Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 £81 / $100 P hotoshop Elements has long been popular with photographers looking for a cheaper and easier alternative to Photoshop, but Adobe’s swap to a subscription plan for Photoshop means the price differential is almost gone – you can get Photoshop CC and Lightroom 󰀵 for a year for just 󰂣󰀲󰀰 more. But Elements is still the easier option for image-editing novices. The Organizer app can sort, organise and search your whole photo library, and it connects directly with the Editor application, which has three modes: Quick, Guided and Expert. Quick mode offers basic, push- button enhancements, but Guided mode is more interesting because you can try out effects and learn how they’re done at the same time. Expert mode is where you get to take full manual control, and it offers a good proportion of the tools in Photoshop itself – although the tool options panel design takes up a little too much space at the bottom of the screen. Elements 󰀱󰀳 introduces an eLive panel that links to online resources and tutorials. Otherwise, the additions since version 󰀱󰀲 are small: you can now use Photomerge Compose to blend objects from different images more convincingly; it’s possible to nudge selections precisely into position; and the Crop tool suggests four different ways for you to compose your image. PERFORMANCE Back when Photoshop cost hundreds of pounds to buy, it was easy to accept that Elements offered a cut-down toolset. Now it’s not. You don’t get Curves adjustments (the Adjust Color Curves panel is not really a proper substitute); you can’t work in CMYK or Lab colour modes; and you don’t get Path or Pen tools for more complex editable selections. Perhaps the biggest loss to photographers, however, is inside Adobe Camera Raw. The version that comes with Photoshop has 󰀱󰀰 panels and is practically an image-editor in its own right. The version that comes with Elements has just three panels, catering for only the most basic raw-format adjustments. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 An interface that can evolve as your editing skills improve TOOLS PANEL Elements has many of the tools in Photoshop, but in a novice- friendly interface. EDIT MODES Expert mode gives most control; Guided and Quick are mainly for editing novices. TOOL OPTIONS When you select a tool, its options are displayed in this area below the image. “The Crop tool suggests four different ways for you to compose your image” Software spotlight Guided edits The Guided mode in Elements is a great introduction to more advanced techniques. Each process follows a step-by-step sequence, where each step is accompanied by a short explanation of what’s involved and how that particular tool or process works. 125 KIT ZONE IMAGE EDITORS March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com WINDOWS /  MAC  Image cataloguing and editing in one Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 £8.78 / $9.99 per month* P hotoshop is a terrific image editor, but its companion Bridge is not designed for managing large photo collections. Lightroom is. It’s based around a powerful image management database, and can make light work of organising, filtering and searching big image collections. The editing tools are the same as those in Photoshop’s Camera Raw plug-in, reconfigured into a single window. Modules address each stage of your photographic workflow: importing and organising your photos, enhancing them, then sharing and printing them via Slideshow, Book, Print and Web modules. You can even log where they were taken. Lightroom’s editing adjustments are non-destructive. You can revisit and rework them any time you like. If you want to use these edited images in any other applications, you can export them as JPEGs or TIFFs. PERFORMANCE Lightroom’s cataloguing tools are terrific, but because it’s based around Adobe Camera Raw, its editing options are limited. You can apply localised adjustments with a brush, graduated and radial filters, and you can remove spots or unwanted objects with the Spot Removal tool. There’s also automatic lens correction (for supported lenses) and an excellent Upright tool for fixing converging verticals and other perspective issues. What you can’t do is create layered images, make complex corrections or create sophisticated multi-step effects. For that, you’ll still need Photoshop. The good news is that if you subscribe to Adobe’s Photography Plan, you get both. You can still get Lightroom 󰀵 as a regular purchase with a permanent licence, but it costs more than a one-year subscription to Photoshop CC and Lightroom together. A subscription will also enable you to get the most from your mobile device – there’s a free Lightroom Mobile app for iOS or Android, which offers basic editing and organising tools and synchronises with the desktop version. * Photography Plan, with Photoshop CC. Permanent licence, £103 / $149. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Devoted to helping you get the most out of your photos ATTRIBUTES You can add ratings, colour labels and flags to images, and filter them later. PANELS The image enhancement option and effects are displayed in these stacked panels. TOOLS You can crop images, add  gradient and radial filters and even clone out objects. “It can make light work of organising, filtering and searching big image collections” Software spotlight Lightroom library Lightroom’s editing tools are only half the story – its real power lies in its image-cataloguing tools. Each image can be assigned different attributes, such as a star rating, colour label or flag, and you can add keywords, captions, copyright information and more, then filter your images. 126 KIT ZONE SOFTWARE GROUP TEST Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WINDOWS  One of Photoshop’s oldest rivals Corel PaintShop Pro X7 £60 / $80 P aintShop Pro has become simpler and more novice-friendly over the years. It now presents an integrated workflow with three tabs: Manage, Adjust and Edit. The Manage tab takes care of your photo organisation. You can browse folders directly without having to import them, but you can also create virtual and smart collections. On the whole, it’s simple and straightforward to understand. The Adjust panel is for routine image enhancements, and offers a good selection of effects. These adjustments are not non-destructive, though – PaintShop Pro might look like Lightroom and PhotoDirector, but in fact it’s a traditional editor that edits your images directly, saving new versions of your files when it’s done. The Edit panel offers more advanced and manual controls, such as the levels, curves and colour adjustments you’d use in Photoshop. PaintShop Pro is also compatible, Corel says, with Photoshop plug-ins, so you can add extra tools. The new X󰀷 version brings a Magic Fill tool (the equivalent of Adobe’s Content-Aware Fill), 󰀳󰀰󰀥 faster brushes, and text- and shape-cutting tools. This underlines that fact that PaintShop Pro is not just for image- editing – it’s an all-round painting, drawing and illustration tool. PERFORMANCE The editing tools are comprehensive, but they’re also a little clunky. The adjustment dialog boxes offer small before and after previews, which seems terribly old-fashioned. There is a checkbox to display the results of your adjustments live, but the screen updates are not quick. Worst of all, it falls down on one of the most basic operations for an image editor today: opening and converting raw files. It has a Camera Raw Lab, which opens automatically if you select a raw image for the Edit mode. Oddly, this can be bypassed if you simply use the Adjust mode, with rather poor results. Not that the Camera Raw Lab’s results are much better. The tools are limited and the quality of the conversions is poor. You’ll have to work pretty hard to equal the quality of your camera’s JPEGs, let alone improve on them. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Corel PaintShop Pro X7 A program that’s become increasingly novice-friendly INSTANT EFFECTS The Effects panel offers a good choice, and you can hide it to save space. LEARNING CENTRE PaintShop Pro’s Learning Centre helps you discover image- editing techniques as you go. LAYERS These work in much the same way as the layers in Photoshop and Elements. “PaintShop Pro might look like Lightroom, but in fact it’s a traditional editor” Software spotlight Special effects PaintShop Pro X7 comes with eight special effects, each of which gets its own dedicated tools. This is the Selective Focus effect: it’s like the tilt-shift tools in other image- editors and plug-ins. 127 KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com IMAGE EDITORS WINDOWS /  MAC  This Lightroom look-alike undercuts it Cyberlink PhotoDirector 6 Ultra £80 / $100 T he resemblance of PhotoDirector to Lightroom is quite striking. It has the same broad workflow, with different modules running across the top. These include a Library, Adjustment, Edit, Slideshow and Print panels. It doesn’t have Lightroom’s Map, Book, Slideshow and Web panels, but these are probably not on top of most photographers’ must-have lists. So why does PhotoDirector have both an Adjustment and an Edit tab? That’s because they respectively offer non-destructive and destructive adjustments for your use. Lightroom’s editing tools are non- destructive. But there are things a non-destructive tool like this can’t do, like layers and masks; for those, Lightroom passes you over to the traditional tools of Photoshop. PhotoDirector, however, offers many of these conventional adjustments without the need for an second program. In the Edit panel you can remove objects or backgrounds, combine images, blend HDR exposure sequences, create panoramas and make people look more beautiful with Beautifier tools and a Body Shaper. The downside is that these tools are quite amateur-orientated. They certainly don’t cover the whole range of photo projects and adjustments people might want to try – and, unlike Lightroom, PhotoDirector doesn’t let you seamlessly transfer images to a second image editor. PERFORMANCE It’s in the Adjustment panel that you get to carry out the same non-destructive enhancements as Lightroom, and it’s where the similarities are most obvious, right down to the Adjustment Brush, Gradient Mask, Radial Mask and Spot Removal tools. It’s all very smooth and slick, but you can never escape the feeling that you’re working with a cut-price Lightroom clone – except that the price isn’t cut by much. You get extra tools in the Edit panel, but there’s no equivalent of Lightroom’s Upright automatic perspective correction tool, its Quick Develop tools, or its Smart Previews for editing images stored on disconnected devices. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Cyberlink PhotoDirector 6 Ultra Discover photo editing at its purest TOOLS All the tools in the Adjust module are non-destructive – you can use preset effects too. MODULES Like Lightroom, PhotoDirector organises your tools into modules to avoid clutter. ADJUSTMENTS This is PhotoDirector’s  graduated filter in action – it’s just like Lightroom’s. “The Edit tools don’t cover the whole range of projects people might want to try” Software spotlight Edit module PhotoDirector’s Adjustment module offers non-destructive editing tools, just like Lightroom, but its Edit module acts like a regular image editor. But while these Edit tools add to PhotoDirector’s versatility, they don’t go far enough to replace a regular image editor. 128 KIT ZONE SOFTWARE GROUP TEST Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WINDOWS /  MAC  The most specialised program on test DxO OpticsPro 10 Elite £159 / $199 D xO OpticsPro detects the different degrees of distortion, chromatic aberration, edge softness and vignetting common to practically all digital camera lenses, then compensates for them. It checks the EXIF shooting data embedded in the image by the camera, then looks up the combination of camera body and lens in its test database. It’s also a raw converter, and DxO has applied just as much scientific rigour to this process as to its lens corrections. (Fujifilm owners take note, though – OpticsPro does not currently support X-Trans sensors.) You can apply a range of presets – you get to see how your image will look before you choose – or adjust the settings manually. At this point, OpticsPro can get quite technical, especially when you’re  juggling the Exposure Compensation, Smart Lighting and Selective Tone settings to get the best tonal balance and dynamic range. It’s worth it, though, because DxO OpticsPro’s raw conversions are quite superb. The difference in detail rendition and noise control compared with Adobe Camera Raw is immediately obvious. PERFORMANCE OpticsPro now integrates directly with DxO’s ViewPoint 󰀲.󰀵 and FilmPack 󰀵 programs. ViewPoint offers advanced perspective corrections, while FilmPack replicates the look of classic films, darkroom processes and cheap cameras. DxO has also made its Prime de-noising process faster. The standard noise reduction is impressive, but Prime can work the most amazing transformations on high ISO images, although it’s slow. A new ClearView option applies localised contrast enhancement to improve distant landscape scenes, and, according to DxO, the program is 󰀱.󰀵 times faster to launch and 󰀱󰀰 times faster at loading files. The results from OpticsPro are excellent. However, it lacks any image cataloguing tools and localised adjustments, so it could never be your one and only image-editing tool. Both Essential and Elite editions handle all cameras, but you need Elite for the more advanced tools. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… DxO OpticsPro 10 Elite Software to help your digital photos sparkle CUSTOMIZE The Customize tab is where you make detailed adjustments to your photos. VIEWPOINT You’ll now need the ViewPoint plug-in to apply perspective corrections to photos. PRIME The powerful Prime noise reduction process is now faster than before. “The difference in detail and noise control compared with Camera Raw is obvious” Software spotlight ViewPoint and FilmPack DxO makes two other programs – ViewPoint 2.5 and FilmPack, both £59 – which can now integrate with OpticsPro as plug-ins. You’ll now need ViewPoint to apply geometric corrections. FilmPack 5, meanwhile, is designed to reproduce old films and darkroom processes. 129 KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com IMAGE EDITORS WINDOWS /  MAC  Software that’s as good as its cameras? Phase One Capture One Pro 8 £1 82 / $285 C apture One began as a professional tethered shooting studio application, but has steadily migrated towards mainstream use. With the addition of full cataloguing tools in version 󰀷, Capture One became a direct rival to Lightroom, offering raw conversions for a wide range of cameras, powerful non-destructive image adjustments, style presets, automatic lens corrections and local adjustments made with adjustment layers and masks – an easier approach to grasp than Lightroom’s, and powerful too. Version 󰀸 brings an updated processing engine, a modernised interface (the slider knobs are bigger, but nothing else leaps out), improved HDR tools, better noise and moiré reduction, a speed boost and sundry other improvements. The basic workflow is the same, though. You import images into the Catalog, then use a series of tool tabs to adjust Color, Exposure, Lens (corrections), Composition (cropping, straightening, keystone correction), Details (sharpening, noise reduction, grain) and batch-processing options. You can rearrange these tabs to suit your workflow, hide the ones you don’t want and re-arrange your favourites into a single Q (quick) tab. PERFORMANCE Capture One Pro is expensive compared to its rivals, so you’d expect the results to be good. In fact, they are more than just good. Capture One Pro can extract exceptional detail from raw files – the difference compared to  JPEGs, or even Adobe Camera Raw conversions, can be striking. It also produces strong, powerful colours and contrast, and extremely good separation of shadow tones. The result is a terrific impression of sharpness, clarity and definition. But Capture One Pro has a flaw. It does not support external editors or plug-ins, so you can’t send an image to Photoshop or Google’s Nik Collection plug-ins, for example, and have the edited version returned automatically to the Capture One Catalog. If Phase One were to add this, then Capture One Pro would have five-star potential. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Phase One Capture One Pro 8 From a niche tool to a genuine Lightroom contender TOOLS AND TABS The tools and tabs can be rearranged to suit your preferred working methods. VIEWER This shows the image you’re working on, which is selected in the Browser. VARIANTS You can work on existing images or create a Variant so you can experiment with your edits. “The result is a terrific impression of sharpness, clarity and definition” Software spotlight Variants Capture One Pro can and create Variants, which apply different treatments to one photo without changing the original. Variants can be processed and exported in  just the same way as real photos. This takes up a lot less space than creating real copies of files in a program like Photoshop. 130 KIT ZONE SOFTWARE GROUP TEST Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com WINDOWS Photoshop power at a budget price Serif PhotoPlus X7 £80 / $125 P hotoPlus’s similarity to Photoshop is obvious, right down to the screen layout, with a tools palette on the left, tool options on the top toolbar and stacked palettes including adjustments and layers on the right. But then the two programs diverge. PhotoPlus X󰀷 has beginners in mind, and features an array of Studios for creating different photo effects. There’s a general-purpose PhotoFix Studio, for example, plus Makeover Studio, Black and White Studio, Warp Studio, Cutout Studio and Print Studio. This latest version adds support for Lab mode (useful for certain kinds of colour adjustment), lens corrections and a Clarity filter, which boosts local contrast for added definition. The Clone tool from earlier releases is improved, with an advanced live preview; the PhotoFix Studio has a Smart Brush tool for applying adjustments to specific areas; and there are three new blend modes for layers: Vivid Light, Hard Mix and Pin Light. PERFORMANCE These features are worth having, but they don’t address PhotoPlus’s principal failings. One problem is that it’s confusing – why have a PhotoFix window, for example, that carries out what look like similar adjustments to the main editor window? Another is the poor quality of some of the tools. The slow and ponderous Cutout Studio, for example, had trouble cutting out a dark grey set against a near-white sky – a simple subject. Worst of all, though, is the Raw Studio. This supports most cameras (there’s a list on the Serif website), but the quality between models varies massively. The results from a Nikon D󰀷󰀱󰀰󰀰 seemed OK, but those from a Nikon D󰀵󰀲󰀰󰀰 looked dark and muddy. As if that wasn’t enough, if you try to open a raw file that PhotoPlus X󰀷 doesn’t support, it doesn’t tell you so – it just creates a really bad conversion with distorted colours and muddy tonal rendition. In itself, PhotoPlus X󰀷 is patchy but reasonable – but the low quality of its raw conversions is a major drawback for anyone using it to work on their own photos. Overall FEATURES RESULTS EASE OF USE VALUE Get to know… Serif PhotoPlus X7 A powerful image-editor that’s easy to get into HOW TO The How To panel offers intermediate users a handy  guide to editing tasks. DOCUMENTS This displays all the images currently open – handy when combining photos. LAYERS PhotoPlus’s layers work just like Photoshops, and you get adjustment layers too. “PhotoPlus X󰀷 has beginners in mind, and features an array of Studios for effects” Software spotlight Photoshop on the cheap On paper, PhotoPlus X7 does practically everything that Photoshop does. If you’re patient and stick at it, you’ll able to achieve some decent results. Mac owners will soon be able to get a Serif image editor: the company is working on Affinity Photos to line up alongside its Affinity Designer program. 131 KIT ZONE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com IMAGE EDITORS HOW THE IMAGE EDITORS COMPARE Product nameAdobe Photoshop CC 2014 Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate X7 Cyberlink PhotoDirector 6 DxO OpticsPro 10 Elite Phase One Capture One Pro 8 Serif PhotoPlus X7 Price£8.78 / $9.99 a month* £81 / $100£8.78 / $9.99 a month*; or £103 / $149 £60 / $80£80 / $100£159 / $199£182 / $285£80 / $125 Websitewww.adobe.comwww.adobe.comwww.adobe.comwww.corel.comcyberlink.comwww.dxo.comphaseone.comwww.serif.com PlatformWindows / MacWindows / MacWindows / MacWindowsWindows / MacWindows / MacWindows / MacWindows Raw supportYesYesYesYesYesYesYesY BrowsingYesYesYesYesYesYesYesY CatalogueNoYesYesYesYesNoYesY Virtual copiesNoNoYesNoYesYesYesN Lens correctionAutomaticNoAutomaticManualAutomaticAutomaticAutomaticManual LayersYesYesNoYesYesNoLimitedY Plug-insYesYesYesYesNYesNoY FEATURES EASE OF USE RESULTS VALUE OVERALL   *Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan includes Photoshop CC and Lightroom ADOBE PHOTOGRAPHY PLAN What’s good:  You get the world’s best image editor and (possibly) the best image- cataloguing tool, all for under £9 per month. What’s bad:  Adobe Camera Raw (used in both Photoshop and Lightroom) is a good raw converter – but it’s not the best. We say: This is by far the most powerful and complete solution and it doesn’t really cost much more than its rivals. DXO OPTICSPRO 10 What’s good:  Excellent lens and perspective corrections; superb raw conversions and noise reduction. What’s bad:  Too specialised to be your only software, with no cataloguing tools and no localised adjustments. We say:   You thought Adobe Camera Raw did a good job with raw files? DxO OpticsPro will open your eyes. PHASE ONE CAPTURE ONE PRO 8 What’s good:  Exceptional fine detail; rich and saturated raw conversions; local adjustments; cataloguing. What’s bad:  No support for external editors or plug-ins – its one weakness compared to Lightroom. We say:   If you’re more interested in ultimate quality than do-it-all versatility, this is a serious contender. O ne thing has become clear. If you want the best image cataloguing tool, the best raw converter and the best image-editor, you’re not  going to find them in one program – but you might in one package. Available for a single subscription fee, the Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 combination comes closest to a single do-it-all solution, especially since they work so well together. But that’s not quite the whole story. More photographers are shooting in raw to get the best possible quality. Here, DxO OpticsPro 10 and Capture One Pro 8 deliver the best images. THE RESULTS Our top three image editors in a nutshell   THE DIGITAL CAMERA VERDICT ADOBE STAYS ON TOP The combo of Photoshop, Lightroom and a low-cost sub is unbeatable    F    E    E    D   S  !       k  e      w       v  i    e  o       o n   s     e  r y   m o       ! NEW!  THE ONLY MONTHLY NIKON MAGAZINE! READ MORE ABOUT US AND SUBSCRIBE TODAY AT  WWW.DIGITALCAMERAWORLD.COM FIND OUT MORE! At newsagents, Apple Newsstand & Zinio ON SALE NOW! March 2015 Digital Camera KIT ZONE  133 SLING-STYLE STRAPS Sling-style straps Don’t let your camera be a pain in the neck: lighten the load with a better breed of strap 1 B-Grip B-Glider   Price:   £39 / $40 Web:   www.bgrip.com The B-Glider’s wide, neoprene shoulder pad is sumptuously comfortable, and the quick- release mounting plate holds your camera tight. Unfortunately, the slider clamp isn’t so secure – and the whole mount is huge. 4 Joby UltraFit Sling Strap for Women   Price:   £38 / $30   Web:   www.joby.com This slim sling is shaped to fit around feminine contours for increased comfort. It certainly makes a difference, although those with a curvier figure or a heavy camera may not be quite as impressed. 5 Parastrap Parachute Shoulder Strap   Price:   $26 Web:   www.naneubags.com Spreading weight effectively lightens your load, so this expanding strap shrouds your whole shoulder for increased comfort. Don’t expect many admiring glances though, or for the chunky mounting clips to fit all cameras. 2 BlackRapid RS-Sport   Price:   £59 / $74   Web:   www.blackrapid.com Here’s a simple sling that nails the essentials. There’s great comfort and a compact mounting system that slides beautifully. You also get a useful under-arm strap. 3 Hama Quick Shoot Strap   Price:   £38 / $58 Web:   www.hama.com 18 air pockets boost this sling’s comfort, though you’d need a heavy camera to feel the difference. It’s also a bulky design, but packs a handy memory card pocket, plus a tripod mount pass-through. 6 Peak Design Slide   Price:   £39 / $60 Web:   www.peakdesign.com The Slide is like a sling, shoulder- and neck- strap in one. Making the transformation is a doddle thanks to the clever camera release system, while the seatbelt-style strap glides smoothly and is always comfortable. MICRO-TEST KIT ZONE www.digitalcameraworld.com Back issues Catch up on any issue you’ve missed by downloading our digital editions Issue 158 Dec 2014  Discover the skills and techniques you need to take creative photos at night Master the art of macro Best budget cameras on test Eight free tips cards 68-page photography trivia book 11 expert videos Issue 159 Jan 2015  10 creative home photo projects Canon 7D Mk II reviewed Medium- format mega test City photography Shutter speed made simple 12 expert videos 68-page dictionary of photography Eight free tips cards Issue 160 Feb 2015  Master your camera now! Your ultimate photo starter pack Wide-angle prime lenses on test ISO setting basics Get to grips with long exposures Make a ring light 12 expert videos Eight free tips cards How to get your back issues! BUY A BINDER FOR YOUR PRINT EDITIONS!   Prefer print? Keep your mags together with our binder, which neatly holds a year’s issues   www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/photo A limited number of back issues of our print editions are available at http://bit.ly/ DC_back Got an Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch?   Get the free Digital Camera app for your iPad or iPhone at http://bit.ly/DC_app  (UK) or http://bit.ly/DCW_app  (the rest of the world) then browse through our back issues or buy a subscription using the app. On Android, PC or Mac? Zinio: http://bit.ly/DCW_Zinio Google Play: http://bit.ly/DCW_GoogleP Got some other device?   Digital Camera is available for Kobo, Kindle, Nook, Windows 8 and more. Check out all of our partners at the bottom of the page G O   D I G I T  A L   E  V  E  R  Y    M O N T  H S U B S C R I B E   F  R O M   J U S T    £ 3 . 9 9   READ YOUR MAGAZINE ON ANY DEVICE: Issue 149 Apr 2014  Get close-up with great ideas for magical macro shots Get richer skies with polarisers Banish camera shake for good Compact system cameras on test Nine videos, tips cards and SLR skills bonus mag Issue 150 Spr 2014  150 best-ever photo tips Take control of autofocus Capture balanced exposures Long telephoto lenses tested Learn fresh flower tips Master depth of field Nine tutorial & review videos Issue 151 May 2014  Take your most creative shots ever! Master raw and HDR Take better bird photos Explore still- life in your home Black & white bonus mag Free Photography Week voucher, nine videos and wallet cards Issue 155 Sep 2014  Essential skills for superb garden photos Affordable telephoto lenses on test Make a DIY clamp 12 videos including Scott Kelby interview Free gifts: history mini-mag and portrait lighting guide Issue 156 Oct 2014  29 great ways to make cash from your camera Eight affordable ultra wide-angle lenses on test Master the art of light- painting 13 expert videos including Lightroom training Eight free tips cards Issue 157 Nov 2014  Start creating beautiful portraits with our experts’ essential techniques Stylish retro cameras on test Master the art of wildlife photography 11 expert videos Eight free tips cards 68-page kit bag guide book Issue 152 Jun 2014   The beauty of black & white All you need to know about lenses 10 hot photo ideas to try this summer Pro advice on shooting weddings £499 cameras tested Conquer flat conditions with a mono conversion Issue 153 Jul 2014  12 great ways to shoot better photos Make streaky skies Dave Shopland interview Prime lenses for CSCs tested 5 Lightroom videos Free gifts: history mini-mag, buyer’s guide, full ebook! Issue 154 Aug 2014  10 laws of the land: essential landscape rules Canon vs Nikon: SLRs on test Fix photos in Lightroom Make your own softbox Francesco Tonelli inteview Free Xara software, video lessons and history guide THE DIGITAL ADVANTAGE   All your digital magazines can travel with you wherever you go – and even if you delete them from your device, they are free to re-download at any time Teach yourself  Photography Our 228-page guide to mastering your digital SLR, lenses and accessories complete with a free disc inside! www.myfavourite magazines.co.uk/photo Check out our other Masterclass handbooks! NEW! ON SALE NOW  Learn essential camera skills Expert video guides to shooting and editing In-depth video reviews of all the latest cameras Inspirational galleries of the world’s best photos Creative ideas, tips and must-try photo projects FROM 35 p /50 c   PER ISSUE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE * AVAILABLE ON YOUR DEVICE NOW! THE   WORLD’S   BEST SELLING DIGITA L PHOTO MAGAZINE 11-17 DECEMBERISSUE 116 INSPIRATION   IDEAS   IN D EPTH REVIEWS COULD THIS B E YOUR SAMSUNG NX1  ON TEST THE   VERDICT ON   SAMSUNG ’S CANON NIKON KILLER PAINT YOUR NIGHTTIME   SCENES WITH LIGHT LEARN HOW TO C ROP AND FIX HORI ZONS MASTER THE ART OF SHOOTING FIREWORKS F R E E   V I   E O S   NX T   CAM ERA? THE   WORLD’S   BEST SELLING D IGITAL PHOTO MAGAZINE PLUS  OUR NEW LIGH TROOM COURSE AWARDS SP ECIAL CAMERAS   LENSES   ACCESSORIES OF   T HE YEAR   14 GEAR 18-24 DECEMBERISSUE 117 GE AR OF TH E YEAR 2014 THE WORLD’S BEST-SELLIN G DIGITAL   PHOTO   MAGAZINE 25 31   DECEMBERISSUE 118  CHRISTMAS SPE CIAL T HE WORLD’S BEST-SELLING DIGITAL PHOTO   MAGAZINE 1 7 JANUARYISSUE 119 INSPIRATION IDEAS IN-DEP TH   REVIEWS    F    R    E    E      V    I    D    E   O    S    ! HOW TO MAKE A TIME-LAPSE MOVIE THE BEST & WORST IN PHOTOGRAPHY 2014 HOW TO SET UP YOUR   SLR:   11 KEY SETTINGS 201 4 PHOTOGRAPHY  OF THE BES T NEW YEAR SP ECIAL THE WORLD’S BEST-SELLING DIGITAL PHOTO MAGAZINE ISSUE 120 INSPIRATION IDEAS IN-DEPTH REVIEWS    F    R    E    E      V    I    D    E   O    ! 8 - 14 JANUARY LIGHTROOM: HOW TO COPYRIGHT IMAGES MAKE AN ANDY WARHOL POP-ART PORTRAIT! WE REVIEW THE FUJIFILM X100T FOUR CREATIVE PROJECTS TO SHOOT AT HOME *Available for a limited time only. Standard subscription offer varies across platforms/devices – please refer to specific store for the most up-to-date offer http://tiny.cc/bz3xkx http://tiny.cc/6x3xkx http://tiny.cc/613xkx THE WORLD‘S BEST-SELLING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE Discover the best rigs to help you take control of the light in your shots. Plus: Sony’s Alpha 7 Mk II on test The definitive photo-  journalist speaks out about his greatest images and career highlights GROUP TEST STUDIO LIGHTS INTERVIEW   DON McCULLIN DON’T MISS OUT! Buy a print or digital subscription   www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/digitalcamera 137 ISSUE 162 ON SALE   FRIDAY 27TH FEB     B    a    r    r    y     C    a    w    s     t    o    n                                                     G                                        e                                                 t                                                  t                                         y                                                                     I                                        m                                       a                                           g                                                         e                                        s   NEXT MONTH  FIVE PROFESSIONALS REVEAL THEIR SECRETS IN OUR LANDSCAPE March 2015 Digital Camera www.digitalcameraworld.com MASTERCLASS  6 www digit lc mer world com Welcome to our back page quiz, where Geoff Harris , the Big Daddy of brainteasers and pontiff of puzzles, puts your brain through photography boot camp 1   What is the name of the swinging 60s photographer played by David Hemmings in Antonioni’s classic zeitgeist movie, Blow-Up? A   Thomas B   Austin C   Henri D   William Fox 2   How many pixels are there in a megapixel? A   10,000 B   100,000 C   1 million D   1.5 million 4   What was the main disadvantage of the wet collodion process? A   Collodions were hard to find after the Napoleonic war B   The process had to be done before the wet plate dried out C   The moisture from the process would make images appear soft D   It took 48 hours for the photographic paper to dry out 5   What are you usually doing when you merge bracketed exposures? A   Combining a two-stops underexposed image with one that is two stops overexposed B   Combining a shot at a high shutter speed with one taken at a slow speed C   Combining three shots: one stop underexposed, one shot normal and one shot overexposed D   Combining shots taken at low, medium and high ISO settings to maximise detail 6   How is an f number calculated? A   The focal length of the lens (in millimetres) divided by the diameter of the lens aperture B   The lens aperture divided by the shutter speed C   The size of the aperture in millimetres divided by the maximum lens focal length D   f stands for ‘focus’, so it’s simply the optimal length (in inches) you need for sharp focusing 7   Which piece of photography slang derives from vulgar military usage? A   Shutter Speed Damn Difficult (from SSDD) B   Photoshopped Beyond All Recognition (from FUBAR) C   Fabulous New Gear (from FNG, aka a new arrival) D   So Not the Aperture for You (from SNAFU) 8   Which uber-geek brothers are credited with developing Photoshop? A   Angus and Malcolm Young B   Ronald and Reginald Kray C   Thomas and John Knoll D   Lars and Sven Bender 3   Nikon raw files are called NEFs. But what does NEF stand for? A   Nikon Enhanced Format B   Nikon Electronic File C   Noise Enhanced File D   Nikon Electronic Format       M     G     M       /     T      h    e     K    o      b    a      l     C    o      l      l    e    c     t      i    o    n     A      d    o      b    e THE QUIZ 146 HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW? HOW DID YOU SCORE? 0:   Impossible – you’re just messing with us 1-2:   Terrible. Start again 3-4:   Not bad, but could do better 5-6:   Well done, but check where you went wrong 7-8:   Excellent – but we'll get you next time!     A     n    s      w     e    r    s   :   1     A     2     C     3     D     4     B     5     C     6     A     7     B     8     C Next issue on sale Friday 27th February 2015 Digital Camera   March 2015www.digitalcameraworld.com F    R    E    E    !    DON’T MISS NEXT MONTH’S SET OF TIPS CARDS! SUBSCRIBE AT WWW.MYFAVOURITEMAGAZINES.CO.UK  / DIGITALCAMERA ACTION KEY SETTINGS FOR FREEZING DANCERS WILDLIFE & NATURE KEY SETTINGS FOR EARLY SPRING FLOWERS MACRO KEY SETTINGS FOR COLOURFUL WATER DROPS CREATIVE KEY SETTINGS FOR STUNNING SILHOUETTES LANDSCAPES KEY SETTINGS FOR LOW-LIGHT CITYSCAPES PORTRAITS & PEOPLE KEY SETTINGS FOR CREATIVE BABY PORTRAITS  POCKET REFERENCE USE A SINGLE AF POINT FOR SHARPER FOCUS POCKET REFERENCE WHEN TO USE THE MAIN SHOOTING MODES DON’T MISS YOUR NEXT SET OF TIPS CARDS ON SALE FRIDAY 27th FEBRUARY 1 3 4 2 F    R    E    E    !    GOT A REQUEST FOR A WALLET CARD TOPIC? EMAIL US AT [email protected] 1 PROGRAM (P) For general photography  The camera sets both the aperture and the shutter speed. 2 SHUTTER PRIORITY (S/Tv) Use this to freeze or blur movement in the shot You set the shutter speed, and the camera sets the aperture. 3 APERTURE PRIORITY (A/Av) Use when depth of field is key; eg, portraits, landscapes  You set the aperture, and the camera sets the shutter speed. 4 MANUAL (M) Use when you don’t want the camera to change the exposure You set both the aperture and the shutter speed. MAIN SHOOTING MODES Pocket Reference With all AF points active, the camera will decide where to focus. But it doesn’t always get it right. Your camera’s One Shot AF mode helps you get more reliable results: 1 Choose an AF point  Use the control wheel or thumbstick to select an AF point directly. You may have to press a selection button first. Highlight the subject  Choose an AF point that corresponds with the most important detail, such as a person’s eye in a portrait. Focus and recompose  If the AF point doesn’t line up with the subject, move the camera until it does. Keep the shutter button half-pressed to lock the focus, then recompose the shot. SINGLE AF MODE Pocket Reference FREEZING DANCERS EARLY SPRING FLOWERS CREATIVE BABY SHOTS WONDERFUL WATER DROPS Key settings for STUNNING SILHOUETTES Key settings for Key settings for Key settings for Key settings for Exposure mode  Manual Focus mode  Manual Aperture f/16 ISO  100 Exposure mode  Manual Focus mode  Manual Shutter speed 1/200 sec ISO  200 Exposure mode  Manual Shutter Speed  1/250 sec Aperture f/2.8 ISO  Auto Exposure mode  Aperture Priority Focus mode  Single or One Shot Aperture f/4 ISO  200 Exposure mode  Aperture Priority Focus mode  Single or One Shot Aperture f/8 ISO  100 Exposure mode  Aperture Priority Focus mode  Manual Aperture f/4 or wider Lens  Macro between 50 and 105mm IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  You’ll need to use a tripod and remote release to prevent camera shake.  For accurate colours, set the white balance to the Tungsten preset.  Use long-exposure noise reduction to help minimise the noise that can occur at long shutter speeds. FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT, TRY... IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  It’s best to choose a dark location, and also use a dark background to make the dancer really stand out.  Set up your flash off-camera, and use a wireless trigger to fire the flash. Adjust the exposure by adjusting the aperture or the flash power. IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  Try to shoot using only natural light for the best results. Try a variety of poses, including coming in close, or isolating features like the hands and feet. Use props to add colour and interest to the frame. IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  Look for areas where the ground is carpeted in flowers to fill the frame.  You’ll get the most dramatic results by shooting into the light, but watch out for this causing under-exposure.  Choose the most obvious flower as a focal point, and carefully focus on it. IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  If there is a large area of sky, use -1 exposure compensation; you may need up to -3 for some subjects.  If the sun is in the shot, try to hide it behind the subject.  Centre-weighted metering can be more reliable than Matrix metering. IMPROVE YOUR SHOTS  An object with a textured surface, like a feather, makes an ideal backdrop.  A small eye-dropper is perfect for carefully positioning the water drops.  A desk lamp is ideal for lighting your drops. Remember to change the white balance to Tungsten. LOW-LIGHT CITYSCAPES Key settings for TOP TIP  Before sunset, when there’s no artificial lighting, try using a strong or variable ND filter with your long exposure to achieve a similar effect. TOP TIP  For more even lighting on the dancer, try using two flashes and positioning them at around 45 degrees either side of the subject. TOP TIP  If you are using window light as the main light source, try using a reflector to bounce light back into the shadows to reduce the contrast. TOP TIP  Using a long telephoto lens will allow you to shoot from a greater distance, which make the flowers appear much closer together. TOP TIP  To get deep, dark shadows, make sure that you have features such as Active D-lighting or Auto Lighting Optimiser turned off. TOP TIP  Mixing some glycerin with the water can help to make it easier to produce large drops, as it will alter the viscosity of the liquid. DON’T MISS YOUR NEXT SET OF TIPS CARDS ON SALE FRIDAY 27th FEBRUARY RAW YOU CAN MASTER P R E S E N T S ost of us probably began shooting images in  JPEG form, and while some have made the switch to raw, others are more reluctant. While it’s true that JPEGs have their advantages, in some ways raw is the less complicated format. A raw file is a complete record of all the information captured by your camera. In contrast, JPEGs are processed in-camera, with any unused information discarded. This means that raw files are much more forgiving of mistakes as the extra information makes it easier to correct exposure, tease out details and tweak colours. Perhaps the main reason some don’t make the switch to raw is the relatively limited options in post-processing. You can open a JPEG in almost any image editor, whereas raw files require converting before you can open them into Photoshop. The best place to convert them is in Adobe Camera raw. But it’s far more than just a file converter. ACR has a range of powerful tools and commands, whether you want to adjust tones, remove noise, correct distortion, convert to mono or perform many other useful edits. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get the most out of ACR’s superb tools. And we’re not just talking simple tweaks either. You can use ACR to create a range of effects from HDR to hand-colouring. You’ll find accompanying videos and project files on the Video Disc where you found this ebook. Learn how to process your raw files to perfection M YOU CAN MASTER RAW RAW YOU CAN MASTER Detail Panel sliders Learn how to use the sliders in the Detail Panel of ACR to add sharpening to your raw files and also fix noise in your shots Selective control We’ll show you how to make selective adjustments to your raw files with three essential tools in ACR Five great ACR effects From hand-colouring to solarisation, you can treat your raw files to a surprising number of different effects in ACR P A G E   8 P A G E   1 0 P A G E   1 6 Discover these top techniques and more... INTRODUCTION Download the start files for these projects www.bit.ly  /   dc161files Get familiar with the interface and tools you need to improve your raw photos CAMERA RAW   INTERFACE ACR has a simple layout. All of the main controls and settings are on the right-hand side of the display, with a toolbar along the top. You can use these tools and settings to take advantage of a raw file’s greater range of tones and detail. Every move you make in ACR is reversible, so you’re free to try out any combination of settings you like. You can close the image, then come back to it later and all the settings remain editable. And while Photoshop offers similar tools, doing the job in ACR will ensure the maximum possible quality. 1   SELECT ALL If you have multiple files open, click the Select All button to make universal changes to the whole set. This is great for processing multiple images. For example, to correct a recurring sensor mark, open the set of images, click Select All, then simply remove the mark in one image with the Spot Removal tool. 2 SYNCHRONISE If you’ve made a series of adjustments that you really like, and you want to apply them to the rest of your image set, click the Synchronise button to apply them to the other images. You can choose exactly which settings to include or omit from the synchronisation. 3   ZOOM AND HAND TOOLS You can use these tools to zoom in and out, and pan around your image, or alternatively, you can use the trusty keyboard shortcuts Ctrl/Cmd  and +  or -  to zoom in or out, and the Space Bar to pan. Double-click the Zoom tool to zoom to 100%, and double-click the Hand tool to pull back to full-screen. 4   THE TARGETED ADJUSTMENT TOOL This powerful tool enables you to target and adjust particular tones and colours in your image simply by dragging left or right over them. Click and hold over the tool to choose from Parametric Curve, Hue, Saturation, Luminosity or Grayscale Mix. 5   CROP TOOL Click and hold the Crop tool to choose from a handy list of crop ratios such as 1 to 1 and 2 to 3. Nothing is irreversible in ACR, so if you change your mind about a crop, click back on the tool to re-adjust it. 6   SPOT REMOVAL TOOL Fix small marks and blemishes with the Spot Removal tool. It’s useful for removing a recurring sensor mark from a batch of images, but for most ordinary tasks the Healing Brush and Clone Stamp tools in Photoshop offer more flexibility. 7   ADJUSTMENT BRUSH AND GRADUATED FILTER   Two of the most powerful tools in ACR, the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter enable you to make selective adjustments to colours, tones and detail across your image. The Graduated Filter is especially useful for improving dull, flat skies. 8   SAVE IMAGES This is really more like a ‘Save As’ command. Click the button to access your saving options. It’s great if you need to batch rename files, save a set of raw files as JPEGs, or convert a manufacturer’s raw file (such as Nikon’s NEF) to Adobe’s DNG format. 9   WORKFLOW OPTIONS Click here to access output options such as Bit Depth. Choosing 16 Bits/Channel will ensure the image has the maximum number of colours when you open it in Photoshop (so many, in fact, that your monitor and printer are VERSIONS OF ACR ACR is regularly updated with new data and tweaks to the settings, so make sure you keep Photoshop up to date (Help>Updates). Your version of Camera raw will depend on your copy of Photoshop. For example, if you have CS5 you will have version 6.7, whereas CS6 owners can use version 7.1. Some of the slider names have been changed, but the majority of the features remain the same in all versions. Elements users can also edit their raw files in the ACR plug-in, but the Elements version is more basic, with access to three panels: Basic, Detail and Camera Calibration. A few tools are also missing, including the Adjustment Brush. It’s still a powerful plug-in (the Basic panel alone makes it an essential step in your workflow) but you’ll have to enter the main interface for more advanced adjustments. 3 8 5 4 1 2 YOU CAN MASTER RAW incapable of displaying them all). But it will also limit your image-editing options. Selecting 8 Bits/Channel will give you fewer colours, but more options. You can also alter the bit depth in the main editor interface. 10   HISTOGRAM The histogram displays the image’s tonal range from shadows on the left, to highlights on the right. The height of the graph at any point indicates the number of pixels with a certain brightness value. For most images, a healthy histogram should taper off at both ends. If it intersects the side of the box, it means areas of the image are lacking detail, having been clipped to pure black or white. If this is the case, you may be able to recover detail using the sliders in the Basic Panel. 11   CLIPPING WARNINGS You can toggle flashing clipping warnings on or off by pressing U  for shadows (think under-exposed) and O  for highlights (think over-exposed). Alternatively, hold down Alt  while dragging the Exposure, Shadows, Highlights, Whites or Blacks sliders in the Basic Panel to see the clipped pixels overlaid on the image as you adjust the settings. 12   SLIDERS Most panels display a set of sliders. You can double-click a slider to reset it, so you can get a handy before and after by holding your mouse still over a point on the slider then alternating between a single and double-click. 13   OPEN IMAGE Click this button to open the file into Photoshop, or hold down Shift  and click to open the image as a Smart Object, which enables you to go back and edit the file in ACR by clicking the Smart Object’s thumbnail in Photoshop’s Layers Panel. 10 6 9 12 11 13 7 THE CAMERA RAW INTERFACE Discover the wealth of features in Adobe Camera raw’s 10 panels CAMERA RAW PANELS Adobe Camera raw is the first port of call for raw files, but it’s far more than just a quick stop off for converting your images. There’s surprising depth to the features on offer. You can’t make composite images, graphic designs or text, but you can make exactly the kind of edits photographers need to make, such as tonal adjustments, lens correction and sharpening. Many of these controls are accessed via the panels on the right of the interface. There are 10 different panels to play with, housing hundreds of options for changing colour, exposure, detail and more. And, of course, it’s far better to make these changes in ACR rather than in Photoshop, because you’ll retain the maximum amount of image data and quality available from the raw file. BASIC PANEL The Basic tab opens by default when you first open a file in ACR, and with good reason. It’s the ideal place to begin editing your image. Start at the top with White Balance, then work your way down the list of sliders. You can check for clipped pixels by holding down Alt  while dragging the Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Whites or Blacks sliders. The Clarity and Contrast sliders can give your image extra punch, but be careful not to go too far. Saturation will intensify the colours universally, while Vibrance will target and boost only the less-saturated colours. TONE CURVE The Tone Curve tab allows you to improve tones and contrast by making certain parts of the tonal range lighter or darker. The darker tones are to the left of the box, and the lighter tones to the right. The Curve line can be moved up or down to lighten or darken certain points along the scale. This is easier to understand when using the Parametric settings, which allow you to control the line with sliders for different tonal ranges: Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows. The Point tab enables you to add up to 14 anchor points along the line and drag them up or down. DETAIL The Detail tab houses Sharpening and Noise Reduction sliders. Both work very well. It’s best to reduce noise at the beginning of the editing process, as further adjustments later on may amplify the noise. You’ll need to zoom in close to see the results – double- click the Zoom tool to view at 100%, and the Hand tool to go back to full screen. When sharpening, use the Amount and Radius sliders to control the strength, and the Detail and Masking sliders to control the areas in which the sharpening is applied. Hold down Alt  while dragging to see the effect. HSL/GRAYSCALE HSL stands for Hue, Saturation and Luminosity, accessed through the three tabs at the top. With control over eight colour ranges, the HSL/Grayscale panel is the best place to make colour tweaks. You can use the sliders, or use the Targeted Adjustment tool from the Tools Panel and drag left or right over points within the image to zone in on particular colours. The Convert to Grayscale check box at the top will render the image in black and white while giving you control over the brightness of the colour ranges. So it’s a great place to apply a range of black and white effects. YOU CAN MASTER RAW See Camera Raw in action with our video www.bit.ly  /   dc161video SPLIT TONING The Split Toning Panel allows you to change the hue of the highlight or shadow tones independently of one another. So it’s useful if you need to correct an image with a noticeable colour cast in the highlights or shadows. Used at higher Saturation levels, it can also dramatically alter colours for creative results or retro colour shifts. If you’ve converted the image to monochrome with the HSL/Grayscale panel, split-toning will help you introduce colour tints to the highlights and shadows, which enables a range of mono effects such as sepia or selenium toning. LENS CORRECTION ACR has a large database of common lenses, so it can automatically detect and correct problems such as distortion and vignetting. The list of lenses is regularly expanded and updated, so the chances are high that the lens you used to shoot the photo will show up, but if not then you can correct lens problems manually. Chromatic Aberration usually occurs around areas of high contrast, such as on the outlines of trees or buildings against a bright sky, and can crop up even with quality lenses. It’s easy to correct under the Color tab in the Lens Correction Panel. EFFECTS ACR isn’t the best place to apply lots of whizz-bang effects, hence the limited options available in the extravagantly named Effects Panel. Here you can choose to add grain or a vignette. Sometimes a vignette can improve a composition by drawing the eye into the frame, so you may want to try darkening or lightening the corners with the Post Crop Vignetting sliders. It’s also possible to create a range of border and spotlight effects by experimenting with the sliders. The Grain settings can be useful on mono images for getting an authentic film look. CAMERA CALIBRATION This is one of the biggest reasons to shoot in raw. By default, the Camera Profile is set to ‘Adobe Standard’, but often this doesn’t give the best results. By selecting one of the other camera profiles from the menu, you’ll get much more pleasing tones. PRESETS & SNAPSHOTS The Preset Panel allows you to save settings to be used on other images. You can also apply these Presets in Bridge by right-clicking a file and choosing Develop Settings. The Snapshot Panel lets you save certain points in your ACR workflow. “You’ll retain the maximum amount of image quality” CAMERA RAW PANELS Sharpening your raw files Sharpening is an essential step in the image-editing process, particularly when working with raw files, which are usually softer than JPEGs – due to JPEGs being sharpened in-camera. There are two types of sharpening: Capture and Output. In ACR, we apply initial Capture sharpening to fix an inherent softness in most digital images. Output sharpening is usually done at the end, before making a print or presenting on-screen, so it’s best carried out in Photoshop. Sharpening works by increasing contrast around edges where lighter tones meet darker tones. At the edge, the light tones will be lightened, and the shadow tones will be darkened. To the eye, this makes the edge crisper. But push it too far and you begin to see edge halos. Most images will benefit from a certain amount of sharpening. But how much? In general, images with fine detail such as landscapes require less sharpening than images with soft detail, such as portraits. So for portraits, a typical setting would be Amount 35, Radius 1.2, Detail 20, Masking 70. For landscapes, try Amount 40, Radius 0.8, Detail 50, Masking 0. Of course, these settings are just a starting point. The level of sharpening required will depend on your subject matter and the camera resolution. Find out exactly what each slider in the Detail Panel does, and when to use them SHARPENING AND NOISE REDUCTION Amount Controls the strength of the sharpening effect. View the image at 100% when  judging the amount. Double-click the Zoom tool to jump to 100%. Detail Low Detail settings restrict sharpening to the more obvious edges. High settings will enhance finer details and texture. Radius Determines the number of pixels around the edge in which the sharpening effect is applied. A larger radius increases the chance of unwanted halos. Masking Allows you to restrict sharpening in less detailed areas of the image. Hold down Alt  while dragging the slider to see the masked areas in black. BEFORE AFTER YOU CAN MASTER RAW Fixing noise If you’re shooting at ISO 100 then noise isn’t a problem for modern digital sensors, but if you have to push ISO to 400 or higher, or use a long exposure, then it’s likely you’ll begin to see more and more noise in your images. The forest scene here was shot at ISO 3,200, so the noise is very visible, particularly in the shadow areas. A bit of noise isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it can add atmosphere to landscapes or create a gritty documentary- style effect. But large levels of noise can spoil a shot. Fortunately, ACR has a range of excellent sliders that combat noise. The main tools for noise reduction in ACR are the Luminance and Color sliders. Luminance reduces grain and blotchy dots, while Color reduces unsightly spots of random colour. The trade-off to noise reduction can be slight blurring and loss of detail, so you’ll need to decide whether to accept the noise, or attempt to correct it. Sharpening and noise reduction are two sides of the same coin, so if you sharpen a noisy image it’s likely that you’ll increase the visibility of the noise. You’ll need to strike the right balance between sharpening and noise reduction by experimenting with different sharpening amount and luminance settings. Toggle the Preview box on and off to judge the results. Luminance Detail Higher luminance detail values can help to preserve details, but may increase noise. Lower values will give cleaner results but decrease image detail and texture. Color Targets and removes specks of colour noise. You can be more aggressive with Color than Luminance, as it doesn’t affect details in the same way. Luminance Contrast A higher setting will increase contrast but can give blotchy results. Lower values will smooth details. Color Detail Higher values preserve colour in edge detail but can lead to unnatural colour spots. Lower settings help to remove spots but can result in bleeding colours. Luminance The primary slider for noise reduction. Use this to reduce the effects of monochromatic noise, most often seen in shadows and areas of even tone. BEFORE AFTER SHARPENING AND NOISE REDUCTION Since the days of dodging and burning in the darkroom, making selective adjustments to different areas of your image has always been an essential skill for photographers. Before Photoshop CS4, adjustments made in ACR were limited in that you could only apply them to the entire image. But with the introduction of the Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush, ACR suddenly became a whole lot more useful. In ACR version 7 (which comes as standard with CS6) the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter tools have been improved with extra options to adjust white balance, making it easy to selectively correct white balance and warm or cool an image. The tools have been used here to cool down the sky and add warmth to the land, and to tease out details in the foreground. We’ve also used the Targeted Adjustment tool to boost the saturation of the orange colours in the sky. Learn how to make selective adjustments to your raw files with three essential tools in ACR SELECTIVE CONTROL “The tools have been  used here to cool  down the sky and add warmth to the land ” YOU CAN MASTER RAW WHITE BALANCE ACR is the best place to correct white balance for realistic-looking colours. But as well as adjusting white balance over the whole image, the Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush also give you selective control. Not only is this useful for cooling tones in a sky or warming tones in land – as we’ve done here, it’s also great if you have a scene with different light sources, such as a portrait captured with a mix of daylight and tungsten lighting. White Balance controls Temperature Drag left to cool tones and right to warm them. Tint Allows you to fine-tune white balance to compensate for a green or magenta tint. White Balance tool Click on a tone that you know to be white or neutral grey. ACR will then detect the correct temperature. GRADUATED FILTER The Graduated Filter lets you plot a gradient over an area then change the tones. As well as altering exposure, you can also make useful tweaks to things like white balance, sharpness and colour saturation. What’s more, you can set more than one gradient, which makes it easy to change different areas or create a retro film-style border as we’ve done here. Graduated Filter tips • Hold Shift  while dragging a gradient to keep it perfectly horizontal, vertical or at a 45-degree angle. • Click a gradient to alter any setting, or press  Delete  to remove it. • The tool remembers the last-used settings, which isn’t always helpful. Double-click any slider to quickly reset it. • Press V  to toggle the gradient overlay guidelines on or off. SELECTIVE CONTROL TARGETED ADJUSTMENTS ACR’s sliders aren’t the only method for adjusting tones. If you prefer interactive control, there is an alternative. The Targeted Adjustment tool lets you click and drag within the image to target and alter specific colours or tonal ranges. Dragging left or down decreases values, right or up increases them. Grab the tool from the Toolbar then right-click for five sets of parameters: Parametric Curve Drag to lighten or darken Highlights, Lights, Darks, or Shadows. Hue Target and alter the Hue of eight different colour ranges. Saturation Increase or decrease the Saturation of specific colours in the image. Luminance Make colour ranges lighter or darker by dragging left or right over them. Greyscale Mix Convert to mono then target colour ranges to lighten or darken. ADJUSTMENT BRUSH The Adjustment Brush is perhaps the most powerful tool in ACR. Use it to selectively alter areas of an image. It behaves in much the same way as the Graduated Filter (note that the tonal settings for each are identical). Except rather than plot a gradient, you paint a mask. Each mask is represented by a pin. These pins and their masks can be added to, altered, or deleted. Adjustment Brush tips • Tick New  to start painting a fresh mask, Add  to continue painting a mask, and Erase  to remove parts of it. • Press Y   to toggle the visibility of the selected mask overlay. • Tick  Auto Mask  for automated assistance when painting a mask. The tool will snap onto edges, lines and shapes. • Use the number keys to quickly set a density for your brush: press 1  for   10% , 2 for 20% and so on. S T  A R T    I M A G E  Enhance the irises Boost the colour, contrast and detail in the irises, but keep the circular edges dark. Enhancing portraits is all about making selective adjustments to certain areas of the face. It can be helpful to think of the face as a series of zones, each requiring a particular edit. You’ll lighten the eyes, soften the skin, boost the lips and sharpen the lashes. You might think the best place to make these changes is in Photoshop, but ACR also has a few powerful retouching tools. In fact, using ACR, it’s possible to perform a complete retouching workflow without even entering the main Photoshop interface. What’s more, by making tweaks in ACR rather than in Photoshop, you’ll ensure the best possible quality. And because ACR is so neatly organised, easy to navigate, and totally non- destructive, you may find it’s the ideal choice for enhancing your portraits. Use the powerful Adjustment Brush to give your portraits a pro makeover RETOUCH IN RAW Sharpen the lashes Soften the skinBoost the clothes Add make-up Lighten the whites Improve the lips Paint over the lashes with the Adjustment Brush, then use the sliders to sharpen and add Clarity. Drag the Clarity slider down to soften the skin, and increase Exposure slightly to lift the tones. Use the Temperature and Saturation sliders to warm the hues in the jumper. Increase Clarity and Highlights. Paint a mask over the cheeks, then introduce red with the Color Picker. Add blue to the eyes in the same way. Carefully paint over the whites of the eyes, then increase Exposure and Highlights to lighten the whites. Boost the colour in the lips. Paint a precise mask to cover them, then increase Saturation and Clarity. YOU CAN MASTER RAW “You can edit a mask’s settings at any time” HOW TO PAINT A MASK Most retouching work in ACR is done with the powerful Adjustment Brush. It allows you to paint a mask over an area, and then apply changes to it, so it’s ideal for retouching a face. We’ve used it here to soften the skin, boost the eyes, enhance the lips and even add digital blusher. The Adjustment Brush works by setting pins, each of which represents a mask. To set a pin, click over the part of the image you want to change, then paint over the rest of the area. It can be helpful to check Show Mask while you’re painting, so you can see where the mask is operating. It also helps to set an obvious mask colour – such as the garish green we’ve used here – by clicking the colour picker next to the Show Mask check box. When painting, use the ]  and [  keys to resize your brush tip (hold down Shift  and ]   or [  to change the hardness). To erase parts of the mask, hold down Alt  and paint. You can use the resizing shortcuts for the Eraser, too. When you’re happy with your painted mask, uncheck Show Mask, then make your adjustments using the sliders on the right. To add more pins, check New at the top right. The tool remembers the last-used settings, so be careful to reset the sliders each time you want to make a different adjustment. You can edit any mask’s shape or settings at any time by clicking the related pin.  S  T A R  T   I M A G E RETOUCH IN RAW Watch these techniques with our video www.bit.ly  /   dc161video Open start imageRemove Chromatic Aberration 1   Open ‘coast_before.DNG’ from our project files into ACR then set Temperature to 5000, Tint -7, and Vibrance +50. 2   Go to the Lens Correction option in the menu and then tick ‘Remove Chromatic Aberration’. Get to grips with image blending using one raw file and Smart Objects RAW SMART OB  J ECTS Raw files processed through ACR can be opened into Photoshop as Smart Objects. This means that you have the option to bring the image from Photoshop back into ACR at any time, simply by double-clicking the Smart Object thumbnail in the Layers Panel. There are several advantages to working this way. First and foremost, it means you can change your mind about any edits made in ACR, such as a crop or sharpening settings. But it also opens up more creative possibilities. By duplicating the Smart Object layer, you can combine different treatments made in ACR using Blend Modes. Don’t worry if this sounds complicated, in practice it’s very easy. Within minutes you can transform a flat scene into a punchy, detailed landscape. Here’s how it’s done.  S  T A  R  T    I  M A G  E YOU CAN MASTER RAW Process a raw image with our video www.bit.ly  /   dc161video Graduated Filter Tonal tweaks Luminosity Blend Mode New Smart Object Make Tone Curve Panel adjustments Removing edge halos 3   Click on Graduated Filter tool. Hold Shift then drag a line from sky to land. Set Exposure to -1.35. Hold Shift and click ‘Open Object’. 5   Set Exposure -0.40, Contrast +60, Highlights -100, Shadows +80, Whites -50, Blacks +50, Clarity +100, and Saturation -100. 7   In the Layers Panel, click on the Blend Mode drop-down and then choose Luminosity. 4   In the Layers Panel, right-click the layer and choose New Smart Object via copy. Double-click copy’s thumbnail to go back to ACR. 6   Go to the Tone Curve Panel. Under Parametric, set Highlights +10, Lights +25, and Darks -25. Click OK. 8   To fix unwanted halos, press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Alt+E  to merge a copy of the layers, then grab the Burn tool. Set Range: Highlights, and Exposure 10%, and brush carefully over the edge halos. FIVE CREATIVE RAW EFFECTS Black and white Solarised 1   ACR is a great place to make your mono conversions. It’s just like using a Black and White Adjustment Layer in Photoshop. Go to the HSL/Grayscale panel and check Convert to Grayscale box. Use the colour sliders to tweak the tones and the Adjustment Brush to simulate the Dodge and Burn tools. 2   The inverted tones and haunting hues of a solarised image were popularised by the surrealist photographer Man Ray in the 1920s after a fortuitous darkroom mistake. Go to the Tone Curve Panel and skew the curve into an upside down U shape (see right). It’s worth experimenting with the curve. Push and pull it to extremes and see what happens. Learn how to add a variety of cool creative effects using nothing more than the tools in Adobe Camera raw S  T A R  T   I M A G E YOU CAN MASTER RAW Create five special effects with our video www.bit.ly  /   dc161video CREATIVE EFFECTS Cross process Hand colour Split tone 3   This popular technique references a chemical process from the traditional darkroom with characteristically skewed colours, saturation and contrast. To replicate this in ACR, go to the Tone Curve Panel and select the Point Curve window. Here you can tweak the individual Red, Green and Blue channels (see left). Once you’re happy, save the effect as a preset. 5   It might be hard to believe, but it is possible to replicate the look of a hand painted image in ACR. You’ll need to make your image black and white, but do this using the Saturation slider in the Basic Panel rather than the HSL/Grayscale Panel. Next, select the Adjustment Brush and paint colour with a low saturation onto the image. 4   Adding a split tone is a great way to give your mono images a creative twist by adding different colour tints to the highlights and shadows. In the Split Tone Panel, use the sliders to target different colours and intensity for the shadows and highlights. O    N      S    A   L   E    N    O    W    !    Available in print and digital editions on multiple devices www.photoplusmag.com 100%  D-SLR 100%  CANON