amateur photographer - 25 july 2015

8/20/2019 Amateur Photographer - 25 July 2015

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Saturday 25 July 2015

Passionate about photography since 1884

Tes ted: inno va ti ve upda te wi th ne w Pixel

Shi f t Resolu tion and buil t-in GPS

P e n t a x K 3 I I

TESTED Leica 28mm f/1.4 lens APOY 2015 Your best shallow depth of field shots

New body and new20MP sensor – couldthis be the best Lumix yet

PanasonicLumix GX8

Exclusive interview andmages from his new book

SteveMcCurry

Get creative with

colour and take your flash

photography to the next level

Using

gels

HANDS-ON PREVIEW


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7days A week in photography

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In this issue8 Panasonic

Lumix DMCGX8Nigel Atherton looks at the20.3-million-pixel updateto one of Panasonic’s mostpopular cameras

12 Back in fashionJake Hicks reveals howcoloured lighting can adddrama to your portraits

22 Steve McCurryOur exclusive interview withthe legendary photographerand previews of imagesfrom his new book

28Location guideJustin Minns explains whyyou should visit DunwichHeath on the Suffolk coast

32 Photo flairDid the Photo London fairlive up to expectations?Gemma Padley reports

38APOY Round FourWe look at the top 30 entriesof our In Focus (ShallowDepth of Field) round

46 AppraisalExpert advice and top tipson improving your picturesfrom Damien Demolder

50 Pentax K3 IICallum McInerney-Rileyinvestigates this APS-CDSLR’s new features likePixel Shift Resolution andGPS with Astrotracer

57 Leica Summilux-M28mm f/1.4 AsphLeica’s new M-systemlens offers that magiccombination of wide anglesand shallow depth of field.Damien Demolder tests it

Regulars3 7 days

19 Inbox48 Accessories61 Technical

Support90 Final Analysis

In the last few weeks the rightof people in the UK to take andfreely publish photographs ofpublic places came under

threat. French MEP Jean-Marie Cavada proposed extending the sameprohibitive rules on photographing buildingsthat apply in France, and some other countries,to the whole of Europe. The proposal promotedan extreme interpretation of copyright that, ifpassed into law, would require photographers

to seek permission from the copyright holder ofany building under 70 years old, and possiblypay a royalty, before it could be published –potentially even on social media.

AP joined forces with Wikipedia and othersto rally opposition, and fortunately the motion was comprehensively defeated. The episode wasa reminder that we should never take ourfreedoms for granted, and must remain vigilantagainst those (40 MEPs in this vote) who’d seekto take them away. Nigel Atherton, Editor

Send us your pictures If you’d like to see your work published in Amateur Photographer , here’s how to send us your images:Email Email a selection of low-res images (up to 5MB of attachments in total) to [email protected] .CD/DVD Send us a disc of high-resolution JPEG, TIFF or PSD images (at least 2480 pixels along its longest length), with a contact sheet, to the address on page 20.

Via our online communities Post your pictures into our Flickr group, Facebook page or the gallery on our website. See details above.Transparencies/prints Well-packaged prints or slides (without glass mounts) should be sent by Special Delivery, with a return SAE, to the address on page 20.

ONLINE PICTURE OF THE WEEK

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D I A

This thoroughly unusual shot is theresult of Matthew’s experimentswith the Sony Alpha 7 he recentlyconverted to shoot in infrared.

Blickling Estate in Norfolkcontains a red brick mansion, yewhedges, a garden, park and thisweird structure – which is actually

a mausoleum that was built tocommemorate the memory of thesecond Earl of Buckinghamshire in1793. The bodies of his two wivesare also in the mausoleum, whichis an unusual Grade II-listedpyramid-shaped building designedby architect Joseph Bonomi theElder, based on the Roman tombof Cestius Gallus.

In this image, Matthew hassuccessfully captured the beautifulatmosphere of the area, and this isparticularly emphasised by theghostly infrared. As a result, wehave a perfect example of howinfrared can help to emphasise theinherent qualities and forms of an

area, particularly one covered ingrass and dense foliage. Theimage is also nicely composed withthe pyramid sitting dead centreand the line of trees framing thesubject on either side. Not everyimage has to follow the hallowedrule of thirds. Sometimes breakingthe rules can lead to dynamic andengaging images.

Blickling Pyramid by Matthew DartfordSony Alpha 7 converted to IR, 24mm, 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 100

Each week we choose our favouritepicture on Facebook, Flickr or

the reader gallery using #appicoftheweek.PermaJet proudly supports the online pictureof the week winner, who will receive a

top-quality print of their image on the finestPermaJet paper. It is important to bringimages to life outside the digital sphere, sowe encourage everyone to get printing today!Visit www.permajet.com to learn more.

Win!


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Backpack trioMindShift Gear has announced three ‘high-capacity’backpacks aimed at photographers who carry 200-600mm lenses. The FirstLight backpacks can also carry alaptop or tablet, and come with a rain cover that doublesas a ground cloth. They include grab handles on threesides plus a top pocket for fast access. The FirstLightbags cost from £200. Visit www.mindshiftgear.com.

Rollei reveals new tripodRollei has unveiled a ‘taller and stronger’ versionof its C5i tripod. The C6i is designed to carry a50% greater load than its predecessor – up to12kg.It also extends 15cm fur ther, to 174cm,boasts an aluminium head, a 360° panoramicfunction and a rubberised quick-release plate.The Rollei C6i costs £199.99. Visit ww w.rollei.com.

Meet Don McCullinEnter the Faith Through a Lenscompetition for the chance tohave your entry critiqued byrenowned photojournalistDon McCullin. You could win

a prize worth £1,000, for anoriginal and creative imagethat encapsulates faith. Visitwww.faiththroughalens.co.uk/enter-competition.

CorrectionIn AP 11 July we incorrectly stated that the image at the bottom ofpage 33 was by Jashim Salam and called ‘Life in Tidal Flood 3’.The caption should have readHayri Kodal, ‘Berber 2’, Turkey2011. We apologise for anyconfusion and for Hayri notreceiving the appropriate

recognition for his work – OliverAtwell, senior features writer

4 25 July 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555

High-contraststreet photography With any luck, at this time of year the sun should be

making an appearance fairly frequently. However,

the high-contrast lighting you get in the midday sun

is terrible for many subjects, and especially

portraiture, due to bright highlights and dark

shadows. This is because the camera can’t

capture all the information between the light and

dark areas. However, street photography can look

fantastic when photographers play with these areas

of dark and light. By focusing on simple form and

composition, and allowing areas of the image to

fall into complete black or white, you can achievesome striking street shots.

1Use an evaluative

metering mode as a guideto exposure. Dial in

exposure compensation tounderexpose or overexpose theimage, allowing for eithercompletely black or white areasthat’ll accentuate your subject.

2Great shadows withstrong, powerful linesoften come from large

urban structures. Locationswith tall buildings are often agood place to shoot, and it’s

there you’ll find the best lightas the sun peers past buildings.

NEWS ROUND-UP

WEEKEND PROJECT

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‘Smallestever’ GoProThe GoPro Hero4 Session is

claimed to be 50% smaller and40% lighter than itspredecessor, the Hero4. ‘Ultracompact’, it’s built to bewaterproof to 10m, iscompatible with existing GoPromounts and can capture 8MPstill images as well as HDvideo. It costs £329.99.

The week in brief, edited by Chris Cheesman

Don McCullin with last year’swinner, Merryn Fawssett


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3Focus on getting the

basic composition just right, as this

usually makes for the moststriking play of dark andight. Images with lots of

distracting elements can lookcluttered and messy.

4If you’ve found somegreat light, set up asimple composition

and metered it perfectly, thenstake it out and wait. In thismage (right) it took around 15

minutes of waiting before theman with a briefcase walked by. © C A L L U

M M C I N E R N E Y - R I L E Y

Urban environmentsare good for strong,

powerful lines anddramatic shadows

The photographer hasalmost as much control

over his subject matter as apainter. He can control lightand shade, form and space,pattern and texture, motion

and mood, everything

except composition. Andreas Feininger

American photographer(1906-1999)

In this shot by David Ramos,a freelance photographer for

Getty Images, we see revellersenjoying the atmosphere duringthe opening day of the San FerminRunning of the Bulls fiesta inPamplona, Spain. The annualfiesta, made famous by US writerErnest Hemingway, involves the

daily running of the bulls throughthe historic heart of Pamplona tothe bull ring. The origin of the eventcan be traced back to the need totransport the bulls to the bullringwhere they’d be slaughtered.Youngsters would jump amongthem in a fearless display ofbravado. David’s image, taken froma high vantage point, is notable forthe striking, upturned centralfemale face. Her pale skin drawsour eye into the vortex of bodies.

BIG

picture

110million

Number of EF lenses

produced by Canon since theseries was launched in 1987

San Fermin Running

of the Bulls 2015

Words & numbers

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AROUND 100 peopleaffected by

homelessness attended thelaunch of this year’s CaféArt Photography Contest.

Participants were eachgiven a Fujifilm single-usefilm camera and challengedto take photos for the CaféArt 2016 calendar.

Café Art connectshomeless people with thewider community throughart. Their artwork is sold inLondon cafés, andproceeds go to the artists.

Last year, money raisedfrom the calendar went tohomeless vendors, andtowards materials for theart groups involved.

A new category waslaunched in memory of lastyear’s Judges’ Choicewinner, Alex Davies. Alex’sfamily donated her winningsto this year’s project.

An exhibition of the bestshots will take place atLondon’s SpitalfieldsMarket. For details visitwww.cafeart.org.uk.

Homeless teststreet photo skills

AP helps save freedomof photography

A HUGE majority of MEPs voted

against a controversial and widelyridiculed EU plan, which threatenedphotography of buildings in publicspaces across Europe.

It was feared an EU proposal toabolish Freedom of Panoramawould hit amateur and professionalphotographers, even Facebook users.

However, in a victory forcampaigners, a key piece of text onFreedom of Panorama (FoP) wasremoved from a proposal oncopyright harmonisation, thanks to avote at the European Parliament inStrasbourg, France on 9 July.

If it had passed, campaignersfeared the UK would be subject torestrictions such as those in France,where photographers must seek alicence from the ‘architect orrightholder of the public artwork’.

The potential calamity forphotography was first raised byGerman MEP Julia Reda. Accordingto Reda’s office, only 40 of the 751MEPs voted for FoP to be addressed.

The move came after a campaignled by organisations including APand Wikipedia, an open letter in TheTimes and a www.change.org

petition that gathered more thanhalf a million signatures.

On her website, Reda wrote: ‘… most Europeans will continue tobe able to post selfies and viewphotos of famous buildings online,unencumbered by copyright.’

However, a proposed amendmentto extend FoP to all EU countries didnot pass. Reda added: ‘We must nowcontinue to fight for an extension ofimportant copyright exceptions suchas this one to all member states.’

AP Editor Nigel Athertonwelcomed the defeat to the‘ridiculous proposal’ adding: ‘Eventhough it would not necessarily havemade it into law in the UK if it hadbeen passed by MEPs, it would haveset a dangerous precedent forphotographers and tipped thescales of the debate towards a more

restrictive position.’Royal Photographic Society

director general Michael Pritchard

said: ‘AP and UK photographyorganisations all worked togetherthrough their respectivememberships, and their lobbyingsaw the proposal dismissed withno-one supporting it.

‘There is a case to be made forharmonising FoP across the EU,but in line with the model whichoperates within the UK.’

UK MEPs across the politicalspectrum had lined up to blast theproposal, first tabled by French MEPJean-Marie Cavada. Among themSinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson

who branded the proposal ‘absurd’.Conservative MEP Emma

McClarkin told AP: ‘It’s once againan example of where the EUshouldn’t be interfering.’

Wikimedia feared it would havebeen forced to remove an estimated40,000 images from Wikipedia ifthe European Parliament had votedfor a rule change.

Stevie Benton, head of externalrelations at Wikimedia UK, said:‘This [vote] means that Wikipedia, theother Wikimedia projects – and,indeed, anyone – can continue to

make use of images taken in theUK’s public spaces.’

Shared photos of famous buildings won’tbe subject to permission from the architect

Landmarks like theMillennium Bridgewill remainrestriction free

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Participants were handeda bag containing a flash-

equipped Fujifilm camera

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A PHOTOGRAPHYenthusiast has won

£3,000 in an Instagramcompetition on ‘whatmakes Britain tick’.

Benjie Aguilera Brownbeat nearly 5,500 entriesto the top spot in the#makesBRITAINtickcompetition for his candid

mage of a crowd oftexting commuters on atube station platform (top).

Commenting on hiswinning shot, Benjie –who works in video andfilm – said: ‘I took a fewshots at Earl’s Court anddecided on this onebecause I thought it wasnteresting to see so manypeople immersed in theirphones while waiting onthe platform.

‘I think everyone wholives in a busy city such asLondon can relate to thispicture, and could easilyassume that the people init were merely theshoreline of a sea ofpeople waiting to gethome and with nothingbetter to do.’

Benjie added: ‘I thoughtthe picture was significantbecause it casuallydepicted the multitaskingenvironment we’re in.’

The runner-up wasnamed as Moldova-bornphotography enthusiastNadya Migai for a MaryPoppins-style street photocalled ‘Jumping Umbrella’(above left). While thirdplace went to CharlotteDocker for her shot of a

Morris Minor parked at astormy-looking seaside.

The competition,organised by luxurywatchmakers ChristopherWard, received 5,490entries that were judgedon creativity, originalityand relevance to thecompetition theme.

The best images werechosen based on thenumber of likes theyreceived on Instagram,before being put toa judging panel thatincluded photo enthusiastsfrom IGersLondon, anInstagram-basedphotography group.

To view the winningshots visit the ChristopherWard Instagram page,chriswardlondon.


Congo at ArlesThis summer, why not take a weekend to visit the annual LesRencontres d’Arles photography festival? It’s shaping up to bea great programme this year – Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli ’slarge-format documentation of the Congo looks to be a highlight.

Until 20 September, www.rencontres-arles.com

British Life Photography AwardsCapture the essence and spirit ofcontemporary British life and youcould win Sony products includingan Alpha 7S and a 55in TV. Thereare 10 categories to enter, sothere’s no excuse not to have a go.

Until 26 Septemberwww.blpawards.com

Portraits of an IconSee a selection of more than70 images showcasing AudreyHepburn’s life, from

photographers like TerryO’Neill and Richard Avedon atthe National Portrait Gallery.

Until 18 Octoberwww.npg.org.uk

FRANCE

EVERYWHERE

CorrespondancesHeld at the Nunnery Gallery inBow, this exhibition showcaseslife in a Versailles convent, aswell as French artist PierrickMouton’s collaboration withProtestant nun Sister Germaineas he taught her to use a camera.

17 July-25 Septemberwww.bowarts.org/nunnery

Kew at WakehurstA selection of photographs ofWakehurst botanical gardenillustrate how agricultural landwas transformed into the lovelygrounds today. Spend a morningwith history, then get somemacro shots in the afternoon.

Until 31 December, www.kew.org/visit-wakehurst

LONDON

LONDON

WEST SUSSEX

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The most interesting things to see, to do

and to shoot this week. By Jon Stapley

Enthusiast scoops£3k Instagram prize

For the latest news visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Get up & go

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H A R L O T T E D O C K E R

The #makesBRITAINtick Instagram competition received varied entries depictingBritish life, with Benjie Aguilera Brown’s candid image (top) taking the overall prize



PANASONIC completely overhauledits Lumix DMC-GX1 in 2013 to

produce the GX7, a high-endrangefinder-styled alternative to theGH4. The newly announced Lumix GX8may not be as radical a rethink as itshugely successful predecessor, but it stillfeatures a new body, new screen, newEVF and a new 20.3MP sensor, so to allintents and purposes the GX8 is acompletely different camera to the GX7.

Bucking the trend towards camerashrinkage, the GX8 is larger than theGX7, more than 20% (85g) heavier and

resembles a scaled-up Lumix DMC-LX100. The handgrip is now much

deeper and morepronounced, and the 3intouchscreen is now an OLED unit andoffers full articulation. The EVF is newtoo. It still pivots 90°, but is much biggerand offers 0.77x magnification (up from0.70x), making it one of the largest EVFscurrently available. It’s also now OLED(with 2.3 million dots) so should beimmune to the rainbow ‘tearing’ of theGX7’s field-sequential LCD.The range and configuration of thetop-plate dials have been overhauled.A physical exposure-compensation dial

makes its debut on a Lumix CSC, in adouble-decker arrangement below the

modedial, whilethe protrudingrear thumbwheelfamiliar to Lumix users has now beenreplaced with a chunky input dial on thetop. In the middle of this dial sits a buttonthat changes its function – one of manysuch customisable buttons dottedaround the camera.

The body is now magnesium-alloy anddust/weather-sealed, which creates a

Panasonic Lumix

DMC-GX8Nigel Atherton looks at the new 20.3MPLumix DMCGX8, the update to one ofPanasonic’s most popular cameras

At a glance

■ 20.3MP Live MOS sensor■ 3in, 1.04-million-dot

OLED touchscreen■ 4K video recording

■ 7fps continuous shooting■ 2.3-million-dotOLED EVF

■ ISO 150-25,600(extended)

■ Price £1,069 (body only)

Larger EVFThe tiltable EV offers a 0.77xmagnification, making it oneof the largest available on

an interchangeable-lenscamera.

Redesignedbody

The GX8 is larger, heavier andmore weatherproof than the

GX7, with more, largerphysical dials on top.

Free-angle screen

On the GX8 the rearLCD touchscreen is fully

articulated (where the GX7’ssimply tilted up and down)

and now uses OLEDtechnology.

Dual ISThe GX8 is the first Lumix Gcamera to harness image

stabilisation both in the lensand on the sensor, for what

Panasonic claims is the

most effective IS on aLumix yet.


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VIDEO can be recorded on the GX8 ina choice of MP4 or AVCHD formats, with4K restricted to the former, at either24fps or 25fps and 100Mbps. Full HDrecording at 50p is also possible.A 2.5mm mic input is provided, withmanual audio level control, but no

headphone output – perhaps Panasonicdoesn’t want to undermine GH4 sales.

camera that looks and feels morepremium than the GX7, and indeed theGH4. It feels sturdy, with the dials easily

reachable and stiff enough not to beknocked easily, while the range andplacement of function buttons make itconfigurable for most users’ needs.

Despite the increased size, Panasonichas dropped the built-in pop-up flash onthe GX8, although there is still a hotshoeor an external flashgun if required. But

while this includes the additional contactthat’s used to power the small flash thatcomes with the GM5 and LX100, theGX8 doesn’t come with one at all.

New sensor

At the heart of the GX8 a brand-new

20.3MP Live MOS sensor makes aong-awaited debut, finally breaking the16MP resolution ceiling that the G serieshas had since 2011. Panasonic’s missionto convert the world to 4K videocontinues on the GX8, with 3840x2160video recording as well as Panasonic’s4K photo mode. The latter enables 8MPJPEG images to be grabbed easily fromrames of 4K video using one of three

modes: burst (where the shutter is helddown); start/stop (press to start, press tostop); and pre-burst, which records onesecond before and one second after themoment that the shutter is pressed –

which is clever, but drains your battery.Frames can be saved as JPEGs either inthe camera or using the software later.

Despite its extensive range of image-stabilised lenses, the GX7 introducedin-body IS to the G-series, enabling

users to reduce camera shake withPanasonic’s non-IS lenses as well asOlympus lenses, and legacy lenses viaadapters. The GX8 goes one better byoffering dual IS when image-stabilisedlenses are used, in which the 4-axis ISon the sensor and the 2-axis IS in thelens work together. Panasonic claimsthat this combination makes the GX8 aseffective as the 5-axis stabilisation usedby Olympus, although it lacks the latter’srotational correction.

Panasonic has more than doubled thenumber of focusing points on the GX8from 23 to 49, and focusing time is

claimed to be reduced to 0.07sec. Aswith most other cameras in the G series,focusing points can be manually selectedby tapping the touchscreen.

Burst shooting speed has beenincreased from 5fps to 7fps using themechanical shutter. It ’s also possible toshoot at up to 40fps in super-high-speedmode using the electronic shutter, butthis is JPEG only. Some of the additionalnew features include enhanced time-lapse and stop-motion modes, tetheredshooting via USB, and password-freeWi-Fi and NFC connectivity.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 goes

on sale on 10 August in a choice of blackor silver/black at £1,069 for the bodyonly and with a variety of kit lens options.

Shooting video on the Lumix DMCGX8

The fully articulated LCD touchscreen makes taking low angle shots especially easy

Sony-fit Nissin flash kit debutsTHE NISSIN Di700A andCommander Air1 flashkit have gone on salein a Sony-fit versionin recognition ofSony as a ‘majorcontender’ in thecamera market.

Already out inCanon and Nikonversions, the Nissin

Commander Air1 cancontrol three groups ofNissin Di700A flashes, upto a maximum of 21 NASguns. According to UKdistributor Kenro, it’s anideal controller for firingmultiple flashgunssimultaneously at variousdistances without cables.

Kenro’s managingdirector Paul Kench said:‘We’re very excited aboutthis new addition to therange. Sony is a major

contender in the digitalcamera market... and

Nissin has recognisedthis by now making alltheir new flash systemscompatible with the Sonycamera range.’

The Di700A andCommander Air1 kit costs£239.94. Separately, theDi700A flashgun costs£209.94, andCommander Air1 £59.94.

For details call Kenro

on 01793 615 836 orvisit www.kenro.co.uk.

The NissinCommander

Air 1 is nowavailable for Sony cameras

Canon revealsnew SpeedliteREPLACING theSpeedlite430EX II anddesigned to besmaller than itspredecessor,the 430EXIII-RT carries amaximum guide numberof 43m ISO 100.

The 430EX III-RTprovides lens coverage of24-105mm, or 14mm viathe built-in adapter,according to Canon.

The newcomer can be usedas an off-camera flash, withoutput and powercontrollable from thecamera’s menu. Using theRadio Transmitter (RT) System, the Speedlite 430EXIII-RT can control up to five groups of RT flash units, withup to 15 flashes per group, up to 30m away. It alsoboasts a faster recycling time than the previous model.

The kit includes an orange colour filter, allowingusers to ‘match or contrast the colour of the flash lightwith the light sources around them’.

The Speedlite 430EX II I-RT is due out this monthpriced £249.99.

The 430EX III-RT boastsfaster recycling times

The GX8 includes a 2.5mm mic input



New BooksThe latest and best books from the

world of photography. By Oliver Atwell

T H E V I E W

S E X P R E S S E D I N T H I S C O L U M N A R E N O T N E C E S S A R I L Y T H O S E O F A M A T E U R P H O T O G R A P H E R M A G A Z

I N E O R T I M E I N C . ( U K )

A s my long-suffering wife willattest, I’m a bit of a hoarder.Old magazines, books and allmanner of things – from

superannuated car parts to obsolete TVs– are stashed away like fossils round theBentley household, on the off chancethey’ll come in useful someday. Thismindset extends to my behaviour whendeciding whether to delete less-than-

perfect photos. Though many would advisea quick prune to keep only the bestframes, I’m inclined to hang on toeverything, no matter how blurred,incorrectly exposed, off-kilter or badlywhite balanced the shots might be.

Just recently I’ve had my photo-hoarding policy justified. My old universitycollege emailed asking whether I couldremember my second-year room.Apparently the building had been newlyrestored and they were proposing a ‘newversus old’ feature for the collegemagazine, contrasting what it was likeback in 1981 with its new reincarnation.

I recalled a couple of shots I’d taken of itwith my Nikon FE, though I rememberedI’d been a tad lazy, and rather than gettingout my tripod, I’d gone handheld onKodachrome 25. The inevitably glacialshutter speed had yielded rather blurryresults and I feared I had binned them.

A rummage through some yellow Kodakboxes at the back of a cupboard revealedmy instinct to keep everything had, in fact,ensured their survival. And the smudginesswas no obstacle to enjoying period detailslike the brown paint, exuberantly patternedcarpet and a canister of Ilford HP5 justvisible on the coffee table.

However, I haven’t kept all my picturesand the other week I had cause to regret

it. While revisiting the cathedral city ofWells in Somerset, which I knew as ateenager, I was pleased to see its ArtDeco Regal Cinema still standing.I recalled taking some surreptitious shotsof its delicately coloured ’30s auditorium,wall decorations and bulbous tearoomsofas, again on Kodachrome 25, using aPraktica LTL, sometime in the mid ’70s.Most of these details no longer survive intheir original glory, as the cinema is now anightclub. Again the image quality wasn’tthat great, and this time I had thrownthem away. A pity; I’d love a glimpse ofthat period movie theatre charm.

So, my advice is to hang ontoeverything. Don’t let anyone persuade youto delete your iffy shots. Even technicallyflawed memories can be priceless.

It pays to keep your less-than-perfect

images to avoid missing out on pastmemories. You just never know whenyou, or someone else, might need them

Viewpoint Jon Bentley

Jon’s collegeroom taken with

his Nikon FE in the 1980s

Jon Bentley is a TV producer and presenter best known

for Top Gear and Channel 5’s The Gadget Show

Do you have something you’d like to get off your chest? Send us your thoughts in around500 words to the address on page 20 and win a year’s digital subscription to AP, worth £79.99

Naked Reflectionsby Peter Suschitzky, Schilt Publishing, £42.50,hardback, 108 pages, ISBN 978-9053308462

THE nude in art has a long, varied andcontentious history. It was perhaps art criticJohn Berger who first began questioningthe true motivations of the glut of malepainters who seemed preoccupied withthe female form. Recent examples of

photographers capturing the human form withseeming honesty and empathy are notably bothfemale: Katy Grannan and Malerie Marder. But here isPeter Suschitzky, a photographer and cinematographerof great talent and credibility. There is somethingethereal and unusual about the atmosphere thatpervades his images. The nudes captured within arenot erotic; they appear almost like the study modelsartists use in their studios. It’s perhaps telling that the

models are all female, but it still stands above many ofthe books of its kind on the market.+++++

Twenty Yearsby Jason Langer, Radius Books, £46,hardback, 172 pages, ISBN 978-1934435786

THE twin-lens reflex camera issynonymous with street photography.As the photographer doesn’t have tobring the camera to their face,subjects assume no picture is beingtaken. Jason Langer began with one

of these cameras and the lessons he learnt havecarried through to his later work. He describes his

images as ‘poetic, contemplative, noir, symbolist andopen-ended in interpretation’. Within Jason’s work wefind a document of the ghost world that rises in thecity after dark. It ’s a lazy journalistic method tocompare bodies of work, but there’s no denying thathis images bring to mind Michael Kenna’s photos,something Jason himself openly admits. However, whileMichael’s work dances along the boundaries betweenthe waking and the somnambulant, Jason has no fearof immersing himself completely.+++++


11/92

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12/9212

25 July 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 4555

More accessible than ever,coloured lighting can adddrama to your portraits, as Jake Hicks reveals

Coloured lighting has been part of our visualstorytelling process as far back as the 1600s,when Shakespearean theatre lights wereshone through red wine to alter the colour and

mood of a scene. When colour film became popular inthe 1940s the process was adopted by cinema, andcinematographers would often use coloured lighting to tella story and create a mood. For example, adding yellow

and orange gelatin sheets in front of lights to simulatesunsets and sunrises. Although we no longer use gelatinsheets the name ‘coloured gels’ stuck, and stillsphotographers use the technique to add dramaticcoloured effects to their work for a more artistic look.

The use of coloured gels in photography reached feverpitch in the 1980s, but as the colour combinationsbecame more and more garish and visually offensivethey eventually fell out of fashion. It’s only recently thatcoloured gels have seen a resurgence, with digitalphotography empowering a new generation ofphotographers to experiment with colour.

Technical or artistic?

Coloured lighting and the use of coloured gels fall into

two main categories – technical colour correction andartistic effect. Technical colour correction is used formatching a tungsten bulb colour to the colour outsideand is especially useful on location shoots. For example,you could be trying to light a model with a standardhouse light and daylight is coming in through a

A L L P I C T U R E S © J

A K E H I C K S

Back in fashion

Gels can really add

drama to yourflash-lit images

Coloured gelsdeliver a verycinematic quality to your shots



GEL LIGHTING Technique

Jake HicksJake Hicks is a fashion and hair photographer based in Reading,Berkshire. Known for his bright and bold lighting techniques, heregularly runs workshops for lighting manufacturer BowensInternational. www.jakehicksphotography.com



Technique

A handy technique for

adding colour to your shots

Two hard lights behind the model add colour

Why not try this set-up yourself?

window in the background of the shot.Without colour correcting the warm

tones of the tungsten bulb, the model will lookorange, so you’d need to add a colourtemperature blue (CTB) gel to your lamp tomatch the colour of the background daylight.

These colour adjustments are often verysimilar to white balancing on your camera andare only really useful to know when you have

more than one colour temperaturewithin the same shot. Althoughthe technical colour correctionis useful, it’s not as fun asusing coloured gels forartistic effect, and this iswhat we’ll explore inmore detail here.

Using colourwiselyUsing coloured gels inyour photographs can bea great way of makingimages stand out, but

don’t underestimate thepower colour has on

viewers’ perception of a shot. It ’s a good ideato think about what you’d like to convey withthe colours you’re using, as certain colours willalways affect us in certain ways.

For example, we all know red is a verypowerful colour but depending on the contextit can convey very different messages. If youuse a lot of red lighting in a boudoir shoot it willconvey ideas of love and lust, but red lighting

used in conjunction with a boxer willportray power and anger. As a

rule, reds tend to evoke moreenergy and passion whereas

cooler colours such asblues evoke calmer andmore centred feelings. Asa result you’ll often see itused in corporatephotography shots.

As your confidencebuilds in using gels, it isthen possible to combinemultiple colours, but youstill need to be careful

about the messageyou’re portraying.

THIS lighting technique is one of theeasiest ways to get great-looking colourinto your shots. Start by selecting yourpreferred key light – I used a 21in silverbeauty dish here, but a small softbox will

work equally well.I then added a little fill light via a small

softbox on the floor below the model, buta well-placed silver reflector will do just aswell. I then added the colour via two hardlights behind the model pointed backtowards the camera and aimed at the sidesof the model’s head. These two lights havegrids on them to control the spill of light andare angled just far enough away from thelens to minimise the introduction of flare.

The fill softbox is metered one stop underthe key light and the two coloured gel lightsare metered one stop above the key light.

Quick andeasy set-up

Basic colour theory will help you choosecolours that complement each other

Don’t underestimate the power colourhas on viewers’perception of a shot


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Top tips1Be mindful of the moodcertain colours willconvey. Shooting with redand green will often leavean image looking like a

Christmas card andusing red and blue can, attimes, make a photographook like a scene froma police chase.

2When combiningcolours, try to bear inmind some basic colourtheory. Complementarycolours like orange andblue, and purple and yellowwill always work welltogether. It’s also vital tounderstand the styling ofthe shot, and base yourcolour theory around thecolours of a model’s outfit.

3 If you plan on usingcoloured gels on modelshoots then be aware ofyour colours spilling ontothe model’s skin.Sometimes this can createunwanted effects such asunflattering shine, andstrange hues as it mixeswith natural skin tones.

4

If you’re going to becombining more than

one coloured gel in a shot,place your lights so thatthey don’t contaminateone another. When twocolours mix within anmage they can sometimescreate undesirable colours.A good way to avoid this isto place your subjectbetween the two colours,resulting in them falling oneither side, but neveractually meeting.

5Remember that when

you’re trying to exposeyour coloured gels correctlythat under or overexposingthem will create differentcolours and this is down topersonal taste rather thanbeing right and wrong. Forexample, underexposingan orange gel will give youa rich golden brown,whereas overexposing itwill give you a sunburstyellow. Experiment withyour own gels and seewhat variations you can

get from over andunderexposing them.

When combiningcolours, bear inmind some basiccolour theory



Technique GEL LIGHTING

There are times where you will want tointroduce coloured gels in a more subtle way.I recommend one way of doing this is bydiffusing or softening the coloured light beforeit hits the model. In this example I’ve used abeauty dish and two different coloured gels toachieve the desired result.

GET THE LOOK

There are a couple of colour combinationsthat you need to be wary of and treat

with extra care.

Colour combinationsWhen colours like red and green are combinedyou need to be extremely careful that theimages don’t look like a Christmas card.Together these two colours have now becomesynonymous with the season and as a result it’svery difficult to tell a different story.

Another colour combination that we havebeen programmed to recognise is red andblue. This colour pairing is frequently used infilms to signify emergencies as they represent

the colours of sirens, and you need to beespecially careful when using them.

Colour theorySo now that we’ve taken a look at some of thecolours we should be wary of, let’s take a lookat some good colour combinations to startplaying with. As a standard guide I wouldalways say that complementary colours workwell together. Complementary colours are thecolours opposite one another on the colourwheel. One colour pairing that never fails toimpress is orange and blue, a combination ofcolours that is always pleasing to the eye.Just as red and green symbolise Christmas,orange and blue symbolise the warmth of asunset or a beach, and the purity of the sky orthe sea. This colour combination can be found

all around us – from logos and design tofilms and paintings.

1 Add main lightThe first thing you need to do is to set upyour standard portrait lighting by placing abeauty dish just above the model’s headangled down at 45°. You could use a smallsoftbox but make sure it’s as close as possible

to avoid too much spill of light. The next stepis to soften the shadows.

Under oroverexposing yourlights will createdifferent colours

Gel lightingworks well in

both the studioand on location

When using more thanone light, try to avoid

the two light sourcescontaminating your shot

Light is bounced off white boards for a subtle look



4 Second colourFinally the second colour is brought in on theright-hand side – set up in exactly the sameway by bouncing an orange gel off a largewhite board. It is also useful to note that thesetwo colours were chosen because the orange

and blue go really well with the pinks andviolets of the model’s outfit.

3 Add first colourI have added blue to the left camera, and as Iam going for a far softer colour palette I wantto avoid using hard lights. You need to diffusethe coloured gel by aiming the gelled lightaway from the model and bouncing it off a

large white board, but a similar result can beachieved with a thick white cotton sheet.

2 Lif shadowsYou can do this by placing a small softbox atthe model’s feet angled upwards and meter itat a stop below your key light. It’ s possible totry this set-up with a reflector rather than asoftbox, but just be aware that it will never be

as powerful, so the resulting image will havemore contrast due to the darker shadows.


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19/92

Amateur amazing

A

C

B

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Inbox

Radio activen Viewpoint (AP 4 July) JonBentley stated that Sonymade the first transistor radio.This is absolutely not correct.The first transistor radio wasmade in America, and it wascalled the Regency TR-1.Developed by Texasnstruments, this was apocket-sized radio and firstappeared on the Americanmarket in 1954, and sold for$49.95 at a time when a

domestic valve radio could bebought for $15. TokyoTelecommunications (Sony)didn’t produce a transistorradio until August 1955, andproduced a pocket-sized radion March 1957.

The Regency TR-1 wasproduced in large numbers,and many survive in the handsof radio collectors like myself,and are still working well.

This photo (right) shows myown Regency TR-1, which myate father purchased in 1957.

Douglas Thomson,Edinburgh

As good as oldI was interested in AndyWestlake’s reply to DavidRichards who asked whetherto buy the Panasonic LumixDMC-GX7 now, or wait forthe rumoured launch of theGX8 (Technical Support , AP 4July). Having worked for most

of my life in the hi-techhardware industry, I would say

that the best time to considerbuying a predecessor productis as soon as the manufacturerformally announces the newproduct. That way (a) youknow exactly what the newspecifications are andtherefore whether payingextra for it is justified; and (b)at that point the cat is truly outof the bag and retailers whoare desperate not to be leftwith stock will further discountthe older camera.

In my experience, there’salso another factor in relationto CSCs and DSLRs:manufacturers make most oftheir profits from add-ons – inthe case of these products,the relatively expensive lenses.For most such cameras thestandard kit lenses are notparticularly good, and to getthe best from the camera youneed to buy at least onebetter lens. One reason forthe rise of advanced compactsis that the manufacturer has

little option but toprovide a good lens at a

Email [email protected] and include your full postal addressWrite to Inbox, Amateur Photographer, Time Inc. (UK), Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

LETTER OF THE WEEK In AP 4 July we asked

Do you get excited about the releaseof new editing software?

You answeredA No, to me it’s just a tool 34%

B Yes, it’s always interestingto see the latest features 27%

C No, I find that I don’t use many of themore modern features of software 24%

D I’m not bothered either way 15%

What you said‘I do like to know what new features will be available,but now that I’ve signed up to the Creative Cloud I’llget the new features anyway. This has lessened theanticipation somewhat’

‘No, until I upgrade my PC there’s little point as themore up-to-date versions simply aren’t compatible’

‘New software invariably seems to involve takingsomething I’ve just learned how to use, andmakes it un-useable’

‘Yes, if it’ll work with my camera and operating system’

Join the debate on the AP forum

This week we ask

Have you ever updated thefirmware for your camera?Vote online at www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

Congratulations AP, you’ve restored myfaith in magazines! A big statement, butover the last few weeks you’ve publisheduses for Sugru, how to make a macrolighting rig using LEDs and a USB powersupply, and shown how a remarkable youngman used 3D printing to make a new digitalback for a 35mm rangefinder. Bravo!Hurrah for the tinkerers and home-brewers;

the meddlers and dis-assemblers (I am oneof the worst offenders) – the amateurs.

The icing on the cake was Roger Hicks’musings on works of art or otherwise, andyour great review of the Leica MMonochrom (Typ 246). One letter askedwhy you’d tested it when so few people can

afford it – I certainly can’t, butat least I know about it now.

This must be one of the best timesever to be a photographer, as digital k itis at a stage where film cameras were20-plus years ago – some great qualityequipment available cheaply secondhand.Let’s keep exploring the by-ways and lessertrod paths and celebrate what we canmake, do, hack and fix.Bob Goodwin, Derbyshire

Many thanks for your kind words.Although it isn’t always easy, we try tomake sure the magazine’s content is asvaried as possible and that hopefully there’ll be at least one article in eachweek that grabs your attention,whatever your photographic interests– Richard Sibley, deputy editor

Every other week we post a photograph of a cameraon our Facebook page and all you have to do is guessthe make and model. To guess the make and model ofthis camera (above), head over to www.facebook.com/Amateurphotographer.magazine . Forummembers can also enter via the forum.

The 4 July issue’s cover is from 9 March1996. The winner is Bryan Metters from

Lancashire, whose correct guess was thefirst drawn at random.

With ultra-fast performance, the new S amsung 16GB EVO SD card,Class 10, Grade 1, offers up to 4 8MB/sec transfer speed and has aten-year warranty.www.samsung.comWin!

Guess the camera

© D O U G L A S T H O M S O N

The Regency TR-1 first appearedon the American market in 1954



INBOX

© A

N D R E W M A S O N

ContactAmateur Photographer, Time Inc. (UK), Blue Fin Building,110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SUTelephone 0203 148 4138 Fax 0203 148 8128Email [email protected] returns: Telephone 0203 148 4121Email [email protected]

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Telephone 0330 3334555 or +44 (0)330 3330 233 (overseas)One year (51 issues) UK £150.55; Europee259;USA $338.99; Rest of World £221.99

Test ReportsContact OTC for copies of AP test reports. Tel: 01707 273 773

AdvertisingEmail [email protected] telephone 0203 148 2929. Fax: 0203 148 8158Display telephone 0203 148 2516. Fax: 02 03 148 8158Inserts call Innovator on 0203 148 3710

Editorial teamGroup Editor Nigel AthertonGroup Editor’s PA Christine LayDeputy Editor Richard SibleyTechnical Editor Andy WestlakeDeputy Technical Editor Michael TophamTechnical Writer Callum McInerney-RileyFeatures & Technique Editor Phil HallSenior Features Writer Oliver AtwellNews Editor Chris CheesmanProduction Editor Lesley UptonChief Sub Editor Meike AbrahamsArt Editor Mark JacobsDeputy Art Editor Sarah FosterDesigner Antony GreenStudio Manager Andrew SydenhamPicture Researcher Rosie BarrattOnline Manager Karen SheardOnline Production Editor Paul NuttallDigital Art Editor Simon WarrenDigital Production Editor Jacky PorterStaff Writer Jon StapleyVideo Production John LaytonPhoto-Science Consultant Professor Robert NewmanSenior contributor Roger Hicks

Special thanks to The moderators of the AP website Andrew

Robertson, lisadb, Nick Roberts, The Fat ControllerAdvertisingAdvertising Director Mark Rankine 0203 148 2516Advertisement Manager Felix Barlow 0203 148 2508Account Manager Simon Gerard 0203 148 2510Production Coordinator James Wise 0203 148 2694

MarketingMarketing Manager Samantha Blakey 0203 148 4321

Publishing teamChief Executive Officer Marcus RichManaging Director Paul WilliamsPublishing Director Alex RobbGroup Magazines Editor Garry Coward-Willi ams

Printed in the UK by Polestar GroupDistributed by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 SouthwarkStreet, London SE1 0SU. Tel: 0203 148 3333

All contributions to Amateur Photographer must be original, not copies or duplicated to otherpublications. The editor reserves the right to shorten or modify any letter or material submitted.Time Inc. (UK) or its associated companies reserves the right to re-use any submission sent to theletters column of Amateur Photographer magazine, in any format or medium, WHETHER PRINTED,ELECTRONIC OR OTHERWISE Amateur Photographer® is a registered trademark of Time Inc. (UK)© Time Inc. (UK) 2015 Am ateur Photographer (incorporating Photo Technique & Camera Weekly)Email: [email protected] Website: ww w.amateurphotographer.co.uk Time Inc.switchboard tel: 0203 148 5000 Am ateur Photographer is published weekly (51 issues per year) onthe Tuesday preceding the cover date by T ime Inc. (UK), Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street,London SE1 0SU. Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark StreetSE1 OSU. ISSN 0002-6840. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval ortransmitted in any format or medium, whether printed, electronic or otherwise, without the priorwritten permission of the publisher or the editor. This is considered a breach of copyright andaction will be taken where this occurs. This magazine must not be lent, sold, hired or otherwisedisposed of in a mutilated condition or in any authorised cover by w ay, or by trade, or annexed toany publication or advertising matter without first obtaining written permission from the publisherTime Inc. (UK) Ltd does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited photographsand manuscripts, and product samples. Time Inc. (UK) reserves the right to use any submissionssent to Amateur Photographer Magazine in any format or m edium, including electronic. One-yearsubscription (51 issues) £150.55 (UK),e259.99 (Europe), $338.99 (USA), £221.99 (rest of world).The 2015 US annual DEU subscription price is $338.99, airfreight and mailing in the USA by namedAir Business Ltd, c/o Worl dnet Shipping Inc, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd floor, Jamaica, NY 11434,USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes toAmateur Photographer, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2ndfloor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscriptions records are maintained at Time Inc. (UK), Blue FinBuilding, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

24PAGE GUIDE TO

MASTERING YOUR

DSLR FOR VIDEO

FREE

competitive price.So I might suggest

another solution to DavidRichards’ quandary: you canhave a camera with an MFTsensor and a fabulously fastLeica zoom lens, at a veryreasonable price, in the

Lumix DMC-LX100. Sure, it’snot as flexible as a fullyinterchangeable system, butno need to worry aboutsensor dust and cleaning.

The LX100 also hasfantastically intuitive controlswith clear dials for aperture,shutter speed, exposurecompensation and frameformat. If you consider thathaving a CSC is still preferable,I hope that Panasonicincorporate some of thesefeatures into the GX8.

Adrian Johnson, Surrey

This is great advice, andespecially pertinent in thelight of the officialannouncement of the GX8(see our First Look on pages8-9). I can second therecommendation for theLX100 too, it’s a lovelycamera – Andy Westlake,technical editor

Club cultureI was asked recently about

camera clubs in Cornwall.I replied I knew of none, butI recalled when, along withtwo chums, I joined a

photographic

club inCoventry in 1955.

We attended a portraitsession where photofloodlamps and tripod-mountedcameras surrounded anattractive young lady. I had mynewly bought Voigtländer VitoB and Weston Mater II. Onechum had a Kodak Retina andthe third a Zeiss Nettar. Beingyoung, keen and as eventsproved, naïve, we expected tolearn from our seniors.

Learn? You bet we did.

Once our half-crown annualsubscriptions were handedover to the HonourableGeneral Secretary, we wereignored. We left disillusioned,never to return.

Three decades laterI attended a meeting ofanother photo club out ofcuriosity. I knew the chairmanprofessionally as a helpfulcolleague who shared myinterest in black & white andseascapes. Apart fromacknowledging my arrival, he

sat silent and seeminglyindifferent to those present.

The raison d’être of mostmeetings is the free

interchange of knowledge andexperience, but not here. Amore cheerless and uninspiringmeeting I cannot recall. Aremodern digital-dominatedclubs any friendlier?Harry Kitchen, Cornwall

We’d be interested inreaders’ experiences ofcamera clubs, both good

and bad. I too had a similarexperience when I wasyounger, and was made tofeel distinctly unwelcome ata meeting. I’m sure that’sfar from the case for allclubs, and it only takesa friendly face to makesomeone feel welcome.

Perhaps clubs are becomingoutdated. Digital imagingand the internet let us shareknowledge and critique eachother’s work. Organisationslike the Leica Meet group,

who converse online andmeet up for photo walks,may be the future – RichardSibley, deputy editor

CanonEOS 760DMichael Tophamtests Canon’s latest24.2-million-pixel

enthusiast DSLR

FujifilmXT1 firmware We look at the newfirmware for the Fuji X-T1, and what itadds to an alreadyfantastic camera

In next week’s issue On sale Tuesday 28 July

ThePanasonicLumixDMC-GX7 isbeingupdated by

the GX8

Summer specialFrom wildlife to landscapes

and country fairs, read our

seasonal guide of what, andhow, to shoot this summer


21/92


22/9222 00 Month 2015 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 3334555


23/92subscribe 0330 3334555 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 00 Month 2015 23

STEVE McCURRY

A family sits together.

La Fortuna,Honduras, 2004

Steve McCurry travelled to 12 countries in three

continents to photograph the daily lives of peoplewho produce the world’s coffee. Spanning 30 years,

it’s been a dream assignment, he tells David Clark

cultureCoffee


24/92

STEVE McCURRY


C

offee is one of the world’s most valuablecommodities. Its

production and saleis a huge global industry thatcontinues to grow. People aroundthe world now drink 500 billioncups of coffee a year; in the UKalone, we spend over £1 billiona year on coffee consumption.It provides a livelihood to morethan 25 million people around the world, with 90% of those living indeveloping countries.

Steve McCurry’s new book, From These Hands: A Journey Along the Coffee Trail , focuses onpeople who grow and harvest coffee.

His pictures show farmers, farm workers and their families, most of whom work hard for little moneyand live simple lives in rural areas.McCurry’s images, taken over a30-year period, give an insight intotheir daily lives, at work and leisure, with humanity and warmth of spiritevident throughout his work.

When we meet, McCurry, longestablished as one of the world’s topphotojournalists, is in London topromote his book, en route tomainland Europe. His schedule ishectic and recent assignments have

taken him to Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. ‘As

usual, I’ve been travelling too muchand not getting enough sleep, butit’s fun,’ he says. ‘I’m always glad to

do work in places that are inspiring.’

Coffee producersHis book on coffee producers, heexplains, gradually took shape overa long period and was a mixture ofcommercial and personal work.

‘I had been working in manycoffee-producing regions withoutrealising it, going back to the late’70s, in countries such as India,Burma and Vietnam,’ he says.

‘About 12 years ago, I started working with [Italian coffeecompany] Lavazza on the ¡Tierra!

project, which aims to help smalllocal coffee producers use betterfarming techniques and get a better yield. Then, when they get moremoney in their pocket and areproducing at the highest levelspossible for them, they can providea better life for their families.

‘The brief was to photographcoffee producers, where they lived,every aspect of their lives. For me,it was a kind of dream assignment where the only requirement was toshow who these people were andhow they lived.’

McCurry spent a few weeks each year on the assignment. Gradually,

he realised he had the basis fora book, but more work was needed.To complete it, he used his own

money to travel around coffee-producing regions and spent timegetting to know people in a relaxedand unpressurised way. By thetime the book was finished, he hadphotographed coffee workers ineight countries, including Ethiopia,India, Vietnam, Columbia,Honduras, Peru and Brazil.

Approach and techniqueLooking at McCurry’s pictures,it’s clear that he has a unique abilityto connect with his subjects andget the best out of them. To some

extent, the pictures are a reflectionof his relationship with the people

Top: Javier JovenPenagos, thefounder of the

Colombian group ofproducers involvedin the ¡Tierra!project, LaEsperanza,Colombia, 2004

Above: A womanof the Hamer tribelies on her bed inOmo Valley,Ethiopia, 2013

Above right:Portrait of anelderly man sitting

in a green room inEthiopia, 2013


25/92

STEVE McCURRY


Capturing the moment‘I SPENT quite a bit of time with a coffee farmer andhis family in Brazil, photographing them in their homeand out in the fields,’ says McCurry. ‘The farmer’s sonhad an incredible face. In this picture, the boy and hisfather were sitting in a kind of vintage truck. The truckwas interesting, the father was interesting and I noticedthe way the kid had his hand on the mirror. Everything just came together. I took a lot of pictures of this family,but I thought this was the one that really got it.’

‘A Farmer’s Son in his Father’s Truck, Lambari, Brazil’, 2010

‘It’s not so much about directing people and moving them around, it’s about looking and waiting’

he photographs. How, I asked him,did he choose his subjects?

‘Sometimes there were just peoplethat somehow spoke to me,’ he says.I met hundreds of these workers,but with some people there was thisconnection and attraction. It’s hardto describe, but I always try to be

hyperaware of people’s faces and thestories that are written on them.

‘For example, there was oneIndian woman who was very wellturned out and stylish in her ownway. She was someone who gets up

every day and works basically as daylabour, yet takes such care of howshe looks. I thought it was kind of wonderful that she would take thetime and effort to do that.’

The pictures, whether takenindoors or out, are beautifully litand often have attractively coloured

backgrounds. Interestingly,McCurry says that he usually chosethe location and the light beforehe chose his subjects.

‘I photographed these people where I found them,’ he says.

A man and childagainst ahandprinted wall

in La Fortuna,Honduras, 2004


26/92

STEVE McCURRY


‘Part of the key is to find thelight first and then to find the

action and the people. In the homes, you can find really incredible light. All the interior light in the shopsand kitchens is all completelynatural and it’s just wonderful by itself. It’s not so much aboutdirecting people and moving themaround, it’s more about going toa restaurant or coffee shop andspending half an hour lookingand waiting.

‘In one town, I literally wentfrom coffee shop to coffee shop.I went in and sat down and ordereda drink. Sometimes things cametogether and sometimes they didn’t, but I found if I persisted, I wouldeventually find a picture.’

McCurry has always beenfastidious about only using naturallight in his pictures and even avoids bouncing light with reflectors.However, he has recently startedto use small, portable LEDs to adda little extra illumination to a faceor object in a scene.

From These Hands featuresimages produced since 1984,spanning both film and digital eras.McCurry estimates a third wereshot on film and two-thirds ondigital. Although formerly knownto be an avid user of Kodachromefilm (he was given the last roll ofthe iconic film ever made and thecontents of that film were publishedin National Geographic), he’s now a

great enthusiastfor digitalcapture. ‘It’sa huge, huge

benefit to work in digital,’ hecontinues. ‘Not only can you workin extremely low light, you don’thave to worry too much aboutcolour temperature, filters fortungsten lighting, and so on. We can also now evaluate focus,light and composition.

‘Some of my favourite picturesfrom previous years, taken withfilm, were back focused becauseI was shooting in a dark place andI couldn’t really tell if they were in

focus. In some cases, these picturescan’t be enlarged too much as itshows. With digital, I have timeto check it, or if the light’s not quiteright, I can change it. So that’sa major benefit.’

One of the things that stands outin the book is McCurry’s ability tomake insightful, well-composedpictures, which often incorporaterich and vibrant colours. He sayshe’s able to do this partly because ofhis long experience of photography.

‘When you’ve been working withcolour photography for 35 years,

your mental computer is trainedto look for things simultaneously. You’re evaluating light, thecomposition, what people are wearing and a person’s expressionall at the same time.

‘It’s not about pumping up thecolour in post production; a lot of

the saturated quality of theseimages comes from recognising where the good pictures are, andhow the light is going to affect andenhance the colour in a location.’

McCurry does very little postproduction work on his images.‘I try to keep it pretty much the wayit was when I made the picture,’ hesays. ‘When pictures start to looktoo overproduced or too worked,I think people tend to stop lookingat the image, or what you weredoing, and just think how false itlooks. In the end, we want people

to get lost in the story and theperson. Everything else shouldreally take a back seat.’

McCurry recently turned 65 but still spends most of each yeartravelling, both on assignment andon his personal projects. He hasno plans to change his itinerantlifestyle but says he now has tochoose projects more carefully thanever. ‘When you get to a certain age, you realise that you don’t have a lotof time to waste,’ he says, ‘so youhave to concentrate on thethings you really want to do.’

From These Hands, A Journey Along the Coffee Trail by Steve McCurry is published by Phaidon, £39.95.

BORN in Philadelphia, USA, in 1950,Steve McCurry became a professional

photojournalist in 1976. Since then, hehas travelled extensively on assignmentsaround the world. His work includesphotographing the conflict in Afghanistanin 1979, the First Gulf War in 1991 and theaftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacksin New York. He has been a full member ofMagnum Photos since 1986 and is a seniorcontributor to National Geographic magazine.His awards include the Robert Capa GoldMedal and several First Prize awards in theWorld Press Photo competition. His booksinclude Portraits (1999), The UnguardedMoment (2009) and Untold: The StoriesBehind the Photographs (2013).

BIOGRAPHYTop: A womanwalks to workwith a rake inVietnam, 2013

Above: Farmersspread coffeebeans to dry inBrazil, 2010


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▲ ▲ ▲KIT LIST

A L L P I C T U R E S © J U S T I N M I N N S

Circularpolariser filterA circular polariser canboost saturation in thecolours of the heatherand sky. However, used ona wideangle lens itcan result in uneven skies,so look out for thisand reduce the effect

slightly if necessary.

Wideangle lensAlthough a standardzoom like a 24-70mmwould suffice atDunwich, I alwaysrecommended youtake a wideanglelens along too. It’sexcellent forcapturing the sense

of wide open space.

Dunwich

HeathNow is the perfect time to visit Dunwich Heath on theSuffolk coastline. Justin Minns explains why

DUNWICH Heath is an area of coastal lowlandheath just south of Dunwich village on theSuffolk coast. Largely covered in heather andgorse with a sprinkling of photogenic ‘lone’trees and areas of woodland, the heath iscrossed by several well-marked footpaths,making it easy to explore. The walk around the

heath is roughly 2.5 miles on fairly easy, slightlyhilly terrain, but if you don’t want to exertyourself too much there are also great viewsa short walk from the car park. On its easternedge the heath ends abruptly at the top ofsandstone cliffs below which the North Seacrashes onto a shingle beach fringed withdunes. It’s a wild, diverse and beautiful part ofthe Suffolk coast.

Access to the area is from the A12. Followthe signs towards Dunwich and the route toDunwich Heath is marked by brown touristinformation signs. At the end of the lane you’llfind a row of white former-coastguardcottages, and a decent-sized car park behind

them (free to National Trust members).Although at certain times of day it ’s favouredby photographers, it’s likely to be busier withrabbits than cars.

These coastguard cottages also form one ofthe most iconic views of Dunwich Heath whenviewed across the heath looking towardsSizewell. Pack a wideangle lens: it’ll certainly beuseful in making the most of the big Suffolkskies in shots like these.

LOCATION GUIDE

The coastguard cottages along the horizon make an interesting focal point

While Suffolk is suited to sunrises, the Heath also offers great opportunities later in the day

An extralayer

Even in the summermonths the windblowing off theNorth Sea atdawn can bechilly, so anextra layer likea windproof jacket

or light fleece isoften welcome.

Justin MinnsJustin Minns is an award-winningphotographer, specialising in East

Anglian landscapes for clients,including the National Trust andBBC. www.justinminns.co.uk

© C R O W N C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 5 O R D N A N C E S U R V E Y .M E D I A 0 0 9 / 1 5



LOCATION GUIDE Technique

The heath isdotted with

picturesque trees

ShootingadviceTime to visitDunwich Heath hassomething to photograph

all-year round. Autumnpaints not just the trees,but also heather andbracken across the heathwith an earthy palette ofochres and siennas. Inwinter, low afternoonsunlight on the cliff topscontrasts with big broodingskies, while the freshgreens of spring bring thewoods to life. The star ofthe show, though, isundoubtedly summer.From July to September

the heath is a riot of colour,awash with pink and purpleheather scarred by curvingfootpaths and splashedwith yellow gorse. The besttimes of day to capture thespectacle are the first andlast hours of sunlight, whenthe soft quality and lowangle of the light rakingacross the landscapeemphasises the beautifulcolour, shape and textureof the heather.

However, the Heath

isn’t just for landscapephotographers. A rarehabitat, it’s host to anabundance of wildlife, fromherds of red deer to moresecretive adders andseveral rare species ofbirds and insects.

Food andlodgingRefreshments at DunwichHeath are close at handfrom the CoastguardTearoom, which sits

conveniently atop the cliffsand serves a selection ofhot food and drinks.

A choice of good pubs is just a few minutes’ driveaway, with The Crown Innat Westleton and the Shipat Dunwich both offeringgood food, local ales andaccommodation.

Drive 20 minutes northto Southwold or south toAldeburgh and you’ll haveplenty of B&Bs, pubs,restaurants and further

interesting photographiclocations to choose from.


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If you want to shoot video with your DSLR but don’t know where to start,

then www.thevideomode.com is the place to head for expert advice

ALMOST every new digitalcamera has the ability to recordvideo footage, but for manyphotographers the transitionfrom stills to moving images canbe a daunting one. What exactlydo all those recording formatsmean? How do you set up theshutter speed for video? How doyou focus the lens? What aboutrecording sound? There are somany questions, and all of themneed answering.

Thankfully, help is at handfrom The Video Mode, a newwebsite from the publishers of Amateur Photographer andWhat Digital Camera. The siteoffers comprehensive advice onshooting video – with tipsranging from the basics youneed to know when starting out,to more advanced questions onshooting raw video footage. Plus,it’ll feature insights andtechniques from leadingvideographers, as well ascamera and equipment reviews.

Basically, The Video Modehas everything youneed to helpyou getstartedrecordingvideo withyourdigitalcamera.

Shutter speed sand ND filtersWhen shooting stills, you canshoot at any shutter speed youlike – or at least whatevershutter speed is appropriatefor the effect you’reaiming for and theenvironment you’reworking in. You cancapture imagesright up to1/8,000sec (if your

camera has thatfunction) right downto long exposureslasting a number ofseconds. However, withvideo you’re limited to asingle shutter speed whilerecording, and thatshutter speed dependson the frame rateyou’re shooting at.Most of the time thiswill be either 24 or 25frames per second (fps), andbecause of the ‘180° shutter-

angle rule’, which goes backto shooting on film, your

shutter speed shouldbe double your

frame rate.For example,

when shootingat 25fps, yourshutter speedshould be1/50sec. If your

camera can shoot at 50 or60fps, your shutter speedshould be 1/100sec or1/125sec. The reason forimplementing this 180° rule isthat it helps to record video that

contains natural movement.If the shutter speed is too

slow you’ll get blurredmovement, while if youshoot at a shutterspeed that’s too highthe people’s

movements in yourscene will lookrobotic or as if theywere recorded instop motion. Sticking

to the 180° rule willgive you the most

natural movement.Having to stick with a

fixed shutter speed canfeel limiting for those ofus who are experiencedin stills photography. If

you’re outdoors shooting at1/50sec, at your lowest ISO and

you want to use a wide aperture,you’ll often find that the scene isoverexposed. The naturaltendency for a photographer isto increase the shutter speed,but because we can’t do thatwhen shooting video we insteadhave to use ND filters to reducethe amount of light enteringthrough the lens.

For more about using ND

filters with video, visit www. thevideomode.com/filters

Recording soundUnless you’re planning to recorda silent movie, audio recordingand quality are some of themost vital components in thevideo-making process. No

matter how good yourpictures are, weak audiowill make your effortsseem amateurish.In fact, greataudio candisguise poorvisuals.

Mostcamerashave a tinymicrophonebuilt in andthese are fine forhome videos

and candid video recording,but built-in microphonesaren’t much good if youwant to produce videos ofa high standard.

Built-in mics are small andomnidirectional, which meansthey pick up sound from allaround them. They’re also verysusceptible to the noise fromwind. To improve the quality of

In association with

ND filters reducelight entering thelens, when youcan’t increaseshutter speeds

www.thevideomode.com

HOUSE ADVERTISEMENT


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When you’re ready to take your video shooting to thenext level, the Canon EOS C100 Mark II is the camerayou’ll need. The C100 Mark II uses much of thetechnology found in Canon’s flagship EOS C500,boasting an imaging engine that is powered by aDIGIC DV 4 processor and a Canon 8.3-million-pixelSuper 35mm sensor.

Canon EOS C100 Mark IITo celebrate the launch of The Video Mode, we’re giving awaya Canon EOS C100 Mark II

digital cinema camera

For your chance to win this great prize

visit www.thevideomode.comTHE COMPETITION CLOSING DATE IS FRIDAY 31 JULY 2015

W I N A

W O R T H O V E R £4, 2 8 O!

your audio, it’s best to useexternal microphone options,and to use a good pair ofheadphones to monitor theound you’re recording. There

are many different types ofmicrophones available, andwhich you use will depend on

what you are recording.Watch our video

demonstration of the differentmicrophones that are availablefor recording audio at www. thevideomode.com/audio

Keep it steadyA wobbly camera is annoying –not to mention amateurish –

to watch, so keep the camerasteady while filming. Usea tripod or monopod for shotsthat are fixed, while for roamingshots try to shorten the camerastrap and pull it taut against theback of your neck, orshorten a monopodand keep itattached to act asa counterweight.

Although imagestabilisation doesa satisfactory jobin some cameras

and lenses, adevice specificallydesigned to keepfootage smooth andsteady is a far better option.These can range in price from£20 shoulder rigs orstabilisation devices toequipments that coststhousands of pounds.

To read our reviews of videoaccessories, visit www. thevideomode.com/equipment

External microphones can helpmprove your sound quality


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PHOTO LONDON 2015


Top left:‘PhotographicReproduction 01’by Judith Lyons

Top middle: ‘EasternCottonwood,Sprague Avenue,Staten Island II

2011’ by MitchEpstein

For four days in May,London’s Somerset Househosted Photo London – anew photography fair for

the capital. Thousands flocked tothe historic landmark to admireand buy vintage and contemporaryprints by established names andemerging talent.

The organising body, creativeconsultancy Candlestar, ensuredmembers of the public andphotography enthusiasts felt justas welcome as serious collectors, byoffering a packed public programme

of events and talks supported by theLUMA Foundation.

Background to the fairSpotting a gap in the market(London previously played host toa photography fair, run by thecompany behind Paris Photo, ReedExhibitions, but it closed in 2007),Candlestar co-directors MichaelBenson and Fariba Farshad decidedto set up Photo London. However,as the pair behind the prestigiousPrix Pictet photography awards,they wanted to start again fromscratch and carefully crafted theirown version. Planning took the bestpart of two years, and the pressure

was on to improve on what had been done before. ‘It’s been a long

Photoflair but interesting process,’ commentedBenson before the fair. ‘We’ve had to work hard to convince galleries tocome…[but] we’re really happy withthe quality of the work.’

In the end more than 70 galleriesfrom 20 countries, and 10publishers, paid to have a spaceinside one of the many rooms andlabyrinthine corridors in the 18th

century neo-classical building. Thefair was the biggest takeover of the building to date, according to theorganisers, and Somerset House was a fitting location – it is, after all, where Sir John Herschel coined theterm ‘photography’ in 1839.

The organisers’ aim was to‘harness the passionate, growingaudience for photography in thecity, and nurture a new generationof collectors.’ So, did they achievethis? Many galleries reported goodsales, according to the PhotoLondon press office, which is the

main aim of any commercial fair.Plus, with dates set for May next

Photo London’s vision was to put the

capital firmly on the photography map.

Did it live up to expectations? Gemma

Padley takes a look at what it had to offer

© J

U D I T H L Y O N S / C R A N E K A

L M A N

© M

I T C H E P S T E I N / T H O M A S

Z A N D E R


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COMPETITION


Above: Still from À bout de souffle (Jean-PaulBelmondo and JeanSeberg), gelatinsilver print, 1959by RaymondCauchetier

Right: ‘Girl Jiving’

1957, printed 1984,by Roger Mayne

© R

A Y M O N D C A U C H E T I E R / J A M E S H Y M A N

© R

O G E

R M A Y N E

year, it can only have been a success.It’s more difficult to gauge whethernew collectors were indeed enticednto the fold, although from the

subsequent reviews, there’sdefinitely the sense that visitorsenjoyed themselves.

A few highlightsThere was much to admire and ogle

across the board, from 19th and20th century masterpieces tocutting-edge contempor

amateur photographer - 25 july 2015

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