Photography News Issue 39

Photography News | Issue 39 | absolutephoto.com

CameraClubof theYear in associationwith Theme 1: Portraits

Closing date Midnight 8 January 2017

Damien Lovegrove, who is famous for his brilliant portrait work, runs seminars and workshops for budding portrait workers and has recently published an e-book on the subject. See below for details. We caught up with him as he was leaving for Amsterdam and got a few tips for portrait shooting at this time of year. “I don’t rule out shooting street portraits in winter but the cold and the lack of light need to be taken care of. If you need to shoot outside then consider making coats and scarves part of the styling and make sure your model is wearing a ski-grade thermal vest and tights. Take frequent breaks to warm up inside a café or in a car with the heater on and engine running – and have a flask of hot soup handy. “Most of my portraits are done indoors with interesting interiors. January to March is downtime for most wedding venues and it is usually quite easy to negotiate the chance to shoot for a few hours, perhaps contributing for the heating to be turned on.”

Portrait masterclass

Clockwisefromtop left “Twometres of wall is enough of a background to set up something creative. I lit this shot with sunlight reflected off a small Sunbounce reflector”; “I used a spotlight and a Scattergel to break up the light for this shot of Alicia in a converted church”; “Mina is standing right next to a door that is to the left of the shot”; “I used a Speedlight onmy FujifilmX-T1 to shoot this portrait of Zara on a hotel sofa”; “Thermal underwear and a coat are neededwhen shooting outdoors inwinter. When it’s gloomy think about using the sky as a backdrop. I lit this shot of Chantellewith a Speedlight rigged high on a stand to the right of camera.

Damien Lovegrove has recently published an e-book on his portrait techniques. It is available to download now priced £40. You get perks like two cover options, the option to purchase the 92-page Fujifilm X System Guide for Portrait Photographers for only £10 more (usually £20), and the choice of a standard- or high- definition version.

Use the code dharkan to receive 20%off when you purchase the book from lovegroveportraits.com

lovegroveportraits.com

The dual flagship line-up of the X-T2 and X-Pro2 both use the X-Trans CMOS III sensor with a resolution of 24.3 megapixels and a native ISO range of 200-12,800 with the option of expansion to ISO 100, 25,600 and 51,200 – all available in Raw as well as JPEG. The sensor works in combination with Fujifilm’s latest X Processor Pro for very fast start-up, minimal shutter lag, superfast file processing and highly responsive autofocusing. While the X-Pro2 and X-T2 share a similar feature set, they do offer different approaches to image capture and handling to suit different users. The X-Pro2 provides a rangefinder experience with the optical/EVF finder offset to the left of the body while the X-T2 is more DSLR-like with its central located eyepiece that is EVF only. The X-T2 also has an adjustable monitor including a flip-out upright option and a bolder control design. It also offers 4K video capture while the X-Pro2 is Full HD. X-series cameras are supported by an ever- expanding XF lens system, now comprising 12 primes, nine zooms and two teleconverters – and there’s more on the way. Until 31 January 2017 there’s a promotion on 19 optical products with up to £125 available as cashback. Four X-series cameras including the X-Pro2 are also part of the scheme. See fuji-promotions.com/gb/en/pages/cb- 1016/home for details of qualifying products, For a more detailed breakdown on the X-Pro2, X-T2 and XF lenses please see the Fujifilm website.

At the heart of X-system cameras is Fujifilm’s X-Trans CMOS APS-C-sized sensor and its unique filter array design. Working on a grid of 6x6 pixels to give a random pattern rather than the regular 2x2 of the Beyer array, that means Fujifilm managed to do away with the need for an optical low-pass filter (OLPF) because the risk of moiré was minimised. This in turn eliminated the risk of artefacting and false colours from using an OLPF and maximised image quality because there was no extra filter in front of the sensor, giving pictures comparable to those from full-frame sensors.

CLAIM UP TO £125 CASHBACK ON SELECTED X-SERIES CAMERAS & XF LENSES

fujifilm.eu/uk