Issue 19’s Kit guide is one for wildlife lovers, but there are a number of uses for these ‘Great binoculars for photographers’! Also on wildlife: we talk to British Wildlife Photographer of the Year founder, Maggie Gowan and see some fantastic entries. Adding to our kit tests, we give the Nikon D5500 a full test. Finally, Camera class teaches you how to use Exposure Compensation.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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Photography News | Issue 19
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World beaters 28 imagingmagazines from 15 countries get together to recognise the year’s best products Winning a TIPA Award is the ultimate accolade. Each year the members of TIPA meet up and pick the best products launched in a wide range of different categories. To win one is a very big achievement. This year’s honours were shared out among the leading brands and many of the winners have been tested by Photography News . The Samsung NX1 won Best CSC Professional and the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II won Best CSC Expert. Canon scooped Best Expert DSLR Zoom and Best Professional DSLR lens with its EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM and EF 11- 24mm f/4L USM respectively. While Nikon did well in the DSLR categories, winning Best DSLR Professional with the D810 and the Best DSLR Entry Level with its D5500 – the test of that camera is in this issue. Best DSLR Expert went to the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. At this year’s meeting, our sister magazine, Professional Photo , was elected to the TIPA membership so will be involved in next year’s voting.
All the photo industry news you need to know Newreleases from Olympus &Nikon, plus competitions to enter – andwin!
Round-up of the best binoculars for photographers Testing the TIPA award-winner, Nikon’s D5500 Will your club be our first Camera Club of the Year? Get your entries in by Tuesday 5 May 2015!
π To find out more about TIPA and the full list of this year’s winners, go to www.tipa.com.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
Photography News | Issue 19
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Latest photography news New releases fromNikon
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NEWS INBRIEF
ALONG CAME
A SPYDER The latest generation of monitor calibration devices has been launched by Datacolor. The latest 5-series devices are suitable for use on all laptop and desktop monitors and the improved seven-detector engine can give up to 55% improvement in tonal response. The new line-up of Spyder 5 devices includes the Express, the Pro and the Elite, for £102, £153 and £222 respectively and are available to buy now. spyder.datacolor.com PERFECT PHOTO SUITE 9.5 With new features and effects, v9.5 of this popular software is a significant step on from v9.0. It’s a free update for v9.0 owners, but for owners of v8.5 or older the upgrade costs $79.95. For everyone else it costs £105. www.ononesoftware. com
Nikon has brought a new 1 Series interchangeable lens camera onto the market, the 1 J5. It’s a real crowd-pleaser, being one for both photographers and videographers, boasting not only 4K movie shooting capabilities but also other-level capture quality. The Nikon team is promoting the J5 as an upgrade to smartphone photography and compact cameras, with the J5 being the next step up for pro-standard, portable photography. It’s equipped with a newly developed back-illuminated CX format sensor – for comparison that’s four times larger than the kind you’d normally find in compacts. In terms of pixels, it renders images in 20.8-megapixels and it features a quick 171-point autofocus system too as well as having a top shooting speed of 20fps. It’s not just 4K that videographers are being spoilt with in the J5, it can shoot Full HD, slow-motion (120fps) and VR is in-built too, keeping the footage smooth. The Nikon 1 J5 will be available as of 30 April for a body only price of £349.99, with a 10-30mm PD zoom lens it’ll cost £429.99. Add a 30-110mm lens and it’ll set you back £559.99. In other Nikon news, three of its cameras have won the prestigious red dot award: the Nikon 1 J4, Nikon 1 S2 ILCs and the COOLPIX S6900 compact were recognised for their quality and design. Nikon also announced that it is working on new firmware for the D4 s , D810 and D750 DSLRs. The release date is to be confirmed but it will be this summer.
π To find out more, go to www.nikon.co.uk.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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Latest photography news Olympus get tough
The likelihood is that if you buy yourself one of Toshiba’s latest external hard drives, you will have quite a job reaching full capacity. The Canvio Basics and Canvio Connect II portable hard drives offer a whopping 3TB worth of storage, there’s even a 6TB version of the Canvio Desk 3.5in model for even more space. With the Basics and Connect II models all that storage equates to more than 850,000 images and you can just plug it into your computer and go, there’s no need for any software installation. The Connect II also lets you remotely access your files from your PC, tablet or smartphone and there’s backup software to make doubly sure your photos are safe. In addition, you’ll also get 10GB worth of free cloud storage with the Connect II. Prices are yet to be announced, but both the Connect II and Basics models are available now and the Desk model will be released later in May. Toshiba has also introduced third- generation FlashAir Wireless SD cards. The 16GB version costs £24 and the 32GB will retail for around 32GB. The cards support fast wireless data transfer to Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, tablets and computers without an internet connection. More than mega storage
The camera is also blessed with a quality 25-100mm equivalent zoom with a maximum aperture of f/2 and resolution of 16 megapixels with the option of shooting Raw format. If you want a rugged camera capable of very high image quality, the TG-4 could be your dream partner.
The Olympus Tough TG-4 will be on sale from May for £349.99, with the choice of a red or black body. The TG-4 will withstand a crop from 2.1 metres as well as being landed on by weights of up to 100kg. It’s freezeproof down to -10°C, dust proof and waterproof down to 15m without an underwater housing.
π To find out more, go to www.toshiba.eu/storage.
π To find out more about the TG-4, go to www.olympus.co.uk.
Go Off Road
There’s a new addition in Manfrotto’s line-up of Off Road bags and it promises to be just the ticket for photographers with a taste for adventure. The Off Road 30L Backpack has a flexible interior with room for your DSLR, a zoom lens and a spare whilst leaving half the space free for your personal items. The camera case offers total protection for your gear and it is removable too so you can take it out and use the bag as a dedicated hiking backpack. For when you have your camera out, the bag features a chest strap to keep it still and secure and to make for more comfortable carrying. The bag’s shoulder straps are both breathable and adjustable with padding on contact areas. Water-repellent fabric keeps your kit dry and a supplied rain cover will make sure your gear is totally protected from the elements. The new 30L is priced at £169.95.
No more importing required, you can now get your Laowa lenses, formerly branded Venus, from the exclusive UK distributor, UK Optics. Amongst the lenses on offer is the brand-new Laowa 60mm f/2.8 macro 2:1 lens, which is in its element when capturing rapidly changing macro scenes. This clever macro lens is flexible, with its 60mm focal length being perfect for portrait photography too. It’s available in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony A mounts and is retailing at £299. Laowa lenses arrive inUK
π To find out more about the Off Road 30L Backpack, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.
π To find out more, go to www.ukdigital.co.uk.
Photography News | Issue 19
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Latest photography news Bending light
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Version 4 of Tiffen DFX digital filter suite is now available. It’s aimed at photographers and movie makers too, with OFX support making it compatible with digital intermediate softwares. DFX 4 features more than 130 filter effects with 12 new ones, 93 historical film processes and 30 motion picture stocks. The stand-alone version for Mac and Windows costs $129.99 and the photo plug-in option for Photoshop, Elements, Lightroom and Aperture costs $149.99. The video/film plug-in version costs $499.99. A full 15-day trial version is available at www.tiffensoftware.com/products. Time for Tiffen
NEWS INBRIEF CINEMATIC SPEED The new 3400x CFast 2.0 card from Lexar is a cinematographer’s dream with impressive read transfer speeds up to 510MB per second – the kind of the speed that’ll have you capturing 4K quality videos without difficulty. It’s available in capacities up to 256GB, with prices starting at £142.99 for a 32GB card up to £874.99 for a 256GB. www.lexar.com SOFTWARE DxO’s latest update to its processing software has resulted in OpticsPro v10.4, which provides support for new cameras including the Nikon D5500 and D7200, Canon’s PowerShot SX60 HS and the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. On top of that, the update also features new correction tools and will be easier to use with amongst other things, a new search engine in the Source Browser making it easier to locate and Buy X-Rite’s ColorMunki Photo or i1Photo Pro 2 and you will get a one- year membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (worth £102) for free. Used together, Adobe and X-Rite’s programmes give you complete control over images and colour, it’s a deal not to be missed. www.xritephoto.eu/ adobe load any folder. www.dxo.com CREATIVE DEAL SLICKER DXO
You get both power and portability with Westcott’s Flex LED range of mats. Weighing in at under 200g they are lightweight enough to carry with you to set or on location whilst 55W of power gives you high-quality light. The Flex comes in a tungsten and a daylight option, with the tungsten version emitting up to 1600 lux of illumination at 1 metre with a 95 CRI (colour rendering index), and the daylight outputs 1900 at 1 metre, also with a CRI of 95. Each measures 10x10in and they are waterproof and pliable too. Both variations come with a dimmer and are retailing at £550 each. Alternatively, buy either as part of the Flex 1-Light kit, with a frame clip mount, 1/4-stop diffusion front and an extension cable for the dimmer for £650.
π To find out more about version 4, go to www.tiffensoftware.com.
π To find out more, go to www.fjwestcott.com.
New-look pro title
Fresh filters
PN ’s sister title Professional Photo has been redsigned and rejuvinated. The all-new magazine, which goes on sale from 30 April, is promising aspiring and full-time pro readers superb images, great advice and a few surprises along the way. “I think professional photographers – regardless of their chosen specialism – are keen to see articles and thoughts from a broad range of their peers, not purely the discipline they’re involved in,” says editorial director Roger Payne. “The new- look title will reflect that with what I hope is an entertaining, inspiring and informative mix of features.” Professional Photo costs £4.75 and is available from all good newsagents.
Novo is the newest name in pro filters and they’ve started strong by launching the world’s first filter to use Sapphire Crystal glass, the Sapphire UV filter, which blocks 99.95% of UV rays and delivers on both clarity and strength. Each of the filters is framed with a slim brass surround and they are water, dirt and oil repellent as well as stain and scratch resistant. The Endura range of filters includes a UV & Protector; a Circular PL; and a Vari ND. Prices range from £60 to £120. World’s first fromnewname, Novo
π To find out more, go to www.novofilters.com.
π To find out more about Photo Professional, go to www.absolutephoto.com.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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Latest photography news
NEWS INBRIEF NOMORE NOISE Macphun has released a new app, Noiseless, which promises to eliminate pixelated and grainy patterns with just one click. The app is currently free as a preview version, but there are plans to release a standard version (17.99) and a pro version (£49.99). www.macphun.com/ noiseless TRUE COLOURS NEC has improved its already award-winning MultiSync PA desktop display series to include SpectraView II calibration software for an even more accurate easy-to-use interface of SpectraView II means its simple to adjust even more complex calibration settings. colorconfidence.com ILLUM-INATING TOKYO Tokyo may not be on our doorstep, but what’s happening over there in camp Lytro is almost worth the flight. The very first light field imaging studio has been launched, showcasing living pictures and 3D images in a display of shots taken using the Illum. www.lytro.com Snapseed 2.0 is available to iOS and Android users, and the latest version brings advanced photo editing including working non- destructively. For more details go to Apple iTunes or play.google. com. LATEST SNAPSEED colour preview on your monitor. The v2.2 for the Panasonic GH4 to enhance video performance will be available from the end of April. It also enables a top speed of 1/16,000sec with the electronic shutter. www.panasonic.co.uk PN ISSUE 20 PN issue 20 will be available from 18 May. And don’t forget you can subscribe to get your copy delivered direct to your door; go to the website to find out how. absolutephoto.com PANASONIC UPDATE Updated firmware
Sony’s top-end compacts
You could see your work exhibited at London’s Menier Gallery and also be £6000 richer - that’s if you win in this year’s ArtGemini Prize competition. Entries are now open and it’s an open theme so you can be as creative as you like with your photo submissions or you can try your hand at the social or environmental documentary category. There’s plenty of time to get together your entry as the competition closes on 7 July. Get your competitionon
to adjust settings like manual focusing or step zoom. There’s also an inbuilt electronic viewfinder and both the HX90 and WX500 feature a 180° tilt LCD. The autofocus system is worth highlighting. Inherited from the A7 series, it’s pretty impressive and it has been improved to make it even quicker and more accurate. Each model has Wi-Fi and NFC, and the HX500 benefits from GPS. Both new models will be available as of early summer.
It’s no coincidence that just as the summer and the holiday season approach Sony unveils its most powerful compacts to date. Both the HX90 and the WX500 are big on zoom power, each fitted with a 30x zoom Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens and they’re equipped with a back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor that’ll serve up 18.2-megapixel shots. If you shoot with a CSC or DSLR, the HX90 will feel familiar as Sony has kitted it out with a control ring that you can set
π To find out more, go to www.sony.co.uk.
π To find out more, go to www.artgeminiprize.com.
Newcomp on the block
To bag the top prize, your images will have to impress the likes of Magnum photographer Mark Power and the arts editor of the Financial Times , Emma Bowkett. An exhibition will be curated from the winners and will be shown at the next Guernsey Photography Festival in September..
to all photographers and there are no themes or categories, blowing the competition wide open for anyone and everyone to have a go. All you need to do is submit between 15 and 20 pictures from a body of work and send off your fee of £15 per project, before the closing date of 15 June 2015.
If you ever needed motivation to challenge yourself to improve your photography, then £5000 should be enough to tempt you. The Guernsey Photography Festival and Raven Russia have come together to launch an inaugural international photo comp with a top prize of £5000. It’s open
π To find out more, go to www.guernseyphotographyfestival.com.
And thewinner is...
Hähnel clean up
Hähnel has launched an 8-in-1 camera cleaning kit and it’s in the shops now for £29.99. The kit includes a lens cleaning pen, air blower, lens cleaner solution and lint-free cotton swabs. The kit suits cameras but also other optics devices like spotting scopes and camcorders too.
ABOVE Durdle Door Starburst by Ollie Taylor. ABOVE RIGHT Drawn, Scotland by Ford Buchanan.
the perfect photo here, but it was early on a winter’s day that he captured what would turn out to be the winning shot. Along with the kudos of winning, Ollie has also bagged himself a trip to northern Finland, which will include a stay in a glass igloo and a log cabin as well as an excursion to Lemmenjoki National Park to explore the wilderness.
After sifting through more than 21,000 entries, judges including writer and broadcaster Tom Dyckhoff and Blipfoto founder Joe Tree have agreed on a winner for this year’s VELUX Lovers of Light photo competition, established to encourage photographers to creatively capture light. Durdle Door Starburst (above) earned landscape photographer Ollie Taylor the winner’s crown. Ollie had returned time and time again to try and score
π To find out more, go to www.velux.co.uk.
π To find out more, go to www.hahnel.ie.
Photography News | Issue 19
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Latest photography news Oh, what a show! The Photography Show took the NEC by storm recently for the second year running
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Photography News was out in strength at the show, with 10,000 copies handed out over the four days. Also there was our sister title Advanced Photographer . Editor Will Cheung was busy presenting the Advanced Photographer Awards, acknowledging the best kit of last year as chosen by PN and AP readers. Some of the deserving award winners are pictured here, but for full list check out last issue or go to www. absolutephoto.com. As you might expect, planning is already underway for The Photography Show 2016 and Grace confirmed that 85% of exhibitors have already rebooked. See you there!
to continue to grow and improve both the visitor and exhibitor experience. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re really pleased that for the second year running we have provided a space for the photographic community to meet and have a valuable and inspirational day.” Among the highlights was the Super Stage line-up featuring the likes of Mary Ellen Mark and Don McCullin (whose session sold out before the show opened). In fact, it was such a hit, it could be a hard act to follow, but Grace reassured us that “we have some ideas up our sleeves and we’re up for the challenge.” So here’s looking forward to next year’s event.
Words by Will Cheung
Whether you wanted to learn, listen to leading photographers, handle the latest kit, treat yourself or pick up a copy of Photography News , this year’s The Photography Show had it all. Now in its second year, the show was a huge success with almost 10,000 visitors on the Monday alone. Grace Turner, Future marketing manager, said: “We are delighted with how the show went this year. We were conscious that after the success of the launch year we needed
Photography News was in evidence here…
… there and, in fact, pretty much…
… everywhere during this year’s Photography Show at Birmingham’s NEC.
Lars Madsen and Stephanie Kelly of Canon with Advanced DSLR and Wide-Angle Zoom awards for the EOS 5D Mark III and EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM respectively.
Simon Iddon of Nikon receives the Professional DSLR award for the D4 s .
Jim McKay and Jane Nicolson of Intro2020 holding two of their three awards: Telephoto Zoom for the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, Superzoom for the Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro and Video Lens for the Samyang 50mm T1.5 AS UMC.
Will Cheung hands the Mains Flash: Monoblocs award for the SuperFast 600 to Lencarta’s Harry Liu.
Receiving Manfrotto’s Tripod: Carbon-Fibre award for the MT055CXPRO3, Ivor Chamberlain.
Profoto’s Paul Legg gets the Portable Flash award for the B1.
Mark Thackara of Olympus receives the Advanced CSC award for the E-M10.
π To find out more about The Photography Show, go to www.photographyshow.com.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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Latest photography news Joinus for Photo 24 It’s the third 24-hour photo bonanza in London on 20-21 June, and registration opens soon so get ready for the best photo day out of the year
In association with
REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 9 PMON 22 APRIL!
24-hour photography people: What will you shoot on Photo 24 this year? Don’t miss out. Register on 22 April to join us in London.
Photo 24 is fast becoming the most exciting event in the UK’s photographic calendar, a free festival of creativity that sees enthusiasts just like you shooting the rich and varied streets of London for a full 24 hours. The event, organised by Advanced Photographer magazine in association with Nikon and Nikon School, kicks off at noon on 20 June, and if you fancy taking part, the wait is nearly over. Registration for this year’s Photo 24 is beginning now and because the event has risen so dramatically in popularity every time it’s been held, and there are now so many people seeking to get involved, this time we’re introducing a simple system to give everyone a fair chance of joining us on the big day. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis on our website, absolutephoto.com. To stake your claim, you need to register on the site itself, and if you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to do this now. The Photo 24 box office opens for applications at 9pm on 22 April 2015, and once the 200
places are gone, they’re gone. For couples, clubs and groups, there will be the option to register up to four names. New for this year, we’ll be offering some optional paid-for activities on the day, which include exclusive shooting events around the capital. These can be chosen when you register. However, Photo 24 is, at its heart, a completely free event so if you prefer to stick to the free programme, that’s perfectly fine. There will also be some great photo contests open for all attendees, with some superb Nikon prizes up for grabs. Joining details, optional activities and an exclusive Photo 24 passport with maps, hints and tips about what to shoot will be sent to successful applicants nearer the time. So go ahead and put these two dates in your diary: 12 noon on 20 June for the start of the shoot itself and 9pm on 22 April for the opening of the Photo 24 box office. If you don’t want to miss out, make sure you’ve registered at absolutephoto.com and you’re ready to go.
Photography News | Issue 19
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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Advertisement feature Light up your photography MANFROTTO LUMIE Manfrotto’s new series of LED lights, the LUMIE range, offers high power and portability for the ultimate in lighting solutions when you’re on the move
Bright lights Whether it’s portraits that make up the mainstay of your work or if you are really into your food photography, lighting can be the difference between a mediocre photo and a pro-standard shot. Delivering impressive colour accuracy (>92% CRI), the LUMIE LEDs light up any scene with a natural colour making capturing creative photos effortless. Getting it right in camera saves you time and effort adjusting afterwards and with a LUMIE, you can get your lighting spot on there and then, no fuss.
Available in three sizes – Play, Art and Muse, these LEDs work well when used alone or in combination. And if you’re using more than one, there’s no need to worry about them weighing you down or taking up too much precious room in your kitbag. From the smallest in the series, the Play, with a lux output of 220 and three dimming steps to the largest, the Muse, which boasts a powerful lux output of 550 and four dimming steps, the LUMIE LEDs are a real asset in any photographer’s kit. And with prices starting at £44.95, they won’t break the bank either.
Investing in equipment that frees you up creatively and doesn’t weigh you down physically is the ultimate dream. Getting that balance right isn’t easy by any means though, but Manfrotto has come up trumps with its new range of LED lights: the LUMIE series. Unlike traditional LEDs, the LUMIE series has been designed with the on-the-go enthusiast photographer in mind and really steps up to the mark in terms of performance. With the LUMIE lights there are no compromises.
Take away Although big on power, the LUMIEs are actually really portable – the largest of the three fits easily in the palm of your hand and weighs in at just 140g. Small enough to take with you anywhere, you can rely on these versatile LEDs to put in a mighty performance whenever you need it. Being so light and small, these LEDs are super-flexible; use them handheld, on a tripod, on your camera’s hotshoe or even propped up for perfect lighting whether impromptu or planned. To help you on your quest to achieve perfect lighting, a LUMIE partnered with a LUMIE ball head is a dream team. The friction based head offers 360° pan orientation and enables tilting up to 35° in any other direction, letting you tweak and tinker with your lighting until it’s spot on. You don’t have to worry about your lighting letting you down with the LUMIE LEDs, as each has superb battery life and with USB rechargeable li- ion batteries so you can keep going for even longer. There’s no easier way to achieve flawlessly lit photos than with a super-portable and impressively powerful Manfrotto LUMIE LED.
Creative control There’s more to these cutting-edge LEDs than you’d imagine as each comes with a snap-filter mount and a range of CTO (colour temperature orange) and diffusing filters to give you even more creative control over your shots. Take it even further by mixing the filters to create your own bespoke lighting colouring and as well as the standard filter kit that comes with your LUMIE, you can extend your colour palette with Manfrotto’s Classic, Multicolour and Portrait filter kits.
π To find out more, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.
Photography News | Issue 19
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Camera clubs
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Tell us your club’s latest news, email: clubnews@photography-news.co.uk
Camera club news If your club has any news that you want to share with the rest of the world, this is the page for it. Your story might be about your club’s success in a contest, or a member’s personal achievement; it could be about a group outing you had recently or when the annual exhibition is on show. Any news is eligible for inclusion, so club publicity officers please take note of the submission guidelines and get your stories in
HOWTO SUBMIT
Allow plenty of time. Photography News comes out around the third week of the month. For the next issue, which comes out 18 May, we need words and pictures by 4 May Write your story in a Word document (400 words maximum) and attach it to an email to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk. In the story please include contact details of the club, exhibition or event – website, meeting time, opening times, whatever is relevant to the story. Images: yes please, and attach these to the email too. Images should be JPEGs, 2000 pixels on the longest dimension and any colour space. If the story is an exhibition or event, please send a picture from the exhibition (not the publicity poster), the winning image or one of the event. If the picture includes people please identify them in the Word document. Deadline for the next issue: 4May 2015
Earl Shilton turns 40 Celebrating with a talk by PN’s editor
“A well-established camera club, Ealing and Hampshire House PS (EHHPS) is one of the oldest photographic groups in the world. We’re a friendly, sociable club where members of all ages have a range of photographic styles, abilities and interests. The richness of our backgrounds provides a welcoming, creative and vibrant atmosphere. “Joining EHHPS offers many benefits, including workshops aimed at developing technical and artistic skills; entry into external and national competitions; club competitions in a friendly atmosphere; talks from acclaimed photographers; peer support and critique; photographic outings; exhibitions; and social events. “EHHPS meets on Thursday evenings at Ealing Town Hall. Details can be found at ehhps.org.uk.” Ealing and Hampshire House Photographic Society SPOTLIGHT End of term Heswall Photographic Society is holding its Annual Exhibition at Ness Botanic Gardens in May. The print exhibition runs 13-19 May and offers visitors the chance to vote for their favourite image. It’s free to enter, but there is a fee to visit the gardens. The friendly Heswall PS meets on Friday evenings at St Peter’s Centre, Lower Heswall Village from September to the end of April. With a varied programme of talks and competitions, the club will be holding a few summer meetings.
NEWS INBRIEF EXHIBITIONOPENS Alba Photographic Society is inviting entries to its 2015 Alba Digital Exhibition, and with a closing date of 23 May, there’s still plenty of time to enter. The exhibition is part of the British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE) group and successful acceptances can use this for the BPE awards. There are five categories: Colour, Mono, Nature, Creative and Photo Realistic. Entries will be selected over the weekend of 30/31 May by Robert Fulton MPAGB MFIAP BPE 5* (Scotland), Judy Boyle FRPS (Ireland) and Peter A Young CPAGB (England), and entrants will hear soon after whether they’ve CORRECTION Our apologies to Colin Close, whose image End of the Day was credited incorrectly on page 15 of issue 17. A clerical error led to the mistake, so sorry again to Colin. NEXT ISSUE Photography News issue 20 is out 18 May. been successful. www.albaps.co.uk
Since its first meeting in 1975, Earl Shilton Camera Club has grown. Now to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the club is holding a Presentation Night on 27 May at the Earl Shilton Constitutional Club when PN ’s editor Will Cheung FRPS will be the speaker. After more than 30 years on photo magazines and 40 years of taking photos, Will is perfectly placed to share his insights on what makes a great image. Tickets for the event are £8 each and refreshments will be available.
ABOVE Martin Eves wins first place at the Heswall PS Annual Exhibition with this image of a red squirrel.
π To find out more about Heswall Photographic Society, go to www.heswallphotosoc.co.uk.
π To find out more about the event, go to www.earlshiltoncameraclub.org.uk.
Inaugural salon at AvonValley Avon Valley PS’s first salon closed for entries on 1 March and after a weekend of selection at RPS HQ in Bath, the results are in. Acceptance ran at 26%. You can view the full line-up on the Society’s website, but among the awards Peng Li won the Chairman’s Award for his image Apiouskid (left) and Charles Akerstrom’s Dog Training won the Open Triptych Section.
π To find out more about the Avon Valley Salon, go to avonvalley.photography/.
Clubcompetition withadifference No camera and just one hour to produce four winning images – that was the formula at Park Street recently Park Street Camera Club’s latest club competition, dreamed up by chair Maggie Fricker and her husband Rod, challenged members to create images in just one hour without a camera. Working in teams, members used a maximum of 30 of their own images, their imaginations and Photoshop skills to ANNUAL AWARDS Dunchurch Photographic Society held its annual awards evening during its penultimate meeting of the season. Awards were presented to the winners of the various competitions run during the society’s year. Pictured from left to right are Ian Andrew, Mark Varney, Mike Parmee LRPS, Dougie Wright (chairman), Judy Longthorn, Richard Anthony (president), Mike Gardner and Andrew Henning. www.dunchurchps.com
© The Young Ones
create images to fit four subjects – only given to them on the night. All the masterpieces (or not!) were judged on the night. This was the first time the club had attempted such a competition and it was declared a resounding success, as much for the hilarity as the brilliance of the images.
If you want your club featured in Club Spotlight, write 200 words about your club and why it’s going places, then send the Word document and up to five JPEG images frommembers to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk. LEFT Dance for Me by Shaun Hodge. RIGHT Bathing Belle by Karen Helle.
π To find out more about Park Street Camera Club, go to www.parkstreetcameraclub.com.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
CameraClubof theYear 2014-15 All five themes have been announced and the final entry date for the whole contest is 5May 2015. You’ve no time to lose – enter today!
The final date for entries is Tuesday 5 May so you still have a reasonable amount of time to sort and finalise your club’s final entry. You may, for example, have a stronger picture now than the one you first entered, so now is the time to change it. It is also worth checking that your club has five pictures per round, ie. 25 images for the five rounds. Some clubs entered just two or three images in some rounds, but for the final scoring you need to have five images in each round. If only four images are entered, the missing fifth will score zero points. Also, please make sure images are 1400 pixels across. We have received some images at much lower resolutions, which won’t do you any favours in the final judging. The winning club in our first-ever Camera Club of the Year 2014-15 contest will be announced in the next issue, due out 18 May 2015. Good luck, everyone.
First, your club’s competition secretary (or whoever is going to enter eachmonth) must sign up at www.absolutephoto.com . Next, click on Members’ Area in the menu bar, then choose Camera Club of the Year 2014- 15 from the list. Register your camera club and follow the upload instructions. Be quick – closing day is 5 May 2015. How to enter
IMAGEOFTHEMONTH Bob Breach, Solihull Photographic Society
CanonAward winners Canon scooped two trophies in the inaugural Advanced Photographer Awards. The Awards, voted for by readersof the magazine, recognise outstanding products and technologies so as you can imagine, to win is a huge achievement. The Canon EOS 5D Mark III won the Best Advanced DSLR category, while the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM emerged triumphant in the Best Wide-angle Zoom Lens category. The 22.3-megapixel EOS 5D Mark III has been on sale for a while now, but it is clearly still a highly revered full-frame DSLR that delivers fantastic quality images time after time. The EF 8-15mm f/4L is the world’s first fisheye zoom that offers both circular and full- frame images. Its excellent optical quality, robust design and constant maximum aperture means this lens is popular among enthusiast and professional users. Congratulations to Canon on their double win.
The standard of entries in Round 4: Travel was as high as ever so picking the Image of the Month was tough. In the end, Waiting for the bullet train by Bob Breach of Solihull Photographic Society emerged as our favourite image. Bob’s beautifully captured image of travellers fits the theme perfectly and the mono treatment works really well.
Also shortlisted this month were Passengers and pigs 2 by Bob Avery of Carluke Camera Club, Indian Summer by Alan Grant of F8 Image Group and Morants Curve Canadian Rockies by Jane Lee of Dorchester Camera Club. Well done and thank you to everyone who entered. Don’t forget, Round 5: Trees closes 4 May.
π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk.
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Photography News | Issue 19
15
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Hands on: Canon EOS 5DS&5DS R DavidNoton’s photography has taken him theworld over, but on two of hismost recent trips to SouthAfrica and Iceland the landscape photographer got to test out the very latest in Canon’s cutting-edge cameras: the EOS 5DS and the 5DS R
Watch and learn
I was aware that to achieve the best results andmake themost of the incrediblyhigh resolution sensor, I had to be super careful withmy camera technique, inparticularwith focusing and stability
“In the field there is no difference between the EOS 5DS and the EOS 5DS R,” he begins. “I’ve not yet had the opportunity to test the two new cameras side by side, but my gut feeling is moiré is unlikely to be an issue in landscape photography so the EOS 5DS R will be the one for me.” Always travelling and on the move, to David it’s important that his kit is not only super high performing, but that he can easily pack up and get moving without having to lumber around heavy gear. To him, the new EOS 5DS and 5DS R DSLRs offer all that versatility. “Over the three decades that I have been a professional I have seen many profound technical changes come and go, but one consideration all photographers have consistently grappled with is the trade-off between ultimate image quality and system portability,” he says. “Now we have available in the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R the versatile flexibility of a portable DSLR system that’s capable of delivering the kind of razor sharp image quality previously associated only with large-format photography. Couple that with the versatility of the full range of Canon EF lenses from fisheye to super-telephoto and I would have to conclude these exciting cameras are real game changers.”
“I was very aware that to achieve the best results and make the most of the incredibly high resolution sensor, I had to be super careful with my camera technique, in particular with focusing, depth-of-field considerations and stability,” said David. Seeing the images on the back of the screen is one thing, but it was only when David got back to base and really started to delve into the Raw files that the quality achieved became more than apparent. Admittedly a little sceptical initially about all those pixels (“I mean how many pixels do we really need?”), the landscape shooter was immediately won over when looking at the results of his South African shoot. “The proof is in the pudding; the fine detail in the 5DS images when viewed large is astounding,” he reveals. “The clarity and depth has to be seen to be believed; the images positively sparkle when printed large.” The difference between the EOS 5DS and the EOS 5DS R is that the former has a low-pass filter to avoid moiré whilst the latter has a low-pass cancellation filter for the ultimate resolution for organic subjects. But after using the 5DS in South Africa and the 5DS R in Iceland, David rated both equally highly.
Being one of the world’s most renowned landscape photographers has its perks and recently David Noton got to jump the queue and be the very first to get his hands on the new Canon EOS 5DS. Not only that but he also got to test out its sister camera, the Canon EOS 5DS R, on a shoot in Iceland. Relying in the most part on his EOS 5D Mark III for the majority of his work, the similarities between that and the EOS 5DS made it really easy to get to grips with, so when trialling the new camera in the Western Cape of South Africa, David was able to get on with photographing right from the off. “I was able to start working productively with the EOS 5DS immediately,” David explains. “All the controls seemed very familiar and that continuity was a reassurance.” With eight days in the Western Cape with the camera, the South African destination promised good weather and stunning views making it the perfect place to put the EOS 5DS through its paces and find out what it was really capable of. Both cameras’ biggest boast is the incredible 50-megapixel sensor but not accustomed to working in such high resolution, David had to alter his technique to make sure he reaped the full benefits of all that detail.
For more tips, David’s DVD Photography in the Raw offers practical advice on all kinds of subjects, from how to read the light to how to capture the best picture in any situation. Copies can be purchased from his website, at prices starting from £24 and going up to £32.40 for a Full HD edition. LEFT Sand dunes on the Stokksnes peninsula, eastern Iceland, shot with the EOS 5DS R. RIGHT Kogel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa, shot with the EOS 5DS.
π To find out more, go to www.davidnoton.com.
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Issue 19 | Photography News
16
Profile
INTERVIEW David Healey ARPS Increasing interest in analogue photography has led the RPS to establish a new group dedicated to the genre, we talk to member David Healey to find out more
BIOGRAPHY
Years in the photo industry: Almost 40 Current location: West Midlands Last picture taken: Thanksgiving service Hobbies: Walking, writing, family history When youwere younger, what did you want to bewhen you grewup? Photographer, but I wouldn’t have been as good as Steve McCurry or Ansel Adams so probably best I didn’t try! Dogs or cats? Neither
Toast or cereal? Porridge Email or phone call? Call
You had your inaugural meeting for the newRPS analogue group in January, how did it go? 35 passionate-about-film photographers travelled significant distances to photograph Lichfield’s 13th century cathedral, enthusiastically discuss the new group and hear that film (black & white especially) is thriving! Su Fahy of Wolverhampton University highlighted film’s creativity and archival significance – timely in the light of Google’s warnings about bit rot and digital impermanence. TheRPS’smembers have used filmsince the very beginning, why did you feel now was the right time to launch a specialist group for analogue? Film is not dying, though some think it no longer exists. Increased interest in film and alternative processes, like Van Dyke, and the growth of ‘hybrid’ imaging, eg. shooting film and scanning, prompted the initiative. Understanding photography’s foundational technology is key to the art form. I learned to print at school and now tutor film and digital photography in a school. I work part-time for Keyphoto so regularly meet photography teachers, technicians and lecturers who teach film alongside digital. Shooting landscape with a medium-format film camera makes me rely on skill, not automation. Film is as old as the art form and as new as the age. What’s your background in analogue and what’s the appeal for you?
Have you had much feedback or support from manufacturers? Stephen Brierley of Harman Ilford spoke at our inaugural meeting. Tetenal has been supportive and Keyphoto is making the group known to educators. Film-using pro photographers have sent messages of support as well. What do you hope that group meetings will achieve? Creativity always involves some solitary activity, but meeting others stimulates us. Meetings provide creative stimulus and impart skills: digital automation has deskilled essential aspects of photography. What do you anticipate to be the future of analogue? Film’s renaissance and the popularity of Lomo, Impossible and Fuji Instax amongst younger people should alert makers to the need for new 35mm and 120 SLR cameras to complement DSLRs. Film cameras and high-end scanners will help analogue prosper, as will the transmission of RPS members’ passion and expertise to younger photographers!
What’s your role within the RPS and the group? I gained my LRPS when teenage and later an Associateship for research into the Advanced Photo System; the Society invited me to write an article for the RPS Journal proposing the group’s formation and I am its first chairman. What has the response fromwithin the RPS been to the new group? Very significant and wholly positive, and from as far afield as Brazil and Mozambique. What are the prerequisites for joining? What kind of users are you looking to attract? Anyone who uses film and alternative processes or simply wants to learn can join. Complete beginners to experienced practitioners, and digital photographers who want to explore: understanding film improves digital photography. Although analogue is now a niche genre, it is broad in its nature. How do you plan on pleasing a broad spectrum of film users? Through our newsletter, web presence and events we hope to encourage the use of emulsions from Velvia to infrared and wet collodion to liquid light. What can photographers expect to learn or experience from participating in the group? Sharing ideas, images, encouragement, advice, information, the chance to question, learning from others, understanding film’s unique qualities and exploring the history. Are there any highlights to look forward to within the group? The Society’s monthlymembers’ competition inMay will be for images shot on film. We have approached leading practitioners to speak at events.
Shooting landscapewith amedium- format film cameramakes me rely on skill, not automation. Film is as old as the art form and as newas the age
π To find out more, go to www.rps.org.
Get involved If you want to learn more about the group and its activities, go to www.rps.org/special- interest-groups or see the Events section of the RPS website for details of upcoming meetings. To join email membership@rps. org or call 01225 325743. David Healey can be contacted via analogue@rps.org.
ABOVE Snowy landscape at Kandersteg, Switzerland. ABOVE RIGHT Flowers at Beatenberg, Switzerland. LEFT Memorial on Iona, Scotland.
Photography News | Issue 19
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Issue 19 | Photography News
18
Opinion
BEFORE THE JUDGE Irene Froy Each issue, a respected judge or exhibition selector shares their thoughts and experiences. This month, we hear from Irene Froy MPAGB, HonPAGB, EFIAP
MEET THE JUDGE Irene FroyMPAGB, HonPAGB, EFIAP: Irene lives in Shropshire and has loved photography since she was a schoolgirl, making contact prints in the garden shed. She joined her first club, Hertfordshire, she joined Shillington & DCC where she served on the committee for 38 years before retiring to Shropshire where she is now a member of Wrekin Arts PC. Dundee PS, aged 17. On marrying and moving to
Words by Irene Froy
I attended my first East Anglian Federation Judges’ Workshop in 1974 and was invited to join the panel. My first stint judging was actually for a Slide of the Year Competition, which might have been a bit daunting had I not been a stand-in for a judge who had cancelled. I only had an hour’s notice so no time to panic, I had been thrown in at the deep end and coped. I soon worked my way up the panels and by the mid eighties had became a tutor for Federation judges’ courses. In 1985 I received the APAGB for meritorious service to photography later superseded by the J S Lancaster Medal for exceptional service, the HonPAGB. Some time in the late eighties I was appointed to the PAGB judges list and began being invited to judge national and international exhibitions. These were mainly in England and Scotland, but I also judged in the Algarve and more recently at Tallaght in Dublin. I have sat on the panels for the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit at least seven times and have also gained FRPS and EFIAP. Since being supported by PermaJet from2000 to date I have given up evening judging to concentrate on lecturing. I still undertake and very much enjoy weekend judgings as there is such a wide variety of work to enjoy and I love the general categories; I do not judge nature sections as I don’t have the specialist knowledge that it requires. I particularly enjoy looking at prints and am happy with colour or monochrome as I do both, although much more colour than mono, that being my first love. I am always aware that in selecting an exhibition the judges need to give consideration to all types
The judge’s job is to encourage not condemn and I always try to find something positive to say about every picture
Years in photography: 60
Favourite camera: Canon EOS 600D as it‘s lighter than my 50D
RIGHTWindswept Dunes, and BELOW Cyclamen at the Manoir, by Irene Froy.
Favourite accessory:
Manfrotto joystick head on my tripod Favourite photographers: Freeman Patterson, Andre Gallant and Eddy Sethna to name but a few Awards: A drawer full of medals and ribbons. I am proudest of my London Salon medal from 1995 which resulted in my election to membership. Favourite subjects: Landscape and villages of France, Ireland and Scotland
person feeling much worse than everyone else, but that can backfire too if both images turn out to be by the same author! The judge’s job is to encourage not condemn and I always try to find something positive to say about every picture. That is where exhibition judging is much better because you are simply using the marks two to five. You are thinking of five as possibly worthy of an award, four as an acceptance, two as a reject with three being for an image you are undecided about and happy to leave your fellow selectors to make the decision. I have enjoyed my 40 years of judging and lecturing as I have had so much pleasure and made so many friends through photography that I wanted to give something back. I now give Photoshop workshops on my style of photography and these are well attended at clubs.
of images entered and to make sure that the final selection is representative of all. There is a tendency at the moment for people pictures to dominate. It is a fashion and no doubt will swing in another direction in the future, but we have to be aware of the dominance of one type of image which is overwhelming everything else. Of course as judges we can’t mark them down if they are good images and deserve the marks but we need to be open to all genres. That is not to say that we need to lower the standard for anything else, just to consider the best as balance for the public showing of the exhibition. I have done a few Dropbox judgings recently, which have the advantage of me not having to leave home, but I find them very time-consuming and it is difficult to convey your impression and give constructive comments in a few typed sentences. These judgings can be very cold as there is no feedback from the audience and you just spend time sitting at the computer. There is no payment for the time involved and very often not even a thank you from the club. Visiting clubs is a social occasion which is missing when just sitting at a computer. I really don’t like giving marks. If you don’t spread them wide there is no point, but if you go too low you are going to be very unpopular. The judge can’t win with marks involved and it is even worse when it’s a Dropbox judging and your notes are just read out at the club. I much prefer being asked to award first, second, third, highly commended and commended. If I have to give marks I try not to have only one image on the lowest mark to avoid one
π To find out more, go to www.irenefroy.com.
Have you seen a judge at work who you’d like to see profiled in Photography News ? Or perhaps you’ve been judged and don’t like what you heard? If so, write to opinion@photography-news.co.uk with the judge’s name and, if possible, their details. What do you think?
Photography News | Issue 19
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