Photography News Issue 34

Issue 34 is here and we deliver a huge lens special, with advice on buying glass and the biggest, best and brightest offerings from all the leading brands. Big news includes that of Hasselblad’s medium-format mirrorless – the X1D – and the Pentax K-70. We also cover a host of lens accessories in our Buyers’ Guide.

Your FREE newspaper packed with the latest news, views and stories from the world of photography news Photography Issue 34 4 July – 28 July News Tests Reviews Interviews Techniques Competitions Exhibitions Clubs Produced by

DIGITAL EDITION every month* *at absolutephoto.com FREE GET YOUR

A Samsung 64GB Pro memory card Enter the competition on page 56 WIN!

Lens special

First tests Three gadgets to improve your shooting, page 18

Technologies, users & optics from 11 brands, frompage 22

Hasselblad gomirrorless The X1D from Hasselblad is as real game changer, a medium-format mirrorless camera with 50 megapixels

Pentax K-70 Head for the outdoors. Hot on the heels of its first full-frame DSLR, the K-1, comes Pentax’s all-weather DSLR, the K-70. Priced at £599.99 body only, it’s a very competitively priced all conditions DSLR … continue reading on page 3

First it revealed its groundbreaking new flagship H6D, now Hasselblad has unveiled its smaller and more affordable sibling, the X1D, a medium-format CSC that weighs in at less than half the size. It costs £7188 (includes VAT) body only and yet still has at its heart the same 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. Compact, stylishly designed and highly portable while still delivering

all the benefits of medium-format capture, such as exceptional resolution and 14 stops of dynamic range, the X1D is seen by Hasselblad as having the potential to be a real game changer, a camera that will encourage those using the top 35mm cameras to migrate upwards. Accompanying the X1D are two new integral central shutter lenses specifically designed for the

camera – a 45mm and 95mm – with a third, a 35mm, set to follow later this year. The optics are said to be capable of rivalling the quality of lenses designed for full size H-series cameras, while an optional adapter will also allow all 12 lenses and lens accessories from the H-Series to be used with the camera as well.

Read the CEO on the X1D, page 3

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

Hasselblad gomirrorless

News in brief

Flexible light panels from Westcott Flex LED light panels are pliable, weather resistant and dimmable, and produce a flicker-free light for video makers and photographers. The panels can be rolled or folded so they are very portable too. Panels are available in daylight or bicolour options, and in sizes from 10x3in to 24x24in. fjwestcott.com 256GB and a write speed of up to 90MB/s. This large capacity means you can record up to 12 hours of 4K UHD video or 44 hours of full HD video. samsung.com Peterborough goeswild From 11 July to 16 August, visitors to Peterborough’s Queensgate Shopping Centre can enjoy the very best of the 51st Wildlife Photographer of the Year with more than 100 outstanding pictures on show at this free exhibition. It is the first time that this prestigious exhibition has been to Peterborough. A popular shopping centre, Queensgate is open all week so check the website for opening times. queensgate-shopping.co.uk Samsung’s latest card Samsung’s newest memory card has the highest capacity in its class. The Evo Plus micro SD card has a capacity of

The X1D was launched to the world’s imaging press at a special event in Hasselblad’s home town of Gothenburg in Sweden, close to the factory where the model will be put together on a brand-new production line, and Terry Hope (pictured top) was there for Photography News . The company’s CEO Perry Oosting was enthusiastic about the new model, describing it as “a pivotal moment in Hasselblad’s rich 75-year history, a camera that makes medium-format photography available to a new generation of Hasselblad users.” Speaking to PN , Perry made it clear that the arrivals of the H6D and the X1D collectively signalled the start of a new direction from Hasselblad, which will see the company tap into its rich heritage to bring newmodels to market that cement its position at the top of the medium-format pile. “The launch of the camera is a great moment for us,” he said, “and we’re very proud of the fact that it’s handmade here in Sweden. Now it’s been announced we intend to have it available by the end of August or the start of September, so there should be no frustrating wait for anyone who wants one. We’ve also tried to make the price competitive as well, at £7188 body only (VAT included). It’s a very different camera from the H6D, which is a complete system backed by a line-up of 12 lenses, while the X1D is smaller and mirrorless, so it’s less complicated inside. This has made it possible to have a big price differentiation, and we’ve already got a lot of pre-orders in from dealers. We’re confident that it’s going to be a big success and that it will create a new segment in the market.

“Form and shape is important: if you feel comfortable with a camera then you’ll take good pictures with it. We were looking for something that featured high-quality technology and yet which still looked good, and we wanted it to be a complete stand-alone system with its own family of high- quality lenses.” Addressing the need for new lenses to partner the camera, Perry commented: “While the camera is made in Sweden we’ve partnered with Nittoh to create the new lenses: it’s our design and our concept but they’re manufactured in Japan, and they’ve been designed to be very high quality indeed. We’ve got two lenses available already and a third on the way and they all feature integral centre shutters. It takes around 12-14 months to design and bring a new lens to market and we’ll be looking to develop the line-up into the future. “The camera is aimed not just at professionals but also the dedicated amateur, who might be looking to trade up from a DSLR to medium-format. The X1D gives them the opportunity to do that and it comes with lenses that are spectacular in terms of their performance: there is absolutely no skimping on quality and they are every bit as good as the H-system lenses. “Overall the Hasselblad X1D is a product that we see ourselves going forward with for years to come, while we’re also promising a few more surprises at this year’s Photokina show in September.”

hasselblad.com

Pentax K-70 heads for the outdoors

Pentax’s latest K-70 DSLR has the perfect attributes to cope with the typical British summer – and winter. It is weather resistant, dust proof and works down to temperatures as low as -10°C. To accompany its rugged qualities, the body is designed for comfortable handling in challenging outdoor conditions with a newly design handgrip, mode dial and control buttons. Its outdoor shooting credentials aside, the K-70 is also pretty well endowed in other areas. Its APS-C sensor is anti-alias filter free to make the most of its 24.2 megapixels and works with Pentax’s PRIME MII imaging engine that’s said to deliver low noise images right up to its top ISO 102,400 setting. It has an advanced AF system with 11 sensors (nine

are cross type) that works in light as low as -3EV but it is in live view where there is serious innovation. Here, AF is handled by a new hybrid system, which uses a contrast-detection sensor and a phase-matching sensor on the imaging sensor’s surface to give fast, accurate live viewAF. Other notable features include a top shutter speed of 1/6000sec, body integral shake reduction with a 4.5EV benefit, 77 zone metering system, Pentax’s Pixel Shift Resolution mode and an AA filter simulator to reduce moiré. The K-70 body only costs £559.99 and with an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6WR zoom, £799.99. Availability of the K-70 is yet to be confirmed.

ricoh-imaging.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

Pentax adds lens Rogue go soft and silvery

If you want to make more of your flashgun there are plenty of light modifiers on the market to help. The Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Super Soft Silver version, inspired by photographer Frank Doorhof, joins the Natural White option in the range. The Super Soft Silver fabric gives more light and contrast when compared with the white version, yet it won’t give you the hotspots that you might experience with shiny silver finishes.

It costs £52.99 and is designed to securely fit most speedlights with a belt and buckle system. Its rib design means you can flex the reflector to direct light where you want it. It is designed for use off camera primarily, but we have tried it and there is potential to use it on camera too. See this issue’s First Tests for an in-depth look at the Rogue.

Pentax has added a new lens to its range that will suit its latest DSLR, the all-weather K-70, as well as other K-fit cameras. This is the HD Pentax-DA 55- 300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE, a £399.99 telephoto zoom for APS-C cameras. The initials in the lens’s name tell us it has a multilayer coating, HD; ED reveals there is an extra low dispersion element; PLM stands for pulse motor for faster, quieter operation; WR is weather resistance; and RE means this is a retractable lens. This compact telezoom in 35mm terms gives a focal length range of 84.5 to 460mm so it’s well suited to subjects such as action, wildlife, travel, landscape and people. It weighs 442g and measures 89mm at its minimum so it is very portable. Availability of this lens is to be confirmed.

xpdistribution.com expoimaging.com

ricoh-imaging.co.uk

The Elinchrom El Skyport Plus HS transmitter was one of the big innovations of 2015 – it won Best Innovation in the PN awards. Canon and Nikon users have been enjoying the ability to use the Hi- Sync feature (with compatible heads) for high-speed flash sync up to 1/8000sec with useful amounts of power for a while, and now Sony users can join the fun. The recently released Sony version costs £199. Elinchrom Hi-Sync for Sony

Samsung has introduced its SmartCam PT, an easy to set up wireless camera for home surveillance. It offers full HD 1080p recording and automatic object tracking with its pan and tilt head. It works in low light too, recording up to five metres away using its Night Vision mode. It’s ideal for security but also great for peace of mind. With its two-way talk capability you can use your smartphone to have a conversation with your family at home. It suits use for elderly relative care or reassuring the kids. Images are recorded onto a micro SD card, but you can record to a smartphone with Samsung get Smart

News in brief

40years and going strong Canon UK recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Back in 1976 Canon Business Machines was established and the company’s focus was on products such as photocopiers and calculators. In 1982 it merged with a separate camera sales operation to formCanon UK. Happy 40th from all at Photography News . canon.co.uk

elinchrom.com

Nikon ambassadors Nikon has expanded its

the SmartCam app (available for iOS and Android). Using the smartphone or computer you can adjust the camera’s view for privacy too. Guide price of the SmartCam PT is £139.

ambassador programme with nature photographer Richard Peters and film and TV stills photographer Helen Sloan joining its line-up. nikoninframe.co.uk/ ambassadors

samsungsmartcam.com

Well-known printing lab WhiteWall has added a premium photo book service to its product line-up. There is a wide choice of cover style, paper types and sizes with softcover books starting from £9.90 – this is for a 24- page small landscape book with glossy paper. For something like a Large square hardcover book with prints on premium silk matte paper and 60 pages, the cost is around £73. You can create a book from a PDF or upload pictures (or import them from your Facebook, Flickr or Picasa account) and do it online with the bespoke software. If you need help the website’s Photo Assistant is on hand. To get really creative with your book design for something truly special, WhiteWall’s Photo Book Editor Software is also available. Delivery time in the UK, from picture upload to the book arriving, is approximately six days. WhiteWall adds books

uk.whitewall.com

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

Limelite by Bowens has introducedMosaic2 LED lighting panelswith ultra- high light output for studio or location use (with optional battery mounting accessories). The daylight version costs £654 and the bicolour model £834. These metal-bodied lights are suitable for small and large studio use and are an ideal choice for photographers working with babies, children and pets where flash can upset the subject. The lights are fully dimmable and user programmable, have an output up to 4000lux at one metre and outstanding colour fidelity. LED light fromBowens

News in brief

Kodak Filmapp Kodak has created a free Professional Film App for iPad (through iTunes) and Android (Google Play). There is an updated version to support iOS9.x for iPhones. The app helps you pick which film to use in different situations, where to buy film and how/where to process film. There are home darkroom tools and a sun calculator to determine sunrise/sunset times around the world. kodak.co.uk NewDxOphoto software Dx0 OpticsPro 11 is now available and features new Raw processing innovations. There’s Dx0’s PRIME 2016, an incredibly effective noise reduction feature which is better and faster than previous versions. A new feature to the OpticsPro Smart Lighting tool is Automated Spot Weighted Correction. This uses face detection to apply an intelligent tone map on the whole image and then extends the dynamic range, adds fill and improves contrast on faces automatically. Dx0 11 Elite edition costs £159 and the Essential version is £99. A fully functional, month-long demo download is available. dxo.com

bowens.co.uk

Bron has added to its extensive collection of light modifiers. The Focus 110 is a parabolic lighting brollywith 12 segments and a silver reflective coating. It is 110cm across and 40cm deep. Price is £150. For rectangular softboxes with a Velcro fitting there is the Edge Mask available in four sizes: 35x60cm, 60x100cm, 90x120cm and 120x180cm – prices start from £42. It’s suitable for portraits and objects. The subject should be positioned directly in front of the central opaque area of the mask and the translucent frame around the mask allows light to pass through to give a rim lighting effect. Bronmodifiers

Renowned for its wireless triggers, PocketWizard has the Plus IV auto-sensing transceiver to its range. Mounted on the camera, fit a TTL-compatible flashgun on the Plus IV’s hotshoe you have TTL control – although remote flash units have to be on manual. There are 32 channels, four groups, the option of setting receiving, transmitting or automatically switching the two and it is compatible with other PocketWizard products. Guide price is £150. A Plus for PocketWizard

broncolor.com

Measuring light

pocketwizard.com

Sekonic has released two new lightmeters, the L-478DR-EL and L-478DR-PX, both priced at £350. The new models are basically the same as the existing L-478 meter but the two new variants have Elinchrom (EL) and Phottix (PX) compatibility using the EL-Skyport and Phottix Strato II protocols respectively. So in the case of Elinchrom EL Skyport products you’ll enjoy features such as power control and flash triggering from the meter. Both meters use Sekonic’s DTS (Data Transfer Software) which automates meter calibration to the camera in use.

sekonic.com

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

In association with

Photo 24 is a free photography event and this year’s was the fourth outing for the event. 250 photographers started and more than 150 managed to keep going for the whole 24 hours. The event is not designed to be an endurance test and we invite readers to stay for as long as they want, but those who do stay the course receive an ‘I survived Photo 24’ T-shirt. When it comes to the British summer weather, the only thing you can rely on is its unreliability and that was certainly the casewith this year’s Photo 24.We experienced four seasons in a day and while it was generally warm we did enjoy several intense and prolonged showers. Thankfully the rain wasn’t as consistent as forecast and it certainly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of our Photo 24-ers. Shelter was available throughout the event at the Nikon School in central London. Not only was this a great spot to seek shelter or perhaps dry out, free refreshments were also available – and the chance to recharge the camera batteries. For this year’s Photo 24, we organised some optional paid- for experiences for participants to enjoy with their camera. A trip up Tower Bridge, sunset at the top of the Shard or the London Eye, an early morning boat trip to Greenwich and a classic bus photo tour in the early hours gave the event an added dimension and yet more chances to take pictures. Those who decided not to take up these optional events walked the streets of the capital in their search for great pictures to enter into our contests. We set five contest themes to challenge our readers with a Nikon COOLPIX P900 bridge camera going to each category photographic shoot in one of the world’s most visited cities took place in June, starting at noon on 17 June and ending 24 hours later Photo 24 Our annual marathon

winner, plus for the best overall picture taken during Photo 24, we

had a prize of a Nikon D500with a 16-80mm f/2.8-4 VR lens, worth £2479. For a full report of the event and to see the winning images, see issue 35, available from 1 August.

Best overall image prize

The D500 is Nikon’s DX-format flagship camera, and with a resolution of 20.9megapixels, an EXPEED image processor and some key features including the same AF system from the top-end Nikon D5, it is a DSLR well worth winning. You’ll see the results of our contests in the next issue.

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

Fujifilm’s latest printer lets you create instant credit card sized prints fromyour smartphone as well as compatible Fujifilm cameras. The instax SHARE Smartphone Printer SP-2 costs £164.99 which includes a ten-shot pack of instax film and will be available from the end of August. It is a portable unit and is powered by a rechargeable battery so it’s ideal for social gatherings to share pictures. The free instax SHARE app has also been updated with new filters and templates. Instant fun fromFuji

News in brief

WD improveworkflow The Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro WiFi is available in sizes up to 3TB and has a built-in SD card reader and an USB 2.0 port. Prices start from £189.99. For home storage WD has the My Cloud Pro series NAS drives. With capacities up to 32TB, this series of hard drives is optimised to import from cameras. Prices start from £379.99 and go to £1899.99. wdc.com Capture updated Phase One has introduced the second edition of Media Pro SE. For Mac andWindows, this software supports photo and video files fromover 100 cameras and is built tomanage large, high-quality files in photo libraries. It costs €189. phaseone.com ColorMunki cash back Buy a X-Rite ColorMunki Display calibrator before 1 September 2016 and you can claim £25 cashback. xritecashback.com

The Sigma sd Quattro will be on sale from July at a price of £799.99. Buy it with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSMArt lens for £999.99. The sd Quattro is a 30-megapixel APS-C format camera based on the Foveon X3 direct image sensor that records all colours of light at each pixel site. Processing is handled by Sigma’s Dual TRUE III engine that can deal with the large high-resolution files at high speed. This helps the camera to shoot at 3.7fps for 12 consecutive full-size 14-bit Raws. It features the new Super-Fine Detail exposure mode where the camera (mounted on a stable tripod) takes seven individual exposures and creates an X3I Raw file and that can processed in Sigma’s Photo Pro software for very low-noise, wide dynamic range images. The body features a high-resolution EVF and it is dust and splash- proof and there’s a dust protector and additional sealing on the lens mount to prevent debris getting inside the camera body. Sigmahas also introducedanewflashgun, theEF-630. This is priced at £399.99 and there is an optional Flash USB Dock FD-11 available at £59.99 – this accessory is used to update the flashgun’s firmware. It has a quoted Guide Number of 63 (ISO 100 in metres), high-speed sync (depending on the camera model) and rear-curtain sync. Latest Sigma

fujifilm.eu.uk

Kenro add lights

Kenro has added four NanGuang LED lights to its product line-up. There are two light panels, the CN-T340 and the CN-T504, selling for £209.94 and £263.94 respectively. Both have 5600K output, LED life of 50,000 hours and stepless dimmer control. The T340 has 340 LEDs and the larger T504 has 504 LEDs so offers more output. The two other lights are fresnel units. The compact CN-20FC can be used on-camera or on a tripod and features adjustable colour temperature, spotlight adjustment from 15-55° and built-in barn doors. It runs off six AA batteries and costs £71.94. The LED Fresnel Light CN-30F is designed for studio use. It focuses light to a narrow to wide beam (12-35°) and costs £239.94.

kenro.co.uk

sigma-imaging-uk.com

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

News

International Retina festival Get along to Edinburgh and enjoy Retina’s festival of photography

The third annual Retina Scottish International Photography Festival is happening until 30 July in Edinburgh. Taking place over five weeks, at eight venues and featuring the work of 54 photographers, the Retina Festival will have something for everyone.

As well as an exhibition of emerging talent, there’s also the chance to see the UK Picture Editor's Guild award winners and a Photomarathon on 16 July. The aim of the Photomarathon is to shoot 12 topics over 12 hours in 12 shots using a single-use camera. Entry to this

fun event is £20 and pictures will be exhibited at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal on 23 July with prizes for the best shots. Tickets were still available at the time of writing but hurry if you want to have a go.

TerenceDonovan: Speed of Light Don’t miss this major retrospective in London The home of golf becomes the home of the St Andrews Photography Festival from1August to 11 September.Over the sixweeks, therewill be events including seminars, tours, talks from guest photographers and workshops including those on old processes such as calotype. There will also be exhibitions including a 40th anniversary retrospective of Edinburgh’s Still Gallery, 175 years of Scottish photography and a show of press and documentary pictures. See the Festival’s Facebook page for the latest news, venues and details of events. Scottish photo festival ©DrJohnAdamson’shomeonSouthStreet,StAndrews,1862.ByJohn Adamson.Courtesyof theUniversityofStAndrewsLibrary:ALB-8-67. St Andrews to host a six-week festival facebook.com/StAndPhotoFest

retinafestival.com

Great maritime images wanted

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has launched its annual photo contest and you have until 5 August to get your entries in. The entry requirement is for pictures, from enthusiast to professional photographers, that best sumupBritain’s reliance on, and relationship with, the sea. This includes merchant ships, fishermen, harbours, wrecks, ports and the coastline, through work, recreation, art or sport. For full entry details see the website and please read the terms and conditions before entering.

shipwreckedmariners.org.uk

Portraits of Adele, David Bowie and Rio Ferdinand are on show alongside a giant photograph by artist Simon Terrill of 180 students, who’ve been inspired by the images. GCSE art students from two Southwark schools and Terrill have used the Lerner Galleries’s Contemporary Collection of famous south Londoners to develop a series of works culminating in the group shot. The show runs until 6 September, in rooms 37 and 37a at the Galleries. Creative Connections: South of the River

Opening 15 July until 25 September at The Photographer’s Gallery in central London is a major retrospective of the work of Terence Donovan, one of the UK’s most acclaimed photographers. “Speed of light” is one of Donovan’s best known expressions, “every one a Bruegel” was another. The show, in partnership with Ricoh, will take over two floors of the Gallery and includes vintage and previously unpublished work, as well as films and videos he produced. Most definitely worth a look if you are in London.

npg.org.uk/creative

connections

Image David Bowie by Brian Duffy, 1973

thephotographersgallery.org.uk

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

Tell us your club’s latest news, email: clubnews@photography-news.co.uk

Clubs

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

How to submit

Deadline for the next issue: 21 July 2016

We need words and pictures by 21 July for the next issue of Photography News , which will be available from 1 August. Write your story in a Word document (400 words maximum). Please include contact details of the club, exhibition or event – website, meeting times, opening times, whatever is relevant. Images should be JPEGs, 2000 pixels on the longest dimension, any colour space, and image credits should be included. If the story is an exhibition or event, please send a picture from the exhibition (not the publicity poster) or

one from the event. If it includes people please identify them. Attach the Word document and JPEGs to an email and send to clubnews@photography-news.co.uk.

Education, education, education

News in brief

Three-in-one exhibition Newbury Camera Club is holding an exhibition at the West Berkshire Museum. It is in effect three exhibitions, as the prints displayed will be changed twice. The first change takes place on 26 July, and the second on 31 August. Entry is free and the Museum is on The Wharf in Newbury. newburycameraclub.org.uk All in black&white Not only is Cymru Monochrome holding its annual exhibition, it will also be hosting the Only Mono 2017 battle. The exhibition is on 13 August at Creative Bubble on Swansea’s Craddock Street. The Only Mono 2017 battle is in May next year and is open to all UK clubs. If your club hasn’t already signed up to the Battle and would like to participate, email Gareth Martin on cortez34@ virginmedia.com or visit the group’s website. cymrumonochrome.com YetMoore exhibitions Moore Camera Club’s annual exhibition takes place on the weekend of 30/31 July. The display will feature more than 100 photos from club members, and many of the prints will be on sale, with the proceeds going to charity. There is free parking and …andKeynham’s exhibition Head to Bath’s Guildhall between 5 July and 16 August to see Keynsham Photographic Society’s print exhibition. Although the society had many exhibitions, this is their first in the city. keynshamphotographic society.co.uk refreshments for all visitors. The exhibition is open 11am to 7pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday, at Moore Rugby Club on Moss Lane. moorecameraclub.org

Northolt & District Photography Society is undergoing some changes for the new season. It’ll be holding fewer competitions and placing a greater emphasis on workshops and education to help members improve their photography, whether that’s learning about their camera and getting the most from it or their preferred genre. A small, vibrant society, Northolt welcomes newmembers and offers the first few meetings free. Membership is £35 per annum for adults. Meetings

are on Wednesdays from 8pm at the Village Community Centre on Ealing Road; parking is available and buses stop nearby. The club will start for the new season in September, and during the summer they are organising a number of walks intended to provide practical help for photographers.

northoltcameraclub.co.uk

Summer exhibition Visit Earl Shilton Camera Club’s second display

Enjoying their second week-long exhibition, Earl Shilton Camera Club is inviting you to visit the Atkins Gallery to see a display of its members’ images. The exhibition runs fromMonday 22 until Saturday 27 August. Admission to the gallery is free, and it is open from 10am to 3pm, and then 6.30pm to 9pm most days. At 7.30pm on the Wednesday, the club is also holding itsmeeting at the gallery and everyone is welcome to come along and ask questions about

the club and photography. The Atkins Gallery is on Lower Bond Street, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 1Q4. The club is proud that the Town Council is supporting the summer exhibition with a community grant, and that Bill Ward Photography (Bill is known for his roles in programmes such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale ) is sponsoring the event.

earlshiltoncameraclub.org.uk

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

13 Interview

Profile RichardWest Datacolor’s marketing and sales manager for the UK Richard West talks colour calibration and the need for accurate colour management regardless of whether your images end up online, in print or even on an app

We hear you were the Photo Manager for Apple and also ranNik Software, can you tell us about your photographic journey? I started out working for what is now part of Kodak, so I’ve always been involved in imaging of a sort. Working at Apple was great fun. I was there for ten years so digital cameras went from being rare high-end solutions to something everyone has on their phone. It was great helping people move from film to digital as I think the ubiquity of cameras and the lack of worry of a finite number of shots opened up peoples’ interest in taking photos and also their creativity andwillingness to experiment. That’s part of the reason Nik Software was such a great place to work as we had some cracking retouching products just when the interest in it exploded. When we launched the Snapseed app, it was like a perfect storm. With the quality of phone cameras improving to such a good standard, Snapseedwas ideal for retouching but even I was surprised when I got Snapseed included in Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas promotion – 3.8 million downloads in a day… that was something! Now I’m back with Datacolor and some more groundbreaking products. Can you briefly sum up what Datacolor offers? Datacolor is the maker of the Spyder rangeof colour calibrationequipment. Spyders have been synonymous with colour calibration for decades and they’re innovating all the time. Last year saw the introduction of the fifth iterationofSpyderforcalibratingyour screens. They also make print and camera calibration devices like the SpyderCUBE and SpyderCHECKR. Together their range means that photographers, videographers and graphic designers can see their images’ correct colours on screen, matching to what they were when they were originally captured but also making sure you get what you are expecting when in print or other outputs like theweb or apps. Just how important is colour management? Do our readers really need to engage in the subject, for instance, if they never print but only post pictures on social media? Colour calibration is essential if imaging is your profession. If you are retouching or just viewing photos, first and foremost you want to see what your are looking at on screen come out the same in print. For that you need to have calibrated your screen and profiled your printer.

No one paying for any photo work wants a hotchpotch of images that make the same subjects look like they are sunburnt in one set of shots and washedoutinanotherjustbecausethe lighting has changed. This means you need to have a means of controlling your colours at capture and that’s exactly what the SpyderCHECKR does. This gets your colours correct so it’s invaluable whether your images are in print or on the net. I was surprised to see that colour management is also evidently very important to anyone who is into photography or creating videos as a hobby too. Whether you are paying someone else to print your images or print them yourself, no one wants to waste ink and paper trying to get the result you saw on-screen. Likewise even if it’s just pics of the family you certainly get a lotmore praise if auntie Dot doesn’t look bright red or your prize shot of a kingfisher doesn’t look like its escaped froma cartoon. How easy it is to understand colour management?What is involved? Nowadays that’s the joy. Spyders have evolved drastically from needing to understand what a profile is and where to put it. Calibrating a screen is as simple as plugging your Spyder into a computer, running the software for a couple of minutes and your screen is calibrated and you can trust that what you see is what you get. If printing yourself the process is equally simple. The SpyderPRINT just needs you to scan a couple of print charts from your printer and then programs like Lightroom automatically pick up the calibration and allow you to see what your end print will look like before printing it. My favourite part is capture calibration. The SpyderCUBE and SpyderCHECKR just need to be photographed once in the lighting conditions you are in and then the rest of the shoot can be automatically corrected with the touch of a button. Compared with the complexity of the menus in your average camera, colour management is simplicity itself…well, with a Spyder anyway! Where is the best place to start with colour management? The key part of colour management is to have a calibrated screen. If you can trust what you see then there’s no surprises with the output later – whether that’s in print, online or wherever. Far fewer people need to worry about calibrating printers as most now send their images away to printers rather than print themselves and far more simply share images

Biography Years in the photo industry? 20ish (Oh strewth how did that happen!) Current location? Oxfordshire (near Henley – so handy for the Regatta) Last picture taken The sing-song at Royal Ascot… am I sounding pretentious? When youwere younger, what did youwant to bewhen you grewup? Still young… Dogs or cats? Cats Toast or cereal? Coffee Email or phone call? FaceTime

Is there an ideal monitor? What should readers look for when buying one? Notwishingtogettootechnicalbutthe bigger the colour gamut the display can show, the better (ie. more colours). Most displays are only sRGB capable at best. sRGB has around 75% of the colour capability of Adobe RGB hence looking for a display that can show as muchofAdobeRGBas possible is key. I prefer EIZOs when it comes to displays as I like the build quality but I love the 27in Wacom Cintiq, which shows most of Adobe RGB and is also a touch-sensitive tablet. Is there anything readers should look for in a printer? Most printers give great results but Canon and Epson seem to own the market for price, quality and build. Many readers complain of the final print not looking like the image they’ve seen on-screen. What advice do you have to get colour correct prints? As mentioned, calibrate your screen. Then get the profiles for the printer (and paper and ink) and make sure you examine the soft proof (view a digital mock-up of your end result) in your imaging software. Lightroom makes this as easy as anything that I’ve seen. If you need more guidance on this come to one of Datacolor’s free live webinars (online tutorials) at spyder. datacolor.com/webinars or check out the Nexttek channel on YouTube (Search YouTube for Nexttek) for free how-to videos. If you had to give just one piece of colour management advice to our readers, what would that be? Get a Spyder, take it out of the box, plug it in and actually use it!

via the web. Calibrating your screen so you know what’s being sent to wherever the end goal might be is the most important part. For those who really need to capture exactly the colours of their original subject (eg. sports, wedding and wildlife photographers) having something that calibrates capture is also extremely useful. Likewise we have a lot of customers who are colour-blind using SpyderCHECKRs to calibrate their images at capture as thismeans the coloursare corrected in softwareratherthanyouevenneeding to be able to see themcorrectly. There are so many colour management devices on themarket, what would you recommend for someone looking for their first colour management product? The new range of Spyders (version five) would be my recommendation as I believe that they are unique in two aspects. Firstly you can start with the entry-level device and later upgrade the same device to the more professional and expert versions via software downloads. Secondly the version five was specifically redesigned for use in today’s ‘on the move’ society. The whole unit has been made far more robust and bang and bash resistant with encapsulated optics and a built-in sensor cap ensuring you can carry your Spyder wherever yougo andalways have true colours on-screen. If you think about moving your laptop from a light room into a dark one, we all know the screen will seem brighter and more colourful. That’s why you need to recalibrate whenever yougo somewherenewand your lighting changes. Every other calibrator on the market before the Spyder5 was aimed at being fixed in a lab so Datacolor’s latest version has really made calibrating your screen possible wherever you are.

If you can trust what you see then there’s no surprises with the output later

The images For correct colours throughout your picture-taking and making process, you need calibration devices like Datacolor’s.

datacolor.com

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

Profile

Before the Judge

Biography

Each month, a respected judge or exhibition selector shares their thoughts and experiences. This month we speak to Andy Beel FRPS Andy Beel FRPS

Words by Andy Beel

For a long time, my attitude to competition judging was quite straightforward. My view was, why is my opinion more important than anybody else’s?Over time,myopinion softened, and I attended a Western Counties Photographic Federation judging seminar. I feel privileged to see such a wide range of work at all levels of amateur photography. It is a humbling experience to realise this stimulating, inspirational work feeds into my own avenues of thought and discovery. When looking at the work of those who have not yet gone far in their photographic journey, it is always a worthy reminder of where I started. To all those who want to progress their competition photography, you only fail if you give up the battle to get recognition for your vision and style. It is a truism that you learn by initial failure and trying to improve your technique or artistry. Praise only boosts the ego, but as visual artists, we live off the oxygen of praise. Constant encouragement is everything. In the cold One of my stand-out judging experiences was in Dorset. The club asked me to judge their monochrome competition cold. There were two classesofprintstobeassessed,andthe total number of prints was 90, each to be commented on in 90 minutes. My jobwas to pick first, second, third and highly commended. It was a case of eliminating one by one until I was left with five or six that were going to be givenaplaceorbehighlycommended. I like cold judging because it gives the audience a sense of the drama of the competition. Quite often the winner jumps out at me the very first time I see it, and sometimes it happens that the places between first and third get allocated to different prints in the decision-making process. In any club, there will be a range of work from excellent to could do better and some clubs aremore suited to competition photography. The standard of amateur competition photography is improving. To win, you have to make the judge’s job as easy as possible. Photography is about taking and making a photograph. Pictures are taken, but photographs aremade. The standards for taking or seeing a picture in, say, street photography need to consist of more than just people walking around, try adding a little humour or juxtaposition of ideas. At local competitions, I think the most common failing is not to appreciate and understand what the subject matter is and how to present it with dominance. A term I use is

‘attraction’.Why did you take the shot in the first place? What is the essence of the attraction you want the judge to see? The judge must not be left guessing the picture’s subject. Sometimes one can become lost for words to give a positive, constructive assessment of the picture. A judge will be trained to say three positive things before adding constructive criticism,andsometimesthisbecomes a little tricky. In a poor picture, if an unpromising subject matter is accurately focused and exposed then these qualities will be praised. In black &white IamproudtosaythatIamwellknown for my black & white photography. The genre is highly interpretive and adjustable in its tonality and in many cases an image will not be presented to its greatest potential. The post- processing for many black & white pictures lacks vision, intent, global and local contrast. The genre, black & white photography, is about light, texture and contrast, not colour. Themaking of a picture, ormaking a print from a digital negative, is a separate skill. Those working in colour have fewer controls to consider than those working in black & white. Making a black & white picture is, in my view, a far more difficult skill to master. Colourphotographers coming to mono should seek advice from experts.Many people say tome: ‘I love black & white, but my mono pictures don’t look anything like yours.’ This gives me the opportunity to explain how standards of taking and making mono images can be improved. I have an interest in traditional photography, meaning the picture presented comes from a digital negative with limited post- processing. For me, this is the essence of photography. A picture made up of various elements taken from different continents around the world is graphic art, not photography. Composition Composition is the art of leaving things out – it is a subtractive process. A maxim I tell clients and workshop participants is ‘use it or lose it’ when composing.Ifanelementofthepicture isnotaddingtotheoverallimpactthen why is it there? This is predominantly true of bald skies. In a landscape, the sky will have the biggest bearing on themood and atmosphere. For me, there are no rules of composition, only aspects to consider. These include appropriate lighting, proportion, tone, colour palette, lines, texture, base, shapes, negative space, diagonals, form and scale. Think about howyou’re going to use these to

Andy Beel FRPS Andy Beel is a professional photographer who offers workshops, masterclasses and tours specialising in monochrome including digital lith and printing. With Prof. Bob Ryan FRSA ARPS he has co-authored The Master Photographer, the journey from good to great , out in September. For more information go to g2gphoto.co.uk. Years in photography I first joined the British Rail Staff Association Camera Club in 1982. Home club I am a founding member of the Avon Valley Photographic Society. I am also a member of the RPS’s Digital Imaging Group and was a committee member until this year. Favourite camera After going through a series of Canons, I decided to reduce the weight of my camera bag and plumped for the Fujifilm X-T1 camera body. For me, it has all the benefits of excellent handling in a body that is not too big or small. Favourite lens The Fujifilm 10-24mm f/4 lens, which is a 15-36mm in 35mm full- frame terms. Favourite photo accessories The Peak Design Sliding Camera Strap and the Peak Design Capture Clip. With this system, I can have one body on the sliding strap and another body on the Capture Clip. Favourite photographer There are far too many to mention here but the stand-out photographer for me, who is currently working, is Sebastião Salgado. I also greatly respect the work of André Kertész and Bill Brandt – strange bedfellows, I know, but true. Favourite subject I have found adding grain, slow handheld shutter speeds, digital lith style work and infrared photography give me satisfaction. Awards I possibly hold a record for becoming a Fellow of the RPS through the usual route in the quickest possible time when I achieved Licentiateship, Associateship and Fellowship within 18 months. I am also proud to have won a London Salon medal at my first attempt. I was invited to have an exhibition at Fenton House, the RPS headquarters in Bath presenting my work in Ethiopia to much acclaim and I have a print in the RPS permanent collection.

express your message with impact to the judge. The purpose of narrative intent is to tell a story, and the purpose of creative or interpretive intent is to make pictures about the subject. Once the impact and intent have been assessed by the judges all the other components such as composition and use of light etc. can be evaluated as to howwell they assist themessage. In an ideal world Each judging panel will be selected by the organising committee for the judges’ knowledge and experience. On some occasions, there are disagreements between judges, but at the other end of the scale, it has been necessary to offer advice to other judgeswhen they are indecisive about which entries should be awarded a medal or ribbon. Inan idealworld, everypicturewill be judged on its merits, but all judges have pet hates. Familiarity with an overdone subject or style can cause recency heuristics. I would suggest your scores may be better if you try a talentedmodelwhose face isn’t sowell known rather than using the same model as everybody else. If you follow the crowd, you will be treated like the crowd. If your picture is the 20th of the same subject in the same style, then it has to be truly outstanding in every respect. Many judges will not recognise the merits of your picture if they have seen 19 before yours. To improve the quality of judging, training is required with feedback on performance. I know many federations have put these skills in place. One is not necessarily a good judge just because one has been doing it for a while. Indeed, I know an

excellent judge with only three years’ experience. Longevity does not equal quality and experience does not equal expertise. A good judge rigorously assesseswhat they see fromany genre and is consistently objective. The internationally agreed components useful for judges to considerwhenmaking an assessment can be broken down into focus, exposure, technical – noise reduction and sharpening, depth-of-field, use of colour, tonality in mono work, use of light, composition, narrative intent or creative intent and impact. The accuracy of focus is important because it has prepotency which means if it isn’t accurate every other part of the process has no value. It is possible to rescue most aspects of a Rawfile inpost-processingapart from inaccurate focusing. The key to competition and salons is instant impact. You have to get your intended message over to the judging panel within ten seconds. Aim for simplicity without distractions and communicate as directly as possible. Enter pictures of excellent quality in their artistic and technical aspects, be different from winning trends. If a single judge is known for a style or genre of photography, don’t enter work in the same genre as their expertise. The judge may know more about their specialist subject, giving them more material with which to examine your entry. Enter work outside of their safe sphere of knowledge. In that way, a good picture with no noticeable distractions or reasons not to give it a good placing could potentially dowell.

andybeelfrps.co.uk

What do you think?

Have you seen a photographic judge at work who you’d like to see profiled in Photography News ? If so please drop us a line to opinion@photography- news.co.uk with the judge’s name and, if possible, their contact details.

Photography News | Issue 34 | absolutephoto.com

17 Interview

Pro focus

Rising Star Each issue Professional Photo magazine talks to a photographer just making their name, about their journey into photography and where they hope it’ll take them. This issue, Tom Calton talks about his move from words to pictures

on YouTube. Nobody else was doing that around the Peterborough area so I got quite a bit of business from it. Being in a band myself at the time meant I got to know all the local bands, so it was really easy to contact friends and ask if theywanted promo shots. They already knew me, so the ice was broken.” Shooting bands in urban scenes seems like a world away from the romantic side of weddings he also shoots now, but when asked to shoot his first wedding Tom, although nervous, took up the offer. “I cacked myself at the thought and I actually didn’t like doingweddings because of that experience, all the pressure and stuff, but you build your confidence and get used to the day and the schedule and meeting new people. I actually fell in love with it! I view it as a privilege, you get to meet these people and take on the responsibility of capturing their day and you only get one chance at it.”

Interviewby Jemma Dodd

With a love of film from a young age Tom Calton has always been about producing creative work. His initial interest in film saw him take media studies at college and after finishing his A levels he decided to buy his first DSLR to take on holiday with him. A nudge from his girlfriend Lucy (now his wife), who told him to take his new-found interest in photography further, led him to apply for a National Diploma in photography at college. It was through his diploma that Tom got into portraiture, but it was his passion for music and eagerness to learn that helped him break onto the scene. “I’ve always been interested in music and bands so I started shooting band promos on the side of my college diploma. As I was really into off-camera flash I taught myself by watching videos

Above “Some of my favourite wedding shots were taken on the spur of the moment.”

After completing his diploma Tom’s job search found him working for a photography publication for three and a half years as a writer. “It was a steep learning curvewhen I got that job, I really appreciate my time there because it taught me a lot, but after a while I wanted a bit more of a challenge and wanted to be outside taking photos rather than being in an officewritingabout it,” he says. “Lucy had quit her job to go self-employed doing nails and beauty and I helped her through that, so I thought if she’s done it, then I’ve got to do it.” Through the work on the magazine, Tom had built up a number of contacts within the industry so aimed to continue some of his writing work. “It was kind of a whim, I was fairly confident that I could get some written work, but it’s always a gamble. I saved up for about a year before I quit and made sure that I had enough money in the bank that if I got absolutely no work for six months, I could still pay the bills and eat. If at the end of six months I still wasn’t making any money then I could get a part-time job to tide me over. As it happens I didn’t even take a penny out of my savings so it all worked out,” says Tom.

It’s not just weddings that Tom shoots; his portfolio includes family portraits and corporate headshots, and he’s shot for the likes of National Express, the NHS and Big Society Capital. “Most of my corporate work comes in via my website. I have two websites – one for my corporate and personal work and one for my weddings. This was done intentionally to separate the two very different streams of online traffic. The family stuff is a natural progression from weddings; couples settle down and have kids and want photos of them. The first person they think of is the person they’ve already worked with and trust.” Since going freelance Tom has also brought his video skills to his business. “I’ve always done video stuff, from stop animation to filming music videos. One ofmywife’s clients asked if I did wedding videos so I decided to give it a go. Rather than filming traditional two- to three-hour wedding videos I create six- to eight- minute highlight reels and they’ve gone down really well. Last year I ended up doing more video work for weddings than I did photography, it’s one of those things that has just snowballed,” Tom tells us.

“I’ve had quite a lot of people ask if I could do both on the day and I’ve been reluctant to do it because it’s a lot of work and I don’t really feel like I could focus on one aspect enough. Next year I’m going to start offering both, I’ve made friends with some videographers through weddings so we’re going to team up. They’ll film the video and I’ll edit it.” When setting up your business it’s important to consider what you want to focus on; do you choose one subject or open up the doors to a range of genres in order to be able to take on more jobs? While Tom shoots more than just weddings he keeps hiswork under one umbrella. “I think you can fall into the category of a ‘jack of all trades’, but I’m quite lucky in that the three genres that I do are all portraiture and dealing with people – it’s not like I’m shooting landscapes and weddings, I’m doing the broader scope of dealing with people, and if anything the more you work with people, the more you understand how to make them feel comfortable.” Read more of Tom’s story and plenty more in the latest issue of Professional Photo , on sale now!

Above “I’m a sucker for lens flare – I love the hazy glow it creates.”

You’ll findmore insight in the latest Professional Photo – the UK’s best magazine for full-time and aspiring pro photographers

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56