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`unseen beatles photos revealed d s software technique monochrome rescue m saturday 15 may 2010 for everyone who loves photography every week cgohpruetma w www.amateurphotographer.co.uk ww k cpanasonic i on test e t tested new touchscreen shutter ut r lumix g g2 part 6 page 43 ap s guide to adobe photoshop elements 8 learn layers blending and masks around the world page 51 make the most of mixed lighting £2.50 david noton how to refresh your photography page 22 expert advice page 16[close]
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contents amateur photographer for everyone who loves photography i often wonder how we d get on if stranded on a desert island or in some isolated place where we d have to begin civilisation all over again so long as there were trees and stones we d probably be able to construct decent-enough shelters using modern common sense and the skills learnt from tv shows such as diy sos and grand designs most of us have enough barbecuing practice to cook something without poisoning ourselves too badly we can all pick fruit and probably learn to catch fish wrestle buffalo and dig a toilet but then what knowing that the motorcar is a possibility how long would it take us to re-devise a means of mechanised transport having seen a car before would be a definite advantage and would save years inventing the concept a basic camera would be muchsmore simple and with the htwdn ,a le p im e knowledge we already have a pinhole le o h in p a e job would be easy enough to make ekamo yet by knowing what is possible le b o p is tahwgnwi wonder how many years we could ld uoce shave off the time it originally took k o o to get from camera obscura to an electronic capture system that focuses on the part of the scene you touch on the lcd screen there are some things damien demolder i think are beyond even me editor the ap readers poll in ap 1 may we asked does it bother you that this magazine is called `amateur photographer dabc you answered a yes it is embarrassing 7 b yes it makes is sound as though i m not very good 6 c no i think it reflects my ability 15 d no i am proud to be an amateur 72 this week we ask would you find touchscreen focus useful vote online www.amateurphotographer.co.uk news views reviews 5 news candid black white portraits of the beatles unearthed in attic jessops to revamp a shop a week nikon announces pro-level 200-400mm vr lens nmm gagged over cuts threat pentax to debut 12mp optio 90 digital market to reach `saturation point says nikon 20 last resort chris gatcum explains how he applied some tender loving care to a flat lifeless image to transform it into a glorious study in monochrome your words pictures 12 letters ap readers speak out on the week s issues 41 testbench tests and technical 13 backchat ap reader chris derricot explains why he is sick of making compromises when it comes to photographic gear 10 review the latest books exhibitions and websites creativity background s tuf-flock velour 1.49x7.32m black background and the zsl photography workshop 30 reader spotlight another selection of superb reader images 15 andy rouse ap 90 the final frame cmio lumix dmc-g2 nixu 2 g m 43 panasonic l c d touchscreens are currently all the rage with manufacturers n cs accordingly,i panasonic s latest micro thirds d offering comes kitted out with one richard sibley finds out how m w gr o c t in s rehpa it changes theaphotographer s interaction with the camera andy turns his attention away from chest-beating gorillas to a slightly more diminutive native creature the bullfinch ogden finds out that life is what happens when you are busy making other flight plans 36 appraisal damien demolder examines your images offering words of wisdom and constructive advice features 22 brave new world leading professional landscape and travel photographer david noton talks to jeff meyer about his gruelling whirlwind photographic world tour and the challenges he faced while on the road © david noton 16 photo insight cover images © david noton tom mackie paul berriff technique 51 photoshop elements 8 in part six of our guide to photoshop elements 8 and the third part in our look at the full edit mode we examine layers blend modes and masks and show how these features can help you achieve professionalstandard image enhancements tom mackie tells how he wrestled with crossover light and a narrow window of time to capture a dramatic picture of the seattle skyline © tom mackie p22 p16 tom mackie on how he wrestled with crossover light in seattle 56 ask ap our experts answer your questions 59 icons of photography ivor matanle tells the story of the canon ft the camera that in the mid-1960s put canon slrs back on the map of serious photography david noton speaks about his gruelling yet inspiring world tour how to have your pictures published in reader spotlight send in a selection of up to ten images they can be either a selection of different images or all have the same theme digital files sent on cd should be saved in a photoshop-compatible format such as jpeg or tiff with a contact sheet and submission form visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/readerspotlight for details we cannot publish images without the necessary technical details each rgb image should be a minimum of 2480 pixels along its longest length transparencies and prints are also accepted we recommend that transparencies are sent without glass mounts and posted via special delivery for transparencies prints or discs to be returned you must include an sae with sufficient postage how to contact us amateur photographer ipc media blue fin building 110 southwark street london se1 0su ap editorial telephone 0203 148 4138 fax 0203 148 8130 email amateurphotographer@ipcmedia.com ap advertising telephone 0203 148 2517 email lee_morris@ipcmedia.com ap subscriptions telephone 0845 676 7778 email ipcsubs@qss-uk.com ap test reports telephone 01707 273 773 www.testreports.co.uk/photography/ap subscribe 0845 676 7778 15 may 2010 i www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 3[close]
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m alucegor news i analysis i comment i photodiary 15/5/10 we responded to recent feedback from ap by changing the terms and conditions weather contest u-turn page 6 © roger coula m `unseen beatles images revealed a photographer unguarded moments on and off-stage during a tour in has expressed surprise at 1963 and 1964 the condition of negatives berriff captured the photos depicting his previously unseen using a nikon f2 a rolleiflex images of the beatles which and kodak tri-x 400 film had lain forgotten for more at venues such as the abc than 45 years cinema in huddersfield the speaking to ap paul odeon in leeds and the berriff explained how he shot apollo in manchester the images as an untrained the north yorkshire16-year-old photographer based photographer said that while working as an editorial the quality of the negatives assistant on the yorkshire surprised him after all this time evening post as they had not been affected he was granted backstage by damp for example access to the band at several of `they are special for many the venues he visited and said he captured the images without different reasons he wrote in a catalogue that accompanied any special lighting a london exhibition of the 37 pictures of the the pictures `not fab four were among least because they 850 negatives that were taken at have languished in li rthd the very various attics for beginning of more than four what transpired decades since to be a massive the early 1960s musical journey the pictures amateurphotographer.co.uk for the beatles show band shortly after members during beatles photos found in attic · candid b&w portraits unearthed pictures © paul berriff nikon has announced the upcoming launch of a new professional 200-400mm super telephoto vr lens the af-s nikkor 200400mm f/4g ed vr ii adds an a/m mode designed to enable autofocus priority `even if the focus ring is being handled during shooting the 24-elements-in-17groups optic is due out on 28 may priced £6,249 the public can trade in their electronic goods for money off certain sony products in a promotion that runs until the world cup final on 11 july however the offer excludes discounts on the purchase price of sony alpha dslrs a sony uk spokeswoman revealed the equipment to be traded in does not have to be in working order according to sony for details visit www.sony.co.uk tradein latest news online berriff took these b photographs it became increasingly difficult to gain an audience with the band due to their unprecedented popularity `most pictures that followed were taken by commissioned professional photographers i was very lucky he added berriff said he had not realised the importance of what he had and that he has hundreds more unpublished pictures showing bands such as the rolling b stones and queen berriff went on to become a bafta award-winning documentary filmmaker to view more of the images visit http the-beatles-hiddengallery.deluxemedia.co.uk jessops to revamp 25 shops this year jessops plans to revamp one store each week in a bid to refurbish 25 more shops by the end of the year chief executive trevor moore said the move follows the refurbishment of five jessops shops in the past six weeks the most recent being one in norwich which opened on 28 april `the signage is clear simple to follow the products are live and the people [staff are not behind counters hiding from you but subscribe 0845 676 7778 chain uses 75th anniversary to announce refurbishment plans on the [shop floor engaging and helping you he said moore said the business has no storeclosure programme the chain has also launched a plan to capture younger customers and grab back market share in lower-end compact cameras from supermarkets and rival stores such as argos speaking to ap moore said that in the past jessops has `missed an opportunity to attract customers looking to buy sub-£100 compact cameras `my expectation running this business is that i widen jessops market appeal there are a lot of young people out there yet to buy their first cameras i would be foolish not to go out and look for that business moore added `we will be trading more than 30 of our sales volume from refurbished stores by the end of the year do you have a story contact chris cheesman tel 0203 148 4129 fax 0203 148 8130 amateurphotographer @ipcmedia.com 15 may 2010 i www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 5[close]
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© roger coulam wednesday 12 may exhibition early magnum draws on material from the famed agency s first ten years until 22 may at magnum print room london ec1v 3rs tel 0207 490 1771 visit www.magnumphotos.com don t miss spring flowers garden tour 6.30pm-8pm at chirk castle wrexham ll14 5af tel 01691 777 701 visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk exhibition bristol through the lens until 19 may at the photo gallery bristol bs1 1rg visit www thephotogallery.org.uk exhibition raymond depardon cities until 20 june at pm gallery pitzhanger manor london w5 5eq tel 0208 567 1227 visit www.ealing.gov.uk/pmgalleryandhouse ap forces change in weather contest rules amended after intervention by ap © eve arnold/magnum photos exhibition unseen portraits 1968-2009 by paul joyce until 16 may at proud chelsea london sw1 5xp tel 0207 349 0822 visit www.proud.co.uk exhibition dead eagle trail a study of 21st century american `cowboys by jane hilton until 21 may at host gallery london ec1y oth tel 0207 253 2770 visit www.hostgallery.co.uk exhibition faces of our times vintage prints of `iconic portraits until 29 may at atlas gallery london w1u tnf tel 020 7224 4192 visit www atlasgallery.com don t miss digital photography workshops 10am-4pm at clumber park south of worksop nottinghamshire tel 07970 427 381 visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk exhibition muse by jocelyn bain hogg until 16 may at third floor gallery cardiff cf10 5ad tel 02921 159 151 visit www.thirdfloorgallery com exhibition dorothy bohm vintage photographs on sale until 26 june at zoe bingham fine art near russell square tube london viewing by appointment tel 07920 520 777 visit www.zoebingham.com thursday 13 may friday 14 may saturday 15 may weather or to be more exact a change in the rules of a weather photography competition in favour of photographers following pressure from ap organisers of the weather photographer of the year contest launched a search for images that `capture our love of the weather demonstrate originality and creativity and chart the ever-changing british climate the contest offers a £10,000 top prize however ap challenged organisers after noticing the terms of entry gave them the right to use entries for marketing and publicity purposes although photographers retain their copyright they were required to agree to grant organisers `worldwide royalty-free perpetual licence to edit crop re-size publish and use each entry in any and all media including print and online the rules implied that organisers there has been a change in the would be able to use photographers pictures for purposes that were not linked to the competition two weeks later lloyds tsb insurance changed its rules to state that entries will only be used to publicise and market this and future `similar competitions lloyds tsb insurance told us `we have responded to recent feedback from amateur photographer magazine by changing the terms and conditions of our weather photography competition we hope that these changes will put people s minds at ease about where the entries might be used we look forward to helping highlight the extraordinary talent of britain s amateur photographers judges say that 12 finalists will be chosen on the basis of `flair and `technique the contest closes on 30 september 2010 for details visit www lloydstsbweathercompetition.co.uk © thomas hoepker sunday 16 may exhibition a child from everywhere by caroline irby until 30 august at v&a museum of childhood london e2 9pa tel 0208 983 5200 visit www.museumofchildhood.org.uk exhibition england my england by chris steele-perkins until 28 may at university gallery northumbria university newcastle upon tyne ne1 8st visit www.northumbria.ac.uk universitygallery policeman says most officers behave fairly rights w atch a serving we do use `common sense officer insists policeman has hit out at suggestions committed to defending your photographic rights that police officers fail to use common sense when dealing with photographers under counterterrorism legislation in a letter to ap chris verrecchia from northwich in cheshire wrote `as a police officer who trains cid officers i can assure you that the vast majority of officers know how to use their common sense and discretion when dealing with photographers chris a keen photographer adds `if you are unfortunate enough to meet an officer who lacks common sense and attempts to impose upon you please draw their attention to home office 012 of 2009 photography and counter terrorism legislation he urges ap readers to print out a copy of the photography and counter terrorism legislation from www.homeoffice.gov uk and to carry it with them when taking pictures in public places `whilst you still have rights exercise them he continues last week it emerged that the metropolitan police has significantly redrawn its official guidelines for officers news ap 8 may subscribe08456767778 monday 17 may exhibition beatles to bowie the 60s exposed until 5 september at norwich castle norfolk nr1 3ju exhibition scientists fellows of the society by anne-katrin purkiss until 6 june at dimbola lodge isle of wight po40 9qe tel 01983 756 814 visit www.dimbola.co.uk exhibition weegee a `major exhibition by the renowned photographer until 5 june at profile gallery cleveland ts12 1eg tel 07903 548 554 visit www profilegallery.co.uk exhibition beken of cowes features black white images of ocean vessels plus various classic cameras until 13 june at dimbola lodge isle of wight po40 9qe tel 01983 756 814 visit www.dimbola.co.uk 6 www.amateurphotographer.co.uki15may2010 tuesday 18 may latest ap on sale[close]
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as we went to press a polaroid-branded camera that prints out business card-sized instant prints was unveiled as the brand s owner struck a new partnership with fujifilm the polaroid 300 boasts four film settings an automatic flash and is powered by four aa batteries `instant is back declares polaroid for more see next week s news muybridge images uncovered for show © eadweard muybridge/u.s coast guard historian s office `unseen images in major uk exhibition jessops has recruited an expert in e-commerce from marks spencer to boost its online business and marketing sean emmett has been appointed to the new role of e-commerce and marketing director his prime focus will be to align online business with the marketing of the chain s high-street stores the move will ensure jessops wins the confidence of customers and grows the business said chief executive trevor moore moore said jessops online business has enjoyed `substantial like-for-like growth this `unseen 1871 image will appear in a major exhibition at tate britain later this year an 1871 image is among never-before showcased images captured by pioneering british photographer eadweard muybridge due to be exhibited for the first time in the uk later this year the exhibition will feature lighthouses from the photographer s commission for the us coastguard said a spokeswoman for tate britain in london which will host the show in the autumn the image revealed here is entitled `first-order light-house at punta de los reyes seacoast of california 296 feet above sea 4136 1871 muybridge was known for capturing motion using multiple cameras including images of a horse captured in 1878 the pictures revealed that when galloping the animal s hooves all leave the ground the tate britain spokeswoman told ap `we are also going to be showing some of muybridge s cyanotypes from 1885 as there are no negatives of muybridge s work in existence these cyanotypes are the closest we can get to the original images he created and give a new insight into his work as they reveal how he altered them cropping and cutting them in order to create the final images we see in his motion sequences the exhibition billed as the first in the uk to explore the full range of muybridge s work runs at tate britain from 8 september 2010 until 16 january 2011 uncertain times will cutbacks scupper photo museum plan national media museum nmm from saying whether it fears government cutbacks may scupper its plan to open a base in london the nmm which is britain s flagship photography museum has yet to confirm whether it has been granted government funding for the project which is expected to see the creation of 1,500m2 of exhibition galleries at a location in the capital yet to be named as we went to press in the run-up to the election it was not yet clear where precisely an incoming government will cut spending in order to tackle the huge budget deficit asked whether any government cuts would delay or curtail the project altogether a spokesman for the bradford-based museum pictured above remained tightlipped telling us that it was bound by strict guidelines issued by the cabinet office during the election period he told ap `this means we cannot comment on anything that could be interpreted as making a political statement or relates to governance and financially related issues until after the election last month we reported that the museum was searching for a team of designers and architects to work on its planned london outpost nmm bosses recently met relevant parties in london to discuss the move rumoured to involve the science museum the nmm has refused to confirm whether one or more venues is involved the galleries are due to open in september 2012 and will focus on photography film television radio and the internet the mystery venue is due to boast a screening and performance space private study rooms a large welcome lounge and a cafe and bar the nmm has said that a presence in london will enable it to bring its exhibitions programme and items from its collection to a `wider audience 7 cabinet office rules barred the complaints over orders besiege website a nikon d5000 dslr worth £689.99 is up for grabs in a prize draw open to people who register with ap s school of photographic imaging before 29 june 2010 for details visit www.amateur photographer.co.uk do you have a story contact chris cheesman tel 0203 148 4129 fax 0203 148 8130 amateurphotographer @ipcmedia.com angry photographers have besieged an online store with complaints claiming their orders have not been dispatched as promised customers have raised questions about crazycameras.co.uk which sells bargainpriced electrical goods via a uk website address but dispatches orders from its office in the united states it says to `minimise cost customers have used online forums to express their grievances among the complainants is ap reader robert painton who says he has still not received a £160 fujifilm camera he ordered for his daughter s 30th birthday in february painton told us that he has since been instructed by his bank to cancel the card he used to pay for the camera crazy cameras claims it will dispatch an order within seven working days provided the item is in stock another customer who eventually asked for a refund told a review-based website on 11 april `i ordered a camera and a couple of lenses from crazy cameras a few weeks ago and received nothing from them although forums are awash with online camera store under fire complaints there are reports of customers receiving their orders in response to our enquiry about robert painton s order a spokesman for crazy cameras support team told us `we would like to apologise for the inconvenience kindly provide us with the order number we will have this matter investigated and will confirm the status of the order speaking in general terms the office of fair trading said it looks into any complaints it receives but cannot comment on which businesses are under investigation a spokeswoman told ap `if people have experienced problems and have complaints they should let us know anyone concerned about a business should contact consumer direct on 08454 04 05 06 visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk subscribe 0845 676 7778 15 may 2010 i www.amateurphotographer.co.uk[close]
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ap s 14 may 1886 issue had some timely advice for an american cyclist called stevens who had begun a round-theworld cycle ride some months before ap recalled the case of a french photographer who had the misfortune to be captured in persia and held to ransom painting a somewhat graphic picture ap wrote `it was a case of ransom or something lingering like boiling oil or melted lead it is the recollection of this story which causes the uncertainty of mr stevens s position in persia 1886 the uk photo industry is gearing up for a 40-mile overnight trek along the south downs way to raise money for charity photoplod will take place on 4-5 june in aid of the charity action medical research donning head torches teams will compete against each other in the annual event versions of which are also set to take place in northern ireland the cotswolds and the scottish borders for details and dates visit www.action.org.uk plod the final versions of adobe lightroom 2.7 camera raw 5.7 and dng converter 5.7 are available for download at www.adobe.com the updates include raw-file support for such cameras as the canon eos 550d panasonic lumix dmc-g2 sony alpha 450 and olympus pen e-pl1 funny feet win renaissance prize a photographer has us photographer `natural winner karin rosenthal walked away with a £3,000 cash prize for a `nudes in nature image entitled `funny feet karin rosenthal a fine-art photographer from boston usa beat more than 3,700 entries in the renaissance photography prize a competition that raises funds for a breast cancer charity `since i began photographing nudes in nature in 1975 i ve used reflections to abstract the human figure said karin `in submitting i had no shortage of images to choose from i am truly honoured to receive this award and gratified to have participated in an event that supports breast cancer care the renaissance contest was the brainchild of fiona gifford an amateur photographer who has recovered from breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2006 the annual competition has raised close to £100,000 for the lavender trust at breast cancer care since it was launched a few years ago judges who included renowned photographers eamonn mccabe and charlie waite shortlisted 80 photographs for an exhibition prints from which were sold to raise cash for the charity pentax debuts optio m90 pentax is set to launch the optio m90 a 12.1-million-pixel digital compact with a 28mm equivalent wideangle zoom lens due out in mid-may priced around £120 the m90 s lens delivers the 35mm equivalent of a 28-140mm lens features include an auto 12.1-megapixel compact revealed panorama mode that allows images to be stitched together also on board is a 2.7in 230,000-dot lcd screen face recognition blink detection and smile capture functions the optio m90 will be available in two colours burgundy red and black ap understands that first samples of the new camera due to be delivered to uk journalists were delayed by the ash cloud from the icelandic volcano that caused transport chaos late last month clubnews club news from around the country the group is holding an exhibition at blackfen library until 21 may the library can be found at 7-9 blackfen parade blackfen road sidcup kent da15 9lu to contact the group call 01322 438 038 do you have a story contact chris cheesman tel 0203 148 4129 fax 0203 148 8130 amateur photographer @ipcmedia.com the practical photographic group market for digital cameras set to slow demand for digital cameras is approaching saturation point nikon s newly elected president has said the comments were made by makoto kimura who has been promoted to nikon corporation president from his role as head of nikon s imaging company `growth for existing digital camera products will inevitably slow and they are set to move into a phase of brighton hove camera club digital approaches `saturation saturation kimura told reporters at a news conference in tokyo he indicated that nikon would not enjoy the same stable growth over the next ten years as it has the previous decade `i intend to keep dialogue open for everyone to decide what we should do to achieve further growth despite this trend reuters quoted him as saying kimura will take up his new job in june ten photographers exhibit their work at the club until august the show takes place at the old market upper market street hove east sussex visit www.bhcc-online.org leicester leicestershire photographic society the society which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year will host an exhibition from 2 july-5 september the show takes place at the new walk museum art gallery 53 new walk leicester le1 7ea call 0116 225 4900 or visit www.landlps.org.uk 8 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk i 15 may 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778[close]
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books exhibitions and websites the latest photography books exhibitions and websites by jeff meyer apreview exhibition © ernst haas new york city 1965 website www.tommackie.com you know him as ap s architectural expert in photo insight but tom mackie is much much more the american expat is also well known for his landscape and travel work and he is quite an accomplished nature photographer after much scanning and fine-tuning mackie has just launched a new website making his extensive archives available to the public neatly categorised in galleries of specific themes the site is quick to load and easy to navigate each gallery can be re-arranged according to horizontal vertical panoramic or square-format images if you thought you knew the real tom mackie from reading his column in ap think again © tomas hoepker/magnum photos faces of our times iconic portraits of powerful and influential figures of the last 60 years until 29 may atlas gallery 49 dorset street london w1u tnf tel 0207 224 4192 website www.atlasgallery.com admission free london s atlas gallery is hosting a landmark collection of rare and iconic portraits by some of the most revered names in photography including mario testino eve arnold rené burri nadav kander and terry o neill to name just a few works on display such as alberto korda s che guevara philippe halsman s alfred hitchcock kander s obama and ernst haas s albert einstein see right were chosen not only for the influence of the subject but also for the iconic nature of the image spanning decades of photography politics entertainment and the arts this is an exhibition of incredible scope and guarantees there will be something in it for everyone this is a chance to see some of history s most iconic images www.amateurphotographer.co.uk i 15 may 2010 book palm springs 1960 robert doisneau flammarion hardback 156 pages £22.50 isbn 978-2-08-030129-1 we go from one late great french master to another this week with this new collection from robert doisneau s archive unlike cartier-bresson s portraits above this is doisneau as you probably haven t seen him subscribe 0845 676 7778 10[close]
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books exhibitions and websites book an inner silence a the portraits of henri cartier-bresson thames hudson paperback 160 pages £18.95 isbn 978-0-500-288757 cartier-bresson season with another release of spellbinding images from the master s archive this a collection of his portraits brings together some of the notable figures cartier-bresson photographed over his thames hudson continues its many years such as martin luther king h the dalai lama edith piaf above truman capote below picasso and marilyn monroe in ap 8 may we reviewed a compilation of cartier-bresson s work but this volume was perhaps even more enjoyable one gets from his images a real sense of curiosity about the human spirit his positioning and framing of subjects seems to translate his subjects personalities into his images a lot of contemporary portraiture seems to rely on stolid figures some of which is very good but what you get from cartier-bresson s portraits is more personal © 2006 henri cartier-bresson r c condensed r reading a round-up of the latest p photography books on the market three songs no flash by loe beerens £18.99 perhaps the most authoritative guide to performance photography we ve seen beerens explains the finer points of low light getting into position and even how much of the guitar neck should be included in your frame what s more the pictures are fantastic a must-have for any aspiring gig photographer ryan adams the cardinals a view of other windows images by neal casal £15.99 you don t need to be a fan of ryan adams to enjoy this collection of backstage images taken by casal his lead guitarist casal s series of 200 b&w images is a fine example of well-observed storytelling and careful compositions this photo diary of a band reveals the exhaustion loneliness and vices of a life on the road as well as the pure joy of it all great gardens of america images by andrea jones £40 jones a winner in this year s international garden photographer of the year competition takes us on a visual tour of 25 of america s top gardens perhaps these gardens are stunning in person but there isn t much that s special about these pictures skies are sometimes overblown and images are often flat and lack punch shanghai right now by kim laughton £15 china has been flavour of the month since the 2008 olympics but this is perhaps the first book to look at the nation warts and all this eclectic mix of photographs takes us to shanghai s city centre parks and nightclubs residential district and to the hidden alleys of skid row creative and technically superb laughton has made a powerful portrait of a city everyone wants to know about 15 may 2010 i www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 11 © 2006 henri cartier-bresson © robert doisneau however this isn t entirely a good thing doisneau is known for his black white parisian street scenes and this collection of 100 previously unpublished colour images sees the photographer far away from that comfort zone taken during a 1960 commission by fortune magazine to capture the essence of what was then a new celebrity oasis in the middle of the californian desert doisneau s hob-nobbing at parties and golf courses feels a little soulless then again perhaps this is the essence of celebrity culture he was trying to show although fortune hardly seems the sort of title to agree with this conclusion while it s fascinating to see doisneau s images in colour the novelty wears off after so many portraits of a socialite with a drink in her hand there are some great photographs in here but if we re being honest no one would pay much attention to this collection were it not from the archive of robert doisneau subscribe 0845 676 7778[close]
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have your say letters write to `letters at the usual ap address see page 3 fax to 020 3148 8130 or email to amateur photographer @ipcmedia.com please indicate whether you would like to receive fujifilm film or a memory card please state type preferred and include your full postal address a gross deception share your views and opinions with fellow ap readers every week letter of the week david clapp s photo insight article in ap 1 may reflects badly on photographers first the dishonesty of the ex-husband in telling his wife that he spent 90 less than he did something i imagine that many people do to lesser extents and second david s perpetuation of the deception while the initial lie wasn t his he continued it ignorance may be bliss but two grand in the back pocket might have soothed the seller and david would have had a clear conscience and been forced to save up like everybody else paul kellaway london e1 wins a 20-roll pack of 36-exposure fujifilm superia iso 200 35mm film or a fujifilm 4gb media card flashy options in a choice of compactflash sd or memory stick fine-art photographer backchat send your thoughts or views about 500 words to `backchat at the usual ap address see page 3 a fee of £50 will be paid on publication s i recently visited brighton in east sussex for a meeting and with a few minutes to spare went to photograph a nightclub with a regularly updated exterior see picture below as i approached i noticed a wall with graffiti and took a quick shot of it before doing the same with the nightclub i was walking around some parked cars to get a better view when i noticed a police community support officer watching me immediately i started to feel guilty so to defuse any unpleasantness i smiled and approached her `are you photographing the graffiti she asked `yes i replied `but i ve really come to photograph this building is there a problem `oh no she smiled `i was just going to tell you that there s a load of new graffiti round the corner you might like to photograph my wife saw me in conversation with the pcso and fearing the worst came over to support me and d if necessary calm me down but since this was s clearly unnecessary she and the pcso had a pleasant chat while i finished taking my pictures clearly not all encounters with pcsos o end in a section 44 search graeme dawes east sussex i wonder if the graffiti was hers damien demolder editor graeme daw es i enjoyed reading the comparison test of £500 dslrs by richard sibley in ap 1 may which was very interesting and informative on the last page richard states `with the af systems of the sony alpha 500 and olympus e-620 being more fidgety in lowlight conditions their af assist illumination features are much needed however while the canon eos 500d has an option to disable the flash from firing even when it is popped up this option is lacking in the alpha 500 and e-620 this means you must either accept that the flash will fire during the exposure or use the af illuminator then pop the flash down and lock focus before pressing the shutter having to fiddle like this is very inconvenient and could give somebody considering the purchase of one of these models justifiable pause but as the owner of an olympus e-620 i was also surprised by this statement since in my experience all olympus dslrs and pen models tend to be among the most user-configurable cameras on sale it therefore seemed uncharacteristic for an olympus model to have such an oversight in functionality i checked my own e-620 and am happy to report that it in fact does have the ability to cancel the flash firing when it is raised if the flash pop-up button is pressed after the flash has popped up the flash options immediately appear on the lcd monitor one of which is to suppress the firing of the flash these options can also be accessed via the e-620 s on-screen control panel or via its menu system the setting made will be remembered and results in the ability to fire the af illuminator without then going on to fire the flash the deeper menu system of the e-620 also offers many additional options such as the ability to do the reverse of this disable the af illuminator but still use the flash as well as the option to disable the automatic pop-up of the flash in scene modes so it is very thorough helen smith nottingham many thanks helen and apologies to any readers this may have confused turning the flash off while making sure that the af illuminator setting is still set to `on in the custom menu does indeed prevent the flash from firing in this situation richard sibley technical writer 12 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk i 15 may 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778[close]
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have your say life in the old dogs yet as an inveterate user of lenses intended for other cameras on both 35mm film and dslr cameras i was delighted to see your supplement encouraging their wider use guide to second-hand lenses free with ap 24 april it was especially refreshing to see your suggestion that users embrace their quirks and `imperfections as positives the modern obsession with sharpness above all other optical qualities i find particularly frustrating however i would like to make a couple of points while i entirely agree that oil or grease on an automatic diaphragm is a definite no-no in the case of preset and manual diaphragm lenses a modicum of lubricant is quite acceptable indeed from my experience of stripping down and reassembling many hundreds of lenses some lubricant is essential if the diaphragm is to work without damage particularly where a considerable number of blades are used early diaphragms from before the mid-1960s did not have the benefit of the friction-free coatings with which many more modern diaphragm blades are treated also tamron adaptall mounts have been placed in the same category as the simpler t-mounts t-2 being the most common but this is not the case with the t-2 having a simple m42 inner thread different pitch to the m42 lens mount which is screwed onto the lens in use the outer mount is then machined with anything from m42 thread to most variations of camera bayonet and is primarily for use with preset and manual lenses of many and various makes although there are auto-diaphragm t-2 mounts just to add to the fun the tamron adaptall-ii is far more sophisticated and will only fit suitable tamron adaptall-ii lenses finally you recommend using the packaging that comes with each lens as the ideal item in which to post a lens from painful experience i can say that this packaging is in fact not suitable unless bolstered with bubble-wrap/polystyrene chips and a decent twin-walled cardboard box having posted and bought lenses from all around the world there is nothing worse than finding a fine piece of optical equipment ruined in transit again thanks for the supplement it s always good to see life in old dogs being encouraged and i am not just talking about lenses mike martin south yorkshire i don t think we suggested that t-mounts and tamron adaptall are the same it just seemed sensible to group them together there are plenty of old dogs with life in them you just have to take them out of the kennels occasionally damien demolder editor ap reader chris derricott is sick of compromising when it comes to photographic equipment the digital camera has democratised our hobby so anybody can now take pictures back in the 1950s when i started taking photos today s cameras would have seemed like science fiction who could have dreamed of autofocus auto-exposure auto-scene recognition and face detection auto-everything my old leica ii focused with a coupled rangefinder and exposure was set with a weston master burst speed was determined by how fast you could turn the wheel to wind the film so why are all digital cameras still a compromise why is the technology still not capable of giving us one camera that can cope with everything many of you will say that it can but i disagree my first digital camera was an olympus with a 10x zoom range of 3.9-39mm this meant that depth of field was wonderful particularly when shooting macro and the lensto-sensor distance was so small that the lens diameter was a fraction of the old 35mm making it easier and cheaper to produce a lens with high resolution at two million pixels it was of course difficult to use this resolution to make cropped a4 prints i moved on to a nikon p8800 `bridge compact with eight million pixels this had a larger sensor so did not suffer from having too many pixels crammed into a small space with all the inherent problems that brings it also meant the lens had a longer focal length to produce the same 35mm equivalent it took raw images but a short burst at 3fps locked the camera for about 40 seconds while the images were written the old leica winding knob was therefore faster i now have a sony alpha 380 and with 14.5 million pixels we are getting nearer to that theoretical resolution of 35mm film this should be the camera to take advantage of the digital revolution don t get me wrong it is a great camera with vibration reduction in the body and many useful features yet it is still a compromise all those pixels on an aps-c-sized sensor make for high noise levels that would make the old kodak tri x film look as smooth as a baby s bottom the kit lens though decent for the price is not a patch on the olympus or nikon compacts or even the old leica 3.5 elmar i am back to carrying three lenses to cover the zoom range and i have resorted to close-up optics for macro since i can t afford a macro lens i know i can do a lot more than i used to with black white film in a wet darkroom and maybe i am moaning too much i also know that i could get a one-camera-fitsall solution by the simple expedient of spending about £10,000 on a full-frame dslr a quiver full of lenses and a sherpa to carry the kit around for me but why can t the boffins produce an affordable digital camera that does not have to be a compromise a lesson learned larissa turner s lovely shot appraisal ap 1 may was marred according to damien demolder by her oversharpening the image when i bought my first digital camera a fujifilm finepix s5600 i habitually set it to maximum sharpening as being new to digital imaging it seemed like the smartest thing to do can a photograph ever be too sharp well yes it can also during my digital novice days i read an article about sharpening in photoshop it advised an `average unsharp mask amount of 75 so i rather stupidly applied this to every image i took looking at those shots four years later they look absolutely awful there are many digital imaging faults that can be remedied in photoshop but incamera oversharpening is not one of them it s there for keeps nowadays when using my dslr i keep sharpness to a minimum a lesson learned indeed samantha johnson tyne and wear indeed a sharp eye is required to keep those settings in check damien demolder editor of every print for years the company also offers an excellent next-day service which is usually quick enough for most needs david walker via email the lighting was soft the wind was low and the cherry blossom was at its very best which i knew would not last long kitted out with a couple of macro lenses a sturdy tripod and the magnificent nikon d3s i drove to a curved private road which was full of pink and white cherry trees planted along the grass verges i was pretty sure that each homeowner had planted the trees outside each house sure enough after half an hour s intense photography the owner appeared and i was greeted with `to what do we owe all this attention i chatted to him about the joys of photographing his beautiful trees in such pleasant conditions and that i hoped he did not mind and in response he produced his business card and asked if i would email some of my shots to him to which i agreed later having changed lenses and still engrossed in close-ups and trying to line up the best out-of-focus backgrounds he reappeared and was surprised to find me still hard at work commenting that he should really have offered me a cup of tea it was a pleasant encounter all round and what a contrast to the months of reports about street photographers being stopped and searched by the police john cumberland via email an absolute pleasure doing it for years i noticed that in his backchat column in ap 1 may melvyn dover complains about the lack of a printer that can offer exif data on the reverse of his prints my suggestion to him is to use photobox www.photobox co.uk as it has been printing the date and time from the exif information on the rear subscribe 0845 676 7778 15 may 2010 i 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andy rouse wildlife andyrouse@ap thoughts from a wildlife photographer s world pyrrhula pyrrhula is a medium to large-sized finch that is round in shape with a robust bill the male is instantly recognisable with its bright pinkish-red breast and cheeks grey back black cap and tail and bright white rump the female has more brown colouring than the male lacking the red front and grey back these birds can be seen in woodlands hedgerows and orchards they are voracious feeders of the buds of various trees in spring and their habit of destroying fruit-tree buds means they are not universally popular they feed mainly on seeds with black sunflower being a particular favourite and buds bullfinches generally remain in the same area throughout their lives although they may move away from breeding sites during the winter in order to exploit feeding opportunities elsewhere there are estimated to be around 166,000 breeding pairs in britain they breed from april until september have four or five eggs and can produce up to three broods the bullfinch andy moves from charging silverback to billy bullfinch the challenge of native species stop the press it s headline news andy rouse big-animal photographer rubber-crocodile wrestler photographs a bird in white blossom yes i know it s unbelievable but it is true i have started to give up the travelling lifestyle and work more with the native species close to my cardiff home change comes to us all and before you ask no i am not pregnant over the past few months i have been working with a local photographer called welshie james on some feeding sites for common birds i have done this sporadically throughout my whole career with limited success but have never had a good run at it travelling always got in the way last year for example i found an awesome great crested grebe nest the day before i was due to be away for four weeks argh so now i am at home more i can work on my local species in a relaxed way and over time one local feeding site has been going now for five months and is starting to pay dividends i can pop down there at any time do a bit of creative perch arranging and get new imagery the wags among you may think that i will get bored because after all how can photographing a blue tit or a nuthatch compare to a charging silverback yet how can you be bored with these tricky fun little guys photographically it is challenging as they never sit still but the real key here is to take a long-term project view i always watch with a heavy heart those photographers who take one image here and another there without taking the chance to get to know a site and a species all you end up doing is taking record shots the shot that you see here is more than just a one-off point and hope it came from experience and knowledge of the feeding site and the behaviour of its little visitors i know the light direction and angle like it was my back garden and i know all the favourite perches enter billy bullfinch i have many portraits of him in all his magnificence but recently i have been looking for something extra to create this shot i simply placed some blossom in front of a favoured perch added a few sunflower hearts and billy s big stomach did the rest i shot through the blossom with my 200400mm lens and used an aperture of f/4 to blur everything i slightly misjudged the position of the perch and the blossom to crop into the tail but i think actually it gives the image a more balanced ethereal effect of course a lot of you will wonder why i just didn t take two pictures and sandwich them together in photoshop for me wildlife photography is all about getting the shot and this is where the fun is pitting my wits against billy bullfinch and his merry band of chirping friends sometimes they win and sometimes it s a draw but it is always fun is in the great outdoors and the feeling i get when i nail a winner is the same as anywhere in the world so thanks billy it s been a fun few months see you next winter ap © andy rouse is one of the world s most prominent wildlife photographers and a passionate conservationist two roles that go hand in hand as far as he is concerned a professional photographer for more than ten years andy has worked in every corner of the planet and photographed everything from ladybirds to elephants he has a dozen books to his name and regularly appears on tv he has also won multiple wildlife photography awards in this weekly column andy recounts some of his experiences shares his thoughts and highlights issues from the wildlife world you can see his work at www.andyrouse.co.uk and read his blog at www.andyrouse.co.uk/blog.asp you can even become a fan and keep up to date with `andy rouse wildlife photography on facebook andy rouse subscribe 0845 676 7778 15 may 2010 i www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 15[close]
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