Photography for Beginners - Issue No. 41.Bak

Plain English award winner Jargon-free photo magazine

Find us on…

share your shots!

Essential guides for Camer

mpact System Camera | iPad

7 steps to to great wildlife wildlife photos now

Shoot & edit edit panoramas Tricks for creating sweeping vistas

Guide to better better animal images

N G M S U SA E H RA W O R T CAM

£ 4 0 0

2

hr

Take Shoot more vibrant landscapes Capture perfect portraits

IMAGE EDITING FUNPROJECTS NEW KIT RA RATED ISSUE 41

Enhance your colour captures in Elements

Get creative with perspective & more

The latest camera camera releases reviewed

manfrotto.co.uk

manfrotto.co.uk

WELCOME

Issue 41

ure tu Cap t his sho t on th t

Page 32

Welcome 5

essential skills you will learn in this issue

If you’re ready to get out of auto but still find manual modes a little daunting, jo daunting, join in us on p18 p18 as we take you on a scene mode crash course. You’ll discover all there is to know about these easy-to-use shooting modes and learn how to take better shots in the process. We’ve also got a great feature on wildlife this issue, which starts on p30. Get stuck in and follow our seven steps for striking shots of animals today! That’s not all; you’ll also learn how to shoot and edit impressive impressive panoramas on p56 and take better macro shots using your cameraphone on p50.

01 TAKE BETTER SHOTS Head to p18 for a crash course in your scene modes

02 TIPS FOR WILDLIFE Turn to p30 and find out how to take better animal images

03 CAPTURE MACRO Take detailed close-ups on your cameraphone on p50

04 GUIDE TO PANORAMAS Shoot and edit impressive landscape panoramas on p56

05 ENHANCE IMAGES

Hay Hayley ley Paterek terek

Discover clever editing tricks to enhance colours on p62

Deputy Editor Follow us at @PFBMag

hoto ho toff begi beginn nners ers.c .com om For more great photo tips, head to photoforbeginners.com Get in touch with us… Ask questions, leave feedback on the magazine or share your shots via the following social sites…

@PFBMag

PFBMag

PFB Magazine

[email protected]

photoforbeginners.com

Photography for Beginners 3

Issue 41

Contents

84

Cameras on test Samsung NX mini and more reviewed

ESSENTIALS 06 Your photos Check out our selection of reader shots

10 Win slideshow software Enter our latest competition to win

12 How to share your photos The best ways to share your shots with us

14 Compacts with 4K video Discover the latest in camera technology

16 Free vs paid software Which do you use? Join the debate

17 Win a camera worth £400 Win a Samsung Smart Camera WB2200F

46Subscribe for free software Subscribe to PFB and get PhotoDirector 5

78 Your questions answered Your photo problems solved by the team

82 Get to know your camera Quick start guide to using your camera

84Latest cameras reviewed Find out what camera came out on top!

94 Essential travel photo kit Everything you’ll need for your next trip

96 CSC camera bag round-up Find the best bag for your camera

98 Flower cheat sheet Key settings and skills for flower photos

74 Share on Flickr Showcase your shots online

18

24hr camera crash course

Learn about scene modes & take better shots!

56 Panorama guide Practical shooting and editing guide for impressive panoramas

WHAT THE ICONS MEAN… Your quick-start guide to all the icons you’ll see in Photography for Beginners Cameraphone: Smartphones that are always with you

4

Photography for Beginners

Compact:Small, low-cost and easyto-use cameras

DSLR:Usually more expensive, but good image quality

Compact system camera:Good image quality, lightweight

Shutterspeed:The time your shutter is open for, in seconds

Aperture:The depth of field of an image, as an f-number

46

CONTENTS Issue 41

SUBSCRIBE TO...

GET MONE OFF ISSUE SHOOT

18 24hr camera crash course Capture better shots using scene modes

30 Steps to great wildlife shots Secrets to taking fantastic animal images

36 Tips for better compositions

30

7 secrets to better wildlife shots Fantastic tips and tricks to shoot great animal images today!

Discover the top three composition rules

38 Shoot & share holiday shots Take better group snaps and display them

42 Creative portrait project Create a mind-bending portrait in a flash

44 Capture a miniature scene Add a creative twist to your captures

48 Tricks for low-light photos Get great still-life shots in candlelight

50 Take detailed close-ups Practical steps to better macro images

54 Shoot & edit with VSCO cam Take impressive shots on your phone

What to shoot & when on p32

Guide to settings on p34

Ensure sharp shots on p35

56 Guide to great panoramas Learn to shoot and edit sweeping vistas

EDIT 62 Enhance colour captures Improve your colour images in Elements

66 Convert to black & white Steps to converting in PhotoDirector 5

50 Capture

68 Remove marks from photos Master spot healing & the Clone Stamp

SHARE

detailed close-ups

73 Order photo prints on the go Get lasting keepsakes of your best snaps

Steps to take great macro shots

74 How to share shots on Flickr Steps to set up and share your shots Lighting tips on p51

76 Share shots wirelessly Tips on sharing straight from the camera

For back issues & more go to…

. . . t a s o m . t o r s . c o n . . h s n n e a g r i F u e g B M o P b y r r o o f e o t fo a r h c r a e h h p O r s S

READERS’ GALLERY

Your photos 6G B A S am sur nygc 1 rd o w a mem i ll rece i ve a er inn e w on , or y card E ver y issue B SDHC mem Samsung 16G o f equa l va lue ze i pr a or .com/u k

ng s w w w. s am su nd cond i t ion

We love seeing your fantastic photos each month. Send in your best shots and you could see them appear on these very pages in a future issue!

Fu l l term s a on l ine a v a i la b le

Reader: Ian Fong Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center “Monteliusvägen is a quiet, local trail where you can catch a great view of Gamla stan and downtown Stockholm.” Shot on: Nikon D7000, ISO 100, f14, 10sec, 18mm Sent in via: Email

6 Photography for Beginners

YOUR PHOTOS

Readers’ gallery

Share your shots at: photoforbeginners.com


7

YOUR PHOTOS Readers’ gallery

Reader: Helen Clarkson Pine Cone “I took the shot in beautiful bluebell woods near Ashford, Kent, and liked the effect of the bluebells in the background.” Shot on: Canon EOS 550D, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/25sec

Reader: Joseph Cosentino Early Winter Sunrise On Moss Lake “This was taken at sunrise from the shore of Moss Lake in the Southern Adirondack Mountains in New York State. The sky and lake just lit up.” Shot on: Nikon D7000, 24-70mm lens, ISO 100, f11, 1/40sec, 70mm

Reader: Kevin Thornton

Reader: Sandra Bailey

Harbour View “This was taken during a trip to Mevagissey Harbour. On seeing the lobster pots and lighthouse behind, I knew I had a shot.” Shot on: Nikon D90, ISO 200, f9, 1/320sec, 30mm

Sweep A Boo “I was taking portraits of my kids when our dog jumped into the basket. He must have wanted to get in on the act.” Shot on: Nikon D90, ISO 200, f4.5, 1/200sec, 40mm

Reader: Amy-Lee Winfield Poppy Fields “This was a 'snap shot' taken on my way back from a shoot. It was raining at the time and I saw this poppy field as I drove home. I popped a bag over the camera, climbed into the field and snapped this!” Shot on: Nikon D7100, 18-105mm lens, ISO 100, f5.6, 1/160sec


Win cameraphone Send us your cameraphone shots and you could win a Manfrotto KLYP kit worth £95/approx $150. For more info head to www. manfrotto.co.uk. Full terms and conditions available online.

ENTER NOW: Send your shots to [email protected]

Reader: Lynsey Houston Tay Rail Bridge “This is a photo of the sunset over the Tay Rail Bridge, Dundee, in November last year.” Shot on: iPhone 4s

Reader: Carol Hogg Title: The Clock

Reader: Nicole Murdoch Title: Silhouette Of Edinburgh

Reader: Eliot Bradshaw Title: You’ve Got Something On You

Reader: Louise Aldridge Title: The Shard


Reader: Vicky Inseal Title: A Bright Bunch


READERS' CHALLENGE Action photography

WE CHALLENGED, YOU DELIVERED…

Action photography Read more about capturing the action in PFB Issue 40. Find this issue and more at…

Fast-paced action is great for producing striking and dynamic images, but is notoriously difficult to photograph well. It’s quite common to be left with blurry shots if you don’t know how to set up your camera properly, but once you know what you’re doing then it’s actually very simple to get right. The secret to taking great action shots is often down to choosing the right shutter speed. If you use a fast shutter speed then you can freeze fast-moving subjects in the fr ame to keep them sharp. Alternatively, you can use an Action scene

mode for the same ef fect. You’ll also need to focus accurately to prevent fuzzy photos. Our action photography feature in Issue 40 contains all of these tips and more, including fun projects to try out. P hot oSt or y Del u x e sof tw We also asked you a r e Send us y our shotsfor a chance to win a copy of MAGIX PhotoStory 2014 Delu xe,c ourtesy of to send in your best w ww .mag ix.com.T hissoftware, which allows y ou to turn yourphotos into f antastic slideshow s, isw or th £70 / $7 0. action shots. Here are our favourites.

W IN!

Reader: Stuart Sinclair Focus RS “This was my first attempt at panning. It was a massive step outside my comfort zone of architectural shots.” Shot on: Nikon D3200, ISO 100, f8, 1/125sec, 55mm

Your next photo challenge Wildlife photography Unlock the secrets to taking fantastic photos of wildlife in this issue, then send us your best shots by 6 August 2014 for a chance to win MAGIX PhotoStory 2014 Deluxe.


Prize may be substituted for an item of equal value. Full T&Cs available online.

READERS' CHALLENGE

Action photography

S h a r e s a t t o h s o m y o u r o r b e g i n n e r s .c o n

p h o t o f r c h P F B M a g r s e a o

Reader:

Sian Humphrey

Title: Catch!

Reader:

Lisa Donoghue

Title: Flying

Reader:

Paul Ridges Splash

Title: Colour

Reader:

Reader:

James Walsh

Bo Chetwyn Last Fence

Title: The

Title: Refreshing

Reader:

Stuart Bowes Without Wings

Title: Flying



11

SHARE YOU OUR R SHOT SHOTS S Here’s how to show us your stunning snaps

Share on our social sites Join the Facebook, Twitter and Flickr communities PFBMag

@PFBMag

Search for ‘PFBMag’ and click the tab. O n our page, hit Photo/Video, then Upload Photo/ Video. Browse for your image, write a message and click Post for it to appear on our wall!

PFB Magazine

Click the Compose New Tweet box and select Add An Image. Find your shot and click Open. Write some text, include @PFBMag, then click Tweet and we will see your photo!

Hit Upload to add images. Click on the image you want to share, then click Share>Grab the link. Email it to pfbteam@imagine-publishing. co.uk or post it to us on Facebook or Twitter.

Also share on our website Head to www.photoforbeginners.com n now ow Create a gallery

Be inspired

Become our favourite!

You can showcase your favourite images by creating your own gallery page on our website. It’s quick and simple to set up.

Browse through all the different categories to be inspired by other readers’ photos and get ideas of your own.

We pick our favourite shots to highlight in our Featured Image section. This could be you soon, so get uploading!

Enter the Face-Off Your shots are entered into our Face-Off section and pitted against other people’s – have fun watching your score rise!

ALSO ONLINE… The best of the rest on our great website Competitions Head to www.photoforbeginners.com and enter our weekly competitions to win some really fantastic prizes!

Tips and tutorials Our website is piled high with step-by-step tutorials and useful tips to help you take better photos of any subject.

News and debate We help you keep up-to-date with the latest industry news and releases. You can also get stuck into hot topics with our debates!



Fundamentals of Photography TIME O E D F T F I E M R I

L

55%

T

off

O

R

D

E R

S

U

G

U B Y 2 3 A

Taught by Joel Sartore Photographer,, National Geographic Fellow Photographer

�� 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Learn the Inside Secrets of Secrets of Professional Photographers Photographs can preserve cherished memories, reveal the beauty of life, and even change the world. Yet most of us point and shoot without really being aware of what we’re seeing or how we could take our photo from good to great. Just imagine imagine the images you could create ifif you trained trained yourself yourself to “see” as the professionals do. With Fundamentals of Photography , you’ll learn everything you need to know about the art of taking unforgettable pictures straight from photographer and National Geographic Fellow Joel Sartore—a professional with over 30 years of experience. Whatever your skill level, these 24 engaging lectures allow you to hone your photographer’s eye, take full advantage of your camera’s features, and capture magical moments in any situation or setting imaginable.

Offer expires 23/08/14

T��G��C��.��.��/4�� 0800 298 9796

Making Great Pictures Camera Equipment Equipment—What —What You Need Lenses and Focal Length Shutter Speeds Aperture and Depth of Field Light I—Found or Ambient Light Light II—Colour and Intensity Light III—Introduced Light Composition Compositio n I—Seeing Well Composition II—Background and Perspective Perspective Composition III—Framing and Layering Let’s Go to Work—Landscapes Let’s Go to Work—Wildlife Let’s Go to Work—People Work—People and Relationship Relationships s Let’s Go to Work—From Mundane to Extraordinary Let’s Go to Work—Special Occasions Let’s Go to Work—Family Vacations Vacations Advanced Topics—Research Topics—Research and Preparatio Preparation n Advanced Topics—Macro Photograph Photography y Advanced Topics—Low Topics—Low Light Advanced Topics—Problem Solving After the Snap—Workflow and Organisatio Organisation n Editing—Choosing Editing—Choosin g the Right Image Telling a Story with Pictures—The Photo Essay

Fundamentals Fundamenta ls of Photography Course no. 7901 | 24 lectures (30 minutes/lecture)

SAVE £30 DVD £54.99

NOW £24.99

+£2.99 Postage and Packing

Priority Code: 101237

For 24 years, The Great Courses has brought the world’s foremost educators to millions who want to go deeper into the subjects that matter most. No exams. No homework. Just a world of knowledge available anytime, anywhere. Download or stream to your laptop or PC, or use our free mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, or Android. Over 500 courses available at www.th www.thegreatcourses.co.uk. egreatcourses.co.uk. The Great Courses®, Unit A, Sovereign Business Park, Brenda Road, Hartlepool, TS25 1NN. Terms and conditions apply. See ww w.thegreatcourses. w.thegreatcourses.co.uk co.uk for details.

NEED TO KNOW KNOW A snapshot of what’s exciting us this month Get creative

Compact and lightweight

The camera features 22 in-built creative filters for enhancing your shots, including a new range of monochrome effects

The FZ1000 is a third of the weight of a DSLR and lens with a similar focal range

Edit in-camera Not only can you shoot in RAW format, but you can also process the files in-camera

Wi-Fi and NFC Scan a QR code on screen or tap an NFC-enabled device with the camera to connect them and start transferring images

Create a collage The Panasonic app now features a collage function that lets you combine several images together before sharing

Shoot highShoot high-qu qual ality ity video vi deo with a com compact pact Panasonic’s FZ1000 is the first compact to take 4K video OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS We got a sneak peak at the new Panasonic FZ1000 and had a chance to test it out. To find out what we thought of it, head to www.photoforbeginners.com and search ‘Panasonic F Z1000’. Z1000’.


It used to be that HD (high definition) was the pinnacle of video recording quality, but now 4K has burst onto the scene. This new movie format allows you to record video that is four times the resolution of full HD, capturing even more detail in your footage. There have been a few DSLRs and CSCs released with 4K video recording capabilities, but Panasonic are the first to launch a 4K compact camera, the LUMIX FZ1000. While recording high-quality movies, you can also take 8MP still images from the footage, letting you choose the exact moment of the action you want to keep without relying on the speed of your shutter finger. The camera also has a 25-400mm

superzoom lens that lets you fit plenty into your shots or get closer to far-off subjects, plus it is smooth and quiet to zoom to ensure your videos flow nicely. As well as producing high-quality video, the FZ1000 can also create detailed photos, photos, thanks to its 20.1MP one-inch sensor that is four times larger than a standard compact sensor. The lens’s maximum aperture of f2.8 at its widest setting and f4 at the telephoto end of the scale will also allow you to capture bright shots in low light and create a smooth background blur. The Panasonic FZ1000 has an RRP of £750/$900. For more information, please visit www.panasonic.com/uk.

NEED TO KNOW

News

This month on… photoforbeginners.com Quick tips for using flash

How to take a colourful still-life photo

Your camera’s flash is great for adding a bit of illumination into otherwise dark shots, but it can be difficult to get really natural-looking results. Our quick tips will show you how to soften the light.

Bright subjects will help make your still-life shots really stand out and grab people’s attention. Our guide will show you how to set up and shoot a really striking shot at home without expensive equipment.

PLUS ALL THIS How to use a reflector to light your subjects  How to remove lens flare in post-production  Up-to-date news and fun competitions 

Keep shots together with irista Canon’s cloud service helps you curate all of your image libraries in one place In the age of digital photography, it can be easy to leave your shots scattered across several devices and even lose them altogether. Canon is hoping to change all this with their new cloud-based image management platform, irista. The sleek user-interface features a powerful search index that lets you locate an image based on a wide range of criteria, including the date or location it was shot in and even the type of lens that was used to take it. As well being a safe place to store and access your photos, irista can also be used to share them directly to Facebook and Flickr, and it will even let you keep track of the likes and comments your shots get. irista is available to everyone, not just Canon users, and offers up to 10GB of photo storage for free, up to 50GB for £4.49/month and 100GB for £9.99/month. For more information, please visit www.irista.com .

Get the bes Download the Greatest Ever P Your cameraphone is great for snapping photos while on the go, and you can even download apps to help you shoot, edit and share your best ever shots. However, with so many apps out there to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which ones to download. That’s why we have put together the Greatest Ever Photo Apps digital bookazine. It contains our favourite iOS and Android apps for improving your shots, along with a handy step-by-step guide that shows you how to use each one. The Greatest Ever Photo Apps & How To Use Them book is available to download now onto your iOS device for just £1.99/$2.99 from the App store. Simply download the free Photography For Beginners app first and then purchase this new special edition within it. For more information on the app and book, please visit www. greatdigitalmags.com .



NEED TO KNOW Join the debate

JOIN THE DEBATE

THINGS WE LO VE

Do your pay for your editing programs? Editing software is a fantastic tool for photographers, as it can help you fix photo mistakes and transform your shots into brand new creative works of art. There are plenty of different programs to suit any budget, with free

options such as GIMP and Picasa, and paid for software such as Photoshop Elements. Both have their benefits, but which do you use? Join our debate and see what our deputy editor and readers think.

#PFBLoves

01

XSories Me-Shot Deluxe

Web: www.xsories.co.uk Price: £64/$80 This handy monopod for your compact or cameraphone helps you shoot over the crowds and take self-portraits. It also comes with a Bluetooth remote.

02

Spruced Up!

Web: www.spruced-up.com Price: From £2.50/$4.25 Have your photos retouched by experts with the Spruced Up! app. There’s a free online service that let you send off your problem photos to be fixed.

03

Web: www.tamron.eu/uk Price: £390/$590

OUR DEPUTY EDITOR HAYLEY PATEREK SAYS… Editing software can help you fix all sorts of photo problems and enhance your shots with creative effects, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are lots of free programs that you can download or use online that have plenty of tools and are

Tamron 14-150mm f3.5-5.8 Di III

easy to use. However, if you have the cash to spend, then paid for programs will give you the complete package with advanced functions and everything you could possibly need for perfecting your shots. They’re not massively expensive either, as Photoshop Elements costs just £78/$100.

A compact zoom lens for CSCs that weighs just 285g and has a stylish black or silver finish. The 10.7x zoom makes it ideal for taking on your travels.

04

Lowepro Toploader Zoom AW

What Photography For Beginners readers have to say… Terry Quinn

Stephen Pearce

Barry Kench

Dave Turner

“I have to use free software because I'm unwaged, but I still get amazing results. My favourite is Picasa 3.”

“I use Lightroom 5 mainly, although I do occasionally use GIMP and Picasa when I want to do really quick edits.”

“Some of the free programs are OK, but the paid ones give far better results if you know how to use them properly.”

“The paid for programs are very good, but not everyone can afford them. There are many good free programs.”

Sent in via Facebook



Sent in via website

THE POLL RESULTS SAY 33% PAY, 67% USE FREE PROGRAMS. CAST YOUR VOTE!


Web: www.lowepro.com Price: From £30/approx $51 Lowepro’s popular camera bag series has had an update. They are lighter in weight, have brand new zippers and pockets, and they’re available in three sizes.

Search for #PFBLoves on Twitter to see what we love

Join the debate at...


Search for PFBMag on...

! I N WA Samsung Smart

Camera WB2200F Plus three lucky runners-up will each get a Samsung 16GB EVO SD memory card

Samsung’s new Smart Camera WB2200F makes it easy to frame your shots in creative ways. The Dual Grip system lets you shoot comfortably in either orientation and also gives you extra battery capacity so that you can keep shooting for longer. The 20mm wide-angle lens has a 60x optical zoom that is ideal for capturing both sweeping vistas and close-ups of far-off detail, and then you can share shots via your smartphone

with Samsung’s Tag & Go system, which features built-in Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities. For a chance to win this fantastic camera, enter our competition now! The winner and runners-up will also receive one of Samsung’s brand new 16GB EVO SD memory cards that can store up to 9,310 8MP photos, and boasts ultra-high-speed performance for capturing images and transferring them to a PC quickly. To find out more, visit www.samsung.com.

P L US ! A 16 GB Samsung SD ca r d

HOW TO ENTER: Send your name, contact details and your best shot to us by 21 August 2014. Email: [email protected] Website: www.photoforbeginners.com

Terms and conditions This competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Imagine Publishing has the right to subst itute the prize with a similar item of equal or higher value. Camera colours may vary. Employees of Imagine Publishing (including freelancers), Samsung, their relatives or any agents are not eligible to enter. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. Full terms and conditions are available on request. From time to time, Imagine Publishing or its agents may send you related material or special offers. If you do not wish to receive this, please state clearly on your competition entry.


SHOOTING


24hr camera ours Discover how to take perfect shots of any subject using your camera's scene modes When you’re taking your very first steps into the world of photography, Auto

mode is a safe place to sta t and often produces impressive results. However, if you ant to get a ittle more creative with our shots but still find manual m des a little daunting, exploring your camera’s scene m des i a great next step. Scene modes give your camera an extra helping hand in working out the optimum settings o use. In Auto, the came a has to gues the type of photo you w nt o take, but all it has to go on is the available light in the scene a d position of your subject. This is why it can sometimes

get it a bit wrong and produce a disappointing photo that’s only good enough for the delete button. Scene modes give you the chance to tell your camera the type of shot you’re hoping to produce, so it can then pick the best settings for the job. Even if you’ve already ventured into manual shooting, scene modes are still great to fall back on if you’re in a rush or having trouble capturing the perfect shot. Most cameras offer a large selection of scene modes that cover the most common shooting scenarios. They’re incredibly simple to use, but it’s often not clear exactly what they do. In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know along with some projects to help you put your skills into practice.

Any scene, any camera Every digital camera has scene modes, including some models of cameraphone. Many Android and Windows smartphones offer easy shortcuts for shooting a variety of tricky scenes to help you take perfect shots on the go. However, if your phone doesn’t have scene modes, then you can download alternative camera apps that do, such as Camera+ (iOS, £1.49/$1.99).


SHOOTING 24hr camera crash course

Incredible close-ups

Perfect portraits

Get closer to interesting and intricate subjects to reveal their fascinating details. For more on Macro scene mode, head to page 25

Master simple techniques for taking flattering people shots with a helping hand from our guide to Portrait scene mode on page 22

Dynamic action

Stunning sunsets

Learn how to use Action scene mode to take fantastic shots of sports, wildlife and other moving subjects on page 24

Find out how to shoot spectacular sunsets to capture breathtaking images with minimal fuss on page 28

Luscious landscapes Discover all you need to know about Landscape scene mode and how to compose perfect shots of stunning vistas on page 20


Low-light scenes Shooting in low light can be tricky, but night-time scene modes will help you take perfect shots every time. Find out how on page 26


19

SHOOTING 24hr camera crash course TO SHO T IN AU

MODE SHO T IN LANDSCAPE

Bold green hues Green hues are enhanced when using this mode, so landscapes appear much more vibrant

Shooting in auto In Auto mode, your camera won’t know that you are shooting a landscape so your shots could look a little dull with not enough detail throughout the frame.

Sharp focus In this mode, the camera will ensure the landscape appears sharp front to back using a narrow aperture setting

Shoot stunning landscapes Use Landscape scene mode to capture vivid images of spectacular vistas Landscape scene mode is found on most cameras and is sometimes even included on the mode dial. It sets up the camera to keep the entire scene in focus, from front to back, so that your shots will be detailed throughout. It usually also boosts the natural blue and green tones in the scene to make sure that your photos are viv id


and vibrant. As the scene mode picks the settings for you, you can take your time framing the shot and put your compositional skills into practice. It gives you the perfect opportunity to train your creative eye and really think about how to make your image as engaging and visually pleasing as possible.


Composition tricks

Bright blue sky Landscape scene mode will enhance the blue hues so that skies really stand out

D o i t y o ur s e l f

U se a n a r ro w ap e r tu r e e ve r y th t o k e i n g i n f o ep c u s ho o t i n ’ r e g h an d s. I f y ou h e l s hu d, u se t te a r s pe e d o 1 / 60 s s t e c . I f y o f at l ea u’ r e u si t ri po d , s lo a w i t ng t o n b lu r m ov d ow in g w at e r

Lead the eye

01

Including natural lines in shots will guide the viewer through the photo and towards your main focal point.

Add foreground interest

02

Avoid photographing an empty horizon and large expanse of sky by including a bit of foreground interest.

Reflect the scene

03

Reflective surfaces, such as lakes and ponds, allow you to include a mirror image of the scene in your shot.

Switch on gridlines Most cameras give you the option to switch on a gridline display, which shows a nine-section grid on the back LCD screen. This will help you follow some of the compositional tricks such as the rule of thirds. To follow this rule, position your main focal point along one of the vertical lines and the horizon roughly along one of the horizontal lines.


Use natural frames

04

To really draw attention to the main focal point of your photo, look for frames to position around it.



Take perfect portraits

T ak e y our shot outdoors or near a br ight w indow t o use nat ural light . Use a re flect or or flash to fill in an y harsh shadow s

Shoot flattering people shots of yourself or others with help from Portrait scene mode Portrait shots are important to make your subject stand out get right, as you want to create and eliminate any distractions in the most flattering image the scene. Some portrait scene possible of your model. Portrait modes will even add a softscene mode will focus effect to smooth your automatically detect subject’s skin for a your subject and flawless finish. Using D o i t y o keep them sharp this scene mode is u rs e I f y ou l f w an t m or e c on t he s ho t and well particularly handy r o r t , s w i t t o A l o ve P r io r it y an ch p er tu r e d c ho exposed, even if for taking self o s e ap er tu a w id r e ( sm e a l l f -n b lu u r t he m b you’re shooting portraits, as it can e b ac k r) t o gr o u n d s el e . T he c t S po n t m et e in tricky lighting be tricky to make g an d f oc u s o n t h r in e e ye s conditions. It will adjustments behind also create a the lens when you also shallow depth of field need to be in front of it. Just effect by setting a wide follow our easy tutorial below aperture to produce creative and take a fantastic selfie for background blur, which can your profile pages.

TO SHO T IN AU

Shadowy subject Auto mode may struggle to pick out your subject and can leave them underexposed, particularly if they are backlit.

Snap a self-portrait Use a scene mode and put yourself in the frame

Select your mode

01

Set your camera to Portrait scene mode so that it will do all the hard work for you. This should automatically detect your face to keep it bright and in-focus in your shots, so that you can concentrate on smiling and posing.


Choose a focal length

02

For a flattering shot, set up your camera about two meters away from where you are planning to stand, then zoom in to use a focal length of about 50mm. This should produce a wellproportioned close-up with no distortion.

Set the timer

04

Find your camera’s self-timer mode and set it to shoot with a delay of a few seconds. This should give you enough time to get into position and pose after you’ve pressed the shutter. Make sure you know where to stand.

SHOOTING 24hr camera crash course DE SHO T IN POR TRAI T MO

Sharp results The camera will detect the face and ensure the features appear sharp

Soft background The background will softly blur to isolate your subject and make them the focus

Smoother skin Portrait scene mode will smooth and even out skin tone for a flattering result

Use a tripod

03

Now set your camera up on a sturdy tripod or rest it on a flat surface such as a table. You could take your shot by holding your camera at arm's length without self-timer, but for a more natural image it is best shoot hands-free.

Flip the screen

05

If your camera has an LCD that can flip out or upwards, use it to help you frame the photograph. If you don’t have this option, then it may take a couple of attempts to get yourself in the right position.



SHOOTING


Blur-free shots In Action mode the camera will use faster shutter speeds so that movement is frozen

Photograph the wildlife Action scene mode isn’t just for photographing sports – it will also help you capture great images of wildlife, too.

Shoot a burst Some action scene modes will automatically take a burst of images, but if yours does not, set it to shoot continuously to increase your chances of getting a great shot.

Freeze the action Let Action scene mode help you shoot sharp shots of fast subjects Getting blur-free photos when your subject is moving around can be quite a challenge, particularly if you don’t have much time to get your camera ready. Action scene mode is a simple solution, as it will automatically set a fast shutter speed to freeze your subject in the frame and keep them blur-free. It will also try to track them as they move


and continually re-focus to make sure they are sharp. This scene mode is typically suggested for shooting sports, but can also be used for a variety of other shooting situations. It’s great for getting perfect photographs of your kids or pets as they run around, and can also be used for capturing fantastic images of unpredictable wildlife.

l f o u r os s e y t i e o D a n t t o c h o i t tc hh e t o

w I f y o u y o u r s e l f, s w l e c t a s s e g s e t t in P r io r it y a n d e s p e e d T h e r S h u t t t e r s p e e d. n y o u r s o h u t f a s t s e e d d e p e n d 0 s e c i s n 2 u / o 1 5 y t, b u t t a r t s s u b j e c g d o o a


Get up close Take marvellous macro photos using the close-up scene mode Getting close to your subject can help you reveal intricate and fascinating details that may otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. Macro mode will tell your camera that you’re photographing an object very close to the end of the lens, so it will help you focus up close to keep your subject sharp. The

minimum focusing distance will depend on your camera, but it will help you get a little closer than you would be able to in standard auto mode. It should be able to detect your subject to keep it sharp but may also create a bit of background blur to separate it from the backdrop.

Get even closer

Intricate details Close-up mode enables you to focus closer to subjects so that details are magnified

If you want to shoot even closer to your subject than your camera will allow, you will need to add a special macro accessor y, such as a macro lens or extension tubes. To find out more about your options, visit www. photoforbeginners.com and search ‘Macro photography kit options’.

Pin-sharp focus This mode assists with focus and softly blurs backgrounds to add emphasis to your subject

D o i t y o ur s e l f

I f y ou w an t m or e c on t he s ho t r o r t , s w it t o A l o ve P ri o r i t y an ch p er tu r e d c h o os e ap er tu a w id r e ( sm e a l l f - nu b lu r t he m b er ) t o b ac k gr o u n s el e c t S po n t m et d. T he e r in g an d f oc u s o n y o ur s ub j ec t



SHOOTING


D o i t y ou r s e l f

W he n s h o ot i n c re a ti n g m o g s ti l l s ce n e s ti o c a me r a o n n b lu r , s et o r a t r ip y o ur S hu t te od , c h r P r o o i s hu t te r s p or it y a n d p i se d ck b n ot , u ee w 1s a s e a f el o ec . I f a s t e a n d r a r s pe e d is e y ou r I S O

Creative results If your night scene mode uses slow shutter speeds, experiment with light trails in a busy town or city

Take a low-light portrait Many cameras have a special Night Portrait scene mode in addition to a landscape one. This will have many of the same functions as standard Portrait scene mode, but also helps you control the flash. It will usually employ a slow sync technique, using a slow shutter speed to record the ambient light in the scene, and then firing the flash to illuminate and freeze your subject in the shot. This ensures that both the background and foreground of your image are well lit, rather than showing a bright subject on a dark black background.



Shoot at night Use the Night Landscape scene mode to capture bright images in low light Shooting in low light can be very tricky, so night-time scene modes are particularly useful. There are different varieties of this type of scene mode, and each one will help you achieve a different effect. A standard night landscape scene mode will set a slow shutter speed to allow plenty of light through the lens,

but will mean that you have to use a tripod to avoid camera shake. Some cameras have a handheld night scene mode that will pick a fast shutter speed for blur-free shots and increase the sensitivity to brighten things up. This could result in grainy images through, depending on how well your camera deals with digital noise.

Capture light trails

Find a location

01

Find a busy road and set up your camera on a tripod so that you can shoot the traffic from an angle. Bridges over motorways are ideal, but try to shoot oncoming traffic as the front headlights are brighter.

Blur traffic headlights for creative effect

Set your white balance

02

Your camera’s auto white balance setting may struggle to compensate for the warm colour temperature of the car headlights. Set it to Incandescent or Tungsten mode to cool down the shot and prevent an orange colour cast.


Get ready to shoot

03

To prevent causing camera shake when you press the shutter button, set up your camera’s self-timer or use a remote release. Then when it is suitably dark, fire the shutter and leave the camera until it has finished the exposure.


27


Capture stunning stunni ng sun sunsets sets Record spectacular images of the setting sun using Sunset scene mode Shooting as the sun is setting is a g reat way to capture a wonderful golden light in your photographs. If you spot a breathtaking sunset, then Sunset scene mode will help you get your camera ready to shoot in no time at all. It will make sure that the entire scene is in focus, much like

Landscape scene mode, but may also use a slow shutter speed to capture plenty of light. This means you will need to use a tripod. Sunset scene mode will also boost the colours in your photo to make them more vibrant, particularly any reds, oranges and yellows.

Take photos indoors

Vibrant vistas Select Sunset mode to enhance the saturation so that colours really stand out

Shoot sand and snow

Use indoor or party scene modes to take bright shots in dimly lit rooms

Take perfect shots no maer where in the world you are

When taking photos indoors, there is quite often very little natural light to work with, which can leave you with dull-looking shots. Indoor scene mode, sometimes known as Party scene mode, will help you keep your shots bright by increasing the camera's sensitivity to ligh t. Be aware that this can result in grainy images, depending on your camera’s sensor quality and size. It will usually also set a fast shutter speed so you can shoot handheld and still capture blur-free shots.

Shooting in white snow or sand can sometimes confuse your camera and leave you with disappointing shots. It tends to read these surfaces as overly bright and then underexposes your shot to compensate, which is why snow and sand can often look grey in your images. Beach and Snow scene modes will tell your camera that these surfaces are supposed to be a bright white, so it will then adjust the exposure accordingly and record the scene accurately.


Not just for dummies

TM

A clear, comprehensive series for people who want to start learning about iPhone, iPad, Mac, Photoshop, photography and more

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY

Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www www.greatdigitalmag .greatdigitalmags.com s.com Available on the following platforms

facebook. facebook.com/I com/Imagi magineBoo neBookazi kazines nes

twitter twitter.co .com/Book m/Books_Ima s_Imagine gine

SHOOTING

Wildlife photography

7 sec secre rets ts to be bettter wildlife shots Uncover the essential steps to taking amazing animal images

When it comes to photographing wild animals, it’s important to remember the three Ps: planning, preparation and

patience. Before you even pick up your camera, do a bit of research into your subject so that you can learn their habits and figure out the best way to track them down. After the planning, you can then start

1

Edit and perfect Follow our editing tips for fixing common wildlife photo mistakes on page 34 and transform your shots into professionalquality pictures

Set up and shoot Turn to page 34 to discover the perfect settings for taking striking wildlife shots, no matter what camera kit you own

preparing for your shoot, making sure that you have all the kit you’ll need. Getting the perfect shot is often more of a marathon than a sprint, because you can’t c an’t direct an animal like you would a human portrait subject. However, if you’re well prepared,, it will be worth the wait and you’ll prepared get some fantastic shots to be proud of.

Essential wildlife kit Useful kit for getting great shots of animals

Camouflage cover

Telephoto lens

Sturdy tripod

Remote release

Keeping your camera camouflaged will help you blend in with your subject’s surroundings. Wildlife Watching Supplies make reversible camera and lens covers in a range of sizes and patterns (from £31/approx $53).

A lens with a long zoom is great for getting wildlife close-ups from a distance. Sigma’s 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG MACRO lens (£170/$270) has a lengthy focal range and is also good for taking macro shots of tiny critters and detail.

Using a tripod will allow you to shoot remotely, as well as keep your shots steady at long focal lengths. Manfrotto’s Compact Action tripod (£60/$70) is lightweight and has a joystick head for making quick and smooth adjustments.

Controlling your camera from a distance while it’s on a tripod will help you shoot without disturbing your subjects. Nikon’s InfraRed ML-L3 remote control (£20/$21) can fire the shutter of most Nikon cameras and is very compact and easy to use.


SHOOTING Wildlife photography

Find a subject Learn the best times of day to find and photograph popular wildlife subjects and discover useful tips for enticing them into view on page 32

G et e ve n c lo s e r t o a ni m a l I f t he s l en s o n

y r D S C SC w on L ’ t z ou m i n f ar R o r y ou c an oo e n u o g e x te h , n d i ts r ea a t el e c h w i c o n v e th r te r . T he s b et w e e e n y ou r c am fi t er a an d l en s

Frame the shot Master top tips for composing willdife photos to avoid distracting backgrounds and create really engaging shots on page 33




2

What to shoot and when Discover the best times of day to track down wildlife

No matter what time of day it is, you’ll always find a great wildlife photography subject somewhere among the flora and fauna. However, if you want to track down a specific animal, then it is a good idea to find out when they are at their most active. This is often when they are out looking for something to eat, so finding their food source is a good place to start.

Of course, you could make it a little easier by putting some food out to entice them to you, but make sure that it won't be harmful to their health. And if you’re struggling to find animals in your garden, you can always go looking for them at your local nature reserve or zoo.

AM

Rabbits

Mice

Ferrets

Butterflies

Bees

3

Lizards

Hedgehogs

Stay undetected Keep still and quiet to bag the shot

If you make yourself known to your wildlife photography subjects, then they are likely to run, fly or scamper away before you have a chance to get the shot. To make sure you don’t scare them off, do everything you can to stay


Squirrels

undetected. Avoid wearing bright clothing that stands out against your surroundings and don’t make any sudden movements or loud noises that will draw attention to you and your camera. Turn off your camera sounds and flash, too.


T he r ig h t l i h g t T he b es t l ig h t

f o r c an u su a s ho l ly b e r y ou t s n d o r d us at d a k as t f ou w n h e s un l i g an d g ol ht i s s de n of t , d ay s w h o r o n o ve r c as t en i t i s d i f fu s e d b y t he c lo u d s

Zoom in to get closer to your subject without disturbing them

PM

Deer

Foxes

L ea v e s om e s pa c e I f y ou r s ub j ec t

i s m ov i n l oo k i n g aw ay g o r f ro m t he l ea v e s o c am me ac ti er a, v e o r l oo s pa c e i n k i n g f ro n t o f t he m t o g i ve t he s ho t s om e c on t e x t

Badgers

Wide-angle focal lengths could cause your subject to appear lost against a busy backdrop

4

Consider composition How to frame your animal images

When you’re busy tracking down your wildlife subject, it can be easy to forget about the composition. However, don’t be tempted to use the point, shoot and hope for the best method. Instead, put a bit more thought into how you want the shot to look. It is best to photograph animals from their eye-level to capture a more


Use a telephoto focal length to remove distraction and create an engaging close-up

natural and majestic image, but you will also need to make sure the background isn’t too distracting. The best way to remove a cluttered backdrop is to zoom in for a close-up shot. Fill the frame with your subject and try to capture them looking down the lens for a really intimate and engaging photo.



5

Get set up Pick the perfect settings for photographing animals

Before you fire the shutter to capture your perfect wildlife photo, you first need to set up your camera. It is best to do this as soon as you arrive at your location, or even before, so that you will be ready to shoot when you spot your subject. Once you have got it all set up,

leave your camera on so that you will be able to shoot at a moment’s notice if your subject unexpectedly appears. Make sure that it is fully charged up beforehand and bring spare batteries. If you're unsure which settings to choose, read on to discover our secrets…

a U s e o d e m e e f u l s c e n n e m o d e i sd l u i sf e a s i t

n s c e p h i n g w i l r e A c t io t o g a o t s a o r u r s h n h f o r p n s u r e y o f r e e. L e a r w i ll e a n d b l u r - o d e s m s h a r p u t s c e n e 8 1 e a b o g a o n p

7

Perfect shots later Fix mistakes with easy edits

If you’re not entirely happy with your transform your problem shots into shots, don’t worry. Wildlife perfect pictures. Unfortunately, photography can be a correcting a photo that is challenge, so you won’t completely out of focus is E di t y ou always get great practically impossible, so r i m a g e s f or f re photos that are ready I f y ou e ’ r e focusing accurately is very o n a b ud g e c an u se t to share with the important. However, slightly t h en y ou f re e p ro g ra m s s u as P ic c a h s a o r G world straight away. soft details can easily be d ow I MP , n l o a d f re e e di ti o r an d t we n Luckily, all sorts of dealt with, along with many g a p ps a k s ho t s o n y o u s r m a r t d ev i c mistakes can be fixed other common photo issues. e with a few basic editing Read our quick tips on the right tricks, so it won’t take long to to find out how.


Adjust the exposure

Correct the tones

If your shot is too bright or too dark, you can quickly fix the problem by going to Enhance> Adjust Lighting>Brightness/ Contrast. Adjust the Brightness slider to bring back detail in the shadows or highlights and boost the Contrast slider a little if necessary.

To enhance the colour tones in your shot, go to Enhance> Adjust Lighting>Levels. Adjust the arrows underneath the histogram graph until your shot has more impact, or use the colour picker tools to select a similar tone in your shot and do it automatically.


Choose your mode Switch to Shutter Priority mode and select a fast shutter speed to freeze your subject in the frame. 1/250sec is a good starting point for blur-free bird and animal photographs.

Adjust your ISO If you’re shooting in bright conditions, keep your ISO low to avoid grainy shots. However, if your shots look too dark, use a higher value to boost your camera’s sensitivity to light.

Shoot a burst To increase your chances of capturing the perfect shot, switch on your camera’s Burst or Continuous Shooting mode. This will take a series of shots as you hold down the shutter.

Sharpen it up

Make final tweaks

To sharpen up any soft details in your shot, go to Enhance> Unsharp Mask. Increase the Amount slider to sharpen the image until you start to see finer details in the preview window. Keep the Radius and Threshold values low for a natural effect.

If there are any sections of your photograph that still look too bright or too dark, then use the Dodge and Burn tools to fix them. Set the Exposure to around 60% and then brush over the problems areas in order to bring out more detail in your image.


6

Focus the shot Keep your subject sharp in your photos

Perhaps the trickiest part of taking great wildlife photos is keeping your subject perfectly sharp. As you can’t direct them to stay still, it’s quite common to be left with blurry shots as they move quickly and unexpectedly. This is why selecting

the correct focusing mode is so important, as it can be the difference between a fuzzy photo and a pin-sharp masterpiece. The crucial part of your shot to keep sharp is your subject’s eyes, as these will be the main focus of your image.

Selective Autofocus

Continuous Autofocus

When your subject is staying still, switch to Single or Selective Autofocus mode. Either use the central autofocus point and keep your subject central in the frame, or choose the autofocus point that is over your subject’s eye.

If your subject is moving, switch to Continuous Autofocus mode. This will get your camera to continually refocus the shot as the animal moves around so that they will be perfectly sharp when you press the shutter.


SHOOTING Quick tips

3 tips for better compositions Discover some of the rules and start taking better shots

Composition can make or break an image, which is why it’s one of the first photo skills every beginner should master. An image with a strong composition should be visually pleasing and balanced. These traditional composition rules, used by artists and photographers, are still relied on today…

Leading lines

Rule of thirds

Foreground focus

Leading lines are a great way to draw the viewer’s eye into the frame and onto a focus point. When composing, look for natural leading lines in a landscape such as pathways and fences.

The rule of thirds helps to balance an image. Envision a nine-section grid over the scene and position your focal point on one of the intersecting points. Many cameras have gridlines that you can use to help.

A vast, open landscape can look a little flat without a focal point. Always try to frame something within the foreground to give the impression of depth and give the viewer something to focus on.



SMILE

Visit the home of photography. We’ll find a camera just right for you.

1.

1. Canon EOS700DDigital SLRwith 18-55mm IS STMlens

2.

3.

2. Canon EOS70D DigitalSLR 1

£589

£758 after £100 cashback £858 payable in store

Exclusivekit withadditional battery andlens cloth.

Exclusivebody kit withadditional batteryand shoulderstrap.

Productsupport£4 permonth.

Productsupport£4 permonth.

3.CanonEOS 5DMarkIIIwith 24-105mmlens

£2899 Full frame 23.4"MegaPixel CMOS sensor andDIGIC5+ processor will enableyou to achieve oustanding imagequality.

Visit usin store We have over one thousand advisors ready to help find the right camera for you. Visit us in store for advice and a demonstration or see our extensive range now at www.currys.co.uk/homeofphotography

2year guarantee2 includedon allDSLRs andcompact systemcameras.

IN STORE ONLINE MOBILE

1 Visitcanon.co.uk/summercashbacktoclaim. Validonpurchasesbetween15.05.14and13.08.14.Claim deadline13.09.14. 2For morei nformationvisit http://currys.cdn.dixons.com/css/themes/pdf/wk48-dslr-guarantee.pdf. Prices correct of advert going to print01.07.14. Websiteoffersand pricesmayvary.All offerssubjecttoavailability.DSG RetailLtd.,MaylandsAvenue,HemelHempstead,Herts.,HP27TG.RegisteredinEngland.No. 504877.

SHOOTING Create a photo cube

Create a photo cube from your holiday snaps Display several shots at once with a stylish photo block

38


SHOOTING

Create a photo cube Along with your sun cream and flip flips, your camera is one of the most important items to pack for your holiday. Taking photos of the places you visit will help you preserve your memories of the trip and share your experiences with your friends and family back home. To find out how to capture images of the spectacular views, stunning sunsets and beautiful night-time scenery, turn to page 18 and read our guide to using scene modes. However, you’ll also want to take photos of yourself and your holiday companions enjoying your visit to new and exciting places, so it’s a good idea to brush up on your portrait photography skills too. When travelling to warmer climates, you’ll have to deal with bright lighting conditions that can cause your subject to squint in your shots or leave harsh shadows across their face. To prevent these unflattering issues, you’ll need to master shooting

backlit portraits that keep your subject and their surroundings well exposed. The simple solution to the problem is to move your subject into the shade, but if this isn’t possible we will show you another way to deal with it using flash. However, if you can’t get to grips with the technique, all is not lost. By turning the page you can discover how to fix common holiday photo problems, such as bad exposure and distracting backgrounds caused by other holidaymakers walking into the shot. By the time your holiday is over, you will probably have a memory card or two full of fantastic shots. Sharing them on your favourite social networks is a great way to let all your friends see what you got up to, but don’t be tempted to leave your shots as digital files. Printing them off and putting them into a stylish photo cube is a great way to display several of your favourite photos at once.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED…

Digital camera with flash Editing software Printer & photo paper Scissors & glue Photo cube WE USED…

Fujifilm S9400W Photoshop Elements Harrison Cameras Acrylic Photo Cube YOU COULD USE…

Any digital camera External flashgun Picasa Artsy Couture Cube Décor WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…

How to take, edit and display holiday shots

Shoot! Get set up to shoot a backlit group shot

Position your subjects

Set your mode

Use face detection

The last thing you want is a shot of everyone squinting at the sun, so position your subjects so that the light is behind them. This is likely to leave them in shadow, but we will fix that later by using flash.

01

Set your camera to Aperture Priority and choose an aperture of about f5.6. This should keep everyone in focus but create a bit of background blur to make your subjects stand out. Alternatively, use Portrait mode.

02

03

Choose a focal length

Fire your flash

Shoot a burst

04

05

06

To fit everyone in the photo, you will need to zoom out to use a wide-angle focal length. However, try to avoid using the widest setting as it can create distortion. Take a few steps back and zoom in a little instead.

With the light behind your subjects, they will probably be silhouetted in your photo. To fill in the shadows, switch on your flash. This will keep the foreground and background of your shot illuminated.


Keeping more than one subject in focus can be tricky, but many cameras have a face detection mode that will help you. You can use manual focus instead, or position the autofocus point in the centre of the frame.

When taking a group shot, it is likely that at least one person will blink. To avoid this, switch to Burst mode to take a series of shots when you press the shutter. Chances are one of them will be perfect.


SHOOTING

Create a photo cube

Holiday photography tips and tricks

Edit Perfect your holiday snaps in Photoshop Elements

Preserve power Make sure you charge your camera regularly and take spare batteries to avoid running out of power. You can also switch off unnecessary functions and reduce the monitor brightness.

Select the sky

Add a gradient

If the sky looks a little washed out in the background of your shot, you can easily add some colour back in. Use the Selection brush to select it, neatening up your selection with the add and subtract tools.

01

02

Brighten the shadows

Adjust the levels

Select the Gradient tool and set it to Linear. Open the Gradient Editor and choose a foreground to transparent gradient and set the colour to blue. Drag your cursor from the top to just below the horizon.

Clear some space Before your holiday, back up the shots on your memory card and format it to make sure it is empty. Take spare cards if you have them, and shoot in JPEG instead of RAW to save space.

Protect your gear Keep your camera attached to a camera strap at all times to prevent any accidental knocks, bumps and drops. You may want to get your gear insured before you travel, just in case it gets damaged.

03

Go to Select>Inverse to select the foreground, then Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Shadows/Highlights. Lighten the Shadows to bring some detail back into the dark areas and increase the Midtone Contrast.

04

Clone the backdrop

Remove the distraction

05

06

Go to Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels. You could use the colour picker tools for an instant fix, or bring the left and right arrows underneath the histogram graph inwards and move the centre arrow right.

3 OF THE BEST…

Apps for travel photography Sun Seeker

£4.99/$6.99 (iOS) If you want to get the perfect sunset photograph, then this app will show you exactly when and where you’ll need to be.

Instagram

Free (Both) Instagram is not only a great app for editing and sharing your holiday shots, it can also be used to find inspiring images taken in your location.

Google+

Free (Both) The Google+ app automatically backs up your shots when connected to Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to worry about losing them.


To remove any distractions in the background, select the Clone Stamp and set the Opacity to 100%. Hold down the Opt/Alt key and select part of your shot you want to copy and paste over the distraction.

With a plain section of your shot selected, now click on the background distraction to paste it over the top and watch it disappear. You may need to repeat the process a few times to get rid of it completely.

SHOOTING Create a photo cube

Share Display your photos in an acrylic cube from Harrison Cameras

Print your shots

Measure them out

Cut them out

01

Now measure out the sections to cut out your photos. You could measure out the correct dimensions of one side of the cube, or simply place one side of the cube over your photo and draw around it.

02

03

Pick your shots

Find soft light

Reflect the light

Props and poses

Use landscapes as well as group portraits for your photo block

Avoid harsh shadows in your shots by shooting at dawn or dusk

Instead of using flash to fill shadows, bounce the light with a reflector

Make your portrait shoot more fun by experimenting with poses and props

Choose six of your favourite holiday photos and print them out at home or order prints online. You will need to make sure the shots you pick can be cut into a square without cropping off any important elements.

Next, cut out the sections of your shots that you have measured out with scissors or a Stanley knife. Cut just inside of the lines you have drawn so that they won’t be visible in your photo cube.

Stick them on

04

Take the cardboard inner cube out of the outer acrylic cube, and stick your photos onto it with glue or sticky tape. Make sure that they will be the right way up when you put your photo cube on display.

Assemble the cube

05

Once your photos are stuck onto the cardboard inner cube, take the two pieces of the acrylic outer cube and slide them together around it. You photo cube is then ready to put on display for all to enjoy.


E vo ke i les na tura l sm bjec ts

your su A void g e t ting ’ as this will se ee ch y to ‘sa ins. Cha t to r g d e voke force m laug hing he them and g e t t l sho ts ra tu na ore m for


SHOOTING Play with perspective

Create a mindbending portrait image WHAT YOU’LL NEED… Digital camera

WE USED… Canon EOS 600D with 24-70mm lens

YOU COULD USE… Compact camera Cameraphone

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… How to capture an image with forced perspective

42


five minute project

Discover how to play with perspective to capture a realityaltering photo

SHOOTING

Play with perspective

of the easiest but most effective ways of doing this is by creating the appearance of someone hanging onto the edge of a building or object for dear life, when in reality they’re simply lying on the ground. The effect works by taking a photo as you would normally, but then tipping the image onto its side using Photoshop or other editing software to create the illusion of gravity pulling against them. You’ll be pleased to hear that very little is actually needed in order to pull off this type of shot; all you need is a camera, a suitable location and a willing model. In terms of your camera, you don’t necessarily need to use a

DSLR to achieve this effect, as it will still work using a compact or even a cameraphone, though a DSLR will usually provide higher quality results. As for your location, the edge of a pavement, the corner of a wall, or a street sign are all good choices, though in truth just about anywhere will work provided there’s a ‘ledge’ for your model to hang from. Speaking of models, if you don’t have a willing volunteer available to lend a hand then why not try photographing yourself instead? Simply follow the steps as we’ve listed below, but be sure to set up your camera on a tripod and use the camera’s self-timer function to give you enough time to get into position before the shot is taken. It may take a few tries to get it right, but the result will make a truly eye-catching avatar ideal for your social networking pages.

Warp perspective

Turn the world on its side

Photographers have experimented with camera trickery since the dawn of photography, and there are a number of clever ways that you can successfully trick an audience into believing the unbelievable. One

How to rotate your shot in Photoshop

Open in Photoshop With Adobe Photoshop opened up, go up to File>Open and locate your photo. Click on the image to highlight it, then click Open to bring i t into Photoshop.

Rotate 90 degrees With the image successfully opened, go up to Image>Image Rotation>90º CW, which will rotate your image to the left by 90 degrees to give the desired effect.

Choose a location

Use Aperture Priority

The key to making this shot work is finding the right kind of location. If you’re going to attempt a hanging shot like ours, the edge of a wall or a street sign pole are both good places to start.

01

02

Position your model

Shoot low down

Capture and review

03

04

05

Ask your model to lie on the ground and grip onto the wall you’re shooting against. To make your shot look more realistic, ask them to stretch out as much as possible and raise one leg in the air.

With your camera turned on, switch to Aperture Priority mode (A or Av on the mode dial), then set an aperture of f8. Using a small aperture (large f-number) will ensure your image stays sharp from front to back.

Get down low on the ground and move up so that you’re close to your model, making sure that you can fit all of them in the frame. If you struggle to do this, try using a wider angle lens.


Save your shot With the image now positioned in the correct orientation for the effect to work, head up to File>Save to quickly save the changes you’ve made to your work.

Looking through the viewfinder, frame up your shot and set the focus on your subject. Take a few shots and review the results. Make adjustments to the composition and/or the model’s position if necessar y.


SHOOTING Story behind the shot

Story

behind

the

shot

Photography for Beginners’ senior staff writer Jo Stass reveals the tricks to her miniature masterpiece

When and where was this brilliant shot taken?

How did you achieve the miniature effect in the photo?

Is there another way to create this look?

I went for a day out in London with some friends and as it was such a lovely day, we went for a walk along the River Thames. There was so much to photograph so I made sure that I had my camera set up and ready to go at all times. I took some shots of the architecture and famous landmarks such as Big Ben and St Paul’s, but I also enjoyed capturing the people and boats going by.

I was using my Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II advanced compact, which has lots of creative modes. I was experimenting with the different effects and decided a miniature filter worked best for this shot. The ef fect is sometimes known as tilt-shift, as it can be achieved by using a special tilt-shift lens. It works by blurring the top and bottom of the image to make the scene look miniature.

Many digital cameras come with creative modes, and the miniature effect is one of the most popular. However, if your camera doesn’t have this option, it is easy to create yourself with editing software. All you have to do is blur the top and bottom of the shot, but keep the middle portion sharp. Visit www.photoforbeginners.com and search ‘How to create a tilt-shift effect’.


SHOOTING Story behind the shot

What do you like most about this shot?

Is there anything you would like to have done differently?

What tips would you give to others wanting a similar shot?

I love the way that the miniature effect has made the boat look like a toy. I tried the effect out in a few other locations and it was fascinating to re-create a miniature version of each scene. I also like how the camera has boosted the colours to accentuate the ‘toy town’ look even further. The whole image looks like it could have been taken of a miniature model of the city.

I would have loved for there to be some people visible on the boat, as I think it would have been great to capture little miniature figures of people too. Other than that, I think shooting from a higher vantage point would have helped improve the miniature effect, as it would have made it look as though I was towering above the tiny scene. Maybe next time I’ll try and shoot from the bridge.

If you’re using an in-camera miniature mode, make sure that your main subject is in the sharp portion of the frame, which is usually in the centre. It is also a good idea to take the shot again without the miniature effect, so that if you decide you don’t like it, or want to have a go at creating the effect yourself with editing software, you have a standard shot that you can work with.



45

SUBSCRIPTION VOUCHER  YES I would like to subscribe to Photography for Beginners 

YOUR DETAILS Title

First name

o r s u o n l i ne

Surname Address

Postcode

w o n l l C a 5 4 2 4 0 8 4 5 7 bi e 6 9 b sc r

Country

Telephone number Mobile number Email address Please complete your email address to receive news and special offers from us

DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENT  UK Direct Debit Payment I will pay only £15 for six issues (saving 50%*)

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit Please fill in the form and send it to:

Photography for Beginners Subscriptions Dept, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne ME9 8GU

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society To: The Manager

Originator’sIdentificationNumber Bank/Building Society

5

0

1

8

8

4

Address ReferenceNumber

Postcode

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society Please pay Imagine Publishing Limited Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Imagine Publishing Limited and, if so, details will be passed on electronically to my Bank/Building Society Signature(s)

Branch sort code

Bank/Building Society account number Date

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account

A6 instruction form

PAYMENT DETAILS YOUR EXCLUSIVE READER PRICE, ONE YE AR (13 ISSUES)

 UK: £52 (Save 20%)  Europe: £70.00  World: £80.00 Cheque



I enclose a cheque for £

(made payable to Imagine Publishing Ltd)

Credit/Debit Card



Visa



MasterCard



Amex

Card number



Maestro

Expiry date

Issue number  (if Maestro) Signed Date Code: PAL142Q Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from Imagine Publishing Ltd by post [ ] by telephone [ ] via email [ ] Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from other companies by post [ ] by telephone [ ] Please tick if you DO wish to receive such information via email [ ] Terms & conditions: Pricing will revert to our standard offer of £21 every 6 issues on the third payment made. Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. New subscriptions will start from the next available issue. Offer code PAL142Q must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. Details of the direct debit guarantee are available on request. Of fer expires 31 October 2014. Imagine Publishing reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household:

Return this order form to: Photography for Beginners Subscripti ons Department, 800 Guillat Aven ue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU or email it to [email protected] You will be able to view your subscription details online at www.imaginesubs.co.uk

Start a direct debit today from just £15 for six issues and save over £29 in the first year

TAKE THE COMPLETE COURSE TO BECOMING A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER

SUBSCRIBE

&50%

SAVE

Exclusive subscriber benefits  Pay

only £2.50 for every future issue: a 50% saving on the store price  Delivered direct to your door  Never miss an issue!

THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRI 1. Online 3.Post or www.imaginesubs.co.uk/p4b And enter PAL142Q

2.Telephone

0844 245 6957 overseas: +44 (0) 1795 592 815 And quote PAL142Q

Please complete and post the form to Photography for Beginners Subscriptions Department 800 Guillat Avenue Kent Science Park Sittingbourne ME9 8GU Or alternatively, you can scan and email the form to

[email protected]

SHOOTING

Candle-lit still life

Candle-lit still life Get creative with shadows and take a low-light shot WHAT YOU’LL NEED…

Candles Camera Sturdy surface WE USED…

Olympus E-PL3 Tripod WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…

How to shoot in low light How to get creative with shadows

01 Blur the background If you want to bring some creative background blur to your shot, switch to Manual or Aperture Priority mode and choose a wide aperture (small f-number) to create a shallow depth of field.

02 Keep it sharp To ensure the main subject of your shot is sharp, select Single Autofocus mode and position the focus point over it. Alternatively, use Manual Focus and twist your lens until it appears sharp.

03 Support the camera When using shutter speeds slower than 1/60sec, you won’t be able to shoot handheld without causing camera shake. Use a tripod or set your camera on a sturdy surface to take the shot.

04 Compose creatively Take time arranging your subjects and experiment with different angles. Arranging candles in a line helps guide the viewer through the frame and works well with a shallow depth of field.

05 Get set up To get the shot looking like our one here, you’ll need to find a dark location so that the candles become your only light source. You can either shoot at night, or in a room with blackout curtains.

06 Create some shadows Shadows will create depth and interest in still-life images, so position your subjects for the best effects. Use patterned candleholders, or introduce extra subjects to create some shadows.


SHOOTING

Candle-lit still life Switch to Shutter Priority and choose a relatively slow shutter speed to let plenty of light through the lens. Alternatively, use a low-light mode

If your shots appear too dark, try using a slower shutter speed or raise your ISO to make them brighter. Just watch out for grain

To ensure the candlelight is the only light source for your shot, switch off your camera’s flash. If it’s in Auto, it will automatically fire in low light

“Shadows will create depth and interest in your shot” OUR SETTINGS: APERTURE: F2.5 ISO: 800 SHUTTER SPEED: 1/50SEC Share your shots at: photoforbeginners.com


SHOOTING Cameraphone macro

Get closer with your cameraphone Discover how to take great close-ups with some easy tips Close-up photography is a popular hobby for many because it brings to life areas of the world often unseen, whether that’s intricate patterns in leaves, the eyes of a tiny insect or the texture of skin. By focusing in on the smaller things around us, we can discover beauty and intrigue in places we wouldn’t normally consider of interest. Camera manufacturers have dedicated time to developing high-end macro lenses and

in-camera modes to help photographers get close to their subject and capture them at optimum sharpness, but you don’t have to spend a fortune on kit to get some truly stunning shots. While your cameraphone won’t be getting in as close or as sharp as an expensive lens, it can still produce some great results – you just need a few tips and tricks to get you started. Over the next few pages, we explore

the best shooting methods for getting fantastic close-ups, including composition, lighting and focusing. We’ll even reveal a few easy tricks you can apply with a simple sheet of paper or cardboard, as well as let you know about some affordable extra accessories you can get to help you on your way. Don’t forget to post your results up on the gallery at www.photoforbeginners.com, and you could see your shots in the mag.

Composing close-ups It’s just as important to think about the composition of a close-up as it is with a sweeping landscape. For stronger shots, try to think about where you’re placing the most important part of the photo – for instance, you could use a gridlines option on your cameraphone to position the centre of a flower along where two lines intersect (known as the rule of thirds). Also think about the background. Without manual modes on your cameraphone, you’re not able to blur this out, so if you can’t eliminate distractions by changing your shooting angle, the best option may be to block it out entirely. Create your own background by putting up a piece of paper behind the subject.


Position your subject by a window and use a reflector to bounce light


Think about lighting

Add some illumination to your macro masterpieces

Lighting is so important in close-up photography, as it can help to highlight the intricate details. If you’re shooting indoors, move your subject near to a window; if shooting outdoors, avoid shooting in harsh sunlight, as this will be too bright. Also, as you’re so close to your subject in this kind of photography, it’s easy to block out the light with your body, so think about how you are standing and try and Adding extra light will help to capture intricate details. Don’t blast too much light at it though

This shot is slightly underexposed, making the textures less visible

There are some great accessories out there that can help enhance your captures

move so the light falls softly on the subject. If there’s still not enough light reaching your subject, try bouncing some back in with a portable reflector, or even a piece of white paper. You could also purchase LED lighting that clips onto your cameraphone – this constant light source can be controlled so that your subject isn't overwhelmed with bright lighting, but you can add in a little extra where required. By bouncing some light back in, the shot is brighter and we can see much more detail

Perfect the focus Invest in accessories for your phone Getting your cameraphone to produce sharp shots of small subjects isn’t easy. If you get too close it will struggle to focus, so it’s best to back away until the point that it focuses itself and then crop in later so the subject fills the frame. You can, however, buy special macro lenses designed for cameraphones that allow you to focus much closer. The other reason your shots might not be sharp is camera shake. When you’re focusing at such short distances, any movement on the phone can cause a great deal of blur. Using a portable tripod will help to keep it steady, otherwise lock in your elbows at your side and hold your breath as you take the shot. Also, block out wind with a piece of card, as it may be the subject moving that’s causing the blur.




Select the right settings The modes you need for close-up shooting Go macro

Turn on HDR

If your phone has the option of a macro mode, select it now. It won’t help you get much closer though, so attach a macro lens, making sure it’s in line with the cameraphone’s own lens.

A lot of cameraphones come with a HDR setting, which is often used for landscapes to help balance bright skies and dark lands by merging several shots taken at different exposures. If you turn this option on, however, it can also help to bring out intricate details in macro subjects.

Set a self-timer Turn off flash The harsh light from a phone’s flash can cause subjects to overexpose at such close distances, so turn it off and use natural light instead. Flash light can also scare insects and other creatures, so it’s really not useful.

Blur can be caused from the movement of you pressing the shutter. Try a self-timer mode, or iPhone users can press the volume up button on their earphones to take the shot remotely.

Focus the shot On most phones you tap on the area you want in focus, but some also have a helpful option for close-ups called AE lock (in most cases, tap and hold for it to activate). This locks the selected areas of focus and exposure so that you can recompose the shot while not changing these things.

“Tap and hold to activate AE lock” 52 Photography for Beginners


Edit your close-ups Use Photoshop Express to perfect your images

(Free, iOS/Android)

Boost exposures

Improve the colours

01

Select your photo from the camera roll then click on the bottommiddle icon to reveal a set of options. If your shot is under or overexposed, use the Exposure slider to fix this. The Shadows slider can also help to bring detail out of darker areas.

02

Crop in close

Sharpen up

03

04

Give more punch to your close-up’s colours by using the Vibrance slider. Move it to the right to increase the saturation of the colours. You may also want to look at the preset filters by tapping the first icon (three circles), such as the Vibrant filter.

To fill the frame with your subject, crop in close using the second icon. You can tap Ratio to constrain the proportions of the crop to set sizes, then move the edges of the box in. You can also straighten the shot, as well as flip the image and rotate it if required.

Click on the middle icon and you will find a Sharpen option. When selected, the app zooms in on your image to help you see more clearly. You'll need to move the slider to the right to sharpen up your shot, but don’t overdo it as it can reduce the image quality.

Cameraphone close-up accessories

Edit and share on the go Camera+ £1.49/$1.99 (iOS) Camera+ has some useful shooting options, but its biggest benefit is enabling you to set separate points for exposure and focus and lock them in. It also has an exposure compensation slider.

Snapseed Free (iOS/Android) Snapseed does a great job editing your shots, including tweaking contrast, shadows and colour temperature. It allows you to sharpen images too, and has the ability to let you adjust select areas.

Instagram Free (iOS/Android) Instagram lets you add hashtags to your shots when you share them, so give your shots a #macro tag. Then you can click on this and see all other shots tagged in this way for inspiration.

“Give more punch to your closeup's colours”

Get more from your macro

olloclip 4-in-1 lens

GripTight GorillaPod Stand

Manfrotto Klyp+

Price Approx £40/$70

Price £25/$30

Price £70/$73

This lens set for iPhone comes with two macro options – one with 10x magnification (18mm focus distance) and one at 15x magnification (12mm focus distance). It also comes with a fish-eye and wide-angle lens.

This flexible, portable tripod promises to fit all best-selling smartphones. The rubber grip keeps your phone secure, and the 24-plus leg joints enable you to rotate it 360 degrees and wrap it around rails, trees or posts.

A continuous light source that clips onto your phone via a case. It’s available for iPhone 4, 4s, 5 and 5s models and will help to create a softer light source for your macro shots. It comes with a handy tripod mount too.


Apps for macro

Lastolite 30cm collapsible reflector Price £13/$16 This small reflector is perfect for macro shots and is great for on the go, as it folds down to around a third of its outstretched size. It’s available in six colours for different effects.


SHOOTING

App of the month

APP OF THE MONTH 

Shoot, edit and share with VSCO Cam app Fine-tune your photos for free This rival to Instagram has boldly


declared: no comments, no likes and no

Smart device with a camera

WE USED… iPhone 5

YOU COULD USE… Other iOS and Android devices

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… How to edit your images using VSCO Cam app

Available on: iOS/Android Price: Free

number of followers. The idea is that

images speak louder than social clout, and this app gives users the opportunity to shoot, edit and then share their images via a free photo publishing platform. You can find and follow photographers whose work captures your imagination and achieve professional results yourself through a variety of editing presets. From filters and tints, to boosting the exposure and brightening the highlights, there are many ways to change the way your picture looks quickly and easily. The icons are all very self-explanatory, and the interface is intuitively designed so that anyone can download and start using the app immediately.

There’s an Edit view that enables you to compare the original image with the edited version, and you can choose to capture images in the app or upload one you took earlier. The app itself offers a generous degree of control by including separate focus and exposure rings, plus white balance lock. Once you’re happy with the results, there’s the option to organise, favourite and filter your photos using the quick filter navigation, as well as view your image data, including location, date, preset used and more. You can even use VSCO Cam alongside other photo-sharing apps, as it enables users to share images with friends and family via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Weibo and Camera Roll. And on top of being a great platform for free editing and sharing, this app has its own community that includes tutorials and interviews to inspire you.

Making tweaks How to get started with VSCO Cam

Upload your image

Start editing

Select a filter

Make adjustments

01

02

03

04

To edit an image you’ve already taken, tap the Library tab and press ‘+’ to choose a photo. To capture a new one, select the camera icon.


Once you have chosen your images, tap on the one you wish you edit and then press the spanner icon to start the process.

Like Instagram, there are a number of filters to choose from. Tap the thumbnails to try them out and then select the tick icon to confirm.

Scroll through the icons to adjust aspects such as contrast and sharpness using the sliders. Press the tick to save changes or cross to discard.

SHOOTING App of the month Your feed

Read the journal

Discover and follow members of the VSCO creative community by selecting the Home option on the main screen. To get started, you will need to sign in by entering your email address

The Journal presents tutorials, interviews and articles to browse. Just swipe downwards until a headline catches your eye. You can share the story with your friends by pressing the Share icon

Get inspired

Go shopping

When you’re running low on inspiration, select Grid from the list. Then scroll through photos from across all genres and click on the ones you like to view more from the photographer

Expand your palette of presets by heading to the Store. This contains a selection of bundles that are available to purchase. There are lots, so we recommend filtering the results via the top button

View your images

Alter the settings

Take a look through your gallery by clicking on the Library tab. Select the grid button to choose to view the images as small icons or large, and tap the circle icon to sift through the results more easily

Privacy, preferences and extra support can be found in Settings, indicated by the cog at the bottom. Sitting alongside it is the camera icon, which enables you to capture new images

3 of the best… Alternative photo editing apps Photo Editor Free (Android) This all-in-one editor is great for adding text to your images, as well as applying effects, removing blemishes and whitening smiles. The touch and pinch-to-zoom interface makes it easy to make small adjustments to your photos, and there is even a curves interface that allows for colour fine-tuning. It's hard to believe that you can get this app for free!

InstaEditor – Instant Photo Editor! Free (iOS) At the time of writing, this app is free for a limited amount of time, so download it fast! It offers an assortment of frames and ten stylistic effects. If you're in a hurry, apply a one-tap editing fix with the Magic Enhance filter, and there are also options to correct red-eye, whiten teeth and paint over blemishes.

BeFunky Photo Editor Free (iOS, Android) With over 29 photo effects, this app lets you control the strength of each filter and undo any edits you don’t like, so no regrets. The BeFunky gallery also lets you search for the images you want to see and help to make your favourites popular by awarding them points. Subscribe to them and they will show up in your customisable stream.

Go retro

Tint the highlights

Save your changes

Share the results

05

06

07

08

If you favour the retro look, try out the Fade, Vignette and Grain options, which will transform your digital photos into traditional-looking images.

Another great feature is being able to tint the shadows and/or highlights for a subtle wash of colour. We chose yellow for a nostalgic feel.


Tap the downward arrow and select the tick arrow to save all the changes you have made so far. Alternatively, tap the backward arrow to reverse them.

Clicking the Share icon will reveal the different ways you can now distribute your image, whether it’s saving to your device or uploading to Facebook.


SHOOTING Panoramas

Sweeping landscapes By digitally stitching together shots, you can capture more detail in the frame

CAPTURE A BREATHTAKING

PANORAMA Learn how to shoot and edit your own sweeping panorama images with our complete guide

Whether or not you’re familiar with the term ‘panorama’, you’re almost certain to have seen one before. Photographers have used this popular technique since the birth of photography as a way of capturing a much larger field of view than would otherwise be possible with a single photo. A panorama is constructed by simply capturing a series of images in a panning motion, then the resulting photos are uploaded to a computer


and digitally stitched together using specialised editing software to create a single seamless image. Landscape and architectural photographers often use panoramas, as the greater field of view allows them to capture sprawling vistas and cityscapes in their entirety. If you own a more modern compact or smartphone then chances are you are already familiar with panoramas, as most

smartphones now come with a panorama function built in, which allows you to capture a stunning pano image with the click of a button. But how do you capture a panorama on a camera that doesn’t have this function? Well, it’s easier than you might think, and over the following pages we’re going to show you everything there is to know about shooting and editing your own spectacular panoramic images!

SHOOTING Panoramas

Seamless shooting

Wide-angle viewpoint

With the right equipment you'll be able to capture the perfect panorama

A wide-angle lens is ideal for vistas, but a panorama can fit more in the frame

Essential panorama kit

The gear you’ll absolutely need

Camera

Tripod with suitable head

Editing software

A DSLR or CSC is ideal as they offer full manual control, but some compacts and cameraphones offer panorama modes that will do the work for you.

A sturdy tripod with an adjustable head will ensure your shots are kept level, which will make things much easier when it comes to blending the results.

Although there are a number of panorama software packages available on the market to choose from, Photoshop has a Photomerge function built in.



SHOOTING Panoramas

Shoot the scene Discover how to correctly shoot and then edit the photos you need to create a seamless panorama Before shooting a panorama, there are a few factors you’ll need to bear in mind. The first is that it’s important to ensure that your camera is level on the tripod. If your tripod has a built-in spirit level, use this to ensure it’s perfectly straight, or you can always just

use your eye to level the frame with the horizon line. It’s also important to make sure that all of the shots you take are exposed identically. If just one of your shots is taken at a different exposure, then when it comes to stitching them together in Photoshop

you’ll be able to clearly see where the images have merged, ruining the final result. If your scene has a lot of ver y dark and very light areas, this can be tricky to achieve, so for best results choose a location that is consistently lit throughout.

Manual metering It’s vital that all of your shots are taken using the same exposure values

Pan and shoot It’s important that each shot overlaps by at least 50 per cent so that there aren’t any gaps when you blend them

Keep it level A tripod will let you pan smoothly, but it’s important to make sure that the camera is level with the horizon first

Shoot vertically Taking your photos vertically will allow you to capture much more detail in the sky and foreground

Use a tripod

Switch to Manual mode

Choose your settings

01

02

03

Set up your tripod and attach your camera, adjusting the head so that it’s in the vertical orientation. Level the camera using the tripod’s spirit level (if it has one).


To ensure that each of your exposures is the same, you’ll need to input the exposure settings manually, so switch the camera over to Manual mode.

Set the aperture to f8 and the ISO to 100. Now look at the exposure meter and adjust the shutter speed until the marker is lined up in the middle.

SHOOTING Panoramas Av oi d d is

to r ti o n Usi ng a f o ca l l en g th b et we 18mm an e n d 3 5 mm i s sug ge f or p ano r s t ed amas, as sho ot i n g any w id e r t han t hi s c an c a d is t or ti o n s and w use il l al so c ause o b j ec t s t o ap pe a r smal l er

Panoramas with a compact Some compact cameras feature a built-in panorama mode. The camera will prompt you to pan it across the scene and will automatically capture the necessary images and stitch them together

Smar pano Capture panor your camerap

Lock the focus

Pan and shoot

04

05

Looking though the viewfinder, hover the active AF point over an object that’s roughly two thirds into the shot. Focus on this object, then switch the lens to MF.

Starting at the furthest left of your panorama, take a photo then pan to the right and take another shot. Repeat until you’ve captured the entire scene.


Most smartphones now offer a panorama mode, which means that shooting panos isn't just restricted to a DSLR. The panorama function is usually accessed through the phone's camera mode, though this may vary between makes and models. If your smartphone doesn't feature a panoramic mode, then don't worry as there are a number of panorama apps on the market, which can be downloaded for a modest sum via the Apple App Store or Google Marketplace.

Pano £1.49/$1.99 (iOS), £1.29/$1.97 (Android) Pano allows you to capture up to full 360-degree panoramic images straight from your phone and stitches them together without the need for additional software.


SHOOTING Panoramas

Create your panorama Learn how to digitally stitch together your images in editing software for flawless panorama results Once you’ve got all of your shots in the bag, it’s time to upload the images onto your computer and get started piecing them together in order to create your final panoramic image. The good news er b m e is that if you own a m e R to s a ve! wor k copy of Photoshop ur t to sa ve yo t Don’ t forg e ha T or Photoshop ). ve a l ly (F i le >S per iod ica rd h ing un to wa wa y, i f an y t ou ’ ll t y s ea t l a happens, r k sa ved ha ve your wo s tore re o y t ad re

Elements, then the editing process is largely automatic, as the software already comes pre-packed with a Photomerge function. This clever piece of kit is able to analyse each of your images and work out how they should align with one another so that it can automatically stitch them together. All you have to do is tell it what images you want to stitch and then put the kettle on while it

does all of the hard work! After that, it’s simply a case of tidying up the image to make it look its absolute best, ready to show off to your family and friends. To get started, follow our practical step-by-step guide below. We'll show you just how easy it is to stitch your shots together in Photoshop and tidy up the results for a seamless finish.

Overlap frames

Crop to size

Each photo should overlap with the next so that there's more to work with once you start to stitch them together in Photoshop

Don’t worry if you go a bit overboard with the amount of photos that make up your panorama, as you can always crop it down later on in Photoshop

Edit your panorama

Use Photoshop to digitally stitch together your images

Open up Photoshop

Import your images

Merge the layers

01

02

03

Once you have uploaded all of the images you want to use for your panorama, open up Photoshop and start off by heading to File>Automate>Photomerge.


In the window that appears, click the Browse button and select your images before clicking Open. Make sure 'Blend Images Together' is ticked, then click OK.

Once Photoshop has finished creating your panorama, head to Layer>Merge Visible to crunch down all of the layers within the Layers palette into a single layer.

SHOOTING Panoramas

Edit panoramas on your phone Gain more control over your pano using apps As most built-in panorama shooting modes are fully automatic, you inevitably don't have much control over the way the final image is constructed. However, there is a handful of apps available for download that give you more precise control over the way your panoramas are constructed for more advanced results.

Finished image Once you’ve successfully merged all of your images together in Photoshop, your panorama is complete, ready for it to be shown off in all its glory to family and friends

Intense colours Shooting your panorama at sunset will paint the sky with colours, which can then be intensified in Photoshop to become even more eye-catching

AutoStitch Panorama £1.49/$1.99 (iOS), £1.24/$1.99 (Android) The AutoStitch app is able to create up to 18-megapixel panoramas in any order or arrangement, including vertical, horizontal or a mixture of the two.

Heal imperfections

Centre of focus

Although Photoshop will generally do a good job of joining your images, you can easily fix mistakes with the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush

It’s always best to have some key features in your panorama; we’ve included a church on the right, a jetty on the left, and a central sunset

Trim the edges

Fix any errors

Boost the colours

04

05

06

Grab the Crop tool and click and drag out a crop across your panorama. Now, click and pull on the corner tabs to adjust the crop and trim off the rough edges. Hit Enter.

If there are any areas that haven’t joined properly, grab the Spot Healing Brush and brush over the affected area to allow Photoshop to correct the problem.


Head up to Image>Adjustments>Hue/ Saturation. Click where it says Master and change it to Yellows, then set Saturation to +25. Do the same for the Blues channel.


EDITING

Colour masterclass Adjust and remove colours with Photoshop Elements WHAT YOU’LL NEED… A selection of troubled start images Photoshop Elements

WE USED… Photoshop Elements 12

YOU COULD USE… Older versions of Photoshop Elements

Top options bar The colour editing tools are located under Enhance, Filter or Layer. Any title with a black arrow to the right of it means sub-menus can be found by hovering over it

Adjustment layer Adjustment layers are displayed in the Layers panel. To re-edit the settings, click on the icon on this layer, which will then open up the dialog box in question

The full Photoshop CS Suite; however, instructions will differ

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… How to correct colour balance Alter colour spectrums Increase vibrancy and saturation Cool down or warm colours with Photo Filters Remove colour casts

JARGON BUSTER Adjustment layer An adjustment layer is a photo edit that is applied to your image but displayed as a separate layer within the Layers panel. Your original image remains intact, as these are non-destructive and you can re-edit them at any time.


Dialog box Once an editing option such as Levels has been selected, a dialog box will appear. Further editing options will be available to you to help colour-correct your image

Layers panel View layers and adjustment layers here. To duplicate a layer, click on the top-right menu icon and then select the Duplicate Layer option from the list that appears

EDITING

Colour masterclass

Adjust colour Swap out colours entirely within an image

Duplicate the background

Select Replace Color

Pick the colour to change

Open up your start photo by going to File>Open. Work in Expert mode (above where your image is displayed) and go to the Layers panel. Click on the top-right drop-down menu icon and select Duplicate Layer. Press the Eye icon next to the bottom layer to hide.

01

Click on the top layer in the Layers panel, turning it blue. Go to Enhance in the top menu bar, then Adjust Color>Replace Color. The Replace Color dialog window will appear. Ensure that Preview is checked. Click the Image option under the preview window.

02

03

Edit the colour

Neaten up

Smoother option

04

05

06

Move the Hue slider, altering the selected colours. Improve the colour quality and strength by moving the Saturation and Lightness sliders. Now the colours are altering, you will be able to see if more colours need selecting like shown in step 3.

Remove areas from your selection by Opt/Alt-clicking on your image or switch to the negative Eyedropper tool and deselect areas. Improve the level of tones with the Fuzziness slider. The further right it is, the greater the number of pixels selected.


Click on an area of colour that you wish to replace. To sample more than one tone, Shift-click other areas, or use the Eyedropper tool within the dialog box with a '+' next to it. Continue to Shift-click until you have selected as much colour as possible.

If your selection is not as smooth or as precise as you would like, try making a selection first in Elements with the Magnetic Lasso tool. With the area you wish to transform selected, go to Enhance>Adjust Color>Replace Color and repeat steps 1-5.


EDITING

Colour masterclass

Cool down captures

Boost vibrancy Enhance pics with Hue/Saturation

Add an adjustment layer

01

Photo Filters can be applied as adjustment layers, making them non-destructive. With your image open, go to the Layers panel and click the black and white circle.

Open the dialog box

Boost the saturation

02

With your start photo open in Elements (File>Open) and working in Expert mode (top of your screen), click on Enhance in the top bar and select Adjust Color>Adjust Hue/Saturation, opening up the dialog box.

01

02

Choose a tone

Target specific colours

Select the channels

03

04

Apply the filter Select the Photo Filter option from the menu. You'll see an adjustment layer now in the Layers panel. Pick a Cooling Filter and adjust the Density slider until happy.

03

Apply a specific colour by clicking on the coloured thumbnail. From the Color Picker, select a tone to suit your image and press OK. You can then tweak the Density slider.


Moving the Saturation slider left means you are desaturating the image, turning the colours to shades of grey. If you wish to target specific colours within the photo, click on the Master drop-down menu.

To saturate colours in an image means to add depth and boost the intensity of the colours already present. To do this, move the Saturation slider right. Be cautious though, as too much can ruin a photo.

The main background in our image requires us to enhance the Cyan channel. Select this from the menu and move the Saturation slider right, enhancing the shot quickly. Repeat for other channels if needed.

EDITING

Colour masterclass

Remove colour casts Banish unwanted tones

Add in some warmth

Apply a photo filter

01

If you are short on time, then rely on Photo Filters to help adjust colours. Go to Filter>Adjustments>Photo Filter. Ensure the Preview box is checked, then sample all of the Warming options.

Make a quick fix

Adjust the levels

The quick way to fix a simple colour cast is to go to Enhance>Adjust Color> Remove Color Cast. Click on the image where it should be white, black or neutral grey and the image will alter accordingly.

01

02

02

Swap colour channels

Reset if needed

Play with tones

03

04

03

The sliders only need to be moved a small bit at a time. With the blue reduced you may find another colour becomes too dominant. If so, select the colour from the drop-down menu and alter with the sliders.

To correct trickier images, go to Layer> New Adjustment Layer>Levels. This image has too much blue in it, so correct this first. Select Blue from the RGB Channel menu. Move the middle midtone slider right slightly.

Using Levels does require more patience and colour knowledge, but with practice you will soon learn which channels to select and what sliders to move. If you need to start again, just press Reset.


Adjust the density If the Warming Filters effects aren't strong enough, try using the Density slider to increase the strength of the effect. Move the slider right for a bolder colour impact and left to soften it.

If the filters aren't suiting your image, click on the coloured square, bringing up the Color Picker. Select a tone and see the effect applied to your image. When happy, press OK.


EDITING

Convert to mono

Convert to mono Put colour aside and use black and white to your benefit Converting to black and white is a proven way to get rid of those dull colours that can lurk around in your images, and to make them

more about the composition, contrast and subjects involved than anything else. There are a couple of reasons why you may want to completely remove the colour from an image. You may want to give your images a vintage effect to create a timeless look. But another reason could be down to the fact that the colours lack any sort of impact, or don't

PicsArt Photo Studio Available on: iOS/Android Price: Free

do anything to benefit the overall composition. So what’s solution? Just get rid of them! PhotoDirector 5 editing software presents a lot of different ways to reduce and remove the colour information in an image. Follow these steps to find out one way to bring new life into your photos with the power of monochrome. With a few tips and tricks on controlling the balance of the tones, your images will never look the same again.

CyberLink PhotoDirector 5 Available on: Mac/PC Price: £80/$100

Select a photo

01

Load up the app and tap on the Effect button. You'll be prompted to select your photo from a folder somewhere on your device.

Import your image

Tone adjustments

To load an image into PhotoDirector 5, press the Import button at the bottom-left of the screen. Choose Photos from the list and hit Import in the pop-up dialog menu when you find your image.

02

With your image loaded into PhotoDirector, click on the Adjustment tab along the top of the screen. By default, the Manual tab will be showing with the Global Adjustment tools.

The monochrome effect

Contrast improvement

01

Straight conversion

02

Select the B&W option by scrolling along the effects. This will instantly zap the colour out of your image.

Explore other effects

03

There are many other effects in the app, for example B&W HDR. By tapping on the cog symbol, you can adjust the strength of the effect.


03

To convert an image to monochrome, we have to remove all its colour. Do this by going to the Tone adjustments and sliding the Saturation adjustment all the way to the left to -100.

04

Adapt a black and white effect by boosting up the Contrast slider to 40 and reducing the Exposure to -0.55. This will add impact to the highlights and shadows in your image.

EDITING

Convert to mono


Any photo WE USED…

CyberLink PhotoDirector 5 Ultra YOU COULD USE…

Capture One Express Photoshop Elements 12 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…

How to use adjustment curves and sliders to control the monochrome conversion

Control detail

Midtone tweaks

Better exposure

05

06

07

If your image has bright highlights, lower the Brightest slider to -42 and set the Bright slider to 5. This will help to balance detail in those regions. Look to keep as much detail as possible.

Set Midtone to -8, Dark to 17 and Darkest to 30 to control details in those regions. Boost up the Clarity slider to around 50 to bring out the details even more in your image.


Go to the Curve section and lift up the diagonal line to brighten the image without damaging the exposure. You can control the shadows using the sliders underneath the graph.


EDITING Remove dust spots

Remove dust spots

Clear up lens marks from your photos in a few easy steps Getting home from a day’s shooting or once-in-a-lifetime holiday to discover that all your photos contain a big black smudge can be pretty annoying. Sadly, once a piece of dirt or dust gets onto your lens or inside your camera, it will stay there and show up in every shot. This is why it is important to check and clean your kit regularly, as not only will it keep your shots clear, it should also keep your camera in top working order for longer. If the dust spot is on the outside of your lens, then it is very easy to clean yourself. All you need to

do is blow away any loose dust and then use a microfibre cloth and lens cleaning solution to wipe away any additional dirt and smudges. If the problem is inside your lens or on your camera’s sensor, then it is best to get this cleaned professionally as you could end up causing more damage if you do it yourself. Visit your local camera store and ask about their cleaning services or look online. Luckily, it is easy to rescue shots plagued by dust spots, so follow our guide to find out how.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED… Editing software

WE USED… Photoshop Elements

YOU COULD USE… Picasa GIMP

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… How to remove dust spots from your photos

Clean your shots Remove dust marks in Photoshop Elements

One-click fix

Do it yourself

Paste it over

01

02

03

Elements has a very handy tool for removing unwanted marks quickly and easily. Select the Spot Healing Brush tool, set it to Proximity Match and then click on the dust spot to remove it automatically.


For more control over the process, select the Clone Stamp tool and set the Opacity to 100%. Hold down the Opt/Alt key and click on an area of your shot to paste over the mark.

Now click on the dust spot to paste the copied area on top of it. You may need to repeat the process a few times to get the texture and pattern of the two areas to match up.


NEW

From the makers of

Every issue different, every issue amazing The unique new monthly magazine Buy your copy from 31 July F ac t- p a c WIN A year’s subscription on the next page

k p a g es b u rs ti n ed i n te re s g w it h ti n g i n fo

Where to get your copy

All good newsagents & supermarkets  Online at imagineshop.co.uk  On your iPhone, iPad & Android by visiting greatdigitalmags.com 

Available on the following platforms

What’s wrong with this picture? Play along for a chance to win a one-year subscription to

How you can enter: Simply email us at [email protected] and tell us what you’ve found in this image that simply doesn’t belong

e r e w g i ? e b s r w u o a H d i n o s s u e o n t h e i n i s

t u o d n F i

A Y E A R ’ S S U B S C R I P T I O N T O

W I N

Each issue is dedicated to a different fascinating topic

Issue one

HISTORY OF THE WORLD

Detailed, colourful cutaways and illustrations that explain exactly how things work

On sale 31 July from all good newsagents & supermarkets Bursting with fact-filled pages, packed full of incredible things to discover…  How big were the dinosaurs?  What were early people like?  Who were the Vikings?  16

gross things about Romans

 How to paint like Seurat  How did we land on the Moon?

Don’t miss out on this great launch offer

l v e y o u o E v er y thingning in on e l ar ab o u t e e l m ag a zin m on th y

Subscribe

With fun, easy-to-understand explanations and wonderful artwork to amaze the eye, How It Works w Illustrated is everything you love about w w . learning in one monthly, travel-sized im magazine. Each issue is dedicated a o r g + 4 C a i to explaining all you need to n e 4 l l 0 s u know about one fascinating b 8 0 P l ( s topic, from ancient Rome e a ) 1 4 4 . c o 7 s e 9 8 5 . u to space exploration q u 5 5 6 k and beyond. H 9 0 / P

O R D E R N O W

W A o t e 2 8 6 4 I L H o f 6 9 4 U i l l e r o K u s t L U f r a c o v e t e r d d e s e a s

Future issues include  Dinosaurs

& The Prehistoric World

 Space Exploration  Amazing

Science

 The Incredible Human Body  Your

Everyday World

Delivered in a collectable travel-sized format

*This offer entitles new UK direct debit subscribers to pay just £21 every six issues saving 50% off the cover price. Offer code PALHLU must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. New subscriptions will star t from the next available issue. Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. Details of the direct debit guarantee are available on request. This offer expires 30th September 2014. Imagine Publishing reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household.

SHARING

Order prints on the go Print copies of your phone captures with the Snapfish app Cameraphones are fantastic for grabbing quick snapshots when you’re out and about, which is great if you’re caught short without a conventional camera on occasion. What’s more, you can also edit and share your photos instantly online through your device or even order prints via dedicated apps.

Simply download your preferred printing service app onto your cameraphone and set up an account on the go with a Wi-Fi connection. Snapfish is a brilliant service that provides high-quality prints for a low cost. Just follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to order copies in an instant.


Access photos

01

Download the app and click the icon to load it. You can opt to view photos from your phone or log into your Snapfish, Instagram, Facebook or Flickr account to access other photos.

Make a selection

Order prints

02

03

Click Grid to select the images you want to print. Simply tap on a photo for a tick to appear. You can click on the landscape icon at the bottom to remove shots from your selection.

You can opt to upload or share shots from your camera roll via the app or click Create to order prints. Select your print size and then input your address and payment details.

Photography for Beginners i 73

SHARING Flickr

Showcase your shots on Flickr How to get started on one of the best photo-sharing sites around WHAT YOU’LL NEED… Internet connection A collection of photos

WE USED… Flickr.com

YOU COULD USE… Flickr app Photobucket SmugMug

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN… How to create and organise a photo gallery

Flickr has long been a popular choice for sharing shots online, allowing you to create your own gallery as well as become part of a photography community. It underwent a redesign, however, that put the photos front and centre. Now the images in your feed are much larger than the previous thumbnails, letting the photography shine through. You also now get 1TB of free storage (enough room for over 500,000 photos depending on their resolution). You can also upload up to 200MB per photo and 1080p HD videos up to 1GB each, with the ability to download files again in their original quality, making this a solid back-up option.

Profile page Click on You to be taken to albums, your map, the Organize section and more. This area also houses a new photobook creator


Edit shots Click on individual photos to edit the title and description, add tags, share and more. You can even change the copyright status

The community element of the site shouldn’t be overlooked either, as it not only lets you add comments and favourite images, but also follow friends, create groups and more. One of the best things about Flickr, though, is its companion app that lets you view and add to your gallery on the go. This is great for adding phone shots straight away, and there’s also the option to automatically sync them. You can download it for free for iOS or Android. What we will focus on in this tutorial, however, is how to set up your account and upload from your desktop. This lets you take a great deal of control over how your shots are organised.

Get started The Upload section is where you get started. Here you can upload multiple shots just by dragging and dropping them onto the screen

SHARING

Flickr

Upload to Flickr

Simple steps to share shots

Sign up

Select your settings

Start uploading

01

02

03

Head to www.flickr.com and click on Sign Up. Enter your personal info then click on Create Account. You’ll be taken to a verification screen – type in the letters or numbers then follow the instructions.

Once you’re in, you’ll see the main interface and inspirational images from other people’s galleries. Head to the icon top-right and select Settings to set a buddy icon and set any preferences you may have.

Click the Upload tab. You have the option to drag and drop photos onto the screen or click on Choose Photos and Videos. You can click below the thumbnail to change the name and write a description.

3 OF THE BEST…

Features of Flickr

Create albums

Batch organise

04

05

Use the options on the left to add tags, or add this to an album. You’ll be prompted to create an album if you don’t have any already. Click on Rotate at the top of the screen if needed, then Upload Photo top-right.

You can organise your images in batches. Head to You>Organize and drag the shots you want to edit into the main window. Use the tabs to set who sees them, add to an existing album and more.

Groups You can create your own Group or join existing ones to share in a love of specific photography. Click Groups>Search Groups to find one for you.

Tags Add tags to shots so people can find them when searching for keywords. Click on a photo and type in the Tag section on the right-hand side.

Tag locations

Share shots

06

07

Add shots to the map in Organizer by clicking Map, searching for the place you took the shot and dragging the image(s) onto that point. Now when you click You>Map you can see where your images were taken.

You can share shots straight from your gallery via social networks or email. Click the Share icon on the Photostream to send a link to your entire gallery or select an individual photo and click the Share icon.


Privacy Not every image has to have the same privacy settings. To make an image out of bounds, select the padlock symbol to choose who gets to see it.


EDITING 5 tips for sharing shots wirelessly

5 tips for sharing shots wirelessly Share photos straight from a camera with the latest tech With new camera technology, you no longer have to wait until you get home to share your shots. Much like cameraphones, many digital cameras now come with wireless sharing capabilities that allow you to keep friends and family updated with your photos in real-time, and get instant feedback.

Connect to Wi-Fi

Transfer to a phone

If your camera has Wi-Fi capabilities, it will let you send your shots directly to your computer and maybe even your printer whenever you’re connected to your home internet or within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot.

If you’re out and about, Wi-Fi cameras let you use your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot and transfer your shots to it. You can then share them via mobile internet to your favourite social networks wherever you are.

Tap to a device

Direct uploading

Use an Eye-Fi card

To speed up wirelessly connecting your camera to your smartphone, some models now use NFC. All you have to do is tap the camera to an NFC-compatible device and it will instantly pair them ready for sharing.

Some Wi-Fi cameras, such as the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 and Nikon COOLPIX S810c, let you download apps onto them so you can share your photos to social networks straight from the camera.

If your camera doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi, then you can add this function by using an Eye-Fi memory card. This has its own wireless sharing capabilities, so you can send shots straight to your smartphone.

“Much like cameraphones, many digital cameras now come with wireless photo sharing capabilities”



Ask the team questions at

Hayley Paterek


Hayley is here to help out with our readers’ shooting concerns

Post questions to the PFBMag group at www.facebook.com Tweet any quick questions or tips you may have to @PFBMag Upload your problem pics to our Flickr pool at www.flickr.com/ pfbmag

Questions & answers, tips & photo-fixes

PFB’s deputy editor

James Sheppard Photographer and Photoshop whizz James is on hand to solve any editing issues

Jo Stass PFB’s

senior staff writer Jo is ready to answer your camera tech questions

How can I fix photo colours? I’ve been practising with my new macro lens and managed to get some nice shots of my orchid plant at home. However, I noticed that the colours in my shot look a little off. Can you explain why and how I can fix it?

A

Julie Dyer, via Facebook When taking photos in certain lighting conditions, such as in the shade, your camera can struggle to adjust for the colour temperature of the light. This can leave your shots with an unusual colour cast, making them look too cool or too warm. To prevent this, you can change your camera’s white balance setting to suit the conditions you are shooting in, but it is also easy to fix in post-production.

Cool cast Shooting in the shade has given A the shot a cool colour cast, so it needs a bit of warming up in editing software

B

C

Email it to our experts [email protected]

01 Add a filter

Warm up a cool colour cast by clicking on the Filter tab then going to Adjustments>Photo Filter. Now choose a warming or orange filter from the drop-down menu.


a boost in saturation to make the image really pop

Dark details The shot looks a little C underexposed and needs

Photo needs rescuing?

Correct a colour cast

Dull colours The flower looks a little washed B out, so the colours could do with

brightening – another reason why the colours look quite dull

Warm up your shots in Photoshop Elements

02Warm it up

To strengthen or weaken the effect of the warming filter, use the Density slider. Adjust the slider until the colours in your photo start to appear more true to life.

03Adjust the exposure

The easy way to brighten up a shot is to click on the Enhance tab then go to Adjust Lighting> Brightness/Contrast. Then boost the Brightness slider to fix the exposure.

04 Boost the colours

To brighten up dull photo colours, go to Enhance>Adjust Color> Hue/Saturation and then boost the Saturation slider. Increase it until your photo looks vibrant but natural.

Ask the team questions at photoforbeginners.com

WHITE BALANCE EXPLAINED

Keep horizons straight for wonderful landscape shots

Tungsten

Incandescent or bulb lighting is generally quite orange, so the Tungsten setting will cool your shot down.

Daylight

 B EF O R E

When shooting on a sunny day, your shots can look oddly cool. Daylight white balance will warm them up.

Cloudy

How can I keep horizons straight? Cloud cover can cool down the natural light, so switch to the Cloudy setting to add in some warmth.

Shade

The light in shade is even cooler, so make sure you switch to the Shade setting to warm up your shots.

Flash

I have just got back from my family holiday and as I was sorting through my photos I realised that a lot of them are wonky. Even my lovely sunset photos are ruined by a sloping horizon. Do you have any tips that I can use to make sure I keep my photos straight in the future, and is there a way that I can fix my already wonky shots? I don’t mind splashing out a bit if it means I will avoid disappointment in future! Mary Connor, via Email

Keep photos straight

A wonky horizon can ruin an otherwise fantastic photo, so it is very important to keep it level. The simplest way to keep your photos straight is to really take your time when composing them. Make sure that you look at the LCD screen or through the viewfinder and hold the camera steady with both hands to keep it straight. Tuck your elbows into your sides as well. Then once you’ve taken your shot, review it and take it again if it’s wonky. However, there are a few other handy tricks that you can use too.

Tricks to prevent wonky shots

The light produced from your flash is quite cold, but the Flash setting will prevent washed out subjects.

Fluorescent

Fluorescent light can create a strong blue colour, so switch to this setting to counteract it with warm tones.

Use gridlines

Keep it level

Correct it later

If you have this option, switch on your camera’s gridlines display and line up the horizon with one of the horizontal lines of the grid to make sure it is straight.

A tripod will keep your camera steady, and some come with a spirit level to help you make sure it is straight. Alternatively, buy a spirit level attachment.

If you didn’t manage to get the horizon straight in your photos, then most editing programs have a straightening tool that will correct it for you.


Get rid of pesky red and yellow spots on your snaps with editing software

This month we

Like Post your photo to our Facebook page and we’ll share it with the world

Search for ‘PFBMag’

B EF O R E

Grant Sullivan A perfectly sharp wildlife shot of a magnificent bird in action.

How can I remove lens flare? Helen Holmes A fun action shot with a great use of reflections and monochrome.

Please can you show me the best way to remove sun spots from my photos? I forgot to use the lens hood when taking some wedding photos a couple of weeks ago, and they have some nasty lens flare issues. Frances Bradley, via Email Lens flare is a common problem when shooting on bright, sunny days as it can cause spots and smudges of coloured light to show up in your

Remove lens flare

photos. To avoid it you could use a lens hood to shield your lens from angled rays of light. Most lenses come with a hood, but you can make one from black card or use your hand instead. Another method is to simply change your shooting angle. Lens flare is usually caused when you’re shooting into the light, so angle your camera in another direction to avoid it. However, if these methods aren’t possible, then you can always remove it with editing software.

Clear up sun spots with Photoshop Elements

Sarah Martinet A slow shutter speed has been used to blur the water beautifully.

Des O’Connor The reflection creates a lovely mirror image of the duck in this shot.


One-click fix The easiest way to remove lens flare is with the Spot Healing Brush tool. Set it to Proximity Match, adjust the brush size and then click on the distraction to remove it.

Do it yourself Alternatively, you can fix it yourself with the Clone Stamp tool. Set the Opacity to 100% and hold the Opt/Alt key while clicking on an area of your shot to copy over the flare.

Paste over it Once you have copied an area of your shot with a similar pattern, colour or texture, you can now click on the lens flare to paste it on top. The lens flare will disappear.

orb

Ask the team quest

Twitpics The best photos tweeted to us @pfbmag

A f antastic silhouette that wor ks well in black and white @cam er onbr ook1

T his beautiful landscape looks wonder fully ser ene @mad g ibbon

h e r e o s p f a t m o t i b d s a e j d u r r g a d h t i n o @ s t e v g i l e T h s p h o t i t o t h

L en s fl ar e a nd g w el l i n n s un t hi s s h ol de l ig h t w o ot @ do n rk tf e ed t h e c o w

LET US RECOMMEND

Cloud storage services Back up your precious photos in the cloud I recently lost all of my photos when the external hard drive that I was keeping them on got damaged. I was absolutely devastated as my records of family holidays and my children growing up are now gone forever. I really don’t want this to happen again, so I want to keep my future shots more secure. I have heard that cloud storage is a good way to keep photos safe. Can you recommend some of the best services to use? Harold Phillips, via Email

It can be heartbreaking to lose your precious photo collection, so it is important to make sure it is backed up well. It’s a good idea to store them in a few different places, so that i f something happens to one, you know you have another set that is safe and sound. Cloud storage is one of the most secure and reliable solutions for backing up your files as it involves saving your shots to the web so that they can never be physically lost or damaged. There are lots of different cloud storage providers to choose from, but here are some of the best.

Dropbox

Google Drive

Sky Drive

£6/$10 a month for 100GB

Approx £1/$2 a month for 100GB

Approx £29/$50 a year for 100GB

Dropbox is one of the original cloud storage services and lets you share items with other Dropbox users as well as send links to non-users too. You can also send photos straight to social networks.

Google’s cloud service offers you storage space across Gmail, Google+ Photos and Google Drive, so you can store and organise all types of files and access them from your computer, mobile and tablet.

Microsoft’s service is available for Windows devices as well as iOS and Android, and you can even use it with your Xbox. You can back up your camera roll automatically and earn more storage space for it.

What’s good about it…



 If you recommend Dropbox to a friend, you’ll  both get an extra 500MB of free storage

 You can automatically back up to Google+ and  only big files count towards your storage space

 annually for upgrades instead of monthly You can create and share photo slideshows as  well as add captions and view image data

What could be better…



You can upload and access files on your desktop, online or on your phone or tablet

You only get around 2GB of free storage and it’s

 quite expensive to upgrade for more You can only view your photos as small tiles,  with no option to view them any larger

You get a whopping 15GB of free storage and upgrade costs are very cheap

The storage space you have is shared between

 Google Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos You’ll need different apps for each, but only  Google Drive can be accessed on your desktop

You get 7GB of free storage and can pay

It is a little more expensive than Google Drive

 but is ideal for Windows phone users You can only upgrade up to 200GB of files,  which is not as good as Dropbox or Google Drive Photography for Beginners 81

Ask the team questions at photoforbeginners.com

Get to know your camera in 5 minutes Your quick start guide to help you master your kit now CAMERA ICONS EXPLAINED Delete – found on all cameras

Drive modes including Burst

Self-timer for self-portraits etc

Playback – use

Metering modes

Image stabilisation

Flash – choose to switch on/off

Zooms lens out for wide angles

Fn

Function button – for shortcuts

Zooms lens in for close-ups

Ø

Diameter of lens – found on barrel

 to review photos

Flash off – the flash won’t fire

+ –

Zoom in on your photos

W T +

–

Zoom out of your photos

Exposure compensation Video mode on stills cameras

Mode dial Shutter release

Choose the correct setting with this guide

Macro or closeup modes Night-time/ low-light scenes

Program

Aperture Priority

Easily customise things like ISO and white balance

Select the aperture while the camera picks the shutter speed for you

Landscape

Shutter Priority

Boosts the saturation in blues and greens for really vivid shots

Auto

Select just the shutter speed in this mode

A T O

Manual

Let your camera do the hard work for you in automatic mode

Take control in this mode and pick your own settings

Sports

Portrait

Uses a fast shutter speed to capture blur-free movement

For super-flattering people shots with blurry backgrounds

Viewfinder

LCD screen Hotshoe

JARGON BUSTER Zoom

Aperture: Affects the amount of your image that is in focus – the ‘depth of field’

CSC: Compact system camera DSLR: Digital single lens reflex camera Drive mode: Continuous or Burst mode, single shot and self-timer Dynamic range: The term used to refer to the amount of detail in the highlights and shadows Exposure: A balanced exposure has detail in light and shadow areas alike

Exposure compensation: Adjusts the tonal range of your photo, lighter or darker

Lens

Lens release

Focal lengths: Wide-angle – a wider angle of view than normal, eg 28mm. Telephoto – a magnified view of subjects in the distance, eg 200mm

Flash

Focus: Autofocus means your camera focuses for you; Manual puts you in control

Menu

Controls

Customise buttons Get fast access to favourite settings

ISO: Refers to how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light and affects the visible grain or ‘noise’ in a photo

LCD: The display screen on the rear of the camera used to compose images

Live view: An electronic view of the scene in front of the lens

Metering: Refers to the way the camera reads the light in the scene

Megapixels: Number of pixels on the sensor, in millions

Noise: Refers to the visible digital grain in a photo

Shutter speed: Fast speeds freeze action while longer ones blur any motion Viewfinder: Optical – shows you the view

Access the menu

The Function option

Assign a function

01

02

03

To assign your favourite camera setting to your camera’s Function button, you first need to press the menu button.


Scroll through your menu to find the option for setting up the Function button. It will most likely be in the Settings section.

Here you can choose from a number of commonly used settings to assign to the Function button for quick access.

through the camera lens and is good for accurate framing. Electronic – shows the view on an LCD in the viewfinder

White balance: Affected by the ambient light, the white balance can be altered to ensure a natural colour result Zoom: Optical – the magnification provided by the camera lens. Digital – a camera crop factor

CREATE THE IMPOSSIBLE www.photoshopcreative.co.uk

Available from all good newsagents and supermarkets

ON SALE NOW

Striking imagery Step-by-step guides Essential tutorials





PHOTO EDITING

DIGITAL PAINTING



PHOTO ART

TOOL GUIDES

BEGINNER TIPS

BUY YOUR ISSUE TODAY Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com Available on the following platforms

facebook.com/PhotoshopCreative

twitter.com/PshopCreative

UPGRADE

Nikon COOLPIX S810c

Nikon goes head-to-head with your smartphone £280/$350 | 16MP | Full HD | 12x zoom

BUY T HIS IF …

y our smar tp hone camer a no long er mak es t he g ra de


HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO A SMARTPHONE? Like some phones, the S810c is an Android smart device with a touch screen, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS. You can record full HD 1080p videos and download apps from Google Play. The difference is the superior image quality, especially in low light.

UPGRADE

Nikon COOLPIX S810c Below There is a bright 3.7-inch LCD screen which is fantastic for composing

images, as well as playing games on the internet

TECHNICAL INFO

Megapixels

16MP A high resolution to rival smartphone image quality

Zoom 12x optical, 4x digital A focal length of 25-300mm gives a wide range of shots

Shutter speed 1-1/2000sec Shoot as slow as 4sec in Fireworks mode or speed things up when photographing action subjects

Smartphone users will feel right at home with the touch screen and Android icons. You can even capture images by tapping the screen

ISO sensitivity 125-1600 A good range of sensitivity settings for low-light shooting

Exp. modes Program, Auto Exposure A limited range of modes that gives you little control

Aperture f3.3-6.6 Flash modes TTL auto with monitor pre-flashes

Weight 216g with battery Dimensions 113 x 63.5 x 27.5mm Batteries Lithium-ion

You can’t make a phone call, but you can send emails, download apps and post an image to Instagram whenever you like. That’s because this Nikon COOLPIX S810c compact camera is also an Android smart device with a touch screen and built-in Wi-Fi. In fact, that’s the key in knowing how to operate it. There are only three buttons down the side of the huge 3.7-inch screen – which beats most other compacts hands-down – and they work just like a smartphone. It comes with some Google apps pre-installed, such as YouTube and Gmail, but you can add to and customise the display by visiting the Google Play store. You can even take pictures by pressing the area of the screen you want to be in focus and the camera will do the rest automatically. And that’s the operative word here, since there are absolutely no manual modes on board. This might prove restrictive if you’re interested in advancing your skills, but for some, it will be the perfect point-and-shoot. That’s because it’s designed to be the best compact camera your phone will never be, trumping it in areas like low-light photography – producing beautifully


Storage microSD, microSDXC

crisp shots all the way up to ISO 1600 – and you can zoom in up to 16x. The difference in image quality compared to the average smartphone is clear to see, thanks to the larger sensor. Users can record full HD movies wi th stereo sound (which is superior to mono), which is also good news for music lovers who can connect their headphones and enjoy streaming the latest tunes. It’s the perfect travel companion in many ways, whether it’s the ability to tag images with GPS or upload them wirelessly to a social network. Being able to play a round of Candy Crush afterwards is just a bonus. Ultimately, this is the perfect camera for the gadget lover. You’ve probably already got a tablet and a phone, but with image quality as good as this, there’s definitely room in your pocket for the S810c.

Screen 3.7 inches

HOW GOOD IS IT FOR…

Landscapes  Good detail in shadows and highlights, with a wide 25mm lens for framing

Portraits  Portraits are flattering and this is the perfect camera for uploading to the web

Sports  Autofocus works well to lock onto target quickly and freeze the action

Low light  Images are sharp all the way up until ISO 1600, when detail drops slightly

Macro   Focus as close as 2cm, but detail is lacking on the edges of the frame

THE PROS & CONS Stay connected with built-in Wi-Fi, play games and update your status

This is perfect for the social photographer who wants smartphone convenience with the image quality of a compact camera. It’s sexy and stylish, too!

VERDICT 

Low-light performance is superb, producing sharp and detailed images The missing manual modes will leave some photographers craving control Gadget lovers need only apply. You’ll have to know tech to reap the rewards


UPGRADE Samsung NX mini

Samsung NX mini Take a selfie in a wink with this ultra-cool smart camera £400/$450 | 20.5MP | 25,600 ISO | 6fps burst

BUY T HIS IF …

y ou’r e a st yl ish shoot er w ho’s lov es t ak ing self ies

IS THIS A GOOD CAMERA FOR SOCIALISING? The small build means you can take this camera anywhere. The three-inch screen flips up so you can capture the perfect selfie with a touch or a wink command, and then share the shots afterwards using Tag & Go, transferring the image you’re viewing to compatible phones.


UPGRADE

Samsung NX mini Below The NX mini aims to better the quality of a smartphone with a 20.5-megapixel one-inch sensor for high-resolution images with plenty of detail

Slightly bigger than a pack of playing cards, the NX mini is the world’s slimmest and lightest interchangeable lens camera

TECHNICAL INFO

Megapixels

20.5MP It produces gorgeously high-res images that are packed with detail

Zoom By lens There is a 9-27mm zoom lens available, which is pretty limited

Shutter speed 30-1/6000 sec Go slow or speed things up for a variety of imaging effects

ISO sensitivity 160-12800 The ISO can be extended up to 25600 for super low-light pics

Exp. modes Auto, Smart, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority A good range for every skill level

Aperture By lens Flash modes Auto, Smart, Auto+RE, Fill, Fill+RE, 1st curtain, 2nd curtain, Foff

Weight 196g with battery Dimensions 110.4 x 61.9 x 22.5mm Batteries Lithium-ion Storage microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, UHS-I, microSD Support

It may look like an ultra-swish compact, but the Samsung NX mini is actually of the interchangeable lens variety. This is the world’s slimmest and lightest of its kind and we’d argue it’s also the best looking. The leatherette finish lends a deceptively retro feel, since the mini’s as modern as you can get. Fitted with Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity and with the same one-inch sensor as the Nikon 1 range of CSCs, it also finds room for a three-inch touch screen LCD panel that flips up 180 degrees. This makes self-portraits a breeze, especially with the new wink shot feature that enables photographers to fire the shutter button hands-free. More than just a gimmick, it means that group shots are much easier to capture, but we wish the screen could rotate downwards too for a little extra versatility. The camera comes bundled with the new NX-M 9mm pancake lens that’s small and unobtrusive, just like the main body. It has a reasonably bright f3.5 aperture for creating blurred backgrounds but you will have to zoom with your feet. There is a 9-27mm kit lens available, however, which gives a little more freedom when composing your shots. It’s


easy to shoot one-handed and there’s the option to take manual control and capture RAW files, as well as a selection of automatic modes. We loved using the responsive touch screen to make quick changes, such as setting the autofocus point by tapping the area of the screen you want to be sharp. It also responds to swiping and zooming in gestures that anyone with a smartphone will be well accustomed to. The results will be much better than the average phone, though, with images displaying bright colours and plenty of detail at the lower end of the ISO scale. Low-light shots exhibited a little graininess, so lovers of the dark may want to check out the bright 17mm f1.8 lens that’s also on offer. This would be the ideal match for the social snapper who wants to take their photography skills even further.

Screen 3 inches


Landscapes  There’s a good amount of detail in the sky and foreground

Portraits  This compact was made for selfies, producing flattering photos

Sports   Fast-moving subjects were a little blurred straight out of the camera

Low light  Images are a little grainy and lose detail at high ISO settings

Macro   Colours are punchy but fine detail is lacking in extreme close-ups

THE PROS & CONS Self-portraits are easy thanks to the flip screen and skin tones are flattering

Samsung has proven that good things really do come in small packages, cramming in impressive features and specs into the slimmest CSC the world has seen.


The touch screen is as responsive and intuitive as any smartphone A more flexible LCD screen would aid adventurous compositions There is a limited number of lenses to fix onto the N X mini at the moment


UPGRADE Ricoh WG-4

Ricoh WG-4 Picking up where its predecessor the Pentax WG-3 left off, can the Ricoh WG-4 also impress? £280/$330 | Underwater shooting to 14m for up to 2 hours | Full 1080p HD movie recording at 30fps | 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor

BUY T HIS IF …

y ou’r e an adv ent ur e f an needing a t oug h compact

HOW TOUGH IS THE WG-4? The heavy-duty construction ensures that the WG-4 can withstand underwater use to a depth of 14m for up to two hours. It is also dustproof, shock-resistant from falls of up to 2m, crushproof against weights up to 100kgf and cold-resistant against temperatures to -10C.


UPGRADE

Ricoh WG-4 Below At

its best, the image quality is good and will certainly satisfy adventurers looking for a hardened compact to withstand vigorous outdoor pursuits

To improve the camera’s versatility, Ricoh also launched three ball-and-socket tripod mounts to accompany the WG-4, an adhesive camera mount, handlebar mount and suction cup mount

TECHNICAL INFO

Megapixels

16MP

The most common megapixel count for compacts, and ideal for large prints

Zoom 4x optical, 7.2x digital An equivalent, yet not the most impressive, focal range of 25-100mm

Shutter speed 4-1/4000 sec Not the fastest shutter speed on the market, but okay for casual enthusiasts

ISO sensitivity 125-6400 A rather narrow sensitivity range, and as such low-light fans should use a tripod

Exp. modes 16 scenes, plus Auto, Program, Shutter Priority

Plenty of scene modes for beginners, and a Shutter Priority mode for more advanced shooters

Aperture f2.0-4.9 Flash modes A, Foff, Fon, RE Weight 229g with battery Dimensions 125 x 64.5 x 32mm Batteries Lithium-ion

rechargeable

Storage SD, SDHC, SDXC

The adventure-proof Ricoh WG-4 enters the tough compact market as the 17th generation model in the brand’s series of rough and tough compacts, launched alongside the WG-4 GPS version. Although it’s the first of its kind to brandish the Ricoh brand name, the fixed-lens camera (identical to its launch brother, minus the GPS and front LCD information panel) sports a limited number of updates on the WG-3, as the unit touts the same 16MP sensor, 25-100mm lens, three-inch LCD, and protection features. New to the camera’s DNA is a handy user mode that allows shooters to store their favourite settings, plus a Shutter Priority mode for eager enthusiasts looking to shoot semi-manually, affecting a rather modest speed range of four seconds to 1/4000 seconds. While the adventure-ready shooter, available in silver or the more radical lime-green, is perfect for active explorers with its durable and rugged design, plus an easy-to-use-on-the-go menu system and button layout, it might not please the more demanding photographer. First of all, the 460k-dot LCD suffers badly with glare, its start-up isn’t the


sharpest and there is an evident shutter lag so action shots may be hit and miss. Battery life is rather poor, averaging significantly less than Ricoh’s claimed 240 shots per full charge. The autofocus is rather sluggish and perhaps because of the reinforced protective glass over the lens cutting down light further, its already rather stinted ‘fastest’ shutter speed (and ISO range) cannot cope with moderately paced subjects, and also for this reason low-light shots require the flash (which is rather slow to load) or a tripod. Like many in this category of shooter, images taken in good, even light resonate as well balanced, colour-correct and full of detail. The minute the lig ht is less than optimal, frames present camera shake, loss of sharpness, muted colours and noise is prevalent from as low as ISO 800.

Screen 3 inches


Landscapes   The lens isn’t the sharpest and as such, shots leave the camera a little soft

Portraits   With no RAW mode, there’s less scope for tweaking aspects such as skin tone

Sports    Its slow flash and humble shutter speed won’t endear it to action enthusiasts

Low light   Image blur and noise are the results of unsupported low-light shots here

Macro  The six lens-surrounding LEDs help the camera capture shots as close as 1cm

THE PROS & CONS Undeniably resilient, the WG-4 withstood everything we threw at it

Its adventure-ready toughness is the only factor elevating this otherwise average camera from the ranks of satisfactory.

A sensible tough compact choice for beginners, and easy to use on the move


Battery life is disappointing. It only managed 150 shots on a full charge

The image quality isn’t as good as many on the tough compact market


UPGRADE Fujifilm FinePix S9400W

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W

Does size matter when it comes to this new superzoom? £270/$350 | 50x optical zoom | Built-in Wi-Fi | Full HD movies

BUY T HIS IF …

y ou w ant a v er sat ile camer a f or shoot ing on t he g o

IS THIS A GOOD CAMERA TO TAKE ON HOLIDAY? The impressive focal range is ideal for shooting a variety of scenes, and the electronic viewfinder is useful for framing shots in bright sunlight. It is also powered by four AA batteries, which you can easily replace when you run out of charge.


UPGRADE

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Below Images could do with some sharpening and digital noise appears at low

ISOs. Quality and colours are excellent in bright conditions, though

The camera is bulky and quite heavy to hold for long periods. However, the chunky grip provides added comfort and it feels well made

TECHNICAL INFO

Megapixels

16.2MP A suitable number of megapixels for printing at large sizes

Zoom 50x optical, 100x digital An extensive 24-1,200mm focal range that is good for a variety of scenes

Shutter speed 8-1/1700sec An adequate range for freezing action and photographing in low light

ISO sensitivity 100-12800 High values available for keeping shots bright even when the light dips

Exp. modes 14 scenes, plus Auto, Program, Manual, AP and SP A great range for both beginners and more advanced photographers

Aperture f2.9-6.5 Flash modes Auto, Fon, Foff, RE, SS Weight 670g with battery Dimensions 122.6 x 86.9 x 116.2mm Batteries 4x AA Storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, 38MB internal

With its DSLR-like appearance, the Fujifilm S9400W may look like a bulky camera, but the size and weight aren’t so bad when you consider the superzoom lens. Its 50x optical zoom covers an impressive 24-1200mm focal range that could only be achieved by carrying around at least two large lenses with an interchangeable lens camera. The S9400W is still quite heavy though, but the ergonomic grip makes it comfortable to hold and the overall design feels sturdy and durable. Shots are difficult to keep steady when using longer focal lengths without a tripod, and have an evident reduction in image quality, but the zoom lever on the side of the lens helps to keep things smoother and steadier. The lens has quite a long way to extend to reach full zoom and is a li ttle noisy in doing so, but there is an instant zoom option that magnifies your shot without actually moving the lens, though it only produces much smaller images. Getting close-ups of subjects a little closer to you is easy thanks to the Super Macro Mode that lets you focus from just 1cm away. However, as it can only be used with the widest focal length, you may


find yourself overshadowing or scaring away more timid subjects. The S9400W also has lots more clever functions in addition to its auto and manual modes, including a setting which takes two shots – one with and one without flash – at the same time, and Zoom Bracketing, which instantly takes three shots at different levels of magnification. Overall, the camera is very easy to use, with clear menus and wellpositioned buttons, but the LCD monitor has a disappointingly low resolution for viewing image detail. Sadly, images don’t look a lot better when you view them on your computer, as details are soft and grain appears at a relatively low ISO 400 and gets progressively worse from there. Images taken in bright lighting conditions are much better though, with vibrant and accurate colours.

Screen 3 inches


Landscapes  You can fit plenty in the frame at 24mm, or use Panorama mode

Portraits  Zoom bracketing lets you shoot wide-angle and close-ups

Sports  The long zoom is ideal for getting close-ups of distant action

Low light    Images suffer from digital noise at relatively low ISO settings

Macro  Super Macro mode lets you focus from just 1cm away at wide angle

THE PROS & CONS The 50x optical zoom is ideal for shooting a range of different scenes

This superzoom is great value for money, with lots to keep beginners occupied. However, image quality is disappointing for a camera of this size.


It’s easy to use and has plenty of useful and creative features Image quality suffers in low light and is shaky at full zoom The low resolution LCD makes it difficult to view the quality of your shots


ACCESSORIES

JOBY 3-Way Camera Strap

BUY T HIS IF …

y ou w ant a f lexible st ra p f or easy access t o y our camer a

JOBY 3-Way Camera Strap

Carry your camera in three ways with just one strap Many camera straps only offer one method of carrying your camera, such as over your shoulder or around your wrist. JOBY has set out to change all

this with their three-way strap that can quickly and easily switch from a wrist strap to a neck or shoulder strap in one fluid motion. All you have to do is screw the plate onto your camera and pull the strap to extend it. Once it is at your desired length, you just push a button on the plate to lock it into position. Then when you unlock it, it easily retracts back to its original size, which is compact and lightweight enough to slip into any kit bag or just leave attached to your camera. When around your wrist, the strap can also be adjusted by way of a small, red rubber band stored on the plate. This is quite fiddly to use though, especially with one hand. Considering a big portion of the strap consists only of string, it feels surprisingly secure and is


strong enough to support a DSLR. However, it can easily get twisted and tangled, and when carrying it over your shoulder the camera tends to bounce and swing about a bit, which leaves it prone to knocks and bumps. It is quite comfortable to carry for long periods though, as the fabric section is soft and breathable around your wrist or neck and distributes the weight evenly. The design of the 3-Way Camera Strap is very clever and JOBY appear to have thought of almost everything to make it functional and easy to use. However, it still feels quite flimsy and unsubstantial for the price.

THE INFO Price £33/$40

Internal dimensions 220 x 34mm (wrist)

External dimensions 480 x 34mm (shoulder/neck)

Weight 52g Capacity 2700g Colours 1/4” screw

THE PROS & CONS Quickly and easily switches between three different carrying systems

The strap’s clever design gives you quick and easy access to your camera so you won’t miss a shot, but it feels quite flimsy for the price.

Comfortable to use and folds down small so it is lightweight and portable


It doesn’t feel all that durable when you consider the price

The string section seems flimsy and can easily twist and tangle


ACCESSORIES

Travel photo kit

01

03 02

04 94


ACCESSORIES Travel photo kit

Travel photo kit Remember to pack these essential items for improving your holiday snaps

1 Lowepro Passport Backpack Price £52/$65

2 XSories Mini Bendy with Pholder Price £24/$30

From the outside, this camera backpack from Lowepro (www.lowepro.com)

protective, and the camera insert is loose inside, but it is

If you want to shoot handsfree then a tripod is a must,

this makes them more study, and the colourful padding

very lightweight so it won’t add bulk to your kit. Plus, if

and this flexible three-legged friend from XSories (www. xsories.co.uk) is a very

means that they are comfortable to adjust. On top

looks just like a regular backpack, so it won’t make it obvious that you’re carrying around expensive kit. However, inside is a padded compartment that can store and suitably protect a DSLR and lens, an extra lens and other accessories. The outer bag doesn’t feel particularly

you want to use the bag as a regular backpack, you can completely remove the camera insert to do so. There is plenty of space for more kit and your personal belongings, and a 13-inch laptop or tablet will fit comfortably inside the back pocket.

BEST FOR: CARRYING GEAR

compact and lightweight solution. It’s short, so you’ll need to find somewhere elevated for it to stand, but the legs are flexible so they can easily fix to a variety of different surfaces. The legs are quite stiff to bend, but

of the ball head, which lets you shoot at either orientation, is a Pholder that can be adjusted to hold a variety of different smartphones. However, this can be unscrewed if you want to shoot with a compact camera instead.

BEST FOR: STEADYING SHOTS

3 Aquapac Mini Camera Case Price £35/$55

4 Samsung EVO 32GB memory card Price £25/$38

Unless your camera is

underwater. Plus, if you

It’s incredibly annoying to run

typical SD card, and it can

especially tough, then you’ll be at risk of damaging it when you’re shooting around sand, water or snow. To keep it

happen to drop it in the ocean, it will float so that you can find it again. The flexible material makes it easy to

out of space on your memory card before your trip is over, as you might miss out on a fantastic photo opportunity.

also transfer 360 photos per minute, so you wont have to wait long to view your shots when you get home. You

protected, you could try using this special protective case from Aquapac (www.

access your camera’s functions and there is plenty

Samsung’s (www.samsung. com/uk) 32GB EVO card can

won’t have to worry about it getting damaged either, as it

of space for the lens to zoom. This case will hold most

store thousands of photos so you won’t have to worry about

can survive up to 24 hours in seawater, endure

standard compacts, but smaller and larger options are

saving space. It is UHS-1 enabled, which means that it

temperatures from -25° to 85° Celsius and can even

available to house many different kinds of cameras.

can capture photos and video two times faster than your

survive being run over by a 1.9-ton vehicle.

aquapac.net). It is easy to seal your camera inside with the two simple twist locks, and you can then use it in extreme conditions, even

BEST FOR: PROTECTING KIT Share your shots at: photoforbeginners.com

BEST FOR: STORING PHOTOS Photography for Beginners 95

ACCESSORIES Bags for CSCs

Bags for CSCs Keep your compact system camera protected with these stylish bags

02

01

96

03

1 Manfrotto Stile Vivace 10 Price £20/approx $34

2 Interceptor Messenger Price £40/approx $68

The Stile Vivace 10 from Manfrotto (www.manfrotto. co.uk) feels really well made for its price, and has a stylish yet functional design. It feels rigid and protective, and inside there is enough space for a CSC and zoom lens. There’s just about enough room for an extra lens too, but there is no padded insert to protect it from the other kit inside. Apart from the Velcro

Putting function over style, Interceptor’s (www. intro2020.co.uk) small messenger bag is made of waterproof ‘tarpaulin’ so it will protect your kit in wet weather, but does have a cheap, plastic feel. It is not completely waterproof, as the lid simply folds over and is locked via Velcro and two buckles, but you do get fast access to your kit when you


pocket on the front, there is not much in the way of extra pockets for accessories as this bag is very much designed for one function – carrying your camera. It also has just two carrying options: the handle on the top, and the fixed shoulder strap, which unfortunately lacks any padding for added comfort.



need it. The bag is quite large so it can store any CSC plus several lenses, accessories and personal belongings too, and you can remove the padded insert to use it as a regular messenger bag if you wish. Extra pockets are also available, including one with a water-resistant zipper, and the shoulder strap is padded.



3 Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 10 Price £35/$45 If you want a bag that is just as compact

The customisable padded interior and

as your camera, then Think Tank’s (www. thinktankphoto.com) Mirrorless Mover 10

supplied rain cover provide adequate protection, but if you want quick access to

is just that. It will just about hold a slimline CSC with compact lens, plus another small

your gear, you can leave it unzipped and use the magnetic flip lid instead. The bag

lens at a push, but not a lot else. There are a few extra pockets for your phone, spare

can be worn on your belt, but also comes with an optional shoulder strap if you

memory cards, and other essentials though, and you can always buy the bigger

prefer a different carrying option.

version instead if you have a larger camera.



Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ  +44 (0)1202 586200 Web: www.photoforbeginners.com www.greatdigitalmags.com

Magazine team Deputy Editor Hayley Paterek [email protected]  01202 586276

Designer Benjamin Stanley Senior Staff Writer Joanna Stass Production Editor Alicea Francis Editor in Chief Dan Hutchinson Photographer James Sheppard Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook Publishing Director Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Contributors Thomas Calton, Natalie Denton, Dani Dixon, Simon Skellon, Amy Squibb, Jodie Tyley

Advertising Digital or printed media packs are available on request. Head of Sales Hang Deretz  01202 586442 Advertising Manager Alex Carnegie  01202 586430 [email protected]

International Photography for Beginners is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities.

Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman  +44 (0)1202 586401 [email protected]

Subscriptions

04

[email protected] For all subscription enquiries Email: [email protected]  (UK) 0844 245 6957  (Overseas) +44 (0)1795 592 815 13-issue subscription (UK) – £52 13-issue subscription (Europe) – £70 13-issue subscription (ROW) – £80

Circulation Head of Circulation Darren Pearce  01202 586200

Production Production Director Jane Hawkins  01202 586200

Founders Group Managing Director Damian Butt Group Finance & Commercial Director Steven Boyd

Printing & Distribution Printed by Wyndeham Heron, The Bentall Complex, Colchester Road, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex CM9 4NW Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by: Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street London SE1 0SU,  0203 148 3300, www.marketforce.co.uk Distributed in Australia by: Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group) Level 21 Civic Tower 66-68 Goulburn Street Sydney New South Wales 2000 Australia,  +61 2 8667 5288 Distributed in the Rest of the World by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU  0203 148 8105

Disclaimer

4 Booq Python Mirrorless Price £68/$80 The Python Mirrorless bag from booq (www.booqbags.com ) is exquisitely designed and made, with a sturdy feel and attractive finish. Although it is built to hold

and two lenses plus plenty of other pockets for additional small accessories and a small tablet. Accessing your camera isn’t particularly quick, as you have to unzip

a compact system camera, the bag is quite big and bulky, but the protection

the top and then pull off the Velcro cover, but again, this assures extra protection. It

offered is second to none. With rigid weatherproof walls and plenty of padding,

even comes with a Terralinq serial number to help you recover the bag if it gets lost.

your camera will definitely be kept safe and secure. There is enough space for a CSC




The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used speci�cally for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not af�liated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social network or any other means, you automatically grant Imagine Publishing an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the material across its entire portfolio, in print, online and digital, and to deliver the material to existing and future clients, including but not limited to international licensees for reproduction in international, licensed editions of Imagine products. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.

© Imagine Publishing Ltd 2014

ISSN 2046-9845

CHEAT SHEET

Flowers

PHOTO CHEAT SHEET

Flowers How to capture incredible close-ups of vibrant flowers with your camera Flowers make excellent subjects if you’re keen to brush up on your macro photography skills. Being stationary, there’s little chance of movement and when in bloom, they’re incredibly bright, vibrant and eye-catching. What’s more, you can shoot them year-round both indoors and out. To guarantee great results, select the flower icon on your camera’s mode dial, which represents a close-up. This mode enables you to focus much closer to the flower than you

would be able to in Auto mode, which means you can compose stronger macro shots that show much more detail. Shoot in open shade if possible, as bright direct sunlight can wash out details up close.

 ESSENTIAL FLOWER KNOW-HOW Aperture Shutter speed ISO

f8 1/200sec 200

Focus mode Drive mode Lens Helpful kit

AF Single 60mm Tripod, reflector

To light the shot… Shoot in open shade outside or by a window indoors and use a reflector to bounce light into the shadow areas of the shot

Top Tip… Photograph flowers after a light rain shower to capture water drops on the petals that add extra texture and interest. Alternatively, add them yourself indoors


Strong compositions Try shooting from different angles to get more dynamic shots. Crop in close for eye-catching results


MOVE INTO A NEW WORLD

Image courtesy of Damian McGillicuddy

GET A GRIP! CLAIM GRIPS WITH TWO AWARD-WINNING OM-D CAMERAS Whether you opt for the pro-level OM-D E-M1 or the original classic OM-D E-M5 you can claim a free grip worth up to £229.99 on redemption when you purchase any qualifying body or kit. Offer valid from 01/04/14 unt il 31/08/14. While stocks last. Terms and conditions apply. Pickup a leaflet in-store or visit olympus.co.uk/promotions for further details.

Photography for Beginners - Issue No. 41.Bak

Recommend Documents