Digital Photographer

Planning and preparation are the pro photographer’s secret weapon. In almost any genre of the medium, at the professional level, it is knowing what conditions you may experience and which equipment will be needed that outfits you to succeed, regardle

Our technique editor explores the challenges of shooting with just one lens this month. Turn to p36 to discover how to make the most of limited kit. Then, on p56, Kim explains how to use extreme perspectives to capture architectural shots with a diff

Wedding photography is exhilarating, fun and uplifting but its specific demands mean that it can also be fast-paced and stressful. In this guide, we will explain how to find the perfect photo opportunities to capture beautiful, tender moments, use yo

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It’s been a busy month for Canon, after making an official announcement for its flagship EOS R1 full-frame mirrorless camera, two new lenses swiftly followed in the shape of an RF 35mm F1.4L VCM and RF-S 3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye for VR content, pl

Photographer: Axel Breutigam @axelbreutigamphotography axelbreutigam.com Image location: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Type of commission: Personal Shot details: Leica M 10M, Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH, 1/500sec, f/2, ISO 400 “During

The purpose of today’s shoot was to help Jon’s client secure permission for continued work at the quarry. For a business that supports many local employees and, on a larger scale, supplies many building projects around the country and beyond, it’s cr

There’s rarely a dull day in professional commercial photography – every shoot is different and the range of subject matter covered means that you can find yourself shooting in the office of a CEO one morning and on the roof of a new skyscraper in th

1 Nikon D5 This pro-spec DSLR camera is Jon’s workhorse model. It offers 21-megapixel images, which is more than enough resolution for the digital usage many of his corporate clients will ask for. It has a durable build quality, which is needed for w

Jon explains the importance of recognising when you start to shoot for your own creative satisfaction at the expense of your client’s time. Many high profile subjects have extreme time constraints so get the job done as efficiently as possible. Balan

1 Arrange the group In any group shot, it’s important to arrange the members in some form of order, usually based on physical height. Today, Jon was using a large machine as a prop so placed the taller people at the front and shorter attendees on the

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Like every genre of photography, macro and closeup have their unique challenges. Working with short focus distances and high magnifications produces ultra shallow depth-of-field, meaning that the photographer must work hard to compose a shot, keep es

To capture sharp, detailed close-up images, you need to focus with pinpoint accuracy and carefully consider the depth of field. While there will be occasions when you want to use a shallow zone of focus to capture more arty results, in most situation

1 Support yourselfThis might seem like obvious advice, but use support when practical. A tripod is best but for low level work, consider using a beanbag. With your camera fixed in position, you can refine focus and framing. Use your camera’s monitor

In macro photography, control of the background is essential to give an artistic dimension to your composition, elevating it above simple naturalistic photography, which only captures a record shot of your subject. That’s why I place backgrounds on t

Your subject must be far enough away from the background for your bokeh to be successful. If your subject is surrounded by vegetation or any other element, you won’t be able to achieve the desired effect as these background objects are too close to t

1 Zoom in Opt for macro lenses with a focal length of between 100mm and 150mm for full-frame (80mm to 100mm for APS-C). This will shorten the depth of field, helping to isolate your subject and allowing you to play with the colours and textures of yo

A beautiful play of light is the best way to elevate your closeup images above the ordinary. Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy to achieve in macro photography, especially when you are working with natural light and relying on the weather conditio

To capture great macro shots, you don’t just need good camera handling skills, you also need to know where to find subjects and get them within range of your camera. This fieldcraft involves preparation, knowledge, technique and patience, and is an e

Next issue The latest kit reviews, tutorials and projects to hone your photo skills PLUS FREE eBook GUIDE Issue 282 is on sale 2nd August 2024 • Master your wideangle • Behind the scenes: pro beauty portraits • Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity skill

1 Watch your step When stalking subjects, always be mindful of where your shadow falls. If you inadvertently cast your subject into shade, it is likely to quickly fly away or scurry off into the distance. Get into a picture-taking position using slow

CANON ZOOM LENS EF 24-105mm 1:4 L IS I USM If you ask professional photographers what is more important, the quality of the camera body or the quality of the lens, the majority will say the lens. In a market flooded with options, it can be challengin

When purchasing a lens, after the focal length, the focus is on the aperture possibilities. Throughout the history of photography, lenses with large apertures, such as f/1.4, have been popular and often command higher prices compared with their f/4 o

Angle of view: 4-8° Full frame: 300-600mm APS-C: 200-400mm Micro 3/4: 150-300mm Common in: Wildlife, action, sports, astro Angle of view: 8-34° Full frame: 70-300mm APS-C: 45-200mm Micro 3/4: 35-150mm Common in: Wildlife, sports Angle of view: 18-46°

“For wildlife photography, a wide range of focal lengths is beneficial. You might want to capture closer subjects, such as a bird in a nearby tree, however, zooming in close to the subject and revealing all its features in rich detail can often set y

I currently favour using a 35mm fixed lens for my photography because it allows me to effectively capture and convey a compelling story within a single photo. This can be more challenging with a 50mm lens, and even more so with an 85mm lens due to th

With action photography, it’s often safer to be away from the scene, especially with sports such as motocross. This is where you need a lens with a longer range, so you don’t have to get too close. However, when you want to shoot some filler images t

My previous camera was a Canon, the cheapest model that I could buy in Currys at the time while working on a small budget. It wasn’t weather-resistant in the slightest. Needless to say, I needed an upgrade when it finally broke down on me. At that ti

Difficulty level: Advanced Time taken: 2 hours Flash is synonymous with portrait and event photography – the speedlight is an essential tool in the kitbag of photographers working in these areas. However, many photographers would not stop to consider

For our shot, an on-camera speedlight did the trick, but we also took some frames with the flash off-camera. This allows more complex lighting setups and light painting techniques. For example, with the speedlight wirelessly controlled, we were able

1 Add your flash Attach a speedlight to the hotshoe. Since our goal is to add a spread of light to the foreground, we can comfortably use on-camera flash, unlike in portrait photography where directional light is better. Set the zoom to the widest se

1 Set tonal limits Begin by setting the Black and White points for your image. This will allow you to control the range of tonal information within the scene, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. Drag each slider until just before cl

Photographing architecture in a busy city can be challenging. With lots of people around and limited flexibility in movement, it’s often difficult to control the distance between you and the subject of interest. This can make capturing subjects like

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL There are many ways to convert your images to black and white in Photoshop and each has its own set of pros and cons. But one method that produces a great high-contrast conversion in a matter of seconds is the Gradient Map. This te

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL Possibly the best way of converting your colour photos to black-and white images is to work with the RAW files in Lightroom. Converting the image this way means that not only are you working with the raw image data, which provides

AFFINITY TUTORIAL Modern urban architecture often involves tall buildings with geometric shapes and distinctive lines that can offer great potential for photographic creativity. To achieve a more abstract look, we can shoot from extreme angles, but t

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Most professional photographers are more than capable of taking high-quality pictures across a variety of genres and styles, so you might be thinking why not offer a bit of everything? However, trying to please everyone is often where things can go w

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Yasser Alaa Mobarak specialises in a range of photo genres from architecture to travel photography, street photography and street portraiture. He keeps his kit simple, using two Nikon DSLR cameras along with a standard lens. “I li

Flash… ahhhh! I haven’t been taking photographs for that long and consider myself an amateur with ambition. My preference is to shoot with natural light, however, there are some situations where I’m not getting the results I want. I feel intimidated

Tell us about yourself and what you do… Portraiture has always been my passion and so I established my own business in 2006, which specialises in corporate photography and personal branding. I also run a busy professional headshot studio in St Albans

Name: Toss in the meadows Date: July 2022 Kit: Sony A1 Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Focal length: 600mm “I love capturing action shots of wildlife subjects, especially birds, with end-to-end details in the frame. I believe this is the most difficult kind

Tokyo is a vibrant and multifaceted megapolis that is home to over 14 million people. Its combination of ultramodern and traditional aspects makes it a fascinating place and a popular travel destination. Dutch photographer Richard Koek travelled to T

Founded in 1955, World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands. The contest has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious photo competitions, rewarding the best in photojournalism and documentary photograp

Photographer: Jonas Lindell Title: Between the waves Location: Nykarleby, Finland @jonas.lindell About the shot: “One summer evening, I went out with my friend to take some pictures. At some point, my friend shouted, ‘Keep still for a moment’ and the

For our latest competition in association with Photocrowd, we challenged you to submit your best golden hue images. After working through all the entries, the winners have been selected. As a prize, the expert winners will receive a licence for Affin

Digital Photographer’s awards are given out when a product really catches our attention. Here are our three most used accolades. Some of our product reviews also have in-depth lab data, graphs and scores. This means that the kit has been subjected to

Welcome to the Digital Photographer Photo Kit Leaderboard! The digital world moves fast and photo kit comes and goes in no time at all. The continuous march of development and progress means there can be a confusing array of potential cameras, lenses

Retro power is the order of the day with this APS-C modern classic from Fujifilm The single-digit Fujifilm X-series cameras have settled into a niche of their own, catering not only to high-level photographers but also to video shooters. The latest v

Price: £4,999/$ 4,999 Website: fujifilm-x.com With the release of the Fujifilm GFX100S II, it appears that Fujifilm might have found its rhythm in the GFX lineup. With its latest model, Fujifilm simplifies the range, ditching the last of its 50MP med

Price: £145/$159 (upgrade from £79/$89) Website: nikcollection.dxo.com The DxO Nik Collection now consists of seven different plug-ins, five of which are designed to offer creative inspiration and effects, while two are more ‘corrective’ image enhanc

PRICE: £1,179/$1,199 FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.17m (W) 0.34m (T) WEIGHT: 735g/745g I have a history with Sigma 24-70mm ‘trinity’ zooms, having owned the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, but I really like the handling characteristics of

Price £469/$549, £619/$719 Website dji.com A gimbal is a great way to elevate your video production, enabling you to capture more dynamic footage without the jitters and jerks usually associated with hand-holding a camera. In the past, gimbals tended

Photography is both an art and a science and, as such, there are a plethora of confusing technical terms to get to grips with. Luckily, we don’t often need to think about this jargon, except perhaps when buying a new lens or investing in new tech. Ho

After dedicating eight years to ecological and alternative causes in rural areas by establishing a permaculture farm in the Perigord Vert region of the verdurous countryside of France, when I was just 21 years old, I now dedicate myself exclusively t