Digital Photographer

Welcome to the latest issue of Digital Photographer magazine. If there’s a particular something in the natural world that fascinates photographers, it’s arguably water. Whether we’re finding ways to freeze its movement down to fractions of a second o

Peter is Digital Photographer magazine’s staff writer, and in this issue he’s explored one of the most commonly snapped subjects among photographers – water. Head over to p34 of the magazine to begin reading his major feature. He’s also looked at the

Image title: Always look above What camera, lens and settings did you use to capture this stunning shot? Olympus E-M5 Mark II, 7-14mm, 1/60sec, f/2.8, ISO 800. How did you decide on the composition? The image was taken at the Grand Parque e Palácio

Photographer’s name: Kannan K R Website: 500px.com/mrkayphotography Image location: Kerala, India Type of commission: Personal work Shot details: Nikon D7000, 35mm, 1/250, f1.8, ISO 2000 f4L IS USM. Shot at 105mm, f4.5, 1/500sec, ISO 200 About the s

Panasonic used Cine Gear Expo in LA to announce that it is developing a third full-frame mirrorless camera in its Lumix S series. The Lumix S1H is designed to appeal to filmmakers and videographers and will be the first camera of its type that’s capa

Some photographers present the world literally, while others, including Mark Cornick (markcornickphotography.co.uk) aim to depict the ‘feel’ of the place. Here, he discusses his approach to abstract photography. When and how did your interest in phot

Water is central to all life on Earth – without an abundant supply life could not be supported. For this reason the presence of water can have a profound effect on how we perceive the tone of a location. By incorporating water into a photograph it is

Coastlines and seascapes are an ever-popular subject among landscape photographers for the wide variety of rock formations and beach detail on offer. However, one of the biggest draws of the environment is the obvious boundary between land and water,

While seascapes and coastlines provide an endless source of dramatic subject matter, there is arguably a limit to the style of images that can be captured in these environments. Shorelines are highly linear in form, so strong foregrounds are required

In contrast to oceans and rivers, a large proportion of the bodies of water we work with are significantly less mobile. Lakes and ponds are largely fixed in their position, with little motion visible in surface details. This characteristic requires a

Although water visible in an image is just one of many constituents of a landscape scene, the fluid or reflective properties make it highly noticeable to the viewer. As a consequence it is imperative to ensure its presence functions to push the inten

1 Convert in RAW As with any big tonal or colour edits it is better to work non-destructively, especially with water, which is often brighter so can lose detail quicker. In RAW software use the colour sliders to control contrast. 2 Widen tonal rang

1 Do: use extreme contrast Incorporate bright highlights and dark shadows for impact, either in-camera by careful exposure management, or via later software enhancement. 2 Do: look for strong colour Reflections are stunning when they feature vibrant

Based in a safari park, a big part of our working week is focussed around the challenges of shooting pictures of beautiful animals in a captive environment. While this may sound easy, it still contains many of the challenges associated with wildlife

We are all tempted to spend too much time thinking about equipment, but for the best results in zoos you will need to get the basics right. Top of the kit requirements is probably a decent telephoto lens capability. Assuming you are working with a go

When you visit a zoo or safari park, you may have an idea of the species you would really like to capture. However, it is generally a good idea to keep an open mind and make the most of whatever opportunities you see. Sometimes the best pictures come

Glass and fences are an inevitable reality of zoo photography, so lets look at a few ways to help deal with these obstructions when they cannot be avoided. The problem of fences is actually easier to solve, providing you can safely get close to them.

Shooting pictures from vehicles is a part of animal photography that is not confined to safari parks, and the techniques we use are similar to other scenarios in the wild. We try to effectively use the car as a mobile platform to shoot from. In the c

Hours sat behind a computer editing pictures is not for everyone, but it is useful to use the tools that software offers to get the very best from your zoo and safari park images. As a standard, we use Adobe Lightroom to not only sort and categorise

1 Take your time Getting the best from a trip will take a little time. The more you watch animals and keep yourself ready to capture images, the more you will see and the luckier you will feel. 2 Choose your moment Good photos always tell a story. T

For decades, family portraits have been the staple of many homes. Whether it’s to mark an important family milestone or to document the arrival of the newest member of the family, nothing immortalises the occasion better than a beautifully framed pho

When it comes to capturing family photography there are two main options for shoot locations. The first is to be inside a photography studio using flash lighting, and the other is to be outdoors on location. Naturally there are pros and cons to eithe

It’s always important to make sure you have the right equipment for the job. Obviously you’re going to need a DSLR or a CSC that’s able to produce high-resolution images, so you’re then going to need to pair it with a suitable portrait lens. A 50mm l

Trying to herd large numbers of people into a photo when you’re just one person can be a daunting task. But it’s your job to make sure that everyone is clearly visible within the frame, is looking at the camera and that they’re smiling – no easy task

1 Talk and shoot Most people hate their photo being taken, so keep the conversation flowing throughout the shoot, and take regular short breaks to keep the atmosphere light. 2 Let the kids lead If the children are running around and having a good ti

A website is a critical tool in the working photographer’s arsenal and is often the first line of interaction with your online audience. Whether people locateit directly through keywords entered into a search engine or by following links from another

Difficulty level: Intermediate Time taken: 3-4 hours If you’re anything like me, when someone mentions net curtains I can’t help but be cast back to my childhood; specifically to the time I spent at my nan’s house, as she always had the most ornate

You know the old saying – never work with children and animals. Well don’t let that put you off. So long as you adopt the right attitude, kids can be an absolute joy to work with and will often give you some of your best results. I mean, whose heart

1 Camera and macro lens This technique is all about the shadows on the model’s face, and it requires a tight crop with a shallow depth of field. A 50mm prime lens is ideal as it has a super-wide maximum aperture (we shot at f2 for our image) for a lo

Achieving perfect sharpness in macro photography is notoriously challenging due to the extreme magnification ratio. High-frequency details occupy more of the frame area so it is difficult to mask any deficit of sharpness. This blurring of detail can

Rather like a home, a photographer’s studio space is very personal. You know exactly the sort of functionality you’re going to need and the way you want it all to look and feel. For this reason, it’s potentially worthwhile setting up your studio on y

Photo backpacks have gone a long way over the years, faithfully carrying precious camera gear all around the world. They’ve come a long way too, with updates that make some of the latest models a real triumph of both style and substance. All of the p

There are four ways into this backpack, with a full-access main zipper at the rear, plus zippered flaps at the top and at both sides. You can configure it for quick access to one or two cameras complete with attached lenses, plus a favourite accessor

Smaller 20L and larger 32L editions of Tenba’s Axis backpack are available, but this 24L option is ideal for one or two cameras and six to eight lenses. There’s easily enough depth to stow a 70-300mm lens standing up, and space to store a 400mm f/2.8

Not just a manufacturer for the three-legged race, Manfrotto has also built up an extensive range of photo bags and backpacks. A multiple industry award winner, this is the larger of the two latest Pro Light ‘3N1’ backpacks. The three-way design make

There are five different sizes of Alta Sky backpack, and this 51D edition sits slap dab in the middle. The saying ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ could have been coined for it. The v-shaped front flap can securely hold a large dr

The key selling point of the Micro Four Thirds system has always been its small cameras and lenses that are matched to produce high-quality images. However, we’ve seen Panasonic increase the size of the its Lumix GH line to counter concerns about the

Although it’s a niche brand, Ricoh’s announcement of the GR III caused quite a bit of excitement among those who appreciate the careful lens and sensor pairings. For the GR III, Ricoh matched a 24.24MP APS-C format sensor (without an anti-aliasing fi

PRICE: £2,150 / $2,099 This is one of Canon’s best-known and most popular lenses in their lineup, so it’s regularly updated to keep pace with advances from rival offerings. Given it has both the same optical formula and 3.5-stop stabiliser as its pre

I spent seven long days on the Faroe Islands at the end of April. It was the best adventure I have been on so far. I had all possible kinds of weather and a great amount of luck. The trip was just epic, not only in one or two places but everywhere I