Digital Camera World November 2019

Mention ‘HDR’ to many photographers and you’re often faced with a look that combines shock and sympathy. But as this month’s lead feature shows, there really isn’t much to be afraid of. Granted, high dynamic range photography hasn’t had the best reputation since it arrived, but as the tech behind it has moved on, perhaps it’s time to give it another go. Find out how to do just that, plus other techniques to tease out the best from advances in camera resolution and software to help shoot your best-ever landscapes, on page 34. One camera that does HDR well is Apple’s iPhone, but is the new 11 Pro the best cameraphone for photographers (p110)? On other pages, we round up highlights from Wildlife Photographer of the Year (p56), release 10 all-new…

Stephen Wilkes Commercial/fine art photographer Alongside his commercial work, Stephen has been busy with his epic project. On page 130, he explains about Day to Night. Hannes Lochner Wildlife photographer Hannes’ lion photo is enjoying the limelight, and it’s now set to appear in a new collaborative book, Remembering Lions. Turn to page 67 for the full story. Dan Mold Creative photographer Dan demonstrates how to use a polariser and a computer screen to create your very own quirky abstract images. Check out his training on page 8. James Abbott Landscape/portrait photographer Award-winning photographer James shares his essential skills for capturing the great outdoors. His valuable advice is on page 34. Quintin Lake Roving photographer Quintin has set himself the task of walking all 6,000 miles of the UK coastline. In his series, he shares his stories and offers advice for location shots. See…

10 things to shoot, edit or create this month, including polarised cutlery, autumn vistas and urban scenes There are some things that just can’t be replicated in Photoshop and this is certainly the case when using a circular polarising filter. This landscape photographer’s favourite tool is essential for cutting down reflections in water or glass, and also has the power to reduce scattered light – making blues in the sky look more punchy. But these wonderfully affordable and useful accessories can also be used to change the appearance of polarised light emitted by computer screens. If you have a laptop, tablet or even the smartphone in your pocket, the chances are it’s throwing out polarised light. In this project we’re going to take advantage of this special light to help us achieve the…

Backlighting is just what it sounds like! It’s when you take your light and place it behind your subject. Backlighting can be shot in several ways and you can use any light source, from studio lights to the sun. How you present your subject can vary depending on whether you want to introduce another light source. For example, you could completely silhouette your main subject and include just a rim of light, or use a small fill-in light in the foreground and bring back some detail. The main idea for this setup was to shoot against a black background and capture that glowing rim of light around a natural plant formation. The only light was an external flashgun. I placed the light behind the subject, pointing it up but slightly forward…

Anatoly Karpov’s painterly imagery is the result of a long process of preparation. “Queen Elizabeth I and her attire was the inspiration for this classic portrait,” he says. After having the initial idea, Anatoly worked on costume preparation, searching for historical details in libraries, archives and galleries. “The costumes are created specially for each unique photo session,” he says. Anatoly also carefully chose a professional model to suit the theme. Anatoly’s shooting process for this type of shot differs from his work in other genres. “In fashion, the model is often free to move as she wants, as I try to catch the right moment and angle. In a classic portrait, it is the opposite: I spend a lot of time to find the right pose for each model, so that…

In the past couple of years intentional camera movement (ICM) and layering multiple exposures has become more in vogue, and a growing movement using the technique is becoming ever noticeable. The technique, which requires you to take multiple exposures of a subject matter in a variety of ways, is highly experimental, and requires just as much thinking at the shooting stage as at the post-production side. To try this yourself, you first need to pick a subject. Natural scenes lend themselves well to the process, and offer an enjoyable opportunity to get out and about. However, there are definitely no rules when it comes to picking a subject, so be as experimental as you like. Some ICM photographers like to move the camera during a long exposure for a more abstract result…