Amateur Photographer

a week in phpotography

More and more photographers these days are venturing out after dark and pointing their cameras heavenwards to capture the millions of worlds that lie beyond our own. Many are tantalisingly invisible to the naked eye, but make spectacular photos if you know how. This week Guy Edwardes and David Clapp share their tips. If you have an Adobe subscription, or are considering one, you may not be aware that among the extra tools it gives you is a powerful website builder that works seamlessly with your Lightroom library. If you’re looking at building a website this could be a big money saver. Richard Sibley explains what it can do. Also this week, Robert Darch discusses his award-winning long term project, Peter Dench explains how, as a photojournalist, he has covered…

this week in 1906

San Francisco Earthquake and Fire by Arnold Genthe From a vantage point on Nob Hill, San Franciscans watch the approach of fires caused by that day’s earthquake, which took place on April 18, 1906. More than 80% of the city was destroyed by the earthquake, while more than 3,000 people lost their lives. The cost of the damage was said to run to more than $400million at the time, equating to over $11billion today. The Getty Images Hulton Archive is one of the world’s great cultural resources. Tracing its origins to the founding of the London Stereoscopic Company in 1854, today it houses over 80 million images spanning the birth of photography to the digital age. Explore it at www.gettyimages.com.…

ap picture of the week

The Shine of Hope by Parisa Bajelan Canon EOS 6D, Canon 16-35mm @16mm, 30sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000 ‘I have been fascinated with the night sky ever since I was a little girl growing up in Tehran, a big city with a population of 12 million,’ says Parisa. ‘For 15 years I’ve been travelling to regions far from city light pollution, both inside and outside Iran, to observe the stars as an amateur astronomer, and photograph them. I’ve also started making documentary films about my travel stories on YouTube.’ This stunning picture was taken in the Lut Desert, a large salt desert in the province of Kerman, in eastern Iran. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is notable for being the hottest recorded place on Earth, with land surface temperatures measured by…

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Dark Mill by Jay Birmingham 720nm infrared converted Fujifilm X-T20, XF14mm F2.8, 1/200sec at f/14, ISO 200 ‘The picture is of Thurne Mill in Norfolk,’ says Jay, a teacher based in the Midlands. ‘I was using a recently converted infrared camera and I noticed that the sunlight had fallen on the side of the mill. This lit it up beautifully when looking through my viewfinder. I ducked down low to try to capture some of the grass, which in the sunlight looked eerie in infrared. It created quite a moody image despite being shot in the middle of the afternoon.’ Instagram: jaybirminghamphotography. Blue Tit by Dave Newman Sony Alpha 9, Sony 200-600mm, 1/5000sec at f/8, ISO 2000 Dave is from Sleaford, Lincs, and works in construction but his passion is nature photography – though he…

ricoh unveils 26mp pentax k-3 mark iii

IN ONE of the longest-awaited sequels in DSLR history, Ricoh has finally formally announced its latest flagship APS-C DSLR, the Pentax K-3 Mark III. Don’t be deceived by the ‘Mark’ designation, though; compared to the K-3 Mark II of 2015, this is to all intents and purposes an entirely new camera. Pentax has built the Mark III around a 26MP APS-C sensor that employs a backside-illuminated design in a bid to reduce noise and improve dynamic range. The sensitivity range is vast, stretching from ISO 100 to 1,600,000; however in the past we’ve found such ultra-high settings to look better on the spec sheet than in actual photographs. The continuous shooting speed of 12 frames per second is genuinely impressive, though, especially for a DSLR. One notable feature is the SAFOX 13…

lce successfully moves to employee ownership

LONDON Camera Exchange (LCE) has moved to employee ownership after 65 years as a family business. An Employee Ownership Trust has been set up with trustees consisting of employees, who will represent the company’s 140-strong workforce. The transition is being overseen by managing director and company veteran Nick Richens. ‘London Camera Exchange has gone about its business in a modest and carefully-managed style over the years,’ he said. ‘This has allowed it to grow and prosper – most recently in a harsh business environment.’ LCE reported that by adapting to online operations during the lockdowns, and offering virtual demonstrations and events, it was able to maintain a ‘healthy level of business’ throughout 2020. ‘Over 10 years, the company has grown 32% in an industry that has seen a consumer market decline of over…