Amateur Photographer

a week in photography

Welcome to the first Premium Edition of what I hope will be a better year. We’re getting off to the best start we can with an issue dedicated to low-light photography. We’ve got lots of great tips for high-ISO and long-exposure shooting, and for getting the best from image stabilisation. We look at the best lenses and software for low-light shooters and Ben Hall shares his wildlife photography expertise. If it’s inspiration you seek we have plenty: try Liam Wong’s stunning vision of nocturnal Tokyo; David Sheldrick’s mesmerising UV portraits; Nicolas Asfouri’s powerful reportage of the Hong Kong protests; Ashok Sinha’s tribute to LA’s roadside diners and Aishwarya Sridhar’s amazing image of fireflies at night. We also reveal our verdicts on the new Sigma 100-400mm DG DN lens for mirrorless…

this week in 1968

TREASURES FROM THE HULTON ARCHIVE Screen Idol by Len Trievnor French screen goddess Brigitte Bardot is surrounded by photographers on the set of her latest film, the Edward Dmytryk western Shalako. The film also starred Sean Connery and was shot at Shepperton Studios, near London, with on-location filming taking place in the Tabernas Desert, Almeria, Spain. Despite the star names attached to the project, it received mixed critical reviews and was a box-office disappointment. Bardot started acting in 1952, and also had a successful singing career. She retired from the entertainment industry in 1973 to become an animal rights activist. 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…

it's good to share

AP picture of the week Steel Town at Twilight by Paul Potts Sony A7R IV, Sigma DG DN 85mm f/1.4, 45 secs at f/8, ISO 50 ‘I have always enjoyed the juxtaposition of the valleys, sea, and steelworks of my home town of Port Talbot. They are very striking at night,’ says Paul, whose name might sound familiar. ‘Ordinarily I spend a good deal of time travelling, as a singer, following my win in Britain’s Got Talent in 2007,’ he tells us. ‘I first bought a Canon 400D to record my travels as I toured around the world. The more I travelled, the more I shot. This year, after trips to Seoul and Tokyo, I had a long enforced break at home, before a Christmas tour in Denmark which had to be cut…

win!

Each week we choose our favourite picture on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr or Twitter using #appicoftheweek. PermaJet proudly supports the online picture of the week winner, who will receive a top-quality print of their image on the finest PermaJet paper*. It is important to bring images to life outside the digital sphere, so we encourage everyone to get printing today! Visit www.permajet.com to learn more. We also liked... Bamburgh Castle Sunrise by Scott Antcliffe Nikon D750, 24-85mm lens, 1/6sec at f/11, ISO 160 ‘The picture was taken on the beach at Bamburgh Castle during sunrise on 29 October 2020,’ says Scott, who is a primary school teacher from Chesterfield but also a keen writer and photographer. It’s a popular subject but one that Scott has made his own by using the trail of water as…

young entrant wins with curious deer image

THE WINNERS of the RSPCA Young Photographer of the Year competition have been announced. ‘Mind your head’, the winning image, was taken by 17-year-old Jake Kneale from Pewsey, Wiltshire, during lockdown in June, and was singled out from a record 11,000 entries this year. Jake entered his winning image into the new Small World category which was launched specifically to recognise how measures to control the pandemic will have limited how far young photographers could travel to take their photos. He was also awarded first prize in the competition’s Portfolio category for his series of striking swan images. ‘During lockdown I set up a camera trap on an area of farmland close to my home with the hope of photographing wildlife passing through the gate,’ Jake explained. ‘I was delighted when…

london leica specialist retires after 60 years

RICHARD Caplan Photographic, a well-established independent Leica and Hasselblad specialist in central London, is sadly closing for good after 25 years. Richard Caplan (right) himself has been in the camera retail business since 1961, starting out as an assistant at retailer Wallace Heaton. ‘It has been wonderful to serve generations of photographers, often in the same family,’ Richard told AP. ‘We’ve also served some celebrities, not only famous photographers like Bailey and Lord Snowdon (and his son Viscount Linley), but also actors and musicians. I wanted to produce a shop like Wallace Heaton and make service the biggest priority.’ When it comes his all-time favourite Leica gear, Richard cites the original M3 and M6 – ‘They are so well made, they go on working for years and can always be…