Amateur Photographer 26/04/2022

I well remember the first time I agreed to shoot a wedding. Scary, indeed – it’s hard to think of a bigger photographic responsibility. It was a case of feeling the fear and doing it anyway, however, and it definitely made me a better photographer. The gratitude from the couple was hugely rewarding, too. So, if a friend or relative has asked you to shoot their wedding, or you fancy trying it out professionally, this issue is for you, as we’ve got lots of practical tips and gear advice from seasoned wedding shooters. The other massive highlight of this issue is the AP Awards 2022, here in print after a glittering live event in central London. Read on for details of our favourite cameras, lenses and accessories, along with the UK’s…

Tonight’s Film by Bill Brandt Another example of the high-profile names working for The Picture Post during its heyday, this shot was taken by Bill Brandt (1904-1983). It shows Alice, a barmaid from Bermondsey, using her day off to go to the cinema, London, 1939. She is looking at a poster for Norman Z McLeod’s romantic comedy, There Goes My Heart. The image was used in the story ‘A Barmaid’s Day’ published in April 1939. Generally regarded as one of the most important British photographers of the 20th century, Brandt has an English Heritage blue plaque outside his former home in Kensington, London. 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…

To congratulate the AP Pic of the Week winner, Fujifilm is giving the winner a £25 voucher to spend on any photo prints or gifts at myFUJIFILM.co.uk, so that they can print their image any way they like! Simply go to myFUJIFILM.co.uk, select what you want, then enter your given voucher code at checkout. The voucher is valid for 6 months and can be used in multiple transactions. No monetary eligibility or exchange. Need help using your code? Contact myfujifilm_uk@fujifilm.com *THE PRIZE APPLIES TO UK WINNERS ONLY. PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 28 DAYS FOR DELIVERY…

Hellebore by Jane Dibnah Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM, 1/400sec at f/3.5, ISO 100 Jane from Shropshire tells us, ‘I recently retired and have always had an interest in photography. In recent years I have enjoyed photographing the beauty of flowers. This image was taken in my garden using a tripod to capture the beauty of the Hellebore. I used a clamp to hold the flower in position, placing it in front of the plant to achieve a complementary background. In Photoshop I blended layers of the same image to create delicate translucent petals.’ See more of Jane’s photographs on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/janedibnah and Instagram @janedibnahfloralart…

Race With Time by Justyna Tarnacka Nikon D7200, Sigma 17-50mm, 1/6sec at f/22, ISO 100 ‘I took this photo in Bedford on the River Great Ouse. This is the view from the historic Embankment Bridge towards St Paul’s Church. The rowing teams, over which the birds fly, are trained on the river. In this photo, I used the Intentional Camera Movement technique, which I have been interested in recently. It consists in slightly extending the exposure time of the photo, while moving the camera (in this case up and down). I think it makes the photograph more picturesque, the birds seem to fall into the lens and the rowing boats catch up with them. Looking at the picture, they seem to hear the helmsman’s call, and the splash of oars is mingled…

VENUS Optics has announced a ‘red ring’ version of its Laowa 15mm shift lens, known as the Laowa 15mm f/4.5R Zero-D Shift, which more than doubles the number of aperture blades of the ‘blue ring’ version from five blades up to 14. The 15mm f/4.5R Zero-D Shift produces 14-pointed sunstars, which are claimed to be ‘softer and subtler’, and the lens is said to create a more rounded, smoother bokeh than its five-blade stablemate. The two versions of the lens are available in Canon EF, Canon RF, Leica L, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K, Sony E and Fujifilm G mounts. The new version is set to cost the same as the original lens, at £1,249.…