Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FREELANCE
PHOTOGRAPHER
STUART
WOOD
A UNIQUE MIX
OF SOCIAL AND
EDITORIAL
SMOOTH
OPERATORS
ARCHITECTURE
2 May/June 2014 1
2 May/June 2014 2
FREELANCE
PHOTOGRAPHER
2 FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Icon Publications Ltd
Maxwell Place
Maxwell Lane
Kelso
Scottish Borders TD5 7BB UK
ISSN 1754-0615
Directors
DAVID KILPATRICK
SHIRLEY KILPATRICK
VAT Reg. No. 458 1014 63
Company Reg. in England
April 14th 1987 No. 2122711
COVER
CONTENTS
26
NEWS
Trade talk and updates
DISARMING DISSENT
Controversy over a $120,000 photo
competition winner ended in
denial of any problem
10
14
42
58
24
26
COVER STORY:
SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARDS 2014
You can go to see the show in
London this month with gallery
walls of images to choose from,
heres our selection
52
LIGHT READING
with Martin Grahame-Dunn
A page of tips and knowledge from
one of the industrys best teachers.
The story of a night-time snapshot
which captures the spirit of Dublin
54
SMOOTH OPERATORS
We take a look at equipment
lenses in particular which brings
a new slick and silent approach to
UNDERXPOSURE
A missive from the Antipodes,
by writer-photographer David
Bigwood
60
62
YOUR VISION
An open gallery with reward
vouchers by courtesy of top
imaging lab One Vision
65
14
33
40
Photographs top, The Knight and his Steed by Nicolas Reusens, Spain (Shortlist,
Open Nature & Wildlife, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards). Above, taken
during Photo Training Overseas 2013 by Stuart Wood.
2 May/June 2014 3
THE PROFOTO B1
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The revolutionary Profoto B1 makes it easier than ever to take the flash off
your camera. With TTL you set the light in a flash. With battery-power and
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Add to that the power, speed and light shaping possibilities that Profoto lights
are known for, and you have an off-camera flash that makes great light easy.
For more information visit www.profoto.com/uk/b1
TRY NOW!
4 May/June 2014 2
Richard Walch
NEWS
New light
Panoramic paper
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Nikon 1 V3
NEWS
MPA/OLYMPUS
WEDDING & PORTRAIT AWARDS
2014/15
2013/14 Portrait Winner Lisa Visser FMPA
www.masterphotographyawards.co.uk
Look no mounting!
Samsung NX Mini
MPA-Olympusentryform.indd 1
30/03/2014 11:00
Amazing Internet
A
The art of creative web design
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Distributed by Bowens 01255 422807
Bowens and the power behind the picture are registered trademarks of Bowens International Ltd.
8 May/June 2014 2
DISARMINGDISSENT
I
INNOVATION &
Getty Embed
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/07/photographers-getty-images
http://www.bjp-online.com/2014/03/getty-images-makes-35-million-images-free-in-fight-against-copyright-infringement
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26463886
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/5/5475202/getty-images-made-its-pictures-free-to-us
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-07/photographers-hate-getty-imagess-plan-to-give-away-their-work
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/monetizing-gettys-35m-image-archive-via.html?m=1
http://weeder.org/rLHYBqr
& DISRUPTION
do their recruitment and
headhunting, and so on. Blurs
Global Services Exchange is in its
infancy, but this is what their MD
Philip Letts says about their latest
drive to link corporations wanting
video work to creatives able to
provide the service:
Video has always been a
popular project on the Exchange;
driven by an incredible array
of expert providers around the
globe who are able to be more
competitive by working directly
through the platform. However we
recognized that these providers
could deliver on the full gamut of
production and further disrupt the
older-style network agencies.
Notice the disrupt word again,
in conjunction with older-style
indicating that the world of
traditional advertising and media
agencies is something of the past.
We could argue that the arrival
of printing disrupted the work
of scribes, that photography
disrupted art and engraving, that
digital photography disrupted
the entire commercial structure
of silver imaging along with the
markets for silver and for the rare
earth minerals needed to make
digital sensors.
However, not one of these
cases involves the idea that
because you can no longer prevent
the theft of your stock, you give it
all away.
Heres the original news from
Getty as issued in early March.
Stockimo
Alamys iPhone
only App is called
Stockimo, and its
a collection as well
as a submission
method edited,
unlike regular
Alamy content. At
first it produced
howls of rage.
Then, when
Getty dropped
their bombshell,
Stockimo suddenly
seemed wonderful.
This innovation opens one
of the largest, deepest and most
comprehensive image collections
in the world for easy sharing,
thereby making the world an even
more visual place.
Images are the
communication medium of today
and imagery has become the
worlds most spoken language,
said Jonathan Klein, co-founder
and CEO of Getty Images.
Whether via a blog, website
or social media, everyone is a
publisher and increasingly visually
literate.
Innovation and disruption are
the foundation of Getty Images,
and we are excited to open up
our vast and growing image
collection for easy, legal sharing
in a new way that benefits our
content contributors and partners,
and advances our core mission to
enable a more visually-rich world.
A publishers angle
First of all, as specialist magazine
publishers, we dont like to see
any move which retains costs on
printed media while removing such
costs from websites. There is no
intrinsic difference in copyright
terms between a page in this
magazine and one on the web,
except that this page will be seen
by a few thousand readers and the
web page may be seen by millions.
Getty is not granting any
similar right for physical publishers
non-profit or otherwise to
access this collection. By doing
this, Getty creates conditions
where printed media become
less able to compete with web
media. Forget the term blogging,
its a weasel-word used to make
the creation of websites sound
like a friendly little casual hobby.
WordPress may have 75 million
blogging users but you would be
amazed at how widely WordPress
is used to construct commercial
websites, including almost all
websites our own company has
designed in the last ten years.
By creating this discrimination
against printed media a kind of
restriction of trade which could
perhaps be challenged in court
Getty Images weakens the very
sector from which its remaining
2 May/June 2014 11
SRB
Photographic
TOP SELLER
www.srb-griturn.com
** STOP PRESS... SRBs 10 STOP CIRC FILTER WINS BEST VALUE AWARD IN PHOTO PLUS BIG STOPPER GROUP TEST
Fighting disruption
FOAP
Finnish phone-photo
library FOAP hit the
headlines in March
after getting featured
by the New York
Times. We licensed this
(phone?) image by
Marcella Alexim for just
$10, 822 x 1096 pixels.
printing further with the earliest
imagesetting and scanning of
this type. However, the disruption
was not all negative. Over a
seven-year period magazines and
books changed radically, from a
model where every page needed
many stages of labour-intensive
production and high costs to
one where costs are identical
and could be considered to be
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Alternative portals
Photographers certainly want
their work to be seen, and shared.
They also want to secure revenue
from it (our last issues article on
Revenue Streams might have
read slightly differently after this
Getty announcement).
In the last issue, we also
featured websites with direct
selling which may involve
some storage charges or take
commissions (though rarely at
the 40% to 90% levels taken by
picture libraries). One of these,
theimagefile.com, notes that
costs were shown incorrectly.
Websites can be had from 3 a
month the 12 a month figure
related to a photographer using
70GB of storage and theimagefile
does not take any commission on
PayPal sales, the only deduction is
the PayPal charge.
In the case of theimagefile,
its a site we have been following
for some years to see whether it
will develop its library-style sales
to a level able to compete with
Alamy, Getty or Fotolibra (this
last one being perhaps the most
comparable).
Because such sales normally
depend on a user community as
well as a contributor community,
photographers have to drive traffic
to sites like theimagefile, otherwise
the content remains mostly
www.photographersdirect.com
which is a site issuing requests
from picture buyers, but building
all the submitted work into a
searchable picture library for
future clients to browse. Some of
the requests are so precise they
amount to a commission brief,
the only problem being that a few
dozen competing photographers
could also try to fulfil that brief and
win the sale.
Run by Gwyn Headley, the
Welsh-based
www.fotolibra.com
also issues photographer
briefings, but not as precise.
They deal with organisations like
Ordnance Survey, needing great
pictures from specific areas but
open to whatever subjects make
the strongest shot. They also
provide book publishers with
covers.
Art sales
2 May/June 2014 13
STUARTWOOD
FROM GROOMS&BRIDES TO TV GUIDES
2 May/June 2014 15
16 May/June 2014 2
2 May/June 2014 17
18 May/June 2014 2
Paris Parle, dancer with Royal Ballet, captured in on the beach, personal work shot during the
2013 Photo Training Overseas in Lanzarote. Daylight and Elinchrom Ranger Quadra RX flash, final
image unaltered in-camera exposure. Nikon D3, 24-70mm 2.8 at 31mm, ISO 200, 1/250th at 8.
20 May/June 2014 2
2 May/June 2014 21
22 May/June 2014 2
D-Day Veterans
Stuarts current personal project has been to photograph
D-day veterans for an exhibition and book, shown on this
spread. Each veteran is treated separately, reflecting their
personality Theyre so enthusiastic in their 90s and
acting like theyre in their 20s.
The challenge is to retain a variety and visual interest
throughout the group. My admiration for these guys knows
no bounds, its a pleasure to record them.
Summed up by a quote from the film A Few Good Men
Because they stand on a wall and they say nothing will
hurt you tonight, not on my watch.
Richard Kilpatrick
See:
www.stuart-wood.com for photographic training please see
the workshops section of the website
See also:
www.stuartwoodweddings.com
2 May/June 2014 23
Expensive tricolor LEDs visible here under the large 60 angle lenses allow the KICK
to output any balance of R, G, B light with a higher Colour Rendering Index than
typical LED battery lighting. Interfaces and controls, right.
Commercial Cameras
7 High Street, Church Sretton, Shropshire SY6 6BU Tel: 01694 722 202
This may look impossible to light with a phone-sized LED, as it was totally dark
the flooded cellar of an old brewery bring re-opened in Northampton. But the
Nikon D4 at ISO 100 needed its Schneider 28mm stopped well down and used
with a circular polariser to secure 10 seconds at ISO 100. Using two KICK lights set
to colour cycle, Richard Kilpatrick walked through the water, in-shot.
being capable of capturing stills
or video. The lights are ideal for
stills photography, light painting
and simply providing fill in
mixed lighting conditions, with
enough output to work with a
good distance from the subject.
Skin tones and subtle colours are
preserved, with the KICK able to
vary between 2,800 and 12,000
Kelvins whilst providing a full
spectrum of light.
The lightweight unit features
a screwed-on casing, indicating
easily replaced batteries in the
long run. The large lenses spread
light evenly. A diffuser option, if
you dont want to improvise, is
probably the only feature lacking.
IAL
4,795+VAT
EC ER
P
S FF
O with 1 FREE extra battery worth 400+VAT!
www.commercialcameras.co.uk
Photographic e-books
by David Bigwood, LRPS
Available from
Smashwords
for most tablets
www.tinyurl.com/ofbqeeg
Amazon UK
for Kindle
tinyurl.com/msd6nze
Over 20 e-books on
photography already
published at affordable
prices with more to come.
Grey model MGF on studio perspex table. Top, one light on rainbow cycle moved
round the subject from the back then to the front, D4, 105mm macro, ISO 100,
32. Bottom, with the Kick moved across behind the subject, 29, 30 seconds.
www.bigwoodpublishing.com
info@bigwoodpublishing.com
2 May/June 2014 25
he World Photography
Organisation holds annual
awards which have now
been sponsored by Sony for
seven years. For the 2014 Awards,
photographers from 166 countries
submitted nearly 140,000
images, the highest ever. From
the submissions the judges have
selected a shortlist and from this
shortlist, we have edited our own
choice. Unlike many world photo
competitions, these are entirely
free to enter. Professionals submit
sets of images on a theme (from
three to ten pictures) while the
Open section is for single images.
The Somerset House exhibition
prints have been produced by the
print sponsor of the awards, Metro
Imaging. Tickets to see the show
are now available at:
www.worldphoto.org/2014exhibition
The winners of the Open and
Youth categories were announced
on March 18th. Professional
category winners, and LIris dOr/
Sony World Photography Awards
Photographer of the Year title, are
due to be announced in London
on April 30th.
26 May/June 2014 2
Facing page: two photographs by George Logan, UK, from the professional Campaign category Whiskas cat food advertising.
This page: two photographs by Gonzaga Manso, Spain, Campaign category from the World Wildlife Funds Extinction Cant Be Fixed series.
2 May/June 2014 27
28 May/June 2014 2
Left hand page one of your editors favourites from the entry, by Yves Devleminck, given third position in the Belgian national ranking. Reflets, and most
reminiscent of the 1930s work of Krtesz and his contemporary pioneers of viewfinder vision. On this page, the only two uses of infrared imaging in the
show. Above, Below the Mystery by Christian Vilz of Mexico, finalist in the professional Travel category. Below, 1st place in Central America National open
award, by Gabriel Solis Carmona.
2 May/June 2014 29
Water and cameras do not always mix well! Top, entered in the Split Second category by
Hairul Azizi Harun of Malaysia, this rather wonderful moment took the overall prize for the
Open section. Above, entered in Low Light by Vlad Eftenie of Romania, a contemporary
view of night and rain which also made the top ten finalists in Open.
30 May/June 2014 2
The weather, when not raining in Romania, produced some exceptional conditions during
2013. Top picture, Starry Lighthouse by Ivan Pedretti from Italy, which took the award for
Open Panoramic and a place in the final ten of the Open classes. Bottom, Northern Lights
by Raymond Hoffman took 2nd Place National award for the Nordic region (which is
classed as one country in this competition).
2 May/June 2014 31
8.5
Tilt-Shift 24mm
f/3.5 ED AS UMC
-90
Minimum aperture: 22
Lens Construction: 16 elements,
11 groups, 1 Aspherical.
Available mounts:
Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony
Weight: 640 g
12 mm
+90
/samyanguk
www.samyang.co.uk
YEAR
GUARANTEE
BUILDING
AN ARCHITECTURAL REPUTATION
After looking for a conventional high viewpoint to avoid the heavy shadows (left, an iPhone record shot) Martine chose an even higher distant overview of Nottingham
Trent University Byron Students Union building (Church Lukas Architects 2013 - RIBA Award Shortlist 2014). It shows context and solves the winter light problem.
the finished product, looking to
RIBA Awards and final marketing
and promotional material. As we
look through years of images,
Martine is as excited by the details,
the near abstract, as she is by the
impressive interior and exterior
shots. Though I talk about my
job as one involving patience
and precision, Im inevitably to be
found running because Ive seen
something and need to catch it
before the light changes.
Along with the hero shot
often taken with the widest angle
lens she emphasises the need for
mid-focal length (35/40/50/70mm)
views to tell the story of the
design and use of a building, and
close-up detail shots to showcase
the materials and craftsmanship
involved.
34 May/June 2014 2
2 May/June 2014 35
Canons four TS-E tilt shift lenses are essential for Martines work on full-frame Canon 1Ds series bodies. Above, Newport University of Wales 2011, using the 17mm lens.
Below left, University of Sunderland, Faulkner Browns Architects 2009, using the 45mm for a solid weighty perspective.
Below right, Climbing Wall in the Byron Students Union, taken using the 17mm and 0.4 second exposure at 11 and ISO 320, with carefully posed figures.
Facing page, West Herts College (Weedon Partnership 2010) rigorously corrected with the modest angle of view of the 90mm TS-E.
36 May/June 2014 2
2 May/June 2014 37
Colour can be an important aspect of architectural work, especially when dealing with designed interiors. The new Canon EOS 1D X was used for this lighting
installation interior of Nottingham Trent University Byron Students Union (Church Lukas Architects 2013 - RIBA Award Shortlist 2014). 24mm TS-E lens.
Left 1, Nottingham Science Park (Studio Egret West 2008) is one example where
the use of perspective controls would be inappropriate. Mixed daylight and
artificial light.
Above Crowne Plaza Marlow by Conran & Partners (2003) using the 150mm
Schneider on the Linhof Technikardan.
38 May/June 2014 2
Yarm School Theatre (Associated Architects 2013 RIBA Award winner 2013) photographed for BUILT magazine. The students had to pose as the exposure with the
17mm Canon TS-E lens was 1/6th at 11, using the Canon EOS 1D X at ISO 320. Though it has excellent high ISO performance, keeping the setting below ISO 400
ensures maximum dynamic range and colour information. Below, as part of an assignment like this close-ups of detailing are very important. Here the long lens of the
Canon TS-E series, the 90mm, was used to show the complex acoustic woodwork.
the architecture of Sir Michael
Hopkins in shaping the citys
landscape, as depicted through
Martines work.
Her passion for photography
burns as strongly as it did 25 years
ago. Through her training offered
as Line & Light, Martine gets to
teach enthusiastic photographers
a wide range of disciplines such
as wildlife or portraiture as well
as urban and built environments.
These have proved popular and
some are offered under the English
Heritage umbrella. While she
does offer architectural training,
this is on a one-to-one basis for
overseas students only. Martine
puts considerable effort into
to planning and arranging the
affordable programmes. Her lively
presentation style and strong
technical knowledge proved
popular at Photo Training Overseas
2014 and at The Photography
Show. Shes an Ambassador for the
Manfrotto tripods and heads she
has always used.
See:
http://bit.ly/1gyp3Ve
(the Nottingham exhibition
mentioned in the text, which has a
very long web address just use this
shortened Bitly version)
and
http://www.lineandlight.co.uk
Martines toolbox
For location work in the UK, after
switching to digital capture in
2005, Martine carries:
Canon EOS-1D X body
Set of Canon TSE lenses
Manfrottto MT057C4-G tripod
Manfrotto 405 geared head
Digital Pro SV rotator
Metz flash units
Continuous lighting
For overseas or construction site
work, she uses lighter weight
equipment:
Canon EOS-5D MkIII body
Set of TSE lenses
Manfrotto 190 Pro Carbon Fibre
Manfrotto 410 Junior head
Digital Pro SV rotator
Canon Speedlights
Martine does not use high levels of
post-processing, her technique is
based on film methods and relies
on lighting and exposure control
in-camera. She shoots raw files
and uses Adobe Camera Raw from
Bridge to organise and process her
files. BuiltVision is also an image
library and retains the (Flextight)
systems needed to scan 5 x 4 and
other film formats to high quality.
See:
http://www.builtvision.co.uk
2 May/June 2014 39
SAMYANG 24mm TS
T
See: www.samyang.co.uk
Top pair, black and white from a close viewpoint, the 24mm with 10mm vertical shift has a dramatic effect on the
apparent scale and shape of the overhanging glazed roof section. Vertical elongation is a quality of wide-angle shift
lens drawing. Centre, gravestone at this angle, 4 of swing brought the face of the memorial and the distance to the
left side both into sharp focus. Above, shopping mall here the shift was rotated to 30 to have a slight vertical effect
and substantial horizontal cross front, while around 1.5 of swing aligned the plane of focus. These examples were all
made hand-held using the A7Rs viewfinder horizon level display. Right minimising the ground or floor, maximising
the roof or ceiling. Small images show eye-level view with no shift, then ground level view with no shift. The large view,
colour corrected to remove a strong green cast from sunlight reflected off grass outside the cloister, uses the ground
level view with 9mm of rise shift and about 3 of swing to the left. The lens is set to 13. A tripod was used and the
exposure was 1/15th of a second at ISO 50. Any softening of detail occurs towards the top right only.
2 May/June 2014 41
BEING A BRAND
AMBASSADOR
At The Photography Show, NEC, UK, in March above, Mark Seymour talks to a
packed house for Nikon; below, Trevor and Faye Yerbury on the Catwalk Stage
with Bowens lighting and Fujifilm X cameras (equally large audience out of shot!).
Yerburys Fujifilm
NEWLY-APPOINTED Fujifilm
ambassadors Trevor & Faye Yerbury
have had a long and distinguished
career creating fine art portraiture.
As a result, approaches now come
to them, and they already have
associations with Bowens, Loxley
Colour, Nik Software and Kubota
Image Tools. Fuji recently got in
touch about doing some seminars
with the X-Pro1 and X-T1, which
are lovely, Trevor says. They lent
me a camera with the 56mm
portrait lens, which is beautiful.
The whole point is that
Fujifilm want to get back into the
professional market when it comes
to cameras.
42 May/June 2014 2
2 May/June 2014 43
44 May/June 2014 2
Photographs by Trevor Yerbury using the Fujfilm X-Pro1 camera above, Papa taken with an early production 56mm 1.2 portrait lens.
Left, a remarkable use of a Parisian setting caught using the 55-230mm Fujinon XF telephoto zoom. See: www.yerburystudio.com
PHOTO
OVERSEAS
PHOTO TRAINING
TRAINING OVERSEAS
28th
January -- 6th
6thFebruary
February2015
2015
28thAnnual
AnnualTraining
Training Course
Course 30th
30th January
atatthe
Hotel, Puerto
PuertoSantiago
SantiagoTenerife
Tenerife
the44Star
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Playa La
La Arena
Arena Hotel,
on
B/ham, Gatwick
Gatwick&&Manchester
Manchester
onallallinclusive
inclusive- -flights
flightsfrom
from Glasgow,
Glasgow, B/ham,
Master
Tutors
Master Class
Class Tutors
Glyn
Glyn Dewis
Dewis- Photoshop
Photoshop
Gerry
phoneArt
Art
Gerry Coe
Coe -- Portrait
Portrait & I phone
Julie
Wedding
JulieOswin
Oswin -- Classical Wedding
BrianJ.
J.McLernon
McLernon - Sea & Landscapes
Brian
Landscapes
Dave Wall
Wall -- Stock Photography
Dave
Photography
MarkSeymour
Seymour -- Documentary
Documentary Wedding
Mark
Wedding
Frank Doorhof
Doorhof - Fashion
Fashion Portraits
Frank
Portraits
SandiFriend
Friend -- Contemporary
Contemporary Children
Sandi
Children
Therewill
willalso
alsobe
betwo
two major
major Super
Super Classes
There
Classeson
onthe
thefinal
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day
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Evening seminars:
seminars: Ten
Ten Minute
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Tantalizers:
An
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With
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plus
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An Evening With A Legend plus the popularDigital
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Photo
Critique
Competition
with
the
fantastic
Photo Critique Competition with the fantasticGala
Gala
Awards Event and other great competitions
Awards Event and other great competitions
Rachel Esther Taylors wedding was one of Marks recent glowing successes but
who could fail with such a stunning bride and reception venue?
2 May/June 2014 47
Philippe Echaroux
www.elinchrom.com
48 May/June 2014 2
F2 21/3/14.indd 1
21/03/2014 11:22
2 May/June 2014 49
Damian
McGillicuddy
Olympus
LAST YEAR Damian McGillicuddy
dubbed Big Dog was
announced by Olympus as
their official brand ambassador,
replacing the long-serving David
Bailey, big shoes to fill for sure.
When I was at school, about
15 years old, I used to watch
David Baileys Olympus adverts on
television and tell my mum thats
where I want to end up, Damian
recalls.
About four years ago we
were doing something at Focus
on Imaging and Mark Thackara
at Olympus asked if I would take
a shot with a new camera the
XZ-1 for them. They used the
shot for an A3 pull out brochure. It
went a bit quiet after that but then
I received an E-3 through the post
to try, then an E-5, and I was quite
smitten. I was a Nikon user at that
point but I liked the quality of the
files. Even at high ISOs the look
was quite filmic. And the camera
was quite a lot smaller than my D3.
Then the new OM-D E-M5
came out, and by this time
wed established an informal
arrangement Olympus and I, all
based on a handshake. The only
contract is a verbal one. I have to
say when the OM-D came out I
genuinely didnt want to like it.
It was small and Im a superstar
professional photographer but
the more I shot with it, the more
it beguiled me and the more it
compelled me to want to use it.
It happened gradually: there was
never a next Monday you will
be working for us conversation,
though we made it official last
year, having been working for 12
or 18 months before that. They had
to make sure I was the right man
for the job, and I had to make sure
it was what I wanted to do.
Damian adds that from his
point of view he wasnt prepared
to jump into bed with anybody
just on a financial arrangement. I
genuinely believe that the E-M1
and the OM-D system as a whole
is a revolutionary concept. I had
a very long association with Fuji,
their films and papers, and was a
little bit disappointed I couldnt
say to them right, Ill use this
camera because for me the OM-D
is a better product for the way I
work. Im not knocking them, but
for me the Fuji X series was more
rangefinder than SLR and the
focus wasnt fast enough for me.
So I made a deliberate choice to
go with a company I thought had
good product. Because the truth
of the matter is that I cant do a
50 May/June 2014 2
www.damianmcgillicuddy.com
2 May/June 2014 51
LIGHTREADING
A LITTLE
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Light Blue
Absolutely vital f2
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Photo Professional
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Photo Equipment
& Technology Show
Photographers
Equipment Fair
www.forwardevents.co.uk
HERTFORDSHIRE
T
EVEN
NEXT
3rd June 2014
r,
ete
Ex
t
en
Next Ev
Manchester
Man Utd Football Stadium 13th May 2014
Exeter
Matford Centre 3rd June 2014
Windsor
Royal Windsor Racecourse 18th June 2014
Derby
Donington Park 1st July 2014
Bristol
Ashton Gate Stadium 15th July 2014
Dublin
Croke Park Stadium 2nd September 2014
Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse 16th September 2014
Southampton
The Ageas Bowl 1st October 2014
Kent
Brands Hatch Circuit 21st October 2014
London - Epsom
Epsom Downs Racecourse 11th November 2014
Edinburgh
Royal Highland Centre TBA 2015
Star Attractions
FREE Entry FREE Parking FREE Seminars Live Demos Live Models
Seminars Start at 10am Trade Show 11am to 4pm
SMOOTH OPERAT
Silent shooting
Were used to the sound of massed
SLRs at news events quieter
now theres no film motordrive,
but faster frame to frame so just
as offensive. Within two or three
years, most of this will go quiet.
There are already silent shutter
modes or quiet modes, though
only Panasonic claims a true silent
mode in advertising. The leaf
shutter of Sonys RX cameras series
from the basic RX100 through
the superzoom RX10 to the high
end RX1/R is effectively silent
and of all the cameras Ive used
recently, the RX10 points most
firmly to the future. Samsungs
new NX Mini system is based on
a similar sensor and has silent
shooting to 1/16,000th shutter
speed so I may revise that view.
The RX10 is not only silent, its
the most amazing smooth camera
in every sense. The entire body
feels rock solid (its magnesium)
and the lens though a motorised
zoom has a similar feel. Its an
illusion, as the central extending
tube has the usual slight play you
expect from any 24-200mm range
superzoom. It just doesnt happen
unless you push it around.
The RX10 is based on a oneinch 20 megapixel sensor, 8.8 x
13.2mm (a 2.7X factor reduction
from full frame). This sensor
delivers finely toned, noise free
raw images from ISO 80 to 200 and
can be used confidently at 400 to
1600, noise needing strong control
or treatment only kicking in at
2000 and above. Because the Carl
Zeiss zoom lens is 2.8 constant
maximum aperture all the way
from 24mm to 200mm equivalent,
and also has excellent full bore
TORS
a
slot in
in the lens
top. Richard is photographed
here, using the lens at 5.6.
2 May/June 2014 55
The Sigma DN lenses for E-mount (also made for MicroFourThirds) are 19mm,
30mm and 60mm 2.8 designs sharing the same lens hood, filter size and cap. All
three have high resolution and contrast corner to corner.
Changing lenses
The greatest transformation of
quality and brand image in the
last few years must be Sigmas
introduction of individual lens
MTF testing using their new
Foveon-based higher resolution
quality control system. They
have combined this with new
methods of barrel construction
including rear units which can
be factory-service changed from
one mount to another, and fully
reprogrammable AF and function
adjustment accessed through
a low-cost USB adaptor and PC
or Mac software. To top it out,
they installed new coating lines
which can match the standard of
Zeiss T* and beyond, including
nanocoatings which throw off oil,
moisture and dirt while being far
harder than earlier multicoating
layers.
We suspect the coating lines
were upgraded because Sigma
make lenses and lens components
for big name camera brands and
had to be able to replicate the
coatings by these customers.
While theyve taken a $14m
hit from a Nikon court action
claiming infringement of some
Nikon VR technology in the Sigma
OS stabilisation, its not the $120m
that Nikon originally went for and
Sigma has continued to develop
OS independently until, like their
HSM ultrasonic motor focusing,
individual Sigma lenses match
or exceed the performance of
camera brand lenses. For many
years, Sigma sold because you just
couldnt buy a camera marque
12-24mm or 300-800mm or 20mm
1.8 (and son on). They made
lenses which went beyond the
conservative catalogues of the big
names.
Now, they are rolling out
lenses like the 24-105mm 4 OS
HSM which exactly match the
nominal specs of marque designs
(clearly, the Canon 24-105mm L
IS USM II is the target here). When
tested, Sigmas new equivalent
turns out to knock the real thing
into a cocked hat and hardly
anyone disagrees. It can also be
56 May/June 2014 2
The 60mm 2.8 Sigma DN for E-mount was used on the Sony NEX-6 for this
macro shot with two Meikle dedicated extension tubes, and the cameras popup flash, with an aperture of 10 at ISO 200. Even at this small aperture, the
defocused image has a smooth bokeh front and back.
Maximum normal close-up focus, left, and excellent contrast and geometry, right,
using the 60mm for MFT on the Olympus OM-D E-M5.
wide open at any focal length
with absolute unconditional
confidence. You might think 1.8
is a bit limiting in depth of field
even at 18mm, but in fact this
lens has about the same range
and practical depth of field as a
27-52mm 2.8 lens on full frame.
Would you buy a 27-52mm?
Maybe not if it was scaled up from
the solid, almost massive form of
the 18-35mm.
My full aperture snaps of the
Citroen C3 Picasso use 1.8 to
blur out intruding foreground
New stars
After the first availability of the
Fujifilm X-T1 in early March,
and the promotional deals on
the X-Pro1 and other models
with lenses which accompanied
this, it seems that almost every
professional in the UK acquired a
Fuji X system and discovered that
the lenses deserve their legendary
reputation. We cant really add
anything except to say that so
far we have not heard a single
complaint.
Weve had a chance to handle
and make a few test shots with
the Zeiss Touit lenses 12mm
ultrawide (18mm equivalent),
32mm fast standard (=48mm) and
50mm macro (=75mm). These, like
Sigma DN and Fujinon-X, seem
capable of transforming mediocre
small mirrorless camera results
into files able to compete with
full frame DSLR work. Well be
following up this trend.
2
UNDERXPOSURE
THE VIEW FROM AUSTRALIA
Focus on
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Email: camerasure@towergate.co.uk
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15/7/08 10:45:43
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Better Photography: http://www.betterphotography.com
Australian Photography + digital: http://www.australianphotography.com
Capture: http://www.yaffa.com.au/index.php/b2b-publications/aust-capture
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E&OE
2 May/June 2014 59
Its not an Apple but its not a lemon either the Nokia 1020 with PureView
camera, and hybrid design look, plus an innovative touch screen interface.
be heralded as a welcome new
direction in design. The large
display is seamlessly integrated
into the tough polycarbonate shell,
with the camera module on the
rear a flat, metal disc protruding
enough to keep stray fingers from
obscuring the lens and lights. The
metal construction here hints not
only at the precision needed for
the Zeiss optics and large 41Mp
BSI sensor, it undoubtedly aids
cooling for the processing needed
to handle such large files.
An optional camera grip, the
PD-95G, enhances handling and
completes the Lumia 1020 as a
camera. Providing a secondary
battery, a tripod mount and
a two stage shutter button, it
dramatically improves the balance
of the Lumia as a camera without
See: www.nokia.co.uk
2 May/June 2014 61
yourVision
2 gallery
Above: Dave Millard of Sedgley, West Midlands, provided this reminder of what might be in store for 2014 if the summer produces a drought to match the winters
floods In 1992 when we had hosepipe bans because of the drought, the grasses in the foreground of Llyn Dinas in Wales are normally under water and just visible.
They are normally green but because of the lack of rain the lake had gone down, exposing them to the surface and making them go brown. They were a way out so I
had to wade with my camera and tripod, and the water was at the top of my waders. I have been there many times since but the water as never since been so low as to
expose the grasses; I guess I was just lucky as I have never seen another photo like it. Canon T90, 24mm lens, deep red filter, half a second at 22, Ilford FP4.
Below: Castlerigg Stone Circle in Cumbria
62 May/June 2014 2
I purchased the April issue of 2 Freelance Photographer and thought I would submit my photo for the chance
of featuring in your next issue. I am a teenage freelance photographer (17), and took this photo while on an
expedition in the mountains of Park City, Utah. I used a Canon 7D, with a 10-22mm Canon Lens, at a focal
length of 10mm, 3.5, ISO 1250, and a shutter speed of 8 secoNDS. I call the photo Long Trail Out of Eden.
Steven Craig Smith
2 May/June 2014 63
yourVision
2 gallery
64 May/June 2014 2
Above: small boy holding his pet kitten, Waikkal Village, Sri Lanka, sitting outside his home, by Findlay Rankin.
Below left: from my business trip to Shanghai Fuii X100s street shot by Nick Higham.
Below right: taken in Calcutta on a Colin Summers/Colin Westgate trip, by Peter Karry.
2 May/June 2014 65
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FREELANCE
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2 May/June 2014 67
Jill Furmanovsky and Mark Thackara bring you Olympus in association with rockarchive.com
a whole new gallery/showroom experience in the City.
Come and see stunning rock and roll images and buy prints.
Try out the latest award winning Olympus cameras and join regular workshops and talks by
top photographers.
199 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3TY (entrance on Primrose Street)
The gallery will be open daily from 10.30 - 19.00 (Monday to Saturday) and 12.00 - 19.00 (Sunday)
with special events detailed at olympus-imagespace.co.uk
Jill Furmanovsky
68 May/June 2014 2
Jill Furmanovsky
Colin N. Purvor
Jill Furmanovsky
Jill Furmanovsky